Wooosh…
A chilling aura, as if the very soul was freezing, erupted.
Hoo…
A white breath leaked out.
The Eternal Frozen Land.
The Demon King’s Castle, built from pitch-black metal and rocks, was now cloaked in pure white cold. The glory and majesty of the Demon King’s Army, which had once drenched the continent in carnage, lay submerged beneath the snow and ice.
“…Beatrice.”
A biting wind stirred violently around the Demon King’s Castle.
No doubt about it.
Beatrice must be in the Demon King’s Castle.
The castle, transformed into a white snowfield in the heart of the Demon Realm, was surrounded by a Divine Barrier. Despite the fierce onslaught of the biting wind, the Divine Barrier remained unbreachable.
“Liza, stick close.”
Ludmilla drew Elizaveta in, making sure to stay tight. At the same time, she extended her hand forward and ignited a flame.
Fwooosh!
The flames of tyranny pushed back the surrounding chill.
The darkened cold had a lethal power, capable of sending living beings straight to death in an instant. Realizing that, Ludmilla erected a barrier of flames to protect everyone who had traversed the Long-range Teleportation Magic.
“Ugh, it’s horrible. Was the Demon Realm always like this?”
A relentless gust of wind attacked from beyond the snow and ice.
A territory that rejected all life, a realm of death.
The white hell unfolded before them, resembling a world personifying death.
Elizaveta, gazing at it, gasped in horror. It was only natural to feel fear in a land swarming with demons and magical beasts surrounded by the unknown.
“It’s a region consumed by dreadful magical energy… but the Demon Realm was once a place where living beings thrived. It seems the Death’s Disaster unleashed by Beatrice has gone rampant, covering everything in snow and ice.”
The situation was approaching the worst-case scenario.
Who would have thought it could worsen to this extent?
Damn it.
Was it too late?
Flashes of Beatrice and her comrades flickered through his mind like scenes from a drama. Regret and guilt surged, but without a single hint of hesitation, he stepped forward.
“Damn it, the keepers of the Demon Realm have gathered.”
Rumble rumble rumble…
The rough earth shuddered.
At that moment, dark shadows emerged beyond the biting wind.
The legions of the Demon Realm protecting the castle were unmistakable. Edanant, who had once reached the Demon King’s Castle with the Saintess Party, was aware of the vanguards’ presence.
Roarrrr—!!!
With the activation of Long-range Teleportation Magic, currents of magical power spread, drawing in numerous magical beasts.
As evidence of this, all sorts of bizarre-looking magical beasts roared fiercely and charged forward.
“There are so many… each one seems to belong to the pinnacle of the food chain?”
A wyvern with three heads.
A beastly monster covered in sharp spikes.
A mutated giant wielding over ten arms with weapons.
Unbelievable.
Was this a collection of monsters that could only exist in legends?
Ludmilla was taken aback by the spectacle of the charging magical beasts, piercing through the fierce wind. The monsters, infamous for their brutal power during the Third Racial War, had all appeared at once.
Ka-ca-ca-ca…
As the monstrous horde gathered like clouds and completed their encirclement, an anomaly occurred.
The blizzard, which had been raging around the Demon King’s Castle, began to engulf the magical beasts.
An intense cold struck.
Sharp ice instantly turned the gigantic forms of the magical beasts into mere flesh.
Was this what it felt like to grind a freshly slaughtered calf into a pulp? It was such a gruesome sight that Ludmilla raised her hand to shield Elizaveta’s eyes.
“Belashiel.”
-…Understood.
At Edanant’s call, the seraph with flowing orange hair lifted her bow, targeting the magical beasts that barely survived the blizzard.
Pulling the bowstring taut, a flash of annihilation burst forth with an overwhelming brilliance.
Like light refracted in stained glass, shards of the annihilating light splintered into hundreds of beams, showering upon the magical beasts frozen by the cold, bringing them peace.
– Behold with radiant brilliance. The Seraph Belashiel has descended to purge the filthy monsters.
Three pairs of wings spread wide to the sides.
A platinum full armor symbolizing the seraph’s might.
And more than fifty Holy Relics bestowed upon her by the Creator Deity.
The angel of justice had descended.
Belashiel’s divine status radiated like dawn announcing the new day.
Though she had been subjected to the humiliation of being subordinate to Edanant, Belashiel’s grandeur remained unshaken. True to a seraph who recorded a life-and-death struggle against the disasters of war, she instantly severed the breaths of the magical beasts that survived the blizzard.
“Indeed, she is a seraph…!”
“The celestial messenger commanding the archangels, isn’t she?”
The multitude of magical beasts that had approached in the thousands vanished in an instant.
As if divine punishment had fallen.
Leading the grand magicians of the Magic Tower, Querisa and her fellow mages, who had traversed the Long-range Teleportation Magic, marveled at the might of Seraph Belashiel.
Hearing the awe and admiration directed at her, Belashiel subconsciously shrugged her shoulders. After all, she had to endure the humiliations of being labeled ‘self-proclaimed seraph’ and ‘the concubine brought by Young Master Edan’ by the servants of the Hohenberc Family.
“Ludmilla, I’m off to find Maximilian now.”
“Understood. I’ll take care of this side.”
Edanant entrusted her with leadership and set off to seek Maximilian, who sealed the Death’s Disaster.
*
Maximilian, squeezing every bit of vitality to seal the Death’s Disaster and its minions, remained conscious even in the freezing condition.
The barrier was still unstable.
If he lost consciousness now, a catastrophe could set free the Death’s Disaster.
To save the current world threatened by the end of days, he had to make a tragic decision to seal his beloved and comrades within the Demon King’s Castle. Maximilian gripped the hilt of the Holy Sword with his ice-cold hand and let out a white breath.
“…They’ve come.”
He had expected them to come.
But he wished they wouldn’t.
“Edan.”
His heart would surely waver.
There would be regrets and lingering attachments.
That’s why Maximilian gazed at Edanant, emerging through the snow and ice, with a meaningful look.
“Was that the best sacrifice you could come up with? Truly pitiful to the end.”
“…Yeah.”
“Who will acknowledge the sacrifice of a traitor… the betrayer who resurrected the Death’s Disaster would be mocked for centuries as he faced his comeuppance.”
“I don’t care… it’s the path I’ve chosen…”
No matter what was said, Maximilian would not reverse his decision.
A noble justice expecting no rewards.
Truly a hero worthy of the title ‘Hero of All Times.’
After prolonged exposure to the cold of death, his biological tissues were decaying. Even in critical condition, where it was no surprise if he died at any moment, Maximilian did not let go of the hilt.
“Need a loan? If not, then forget it.”
Edanant brandished the Holy Sword he carried at his waist toward Maximilian.
Golden Star Aldebaran.
The sight of the shining Holy Sword caused a look of puzzlement on Maximilian’s face.
“…What are you thinking?”
“Just open a part of the barrier surrounding the Demon King’s Castle.”
He intended to extract the Death’s Disaster clinging to Beatrice.
Confusion spread across Maximilian’s face as he grasped Edanant’s instructions.
“That’s impossible. The Death’s Disaster had become completely one with Bea. There’s no way to extract it.”
“No, it’s possible. If the Death’s Disaster cooperates, that is.”
The reason the Death’s Disaster sought contact with Elizaveta was to find a new vessel that could liberate itself trapped within Beatrice’s soul.
If Edanant were to actually come into contact with Elizaveta, the Death’s Disaster would likely attempt to free itself.
The chances of failure were high, even if the Death’s Disaster cooperated.
Even sensing the glaringly low odds of success, he asked for the barrier to be released. At that moment, Maximilian, who was close to the final stage of the sealing, hesitated briefly.
“I brought the Third Imperial Princess Elizaveta. Your cruel fiancée.”
“Elizaveta? Why on earth…?”
“Her Highness will become a new vessel to replace Beatrice. It seems the parties involved have already made that decision. Since the Death’s Disaster attempted contact first, it’s quite certain.”
“……”
Understanding the explanation proved difficult.
How on earth had the Third Imperial Princess and the Death’s Disaster become entangled?
Unfortunately, there was no time to kindly provide an explanation. The ‘Empress of Death’ who realized Maximilian was stalling at the final stage of the sealing began to pound on the barrier, trying to escape.
“Then how do you plan to extract the Death’s Disaster? It wouldn’t be easy to pull out the rampaging one.”
“You have to listen to reason.”
Edanant nodded as he spoke.
Maximilian was left speechless.
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