A destroyed mana hall meant that he would no longer be able to draw power from any energy sources and use his skills. If that happened, Siegfried would have to rely on his stats and fight with only basic attacks. ‘This was dangerous.’ Siegfried took this issue quite seriously, as not being able to use skills would be nothing short of devastating. However, that was just one of the problems, as the various energy resources were the very cornerstone of Siegfried’s strength. They were so versatile that not only was he using them for attacking or defending, but he was also using them to buff himself and control his weapons. What would happen if he lost access to all of that and had to rely on basic attacks? Siegfried van Proa would become a piece of trash nobody would want even if he offered him for free. Of course, Siegfried possessed ridiculously high strength, and his gears were quite high-spec so his basic attacks alone were equal to the ultimate skills of Level 200 Adventurers. Without access to his different energy resources, he would never win against powerful opponents. In other words, it would be nearly impossible for him to gain experience points, stunting his growth. And in that case, forget about becoming a Grandmaster; even maintaining his current place would become impossible, as it would only be a matter of time before others overtook him. “Your Majesty’s mana hall already has cracks on it,” Saintess Janette warned sternly. “You pushed yourself too much. Not only did you fill it with energy that was far too powerful, but you also used that energy. Your mana hall can withstand such an overwhelming power stored in it, but using it is a whole different problem. The burden placed on Your Majesty’s mana hall was most likely... unimaginable.” “I have done whatever I can so you can be at ease for now. Most of the cracks on your mana hall have been mended.” “It is my pleasure,” Saintess Janette replied with a shrug. “Your mana hall will definitely break if you push yourself like you did in the previous battle.” “I will keep it in mind,” Siegfried replied with a nod. Then, he asked carefully, “But... exactly how far can I push myself?” “Are you thinking of using that power again?” Saintess Janette asked with a grimace. She clearly told him not to use that power anymore, yet he was asking how far he could push himself. That was no different from him blatantly telling her that he planned to use that power once again. “Just in case. I mean, the world can be quite dangerous, and I have no idea when I will need to use it. So, I was thinking it would be good if I knew my limits beforehand at least,” Siegfried replied. “No, you must not use that power. If you continue pushing yourself then...” “Please, just let me know what my limits are. The Holy Alliance is waging war across the continent, and the influence of the Monotheism Church is growing by the day.” Siegfried had a point. The religious order formed by the Holy Alliance, the Monotheism Church, was spreading fast like the plague. The clergy of the church, along with the angels, were displaying miracle after miracle, which helped them gain massive support from the NPCs. At the moment, the religious landscape in the continent has split into two sides—the Monotheism Church and the Church of Heroes. Both religious orders held almost equal influence. “I have no idea when I will be forced into a situation where I have to rely on that power again. So, please just tell me how far I can push myself. Rest assured, I will be extremely careful.” “Sigh... I guess there is nothing I can do to stop Your Majesty. I apologize on this world’s behalf... We have placed a great burden on you and are heavily indebted to you.” “Please, make no mention of it. I am not doing this because somebody told me to do so,” Siegfried replied with a smile. “So, how many times can I use it?” “Around five times. Based on the damage to your mana hall, it will be destroyed if you use such power five more times.” “No, your mana hall might break even before using that power five times. If you push yourself too much, then your mana hall might break on the first or second time even.” “Okay, I got it,” Siegfried replied with a nod. A shadow cast over his face after hearing Saintess Janette's words. Not being able to use his new skill, Demon Lord’s Descent, was fine. It was all because he could defeat most of his enemies without relying on it. However, the problem was that the Holy Alliance could send even more powerful adversaries from now on. If they somehow had at least one Archangel who managed to get a hold of a proper vessel, then Siegfried’s only hope of defeating them was by using Demon Lord’s Descent. ‘This is quite the headache...’ Siegfried thought as he covered his face with both hands. Siegfried left the infirmary upon recovering completely. However, he was surprised to find the corridor floor filled with flowers the moment he exited the ward. There were bouquets after bouquets of flowers covering the floor, starting from the infirmary door all the way to the building’s entrance. Not only that, there were cards on the bouquets, too. “What are all these? Why are there so many flowers?” Siegfried turned to Saintess Janette, who left the ward alongside him. “Those flowers are from the people of the Kiev Kingdom, Your Majesty,” Saintess Janette replied. “Oh?” Official source ıs 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝗂𝗋𝖾⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥 “Your Majesty fell unconscious after leading them to such an overwhelming victory in the previous battle, so this is their way of showing their gratitude while you were unconscious.” “I see,” Siegfried replied with a smile, moved after learning that the flowers were from the people. “So, what do you plan to do from now on, Your Majesty?” “I will stay here and keep an eye on the Holy Alliance.” “But first, I believe I will have to meet King Allen.” With those words, Siegfried headed to the throne room to meet King Allen. “Uncle!” King Allen shot up from his throne and exclaimed. Then, he ran and grabbed both hands and said, “How are you feeling? Are you all better now?” “That is a huge relief!” “C’mon, I just lost consciousness after pushing myself a bit too much.” “Uncle! You are our kingdom’s savior! Thank you very much! Truly, I thank you!” King Allen exclaimed before bowing low to the ground. And he was not alone... “Thanks, you really saved our kingdom.” “I sincerely thank Your Majesty for coming to our aid.” Even Taycan and his father, Duke Undertaker, bowed low to the ground and showed respect to the hero who saved their motherland, Siegfried. “W-Why are you doing this? Please, get up,” Siegfried said, flustered at the sudden actions of King Allen, Duke Undertaker, and Taycan. “Thank you very much, Uncle. Truly, thank you,” King Allen said. “I got it already, so get up,” Siegfried said, pulling the young king to his feet. Then, he addressed them, “We cannot afford to grow complacent, as the war isn't over yet. We must remain alert and prepare for their next attack.” “Yes, Uncle,” King Allen replied with a nod. “But what in the world happened to you? What was that power you wielded?” Taycan asked. Taycan had a lot of things he wanted to ask. The last time they met, barely a year ago, they were almost equal in terms of strength. But that was no longer the case... Taycan had yet to step into the realm of Masters, while Siegfried had already surpassed that realm and was on the cusp of becoming a Grandmaster. Moreover, he could use power equal to a Grandmaster by using his new skill—Demon Lord’s Descent. Therefore, it was only natural for Taycan to be curious about the secret behind Siegfried’s unnatural growth. “Later. We don’t have the luxury to chit-chat about things like that right now,” Siegfried replied. “The enemy might siege us again, so we have to start recovering before the next battle. And make sure all troops are ready for battle at all times.” “Meanwhile, I’ll have to go and call my kingdom.” With those words, Siegfried headed toward the communication room. Meanwhile, reports of the Battle of Odessa reached the central command of the Holy Alliance. “That’s quite incredible.” General Gustav of the Holy Alliance could barely believe the report he read. He had to admit that this report of just one man, Siegfried, forcing an army three hundred thousand strong to retreat was truly incredible. But that was about it... “We will give up on Odessa,” General Gustav said. The officers gathered in the meeting room were surprised at his words. One of the high-ranking officers asked, “Are we going to retreat , sir? But we are almost going to—” “Siegfried van Proa is defending Odessa. Moreover, the walls were repaired by the dragons, and they installed various defensive magic circles on them. Despite that, you still want us to siege Odessa? Are you planning to send all our men to their deaths?” “But if we retreat ...” “I said we’re giving up on Odessa, but I never said we will be retreating.” “What do you mean by that, sir?” “We will obliterate it.” The moment General Gustav's words fell... Every officer in the meeting room was shocked at what they heard. General Gustav was basically saying that he was going to lay waste to the entire Kiev Kingdom. Its cities would be destroyed; its citizens would be slaughtered; and its lands would be razed to the ground. As cruel as it sounded, this was actually the most efficient method. If the Holy Alliance began rampaging across the kingdom, then the Kiev Kingdom’s forces would be forced to sally out of Odessa. In other words, General Gustav would be laying waste to the entire kingdom in order to draw out the army hiding behind the walls erected by the dragons. “The Kiev Kingdom is not that important to us. Ah, it would be far better to destroy it completely to reduce the places we have to defend,” General Gustav said. Then, he pointed at the map and continued, “There’s no need for us to stretch our defensive lines by including the Kiev Kingdom.” The Holy Alliance was maintaining four fronts at the moment. Their biggest army was keeping the Marchinio Empire in check while the three other armies were invading the nearby bordering nations. This was the reason that laying waste to the Kiev Kingdom would be far more beneficial, as their defensive lines would be reduced, allowing them to send more troops to the frontlines. “Tell our men in the Kiev Kingdom to lay waste to it. Once they sally out of the city, kill them all.” “Also... We will soon have powerful reinforcements, so don’t be discouraged even if we lose a few small skirmishes,” General Gustav added. One of the high-ranking officers asked, “Sir? What do you mean by powerful reinforcements...?” General Gustav grinned and replied, “The Archangels are going to descend soon.” Meanwhile, Siegfried called Michele and discussed their next course of action. “How are things looking?” — The Holy Alliance is holding an overwhelming advantage. Michele replied while pointing at the map behind him. — The Holy Alliance is strong. Based on what we gathered, their forces are comparable to around a third of the Marchioni Empire’s strength. — And the angels have joined them due to the Monotheism Church's growth in influence. “Yeah, I expected as much. It will be impossible to fight against the angels without divine power. Only the paladins wielding divine power can hurt them, right?” — Yes, that is correct. Various Adventurers have also applied as mercenaries for the Holy Alliance, too. “Adventurers? Why would they?” — The Holy Alliance has promised wings to those who serve in the war. “Huh? What wings? Are they going to give buffalo wings or what?” Siegfried asked, tilting his head in confusion. — That was not funny at all. “Tsk... You’re boring, man,” Siegfried grumbled, clicking his tongue. Well, this was his fault, as there was no way that Adventurers would enlist just because they were being fed chicken wings. “Then what is it? What kind of wings are they offering?” — They are offering wings. The ones that angels are using. — The Adventurers will receive Angel Wings that they can use permanently. It is quite a tempting offer for them, who do not have the ability to fly, so they're flocking to them in droves. “Oh,” Siegfried muttered in understanding. The ability to fly was something extremely rare. An item with the option of allowing its user to fly was so expensive that most Adventurers could only dream of getting their hands on one. However, the Holy Alliance was actually offering such an extremely rare item as a reward for enlistment. It made perfect sense why the Adventurers would enlist in droves. “Okay, I got it,” Siegfried replied with a nod. Then, he asked, “Is our mole still active?” — Are you perhaps referring to Ragdoll IV? King Ragdoll IV was the ruler of the Adrianople Kingdom, which was one of the founding member nations of the Holy Alliance. Siegfried had turned him into an Irradiator, so he was the former's loyal slave. In other words, obtaining top-secret confidential information of the Holy Alliance was a piece of cake for Siegfried.