Chapter 216: Lovers

“Cough cough cough!”

Leo knelt on one knee on the ground, supporting his body with his sword, and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood from his throat.

He hadn’t expected to be in such a dire situation before reaching the limit of the Sword of Transcendence; if he hadn’t reacted in time to distance himself from the center of the explosion, he would have likely been shattered to pieces by now.

He stood up stubbornly, continuing to sink into the state he had just been in; now, the only chance for survival lay in re-entering that state to achieve a breakthrough.

“Great, he’s not dead yet.”

Hope appeared in the eyes of the people of the empire, but the next moment, it turned dim again; it was not the time to celebrate.

Michelle’s eyes regained their light as she made a decision in her heart.

A threat more terrifying than the Demon King had emerged; as the chosen saintess, she could not stand still. She stood on the platform, looking down at the church congregation and the citizens of the imperial capital.

“Everyone!”

Michelle’s voice pulled all those immersed in the scene back to reality, their gazes focused on her.

“If the Demon King is truly killed by Leo, we cannot ignore him. He is a genuine hero, possessing the strength to save the world. Now he is fighting alone, and we can only watch helplessly from here; we absolutely cannot let him, as a hero, feel disheartened.”

“Sexus’s goal is to undermine our confidence, and we cannot let him achieve that. Leo has the strength to fight against them; only by saving him do we have a chance to match them in the upcoming battle.”

“So, I must go save him!”

This was the most rational decision made by the chosen saintess after considering various aspects, influenced by her pure heart, though it was slightly mixed with a bit of selfishness.

“No, it’s too dangerous; you could die too.” Vernia suddenly popped out from her hair.

“Saintess, please think twice!” Church members urged.

“Saintess, please reconsider.” The Pope interjected.

Selena added, “This is too reckless; not only will you fail to save Leo, but you will also die.”

Everyone disagreed, but Michelle’s eyes were resolute. “If Leo dies, it will embolden the enemy, and we have no strong fighters to contend with them. One Demon King has already left us helpless; what about the ten other powerful beings? Only by saving Leo do we have a chance to defeat them.”

“And there’s the hero; the hero will definitely defeat them.”

“Yes, and the hero; Saintess, please don’t take risks.”

“The hero is not enough.”

Michelle’s brief four words judged the hero’s capability; it was not a matter of underestimating him, but rather stating a fact: the hero was nowhere near Leo’s class.

Michelle continued, “We must seek life in death, find hope in despair. If I save Leo, he and I can work together to defeat them. I won’t let anyone else die alongside me; I will go alone.”

“Absolutely not!”

The faces of everyone in the church changed dramatically, and a group of Radiant Knights immediately knelt on the ground. “You are the faith of the church; we will never let you take risks. If you must go, then step over our corpses.”

Their eyes were resolute, filled with the determination to prevent the chosen saintess from going to her death.

“I must go,” Michelle’s strong gaze contained a hint of tears; her emotions had reached their limit.

“I am the chosen saintess, and my duty is to save the world and everyone. However, I have only let him down, hurt him, and this current situation is likely also due to my actions. I must save him; I absolutely cannot lose him again.”

“To me, he is not only the hero who can defeat the Demon King but also my important lover.”

Michelle revealed her true feelings, and the tears on her face evoked pity; she had already made up her mind to face death, even knowing it was a risk, she would go to save him.

The people below fell silent; everyone understood that their saintess had fallen in love. They had only heard rumors before, but they never expected their feelings to be so deep.

The Pope sighed deeply, “Well, Saintess, the entire church will follow your command.”

“Your Holiness!” Others looked at him in surprise.

The Pope shook his head, “Since the birth of the chosen saintess, everything in the church is now under her command; the chosen saintess’s decisions cannot be wrong. We only think of the chosen saintess’s safety, but have you considered that besides Leo, who else possesses the strength to fight against them?”

“The hero is indeed not enough; the hero’s power is only effective against the Demon King. As far as I know, no one in the world besides Leo can slay the peak-period Demon King without being a hero. Therefore, Leo is an extraordinary being, a savior apart from the hero; the continent cannot lose him.”

Only then did everyone carefully consider; indeed, Leo’s achievements were unprecedented, and perhaps they would be unmatched in the future. The world desperately needed his strength.

“The Radiant Knights are willing to follow the Saintess’s command!”

“The Holy Knights are willing to follow the Saintess’s command!”

“We, the priests and nuns, are willing to follow the Saintess’s command!”

“All members of the church are willing to follow the Saintess’s command!”

In an instant, the church’s momentum surged like a tide.

“It should have been this way.”

With fiery hair, Krista walked over with a strong man, “He is my guard; I now entrust him to you. Make sure to bring him back alive.”

He was an SSS-class powerhouse, and Michelle indeed needed peak strength, so she said, “Thank you.”

“Saintess, I am also willing to lend you a hand.”

An old voice came, and an elderly man walked over with the support of a nun.

“You are Archbishop Vilin?”

“Haha! I didn’t expect you to remember this old man.”

“Everyone knows your achievements; once again, thank you.” Michelle slightly bowed.

“Archbishop Vilin? Isn’t he the previous Sword Saint? I thought he had already passed away; I didn’t expect him to appear as the church’s archbishop.”

“I indeed count as a dead man; thanks to His Holiness the Pope’s life drop, I have lived for another ten years. Now, due to the Saintess’s grace, my body has regained vitality twice. Don’t be fooled by my old age; I still have the strength to fight against the Demon King.”

Vilin grinned, his teeth mostly gone, leaving only a few, and his chin had withered, but his eyes revealed a spirit.

“Things are urgent; we must act immediately. Sister Selena, if I do not return, you will inherit the identity of the Saintess and guide everyone.”

After Michelle arranged her affairs, she gathered the church’s strong fighters and began to act.

In the imperial capital, the Sword Saint’s residence.

“Master, please go help Leo.” Yuris requested.

Rao looked at the scene in the sky and snorted coldly, “He is doomed to die; sending more people will only lead to more deaths.”

“If you don’t go, then I will.”

Rao’s gaze was indifferent, “If you go, then from now on, do not call yourself my disciple.”

Yuris’s eyes widened slightly, his expression wavering, but soon his gaze became resolute.

He knelt on the ground and knocked his head three times, then left without looking back.

“Hmph!”

The Sword Saint waved his sleeve and left.

“Master, have you fallen out with brother?”

An eleven or twelve-year-old child appeared in front of Rao.

“He is unworthy to be my disciple.”

The coldness on his face disappeared, and Rao revealed a gentle expression that Yuris had never seen before.

“Leo is merely a fleeting genius; only you are the hero who will save the world.”

“I will not disappoint your expectations.”

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