The maid squad is too strong, what use is there for me, the Demon King?

For researchers, an indispensable part of studying the history of the conflict between humans and demons is the study of demon kings and heroes.

Researching the Demon King...

There's a limit to jokes. How can you study a demon king who sees humans as his enemies?

Previous generations of Demon Kings could at least be studied through their behavioral logic, but with the current generation, if it weren't for the birth of the Hero, he wouldn't even know that there was a new generation of Demon Kings.

The current Demon King has only appeared once during the Holy Light Pilgrimage, and his whereabouts remain unknown afterward.

Phoenix keenly sensed the difference in this generation of Demon King.

"Is it about accumulating strength in preparation for war, or...?"

Like that 'sage,' is he both a demon king and a researcher?

It's too early to make a judgment; there's too little information.

He had to continue his old profession—observing the brave.

Based on previous observations, it can be concluded that heroes possess a kind of "halo" effect.

The influence of the "halo" is subtle and gradual, affecting both the user and their fellow members of the hero's party.

The effect is basically an increase in potential and comprehension, manifested as a magic level advancement speed far exceeding that of ordinary people.

There is another type of "halo" that the hero can actively activate.

It is a special technique, not a martial art, but it is also difficult to classify as magic.

Its function is to be activated during battle, suppressing the enemy and providing buffs to allies.

"Halo Field" is the name Phoenix gave to this ability.

Successfully unlocking the "Halo Domain" signifies that the hero has made initial progress and has reached the entry level on the path to defeating the Demon King.

Under the influence of the "Aura Field," Taric seemed to feel no fatigue, swinging his giant axe with sweeping, powerful blows. Each swing only fueled his fighting spirit.

Sofia chanted the incantation and entered a state of "undistracted concentration".

No matter how much noise happened around her, it wouldn't affect Sophia's magic incantation.

In this state, the caster can complete the incantation at the fastest speed, greatly increasing the power of the magic and even releasing magic that exceeds their own magic power level!

As the last syllable faded, the sky suddenly lit up, and countless tiny points of light emerged from the clouds, like the dawn piercing through the thin mist. In an instant, these points of light coalesced into hundreds of dazzling arrows of light, their shafts flowing with pure holy light, their fletching trailing fine golden dust.

The next second, arrows of light rained down like a storm. Each arrow, upon landing, unleashed a gentle ripple of holy light, causing the monsters it touched to hiss as if being scorched, their bodies gradually disintegrating in the light. The ground trembled slightly, and faint golden patterns appeared in the struck areas, as if briefly purified by divine power.

The rain of light lasted for several seconds. After the light dissipated, most of the shadows on the battlefield had been dispelled, and tiny particles of light still floated in the air, like lingering afterglow.

The purified land glowed faintly, and the remaining darkness slowly evaporated like smoke.

Taric and Philippa were speechless for a long time as they watched the hordes of monsters vanish in the rain of light arrows.

Sophia opened her eyes, looked at the drastically changed scene before her, and slowly a question mark appeared on her face.

"Why does this place feel different from before?" Sophia asked, touching her long hair.

Sofia would certainly feel that way, after all, the difference between before and after opening her eyes is too great.

Before the incantation, hordes of frenzied monsters appeared before her; upon opening her eyes, all the monsters vanished, and even the gloomy weeds around her were purified into a vibrant turquoise.

Sofia was immediately greeted by Philippa's exclamation.

"This spell is definitely more than a fifth-tier spell, right? How did you manage to cast a spell beyond your tier? It doesn't even look like you've overdrawn your magic power. Could it be that you've been hiding your true strength all this time, just to show it off at a crucial moment?"

Philippa moved closer to Sofia, grabbed her shoulders, and shook her violently.

Before Sofia could even process what was happening, Philippa shook her violently, leaving her feeling a little dizzy.

She did long for close contact with her princess, the heroine, but she wanted a hug, not this dizzying, swaying sensation.

"Just calm down first, or you'll throw up..."

After casting the spell, Sophia didn't feel much exhaustion, but Philippa grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently, making her dizzy.

"Ah...sorry..."

Seeing Sofia's starry-eyed expression, Philippa realized she had gotten too excited and quickly let go of Sofia.

Taric was only just recovering from the lingering effects of the magic.

The power of that attack was truly terrifying, and Philippa's reaction was not exaggerated.

Once Sophia recovered from her dizziness, she finally understood their excitement and weakly asked, "Did I wipe out the entire monster horde in one hit?"

"Yes, that's amazing!" Philippa's beautiful eyes lit up as she took a step closer to Sofia, startling her so much that she involuntarily took a half-step back.

However, seeing that Philippa didn't grab her shoulder again and spin her around, she stopped retreating.

Sofia still didn't feel like it was real.

“I’ve never unleashed such powerful magic before…” Sophia murmured.

Philippa got even more excited: "So, this is something that suddenly unleashed its potential during a crisis?"

Sophia stammered, "Maybe...?"

Taric noticed the halo, which was now much more solid than before, and seemed to be deep in thought.

“If Sophia herself didn’t do anything, then it must be the effect of this thing, right?” Taric interjected at the right moment, steering the conversation towards the halo.

"You released this halo, didn't you?" Taric asked.

The two women stopped fighting and looked at the halo.

"So bright..."

This was Sofia's first impression, and Philippa also felt the halo was warm and welcoming.

“It’s not just that Sophia unleashed magic beyond her capabilities; I also feel like I can move so lightly that I can step on my left foot and ascend to heaven,” Taric said, expressing his feelings.

Sofia and Taric immediately turned to Philippa: "Do you remember how the halo is released?"

Philippa said slowly, "I don't know... it just happened naturally, it was released..."

Seeing that Philippa didn't seem to be hiding anything and probably genuinely didn't know, the two didn't press her further.

“That’s the hero’s special ability. Anyway, as long as it provides a buff, it’s useful and easy to use,” Taric concluded.

There are many inexplicable aspects to the wonders of heroes, and they have neither the time nor the inclination to explore them one by one.

"Let's delve deeper..."

A consensus was reached before moving forward...

The three of them suddenly looked to the side at the same time.

A deafening roar came from that direction, putting the three of them on edge...