‘Move. Move, move!’

Sellev desperately flapped her wings. She forced strength into a body that kept wanting to go limp, gathering her loosening arms tightly around Dalin, Emilia’s eldest brother.

She had long given up looking back. She only looked forward, at the towering Demon King’s castle where Emilia would be. The fear that flames might erupt at any moment and snatch her away surged inside her, but Sellev tried desperately to ignore it.

She was afraid. But it wasn’t her rapidly failing condition that frightened her—it was the fear of Emilia. The fear that Emilia might rebuke her for failing to carry out her orders. That she might not stop at rebukes but express deep disappointment—and abandon her. That’s what terrified her.

‘Almost there……!’

The castle was right in front of her. Gasping, Sellev frantically gained altitude. In her vision, only the castle’s highest tower filled her sight. There was no time to knock politely and wait for an answer. Sellev slammed into the window and tumbled noisily into Emilia’s room.

“Sellev!”

Recognizing the intruder immediately, Emilia rushed over in shock. Sellev twitched, glass shards embedded in her body, and revealed the one she had been protecting in her arms.

“……You brought him.”

Emilia bit her lip tightly as she confirmed Dalin’s face. Sellev lay flat on the ground in front of Emilia, not even pausing to catch her breath.

“I—I’m sorry. Even with the bracelet you gave me, I could…… only save one.”

“……”

She wanted to say it was okay, but the words wouldn’t come. Of the three siblings who had been on the brink of resurrection, two were dead. And the one barely brought back had been disconnected from the life support. Restoring Dalin would require great power and a complicated process—something she had no time or means for now.

Emilia closed her mouth, and Sellev writhed in fear.

“Forgive me. Forgive me, Emilia. If you forgive me, I can do anything. I’ll do anything. If you want me to die, I’ll die……!”

Her hunched back was a mess of blood and wounds. Her body, unable to regenerate, was practically in rags. What on earth had Lawrence done? He was sent to rescue Sellev, and yet Sellev had returned in ruins, while he hadn’t even shown his face.

The more Emilia looked at Sellev, the more her anger rose. Sensing the demonic energy surging with that emotion, Sellev’s eyes darted around in panic.

“What about Ethan and Ophelia? Are you sure they’re dead?”

“Y-yes. I checked. By the time I got there, it was already too late……”

“……I see.”

Strictly speaking, the fault lay with her. She had assumed the humans couldn’t reach the place where her siblings were and had made no preparations on that front. It was impressive that Sellev had managed to save even one of them from a group bolstered by the power of the Scarlet Dragon.

Besides, there were more urgent matters now than reviving her siblings. If she let Sellev rest for a while and gave Dalin emergency treatment while the humans struggled on the lower floors, that would be enough. Stay calm. She had to stay calm.

Emilia took a deep breath, suppressing the rage that surged within her. It was a crucial moment of mental stability for her—but for Sellev, watching Emilia in silence, it was nothing short of agonizing torture.

Fidgeting nervously, Sellev suddenly lifted her head and quickly crawled across the floor toward Dalin. She pulled Dalin’s limp upper body up and presented him before Emilia.

“L-Lord Dalin is fine. His heartbeat is steady, and there are no signs of injury! I saved him before Cadel Lytos could attack. So please, Emilia, don’t be too sad. As long as Lord Dalin is here……!”

Sellev’s words were cut off. Emilia’s eyes widened in shock. Dalin’s body gave a small jolt.

It happened in an instant. So quickly that no one could react or respond.

“Sellev……?”

“H-Hugh……”

Emilia’s gaze fell to Dalin’s chest. A flaming longsword had pierced straight through his heart. Had someone stabbed him? No—this was a blade that had erupted from inside, tearing through Dalin’s heart, bones, flesh, and skin.

It had been embedded in him before he ever reached Emilia.

If that were the case, he should’ve died long ago. Why was he still alive until now? Why—why did he have to die right in front of her?

“Sellev!”

With a scream that tore through the air, Dalin’s body slumped to the ground. Sellev couldn’t even reach out to catch him. Her curled fingers twitched helplessly. A deep wound had appeared over her exposed heart.

A burn scar left by fire, one that demonic energy could no longer regenerate.

Blood gushed out, soaking Sellev’s chin and chest. Her trembling gaze turned to Emilia. Dropping to her knees in a panic, Emilia pulled Sellev into her arms and unleashed her demonic energy.

“Don’t worry. I’ll save you. You’re not going to die. You’ll be fine.”

“E-Emilia……”

“Don’t say anything. There’s no way you’d die. We’re going to free the Demon Realm together……”

Just as she spoke, Emilia gasped sharply. The demonic energy she had raised to heal Sellev suddenly dissipated, and the strength left her arms as they cradled Sellev. As she slowly pulled back, Sellev’s body slumped heavily backward. Emilia didn’t catch her.

With a thud, Sellev collapsed. Emilia met the vacant eyes that no longer registered anything. With each breath, her shoulders heaved more violently.

“Ah…… Ahh……”

She was dead. Sellev was dead. A burning blade had pierced her heart. It was human mana—Cadel Lytos’ mana.

“Aaaaaaaaah! Aaaah! Aaaah!!”

With a scream drenched in madness, her demonic energy exploded, making the room tremble. Blood-tears streamed from her wide-open eyes, and the sound of bones shattering echoed with every punch she drove into the floor.

“I will never…… never forgive you……”

Her frail voice turned venomous. Not a single tear fell from her fury-contorted face. Only hatred and bloodlust remained as Emilia clawed at the floor with such force that her fingernails bent backward.

“Cadel Lytos…… I’ll destroy everything you hold dear. I swear on my life—I will!”

* * *

The demon whose heart had vanished scattered like a mirage. It wasn’t annihilation. As soon as Yozen cleanly severed the core, the dissipated energy arced and poured into one particular demon. Then the next. And the next after that. It didn’t take long for them to conclude—the one absorbing all the energy was the main body.

“Damn it, I’m done.”

Van muttered through gritted teeth, half-sprawled flat on the ground.

“You did well, Sir Van. Once we get rid of the main body, I’ll make sure you’re properly rewarded.”

“Don’t bother. Save your mana for yourself.”

He had crossed the river of death countless times, relying on collapsing barriers and long-range healing magic. His body might’ve been restored, but his mind was fraying. And thanks to Van’s effort, they were now within reach of total demon eradication.

“I’ve marked the main body with flame. Is that sufficient?”

The flame Mamil had attached traced a large circle along with the rotating afterimages of the demon. Yozen nodded lightly, as if to say there was no problem. Standing beside him were Lumen and Sorin.

“Sir Sorin, are you ready?”

“Ready. Let’s begin.”

If the main body was eliminated, the strange ability to split its heart and multiply its forms would be rendered useless. From the relative safety of the stronghold they’d barely secured, Yozen calmed his breath.

They had identified the main body—but its speed made it impossible to track precisely. Someone had to find its position and hold it still, even for a fleeting moment.

With a quick inhale, the demon charged. Yozen couldn’t keep up with its movements, but that didn’t matter. Lumen, standing next to him, vanished. He was the only knight present who could match the demon’s speed.

The instant he blocked the path of the main body, a dagger flew toward the demon’s back. But it would take time for the dagger—lodged in its back—to reach the heart.

“Sir Sorin!”

At Lumen’s shout, Sorin finally pinpointed the location and leapt forward. The main body’s next destination had already been secured as a safe zone. Together with Lumen, Sorin intercepted the demon, and the dagger began to pierce its heart.

“You…… will never escape…… the infinite cir—……”

The demon couldn’t finish its sentence. The dagger fully pierced its heart, and at that moment, the rotating outer demons vanished like smoke. Instead of being absorbed into the fallen main body, the dispersed demonic energy spread outward into the sky.

Sorin turned around after confirming the demon’s death and gave a nod. The others who had been on standby let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Haah, what kind of annoying bastards are these, seriously?”

All he’d done was lie on the ground and throw up a few barriers, but Lydon stretched out his body dramatically, fully playing up the exhaustion. Van looked at him in disbelief, dragging himself up with an irritated grunt.

“Yozen said we’ll have to pass through a barrier to reach the next floor, right? How the hell are we supposed to break that one?”

Since even Yozen had acknowledged the strength of that barrier, the thought alone was enough to make him feel hopeless. But then, Mamil—who had gone ahead to check the stairs—returned with unexpected news.

“The barrier’s gone. There’s no trace of any energy coming from the stairs.”