As I gazed at the back of my son embarking on an adventure with his companions, I had no doubt he would return in glory.
Because he was my son.
The one nurtured like a precious jewel by Querisa Nesserhane, my beloved child!
Although our bond was forged through adoption, we had a harmonious mother-son relationship free of any discord. Thus, Queries fully supported her son, awarded the title of sage, believing he would vanquish the Demon King of Death, illuminating the fame of the Magic Tower.
But—
A mother’s loving expectations spiraled into tragedy.
“Ah, my son…!”
I called out to him with a trembling voice.
But what returned was an icy flame shining blue.
“Master of the Magic Tower!”
“You must not lose your mind!”
Was it because I witnessed my son’s miserable form, transformed into a cursed being? Faced with the flames enveloping the air, Querisa stood frozen, unable to react.
The icy flames surged forward.
The Grand Magicians of the Magic Tower, who were escorting their master, extended their staves, deploying a protective barrier.
Bwaaaam—
Flames clashed with the barrier in the air, a horrific sound erupted.
“Gah, ugh! Such tremendous firepower!”
“The barrier is collapsing! Quick, new defensive magic…!”
Sage.
A title bestowed upon the unparalleled genius who achieved the realm of advanced magic.
Once a sage, now a cursed being of the Demon King, boasted tremendous magical power surpassing even the Grand Magicians of the tower. The defensive spells they unleashed trembled precariously as if they were about to shatter at any moment.
Clank-clank—
The Archlich moved its jaw.
It was a fierce gesture, signaling a barrage of new spells.
“Master of the Magic Tower!!”
The Grand Magicians screamed.
As waves of magical energy swirled in the air, countless gravitational orbs deployed.
A total of nearly one thousand of them.
Truly monstrous, it executed high-grade magic without any preparatory movements, befitting a sage.
– To protect Beatrice… it is my mission.
A bluish light shone from the Archlich’s skull.
Despite having my dear mother right before me, only hostility filled its gaze.
“Madbay!”
A beauty with emerald green hair stretched out both hands, adopting a stance. With a gaze filled with fear, Querisa glared at her undead son, as if gripping something tightly.
Crack—
She extended her hands like a conductor commanding an orchestra.
In that moment, crimson flames erupted around the Master of the Magic Tower.
“Are you so mad for a woman that you’d threaten your only mother with magic? What a disobedient child!”
Deploying flames in the frozen tundra was a self-imposed limitation.
The cold suppressed the firepower.
Snow and ice began to hinder the ignition.
Yet, the crimson flames blazed fiercely, forming pillars of fire as if to flaunt its ferocity. The snow and ice that impeded the ignition melted away in the heat.
-…Punish them.
“Punish them!”
The cursed undead and the Master of the Magic Tower chanted the same incantation and pulled the trigger for the grand spell.
Gravitational orbs and flames.
The peerless magic corresponding to the peak of magic collided with each other.
*
As the front-line clash between the Master of the Magic Tower and the sage spread, a fierce backlash surged. The overwhelming quantity of gravitational orbs and flames was enough to upend the Demon King’s Castle, surrounded by perilous mountain ranges.
But the Red Dragon and White Dragon facing the Soul Cavalry continued their battle, ignoring the spectacle of destruction.
– I will not let you go…!
“How unfortunate that the Warrior King, famed for his might, has fallen to the specter of disaster…”
The descendant of the Duchy of Savoia and the legendary mercenary king,
Felix Pavan Savoia.
Despite having degraded to an undead being, he unleashed overwhelming pressure, proving the might of a mercenary.
Bastard sword.
Polearm.
The undead, armed with heavy weaponry in both hands, showcased their skill by parrying the flames of tyranny and the lightning of famine, blocking Ludmilla and Zebeline.
“Is, is that really a person…? Well, an undead, but…!”
“He’s a hero who commanded every mercenary group across the continent. Truly a formidable foe.”
Thud-thud—
The undead, armed with countless weapons, slowly closed the distance.
Despite the raging flames of disaster and lightning, it did not pause its steps.
Overwhelming power.
The seasoned strength that led countless battles to victory.
The undead approached, exuding a calm, restrained aura that resembled a monument of dread. Ludmilla, who had sparred evenly with the Soul Cavalry, readied her counterattack with her sharp blade.
‘The hero who partnered with the warrior and sword saint… I never expected him to be this powerful. Even after collaborating with the First Saintess, I haven’t left a scratch on him.’
The Saintess Party was an extermination unit composed of the strongest heroes.
Warrior Maximilian.
Sword Saint Regnas.
Mercenary King Felix.
They were truly a notch above the rest.
Among the extermination unit, three of them were monsters who had reached the ranks of the Seven Heroes of the Warring States.
The sage Madbay was no exception.
If not for Querisa, the Master of the Magic Tower and his adoptive mother, Madbay would have also undoubtedly stood among the ranks of the Seven Heroes.
Facing the Saintess Party, composed of the strongest of the continent, was synonymous with certain defeat. Even the rulers of the Demon Realm, who had pushed the Empire and Holy Kingdom to extinction, ultimately lost their lives to them.
The worst enemy was right before them.
Ludmilla wielded the sword of the Imperial Palace, while Zebeline held the Scepter of Black Night, standing against the Mercenary King.
*
Who in the world are you?
In response to Edanant’s question, a woman with flowing white hair smiled broadly.
“Who am I? Really mischievous of you, Edan. Have you forgotten me?”
With a face as white as alabaster and a gentle voice, it was undoubtedly Beatrice.
Though she was tainted by the divine status of disaster, the sacredness flowing from her being confirmed that the woman before him was Beatrice.
However,
Something was different.
Not Beatrice, nor the disaster of death, but an alien existence.
A sharp fear pierced through Edanant’s heart like a needle.
Accepting the denial his instincts urged, Edanant immediately manifested the disaster of war. Soon, countless muskets deployed, targeting the creature that now possessed Beatrice’s body.
“No… you are not Beatrice.”
“Why do you reject me? The woman you first loved… why are you treating me so coldly?”
This was a question only Beatrice could ask.
Yet despite this, Edanant did not drop his suspicion.
“Do you dare to deceive?”
He drew his pistol from Holsder.
At the same time, he pulled the trigger, shooting toward the woman with the flowing white hair.
“……!”
The air was so cold it felt like it would freeze your soul.
The cursed bullet from the disaster landed frozen on the ground.
“See? You’re definitely not Beatrice. Who are you to impersonate her? I wish you’d just reveal your true identity. You’re neither the Saintess of the Creator Deity nor the disaster of death, but a mutant.”
Mutant.
At Edanant’s contemptuous title, the creature disguised as Beatrice twisted her beautiful face.
“I am Beatrice…! I am Beatrice!! I am the one you loved, Beloved by all, Beatrice!!”
A scream filled with madness erupted.
In response to such rage, the chilled winds of disaster spiraled, ravaging the interior of the Demon King’s Castle.
Crack—
The banners of the Demon King decorating the castle were swept away.
Moreover, decorations and furniture were caught in the whirlwind, shattering into pieces.
“Edanant! Edanant, Edanant!! Edanant──!!”
“…That’s dangerous.”
It was like igniting a powder keg.
Grasping his head, the creature’s relentless cries oozed an intense, distorted hatred.
‘Damn, if I knew it would end up like this, I should’ve gone all out from the beginning…! To make such a foolish mistake at the most critical moment, now of all times with Luinong.’
I might have been wrong.
There was also a possibility that Beatrice had been corrupted by the effects of the disaster.
In this perilous situation, I hesitated from using the muskets, fearing Beatrice might get hurt, aiming not for her head but her shoulder.
The result of mistrust was fatal.
Seeing the rampaging monster, wrapped in a storm of winter, I clicked my tongue.
“…I will kill you.”
The cold, descending killing intent resonated softly.
Amidst the chaos of the roaring thunder that erupted from the whirlwind, the monster’s chilling warning pierced through Edanant’s mind.
“If you deny me, Edanant… you are useless to me too. I will kill you.”
“Shut up, and hand over Beatrice. What I want is not you.”
It was neither a deception nor a lie.
The monster before him genuinely believed it was Beatrice.
Delusion. Hallucination.
A typical symptom of an incomplete consciousness.
Harboring pure killing intent against the monster, he furrowed his brow.
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