A blue flash. The moment that dazzling light, swelling rapidly in size, overtook his vision, Cadel stiffened like a believer witnessing a miracle, his mouth falling open. There was no room for doubt. This was the aura that proved the soul of the most upright man he knew.

Sensing the intrusion of a foreign presence, Emilia hurried to shield herself. But there was no way to block the sword energy that had even torn through space-time itself. The flash, now so blue it turned nearly white, vanished in an instant.

Shattering the fleeting silence, the wall once covered in demonic energy crumbled. Shards scattered in every direction. And from beyond them, one person came falling down.

“Lumen……!”

He was wrapped in light. An aura like a midnight lake cloaked his body, and in his deep eyes shone the radiance of a bright moon. His descent through the broken wall played out in slow motion. His beautiful jet-black hair fluttered in the light, untouched by the gloom, exuding nobility.

Lumen, emerging through the darkness, looked just like a divine messenger of hope. Cadel couldn’t tell whether the suffocating sensation was from the tendrils constricting him or from overwhelming emotion.

At last, that dazzlingly beautiful man pulled Cadel into his arms as if to snatch him away.

“I’ve finally found you.”

Somehow, without Cadel realizing it, the tendrils were severed and scattered through the air. Before the fragments could even be followed, Lumen landed on the ground, still holding Cadel.

“Knight Commander! Sir Lumen!”

Garuel’s urgent call rang out as he spotted them. But Cadel couldn’t bring himself to look at Garuel. He couldn’t even muster the will to check the face of the man holding him. He just clung desperately to his neck and pressed his chest against his. He focused solely on the slightly trembling breaths beside his ear. He had to confirm this was Lumen he was holding, that Lumen was truly alive and breathing.

Neither knowing what the other had been through, the two men stayed locked together in silence, feeling each other’s warmth. If time had allowed it, they would have stayed like that forever.

But neither time nor situation permitted it. As Garuel rushed toward them, he moved to pull them apart but hesitated when he looked at Lumen’s face.

“Sir Lumen……? You were always handsome, but isn’t this a little excessively radiant? Did you ascend or something?”

“Something like that.”

Lumen’s brilliant appearance wasn’t just a figment of Cadel’s lovestruck imagination. He was literally glowing. The aura enveloping his entire body gave off a faint but deep resonance. His sword, usually kept sheathed, was fully drawn, and his eyes gleamed like those of a nocturnal beast.

Garuel was curious about the cause of Lumen’s strange transformation, but now wasn’t the time to ask questions. The Demon King had faltered from Lumen’s surprise attack. They had to escape the corridor.

“Thanks to you cutting those tendrils, it looks like the Demon King’s stopped moving. Let’s go now.”

“It wasn’t because of me. I did strike a blow, but only cut the weakest part. I’m sure the others fighting the Demon King’s main body pulled something off.”

“Whatever it is, let’s just get out of here. Now then, Knight Commander. Would you mind getting off Sir Lumen already? Must I feel this petty even in a situation like this?”

As Garuel tugged at Cadel’s clothing, Cadel helplessly fell away from Lumen’s arms, sniffling. His face, now tear-streaked, looked up at Lumen. With a face that looked like overcooked noodles, filled with grievance and resentment, Cadel stared up. Lumen blinked in bewilderment.

“Lea, Leader……?”

“You were alive all along…… So why? Why did you torment me like that?!”

“What? When did I torment you……”

The tearful outburst was, in truth, directed at the system that had effectively launched a mental attack by flashing a bizarre notification. But Lumen, unaware of this fact, broke into a cold sweat as he mentally traced over sins he hadn’t committed.

“Come here, Knight Commander! A man who makes another man cry? Unforgivable. Don’t associate with him anymore.”

“Don’t say weird things. Are you pulling another stunt and trying to blame it on me again, Sir Garuel?”

“Come on, it’s obvious Knight Commander’s crying because of you, and now you’re trying to shift the blame? Unbelievable. I actually thought you were one of the more wholesome ones among us. Guess it was all an act.”

“Ugh……! S-Shut up, both of you. Let’s just run already…….”

As Cadel, barely having calmed his sobs, stammered out the words, Garuel seized the moment and grabbed his hand, dashing toward the end of the corridor. Lumen watched the two retreat with a look of disbelief, then glanced one last time at Emilia behind them.

‘I only severed a few thin tendrils, but those too carried the Demon King’s power. Cutting them would have weakened her. ……But the Demon King’s true body won’t be so easily cleaved.’

The light surrounding him was Kelligan’s blessing—the power that had resurrected Lumen when he should have perished, consumed by the sword. Though he had crossed the river of death and returned, he was not yet entirely safe. The blessing still encased him, ever ready to drag him back into the sword.

When he could fully master this blessing and make it truly his own, the power Kelligan left behind would become his, and Janine’s sword would finally belong in his grasp. Just one more step. One more step forward, and he could seize that power entirely. Lumen, the sword without a sheath hanging at his waist, fell silent with quiet resolve.

* * *

“Damn it, Sir Mamil! Stop! We can’t afford to lose you here!”

Unable to take it anymore, Ector stepped forward, but Lydon moved faster, blocking his path.

“What are you doing! Step aside!”

“And if I do? What exactly can you do in his place? Can you block the Demon King’s energy more effectively?”

“Even if it means giving up the energy transfer, I must save Sir Mamil……!”

“Then what you’re saying is—let’s kill Cadel instead?”

Ector grit his teeth against Lydon’s icy glare that pierced like a blade. He knew. He knew all too well. In order to safely rendezvous with Cadel, who had arrived, they had to stop him from facing the Demon King. But from his perspective, Mamil was just as precious—a necessary magician in this battle, and a comrade who had come this far with them.

So he had to at least try to stop it. He couldn’t just watch as a man who had once basked in the glory of being an archmage walked himself to ruin.

“Sir Modeleine. Is there nothing we can do?”

Ector turned pleadingly to Modeleine, but he only shook his head with a pained expression. It was impossible. For one, they lacked the strength to pierce through the countless magic circles that surrounded Mamil and the Demon King. And even if they did break through, Modeleine didn’t have the healing ability needed to repair Mamil’s damaged mana vessel.

The magic circles rotated and interlocked like gears, suppressing the demonic energy exploding within. From where they stood, the only visible sign of what was happening was the flickering brilliance peeking through narrow gaps. But the blood pooling across the corridor floor told a fuller story. Mamil was dying. And still, he neither called for help nor permitted intervention.

“Yozen, are you really okay with letting Mamil die? He’s Commander’s teacher!”

“It’s his choice.”

“You damn fairy! You could help him if you wanted to! Do something!”

“If I interfere, I’ll only get in the way. Just shut up and watch.”

Lydon and Yozen, who understood Mamil’s condition, also knew he had long accepted his fate. That’s why they chose to play the villain and block anyone from disrupting Mamil’s resolve. It was the only way to respect his will. All they could do now was hope Cadel would arrive in time.

“Ah……! Look, over there!”

As they continued suppressing the Demon King with Mamil at the lead, Modeleine pointed to the sky with a shout. Everyone instinctively followed his gaze—and saw three men descending slowly, as though defying gravity. Lydon and Yozen’s eyes widened as they were the first to recognize them.

“Commander!”

“Cadel, Cadel! Wait! I’m coming to meet you!”

Lydon, who had eyes only for Cadel, flapped his wings in excitement. Until now, he had stayed behind to guard Mamil and hold off the Demon King’s main body—but with Cadel now in sight, nothing else mattered.

“……What the? Why does my body feel so heavy?”

Yet, as if an unseen force were pressing down on him, his wings wouldn’t respond. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get any closer to Cadel. Groaning in frustration, Lydon looked to Yozen, who finally spoke.

“Give it up. This is where the Demon King’s power is strongest. You can’t just leave it on a whim.”

“What? You could’ve told me that sooner! I just wasted all my strength!”

“……You didn’t ask.”

“You really need to be asked to answer? You’re so frustrating!”

Resigned, Lydon gave up his attempt to meet Cadel mid-air and instead looked up at the sky with a sulky face. Thanks to Mamil halting the energy transfer, it seemed they had an opening to escape. All they could do now was hold out until those descending safely reached the ground.

“Sir Garuel is there. ……And the young master as well.”

Van instinctively let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the two comrades flanking Cadel. Though Lumen’s unnaturally glowing figure in the darkness was irritating, it at least made Cadel’s face easy to spot, so Van didn’t complain.

“They’re descending far too slowly. Isn’t there any way we can assist from here?”

Ector, watching their descent with growing unease, voiced his frustration. Lydon couldn’t fly either, which meant no one could reach them directly. Throwing a rope up from the ground was also out of the question.

If they wasted any more time, Mamil might truly die. And if that happened, even the Scarlet Scales Knight Order, still suspended in the air, could be in danger. A series of tragic outcomes raced through Ector’s mind, deepening the lines of worry on his face. And then, in the very next moment—

Kwa-a-a-aam―

The magic circles imprisoning Mamil and the Demon King shattered, and the corridor was engulfed in demonic energy blazing with fire.