“Dammit······.”
Schlus Hainkel has been missing for 36 hours.
Aria slammed her head onto the desk, which was piling high with documents instead of getting any lighter.
Having not slept at all for two days, her eyes were already trembling, signaling that she was reaching her limit.
“I managed to patch things up temporarily, but······.”
For now, she had succeeded in sealing the internal issues.
It was somewhat ugly, but by using the Emperor’s decree to fortify Roman’s Headquarters, she had regained ‘temporary’ control over the generals.
She also dispatched the Imperial Knights to the Monarch Principality to preemptively block any unsettling moves from the Papal Palace.
It seemed the cardinals weren’t planning a full-scale war, as they withdrew the Inquisitor, showing signs of retreat.
All the bureaucrats who dared to rebel collectively lost their heads over it.
Their duties could simply be redistributed among the substitutes.
Since the Emperor was working without sleep, there was no way the substitutes could refuse additional tasks thanks to Schlus Hainkel.
“Still, the problems don’t cease.”
Now, however, the issues were erupting from the outside rather than within.
The first to react to the suspicion of Schlus Hainkel’s death was none other than the Trud Kingdom.
Originally, the kingdom had been petitioning to define borders according to the current ceasefire line and declare an end to hostilities, but now they were demanding that all territory from before the war be returned.
And all this while warlords were still besieging the capital.
Lacking the resources to wage war themselves, they were simply looking for a fuss to make over the news of Schlus Hainkel’s disappearance.
Many had fallen for this bait.
First, reports flew in from the desert development area, stating that the Elf chieftains were holding suspicious meetings several times a day.
Strangely enough, they said thousands of Elf cavalry, who normally wouldn’t gather at all, were training intensely as well.
Reports from the Southern Colony said the Great Forest had yet to muster troops, but the atmosphere was just as chaotic.
The Imperial Army was being doubted from all directions.
Losing a giant like Schlus Hainkel, they were now the subject of suspicion, not even capable of protecting a single head of state.
Now was the time when a three-pronged attack would perhaps crush the Freya Empire, a traditional and powerful hegemonic force.
Although it wasn’t openly spoken, it was evident that everyone carried those thoughts within.
“If you can return, please come back now······.”
She had waited long enough.
Praying for a quick return, Aria gritted her teeth.
*
“You’ve been running for a while.”
The remnants of burnt branches.
It was a sign of a fire.
Feeling the ashes with his hand, Schlus Hainkel slowly walked down the rocky mountain.
Without the power of Majin, there were obvious limits to Schlus Hainkel’s attempts to escape.
“Ugh······.”
By the riverside.
It was a state where thick Mana Energy fog rendered visibility near to zero.
To think this all came from humans’ Mana Energy.
He reflected on how much power he had possessed even as a human.
Schlus didn’t reveal himself by mistake.
It was clear to anyone that it was intentional.
He was showing his intention to dig a trap and wait without the slightest cover.
There was no reason not to fall for it.
A being close to omnipotence like Schlus Hainkel couldn’t die no matter what.
“I thought I was using my head.”
It was just a short while after the date changed.
The time limit on his ‘Selection and Concentration’ ability had reset.
The most powerful firepower could be unleashed, but he wasn’t that worried.
“Shining days! Give up and hand over Julia!”
Without hesitation, Schlus Hainkel stepped into the black fog.
Mana Energy burrowed into his skin and was sucked into his respiratory system, but he didn’t care in the slightest.
Such trivial actions couldn’t inflict damage on an overpowered person.
Moreover, the fog didn’t even obscure his sight.
Schlus Hainkel possessed keen eyes that could see beyond the murky fog.
Mistaking the thick Mana Energy fog for a clever tactic was a blunder on his part.
“I’m not that angry! If you apologize now, I might show mercy!”
He spread his arms wide and laughed heartily, but—
“Hmm······.”
The being within the fog did not step out.
He was clearly intent on tasting blood.
After all, in those days, he would not have known surrender.
He’d rather risk breaking every limb instead of giving up.
“But when exactly—”
*BOOOOM!*
At that moment, the ground shook violently, causing him to lose his balance.
In that brief pause, a blue flash erupted from deep within the earth and cleaved Schlus Hainkel in two.
As he sprayed blood, Schlus fell apart, and an arm shot out from the ground, pulling him out.
“What a monstrous thing······.”
From the gory remains that were once him, flesh was sprouting out, regenerating.
He needed to finish the job before it fully healed.
As Schlus raised his hand, a wind surged, and all the Mana Energy fog gathered to his palm.
Just before his hand completely rotted away and was about to decay, Schlus plunged his right hand into the creature’s chest.
“Indeed······.”
However, his fingers never touched the heart.
Within the creature’s body, every single cell was resisting, forming a solid barrier.
The moment he felt that barrier, he sensed the unavoidable truth.
No matter how powerful the magic he unleashed, this barrier could not be broken.
“Trhooo! Shining days—”
“Shut up.”
By now, the creature had finished its regeneration and regained consciousness.
But the timing was off.
He had already transformed all the Mana Energy he accumulated into magical power and was using that astronomical amount to build a spell.
Having realized the true nature of the spell embedded in his skin, Schlus Hainkel’s eyes widened.
“Wait—”
“Goodbye.”
Schlus Hainkel’s new model vanished.
Suddenly, he just disappeared from that spot.
As Schlus inspected the gruesome blood on his right hand, he slowly looked up to the sky.
Due to the lack of magical power even with ‘Selection and Concentration’, he had to pull in Mana Energy as well.
There was no other choice considering how far he had to teleport.
“Burn in hell forever, you bastard.”
He implanted the teleportation spell into the being and trapped it deep within lava using a barrier.
They had switched positions, so it should now be submerged in boiling lava.
In that heat, it would quickly melt and die.
Even if it didn’t die, it would endlessly repeat the cycle of regenerating and burning.
In either case, there was no difference in having eliminated it.
“Julia. Julia······.”
At that moment, thinking of Julia, Schlus suddenly began to run.
The Mana Energy fog might have blown toward her from the wind.
What would happen if that fragile body came into contact with Mana Energy?
Filled with worry and fear, Schlus dashed, breaking the sound barrier, headed for the place where Julia was hidden.
“Julia!”
“Schlus······. Huh?”
Finally, he found Julia.
Crawling out from beneath the tree roots.
However, Julia’s expression was strange.
As if she were struck by fear······.
Only then did Schlus look back—
“The attempt was commendable.”
“······!”
He spotted the figure of a man engulfed in flames.
Just as he was about to draw Vafe in response, he was hit by an unseen punch and sent flying.
*CRASH·····!*
Schlus’s body shattered through the trees and was smashed into the ground.
“Cough······ huff······.”
That single strike turned Schlus into a mere husk, barely clinging to life.
There wasn’t a single unbroken bone in his body.
His spine was shattered, and no part of him would respond.
He let out twisted breaths, desperately trying to cast a spell.
To drink a recovery potion, he had to pour it into his own mouth with magic, not with his hands.
But each attempt to cast a spell crumbled and fell apart time after time.
“Give up. In that condition, a regular recovery potion won’t work. You need an elixir.”
“Urrggh······ urgh······.”
The culprit who continually destroyed his spells walked slowly toward him with a bitter smile.
Just moments ago, he was engulfed in flames, and now he had returned to wearing black clothes.
“Do you think I didn’t jump into the lava? I can guarantee you I have tried every conceivable method. I’ve leaped into the sun and endured ten thousand years of trying to die in every possible way. But I can’t die. Not until the universe collapses into a single point and annihilates everything, I will not die.”
“Cough, cough······ ugh·····.”
“As I think back, the conditions might have been too harsh. Back in my shining days······ I would have crumbled emotionally just by fleeing alone and abandoning Julia. That was my mistake for not considering it.”
“Guh, urghh······.”
“I’m sorry. So I’ll make sure to kill you properly. Without suffering. You won’t have to live on with the guilt of abandoning Julia. It will be as if I’m losing a conversation partner as well, and truly my heart aches, but it’s unavoidable.”
It was heartfelt.
If it were up to him, he would want to continue conversing while letting him barely cling to life, but that wouldn’t be honoring the past him.
Killing him for good was the best course of action.
At the moment Schlus Hainkel pointed a finger at him and gathered magical power—
“Oh nooo······!”
“Julia?!”
Julia crawled over, wrapping her arms around the pummeled Schlus.
She had crawled all that way······.
Julia’s legs and skirt were drenched in blood.
“I’ll stay by your side······ as your conversation partner. I promise······ I won’t rebel, and I won’t say any dissenting comments. So, so please······ h-huh, please send Schlus back to the original world. I beg······ you.”
“······.”
She was crying, begging him.
No, Julia was smiling.
Forced smiles graced her face.
