Novigel, southern gate.
A huge breach had been blasted through the heavy gate. Elite demon troops poured through it, advancing into the city along the streets.
The bodies of Salvation Army soldiers littered the ground, their white cloaks soaked in blood and strewn among the shattered walls.
We have to stop them.
Danielle gripped her cross-shaped longsword with both hands, holding her ground in the middle of the street.
Sean stood behind her. Husband and wife fought back to back, resisting the enemy as they slowly retreated.
The soldiers around them fell one after another. By the time they reached the last barricade, they had nowhere left to retreat.
"We can't fall back any farther!" Danielle gritted her teeth and looked at the defenses around them. "If this position falls, the demon army will flood into Novigel!"
"I know." Sean coldly watched the oncoming demons, already prepared to die.
Just then, eerie black shapes slipped silently toward them through the shadows of the houses.
The shadows all around seemed to come alive, turning into great black curtains that descended on Danielle.
No! Her body suddenly felt heavy, and her movements slowed sharply.
The next instant, an agile figure darted out of the black curtain, a cold scimitar sweeping straight toward the back of her neck.
"Watch out!"
Sean reacted instantly. Holy light erupted, dispelling the darkness and blocking the lethal ambush.
At the center of the shadows, a woman with an icy gaze slowly took form.
One of the seven Demon Generals, [Shadowbind].
Of all the High Demons under Balks, she was the most skilled in Shadow Magic, infiltration, and assassination—and the only woman among the seven Demon Generals.
She looked at the demon-hunting couple without the slightest flicker of emotion.
As [Shadowbind] appeared, two more figures stepped out of