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

"【Radiant Flash】!" Philippa's figure transformed into an extreme beam of light, her speed suddenly increasing, appearing almost instantly behind Gray, the tip of her sword pointing directly at his heart!

"【Holy Flame Judgment】!" At the same time, she pressed her free left hand down sharply, and a blazing white holy flame poured down from Gray's head like a waterfall!

Gray cursed inwardly. The attacks were so fast and ruthless, it was not something a seriously injured person could do.

His shadow magic erupted, like a giant bird spreading its wings, forcefully shattering the holy flames above his head. At the same time, he flicked his finger, accurately deflecting the attacking sword tip from behind.

Ding! Boom!

The sounds of metal clashing and energy annihilation rang out almost simultaneously.

Gray could feel that the recoil from his fingertips was stronger than before.

At this rate, while she still wouldn't pose a real threat, Philippa's illogical "growth" speed was making him feel extremely troubled and... speechless. If this continued, who knew if she would make a last-minute breakthrough and cause even more trouble?

At that moment, after a fierce attack, Philippa used the momentum to fly backward several meters, kneeling on one knee, using her sword as a support, and breathing heavily.

Her face was as pale as paper, and beads of sweat kept dripping from her chin. The wounds on her body had reopened due to the high-intensity exercise, and blood had almost stained half of her clothes.

But her amber eyes were surprisingly bright.

She didn't launch an attack immediately. Instead, she used this brief opening to rapidly introspect, estimating the remaining light energy within her body. Like a spring about to dry up, only a shallow pool remained.

'Not enough... Conventional attacks simply can't shake him...' Philippa clearly recognized the despairing gap in strength between the two. All techniques, all variations, seemed pale and powerless in the face of the opponent's absolute power.

'Only one last chance remains.'

A thought firmly arose in her mind. She recalled one of the ultimate self-sacrificing techniques recorded in the legacy of heroes, a strike that burned magic power and merged soul and faith into it.

If she were to force it in her current state, the consequences would be unimaginable, but... it's the only way that might hurt the opponent, or even... create a miracle.

She didn't even know if she could kill the demon king before her after using this move; she only knew that the probability of her own death was far greater than that of the demon king who would suffer this attack.

The chances of surviving are slim, and the chances of killing the Demon King with this attack are even slimmer.

Philippa murmured softly:

"Grey, I might not be coming back..."

But if there's a chance that Sofia and Taric could survive...

She slowly raised her head, her gaze fixed on the demon king before her. Her eyes no longer held anger or fear, but only a pure, unwavering determination.

She gripped the hilt tightly with both hands again, holding the holy sword upright in front of her. The remaining light power within her body was no longer used to heal her injuries or maintain her bodily functions, but instead began to frantically converge and compress towards the sword in an almost self-destructive manner.

The holy sword, which had been somewhat dim, burst forth with light once more. But this time, the light was no longer dazzling; instead, it became restrained and profound, as if it had swallowed up all the light around it. The space around the sword began to distort slightly, emanating a terrifying wave of destruction!

She was preparing for the final blow, gambling everything she had left on this one sword strike!

Gray naturally sensed the sudden change in Philippa's aura and the terrifying energy condensed on the holy sword, which even he felt was a threat.

His helplessness deepened. 'She's really going to fight to the death...' He knew he couldn't let things continue like this. He had to completely control the situation before she made this desperate move; otherwise, whatever the outcome, it would be an irreversible tragedy.

He no longer stood still and waited. For the first time, he took a step forward, his deep voice carrying an undeniable power that pierced through the condensed energy field:

"That's enough, Philippa."

Just moments before Philippa unleashed the "Holy Light Judgment," a power she had condensed by exhausting all her remaining light and even her life essence—

Time seems to be stretched infinitely.

Gray's eyes, hidden beneath his black robe, suddenly sharpened. He held back, his figure vanishing like a ghost, and in the next instant, he broke through the distorted and turbulent energy field, appearing directly in front of Philippa.

The two were so close that Philippa could clearly see the deep darkness beneath the black robe and hood, and feel the overwhelming, soul-freezing magical pressure emanating from them.

“!” Philippa’s pupils contracted sharply. She didn’t have time to think about how the other party had broken through her sword lock and energy field. She could only rely on instinct to push the “Holy Light Judgment” that was about to be completed forward at all costs.

However, Gray was even faster!

He did not attack Philippa, but instead his right hand shot out with lightning speed, his five fingers spread, and a vast, abyss-like purple-black magic power surged from his palm.

This magic was not meant to destroy, but rather, in an extremely domineering yet precise way, like an invisible giant hand, it directly enveloped and bound the holy sword in Philippa's hand that was about to erupt, as well as the raging light power within her body.

“Buzz——!!!”

Two extremely opposing yet incredibly powerful forces collided violently at a very close distance.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, but instead, an even more grating sound of energy annihilation was emitted!

The purplish-black magic acted like the most solid cage and the most effective inhibitor, forcibly squeezing, penetrating, and neutralizing the extremely compressed holy light.

Philippa felt an irresistible force surge from the sword hilt, instantly numbing her entire arm as if it weren't her own. The light power within her, which was about to ignite and erupt, was forcibly shut down, causing it to backfire wildly in the intense conflict!

"Uhhhhh-!"

She let out a piercing scream, not from an external attack, but from the tearing pain caused by her own power being forcibly interrupted and rebounding into her body.

It felt as if his internal organs were being gripped and kneaded by an invisible hand, and his meridians were being torn apart inch by inch. His already serious injuries were exacerbated at this moment.

She suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, which even contained fragments of internal organs. Her vision went black, the holy light she had gathered instantly dissipated, and the sword in her hand fell to the ground with a clang. She fell backward like a puppet with its strings cut.

Gray maintained his outstretched hand gesture, slowly withdrawing his purplish-black magic. He looked at Philippa, who had collapsed to the ground, her life force instantly waning to its lowest point, like a candle flickering in the wind, and his brows furrowed tightly beneath his black robes.