Garuel pressed down with his foot as if grinding his heel, and Sellev beneath him coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her glare toward the one who had trampled her was vicious, but her limp body could no longer mount a proper resistance.

“Fits you well. Waiting for death, trampled underfoot by the half-blood you used to scorn.”

“Shut…… your mouth……!”

Sellev struggled desperately to get out from under Garuel. She didn’t care if she died. It was disgraceful, sure—being killed by the half-blood demon she had always looked down on—but she could bear that. More unbearable would be failing Emilia and earning her disappointment.

Her bloodshot eyes glared up at Garuel’s face. As he raised his sword, ready to bring it down at any moment, Sellev hastily spoke.

“That drug—you’d better stick to just smelling it.”

“……Are you trying to give me a parting gift before you die? Not that I’ll let you off easy.”

“As if. It’s not a gift. I’m just trying to keep you from achieving glory.”

“Glory?”

Garuel seemed intrigued by her words and lowered his sword. For now, her death was postponed. Sellev suppressed her rising relief, putting on a mask of calm and anger.

“If you drink that drug, the human blood in you will completely dry up.”

“……”

“Just look at yourself now. You only smelled it, yet you’ve already awakened true demon eyes. The demon blood inside you is pushing out your humanity and awakening your instincts.”

Garuel pressed harder on her chest. An unpleasant reaction to her words. Sellev swallowed the blood rising in her throat and widened her eyes.

“I don’t feel anything like that. I’ve faced you in a very human way. That’s why I’m listening to your last words so patiently.”

“Don’t deny it. Sure, you might be better off accepting that power, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I’d rather you died as a human.”

“……Hey, lady.”

Garuel bent his knees slightly and leaned down, meeting her gaze. With the added weight, Sellev squirmed in pain, but there was no mercy in Garuel’s eyes.

“Even without your concern, I’ll live as a human and die as a human.”

“And yet you’re…… cough…… using the power of demons to fight……!”

“Using power is a separate matter. Wouldn’t it be a waste to have something and not use it? Anyway, thanks for the tip. Sounds like I’ll get seriously strong if I drink that stuff. I’ll keep it in mind.”

His smile spread wide and beautifully, but within Garuel’s demon eyes shimmered a deep, deadly intent. As he rose again and lifted his sword, Sellev clutched at his ankle and thrashed violently.

“I’ll pass along a message to our fairy prince. That your end was pathetic and pitiful.”

The demonic energy-infused blade mercilessly targeted Sellev’s neck. As the sharp sound of slicing air approached, Sellev reflexively shut her eyes. But in the next moment—

“Don’t tell me you’re ignoring Sellev’s warning? I believe I told you, too. If you drink that drug and give up your humanity—you’ll live.”

A voice he shouldn’t be hearing froze Garuel in place. His neck creaked as he turned it slowly. He should have been dead. There should’ve been no outcome but death. Lawrence Hywyl. He now stood before Garuel’s eyes.

“Our bond is long indeed. I’ll end it here.”

* * *

The flames of Mamil not only fended off Forti and supported Yozen but also delicately burned away the webs that had dug into the allies’ intestines. A significant amount of mana was consumed in the process, but thanks to Modeleine adjusting Mamil’s mana vessel after regaining consciousness, a critical situation was avoided.

With Mamil’s magic and Modeleine’s healing, the revived knights headed without delay toward the third floor.

“There’s a barrier one level above us. If we get past it and climb a few more floors, we’ll reach the top of the castle.”

At Yozen’s words, Van furrowed his brow.

“But before that, we need to clear out whatever demons are on this floor.”

“Right.”

The knights carefully and slowly examined the third floor. Compared to the previous level, the area was much smaller and completely devoid of furniture. No decorations or lighting either. But more notable than the absence of items was something else.

“Sure, it’s a bare floor, but do they really need to skip building the walls?”

Ector let out a dry laugh and shook his head. There were no exterior walls where there should have been ones connecting the ceiling and floor. Not even a single pillar supporting the ceiling. Naturally, this should have caused the floor to collapse—but instead, it just floated in place.

Even putting aside the threat of the ceiling crashing down at any moment, the open expanse beyond the missing walls, showing the vast sky above, gave off a strange sense of unease.

“Hmm, just like Yozen said, there’s nothing outside. Saw a few creepy-looking birds, but I killed them all—so now there’s really nothing left.”

Lydon shrugged after scouting the castle exterior. As he finished, Lumen, surveying the surroundings, asked:

“What about the barrier Yozen mentioned? Does it extend beyond the castle too?”

“There’s a faint green veil covering the sky. I tried attacking it—bounced back with exactly double the force.”

Lydon spoke calmly, but the fact that even his attacks couldn’t pierce the barrier—and worse, were reflected with double the strength—posed a serious problem.

“Just getting to the fourth floor is going to be a headache.”

Modeleine let out a deep sigh.

“No matter how I look at it, I don’t see any enemies. Sir Yozen, didn’t you say that each floor had a High Demon? Are you sure this floor is the same?”

“……At first, I definitely sensed one.”

“You mean you can’t feel it anymore?”

“No. I can feel it. What’s different from before is that I can’t pinpoint where the High Demon is. But the demonic energy is definitely still here.”

Modeleine tilted his head as if Yozen’s words made no sense. Yozen wanted to explain more clearly, but the truth was, he was confused too.

The presence of demonic energy could be felt. But it felt more like a lingering trace. The energy that permeated the floor was somewhat similar to what he’d felt on the second floor, but far fainter and less dense than Forti’s. And most importantly—

“……There’s just too many.”

Sorin’s expression hardened as he echoed his murmured words.

“Are you talking about the number of enemies?”

“The energy feels similar, but there are subtle differences. That kind of energy is scattered all around…… They were here just a moment ago.”

“Then they might’ve already gone up to the fourth floor. This place has no walls to support the ceiling. They might be planning to collapse it and crush us all.”

“……That’s not it.”

If he just had a little more time—just a little more—he felt like he could trace that faint energy and pinpoint their location. But time was not on Yozen’s side.

“Kh……!”

From beyond the wide open walls, a monstrous gust of wind began to blow from the sky above. The wind pressed in from all directions, converging on the floor where they stood. The violent gale made it difficult to keep their balance. In a place with nothing to hold onto, they jammed their weapons into the ground or clung to one another in desperation. Even so, their bodies were gradually pushed inward, until finally—

“Don’t cling to me……! It’s disgusting……!”

“You think I want to cling to you?”

Pushed by the wind, the knights were drawn toward the center of the floor. They tried to resist the crushing force, but it was useless. They clung together in a tight cluster, packed like a single entity. In the middle of that tangled mass, Yozen—having stopped resisting—raised his voice.

“They’re coming up!”

“What? What’s coming up?!”

“Demons. Five…… No, eight…… Over ten of them.”

Over ten High Demons. At the same moment as Yozen’s horrifying statement, the wind that had been pushing them suddenly stopped. The knights, barely catching their breath, hurriedly drew their weapons. Lydon and Mamil erected protective barriers.

A suffocating tension settled over them. The quiet shuffle of feet, the rustling of clothes, and the sound of held breaths mixed thick in the air.

But no enemies appeared to break the silence. Unable to stand the waiting any longer, Van opened his mouth to ask where the enemy was—when……

“Heeheeheeheehee!”

“Hahaha!”

“Fufuhaha!”

High-pitched laughter echoed through the floor. The voices rang out as if they were right next to them, causing the knights’ gazes to dart around in confusion.

“Look outside!”

With someone’s urgent shout, the floor—previously lit by the light streaming in from the sky—was suddenly plunged into darkness. As their vision was blocked, Modeleine and Mamil quickly summoned light and flame. And soon, what appeared before them was—

“……This is hopeless. Looks like there are at least twenty of them.”

The gaping wall was now filled with a multitude of demons. Lined in a wide circle along the outer edge of the castle, they held hands with one another, forming a grotesque wall. Under the glow of mana, the twisted smiles on their faces were thrown into stark relief.

It was a number so overwhelming, no one could even guess where or how to begin the assault. While the knights readied themselves, watching for the right moment to strike, the demons forming the wall slowly began to move.

They swung their joined hands lightly back and forth—like children at play—and began to spin in a circle. Round and round, their speed gradually increased. As the demons’ movement grew faster, afterimages appeared.

And then, as the ring of demons spun into a wild, frenzied blur like a single massive object—Yozen shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Get down!”