Unlike the hidden Leviathan lurking underground, the enormous body of the Behemoth above the ground was enough to shake the spirits of the liberation army.
In the midst of the chaos, Jur, who managed to regain his composure faster than others, began searching for Hermila and Delia’s magical power.
But it was pointless.
The ancient magical power oozing from the Behemoth had stirred the magical energies around them.
However, with no information about the Behemoth, Jur had no way of knowing that fact.
Normally, Jur would be assessing the battlefield and gauging the situation everywhere while carrying out supplies.
But now, with communication cut off, he could not fulfill that role.
In such a frustrating situation, Delia, looking like a mess, appeared. There was urgency in her expression.
Behind her, there was a presence that radiated destruction.
Heinzel was nowhere to be seen.
Only the sounds of a brutal battle could be heard.
Support troops had to be sent.
Everything had to be focused on the West, where the battle had already begun.
At the very least, they had to rescue Heinzel and Delia from that spot.
But there was no way to convey such a situation.
Thus, he had to take the risk and step up himself.
Grinding his teeth over that, Jur began to equip himself one piece at a time, urging his trembling body.
Meanwhile, Charlotte was already wearing a heavy armor, one step ahead of Jur.
“West, huh? I’m going, so you stay here.”
“Your Highness.”
“Listen to me.”
“You can’t.”
“If you go alone, you’ll just be useless, won’t you? If I leave it to the others, they might as well die.”
“Still, you can’t, Your Highness—”
KWAANG!
Charlotte’s massive shield crashed down, cutting off Jur’s words.
“Shut up, and keep your position. I’m going.”
“But…”
“Ugh… Hah… Jur, I’m fundamentally an adventurer, not a princess. If I were going to act like a princess, I wouldn’t be listening to you or even be here.”
Charlotte tied her hair back, allowing it to flow over her shoulder as she growled.
“And right now, you can’t even see, let alone use magic, right? What are you going to do in that state?”
It was somewhat sharp criticism, but Jur could feel Charlotte’s worry hidden in her words.
In terms of strength, she was weaker than an average silver-ranked adventurer.
Moreover, she couldn’t use magic—the one thing she used to excel at—so what could she do?
“…Isn’t it the same for you, Your Highness? If I can’t use magic, neither can the others.”
Of course, Charlotte was in the same situation.
If even Jur, who used to be skilled in magic, couldn’t use it, how could Charlotte be any different?
But…
“I am different, you know?”
WHIRK—
Charlotte was different.
Brilliant flames, blinding as sunbeams, erupted from her Mistilteinn shield.
The heavy armor, darker than blood, absorbed the scorching heat.
Her golden hair shimmered even brighter with the glowing red hue.
In her fiercely blazing red eyes, the Empire’s sun sparkled.
“How…?”
“I guess I’m not an ordinary person.”
Shrugging her shoulders and chuckling, Charlotte locked her gaze on the Behemoth outside the window.
“So you stay here. Oh, and don’t send anyone else. I doubt I can even protect myself.”
“Are you… really okay with this?”
“Yeah. If I die, at least I’ll die alone; that’s much easier on my mind.”
“Sigh… Your Highness, don’t talk so lightly about dying…”
With a genuinely worried expression, Jur let out a small sigh and rubbed his temples.
“I’d rather be a fool than involve anyone else.”
“…I hope we meet again with all our limbs intact.”
“Let’s hope so. There are some cute girls waiting for me in the capital.”
To that, Jur, chuckling softly, turned away, while Charlotte exaggeratedly stepped out to hide her trembling body.
“Oh, and.”
Just before completely leaving the room, Charlotte pulled out a glass vial containing an elixir from her pocket and waved it at Jur.
“You might be safe here, but don’t die. If it looks like you’re going to die, come find me just before, and let me pat your backside.”
Jur, who also retrieved an elixir from his pocket, carefully shook it toward Charlotte.
“…I’ll think about it.”
“Do whatever you want.”
SCRUNCH! The last spark of the Empire seeped into Charlotte’s armor, which was blood red.
*
As the Behemoth appeared, the flow of magic became tangled.
The detection magic that had been spread like a spider’s web developed gaps, and the protective barrier that had always surrounded her thinned.
Delia’s specialty, ‘Blink,’ also became impossible to use.
“No… No, no.”
Overcome with deep anxiety, Delia threw off her shoes and sprinted toward Heinzel.
Communication was cut off.
There was no way to hear the battlefield from Jur anymore.
The flow of magic was tangled up.
There was no way to assess the situation with detection magic anymore.
Moreover, there was no one who could witness the hidden Leviathan underneath.
No support would come.
It wasn’t a situation to ask for help.
It wasn’t a time to hope for someone’s assistance.
As time passed and the battle intensified, they might notice their existence from the sounds erupting from that place.
However, the sounds of battle echoing from where Heinzel was seemed to gradually diminish.
These facts prompted Delia’s steps.
One step… two steps.
With every step, sharp objects pierced her smooth soles.
A sticky trail of blood followed her.
But Delia’s legs did not stop.
The pain felt beneath her feet was nothing compared to the fading magical power from Heinzel, which pushed her on.
She could not stop.
SLAP- SLAP-
Thorns pierced her.
She scraped against glass shards.
She was pierced by a rusty nail.
She stepped on the corpses of her comrades.
She tore through the belly of the beast.
Sliding on intestines, brain matter splattered around.
Falling, rolling, tumbling.
The drops of blood, once no more than footsteps, became a red carpet following Delia.
When she finally felt her senses dulling, the sight of the dark mass of beasts caught her eye.
The sounds of them mocking a single human surrounded her.
Emotions of ridicule washed over.
The horrendous stench of blood lingered.
“Damn these bastards…”
CRACK- CRACKLE-
In response to her heightened emotions, sharp currents of energy swirled around Delia’s body.
Not the chaotic magic stirred by the Behemoth, but power stemming from within her.
A force born from her life, never to recover its use once unleashed.
Brighter than any light, the essence of humanity raged fiercely.
“Ha…”
Gaining a thrilling sense of liberation, she took a breath.
The torrent of energy starting from her fingertips enveloped her whole body.
Her arms became as light as air, and a wand forged from a single bolt of lightning materialized in her hands.
In that instant, the very atmosphere trembled with Delia’s sudden rise.
Power that could rewrite fate gathered at her fingertips.
The beasts’ gazes turned toward their rear.
The Leviathan, who had been watching comfortably underground, turned its head.
It faced where Delia was standing.
But Delia was no longer there.
The beast, which had been mocking Heinzel from the back, tilted its head.
[KAAAK?]
At that moment, SQUISH-
Its head split in half and it fell to the ground.
Next, the beast that had been throwing stones.
The beast that had been howling.
The beast that had mocked her.
Their heads were split open.
There was no sound.
No sign.
What she sensed before cutting their heads was nothing but the slickness of flesh.
Even a beast with keen detection ability could not catch up to Delia’s speed.
They could not evade her attacks.
The lone separated beast’s head burst apart.
The heads of the gathered beasts disappeared.
The head of the beast crawling on the ground after losing its leg was pierced, and the jaw of the beast screaming without its arms was ripped off.
With every step she took, dozens of beasts perished. With every swing she made, countless beasts burst dead.
With every breath she took, every thought that crossed her mind, and every glance she shifted, every flash of light.
The silent rush of energy responded to Delia’s will.
It thoroughly annihilated her enemies.
At last, a path to the heart of it all was cleared.
A road made of the heads of the headless corpses lay before her.
CRACK- CRACK!
Footsteps were marked on top of the corpses.
Red footprints piled up to create a carpet.
The invisible form pursuing the unfolding red carpet finally halted at the center of the beasts.
“…Heinzel.”
Her voice was no longer trembling or filled with moisture, but drenched in deep rage.
Hearing such a voice, Heinzel raised his head.
“Delia…?”
CLANK-
A metal fragment that was just a handle rolled onto the ground.
His persistently holding right arm shattered.
Flesh from his battered left arm fell away.
His right leg was gone.
His left eye had been plucked out.
His once proud muscles lay in tatters.
Nails were embedded throughout his entire body.
THUD- Heinzel’s body, which was barely holding up, leaned toward the pool of blood.
He fell.
“…Support is—”
“It will arrive soon.”
“Then, the army… As expected, I knew you’d pull through…”
“Yeah. So now, you can rest. When you wake up, everything will be over.”
Carefully kneeling down, Delia gently stroked Heinzel’s cheek.
“Is that really okay…?”
“Yeah. It’s okay. You worked hard, bald guy.”
KTHUD- The elixir poured through his sorely battered lips.
Delia confirmed his blood flow steadily decreasing.
She verified his breathing was steady.
Feeling the endless pain gradually fade, Heinzel’s consciousness began to drown.
With his fading awareness, he saw Delia’s bright smile.
In that moment, Heinzel, too, wore a crooked grin as he spoke.
“See you later… Delia.”
There was no reply.
