Koda unknowingly swallowed dryly. It wasn’t because he was intimidated by the dying fairy’s laughter or his threat to kill him. He, too, was a High Demon. He wouldn’t retreat in fear over the struggles of a mere fairy.

The reason Koda hesitated was the sudden chill that engulfed the prison. Like an explosion of long-suppressed energy, the cold rapidly spread, freezing the walls and floor white.

“Do you think I’ll let you take someone precious from me twice?”

With a clattering sound, the chains that bound Lydon’s arms snapped apart. Koda’s eyes widened in shock.

“How did you break the chains……?”

“Huh? What’s with that stupid look? Don’t space out. You need to keep your head straight and play with me properly, lanky old man.”

These weren’t ordinary chains. They were specially crafted when the underground prison was restructured—chains imbued with the power of Emilia Swell, known as the divine genius of demonic engineering and the current Demon King’s master of technology.

Since they contained a portion of her demonic energy, anyone bound by them would be unable to use their strength, and fairy-type beings would be unable to transform their bodies. If Lydon had been able to do that, he would have shrunk down and escaped long ago.

Yet, he had broken them effortlessly. Had he been hiding his power all this time?

“……No. That’s not it. This is his final struggle.”

Though his arms were now free, his legs were still bound. Koda resolved to finish Lydon off before he could fully escape.

‘If I let him get away, the entire castle will be thrown into chaos. I can’t allow that.’

Lydon’s unexpected power was concerning, but Koda was still confident he could subdue him. This wasn’t just a matter of skill difference—he had Cadel’s heart. As long as that heart remained in his possession and as long as he understood the nature of his own abilities, Lydon wouldn’t be able to fight with all his strength.

“No matter what tricks you pull, it’s useless. Or are you planning to struggle and run away, sacrificing that human’s life to save your own?”

As the freezing energy intensified, Koda’s own demonic energy surged to resist it. Thick tendrils of darkness rose around him, and in each of his hands, weapons materialized—a sword and a spear.

To him, the difference between torture instruments and weapons was meaningless. He wielded countless blades in his torturous endeavors, and his ability to use a variety of weapons at will was what had earned him the position of the prison’s sole guard, recognized even by the previous Demon King.

However, Lydon showed no concern for Koda’s abilities. Instead, he bent down and let his fingers brush over Cadel’s fallen body. His touch was almost playful as he trailed his hand across Cadel’s skin, whispering softly.

“I told you before, Cadel. I don’t need freedom without you. ……But that’s not true anymore.”

A mischievous smile flickered behind his icy breath. As his pale hand cupped Cadel’s cheek, a transparent layer of ice encased the human’s body.

“If you’re not here, then this world doesn’t matter either. I promise. If I don’t get your heart back, I’ll destroy everything. I’ll tear it all down so thoroughly that even in the afterlife, you won’t feel regret.”

So that he’d think it was a mercy to have died. Lydon would leave nothing behind.

Despite the chilling nature of his words, Lydon’s expression remained impossibly gentle. Straightening his body, he prepared himself—and at that exact moment, Koda’s spear hurtled toward his head.

The impact sent Lydon’s head snapping back—but.

“Ahaha! You don’t even know how to wait? I should teach you some patience. Hey, mutt, when your owner looks busy, you’re supposed to sit and wait quietly. If you misbehave, you don’t get a treat.”

The spear hadn’t left so much as a scratch. A thick layer of ice had formed between the weapon and Lydon’s forehead, absorbing the blow.

Lydon gripped the embedded spear, and with a casual squeeze, its shaft crumbled into demonic energy and scattered into the air. The dark energy flowed back to Koda’s hands, reforming into a sharp trident.

“There’s nothing more entertaining than a madman’s desperate struggle. Fine then, I’ll enjoy this to the end!”

Koda hurled the trident toward Lydon, obstructing his vision before lunging in with a longsword from behind.

“Dumb mutt. I hate idiots.”

Lydon batted the trident aside with the back of his hand, his crimson eyes gleaming ominously.

* * *

The High Demon unleashed waves of demonic energy, forming a barrier around the castle and walls, ensuring that the knights could advance no further. However, the knights pressed forward, countering the onslaught while continuing their relentless march.

A battlefield where demons and humans were entangled in chaos.

Yozen, having just plunged his dagger into the heart of a High Demon, turned his gaze toward the castle.

“……Lydon.”

He could feel his mana. Until now, there hadn’t been even a flicker, as if Lydon were dead. But suddenly, his presence surged through the air.

‘Cadel? Did Cadel rescue Lydon, releasing the mana that had been suppressed?’

The thought crossed Yozen’s mind for a fleeting moment.

‘……No. That’s impossible.’

He quickly dismissed the notion. If Cadel had successfully saved Lydon, then Cadel’s mana should have been mixed with Lydon’s. Moreover, after being dragged all the way to the Demon King’s castle, there was no way Lydon could be unharmed. Cadel would never recklessly send Lydon into battle in such a state—especially not when it came to his subordinates. He was a man whose judgment faltered unnervingly whenever his people were involved.

Yozen halted his attacks and focused entirely on concealment, carefully tracing the source of Lydon’s mana. If he could pinpoint the exact location, he could rush to their aid immediately.

But then—

‘This is……’

His previously composed expression cracked. Abruptly abandoning his stealth, Yozen broke into a desperate sprint. Yet, his destination was not where Lydon and Cadel were.

“Sir Yozen……? Do you see these three feathers lodged in my arm? I was so startled by your sudden arrival that I let my guard down for a moment—”

“You need to protect the people. Now.”

Cutting Garuel off, Yozen pointed toward the castle.

“The underground. Lydon’s mana is boiling up from beneath the castle.”

“Boiling up? Then…… does that mean he’s safe?”

“The opposite.”

For once, the ever-serene Yozen’s expression was deeply unsettled. His voice, usually calm and measured, carried an unmistakable urgency.

“Lydon has chosen to self-destruct.”

* * *

“Damn it, damn it! There’s no way that bastard still had this much mana left!”

With each desperate punch, thick demonic energy burst forth. Sellev pounded against the towering ice wall, cursing relentlessly. Yet, neither her strikes nor her endless stream of profanities could break through. When she finally stopped, frustration and disbelief twisted together on her face.

“That damn fairy bastard, even at the end……!”

Lydon’s rampant mana had frozen the entire underground prison. Even through the thick walls, she could feel its ominous presence, writhing like a living beast.

She had to stop it.

If she failed, then the moment this ice wall shattered, the castle would be engulfed in an instant.

‘I was the one who brought him here. If this bastard destroys the castle, I’ll be the one held responsible……!’

If that happened, she wouldn’t have a life left to protect.

Pale with dread, Sellev raised her fist again, but—

“Sellev.”

“……E, Emilia? No—Your Majesty? Why are you……?”

“Why?”

The Demon King, Emilia, had arrived.

Sellev instinctively recoiled, a shiver running down her spine. Emilia wasn’t just standing behind her—her presence was suffocating, thick with killing intent.

Emilia barely spared Sellev a glance before stepping past her, facing the ice wall that sealed off the underground prison’s only exit.

Lifting her hand, she touched the frozen surface. Immediately, a frigid cold so intense it numbed all sensation radiated outward.

“You look at this and still ask why, Sellev?”

“I, I was trying to break through, but……! No, wait—I’ll do it now! I can break it!”

“Lower your voice. You’re giving me a headache.”

“……Sorry.”

Dark demonic energy bloomed at Emilia’s fingertips, and with a sharp shockwave, she struck the ice.

A deep, resonant crack spread across its surface, and for a moment, it seemed like the wall would shatter. But—

“……”

The ice repaired itself faster than it broke.

The hole Emilia had created was instantly sealed, and more than that—jagged ice spikes jutted out, as if trying to push her away.

“Emilia!”

One of the spikes impaled Emilia’s hand, driving straight through the back of her palm.

Sellev watched, horrified, as Emilia simply stared at the ice that had nearly pierced her face—her gaze as dry and emotionless as ever.

Then, without hesitation, she ripped her hand free.

A sickening tear echoed through the air as her flesh was torn apart, her now-tattered hand dangling in two ragged halves.

Sellev flinched as dark purple blood splattered onto her face.

But Emilia barely acknowledged the injury.

As if it were nothing, she clenched her ruined hand into a fist and turned away.

“There are bigger things to deal with. I don’t have time to entertain this self-destructive tantrum.”

Her voice was steady—cold and indifferent. Then, as if sealing the matter completely, she said.

“……Let’s go, Sellev. It’s time to activate ‘that’.”