[Fire Serpent Den]

A swarm of dozens of fire serpents, formed in an instant, coiled beneath Cadel’s feet. Taking a quick breath, he whispered as he channeled new mana into the serpents.

“Hold on as long as you can.”

Withdrawing his hand, Cadel watched the serpents move. The fast-moving flames melted the ice pillars that stood in their way, advancing unimpeded.

There was only one person they were after.

“Huh, is this your all-out effort?”

The corner of Lydon’s mouth quirked upward as he realized the dozens of flames aimed at him. Quickly creating a wall of ice, he attempted to impede the serpents’ movements, but they passed through, easily melting even the thickest ice.

A cold, hardened gaze flicked to Cadel across him, the expression drained from Lydon’s face as he watched Cadel flee, leaving him behind.

* * *

Fortunately or not, Lydon’s attacks were also affecting Van and Lumen’s battle. The lack of freedom of movement naturally led to gaps in the battle, and Cadel found Van in one of them.

“So, Lumen is saying that killing us is part of the trial itself, that we can’t get out of the desert without killing each other?”

“It was definitely that nuance.”

“……That’s terrible.”

Cadel never thought the content of the trial itself was the murder of a comrade. It was hard to completely believe it, but if that was the case, the actions of the two made sense.

Van stared at Cadel, who was deep in thought with a serious expression on his face, and then cautiously opened his mouth.

“What are you going to do about it? We’re going to lose.”

Cadel looked up at the heavy voice, and a brief silence passed between them. After letting out a small sigh, Cadel spoke in a low voice.

“I’m not sure.”

“But if we stayed here, we’d get…….”

“I’m not sure if they’re really Lumen and Lydon.”

Their gazes met, unwavering. Cadel stared into Van’s unmoved face, and calmly spoke.

“You think so too, don’t you? That they might be fake.”

“……A little bit. But it’s not the timing of their appearances or their brusque demeanor……. It’s because of the fact that they don’t hesitate to attack Commander.”

“Yeah. Even if the trial they’ve been told is true, it’s odd that they’d ambush us without consulting us. Lydon might have, but Lumen wouldn’t.”

Van ruffled his hair in frustration. He seemed to be quite unhappy with the current situation.

“It’s weird, that’s for sure, but the power they’re using is…… eerily identical, to the point where I can’t imagine them being fake. And the tone of voice is f*cking identical.”

“……That’s the problem, maybe they have been brainwashed or something.”

How to tell if they were real or not.

Their speech patterns and combat methods were so similar that it was hard to decipher their identity with a simple question. If he couldn’t figure it out, he would have to attack them. If they were real, they would die. If they were fake, they would disappear.

But whether they were fake or not, it didn’t change the fact that they were Cadel’s subordinates. He couldn’t make the decision to kill so easily. Besides.

‘There are no fakes there. Remember, Cadel.’

‘What Stella said bothers me.’

Could the fact that ‘There are no fakes’ be a warning with this situation in mind?

If that was the case, he could not harm them so hastily. After gathering his thoughts, Cadel emerged from his hiding place behind a pillar of ice and spoke with a look of defiance on his face.

“Let’s not kill them, but defeat them. Whatever they are, let’s make them incapacitated.”

* * *

Meanwhile, at the same time.

In the same desert where Cadel was, Lumen and Lydon were also confronted by comrades who had come ‘for the trial’.

Van unleashed his Blood Flow Sword and Cadel unleashed a barrage of multi-attribute magic, sparing no expense in the opening attack. The combined attacks of the two men, who specialized in wide-ranging attacks, left no room for error, and under the onslaught, Lumen and Lydon wore themselves out.

“I’ll grab Van first. I’ll break his limbs and put him down, and you will use ice to restrain Leader’s movement, Lydon.”

A clear bead of sweat trickled down the tip of Lumen’s chin. His gaze drifted to the fire magic that scorched the hot desert, and to Cadel beyond.

‘That’s not Leader, at least he’s not in his right mind. I don’t know what happened to him, but……. We can’t kill him, we can only subdue him.’

Lumen was not going to let a few threats get in his way. Because it was Cadel, not anyone else. He was not the kind of man who would impulsively commit an inexplicable act, nor was he the kind of man who would casually point a knife at a comrade.

It was not like Cadel to rush to kill without a proper explanation. So whether he was fake or brainwashed, the priority was to subdue him.

Eyes that moved sharply stared at Van in front. Like the battle in Baskin Village, he was engulfed in a vast amount of aura, and he was watching Lumen while exhaling a bloody aura.

“……I don’t think I’d feel particularly guilty about killing that guy.”

After he left, the only person who could safely stand by Cadel’s side was Van Herdos. Lumen acknowledged that. So killing Van here was also difficult.

Placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, Lumen initiated his sword drawing technique. His body prepared for the maneuver, he tensed his lower body and lowered his stance.

The blue eyes that captured Van flashed coldly.

“Let’s make the most of it.”