of the casualties. The crimson-, peach-, black-, and rust-colored underlings filled the horizon to the limit. The underlings who had assaulted the square and the ones who'd been killed by La Mules must have been nothing more than a fraction of their ranks. Even just counting the ones in Kaito's field of view, they numbered well into the thousands. Having sensed enemies approaching the mass of flesh that was their master, the underlings' ranks swelled by the minute. One by one, they raised resentful cries against those who had survived. Then they advanced forward in a wave. Normal humans would have had no means of going up against that army. But Kaito knew that the woman standing before them was in a league of her own. The Torture Princess was a peerless sinner, one who'd slaughtered the entire population of her fiefdom. "Reenactment of the Plain of Skewers: Impaled Victim." Shunk, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab! Hundreds of iron stakes sprouted from the ground, destroying the weathered buildings as they went. One after another, they pierced through underlings and hoisted their tragic corpses into the air. It looked almost like they were being offered up to some dark being. Elisabeth piled on the attacks even more. "La Guillotine, the Decapitating Saint! Splendid Executioner: The Boondock Saints!" Countless blades appeared and formed a fantastical giant, around which stood a group of white saints. As the saints looked up to the heavens, Kaito snapped his fingers. "â€”La (dance)." A rectangular blade cleaved the sky as it came flying in. Kaito, the giant, and the saints all began their attacks simultaneously. Their sharp blades carved through the group of underlings. An almost excessive spray of blood gushed forth, and bodies began piling up a rapid clip. But although the odds looked favorable at first glance, Kaito and Elisabeth frowned. "... 'Tis problematic." "Yeah..." The underlings had begun grabbing the blades that made up the giant, tearing up their own arms in the process. Though at the cost of shedding immense amounts of blood, they still managed to tear the blades off the giant's body. Dozens of underlings died due to blood loss. But like ants disassembling a spider, they eventually finished dismantling the giant. Grabbed by countless hands, the La Guillotines also sank into the wretched sea of underlings. Elisabeth snapped her fingers again. "Gluttonous Hellhole!" A hole opened in the ground, one much larger than the Hellhole she usually summoned. As the earth caved in, it swallowed up underlings, and the underworldly beetles and grubs within ripped them to shreds with their powerful jaws. However, the underlings didn't hesitate. They leaped into the hole, one after another. Unable to withstand it, the bugs were squished. Green juices oozed out of their crushed bodies. The hole was eventually filled in with corpses, and the underlings advanced over it. They marched forward with aggressive simplicity, removing any obstacles that stood in their way. Then a ferocious darkness covered the sky, as though a typhoon was arriving. A dense black cloud violently appeared before Kaito and Elisabeth's eyes. It was yet more underlings. The grotesque, winged creatures were soaring through the sky in unison. Kaito maneuvered his blade, and Elisabeth summoned even more torture devices. But against the numbers they were facing, the ones they slew would amount to nothing more than a drop in the bucket. Overwhelmed by the waves approaching from land and sky, Kaito recalled the words Elisabeth had once said. "Numbers beget force. And one can accomplish much through the use of force." ...So this is what she was talking about. The black wave and cloud drew near. Their footsteps shook the earth, and their howls split the sky. They were like the end of the world given flesh. "Hmm, now this is a situation where shooting a cannon at a group of ants seems reasonable. But know this, boy. Even if I were to enter the fray, the number I can devour in one go is limited. What would you have me do? It would sully my good name if I were to allow my master to be consumed by cannon fodder. I wouldn't mind taking you both on my back and leaping over that throng, you know." The Kaiser posed an uncharacteristically benevolent question to Kaito. However, Kaito shook his head. "No... If we let those guys get outside, the knights and nuns will be in danger, never mind the people who haven't been able to evacuate the city yet." "Ha, a splendid jest. The daughter of Vlad and I could keep them in check, but annihilating them is another matter altogether. I told you once before, boy. One who forgets their greatest wish is naught but a fool masquerading as a saint." Kaito bit down on his lip at the Kaiser's words. He knew the Kaiser was right. There was no point to holding back the deadly stream's flow if it left them unable to advance. There was still the Grand Monarch and the King to contend with beyond this horde. Kaito knew that, but he still couldn't bring himself to agree. He looked toward the Torture Princess, as though imploring her. "Elisabeth..." "Enough of that gloomy voice already! While I'd normally advise you that naive thoughts have no place on the battlefield, even I understand. If naught else, we'd best thin out their ranks. If we simply let them roam free like this, the capital's likely to be annihilated. 'Twould be no laughing matter if we two ended up the sole survivors." "See, I knew you'd see it that way." "Quit speaking of me in that warm tone!" Kaito nodded toward Elisabeth, who was infuriated. However, this too was a dangerous gamble. For the first time, he lamented the fact that the two of them were alone there. Here in that gray world, there was nobody for them to entrust their backs to. Eventually, though, Elisabeth shook her head. "I suppose we'd best get to it, then. 'Tis no point in expecting things to turn for the better. And regret accomplishes naught." "Yeah, you're rightâ€”we're the only ones here, after all." The Torture Princess and the Kaiser's contractor nodded to each other. The unseemly black dog snorted and pawed at the ground. Vlad shrugged in exasperation. But as the two of them mustered up their tragic resolution before their oncoming foes, they heard something. "Get back, you two!" An unexpected voice rang out. Kaito looked up as though he'd been slapped. As he confirmed the voice's owner, his eyes went wide. A winged, white orb was floating amid the gray sky. It was one of the Church's communication devices, and Izabella's voice was coming from within it. "Howâ€”?" "Don't just idly stand there, Kaito! Get back!" The moment Kaito tried to question what was going on, Elisabeth grabbed him by the collar. As she did, she dragged him violently backward at a rapid clip. Then she released him, practically tossing him aside. He turned to look at the place where they'd just been standing. When he did, his retinas were seared white. An intense light had burst right in front of him. A group of underlings had been vaporized. "Oh-ho." Vlad raised his voice in interest. Turning away from the scene for a moment, Kaito frantically recovered his temporarily shattered vision. Then he rechecked the terrible spectacle before him. The underlings had burst into flames and were burning. Among them, a massive bird was turning to ash as well. Kaito identified it. It's a summoned beast, the same kind La Mules was summoning! It was then that the reality of the situation hit Kaito. The holy bird was what had made the underlings disintegrate. La Mules should be dead, though... "Izabella, you fool! You'll kill yourself!" The moment that bit of confusion crossed Kaito's mind, Elisabeth let out a shout. Beside him, she was staring out beyond the boundary between the worlds of demon and man. As he followed her gaze, Kaito's eyes widened. Off in the distance, the apex of the hill was shining silver. Paladins were gathered there, standing with a group of priests in a strange square formation. At their feet were magical runes so large that Kaito could make them out from where he stood. He couldn't tell what they said, but he knew what they meant. It's gathering up mana from the priests and the paladins! With La Mules having passed, the group was now working together as one and forming a single cannon. And Izabella was most likely acting as its launchpad. Kaito then recalled a certain fact. Izabella's store of mana was as deep and as placid as the sea and well suited toward healing, protective, and summoning magic. At the same time, an old scene flashed back through his mind. That night, Izabella hadn't hesitated in taking his beastly hand, the proof of his demonic contract, and shaking it with her gauntlet. They'd looked each other in the eyes and sworn an oath. ""Let's take out that demon together."" But in the end, the Torture Princess had ended up shouldering the decisive battle alone. After talking with Elisabeth, Kaito had attacked Izabella's conscience, both for the sake of his ulterior motive and out of indignation. "La Mules is dead. If the Torture Princess screws up, who do you think's next in line to fight?" "Who the hell do you think is gonna end up getting sacrificed for the sake of all the heretics and people who call him a monster?" At the time, Izabella hadn't responded. But at present, she was trying to fulfill her promise to Kaito with her own hands. She'd chosen to fight alongside him and the Torture Princess. But she's taking too big of a risk. Izabella's method of attack differed from the way La Mules used the summoning circles inside her own body. Additionally, because she was splitting the burden with the paladins, there was little chance she'd lose her sanity. But the amount of mana they'd amassed was too much for a mere human's body to handle. Furthermore, the other paladins were in danger as well. Even though they weren't going to enter the demon's world themselves, they would have nowhere to run if the King launched his long-range attack on them. And above all, the strain on their bodies and their mana would be intense no matter what else happened. They clearly had no intention of preserving their strength. But Godot Deus's decision was correct! "What in the world do you think you're doing?! Don't be rash!" "I should be the one telling you not to say such foolish things! We are the swords of the Church, the blades of the Saint, and the shields of the people. If we do not save the innocent who suffer, then who exactly are we expecting to bear that burden?" "We're handling it just fine! What, are you worried about that stuff I said to you? My bad. That was just me running my mouth! Please just forget about it! Think about your responsibilities!" "This is our city! We will aid you, and we will protect it! I have no intention of foisting those I am duty bound to protect onto you two!" "But...!" "Just how long do you think it took me to convince the priests?! Leave this to us and advance!" Loud, fierce shouts came from within the white orb. For a moment, they were overlaid with the sound of someone coughing up blood. As he heard Izabella let out a clear groan of pain, Kaito clenched his fists. As he did, another summoned beast came soaring in. Exploding underlings filled the horizon. Kaito inhaled sharply. He knew he needed to stop her. Before he could speak, though, Izabella stole a lead on him. "Don't give me that nonsense, Kaito Sena! Enough is enough! You should be looking for any help you can get, even if it comes from a monster! Don't