Chapter 689: Duel

Just like the others, the Demon Saint's true form was that of a humanoid figure, albeit with a chilling and otherworldly presence.

His countenance was marked by a pair of ominous horns that protruded from his forehead, twisting upward in a menacing arc. His eyes, a sinister fusion of black and crimson, glowed with an unsettling intensity, radiating a malevolent aura.

"That was dangerous... Immortal." The Demon Saint said.

Although he was forced to reveal his true appearance, he didn't seem to be panicking and was calmly assessing the situation he was in.

Clad in dark, ethereal armor that seemed to shift and writhe like liquid shadow, he exuded an air of profound danger.

Sinister patterns adorned the surface of his robe, pulsing with an eerie, crimson luminescence.

As he stood amidst the room, a sense of foreboding spread over the onlookers, and the very air seemed to grow heavy with his presence.

"Y-you! You're a Demon?!"

The one who was most shocked in the room was Ceres.

The Shadow Knight she had selected years ago had turned out to be a Demon! She couldn't help but shudder in terror after recalling who she had been with most of the time.

"How is it possible?"

This realization sent a shiver down her spine as she grappled with the notion that the individual she had trusted implicitly was, in fact, a being of malevolent origin.

"I am not an ordinary demon, Princess Ceres. I am one of the Demon Saints, bearing a single-digit rank." He stated with a touch of pride, although Vale discerned a hint of uncertainty beneath the facade.

After all, the Demon Saint had yet to divulge his true name, a detail not lost on Vale.

"Then what are you going to do now, Single-Digit Demon Saint?" Vale asked with a mocking tone in his voice.

As the tension in the room reached its peak, the Demon Saint, realizing that his ruse had been exposed, made a furtive attempt to vanish from sight, casting a mirage spell in a desperate bid to escape.

The air shimmered and distorted, offering glimpses of his elusive form as he sought to elude capture.

The other people in the room didn't dare to do anything aside from protecting themselves.

"You're escaping? Hahaha... I guess that's a good decision." Vale laughed as he realized what was happening.

Nonetheless, Vale, with an air of confidence, made no move to impede the fleeing Demon Saint, choosing to watch in silence as the demonic being dissipated into the shadows.

'He let the Demon Saint escape?' Miya and the rest of them had the same thought.

They didn't expect that the mysterious Immortal would allow such a dangerous being to escape just like that.

However, they didn't dare to question his decision.

"I apologize, Sir Immortal. I didn't know that my personal knight was a Demon Saint. I—Our family is not involved in this. We're also victims of the Demon Saint's transformation ability." Ceres immediately explained. She didn't want the Immortal to think negatively of the Royal Family.

Lucky, Vale didn't make it too hard on her.

"It's fine... That Demon Saint isn't the strong. Aside from that, it was my friend who had invited you all inside the castle..." Vale replied.

At the very least, they still owed him for the fact that he managed to reveal its true identity and didn't cause too much damage on their side.

Finally, one of them had the courage to ask Vale.

"Sir Immortal, is it alright to let the Demon Saint flee?' Sir Roland of the Knights Faction couldn't help but ask.

As a Magic Knight who had been imparted with discipline and chivalrous acts, he had the urge to eliminate such a threat to humanity.

He knew very well that the Demon Saints were almost at the top of the ladder. Their powers were incredible, and there weren't many who could win against them in a one-on-one fight.

Vale smiled at this and only gave a mysterious answer.

"I've prepared something for him outside. You don't have to worry about him." Vale said.

***

In the meantime, outside the castle, the Demon Saint found himself in a predicament.

Unbeknownst to the Demon Saint, a contingent of formidable individuals lay in wait just beyond the threshold of the castle, waiting to intercept his escape!

As the illusory effects of the mirage spell began to wane, the Demon Saint materialized at the edge of a barrier he couldn't pass through!

"What a strong Formation Art..." The Demon Saint muttered.

Then, he looked at the side not too far from him.

Soon, a figure emerged from the darkness, her presence exuding an aura of formidable strength.

It was none other than Lisa the Vampire... She had already seen Vale fight against a Demon Saint, but she hadn't tried it yet.

She looked a bit excited when she received a message from Vale that she could practice everything she had learned against this Demon Saint!

"Stand down, Demon... If you want to leave this place, you have to break that barrier, but I won't allow that to happen. This will be your grave."

Lisa spoke with a disdainful tone as she confronted the fleeing figure.

"Breaking this barrier isn't that difficult if I have enough time... Mhmm... Is that Immortal injured or something? Why did he not chase me? Is he afraid?" The Demon Saint asked, confused that a delicate woman was the one who had stopped him from fleeing.

He couldn't help but consider that the Immortal was weakened!

"Hahaha! That's a good joke, Demon... You can try to kill me and find out." Lisa replied.

As Lisa said this, her Vampiric Aura started to spread... It would not lose out to the menacing aura of the Demon Saint at all!

The Demon, now cornered, cast a wary glance at the formidable woman and the group of Automatons gathering to apprehend him.

"You want to capture me? I will not be taken so easily..." He retorted, his voice tinged with a trace of desperation.

"You will regret crossing paths with me." He added.

Lisa's gaze remained calm, unshaken in the face of the Demon Saint's ominous warning.

"Your threats hold no sway here."

With that said, the Vampire and the Demon started their duel!