Unbeknownst to anyone, the Holy Maiden of Light was unusually pale today, and if anyone touched her hand, they would be able to sense that her body temperature was abnormally cold.
Maggie's complexion remained normal, though her skin appeared slightly translucent in the sunlight. No one paid much attention to her; in fact, they thought she looked even more sacred and holy than usual.
Looking into the distance, the beast tide was rapidly approaching the border city. In just a moment, the first wave of monsters would reach the edge of the barrier.
Souls are an irresistible delicacy to them, while the magicians and swordsmen in the city exude a sweeter aroma than ordinary people, making the monsters unable to resist.
With their eyes red, they violently rammed into the barrier. Fueled by a large amount of magic, the barrier remained unmoved for the time being, showing no signs of breaking.
However, based on Charles's experience, the barrier would soon be unable to withstand their attack, revealing many loopholes that led to the deaths of some mages and swordsmen.
As the first line of defense, the paladins began to fiercely unleash the holy light of their swords the moment the monsters reached the edge of the barrier. With each swing of their sword hilts, a large number of monsters would turn to ashes.
However, the sheer number of monsters was overwhelming, and soon the space in front of the paladins would be filled with new monsters, leaving no room for anything else.
With a constant stream of monsters joining from behind, the battle became an endless slaughter. Soon everyone would become numb, exhausted, and eventually die.
From Maggie's position, several intelligent monsters could be seen directing lower-level monsters to launch a focused attack on the weakest areas of the border city. They seemed to be doing this with great skill, as if they had been doing it for a long time.
But she still didn't move, just quietly watching the scene. She needed to wait for the right opportunity. If all the monsters in this batch were low-level, then defending the city wouldn't be so difficult.
She can only mark them once all intelligent monsters have been exposed.
Maggie's eyes turned slightly cold. The previous beast tides had allowed them to escape successfully and wreak havoc on the border again. This time, with her present, she would definitely wipe out these intelligent species completely.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, Maggie spoke.
"Cover me. The high-level monsters have been around for a while. Take advantage of their momentary lapse in vigilance and kill them as quickly as possible, ideally the instant I finish marking them."
"Otherwise, they are intelligent and will realize that what follows will be very difficult to fight."
However, as soon as she finished speaking, the barrier protecting the border city suddenly began to fluctuate, and many monsters took advantage of the chaos and broke into the interior.
Maggie instinctively released three light arrows, killing all the monsters that had broken in and intended to attack the unsuspecting mages.
The remaining creatures were quickly cleared away by the magician, and no major incidents occurred.
She certainly didn't miss Charles's shocked gaze, and simultaneously unleashed several light arrows, something a normal magician couldn't do.
Although the Light Arrow is only a dust-level spell, it is still a single spell, and releasing three at the same time can only be accomplished by the legendary triple incantation.
Maggie was nearly furious and almost lost her temper, questioning him, but she managed to calm herself down.
"Could it be that Priest Shia is the problem? Let's go to the spire and check it out."
She spoke calmly, offering a reminder.
Charles was puzzled by Maggie's question, but he quickly realized what was going on and sent someone to the spire to investigate.
The core of the so-called strongest magic array was at least half effective in defending the border city. Now that the barrier has malfunctioned, this is a major issue.
When not in use, the core of the magic circle slowly absorbs magic power from the surrounding environment and stores it for use when the barrier is deployed.
"Your Highness, the person has already gone. We will have news soon."
Charles's eyes also betrayed his frustration, but as the legion commander, he could only remain calm.
Time passed second by second, and because of the problem with the barrier, Maggie's plan could not continue, and the atmosphere gradually became tense.
The mages and paladins below could only endure it, and Maggie could only occasionally step in to help them relieve the pressure.
"Priestess Shia! Priestess Shia! She's gone!"
The person in charge of reporting ran out of the tower in a panic, and upon hearing this, Charles's face turned almost ashen.
No one is in charge of operating the magic barrier, and it will soon collapse. Moreover, none of the people present know how to use the magic circle core.
Even with Maggie marking the city, the walls of the border city cannot withstand the attack of low-level monsters, and this siege is doomed to fail.
Maggie almost felt dizzy and her vision went black for a moment, but now she had to take responsibility.
She's the one leading the team this time; we absolutely cannot let anything happen to this border town.
"Can a person be used to replace the core of the magic array?"
Maggie's voice was eerily calm, which brought Charles back to his senses, who had been in despair.
He looked at Maggie, his voice bitter.
"The magic power contained within the core of the magic circle is immense, which is why the barrier was able to hold out until the later stages of the beast tide. Even if all the magic power of all the mages in the border city were combined to supply the barrier, it wouldn't last much longer."
As Charles spoke, the barrier fluctuated again, and holes began to appear in many visible locations.
"Never mind, Your Highness. If it were you, the Holy Knight could successfully take you back to Saint Fe City. At that time, you can ask the higher-ups of the temple for help."
"And I will stay here and hold out to the death."
Charles spoke, his eyes growing increasingly resolute. This was the city he had risked his life to protect for over twenty years, and he absolutely could not allow monsters to trample it.
"Enough with the nonsense, I'll act as the core of the magic array."
Maggie frowned slightly, looking at Charles who seemed determined to die, and felt an urge to kill him.
She hasn't even offered a solution yet, and she's already planning to ruin everything. She's also undermining morale. She really deserves a beating.
"What?"
Charles was stunned, clearly not believing Maggie's words.
"I will act as the core of the magic array, do you hear me?"
Maggie patiently repeated it to him, then used magic to fly rapidly towards the top of the spire.
In order to maintain the strength of the barrier as quickly as possible.
Once Maggie's figure had completely disappeared, Charles and the other legion commanders, who were still in shock, looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Is Her Highness serious? I'm afraid she'll be drained of her life force by the barrier in an instant..."
The old man's expression was complicated. He seemed to want to say that Maggie was fearless and naive, but since she was doing this for the sake of the border city, he could only say it more tactfully.
Excessive magic consumption can render you useless, and in severe cases, even cause death.
"I should have stopped her."
The other legion commander also fell silent, seemingly not expecting Maggie to be so decisive.
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