The aftermath of the overwhelming battle of the strong was beyond words.
The grand Imperial Palace crumbled to the point where its form was unrecognizable.
The ground had long since transformed into a wasteland, split countless times by the flames that engulfed it.
And somewhere there, the Dark Knight was exhaling shallow breaths with a white sword lodged in his chest.
“You’re really strong. I’m quite surprised.”
The woman bathed in sunlight, Athena, approached him, speaking with curiosity.
“The Mawangnim’s… ambition…”
In this moment of impending death, Athena looked down at the unmoving knight with a disgusted expression.
“A truly loyal dog is just what you are.”
“You wouldn’t understand, being emotionless yourself.”
Athena found his sharp words amusing, letting out a snicker as she aimed her sword at his neck.
“I don’t know. But I have no intention of wanting to.”
“…Kill me.”
As if he had no strength left, the Dark Knight quietly closed his eyes, waiting for Athena’s sword to sever his life.
“Suit yourself.”
THUD-
Without a moment’s hesitation. Without a shred of pity. Without even an ounce of mercy, Athena plunged her sword into his neck.
Just like that, the knight’s breath was instantly cut off.
It was too hollow of a moment to be called the death of a mighty being that had struck fear into the Empire.
As Athena stood still, gazing at the knight’s helmet, curiosity made her place her sword on top of it.
Slowly lifting the helmet with her sword revealed the knight’s face.
“….I didn’t expect this.”
Athena raised an eyebrow, surprised.
But not long after, she began walking back to where she came from, her eyes filled with indifference, curious about what amusing situation awaited her outside.
*
Time passed, and the dark dawn shifted as the sun broke over the horizon, illuminating the surroundings.
Fortunately, a momentary peace found itself in the tent that had been filled with continuous screams.
Having administered emergency care to all the injured, the ones who were once thrashing about now slumbered peacefully.
“Thank you for your hard work, Seongnyeo-nim.”
“…Thank you.”
The Shin-gwan spoke while handing over a cup of water.
Iris accepted the cup and carefully sipped a mouthful.
Her appearance was so poor it couldn’t even be described as good.
Having long exceeded the appropriate amount of divine power, Iris would have struggled even to open her eyes if she were a regular priest.
DRIP-
“Ah…”
As Iris blankly stared ahead, an odd sensation filled her nose. When she wiped it, she found bright red blood.
The Shin-gwan’s eyes began to shake violently at her state.
“S-Seongnyeo-nim! Your nose is bleeding…!”
“…I think I overdid it a bit.”
“I’ll look for a higher-ranked Shin-gwan nearby!”
The Shin-gwan jumped up to seek help, but Iris stopped him, forcing him to halt.
“That’s not necessary, Shin-gwan.”
“B-but your condition, Seongnyeo-nim…”
“The higher-ranked Shin-gwan are likely busy healing the injured right now. They come first.”
“….”
Gazing at Iris, the Shin-gwan wore a sad expression.
After a moment of contemplation, the Shin-gwan offered her a wet towel, respecting Iris’s wishes, and then sat back down.
As Iris closed her eyes to rest momentarily, someone spoke to her, waking her up.
“Um…”
Turning towards the voice, Iris saw the people who had previously grabbed her now looking at her with dark expressions.
“What is it?”
Iris smiled softly, and a middle-aged woman hesitated to speak.
She was the same woman who had screamed at Iris previously.
“I’m sorry for shouting at you earlier, Seongnyeo-nim… I lost my composure because my husband seemed to be dying…”
“It’s alright.”
Iris gently held the middle-aged woman’s hand.
“I completely understand. After all, your loved one’s life was at stake.”
The middle-aged woman couldn’t help but gaze at Iris’s blue eyes, which seemed to hold the sea.
Soon, others began to approach Iris to apologize as well.
“I’m sorry for raising my voice too, Seongnyeo-nim…”
“…I was also sorry earlier.”
“I have no excuse, Seongnyeo-nim.”
With the continuous, sincere apologies, a bright smile formed on Iris’s face.
“Thank you, everyone. You must be tired, so please rest well.”
With Iris’s words finishing, people returned to their spots to get some sleep.
After confirming that everyone was peacefully asleep, Iris tried to close her weary eyes again.
But the heavens, indifferent to her plight, brought forth calamity once more.
ROOOAAARR–!!
With a massive explosive sound that echoed like a meteor striking, the ground shook.
This sparked screams anew from everywhere.
Startled, Iris rushed outside the tent to assess the situation.
“Wh-what is this…?”
Her eyes began to tremble at the unbelievable sight.
It was supposed to be summer, yet as she exhaled, her breath turned to a white mist, dissipating in the air.
Her body trembled, unable to withstand the chill.
The Empire, once ablaze, was now utterly frozen, as if a colossal blizzard had swept through.
From a distance, it might even be mistaken for a beautiful kingdom of ice.
But this was reality.
The ground, instantly frozen, made people scream in agony.
Some were entirely frozen, losing their lives in an instant.
Others experienced painfully frozen limbs, feeling excruciating pain.
“RAAAAHH!!”
“Darling..!! Darling!!”
“My arm won’t move!!”
Once again, horrible screams filled the air.
Iris instinctively shut her eyes tight and covered her ears, trying to escape reality for a moment.
But someone grabbed her ankle, forcing her to open her eyes.
“S-Seongnyeo-nim!! P-please save me…”
A man trembling, completely frozen, exhaled shallow breaths.
Iris flinched at his appearance but quickly steadied herself to help.
“Seongnyeo-nim!! You must get away!”
A knight dashed in, grabbing Iris and pulling her away.
Just then, where Iris had been standing, a massive shard of ice struck the ground.
CRACK-
Accompanied by a shattering sound, red liquid splattered everywhere.
Wiping her cheek, she found the warm blood of the man who had just been alive smeared on her hand.
“…..Ah…”
Iris could no longer produce a voice of sorrow.
“My God…”
In disbelief, she glanced at the knight beside her, who stood frozen as he stared at the sky.
Following his gaze, she looked up and gasped in horror.
“There… there it is…”
With massive wings soaring in the sky and an armor-like covering of azure scales.
The creature, too terrifying to be called a wyvern, loomed over the Empire.
A monster of natural calamity.
A Dragon was watching over the Empire from above.
ROOOAAARR!!
As the dragon let out a deafening roar that threatened to rupture eardrums, the ground shook once more, and colossal ice chunks fell from the heavens like meteors.
In an instant, the Empire was being destroyed by the dragon.
Facing an incomprehensible calamity, Iris could only gaze dumbfoundedly at the sky.
“Why… is there a dragon…?”
“Seongnyeo-nim, you need to run.”
A solemn voice from the knight called out to her.
Once his serious words reached her ears, Iris was finally able to move her body.
“K-Knight… the dragon…”
“I don’t know why, but it’s in a furious state. If this continues, your life will also be in jeopardy.”
After hastily speaking, the knight whistled, and a snow-white steed rushed toward him in an instant.
“You must flee outside the Empire. I will escort you.”
“B-but what about the people…?”
“Once the dragon is enraged, not everyone can survive. You must live to secure the future.”
“No, Seongnyeo-nim!!”
As Iris hesitated, the people in the tent rushed forward, blocking her path.
“What will we do if you leave, Seongnyeo-nim?!”
“Please take care of our families, Seongnyeo-nim..!”
“My… my father is suffering!”
They prostrated, pleading with the Seongnyeo.
As Iris looked at them with trembling eyes, the knight stepped forward, raising his voice at them.
“You selfish people! You should be grateful for the healing she has already provided. How dare you try to hold her back!”
Despite his authoritative tone, the people would not release the Seongnyeo’s hand.
“Oh no! If Seongnyeo-nim leaves, we are doomed!”
“My family is all in the tent.. please have mercy..!”
“Please help us, Seongnyeo-nim…”
With their heartfelt pleas, Iris found it impossible to lift her feet from the ground.
“I… I…”
“Always so consistent.”
It was then, amid Iris’s hesitation, a voice rang out from the back of the tent.
Startled by the very familiar voice, Iris opened her eyes wide to see her.
In the freezing surroundings, only around her had the ice melted away, revealing its true form.
“A… Athena!”
“Here we are again, Iris.”
Despite the utterly hopeless situation, Athena looked at Iris, smirking.
“Are you enjoying sharing love, as you mentioned?”
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