“Big sis?”
I called out again, but she continued to glare at me like a savage beast, baring her teeth.
Clear hostility and killing intent.
Right now, she was protecting them from me.
“……”
Crunch.
The grip on the sword was so tight that the tip quivered slightly.
“Calm down.”
Eris placed a hand on my shoulder, providing a moment to think, or else I might have jumped out without realizing it.
“She was necessary for conquering the Forest of the Demon Realm. We lacked combatants who could fly.”
The leader, a man, spoke breathlessly, wrapping his hand around the wound, as if he noticed my condition.
“Other races were a test, but she’s different. I intended to throw her into the frontlines, using her remarkable power to conquer the Forest.”
In my past life, no matter how much I searched for my sister after entering the forest, I could never find her.
Even if Diana had fallen out of love with me and stopped searching, it still felt strange that I couldn’t find her.
‘This is the ending I faced.’
I didn’t quite understand what it meant to “conquer the Forest of the Demon Realm,” but fighting there meant abandoning a normal life.
Probably.
‘I would meet my end in the land I once lived.’
Imagining my sister, abandoned and eaten by the magical beasts in the Forest of the Demon Realm, reignited the intense emotions in my heart like a stab to the back of my head.
If I had just summoned a bit more courage to go inside…
Or if I had become stronger a little faster…
Wouldn’t I have had a chance to save her?
“But before the conquest, I discovered the end. If you know about ‘The Earliest Apocalypse’, you can’t just leave that black-haired woman alone…”
“Stop.”
The leader of the group tried to persuade me, but I interrupted him succinctly.
“I understand what you’re planning. I even get that you tried to protect the world in your own way.”
Was the atmosphere feeling tense?
Even Eris next to me was startled and took a step back. Perhaps it was due to her heightened senses, but my sister was becoming increasingly agitated.
“If we talk to each other, it might go in a good direction. We could stop Rin’s rampage.”
“That’s right! I…”
“But.”
As other faculty members were slowly returning, preparing to rush in, I stepped forward first.
“The place we start our conversation is… the prison.”
Only after putting you behind cold iron bars can our conversation establish itself.
As expected, the first one rushing at me was my sister. She tried to push past or knock me out somehow.
But Diana suddenly floated up and flew to the side. She seemed to be struggling, but it didn’t look like she was in pain.
“Leave it to me, Daniel.”
Eris subdued my sister using her wind magic.
“Thank you.”
I genuinely thanked her and charged ahead. The woman named Horan hurriedly stepped in front of me, swinging her hand.
Smash.
My sword shoved into her palm as her hand swung. Suddenly remembering that this sword was a gift given to me by my sister when I came to the academy tightened my grip further.
Eek!
Horan let out a distinctive scream while trying to pull away, but I swung my sword, completely slicing her palm in half.
“Looks like you fight by instinct.”
With her ears sticking up from her head, she was definitely a beastman.
Beastmen often fought not with martial arts but with their innate abilities and strength due to their superior basic physical capabilities.
Especially a warrior like Horan seemed heavily skewed toward that combat style.
That type was the easiest for me to deal with.
“I’ve fought countless magical beasts that are far larger, faster, and stronger than you.”
Fighting by instinct ultimately depends on one’s skill.
With her level, she was still far from being capable of struggling against me.
Grrr!
After exchanging several blows, Horan stepped back, groaning in pain. Hare and other Tudogs only gathered around their leader and did not attempt to resist anymore.
At that moment, other Tudogs, who seemed to realize their leader was in danger, started arriving one by one, blocking my path.
“What a shame we can’t kill you with so many eyes around.”
I honestly voiced my regrets when suddenly—
Grrr!
“Calm down! It’s okay!”
My sister was in a concerning state.
Eris, the guardian, couldn’t contain her magic anymore, and suddenly she shot up into the sky, flying away towards the city.
Then began the destructive rampage.
As I watched my sister flying around, smashing things here and there, I couldn’t help but scowl.
“You little bastard…”
The leader managed to twist his lips into a grin despite the situation.
“Your sister will die if you don’t stop her now.”
“What?”
“It’s a deal. We’ll disappear here, so go stop your sister. If I pull away, the curse I placed will weaken.”
“……”
I wanted nothing more than to chew them up right then and there.
The numbers had increased, but I was confident I could take them down, no matter how long it took.
But what if I went to stop my sister right now?
Could the professors and Eris capture all of them?
Of course, the answer was no.
Those guys must have received the powers of the magical beasts in the Forest of the Demon Realm.
In a heartbeat, Hae’s Cockatrice illusion would allow them to easily escape from the professors and Eris.
Then should I entrust my sister to the professors and Eris?
That might provide a better opportunity, but realizing my hesitation, the leader started healing himself with magic, insisting, “Don’t think foolish thoughts.”
“If you don’t go now, think of your sister as done for. Should I ramp her up to the point of becoming a complete magical beast? If you choose now, she might still retain some of her sanity.”
“……”
I turned my head slowly to look at my sister flying around the city.
In my previous life, I only thought of myself in my choices.
My sister, transformed into a Dragonkin, would have endured forced battles in the Forest of the Demon Realm, meeting a tragic end.
I had effectively abandoned her.
And once again, I was being presented with a choice.
Members of the Tudogs who knew about “The Earliest Apocalypse.” If I capture them, I could clarify how to save the world.
I could gather much-needed information that I was unaware of, getting much closer to saving the world from the God of Death.
But.
‘I can’t abandon my sister again.’
Though I may be a useless little brother, I didn’t want her to face a lonely death any longer.
It was time for me to go search for my sister.
Suppressing my boiling emotions, I slowly turned my body.
I noticed the Tudog leader’s mana bubbling up as he prepared to warp. The Dean and other professors began casting spells, but the other Tudogs were using their abilities to block them.
“A wise choice, Daniel McLean.”
The leader said, laced with mockery, as I slightly tilted my head and glared at him.
“We’ll meet again soon.”
As I dashed toward my sister, leaving behind the swirling blue lights, Eris followed me.
“You did well.”
“……Thanks.”
Although she needed to capture the Tudogs for the sake of the young elf’s healing, she respected my choice and understood.
“I’ll help you with magic. It’s clear that as the Tudogs are disappearing, the mental magic binding Diana is starting to weaken.”
“Does that mean it will be lifted over time?”
“Yes, definitely.”
Good, then it was a race against time.
I had to ensure that my sister wouldn’t cause any more harm.
This was for Elgrid and for my sister, too.
If even one person were to die due to her sharp claws, she would suffer guilt and anguish every night.
While my sister possessed unyielding faith, she was also inflexible.
“I’ll go right away.”
“It may feel odd or difficult to adjust.”
Her words reminded me of old times, and I couldn’t help but smirk.
“Don’t worry.”
“I’ve practiced a lot with you in the past.”
Riding on Eris’s wind magic, I flew straight toward my sister. I could hear Eris gasping in surprise at my adeptness behind me.
I focused my sword on the mana gathering at the tip of her horn. Suddenly, I dropped my sword and embraced her, getting caught in the explosion with her.
Grahhh!
Even amidst the fierce backfire, my sister spread her wings and struggled to maintain her balance.
Yet she was thrashing about, trying to shake me off, even whipping me across the back with her tail.
“You used to like sticking close to me like this, but now you’re too old for that!”
In an attempt to shake me off, she crashed into a nearby wall. She banged her head against the building’s chimney, momentarily dizzy with pain, but still, she didn’t relax her strength.
“Okay, I messed up. I shouldn’t have left you behind.”
Words I wouldn’t have said if my sister was in her right mind spilled out of me without thought.
“I was expelled back then, and I thought my childhood friends had betrayed me. People were calling me a criminal.”
At eighteen, the hardships I faced were overwhelming.
“If only I had waited a little longer for you. Or if I hadn’t run away alone and had tried to find you instead.”
How much did you search for me?
How long did you wander the continent for me?
During that time, you became a Dragonkin in the hands of the Tudogs and fought in the Forest of the Demon Realm, controlled by your mind until your tragic end.
“I’m really sorry, sis.”
Though I suspected everyone, I never doubted that you loved me, my only family.
Arrows from the Elgrid guards flew toward us.
I hurriedly stretched out my hand to take the hit, making my sister’s trembling eyes widen in surprise.
“Yeah, you probably realize a bit now.”
“Ugh, uh…”
“Don’t say it like a fool. Always stand tall and strong; that’s how McLeans are.”
As I said this with a smile, something within her began to struggle.
“Daniel!”
Eris was preparing to catch us below with her wind magic.
I gripped my sister’s horn, pulling her down, and she began to dive back down in confusion.
Eris was ready to catch us, but seeing my sister’s tremendous speed, her eyes widened in surprise as she poured more mana into her spell.
If we fell here, both my sister and I would die.
But Eris wasn’t the only mage around.
“McLean!”
The Dean’s mana enveloped us.
In addition, the magic from the other professors began stacking atop one another, preparing to catch us siblings.
Even though we fell, there was no sound.
But in that last moment, I clearly felt it.
My sister twisted to hold me tightly as we landed with her back and wings.
“……Sis?”
Amidst the wind barrier, as I landed on the ground, I called out with a trembling voice.
A scaled hand, hard and covered in tough skin, grabbed me fiercely.
I attempted to feel warmth for a moment, but her sharp claws dug into my back, causing blood to trickle down.
As a Dragonkin, my sister’s hands became deadly, even if they barely brushed against my human skin.
“I-I’m sorry! Daniel, are you okay?”
In a panic, she released me, looking at her ugly and transformed hands with fear-filled eyes.
I embraced my sister tighter.
“It’s okay, no matter where you go or how you change, Diana McLean is my sister.”
“D-Daniel.”
“Thank you for coming back to me.”
Her touch was cautious and gentle as she wrapped around me.
*
The Forest of the Demon Realm.
Amidst the dense black trees, blue light streamed down, and the Tudog members caught their breath.
“Let’s treat the injured first.”
At the leader’s command, everyone settled in and began healing. Particularly, seeing Horan’s split palm made bile rise to my throat.
We could heal, but there would be some aftereffects.
‘Even Horan, our main strength, got wrecked like that.’
What if Daniel McLean decided to abandon his family and kill them?
Just imagining that sent shivers down my spine.
We’d unexpectedly suffered losses in a place we intended to use for warm-up and enjoyment, yet we gained something far surpassing that.
‘There’s no need to conquer the Forest of the Demon Realm.’
To prevent the impending Army of Death, a force equal to it was necessary.
The Forest of the Demon Realm was the best place to gather resources to nurture that army.
Extracting power from the magical beasts and arming ourselves with treasures hidden in the forest.
If we even kill the Ancient Beasts to gain their strength, we could create an army that surpasses the limits of our race.
But.
‘Since we found ‘The Earliest Apocalypse,’ we won’t need to do that.’
All we had to do was go and kill that woman.
‘The direction for the future was set.’
Of course, the wall protecting her, known as Daniel McLean, seemed quite high, but if we were to fully prepare and unleash a combined assault, taking down just one woman would be a piece of cake.
Just as the Tudog leader was filled with confidence that they could save the world.
A fierce killing intent began to radiate from deep within the forest.
It was a ferocity I had never felt within the Forest of the Demon Realm before.
But the members of the Tudogs weren’t unfamiliar with that feeling.
“What is this?”
Everyone, having heightened senses from the magical beast powers they absorbed, couldn’t help but notice.
At first, the killing intent felt so widespread that they had no idea where it originated, but as its source came closer, all eyes converged in one direction.
“No way.”
There was no way they wouldn’t recognize the killing intent piercing their entire beings.
Just half an hour ago, it was the boy who had been glaring at them.
“How is he…?”
How could he be here?
How could he appear from deeper within the forest?
There’s a significant distance between Aios Academy in Elgrid and the Forest of the Demon Realm.
Even if there were mages capable of warping, they had to come here and pinpoint the coordinates.
But as far as they knew, there weren’t any mages capable of pinning coordinates deep in the Forest of the Demon Realm…
‘There is!’
But how?
What ties could that boy have to those women?
Unlike the leader, who found the answer, there was no time to question the connection.
Because there he was, a boy in a school uniform, pushing through the underbrush, emanating a terrifying aura as he glared at them.
“I said we’d meet again soon.”
At Aios Academy, it was combat.
A life-and-death struggle starting from an equal relationship.
Yet this was the Forest of the Demon Realm.
The boy had never experienced what could be called a fight in this forest.
This was—hunting.
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