* * *

After joining up with the Guardian Knight Order, Cadel informed Sorin about Ashvka and the bloodsuckers, and the allies immediately changed their tactics.

‘They show no signs of slowing down.’

No matter how many swords they swung, the bloodsuckers steadily outnumbered them. Sorin surveyed the battlefield, slashing ferociously at the hordes of bloodsuckers pounding the barrier.

Above the seal circle, swordsmen, including Dreyfe and Van, were eradicating bloodsuckers cloaking in barriers. Outside, magicians including Martin, Cadel, and Lydon were providing minimal assistance.

The sooner they destroyed the bloodsuckers, the sooner they could restore the seal circle. The longer they waited, the harder it would be to restore. Against a large enemy like this, unleashing large spells would be the most effective way to defeat them, but it was important to conserve the magicians’ mana.

The size of the crack in the seal was large, and what lay beyond was a High Demon. The mana required to repair it will be formidable.

‘However, it is also true that we do not have enough power to keep up with the speed of the bloodsuckers.’

Dreyfe’s more mobile troops were doing their part, but they were not enough to stop the bloodsuckers’ proliferation that had filled the seal circle. Even Van Herdos, a brilliant berserker, seemed to have difficulty obtaining ‘blood’, the source of his power.

Even in difficult situations, he had to perseverely swing his sword. Watching Sorin’s agonizing struggle, Cadel suggested a plan to the magicians standing by.

“I’ll create a barrier to protect the Knight Order, so why don’t you get to work on the restoration right away?”

Unless he killed Ashvka or sealed the crack, the number of bloodsuckers would never decrease. Continuing the battle would only make the rift worse, so the best thing to do was to send in the magicians to restore the seal now, and Cadel needed to make sure they could focus on the task at hand.

It was a valid reason, but Martin scowled as if he’d been told a bunch of nonsense.

“Sir Cadel, are you saying that you will handle all the mana that goes into the barrier alone?”

“Yes. The missing of one person will put a hole in the restoration effort, but right now it’s more important to close the crack before it gets any bigger.”

“I realize that. But your plan is risky and reckless, and I don’t mean to discredit your abilities, but a barrier that encompasses the entire Knight Order may be possible, but it won’t be for long. We don’t know how long it’s going to take to restore the seal, and we don’t want to walk on eggshells relying on one barrier that we’re not even sure you can maintain, and if you make the slightest mistake and poke create a hole in it, we’ll lose precious power.”

It wasn’t that Cadel didn’t care about Martin’s concerns. At another time, he might have backed down. But Martin was right, the risks were too great.

‘But right now, I don’t have time to waste until I have another plan.’

If he didn’t stop Ashvka here, he didn’t know what would happen to the story. If he didn’t stop him, the flow of the story could be altered, and he could end up with a very different ending than he knew.

So, Cadel had to somehow avoid the worst situation where Ashvka would appear in the human world due to failure to prevent the crack.

“You won’t know if it’s a success or a failure until you try.”

He had no experience in creating large-scale barriers, but that didn’t mean he could give up without trying. Cadel minimized the loss of mana with the power of two attributes and then cast a circular barrier over the magicians. It was unique in that it was fire at its core, but woven with spiraling wind around the flame for visibility.

Martin was stunned by the sudden, chantless creation of the barrier, and Lydon was amused that he was enveloped in it as well.

“If the mana of the barrier is jeopardized, my subordinate Lydon will be the first to know, and he will warn you through his Phantasm Speech, but until then, I need you to focus on restoring the seal.”

“Cadel, what about my opinion on this?”

“I’m sure Sir Martin knows that there’s no time to waste.”

Martin fell silent under Cadel’s serious gaze. He was also aware that if he waited any longer, restoring the seal itself would become difficult. As long as Cadel’s plan succeeded, he would be able to achieve the best results.

After some deliberation, Martin finally nodded his head in agreement, and Cadel immediately created a barrier that enveloped all of his allies.

“Eighth Battalion! From now on, you line up and surround the seal. Remember your location and begin restoration work as soon as you find your spot!”

At Martin’s command, the magicians of the Eighth Battalion began to move in a hurry, and Cadel turned to Lydon, who remained in place.

“You hear me? You’ll follow them to restore the seal. If you sense that my mana flow is even slightly off, you’ll warn them with Phantasm Speech.”

“……I’m doing it for you because I like you, Cadel. Keep that in mind.”

“I’m ordering you because I like you, too. Keep that in mind.”

“Ahaha! Shameless!”

Apparently pleased with Cadel’s answer, even if it was shameless, Lydon flew to the seal circle without a word.

Gazing at his back, Cadel took a trembling breath.

“I feel like dying already.”

He had to succeed somehow because it was his own thing. He was going to clear this bloody sudden quest at all costs. His determined gaze stared ahead.

* * *

Reddened eyes scanned his surroundings sharply. The flapping of the swarming bloodsuckers’ wings was a bone-rattling noise, distracting the knights, but it didn’t matter to Van. There was nothing more important to him right now than ‘collecting blood’.

Shwoosh!

Condensed sword energy sliced through the windswept swamp of bloodsuckers. An attack that cut right through the center of the swarm.

“……Damn.”

Just before the sword energy touched them, the tightly packed bloodsuckers split in two. After leisurely dodging the sword energy, the bloodsuckers regrouped as if nothing had happened and went in search of prey.

It had been this way since they entered the battle. Van’s sword energy was never slow, but the bloodsuckers’ movements outpaced him. There were thousands of them, so one would think that Van could take out a few hundred. However, they moved with precision and unity, as if they had a single mind.

‘There’s not enough blood.’

Because of this, Van had yet to enter the [Blood Flow Sword] state, despite his countless sword energy strikes. Even the nearby monsters had long since fallen prey to the bloodsuckers. All Van could do here was swing his greatsword to drive the bloodsuckers away.

He hadn’t felt this helpless against the hordes of undead, and every time he realized that his attacks weren’t doing any damage, he was reminded of the master of the fire and wind barrier that surrounded him.

A barrier of fire and wind that encompassed the entire army. Magicians making unplanned moves. Van didn’t know exactly what happened, but he had a good idea of who had changed the plans.

‘There’s no way such wide-range magic could be kept intact. If things continue like this, Commander will be in danger again.’

There were two ways to deal damage to bloodsuckers. Overwhelm their movements with an attack speed that exceeds theirs, or unleash a wide range of attacks that cover their radius of action.

Unfortunately, both methods were too much for Van. He wasn’t the type to push for speed in the first place, and he needed to collect enough blood for an AoE attack.

‘The River of the Dead would be able to wipe out the seal circle.’

It was maddening not to be able to do it. Van couldn’t watch Cadel fall twice, and he was ready to give his life to prevent that tragedy, but he couldn’t do anything with determination alone.

As Van realized his limitations once again, he remembered the sensations of the past. That day, that time, that moment. The exhilarating sensation of holding Cadel’s hand, getting out of the mud, and breaking down the huge wall blocking his path.

‘I just can’t feel it again.’

Desperation was not lost on him, nor was training, and yet a new wall appeared, much higher and more imposing than the last. And it didn’t look like this new wall was going to be easy to break through here and now. 

When he wielded his greatsword with such desperation.

Crack crack.

Sorin’s shout echoed across the battlefield, accompanied by a sound like solid rock splitting.

“The crack has opened! All forces! Protect the magicians first! Don’t let him break the seal!”

Reflexively, Van’s gaze landed on the center of the seal. The demon’s body, barely missing one arm, was now exposed up to his shoulder and one breastbone. Along with the increased area, Ashvka’s bloodsuckers increased in number. Countless bloodsuckers sprouting from beneath the bubbling, boiling flesh.

With that, he condensed his sword energy once more.

‘The longer time passes, the more dangerous Commander’s condition will become. Even if there is no way, I must do it.’

But there was something strange about the newly-born bloodsuckers’ behavior. Where they had once pounced on any opponent they came across, they now prowled the air as if searching for something.

As they clumped together, the bloodsuckers began to shift slightly as they settled into place. The tightly packed bloodsuckers looked more like a meteorite than a swarm of insects, and indeed, they descended with the speed and heft of a meteorite.

“What……!”

The swarming masses of bloodsuckers, hundreds of them, shot off in different directions. The knights who faced them were dumbfounded by the swiftness of their movements.

The bloodsuckers no longer targeted the knights. They rushed toward the magicians surrounding the seal.

“What are you doing?! Don’t you hear me telling you to protect the magicians?!”

Dreyfe’s angry shout brought the knights who had been following the vampire’s movements to their feet. They hurled their sword energy at the bloodsuckers as they rained down like hail on the magicians. Naturally, the sword energy did little more than scatter the horde, but it had to be done.

Among them, Van found Cadel first. Cadel was seated in a crouch just outside the seal circle. Around him, too, a barrier was created, but its thickness and size paled in comparison to those of his allies.

The bloodsuckers targeted only the magicians surrounding the seal, but there was no telling when they might change course and try to attack Cadel outside.

‘I have to protect him.’

From the beginning, he was not loyal to the Empire. His loyalty was to Cadel, and he was the only one Van could prioritize over his own life. So he ran to Cadel, pushing his way through the knights struggling to protect the magicians.

But the moment he took exactly ten steps.

Shwoosh—

The clustered bloodsuckers quickly dispersed, climbing up the entirety of the seal circle. They erupted in a circle along the perimeter of the seal circle, sealing it in like a lid.

The knights inside the seal circle were isolated from the magicians on the outskirts.

“You damned bugs!”

The first to react to the unexpected situation was Dreyfe, who cursed, Sorin, who calmed his confused subordinates, and Van, who just stood there, dumbfounded. He looked up at the dome-shaped barrier the bloodsuckers had created.

‘……No.’

A chill of foreboding ran down his spine. Ashvka realized the seal was being restored. That was why he had isolated the magicians, to prevent them from receiving help from their allies. He achieved maximum efficiency with less than half of his body coming out.

He was clever. That meant he had the brains to discern who it was that sustained and protected the work of this seal.

It wouldn’t be long before Ashvka’s target became Cadel.

Van’s nerves were on edge. Even though he knew he shouldn’t be impatient, his mind wavered unsteadily. Van tried to regain his composure somehow, instinct telling him that only then could he save Cadel.

‘There’s Lydon out there. He might be able to help Commander.’

He had to believe that. Lydon was so annoying that he wanted to kill him, but he was also a very talented person. Van strengthened his hand holding the greatsword with that earnest wish.