The Divine Armor of the Old Century（Book 1）

Chapter 123

It was a night of madness. The burning manor was a grand stage, with colossal airships casting beams of light from above, focusing everyone's gaze on the chaos at its center.

Lloyd's blazing charge, Eve and Celia's desperate flight, and Arthur's deadly duel. Countless events unfolded simultaneously within the manor, not to mention the swarming demons and the iron walls formed by soldiers.

This was the greatest blunder in the history of the Purification Agency. A demonic invasion erupted right within Old Dunlin, in the midst of a noble ball. Inside the shattered dome, Blue Emerald repeatedly checked the map but couldn't discern where the demons had come from—they seemed to have simply appeared out of nowhere.

Fortunately, due to years of expanding the Midgard Serpent system, the Purification Agency's response teams arrived immediately. With the Royal Guards' lockdown, all chaos was confined to the Salikado Manor.

Orders were issued rapidly, and even the mounted police from Sualan Hall were deployed, their whistles echoing in the eerie night like the wails of ravens.

The area within a few kilometers of the Salikado Manor was under emergency curfew. To control the demonic invasion and keep it hidden from the public, almost the entire Scavenger Department was mobilized.

Everyone was frantically busy, yet amidst the inferno, two reckless individuals continued their frenzied journey.

As the saying goes, "A man and a woman working together won't get tired." But when it's two women, they can wreak havoc on a grand scale. In the combined efforts of Celia and Eve, the entire castle was quickly engulfed in flames. It should have been spared such a fate, but Eve's destructive nature made it seem like a cataclysm had swept through.

The two were like wicked arsonists, with countless demons playing the role of the pursuing law enforcement. Of course, if they were caught, there would be no trial—just an immediate death sentence.

Despite their grim situation, the two felt a rising panic. Celia had no idea what these strange creatures were, while Eve was terrified precisely because she knew.

Ever since the operation in End Town, Eve had been confined by Duke Phoenix. She couldn't even leave her home, let alone go to work at the police station. During this time, Duke Phoenix had hired a bunch of tutors to teach Eve not so much knowledge but how to be a good wife. She didn't understand why the Duke was so eager to marry her off, as if she were a hot potato. Eve wasn't one to easily submit, so she pretended to be a good student while secretly planning numerous escapes, though she never made it past the train platform before being caught.

As the scorching air swirled, the demonic corruption pressed against her spirit.

In the midst of all this, Eve found herself thinking about these things, likely as a way to protect her mind. In such deadly moments, thinking of something happy might make her feel less afraid.

But despite her efforts, she could clearly sense death approaching this time.

Whenever Eve faced demons, she always had a powerful ally nearby—like Lloyd or Red Hawk. At the very least, she had an aluminum thermite rifle or a police-issued firearm. Now, however, she only had Celia, a frail-looking girl who didn't seem capable of fighting, especially with her injured ankle. Without Eve's help, Celia, the future Lady Stuart, would have been killed long ago by the demons.

Eve was still wearing the somewhat heavy divine armor, though it was more ornamental than functional—like an unsharpened blade, useless against demons.

Despair began to settle in as Eve realized their dire situation. Humans had fought demons for countless ages, and that terrifying corruption followed like a nightmare. Even the strongest will could waver under such pressure, leading to self-doubt and the darkest despair.