================
Despite being mercilessly shredded by the gunfire rain, the vampire was miraculously clinging to life.
It was a close call for death.
Thanks to activating mist form just before his heart was pierced.
As long as the vampire doesn’t take a fatal wound to the heart, he can activate his superhuman regenerative ability and revive. Ariel, who narrowly escaped with a stroke of luck, raised her head while spitting out the pain that made her bones feel like they were shattering.
‘Where am I…! Could it be that I’ve been kept alive on purpose?’
The ceiling above loomed ominously.
Walls barred her on all sides.
Ariel sensed that she was imprisoned.
That wasn’t all.
Dozens of guns were floating in mid-air, ready to fire at the slightest movement from her. One wrong move, and she’d be full of holes. Confirming the continued threat of death, Ariel gulped dryly as she stared at the guns.
“Eek! The vampire is already up!”
“I heard if you drain a bad vampire’s blood… you’ll end up being a dried anchovy!”
The little girls began to scream eeek!
Ariel turned towards the direction of the commotion.
Through the iron bars, she saw the girls.
What in the world were they?
With their pointy ears, they looked like fairies… but she had never seen this race before.
Just as the Luinongs were terrified of Ariel, she tilted her head, looking at them.
“Hooying!”
“If the pretty princess finds out, there’ll be trouble!”
The Luinongs, who had sneaked in to watch the vampire, suddenly shrieked and ran away. Ariel, showing a dazed expression, turned her head only to spot something spilled on the floor.
Colorful candies.
It seemed the fairies had thrown them and fled.
Ariel chuckled softly while watching the guns surrounding her and picked up a candy.
‘The Disaster God of War…! Could it be that I’m facing the Disaster God of War?! Then the prophecy related to the Endless Calamities was true?!’
She trembled, recalling the overwhelming chills of fear that had engulfed her earlier. Then she remembered the moment when countless bullets poured down.
War.
She had witnessed the Disaster God of War.
From the depths of the vampire’s dark eyes rose a deep fear along with a glint of madness.
The Endless Calamities, once treated as a distant myth, existed. Having seen the myth before her, Ariel finally realized that the prophecies, which the priests of the Disaster God had constantly chattered about, were real.
“One day, the Endless Calamities will descend and drag the Earth Mother down from the Creator Deity’s throne, annihilating the greedy humans.”
Ariel recited the prophecy in a faint voice.
The ascension of evil.
The prophecy related to the Endless Calamities resembled the ultimate goal of the cultist forces: the ascension of evil.
No wonder.
The ascension of evil was a plan mimicked from the prophecy.
Ariel banged her forehead against the ground, cursing her own foolishness for daring to show hostility towards the apostle of war. If only she could turn back time, she would do anything.
“But why did the seer…?”
Recalling Edanant’s desperate figure trying to protect the Valtarian Empire, Ariel muttered in perplexity.
If he had just pushed forward, he would have torn the emperor apart… so why did the seer block him?
The seer.
Ariel began to call Edanant the “Seer.”
The vampire, lost in thought while munching on the candy, rose to her feet. It seemed she liked the jelly candies scattered on the floor by the Luinongs, as she began gathering them up.
*
She was confident that she had hidden her identity meticulously.
But, why…
How did the Saintess know the warmonger’s identity?
– I’ve known for a long time…!
Reflecting on the agitated expression of Zebeline, who had faced Ludmilla, she mulled over her confusion.
This was hard to grasp.
“From a long time ago” she had known…
A chill ran down her spine at the Saintess’s shocking revelation. So, during their time together, she had been subconsciously probing Zebeline whenever they were alone.
“Huff, I really am busy today like yesterday.”
“Indeed.”
Still, Zebeline turned away and acted oblivious.
What a formidable foe she was.
Just as stubborn as the great Ludmilla.
Even though she was trying to give hints by clinging behind her, Zebeline audaciously ignored her. Watching Zebeline sitting comfortably in a rocking chair, sipping sweet sorbet, she couldn’t help but stick her tongue out.
“I hope you’ll kindly escort the delicate and elegant Saintess tomorrow as well. You will, won’t you, Edan?”
“……”
With her pure white vestments, the Saintess smiled mischievously.
Oh my.
Was she planning to blackmail him using the warmonger’s identity?
The impulse to smack that mischievous rat with flowing silver hair right on her head rose within her.
Perhaps Ludmilla felt the same every time she was teased about being a spinster by Zebeline.
“Ah ha, ah ha…! I’m sorry. It’s just so funny watching Edan jump every time I tease him.”
“……”
Is my personality really that easy to tease?
It felt like another Saintess had said something similar.
“But I won’t tell you. It’s Edan’s fault for not recognizing me.”
“Eh? What do you mean by that…?”
As Zebeline finished her rest and approached with light steps, she leaned forward and spoke in a soft voice.
It was the same as always.
Every time she looked at Zebeline, someone came to mind.
It felt like seeing someone overlaying her image, becoming clearer as time went on.
‘Another headache? It was like this last time too…’
Simultaneously, a headache surged.
It wasn’t splitting pain, merely a slight pressure in her forehead.
Yet for some reason, every time the headache hit, the memories that were becoming clearer grew hazy as if shrouded in mist.
“I’m okay. You don’t need to remember everything. I will always wait for you beside you, Edan. I’ve been looking for you for so long…”
“……”
She understood.
Zebeline knew something she didn’t.
The warmonger’s identity,
Why she couldn’t remember the past,
The results of attempting to forcibly recall memories, which led to headaches.
Despite knowing all the ins and outs, Zebeline didn’t clearly disclose them. At this thought, she felt both anger and compassion.
Every time she would occasionally look at me, she wore a sad smile.
“Phew… Anyway, I understand. I will gradually remember someday.”
“But don’t keep me waiting too long.”
“I will remember that.”
“Good.”
Zebeline reached out her hand.
It was an obvious gesture that asked him to hold it like a lover.
It was a habit Zebeline developed after getting caught dancing the waltz with Ludmilla. She looked like a puppy wanting attention, showing a tinge of jealousy towards her master.
“It feels a bit suffocating, but… At the same time, I’m happy. That Edan is always by my side.”
“I’m honored to hear that.”
He took her pure white hand.
At that, Zebeline let out a gentle laugh.
*
Thanks to Ludmilla’s efforts, the Pug Kingdom barely survived the total offensive of the black magicians.
But the aftermath was devastating.
Most of the farmland had been laid to waste by the magical beasts that had attacked from all sides. With agriculture, the kingdom’s only source of income crumbling, its very existence was in jeopardy.
The royal family and nobles declared taxes in a desperate attempt to recover the damage. It was a shameless scheme to extract losses due to the natural disaster from the citizens.
“There can be no taxes!”
“Those who abandoned their positions and fled to the fortress!”
The royal family’s unilateral declaration soon sparked a massive civil uprising. Thousands of citizens torched the noble estates and farmlands, threatening the ruling class.
In response, the Pug royal family deployed troops stationed in the fortress.
It was just a momentary disturbance.
Once the regular army was deployed, the fiercely burning flames of rebellion were swiftly crushed.
Citizens were born of discontent. Should they dare to rebel, the army could simply stamp them down. The whip of cruelty was always essential for governing.
“The enemy has raided the royal castle!”
“Don’t back down! The enemy is just one person!”
While the king and nobles were celebrating their successful repression with a banquet,
The enemy appeared.
Surprisingly, there was only one.
A figure in a black hood showcased a swordsmanship almost like a newcomer, slaughtering the guards.
Startled by the bewildering scene, the guards retreated, clearing the path for the intruder.
“A cultist’s assassin!”
“To raid the kingdom of the Sword Saint…! I will not forgive you!!”
Knights clad in full armor drew their swords and charged forward.
They were certain they could win in an instant.
The kingdom’s knights brimmed with confidence.
Although the intruder boasted extraordinary swordsmanship, he hadn’t drawn his Mana Blade. He must be incapable of wielding it; he was just an overconfident swordsman.
With a single strike, they planned to finish him off. The kingdom’s knights summoned their Mana Blade to the utmost as they swung their blades at the intruder.
“……”
The intruder firmly grasped the hilt of his sword.
And then aimed at the entirety of the ‘royal castle’, including the charging knights.
────────!!!
He swung his sword.
It was an ordinary Golden Slash not using a Mana Blade.
However,
That ordinary Golden Slash was more than enough to slice the royal castle of the Pug Kingdom in half.
With a resounding clang, the heavy columns that supported the castle split apart. The numerous nobles hiding in the banquet hall, waiting for the results, were shredded by the Golden Slash.
They didn’t even have time to scream.
The nobility, cut in half and bleeding on the ground, succumbed to blood immediately.
“Y-You! Who are you? A ghost?! Unless you’re a ghost…!!”
The king of the Pug Kingdom, witnessing the massacre unfolding in front of him, was stunned, almost fainting as he questioned the reality before his eyes.
The intruder approached.
His ghastly sight, with sharp blades dripping with blood, was truly terrifying.
At that, the king screamed in desperation, giving one last gasp.
“The Pug Kingdom is the land of the Sword Saint! If you kill me… the Sword Saint will surely hunt you down for revenge! I’m like a father who has trained the Sword Saint!”
Was it the proximity of death that made him resort to such unbelievable threats?
The king made extreme claims hard to verify.
The legacy left by the Sword Saint was absolute.
Therefore, he tried to spare his life by invoking the name of Regnas. No matter how strong the foe was, they couldn’t match the legacy of the Sword Saint.
“Talking big, huh? After more than ten years of treating me and my mother like slaves!”
The intruder revealed his hood.
In the same instant, the king’s face twisted in horror.
“Reg, Regnas…!”
With thick dark reddish-brown hair like autumn leaves,
Eyes sharp like a beast and a prominent scar crossing his face.
The king recognized the identity of the intruder.
There was no way he couldn’t…
Regnas Pavan Pug.
Before him stood the Sword Saint of the Pug Kingdom, drenched in fresh blood.
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