One day ago.

The journey back home from the Eastern Plateau was not so smooth.

Cialdini sometimes really wanted to curse those demons and their masters behind the scenes, praying they would be thrown into the fires of purgatory, burned until they wished for death.

The space portals on the Pirate Islands have added too many unstable factors to this world.

As a Sword Master, Cialdini has always known that once the countries failed to seal the space portals in time, the relatively peaceful days of the Star Continent would be gone forever.

Demons are not only adept at combat and possess exceptional strength; they even outnumber other worlds by far.

It can be said that if they weren't internally consumed, the abyss's influence on the outside world would be even stronger than it is now.

But then again, if they weren't self-conflicting, it wouldn't be the abyss at all.

Once the fundamental chaos of the abyss disappears, the abyss would naturally not be as powerful as it is now.

If forced to choose a race he did not want to battle against, the demons of the abyss would definitely be one of them.

Unfortunately, some things cannot be changed by personal will.

The space portals on the Pirate Islands can't be sealed in a short time.

Although all countries have exerted their utmost effort to clean up the demons in the surrounding seas, they still cannot prevent all demons from escaping the siege and regrouping outside the encirclement.

This time, regarding the battle in the Eastern Plateau, Cialdini knew that he and the rascal Louis were just coming over to clean up the mess for their colleagues surrounding the Gate of the Abyss in the Fallen Star Sea.

After the three engagements in the Eastern Plateau ended, Cialdini brought the army home.

No one was more eager to spar with Louis than he was.

Even his daughter could not stop his determination to fight against him.

For Cialdini, a warrior naturally grows beyond limits through battles again and again.

Avoiding battle, for him, would only be like rowing against the current, making it even less likely for his skills to emerge and shine.

Along the way, Cialdini spurred his horse on, hoping to return to the Imperial Capital as soon as possible.

However, on the way, he suddenly received an edict.

The edict was sent internally from Lokeshi; he checked the cipher and confirmed it was a support signal from the Honorary Emperor.

During this time, it wasn't only them taking action against the Abyssal Church.

Over a year ago, Ense had already gone all out and felt even that wasn't enough, enlisting Lokeshi to act against the Abyssal Church.

It can be said that the once most notorious force in the continent has already largely declined this year.

But this time, it was the demons that needed him to take action.

Who would have thought that after they had just finished sweeping out that large group of demons in the Eastern Plateau's demiplane, more wandering demons would appear in the surrounding areas?

The army of the Lokeshi Empire was a bit untimely in clearing, allowing some demons to escape.

To prevent cities and villages from being damaged by demons, Cialdini had to take up the task and continue to eliminate these nuisances.

For this reason, he, who should have returned to the Imperial Capital early, was delayed again.

But overall, the process of eliminating demons was favorable.

The army, having already won victories, no longer faced the demons with the same fear as before but instead struck directly, showcasing the grandeur of the Lokeshi Empire.

After a night of clearing, while resting in a local village, he received an urgent distress signal from an investigation team.

Upon arriving at the scene, the investigation team soldier Lan Kaide, whom he had seen before, was lying in a pool of blood, barely alive.

Another warrior, Robert, had already lost his life.

Cialdini had arrived at the first possible moment, but still couldn't prevent the enemy's escape.

The enemy moved quickly, escaping before he reached the scene.

This made him very anxious.

Being attacked even while resting in a village was something he had never encountered before.

He only had time to support the gasping Lan Kaide, inquiring about the current situation.

Lan Kaide's chest had been penetrated.

The assailant did not hold back when striking, clearly going for a fatal blow.

The terrifying object seemed not like a weapon, but rather a forcefully inflicted rupture.

The shattered ribs had pierced into the lungs, and the strike that pierced through his chest had also shattered Lan Kaide's spine.

If he hadn't arrived in time, Lan Kaide would have died in a few more breaths.

Cialdini couldn't save his subordinate.

He had known as soon as he saw Lan Kaide.

But he needed to know who had attacked them.

He infused his own life-energy-filled blood into Lan Kaide's body, helping him stabilize his state.

After a long while, he looked at the barely opened eyes of Lan Kaide and solemnly asked:

"Soldier, who attacked you?"

Lan Kaide coughed up blood in large mouthfuls before replying with difficulty, "Legend... Abyssal... Church! Be careful... and... save Rose..."

Before he could finish speaking, this warrior's eyes blurred, his grip on Cialdini's hand loosened, and his arm fell to the ground.

Cialdini let out an angry roar.

He couldn't understand.

This group of bugs had nearly been hunted to extinction, yet how did they dare to come out and cause trouble?

More importantly, for a mere legend to dare attack the military of Lokeshi, must they have a death wish?

Given the current state of the army, once they retaliated, the only outcome for the legend would be death.

How did they dare?

If something abnormal occurs, there must be a reason. Cialdini was also a cautious person, not simply assuming the opponent was just a legend and rushing in recklessly.