* * *

“Commander Modeleine! You’re safe!”

“Pierre, Donan! Are you both unharmed?”

“We’ve been deploying healing spells from the rear. The injured are rejoining the battle as soon as they’re healed. But behind you, Commander……! As expected! The Imperial forces have arrived!”

In the heart of the battlefield where Toto had been enveloping, the northern forces effectively drew the enemy’s attention, causing more than half of the enemy forces to retreat. Thanks to this, the allied forces were able to extract the wounded and retreat in time.

Although the forest was shaking wildly due to Toto’s vital spot being severed, the central area of Toto’s body remained mostly unaffected. The Imperial forces quickly moved the remaining wounded to the rear or joined the battle to reduce the enemy numbers.

“Don’t miss this chance! Get behind the enemy and push them back!”

With Ector’s loud command, the Imperial forces began to tear through the gaps in the enemy lines with fierce momentum. Among them, the most impressive knight was, of course, Lumen. He glanced at Dreyfe, who was riding alongside him, and raised the corner of his mouth.

“I’m starting to worry you might be overwhelmed by my skills and lose your focus on swordplay.”

“Don’t make me laugh…… Are you trying to say you’re superior just because you’ve cut a few more eggs?”

“No, rather……”

Like a younger cousin who’s easy to tease, Lumen quickly sent a slash of his sword energy, his voice laced with laughter.

“Maybe you should start putting more weight behind your words. You’re younger than me and seem to lack skills. I’m actually quite sensitive to manners.”

“What……!”

“If you don’t like it, get stronger than me.”

As Dreyfe looked on in shock, Lumen’s figure swiftly disappeared ahead, leaving a trail of blinding flashes. Dreyfe, clearly frustrated, gritted his teeth.

“Was he always such an insufferable person?”

* * *

High Demons that had been scattered across the vast battlefield began to pour into the forest. This gave the allied forces some breathing room, but the northern forces were still facing an overwhelming offensive.

Cadel increased the number of [Flame Arrow of the Fire Demon], and the knights poured all their strength into protecting the magicians. Among the knights were Sorin, Van, Yozen, and Lydon. They managed to buy enough time until the southern forces and their allies struck the enemy’s rear. It would only be a matter of time before the enemy’s formation collapsed.

If there was a problem, it was the presence of the High Demons, who were beginning to reveal themselves one by one.

‘Keki, Yond, Mylerus… they’re all High Demons with considerable power. As enemies from the Demon Realm, they’re the kind of foes whose strategies are extraordinarily difficult to counter. But……’

There was no time to worry about their attacks.

“What the hell is that ice statue?”

“Ice statue or whatever, look there! A fairy! And not just any ordinary fairy.”

“Damn it, stop it! No, break it! No, just stop that thing!”

[Frostflower King] was effectively countering the enemies from above. Not only was it countering, but it was systematically destroying them. The speed at which High Demons were falling was ridiculously fast, and even Cadel, watching from afar, felt nauseous.

‘Is this really okay……?’

The High Demon, who had arrogantly aimed for [Frostflower King]’s neck, was immediately grabbed by its massive hand and frozen. One of the demons, excited by the death of its kin, attempted a long-range attack, but it was futile. With one deep breath, its body and the surging demonic energy were shattered.

No matter what attack they attempted or what reaction they showed, [Frostflower King] remained unshaken and overwhelmed the enemies. It was undoubtedly a welcome sight. Having such a strong ally was something to rejoice about, both personally and as a group.

Despite this, Cadel’s gaze toward [Frostflower King] was filled with unease. The more Hyron pushed the enemies from the Demon Realm, the more the overwhelming gap in their abilities became apparent. Hyron’s limitless potential was only amplifying Cadel’s anxiety.

And that anxiety eventually……

[Stop that fairy, halfling.]

Kunra’s voice echoed in Cadel’s mind. There was no need to ask why. Along with his voice, the system windows appeared one after another.

「Time remaining until removal: 3 hours 30 minutes 44 seconds」

「Time remaining until removal: 3 hours 11 minutes 35 seconds」

「Time remaining until removal: 2 hours 53 minutes 11 seconds」

The countdown of the system, which had been threatening Hyron, began to decrease at a rapid pace. Every time Cadel blinked, dozens of minutes disappeared. In the face of this sudden change, Cadel quickly turned and rushed toward Hyron.

However.

Rumble―

As Toto’s death approached, the ground of the forest violently shook as if making a final struggle. The intense tremors blurred his vision, and it became hard for him to maintain his balance. Ultimately, Cadel lost his footing and fell to the ground. Desperately trying to rise, his body was helpless against the tremors.

“Lord Hyron! Lord Hyron……!”

His desperate cries were drowned out by the loud rumblings. The frantic Cadel was bombarded by system windows that constantly appeared before his eyes. The numbers were so fast that he couldn’t even read them, and he was on the verge of losing his mind.

“Damn it, just……!”

In the overwhelming speed at which the time was running out, all Cadel could do was cling to the ground and struggle with the shaking. Helplessness, terror, and fear squeezed at his body. He slowly stretched his arms and crawled forward, but the distance between him and Hyron did not shorten. Just as the enormous sense of despair overtook him.

[Be careful not to fall.]

A crimson aura filled his vision, and his trembling body was lifted into the air. Though his body still felt like it was shaking from the aftereffects, his blurry vision cleared in an instant. Cadel, filled with the dark sky in his eyes, took a deep breath.

“Kunra……!”

[Before you can stop that fairy, the system will make its move first. I was planning to intervene at the right moment, but there’s no time for that now.]

“What do you…… What are you trying to do?”

Kunra, with Cadel on his back, soared higher, lifting them above the [Frostflower King]. Looking down, the ground was violently twitching. The twitching forest finally appeared to be a living creature. That massive insect was steadily dying.

Suddenly, as Cadel lifted his head, the figure of Kash appeared. He was continually wiping his tears while staring at the dying Toto.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Toto……”

It was a pitiful and heartbreaking sight. However, Cadel didn’t have the luxury to share any sympathy with him. Gripping Kunra’s scales tightly, he lowered his head again.

[When you descend into the Demon Realm, the restraints placed on me by the system are significantly reduced. This is because a dangerous battle is unfolding, one in which I can fully use the power I’ve given you without issues.]

“I already know that!”

[But that doesn’t mean that those who weren’t invited to this war can run wild.]

A large flap of Kunra’s wings created a warm breeze, and from his slightly parted mouth, intense flames blazed. Kunra rotated halfway in mid-air, then completely tilted his body, plummeting vertically.

“Ughhh……!”

As the rapid descent took place, Cadel pressed himself tightly against the scales. Kunra’s breath slammed into the ground like a forceful strike. As they got closer to the ground, the intensity of the flames increased, and the range expanded. The fire, consuming even the [Frostflower King], spared neither allies nor enemies.

Cadel, startled by the chaos, tried to shield the knights with a protective barrier, but.

[Do not do anything, halfling.]

“No, you’re breathing fire on the humans right now……!”

His incredulous protest was left unfinished. Kunra exhaled, disrupting the battlefield, and simultaneously, covered his allies with scale armors. Then, at the lowest altitude, he swiftly flipped his body and flew at a dangerously close height to the ground.

Spreading hot flames across the earth, he swung his claws at the clustered monsters below. In an unforeseen rampage, the Scarlet Dragon overwhelmed the forces, and Hyron abandoned maintaining the [Frostflower King]. Cadel watched the [Frostflower King] disintegrate while Kunra, madly slaughtering enemies, soared above.

“Kunra, Lord Hyron has placed a spell on it. Please stop now……”

[That fairy has excessively intervened in this war. He is nothing more than a mere fairy king, neither a god nor a guardian of this world. The system has no reason to tolerate his arrogance and adjust the severity of his punishment.]

The enemies gathered to the north couldn’t withstand Kunra’s relentless onslaught. Kunra, who effortlessly shattered their formation, rose again. The next target was the High Demons trying to exploit the gap in the chaos of the Scarlet Dragon.

[So before that fairy gets ‘removed’ by the system, we need to make his attack appear weaker. In simpler terms, we need another presence to distract the system.]

“Then…… wait, Kunra. I understand what you’re saying, but if that’s the case, you’ll be putting yourself in danger!”

[The system told you how much time remains for the fairy. How much time is left now?]

At Kunra’s question, Cadel finally checked the time again, furrowing his brow. The remaining time had clearly decreased, but no more time was being erased. As the system window returned to a regular countdown, Cadel stared at it before speaking.

“About one hour left.”

[Not much time left. Listen carefully, halfling. I will use a technique to overwhelm the fairy’s existence before an hour passes. It’s a technique that even the system won’t be able to stop. In the meantime, you need to take the fairy to a safe place as much as possible.]

“A safe place……?”

[No matter how much of a god of this world it is, it can’t cause the life here to die instantly without taking action. There will definitely be a situation where the fairy’s life will be at risk. Protect the fairy from that danger. During that time, I will focus the system’s influence on me.]

That was the only way Kunra could protect Hyron. If the system’s attention turned to Kunra, there was no telling what changes might happen to him. If they were looking for someone else under the system’s strong control in this place after Cadel, it would be Kunra.

“……It’s too dangerous. What if the system hurts you……?”

[Don’t worry. Halfling, if you worry about me, it’ll just make me feel bad.]

“What did you say?”

[Though I lost, I was once the sole guardian of this world. I won’t fall without seeing your end.]

So don’t look back. With those words, Kunra unleashed his fiery rage toward the High Demon heading toward him.

In an instant, Kunra’s overwhelming power was so immense that even Hyron’s [Frostflower King] was completely forgotten. The battlefield was reduced to ruins in a blink of an eye, with Toto’s lifeless body joining the destruction. Stepping over the charred corpses of enemies, the knights naturally gathered toward the north.

“Injured knights, this way! Those seriously wounded, use the ‘Gate of Retribution’ maintained by the Twilight Knight Order to head outside!”

Modeleine, accompanied by his subordinates, was busy healing the wounded. However, Garuel did not assist them. His identity had already been revealed to Ector and Moritol, but he could not unleash his demonic energy in front of others. So, he took on the task of providing simple first aid near the Twilight Knight Order.

Van, Lumen, and Yozen patrolled the area, sensing the presence of any surviving or approaching enemies. Lydon helped Hyron recover his strength, who had expended significant mana, while Ector and Moritol met with the commander of the allied Knight Order to summarize the current situation.

Before descending to the Demon Realm, another group of allies had been battling on the surface. The Blue Blood Knight Order and the Dark Iron Knight Order had already been contacted and promised to move once they finished their preparations. Therefore, joining them was something that needed to be done quickly.

As everyone was engaged in reorganization during the brief period of peace they had barely regained, Cadel grabbed Kunra in the pitch-black forest where everything had died.

“Why won’t you receive healing?”

“This is not my true body. It’s just a fragment of my energy. The damage inflicted on this energy might appear as though it’s real, but my true body is perfectly fine. Where exactly do you expect me to receive healing?”

“At least, wouldn’t it help if you received healing somewhere? You’re losing so much blood……”

Kunra, who had been sitting against a withered tree trunk that seemed ready to crumble at any moment, had his face covered in blood. He looked like Cadel had, when he had collapsed, bleeding after trying to understand the true nature of the system.

Kunra watched Cadel, who was crouching helplessly in front of him. There was a deep sorrow in his glittering eyes, making it seem as though he had done something wrong. Despite the fact that the reason for making such a reckless choice was to alleviate Cadel’s anxiety.

Unconsciously, his hand hovered near Cadel’s cheek. Cadel didn’t avoid his touch, blinking in concern and meeting his gaze. Instead of meeting his eyes, Kunra’s gaze swept over his soot-covered cheek, tightly pressed lips, and tangled hair. He didn’t touch anything recklessly, and his hand, which had been wandering nearby, gently pressed Cadel’s brow, pushing him lightly away.

“Ah, what’s this!”

“Bringing in that demon wasn’t a bad choice, but don’t let your guard down.”

“Huh? What are you suddenly saying……?”

With that abrupt remark, Kunra’s body scattered, and the red energy flowed into the pendant. Cadel, startled, rose to his feet just as—

“Is it time to come down now……?”

Kash, who had been observing the battle from afar, finally revealed himself.