The Cleanser naturally wasn't composed solely of the three Knights of the Sinful God—it had numerous followers.
After all, in this world, there were many who despised Demons, many who had suffered oppression due to their existence, and even many who upheld human supremacist ideologies. It was only natural that such individuals would become the faction's pawns.
Knowing that Rozen had arrived and that the Lion King Agency was present, The Cleansers would undoubtedly attempt to hinder them, seizing the opportunity to capture the dragon in the marsh.
Thus, after confirming the dragon's location, the Spear Knight had dispatched The Cleansers to surround it—both to prevent its escape and to engage any intruders. At the very least, they could buy time for their true objective: capturing the dragon and achieving their goal.
Both Vatler and Iblisveil had encountered The Cleansers during their search for the dragon, ultimately breaking through their ranks, defeating them all, and bringing them here.
As for Rozen, he should have been ambushed by the faction's outer members like the others. However, using his Wise Eye to analyze and decipher the surrounding barrier's properties, he bypassed the need for travel altogether—teleporting directly through the now-neutralized barrier and arriving just as the three Knights of the Sinful God were besieging the dragon.
Now, the knights' siege had failed. Not only was their leader the only one left standing, but their remaining forces had been completely crushed.
"A pitiful outcome—but one perfectly fitting for those who preach righteousness while committing the deeds of cowards."
Vatler slid his hands into his pockets, offering the Spear Knight a composed smile.
"How disgraceful, Knight of the Sinful God."
Iblisveil crossed his arms, his expression dripping with contempt.
Tobias and Kira were even more direct—releasing their magical energy and directing sheer killing intent and hostility toward the Spear Knight.
After all, these knights were fanatical Demon-haters who worshipped Cain, the God of Sin. To the Three Nocturnal Empires, they were true enemies.
Naturally, to the knights, these Demon nobles and monarchs were equally despised foes.
"Damnable, filthy Demons...!"
The Spear Knight's face twisted in fury.
Even Yukina and Yuiri stepped forward, raising their silver and white spears toward him.
"Under the Special Demon-Hunting Measures Act, I hereby arrest you for illegal use of magical tools, assault, property damage, and harm to civilians!"
Yukina declared this as an Attack Mage of the nation's special forces.
"Please surrender your weapons!"
Yuiri, too, instinctively channeled spiritual energy into her sacred spear, causing radiant divine energy to flare—drawing glances from Vatler and Iblisveil.
"Stay out of this, Sword Shamans!"
The Spear Knight snarled.
Cornered, he let out a low growl.
"Then allow me to show you the true power of the divine artifacts Cain brought from another world!"
With that, he raised his lance high.
The motion instantly provoked the gathered Demons.
"Sagara!"
Without hesitation, Vatler summoned a massive serpent of ultra-high-pressure water, which unleashed a torrential jet toward the Spear Knight.
"Duamutef!"
Iblisveil, too, called forth a colossal golden jackal, which streaked toward the knight like a flash of light.
Even Tobias and Kira moved.
"Irrlicht!"
"Nephila Ignis!"
Tobias summoned a giant raptor wreathed in light—its true form a mass of ultra-dense magical flames reaching tens of thousands of degrees Celsius. Kira, meanwhile, conjured a web of molten lava. Both attacks surged toward the Spear Knight simultaneously.
In that instant, the knight was assaulted from all sides by Beast Vassals.
Each of these summoned creatures wielded catastrophic power—any one of their strikes could obliterate the entire mountain beneath them. Even a glancing hit would vaporize a mere human instantly.
This level of force was outright excessive for a single opponent.
Yet—
"O power of the foreign realm! Grant me the strength to purge all demonic taint from this world!"
The Spear Knight flung his cloak wide, unleashing a tide of black auroras that surged outward in all directions.
Where the auroras touched, the massive serpent, golden jackal, scorching raptor, and molten web dissolved like snowflakes—erased in an instant.
The power of Foreign Mana had annihilated these terrifying Beast Vassals on contact.
The sight made the attacking vampires' expressions shift slightly.
"To completely negate our Beast Vassals in an instant...?"
Iblisveil's face showed genuine surprise.
When fighting the unconscious Cleansers earlier, he had encountered that foreign erosion as well—but it hadn't been potent enough to erase his Beast Vassals outright, allowing him to crush them easily.
Yet the Spear Knight's Foreign Mana was on an entirely different level.
This, of course, made perfect sense.
"Those are Cain's divine artifacts—tools capable of wielding otherworldly power and granting life to matter. Such relics couldn't possibly be mass-produced for every Cleanser warrior. The others must be using mere replicas, while the Knight of the Sinful God wields the true artifact."
Understanding this, Vatler wasn't alarmed—he was thrilled.
Clearly, his bloodlust had been ignited.
Foreign erosion was undoubtedly a fearsome power.
For vampires, whose strength lay in wielding vast magical energy and commanding mighty Beast Vassals, an ability that negated all supernatural forces was nothing short of a natural enemy.
In other words, the Spear Knight was now a worthy prey for Vatler.
And if the knight had even more tricks up his sleeve, it wouldn't be strange for him to pose a genuine threat to beings of Vatler and Iblisveil's caliber.
For battle-hungry ancient vampires, this was nothing less than the perfect prey.
Thus, it wasn't just Vatler—even Iblisveil bared his teeth in a feral grin, his fighting spirit surging.
Yet at that moment, the Spear Knight's next move defied all expectations.