“Let’s try burning it first.”

The spider webs covering the window frame could be easily burned, so it was worth attempting. After a short incantation, Mamil cast a spell, and sparks flew up onto the thick spider webs. In an instant, the flames grew and filled the corridor. At first, it seemed like the webs couldn’t withstand the heat and were about to collapse, but—

Tap. Crackle.

It was as if water had been poured on the flames. The firepower sharply diminished, and the flames were sucked into the webs. Soon, the mana used to ignite the webs vanished without even burning a single strand. Silence fell among the knights. As they pondered, Mamil withdrew his mana and spoke.

“Cadel’s subordinate who uses dark energy…… what was your name?”

“Yozen.”

“Right, Yozen. You said this floor is covered with the same energy, right? Is it certain that the energy is made up of spider webs?”

“Yes. It’s certain.”

Mamil rubbed his scratchy beard and sighed as if in frustration.

“Then, this spider web is essentially a concentration of demonic energy. Judging by how intense the energy is, there’s likely a source beyond this. Trying to break through with mana would be a waste. Let’s try physically breaking through.”

“We don’t know how far these webs will block the corridor. It’s going to be a tough path, but…… I suppose there’s no choice.”

“I’ll go ahead.”

With that decision, Sorin unsheathed his longsword. As he sliced through the webs with his long blade, unlike before, the webs fell away weakly. Sorin lightly brushed the webs off his blade, nodded, and they began to move forward in a single file behind him.

The webs stretched farther along the corridor than they had expected. As they moved through the countless webs, it felt almost like walking through a cloud.

They expressed their discomfort at the webs sticking to their skin and spoke less frequently. Just breathing caused webs to cling to their mouths and noses.

After walking for what seemed like quite a while, Yozen’s urgent voice came from behind them.

“What are you doing? You’ve deviated from the path.”

“What? Who’s deviated?”

Though they had been walking straight behind the person in front, when Van, who was in front of Yozen, asked in disbelief, a confused reply came.

“You. You deviated from the path.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? I’ve been following Sir Modeleine the whole time……”

Van, whose expression had been pointing forward in disbelief, slowly froze. Even though they were pushing through the spider webs ahead of them, new webs kept pouring down, making it difficult to maintain clear visibility. They had to shake off the webs falling in front of them one by one while continuing to follow the silhouette of the comrade ahead.

Van was no different. Annoyed by the webs tickling his skin, he still stubbornly followed Modeleine’s silhouette. However, just as he thought that.

“……What is this?”

Van, who had taken a large step, grabbed what he thought was Modeleine’s shoulder. What he revealed was a giant cocoon that resembled a human form.

Could it be that someone was trapped inside? Calling out Modeleine’s name, Van shook the cocoon, but it felt unnaturally light, as though there was no person inside.

“There’s nothing inside. No need to check.”

“When did this happen……?”

“I don’t know. This floor is filled with the same energy everywhere. It’s hard to notice changes. All I can tell is that we’ve taken the wrong path.”

“Even if we took the wrong path, we’ve been walking down a corridor…… Anyway, there’s only one way forward. If we keep going, we should be able to find people.”

Someone had intentionally created a cocoon shaped like a human to lead them astray. How and when this trick had been played, they didn’t know, but now that they understood the ruse, they wouldn’t fall for it again. Since they were at the back, there was also a chance they’d encounter other knights as they proceeded. With that thought in mind, Van tried to move forward again, but Yozen grabbed his shoulder.

“What’s this? Don’t touch without permission.”

“I’ll lead the way. You grab my clothes and follow.”

“Grab your clothes and follow? Do you think I’m five years old?”

“While we were talking, the energy from the others disappeared. Lumen and Lydon, too.”

“……Completely disappeared?”

“At least they’re not nearby. So I’m saying don’t scatter.”

During the brief pause, the path they had just cleared had already vanished. They were trapped in a corridor blocked by spider webs, with no idea where the enemy was.

In the end, Van reluctantly grabbed the hem of Yozen’s clothes and began to follow him.

* * *

「Warning! ‘Cadel Lytos’ has deviated from the path of destiny.」

「The flow of the story may change.」

「Warning. Please conform to the given fate.」

The sudden system message felt different from before. Unlike the usual one-way communication, this time, it seemed like the system was sending a ‘message.’

“……It says not to change fate. And that the story’s flow will change.”

A cold sweat instinctively broke out as the system’s hostility became apparent. Despite reinforcing his resolve, Cadel couldn’t shake the creeping sense of unease. Kunra, ever indifferent, spoke casually.

[It looks like you’re panicking. Just ignore it.]

A remark true to Kunra’s nature. Cadel let out a helpless chuckle, pushing more mana into the barrier. The periodic warnings flashing before him were also disregarded. Finally, a white crack began to form on the transparent barrier.

At that moment, while Cadel intensified his efforts to break the barrier, a fierce battle was unfolding behind him.

“You’re not allowed to use that kind of medicine! Give it back! No, I’ll just kill you and take it!”

“Seems like it’s working pretty well, so I have no intention of returning it.”

Unlike when he was in the Demon King’s castle, where the drug had caused an effect, this time, Garuel’s mind was completely clear. It was so clear that it felt almost unnatural. His mind was sharp, his body light, and his energy overflowing. Garuel, now many times stronger than before, charged at Sellev.

The demonic energy wings that spread behind him blocked all of Sellev’s attacks, while his swift sword strikes tore through her hardened skin without mercy. He was truly overpowering Sellev.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it! I didn’t expect this hybrid bastard to get the awakening drug! The bracelet’s power is running out……”

Plans had to change. Her initial plan had been to take down Garuel first, then deal with Cadel without interference, and finally rescue Emilia’s siblings. But now, with Garuel in this state, it looked like she might be overpowered instead.

‘I’ll destroy this tunnel and bind their feet, then move Emilia’s siblings to the castle.’

As Sellev made her decision, her gaze turned toward Cadel. Then, the next moment, her eyes widened in shock, as if witnessing something she shouldn’t have.

“How…… how is he breaking the barrier?!”

Sellev, despite knowing Cadel was attempting to break the barrier, had focused on Garuel. She knew it was impossible. The barrier, no matter how intense the force or magic, was impervious. But here was Cadel, boldly shattering the barrier and stepping beyond it.

“No!”

She abandoned Garuel in an instant and lunged toward Cadel. But she couldn’t even get close to him.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

Garuel, who had quickly chased after Sellev, grabbed her by the back of the neck and slammed her into the ground. The intense demonic energy wrapped around her as if binding her. Despite the crushing force that pressed her down, Sellev stubbornly lifted her head, her eyes clouded with confusion.

While Garuel held Sellev back, Cadel, having finally broken through the barrier, stepped into the new space and frowned.

“Just breathing hurts. The air’s saturated with demonic energy……”

[I’ll surround you with energy, so don’t mind the pain. Kill them before the system acts.]

Unlike the Demon King’s siblings, Cadel’s body didn’t rise into the air. He gazed up at the three siblings floating in the pure white space and began drawing his mana.

‘They’re just in a near-death state anyway, like Kunra said. I need to kill them immediately.’

Even so, he needed to keep them close, just in case. Raising his arm, flames ignited from Cadel’s fingertips, and long [Fire Chains] wrapped around the bodies of the three siblings. He then dragged them down to the ground. Though their bodies struggled to rise again, Cadel’s mana kept them grounded.

[You must target their hearts exactly. Don’t underestimate their regenerative ability.]

That was something Cadel already understood without needing to be told. Staring at the bound demons with the [Fire Chains], he spread his hand out, and long tendrils of flame formed inside it, slowly increasing in number.

‘They all look alike. I can see they’re siblings after all.’

All three had deep purple hair, and the female resembled Emilia closely. The two male demons also shared a similar appearance, but one had a long scar across his cheek. Cadel’s gaze shifted to the demon with the scar.

“Exactly the heart.”

The fiery tendrils twisted and intertwined violently, soon forming a flaming greatsword. Cadel scraped the demon’s chest with the fiery blade, gauging the location of his heart. Dark demonic energy bloomed from the shallow wound, and the burn and lacerations healed at a rapid pace.

“……Here.”

With a gleam in his eyes, Cadel put pressure on the sword, the flames at the tip swelling as if it would pierce the demon’s chest any moment. However, Cadel did not strike the demon’s heart.

“Knight Commander!”

Garuel’s urgent shout came from behind, followed by a booming sound that echoed throughout the space.