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

(I'm sorry, the previous chapter was posted in Volume 1 again and can't be changed. Duplicate chapters aren't allowed to be posted either. Please check the table of contents; it's after Chapter 27...)

Red bean paste is so delicious!

Normally, monsters are mindless creatures that only know how to kill. They usually act alone; otherwise, they wouldn't need adventurers or heroes to hunt them down, as they would fight each other to the death.

Unless it is a social monster.

However, social monsters are usually weaker, which is why they live in groups.

However, the two eighth-tier monsters in front of them, despite not being of the same race, have reached a consensus to cooperate, which is extremely rare among all monsters. Moreover, the two eighth-tier monsters are a powerful alliance rather than weak ones banding together for warmth.

Therefore, the hero team suffered a loss from the combined attack of two eighth-tier monsters as soon as they met.

"Tarik!" Philippa exclaimed, but the Shadow Blade Panther was already upon them.

Like a ghost, it used its extreme speed to launch attacks from all sorts of tricky angles. Its black claws appeared and disappeared unpredictably, and each collision caused Philippa's arm to tremble violently, making the wound reopen even more severely.

She could only struggle to cope with the situation by relying on the hero's exceptional reaction speed and the constant buffs from Sophia's Swiftness Light-attribute magic, remaining completely on the defensive and constantly in danger.

Sophia's face was pale, and she waved her staff rapidly.

In high-speed combat, there was no time to cast spells, so she had to cast some small spells instantly without casting to disrupt the Shadow Blade Leopard.

The light of the [Fifth-Tier Healing Spell] fell on Philippa's shoulder, barely stopping the bleeding.

[Binding of Light] Several halos of light attempted to entangle the Shadow Blade Leopard, but it easily broke free, albeit at a slightly slower pace.

[Flash] A blinding burst of light erupted, and the Shadow Blade Leopard let out a disgusted growl, its movements halting once more.

It was just that momentary slowdown!

A fierce glint flashed in Philippa's eyes as she endured the excruciating pain and frantically channeled her light-attribute magic.

She stopped focusing solely on defense; her longsword transformed into streaks of blazing light, swirling back towards the Shadow Blade Leopard like a raging storm.

This is a desperate fighting style that involves risking injury to fight back.

Philippa didn't think much of it; her fighting instincts told her that she had to work together to take down one monster first, and then join forces with Taric to kill the second monster in order to have a chance of winning.

Since she had a chance of winning, Philippa didn't want to wait for Phoenix's rescue; she wanted to win on her own!

However, Philippa's reckless fighting makes it very difficult for Phoenix to time his actions and decide whether he should intervene to help...

Jingle bells!

Sparks flew as holy light clashed violently with shadows.

Philippa's blade sliced ​​across the Shadow Blade Panther's body multiple times, leaving charred marks, but the latter's tough fur and shadow energy negated most of the damage.

Meanwhile, the Shadow Blade Panther's claws also left more wounds on Philippa's arm and leg armor.

On the other side, Taric struggled to his feet, spitting out the blood in his mouth, and roared as he charged at the Rock Armored Giant Lizard again! He knew he had to keep this big guy occupied, otherwise, if it combined its attack with the Shadow Blade Leopard, they would all be finished!

"Damn rock! Look this way!" A strong holy light burst forth from his giant axe, successfully attracting the attention of the rock-armored giant lizard.

The giant lizard abandoned its attack on Sophia and turned to fight Taric.

Taric completely abandoned the offensive, wielding his giant axe with impenetrable force, purely in a defensive stance to withstand the ferocious slaps and charges of the Rock Armored Giant Lizard. Each block caused his blood to surge and his injuries to worsen, but he remained firmly rooted to the spot.

The battle devolved into a brutal war of attrition. Philippa and the Shadow Blade Leopard fought with lightning speed, and she continued to inflict wounds, her blood almost staining half of her light armor. Her breathing became heavy, but her eyes grew ever sharper, and her swordsmanship became even more refined under extreme pressure.

Sophia's healing and support magic barely stopped, her mana was being consumed rapidly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She had to precisely calculate the timing of each spell and the allocation of mana.

Finally, after countless clashes, Philippa seized a fleeting opportunity.

After the Shadow Blade Leopard made a mid-air pounce, it seemed to experience a very brief moment of stiffness upon landing due to the continuous high-speed movement.

"Now! Sofia! Give me control!"

"【Holy Imprisonment】!" Sophia instantly cast a seventh-tier spell. Casting a high-tier spell instantly without chanting consumes far more mana than a spell cast with chanting, and the effect is also somewhat inferior, but its speed is its advantage, often producing surprising results.

The Shadowblade Leopard roared in alarm and struggled frantically, instantly causing cracks to spread across its shackles, which were on the verge of shattering.

But that less than a second is enough!

Philippa poured all her strength, along with her indomitable will, into this single sword strike! She and the sword seemed to become one, transforming into a dazzling stream of light that tore through the dark forest!

"With this sword light—cleanse the darkness!"

Holy Light Judgment!

Pfft——! ! !

The longsword pierced the Shadow Blade Leopard's gaping mouth with unparalleled precision, penetrating the back of its head! The ultimate concentration of holy light energy instantly erupted within its skull!

The Shadow Blade Leopard's struggles came to an abrupt halt. Its body convulsed violently, the dark light in its eyes dimmed rapidly, and it finally collapsed to the ground, completely lifeless.

Philippa drew her longsword, swayed, and barely managed to stand by using the sword for support.

She was breathing heavily, her body covered in blood, her wounds burning with pain, and her inner light power was almost completely exhausted.

Slaying the first tier-eight monster came at a price far exceeding expectations. Taric was severely injured, Sophia's magic power was greatly depleted, and she herself was also covered in wounds.

However, before she could catch her breath, a muffled groan came from Taric's direction.

Taking advantage of the moment they killed the Shadowblade Leopard, the Rock Armored Giant Lizard delivered a heavy claw strike that broke through Taric's defenses, sending him flying once again.

The remaining battle was still incredibly difficult. Philippa watched the roaring, charging rock-armored giant lizard, gritted her teeth, and gripped her sword tightly once more.

Although the situation was still not good, it was better than the three of them facing two eighth-level monsters head-on.

The situation has improved a lot, and we've returned to the three-on-one scenario that the Brave Squad is most familiar with.

Caught in the heat of battle, none of the three noticed the watchful gaze from the darkness, nor a soft sigh.

"The hero's blessing is truly outrageous and unreasonable."

Father, like son.

Perhaps only from a third-person perspective can one see the effect of the hero's blessing.

While it's called a blessing, it actually feels more like an officially acknowledged protagonist's halo, still part of the classic shonen system.

The more battles they experience, and the more dangerous those battles, the faster their magic power increases. For the hero team, breaking through in the heat of battle is not a rare occurrence.

Historical records also show that several demon kings were slain in battle by heroes who broke through enemy lines...