The fierce battle was raging at the Imperial Palace’s villa when, at the same time, a fierce confrontation unfolded at the Branon family’s villa, which was being used as a hideout for cultists.
“We absolutely cannot miss this. We must wipe them out all at once!”
Thus, the troops from the Imperial Palace rushed in from all directions to ambush the cultist forces.
“These evil heretics!”
“There are no prisoners! Deal with them all by immediate execution!”
The dark space that had just been shrouded in darkness was instantly dyed red by torches.
Knights from the Imperial Palace, armed with sharp weapons and thick armor, stormed into the villa, mercilessly cutting down visible cultists as a display of merciless swift judgment.
It was a scene of utter devastation. The villa, which had boasted antique elegance, was tainted with blood.
“Damn Empire bastards…!”
“Counterattack! Release the monsters immediately!”
Knights wielding Mana Blades slowly poured in. If they were to be driven back like this, it would undoubtedly end with a complete victory for the Empire’s knights.
In response to this desperate situation, the cultists deployed their secret weapon.
Grrr!
Gaaaaah!
Monsters trapped in iron cages were suddenly unleashed.
They had been tamed through sorcery and, once freed from their bindings, their ferocity was unleashed to the maximum.
The large monsters charged in like mad bulls. The knights, who had been gutting cultists, quickly aimed their Mana Blades at them, seemingly preparing to confront them head-on.
“You dare to trample upon the sacred altar where we honor the gods? I shall purify every last one of you!”
A brutal fighter, wielding a vicious mace, confronted the monsters.
It was clearly a Meiros.
The swirling dark gray around him confirmed it.
The fighter clad in gray swung his mace, knocking knights to the ground. The mace, powered by enhanced strength to its limit, matched the siege weapons used in war. Each powerful clang of metal as it shattered echoed loudly, causing the knights’ formation to collapse.
“A filthy Meiros. So, you’ve embraced the power of the heretical god… It’s utterly disgusting.”
If this continued, the damage would only increase. They needed to finish off the subjugation as swiftly as possible.
The knights, who had been steadily pushing forward, received a signal and retreated.
New reinforcements stepped in.
The valiant Gaidon.
The seven knights of Valtaria, led by him, arrived on the scene. The knights, witnessing his majestic presence, cheered as they gained a strong sense of victory.
The Meiros wielding the blessing of the cult felt like a horrific nightmare. Yet, the seven knights of Valtaria, representatives of the Empire, symbolized the bravery that conquers nightmares. One knight, who claimed to be worth ten, raised his sharp sword to face the fighter clutching the mace.
“Is this the famous seven from your side? Then you will surely make for an excellent offering.”
“Offering, huh… The cultists are indeed barbaric.”
The fighter, clad in dark gray, revealed his teeth.
In response, Gaidon unfolded his Mana Blade.
A vivid red.
The Mana Blade burned like a raging flame.
It was infused with the blessing of the red dragon, the guardian of the Empire.
The seven knights of Valtaria were all followers of Ludmilla, blessed by the red dragon, which allowed them to use some of that blessing.
“In the name of the Valtarian Empire and the red dragon, I shall eliminate these wicked evildoers!”
Gaidon charged towards the fighter as he swung his red Mana Blade.
*
The sight of the Meiros rampaging through walls felt like witnessing a tank ravaging the battlefield.
It was aiming for Elizaveta.
As the urgency to track its movements increased, Edanant realized the monster’s intent.
It must not be allowed to escape.
Many elite troops were guarding the Platinum Princess, but the monster surrounded by dark gray metal was an overwhelmingly formidable presence. There could be unexpected variables. So, Edanant kicked off the ground hard to close the distance with the beast.
‘I can’t waste any more time. I need to cut its breath before its regenerative ability returns…’
Until now, Meiros had been completely overwhelmed by Edanant due to a near-fatal wound inflicted by Aldebaran. Despite having exceptional hardening abilities, he had been unable to exhibit them properly and was pushed back.
It wouldn’t be long until he recovered.
Edanant aimed at the joint in Meiros’s leg as he charged forward.
Hurk!
The small gap between the joints.
Edanant didn’t miss the weakness that lacked the protection of dark gray metal.
With his joint torn apart, Meiros could not maintain his speed and stumbled. He tried to rise again but was met with Edanant’s refusal to allow it.
Gasp! H-huh! Where do you dare to run…
Edanant bent down, panting.
His lack of exercise was the cause. He had been wrestling with paperwork for so long that his stamina was close to pathetic.
But he still had the strength to pull the trigger. As the fallen monster could no longer escape, he unleashed a barrage of bullets to cripple its legs. With each shot, the monster let out horrific screams, yet Edanant remained unaffected.
“Lord Edanant!”
“We will help too!”
Just then, help arrived from the Holy Knights of the Holy Kingdom.
Due to strong opposition from the priests, Zebeline’s assistance was regrettably thwarted, but the Holy Knights who guarded her came to participate in the hunt instead. With their heavy armor and Saintly Power, they were excellent reinforcements.
“We’ve captured him, so just finish him off. There’s no point in torturing him; he won’t even talk.”
The knights deployed their pure white Mana Blades, becoming divine blades that could only be wielded by the knights of the Holy Kingdom.
As expected, true to their merciless nature, the knights of the Holy Kingdom tore into the battered body of Meiros without hesitation. Burning metal and the putrid stench filled the air as his flesh, covered in metal, was roasted.
Graaah!
He’s done for now.
Surrounded by Holy Knights, there was no way to make a final stand.
Turn to ash and disappear. That is the only retribution allowed to the Meiros.
Not all Meiros were weak to Saintly Power. Only those who had repeatedly committed heinous acts by sacrificing others would be punished by it. In other words, the Meiros that were engulfed in Saintly Power were evil beings deserving to die.
“Oh God! O God—!! Please keep an eye on the little lamb! I can’t just burn to death like this! Until we can summon our god to this cursed world… Graaaah!”
Meiros, whose black-gray metal shell had been lost, twisted his bloodied body and pulled out something.
A strangely tinted ore.
It was identical to the gemstone given to Elizaveta’s personal maid.
However, unlike the thoroughly sealed gemstone, the ore Meiros held felt like it possessed immense power, shimmering like a bomb about to explosion.
Gooooh!
The Essence of Another World.
It was a medium that could draw out divine blessings exceptionally.
A prickling sense of danger hit Edanant. He quickly raised his pistol in an attempt to shatter the ore caught in the beast’s grip.
But the moment the Essence of Another World activated was faster than the bullet.
A massive torrent swirled like a vortex, engulfing everything around it.
Seeing the dark gray wave, Edanant swung Aldebaran to protect the Holy Knights caught in the current.
*
Elizaveta, having safely escaped the villa, moved alongside Rue, shielded by the knights.
A series of powerful booms echoed. Surely, a fierce battle was being fought against a blood-soaked Meiros.
Would Edanant be alright?
She imagined the man who was facing the monster while raising the Holy Sword.
Though she wanted to firmly believe in victory, the opponent was a Meiros, with countless notorious tales to its name. Elizaveta’s face turned pale with fear. If something terrible were to happen to Edanant, her heart would shatter.
“Your Highness, this way. We must hurry.”
“…Okay.”
Cecilia, securing a path at the front, turned her head and spoke.
Elizaveta answered while tightly gripping Rue’s small hand.
“He’ll be fine, it’s Edan!”
Perhaps sensing her unease, the girl with green hair smiled brightly, trying to comfort her. It seemed that the anxiety coursing through Elizaveta had reached the girl.
Elizaveta forced a smile and accepted the consolation. Worrying and wringing her hands wouldn’t change the situation. Thus, she decided to trust and wait for Edanant like a bold girl.
“Protect the Princess! Something’s coming!!”
As the Princess tried to shake off her fear and embrace hope, the ‘promised death’ approached.
A brutal malice sought to deliver a miserable end to the villainous princess, Elizaveta. A grotesque monster, twisted in shape, exhaled ragged breaths as it blocked the path of the Princess and her entourage moving toward the hideout.
“Where do you think you’re going, Princess Elizaveta? I shall bestow upon you the glory of sacrificing yourself to summon the gods. In doing so, you will gain eternal life as a vessel containing divinity.”
The metal-encased monster spoke in Dagilec Branon’s voice. As the young man’s polite voice flowed from its vile form, Elizaveta let out a scream and stepped back.
Surrounded by black gray metal.
Above it were towering spikes like thorns.
Additionally, there was the massive Essence of Another World radiating from the monster’s chest.
“Don’t step back!”
“We’ll face it; hurry and escort Princess Elizaveta!”
Having activated the Essence of Another World at the brink of death, Meiros was completely resurrected. And he had gained an even vast blessing.
Thus, even surrounded by many knights aiming Mana Blades, Meiros appeared unfazed. He was confident that no weapon could break through his solid Bio-Armor.
“How dare you speak of safety.”
The red-hued Mana Blade struck the hand of the Meiros aiming for Elizaveta.
Shatter!
Sparks flew as the metal chipped away.
While it hadn’t completely severed it, it was enough to make Meiros retreat. He seemed shocked that the Bio-Armor, hardened to its limits, could actually be breached.
Cecilia, the noble princess knight.
The Empire’s knight lifted their sword and stood against the Meiros.
If she’d die in place of the noble Princess, she’d surely be recorded as an example for other knights. Cecilia aimed to go out in a blaze of glory, channeling the full might of the red dragon’s blade.
“You filthy girl, you clearly don’t know your place. Do you think you can hinder the descent of the gods with your pathetic body…? I shall tear you apart limb from limb until your breath ceases.”
The overwhelming pressure emanating from the monster seemed to defy gravity as it leapt mightily into the air.
Unyielding hardness.
Weights heavier than any metal.
Meiros brought all of that to bear, intending to sweep away the knights blocking his path. He even reached out to kill the tiny fairies that had ambushed him, attempting to snatch the beautiful Platinum Princess away.
“Edan! Edan—!!”
The perfected malice enhanced by the Essence of Another World was about to descend.
Everyone would perish.
Perhaps they would suffer worse than death.
As Elizaveta, led by the knights, felt a wave of terror, she instinctively realized she was destined for a miserable end at the hands of the grotesque monster before her.
She froze.
Her legs wouldn’t budge.
It was as if she were shackled and muzzled by the chains of fear.
In place of the frozen Princess, the small fairy shouted sharply.
“Of course.”
A man tore through the darkness, approaching.
And with a powerful kick, he struck the face of the metal-encased Meiros.
Thud!
A loud bang rang out.
Although he failed to incapacitate it, he excellently managed to establish dominance with an opening blow.
Perhaps he hadn’t expected to be followed like a leech, as Meiros gasped in shock.
“H-how! I was swept up by the Essence of Another World, how are you still standing? It should be impossible unless you’re of the same kind…!!”
“There’s no such thing as impossible.”
Responding calmly to the Meiros‘s question, Edanant swung Aldebaran, positioning himself to protect Elizaveta.
Then he gave a quiet vow.
“This will be fine. No matter what happens.”
It was a statement infused with a steadfast determination to protect the beautiful princess against all odds.
Seeing him like a fairytale knight facing evil dragons to protect the lovely princess was enchanting.
With those words, Elizaveta nodded quietly.
“Even if my fate is decided as a tragic end… you won’t be able to touch the Princess. I’m here, after all.”
Defying a preordained fate.
That was called ‘defying fate.’
Edanant chose to defy fate to save the villainous princess who had been endowed with a tragic destiny. Even if it meant incurring the wrath of the world’s will.
“I’ll believe… I trust you, Edanant! So win! Win for me, Edanant! That’s the Princess’s command and request!”
“Yes.”
Edanant’s eyes began to flicker with darkness like black powder.
Additionally,
The previously vivid purple blade of Aldebaran turned into a radiant golden hue.
The blessing that had not fully awakened until now comes to life.
Not only Meiros was affected by the Essence of Another World.
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