Everything was a mess. One unexpected event after another had spiraled out of control, and the once flawless plan was slowly slipping from her grasp. What was the cause? Where had it all gone wrong? Even as she took down the humans one by one, thinning them out like a swarm of ants. Even when they had crawled all the way to the castle gates with their pitiful remnants of forces. Emilia had not panicked. Every move and decision they made had been within her expectations.

‘It’s all because of Kelligan’s sword.’

Was this unpleasant situation fated from the moment that sword was drawn? Had she made a mistake leaving it briefly on the field, embedded in a corpse, and impossible to extract? The moment that sword breathed life into the dead, the plan began to warp. How could she have known that damned human would use Kelligan’s power to carve a rift in space and time?

‘……No.’

It wasn’t really because of Kelligan’s sword. Not the human who drew it, not even Mamil Kipa, who imprisoned her, nor Cadel Lytos. Emilia knew well what had truly driven her to this point. But she didn’t want to admit it.

“I was going to kill you all and throw your corpses at Cadel Lytos. The plan’s gone quite awry. You must be proud of all that time you bought, Mamil Kipa.”

Mamil, thrown back by the storm-like demonic energy, rolled helplessly along the ground. Modeleine, rushing to catch him, immediately began casting healing magic. Underneath his frantic hands, Mamil slowly pushed himself up from the floor.

His face, staring at Emilia, was soaked in blood. Blood was pouring from every opening it could. It was doubtful he could even see. Only death radiated from Mamil’s cloudy face, and Emilia lifted the corner of her lips at a slant. She wanted to mock him viciously, but strangely, didn’t feel like it.

“The power that held me back is gone now. So just die quietly. I don’t want to waste any more strength on you.”

With the humans before her, Emilia looked up to the sky. There, falling down like a spectacle, was Cadel Lytos. Flanking him were that annoying nephew of Lawrence and the human wielding Kelligan’s sword.

It was her first time seeing Cadel Lytos in person. Until now, she had only glimpsed his face through the crystal orb. In reality, Cadel Lytos had a far stronger presence than she had expected. He wasn’t particularly big, didn’t exude a strange aura, nor was he especially flashy in appearance. Yet, his silhouette stood out unnaturally sharp, almost alien in its clarity.

Was it because she was focusing on him? Whatever the reason, it was fortunate that the one she wanted to kill was so clearly visible.

As Emilia reached toward Cadel, the attacks began pouring in as if waiting for that moment. Despite the relentless assault, Emilia didn’t spare them a single glance. Every strike bounced off the demonic energy that surrounded her. There was no magic left to contain her anymore.

“Sir Modeleine! Please protect Sir Mamil from behind!”

“Understood!”

The image of allies rushing toward the Demon King filled Mamil’s dimming vision. They were clearly moving quickly and efficiently, yet everything appeared slow to his eyes. His own breath echoed dully in his head, and every inhale sent blood rising in his throat. He could feel Modeleine’s light mana seeping into him, but it couldn’t dull even a tenth of the pain. He wanted to tell him to stop wasting his efforts, but his lips wouldn’t move.

His clouded eyes slowly turned to the sky. Above, his student descended with agonizing slowness from the pitch-black sky. Beneath him stretched countless strands of demonic energy, sharp like crystals. The fall couldn’t be stopped, and the attacks would not cease. Cadel would have to either deflect the demonic energy himself or shield himself with a barrier.

“Sir Mamil, don’t move a muscle. Even if you’re uncomfortable, don’t fidget. Your body is……”

Modeleine’s voice, busy chanting healing spells, faltered into despair. Mamil’s body was beyond what could be called alive. His mana vessels had all burst, and though that should have sent his mana into a rampage, his body was somehow forcibly containing it, swelling slightly as a result.

Modeleine desperately tried to restore the damaged organs and muscles. He wanted to save Mamil, even if it meant pouring out every last bit of himself. But Mamil rejected Modeleine’s desperate hope.

“……I want to cast one last spell.”

* * *

“I’ll strengthen the barrier! Hold on!”

Thud, thud, thud. Each time the sharp strands of demonic energy slammed into the barrier, the impact was so intense it drew curses to the lips. The body jolted from the recoil of the attacks surging up from below.

‘Just a little further down, and our allies are there……!’

They were moments away from reuniting with their troops. Their faces were clearly visible, yet the frustrating truth was that they weren’t getting closer—if anything, they were being pushed farther away. And then there was Mamil. Seeing him collapsed helplessly beside Modeleine made the worry unbearable.

“I’ll cut through. Sir Garuel, just focus on getting Leader down.”

“Got it. Push as hard as you need. If you get hurt, I’ll heal you right away. Just charge forward.”

Having endured several waves of attacks, Lumen stepped up with sword in hand. As he descended with Cadel and Garuel, his expression gradually contorted. Movement in this dark, distorted space-time was not free. His actions slowed, his body felt heavy—an extremely detrimental condition for Lumen, whose sword style relied on swift footwork.

“They’re coming again! If you can’t cut through, just dodge, Lumen!”

Floating without anything to step on, breath growing strained, limbs heavy as if weighed down by sandbags—there wasn’t a single thing he liked about this situation. But precisely such extreme conditions were the perfect opportunity to tame Kelligan’s sword.

“Prepare to accept your new master.”

As if rejecting Lumen’s surging energy, the sword let out a low hum. Lumen ignored the weapon’s resistance and faced the surging demonic energy head-on. He had Cadel’s barrier, and Garuel was there to heal his broken body at any time. There was no reason to hold back.

Screeeeech.

A screech like tearing metal rang out as the sword and the demonic energy clashed directly. A fierce power struggle, neither yielding nor pushing forward. Lumen’s brow furrowed tightly as he pressed more weight into the blade.

“Quit resisting already……!”

The sword spat out Lumen’s energy again, and the backlash sent a jolt of pain through his arm. Sensation in the arm holding the sword began to dull, but Lumen didn’t relent. He poured his energy into it again. He had to engrave his energy into Kelligan’s sword like blood through veins.

“Lumen!”

New strands of demonic energy grazed both sides of Lumen. Having dodged the attack with Garuel’s protection, Cadel couldn’t take his eyes off Lumen’s precarious figure.

‘Lumen came back alive. But I still haven’t seen a system message that says he’s successfully broken through his limits. I don’t know when he’ll be in danger again. Should I stop him now?’

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Lumen. He was simply wary of the system’s malice that could impose a cruel trial upon him. But before Cadel could call Lumen back—

“Knight Commander, look there! Flames—flames are rising!”

With Garuel’s urgent voice, a hot gust swept over their bodies. Frowning slightly, Cadel shifted his gaze, and soon a wide flame cutting through the dark space-time came into view. The flame, tilted on a slant, burned a straight path forward, cleaving through the surging demonic energy.

“It’s Mr. Mamil’s magic……!”

Mamil had clearly collapsed on the ground—yet had he still retained enough strength to cast magic of this magnitude? Even as doubt lingered, Cadel welcomed the flames that had reached them. Stepping onto the widespread fire, he spoke in awe.

“The flames are holding my feet. If we walk along this, we can get down much faster. Lumen! Over here!”

Though the scorching flames wrapped around his ankles, there was no pain. They couldn’t afford to waste the opportunity Mamil had created. Cadel urgently waved at Lumen, who had been left behind. Lumen, having spotted the flames as well, began shifting his path in that direction, however.

“Damn……! The Demon King is trying to destroy the flames. At this rate, Mr. Mamil’s magic won’t last long. We have to hurry.”

The demonic energy, which had multiplied in number, began wildly striking the flames they stood on. Mamil’s fire repelled the demonic energy and held its ground, but given Mamil’s condition, it likely wouldn’t last much longer.

“Go ahead! I’ll try to block the demonic energy from below.”

“What? No, just come over here—!”

“Don’t worry about me, Leader! If we miss this chance, all of our efforts will be for nothing!”

Cadel fell silent at Lumen’s resolute shout. He didn’t want to leave Lumen in this dangerous space for even a second longer. But as Lumen said, if they allowed the attack to go unchecked, the path Mamil had carved would be rendered useless.

In the end, Cadel placed his trust in Lumen and began sprinting across the fire. As they ran at full speed, spearlike demonic energy surged in from every direction. Yet before any of it could reach them, a brilliant blue flash lit up the surroundings.

The flash that cut through the demonic energy didn’t completely erase the spears, but it cleaved their power in half, diverting them away from Cadel and Garuel’s path. Under Lumen’s cover, Cadel and Garuel ran down the blazing path without obstruction. Not looking back as they ran was the best way to support Lumen.

Finally, they saw the end of the fire that had carried them at such speed. As he judged the distance to the corridor, Garuel grabbed Cadel by the waist and launched his body forward. A dull pain spread as their bodies rolled along the ground. The moment the impact settled, Cadel lifted his head from Garuel’s arms. And what he saw was—

“Guys!”

“Commander! Are you okay?”

“Cadel……!”

“Darling! I thought I was gonna die from missing you!”

The subordinates who had been keeping the Demon King in check quickly pulled back and rushed to check on Cadel’s condition. Cadel gave a small nod to Ector beyond them, then waved his hand, signaling the troops to stay alert and not approach. Indulging in the joy of reunion in front of the Demon King was a luxury they couldn’t afford. But just as Cadel hastily pushed himself up—

“Honestly…… Such a slow-witted disciple.”

A strained voice rang out from behind, which he had yet to check.