“That crazy bald bastard…”
“Excuse me?”
“…Never mind.”
Ser, who had witnessed Heinzel’s insane antics through the spirits, clutched his throbbing head and summoned more spirits to head towards Heinzel.
Of course, it wasn’t easy.
Relying on Lilith’s divine power, the Master who transcended human limits was unfolding a mental realm.
It wouldn’t be easy to send in spirits that weren’t even his true form.
Right now, he was barely holding on against what felt like an impending explosion of pain, yet he had to send more spirits for defense.
Just thinking about it made him tremble with frustration, but Ser’s spirits continued to squeeze their way in.
Dumb bastard.
Ignorant bastard.
This is why crawling warriors are a problem.
Even when given a chance to escape or facing death, their instinct is to try to kill the enemy in front of them—aren’t they just like chimpanzees?
I swear, if I see him, I’ll smack that shiny bald head.
“Phew…”
Having finally arranged the spirits within Kalt’s mental realm, Ser took a slow breath and turned his gaze toward the dwindling objective.
Tree roots wrapped around the tent where Rubia lay asleep.
Blue plants clothed in the blood of phantasms.
Dense mist that incessantly unleashed lightning.
A vast curtain of electric energy spread around.
And within it, a red-haired woman danced while wielding her spear.
“Is that woman the one who turned Hermila into a hedgehog?”
“…She wasn’t a hedgehog.”
“Then was she a beehive?”
Hermila, narrowing her eyes, lightly smacked Ser on the back.
“Anyway, yes. Master Rana, the one with the brace of importance.”
“Huh.”
Ser nodded and whispered quietly.
“Just hold your breath for exactly ten seconds. This genius Ser will take revenge for Hermila.”
“What—”
“There’s no time. Hold it yourself before I force you to.”
“…Huff… haah.”
The moment Hermila’s breath stopped, countless dark spirits flocked and surrounded them.
Amidst the created black sphere, Ser’s purple eyes shone brightly.
And then,
Swish!—a foul wind swept past, transforming the encompassing sphere into mist that scattered in the air.
“Hehe, now you can breathe.”
“Huh… what did you do to hold my breath… huh?”
As the black sphere slowly began to dissipate, the scene unfolding below turned Hermila’s face into one of shock.
“What the…?”
“Hehe. Have you finally realized the greatness of magic? Hmm, that last attack wasn’t magic, but it was something close.”
Because dozens of black spears were embedded in Rana, who had just been overwhelmingly engaging Delia and Yuria moments ago.
“How the hell did you do this…?”
“I hid my presence. From that spear whore’s perspective, she suddenly felt spears sprouting from her own body. So, how does it feel? Satisfying?”
Hermila’s face twisted in disgust.
“I… the Ser I know was weaker than this.”
At that moment, Ser’s face also contorted.
[Hmm, how weak have I become while I was asleep? Hehe, I suppose one could say that. No need to be ashamed.]
Unable to maintain a calm expression at the voice of the spirit king ringing in his head.
“I was strong from the very beginning.”
“When we first met, I never thought I would lose to you. But now—”
“If you keep babbling nonsense, I will drop you.”
“…How cowardly.”
“I’m just making good use of the weapons I have.”
“That’s even pathetic.”
Ser couldn’t hear Hermila’s mutterings.
[Hahaha! Still, seeing you get along with a friend makes me proud. Is that Hermila your first friend?]
The spirit king’s loud laughter resonated in his head.
“Shut up. She’s not my first friend.”
[Ah, right. Your first friend was that girl Noah, wasn’t it?]
Ser’s ears turned bright red as he gritted his teeth.
‘…If you have time to chatter, watch that ritual.’
[Hmm, you’re preparing to summon Brunhilde.]
‘Isn’t there any way to stop it?’
[Don’t you know? That can’t be prevented.]
‘Is there a way to delay it?’
[By doing what you’re doing now, unleashing dark spirits to siphon off the souls of the humans, I suppose that’s the only method.]
Tsk—clicking his tongue, Ser turned to survey the battlefield.
Rana, pierced by the spear of her own sins, was still unable to get up, spewing forth dark blood.
“It seems the spear whore is done, so now we must decide. Should we join forces over there to protect Lady Rubia, or should we go down there and break their backs?”
Breathing heavy with anxiety and frustration.
Ser turned to look at Hermila, who was gnawing on her lips.
“Can’t you see the future?”
“…No. At some point, it just cut off.”
[From now on, that girl won’t be able to see the future. Even if she can, she will only see one future.]
‘That means—’
[The shaman broke all variables and cemented the future.]
‘So that idiotic Rubia made that kind of stupid choice…’
Barely managing to keep his expression from contorting further, Ser sighed and put on his usual arrogant look.
“Hmph… So you were some useless fool who couldn’t make a proper choice without foresight? Fine. Then I, the grand Ser, will make the choice for you.”
He then snatched Hermila’s wrist and flung her towards the ground.
“Hyaa?! Wh-what are—!”
Just before crashing completely to the floor,
They landed with a cozy feeling as if wrapped in blankets.
“Cower.”
“Lady Hermila! Sir Ser!”
“Big sis!”
At that moment, Yuria and Delia came running towards them.
“Ah… Cough. You all went through a lot.”
“Ah… Big sis, why are your eyes… like that?!”
“Hehe, it just happened.”
Hermila, who had been screaming like a bird just moments ago, instantly reverted to her usual expression as she welcomed them.
Ser, watching this, conjured a sound only Hermila could hear.
‘Is this what you call the dignity of a superior? Lady Hermila, I never knew you had such a cute side.’
“What nonsense…? No, Cough. Anyway… thank you for your hard work. You can take a little break now.”
Hermila, with warmth instead of her cold prosthetic arm, patted Delia’s head and looked over at Rana lying flat on the ground.
“So, it was you… Cough, choke… Ptoo…”
Rana, with her entire body pierced by the black spears and her limbs bound by Yuria’s plants, was in a state of utter ruin, making it strange for her to even be alive.
But the reason she was still alive was probably—
“I kept her alive on purpose. Killing her wouldn’t do. If a soul of high status is absorbed, Brunhilde’s awakening will accelerate dramatically.”
The slowly approaching words of Ser turned suspects into certainty.
Perhaps aware of this, Rana wore the same nauseating smile as before.
“Pfft… Cough… now you guys, what can you do… Choke, Ptoo. What can you do?”
“Hey, you dumb bitch! Just shut up, you crazy woman!”
The playful expression on Delia’s face twisted in an instant as she glared at Rana.
Crack!
“Guh, ugh…”
The sharp lightning erupting from her fingertips severed Rana’s consciousness.
“Delia. What did your sister say?”
“To speak prettily… But that bitch—n-no, that bad woman… she started it first, right? Damn it, bitch!!!”
“…Right. Well done.”
Looking at Delia, who was hopping up and down angrily, Hermila patted her head again and turned her gaze to Ser.
“So we have to subdue all the Masters approaching here?”
“Yes.”
Yuria and Delia also seemed to sense the situation somewhat, gazing up at the sky with trembling eyes.
“Until Noah’s trial ends and Lady Rubia awakens, we will have to defend this place and subdue the Masters.”
“Understood.”
Their tone was light, but the content was extremely heavy.
Outside of Ser and Hermila, their forces couldn’t even kill one Master with the two of them attacking, yet they had to subdue those monsters.
A deeper shadow loomed over the faces of Yuria and Delia.
But they soon agreed.
They had always faced such unfavorable battles.
They felt that the long struggle they had been through was finally reaching its end.
They could harbor hope.
They could stand firm.
Among them, seeing the emotions clearly reflected on Delia’s face, Hermila smiled bitterly and embraced her.
Then, with deep-set eyes, she surveyed the battlefield.
The bodies of the liberation army, utterly wrecked from the brutal battle. The spilled blood. The organs strewn about.
The escaping souls, the magical energy.
And the steadily growing presence of Brunhilde.
“Yuria, what about Alex and Mia?”
Yuria, whose gaze met Hermila’s, closed her eyes and began to channel magical energy.
After a moment,
“They are merging towards here, avoiding the Masters’ gaze.”
“They managed to stay alive… Hehe, that’s a relief.”
Hermila, smiling bitterly, released Delia from her embrace and turned her head.
To the place where the dark shadow had lingered just earlier.
That shadow had disappeared.
The dark light of the black sun had dimmed.
The overwhelming energy had dissipated.
Which meant—
Heinzel, who had been continuing to fight over there,
“…It’s over.”
Prepared himself.
It was something he had experienced countless times before.
So it was okay.
Having stepped over the corpses of countless comrades.
He must be okay.
“Let’s get ready.”
The moment Hermila, with her twisted expression, turned her back.
Boom!
Something massive fell from the air.
