"Anti-Magic?! How can you use it?! How can you use all those different spells?!" Gram exclaimed in disbelief, realizing the unexpected threat they were facing.

He couldn't understand why such a formidable figure had been concealed within this forest.

Indeed, he knew that the blind young man before them must be a renowned figure to wield such powers.

Commander Gram knew they needed to regroup quickly, as they were unprepared to confront someone with the ability to use Anti-Magic.

They were ill-prepared to contend with an adversary who wielded Anti-Magic, a force that nullified their mystical abilities.

While their Arcane Sigils offered some defense, their efficacy was limited against Tier 1 Spellsa stark contrast to the higher-tier Spells that the mysterious figure was undoubtedly capable of unleashing.

"I will handle this enemy! Retreat!" Gram shouted as he knew that his soldiers were just easy targets.

However, before Gram could activate his Arcane Sigils, the young man enacted yet another spell, one that absorbed the ambient light, plunging their surroundings into an inky shroud of darkness!

"What?!"

"Are we inside a formation art?"

"No, this must be Light Absorption or a stronger Darkness Veil."

The Knights, who were unable to use their Arcane Heart due to the Holy Smite's debuff, spoke with worry.

"Shamans, use your light spells! Knights, do not be forceful with your spells, or your internal injuries will worsen! Just slowly retreat!" Laura immediately voiced out her commands before the knights could panic.

Then, at this moment, Shadow Soldiers materialized, emerging from the void with a chilling purpose! They wielded their shadow blades and aimed at the retreating Knights!

The Shadow Soldiers moved swiftly, their ethereal forms proving elusive and disorienting to the Knights.

Like phantoms, they surged forward, and their movements were like a dance that leaves dark tendrils in the surroundings.

Whoosh~

They assailed the knights with a relentless onslaught.

Clank! Clank! Clang!

Their attacks, imbued with an eerie chill, caused chaos among the ranks of the Royal Knights.

Luckily, the Royal Knights could still wield their magic weapons and were able to defend against the Shadow Soldiers.

The enemy's actions caused mayhem, and Gram was furious as he lunged at him!

Several Arcane Sigils lit up around his body, as an Ancient Force strengthened him.

He was 5 meters away from the young man, when he felt a sudden threat from above and rapidly moved all his defensive spells and artifacts to cover his head!

Boom!

A lightning bolt struck from above!

He was fortunate to fend off that strike... But he had no chance to celebrate as he saw a fist with a red aura coming at his face!

Bang!

He couldn't evade the punch and was flung away! He thought that it would just push him away, but that strike felt different.

He felt as if his vitality was taken from a single punch!

"Commander!"

Laura reacted quickly as she caught the Commander. Without her, Gram would have been thrown out of the vessel!

But the trouble didn't end there... Another lightning bolt came down and this time, the Airship's defensive formation and Gram's mystical artifact couldn't protect them.

'Not good!'

With no other option, Laura tossed her Grimoire in the path of the Lightning Bolt!

Bang!

The lightning strike was blocked but the Grimoire was nearly destroyed! There was a huge tear in its middle, and no one knew if it was still usable!

"We surrender!" Laura said right away as she felt that the young man was about to cast another spell.

Their advantage was in their numbers and the presence of Gram Cromwell in their ranks.

But now that Gram was beaten and their knights and shamans were powerless against the enemy, Laura realized that they had no chance of winning this fight.

Moreover, she had no clue how many more times he could unleash that heavenly lightning!

If the caster could use it 3 or 5 more times, she was certain that they would all be defeated here!

***

In the meantime, Vale's smile widened upon hearing their surrender.

He had deliberately compelled them to submit, seeking to assert his dominance and expose their vulnerability.

With the imminent invasion of the Abyss Realm approaching, he couldn't afford to waste time subduing the people of the Ruri Kingdom, despite the potential boost it would provide to his own strength.

His desire was for the Ruri Kingdom to retain its strength so that when the demonic beings arrived, they would offer a robust line of defense, serving his ultimate purpose.

'I've expended a few Divinity Points, but I suppose it's insignificant' Vale thought to himself.

Having ascertained the Celestial Corpses' ability to regenerate their Divinity, he had become more liberal in utilizing his Divinity Points.

Although he could only extract Divinity from six Celestial Corpses at present, he intended to unseal the other coffins to have more sources of Divinity Points.

He wasn't in a hurry to unseal them since he had to be mindful not to make any errors that could result in the destruction of the Celestial bodies or their possessions.

Anyway Vale stopped casting and dismissed his Shadow Soldiers. Instead, he activated his Darkness Manipulation Spell to cover all the Airships, ensuring the completion of the Extraction from those who had perished.

Following this covert action, he turned to the Vice Commander and delivered a firm statement.

"Compensation... You have assaulted my castle without initiating a dialogue. There is a price to be paid."

Laura wasn't surprised by Vale's demand. Despite the casualties they had suffered, she felt compelled to comply without attempting to negotiate.

Casting a brief glance at the unconscious Captain, she began to respond.

"We are willing to compensate you. Once we return to the capital"

"No... I want to be paid now." Vale interjected, cutting off Laura's words.

"What? What kind of compensation do you want? We don't have the funds here, as we came to quell the rebellion" Laura countered.

"And I have no affiliation with the rebels. Regardless, hand over that red glove you possess, along with your Commander's cape. I also require one of the Airships" Vale demanded.