Chapter 284: The Cry of Desperation

At night, the square was filled with torches and lanterns.

The kingdom's knights stood in formation; behind them were not only the royal garrison but also the long-waiting civilians.

Everyone had seen it—the disaster was about to descend.

This time, no one doubted the royal decree, no one doubted that the underworld held a crisis capable of destroying all.

Demons, devils, cultists—this little Huicheng truly had good fortune; it had effortlessly gathered the trio of destruction.

"Snap."

Footsteps emerged from the buildings.

The princess, wearing a silver crown and a golden light armor resembling ritual robes, gripped a silver scepter and walked forward slowly.

Behind her stood the local nobles, grand bishops, and grand mages, their half-step lag subtly revealing respect and obedience—a rarity in this weakened kingdom.

Standing on the high platform, Dainya slowly scanned the crowd.

The closest group was the city's noble circle; too many familiar faces here.

Many had once been her political enemies, her opponents.

But they wanted to live too; their families had been taken, so they came.

Dainya's gaze made many uneasy, yet behind them lay the "elite" and "guards"—perhaps the densest concentration of high-level practitioners in Huicheng.

She turned her gaze further out—to the knights' formation.

Noble knights, royal-ennobled commoner knights (Li En Sudar likely among them), church knight-paladins and holy knights—in this age, they were perhaps the most trustworthy warriors, the kingdom's last bloodline.

Behind them were hastily summoned city guards and elite constables; their average strength was weak, most below second-rank, their bloodlines barely evolved two or three times at most—but they, not the elites, were the city's and the nation's true backbone.

Their vast numbers and duty to protect and maintain order made them the constant frontline enforcers.

Perhaps they were unreliable, even untrustworthy, but for a kingdom now trembling on the brink, they were the most indispensable foundation—the wall against risk and evil.

Dainya turned her gaze to the flank—that most expensive and most free-standing formation; perhaps they were Huicheng's strongest organization.

Here, expensive, luxurious grand mage robes had become standard; this time, the once-rebellious grand mages came in unusually large numbers, bringing their finest gear and numerous apprentices—partly because they sensed the crisis, partly because of "Zhu Lian's" achievements.

Clearly, he had become not just a humiliation to the kingdom's mages, but a target they must eradicate.

This "live broadcast" had directly shattered the rift between mages and the kingdom, and convinced the mages to eliminate this stain—even if he fled back to the Inferno, they would find him and grant him true eternal sleep.

Dainya looked further still—to the civilians, their faces filled with fear or resolve; they had sensed the crisis and sought to survive in their own ways.

Scattered mercenaries and foreign warriors blended among them; their numbers were immense, many from distant lands, hunters by trade—but now, they too would fight for survival and future.

"I am Dainya, daughter of the Queen of the Aithelin Kingdom."

To most civilians, Dainya had always been merely a name they'd heard—but now, through the "Mirror Demon" broadcasts across every district, the princess's true face and words reached the entire city.

"Our kingdom stands in crisis. In truth, our kingdom has always been in crisis. We received word long ago: if we fail to conquer the underground ruins within two years, the powerful demon god worshipped by those cultists will emerge and utterly destroy our nation—even our race."

Her calm words echoed throughout the city; countless eyes turned to her.

Her words, her resolve, her unwavering will despite helplessness, began to spread.

"Our warriors are on the front lines. If they fail, if they receive no reinforcements, the underground ruins will fall to demons, and we will only wait for the final doom two years hence. To survive, we may have to abandon our last home."

【Deceiver's Intuition (Unknown Rank): Your words will be more easily believed; you will more easily discern lies and deception; you will more easily see the truth beneath lies and illusions.】

She herself did not know that beneath the faintly glowing black-scaled serpent ring, her words and will resonated throughout the city.

From this moment, the "crisis" was acknowledged, and her will was acknowledged.