Chapter 127
L2SYAmong the path opened by the demons, a black knight appeared mounted on a steed.co1EV
NdUODThe moment Fernan looked at him closely, he recalled the final vision from his prophecy.EXDhYF
1URGCe“You finally descended completely. Kimaris, at least you fulfilled your duty.”sBSB
DbQqXgnIt was a murmur from that original future in which the 69th demon, Decarabia, had successfully descended.2Mh
Et2ynAt that time, he had been so focused on the fact that the egg was the vessel for Decarabia’s descent that he hadn’t paid attention.jZ0lg4
yrlBut what truly mattered wasn’t Decarabia.T6HWu5
LikyIt was who had brought him down.DZz
hb5‘Kimaris…!’sb1A
JOEThe 66th demon. Kimaris.PIJU
13Bh7tA warrior with skin black as coal, mounted on a massive dark horse.gMGHGi
Gv3In King Colomo and the 72 Demons, Kimaris was described exactly like that, and the description was terrifyingly accurate.uh1xce
Xn7lf‘Decarabia wasn’t the one who led the northern invasion! The demon had already been summoned before!’dk2V
5pswiWhy hadn’t he thought of it until now?ZVlh1L
7PbBecause summoning a demon wasn’t easy.6p73
xsUBEaSEven with the World Tree branch, Andromalius had only descended incompletely.JHHR
1z5TaAnd Seir, who tried to ruin the Continental Academic Conference, needed a crystallized mana-essence magic stone to do so.pJ8KCS
NszH‘So then when? How?’Sp0E
eCa8k8A descent of that magnitude always left traces. Bercheff wasn’t foolish—they wouldn’t have overlooked them.sIU
pGLTSo there were only two possibilities.Cxdu
9dNdEither the corrupt had hidden them almost perfectly.PEfE
PdjGN‘Or a disaster erupted so immense they couldn’t stop it.’v54Zwh1
CG9SYAnd he remembered the Monster Wave that, over ten years ago, had nearly destroyed Bercheff.egXp
yqBHundreds of thousands of monsters ravaging everything in a single surge.l4sojCV
3DdybMaybe it was just a theory.QBS4WM
DzkGQs‘But what if they used those monsters and human blood as a sacrifice to summon the demon?’GG58mIc
hLPBut.kfrg75q
0lYA‘A Monster Wave of that scale had never occurred in a thousand years of history.’oml
ZliHh5GWas it a coincidence that everything fit so well?lF8x
h5sa‘And it’s incomparable to Andromalius…’JTt
rnAciJust looking at him made his skin crawl. The instinctive fear was overwhelming.hRdX
GCCl9EThe oppressive presence of Kimaris and his power—capable of breaking half a wall with a single strike—was incomparable to Andromalius’s incomplete descent.luTgXL1
TrNqm‘The demon ranks aren’t just numbers—the difference is that Kimaris descended over ten years ago and has had time to recover his strength.’Fha
76ZIt all fit together perfectly.r2m
7Ub9w‘Could he be the one behind this, controlling the corrupt now?’uNDx
zs4SIrIJust thinking about it chilled his blood.DiWdsht
d0dF67Could they even stop a fully descended demon without Aint Armian?gvsZdE3
vay“Kyaaaaah!”RiZib
PxS84“Graaah!”lNN
lnasXWhile Fernan was lost in thought, the demons began their advance.E5W0J9a
06rhPThe soldiers panicked upon seeing the damaged wall, scrambling to reinforce it with whatever they could find.u1FAPG
yrhGtg“I’ll go out with the knights through the main gate. We’ll attack the demon directly.”TRpw4
SBQThe frontier count issued an unexpected order.Amh
1JGMG“If we fight here, the fortress will collapse. Even if we stop the demon, it would be a problem.”SbJok4
PpkyHIt was a necessary risk.Jjr
RFGyJIf a pillar of the northern barrier fell, Bercheff would suffer irreparable damage.rGhNN8
6OTwBetter to draw the demon away, even at a disadvantage, than to risk the wall’s collapse.ghF
PaF0“Garrett.”vQcc
MTe“Yes, I’ll go too. And my Red Wolves with me. I never thought that after becoming a Royal Knight, I’d end up fighting alongside you.”IprsJB
G38MRmThe Red Wolves were Garrett Schreiner’s personal group. Barely fifty men, but considered the best mercenary group on the continent.cSlzHzz
VAi“This is madness!”Ku1
2HTlBv“Staying here would be even crazier. When that demon starts fighting, everything around will be reduced to ashes. The farther we lead him away, the fewer soldiers will die in vain.”NAP
zWFm“But charging out with so few of us…!”3PhHj
9mxTU“If we kill the demon, it all ends. He’s the core keeping the rest together.”4Wdqn
gmWq7XThe count easily brushed off Luina’s protests. Then he looked at Fernan.Q2GF
nlyFES“Fernan Pellenberg. I must thank you. Hiring Garrett was a brilliant move.”QcsJu
jqK“I prefer thanks in the form of rewards, not words.”DyfRd
2Xg“For that, we’ll have to kill that bastard.”nCRsr
0VsUpk“One moment, before you go, take this.”n73P
y1IFernan handed them two small vials—one to the count, and one to the mercenary king.Tpp
yG5“It’s the last of the holy water.”s60
NZwn“I’ll use it with gratitude.”lqBne
tqGu1The count descended the wall with the vial in hand. The White Lion Knights followed immediately.akZ65
zhqqeXThe same with the mercenary king and the Red Wolves.90Xd0
NR8E1R‘Maybe…’C20UZgl
djYlgL3Watching them leave, Fernan felt a glimmer of hope.qQlOEyl
3wREven without Aint—the natural enemy of demons.W1c7s0
1VCStill, they were two Royal Knights. Each one, an army by himself.nN36uil
lrr9cTThe fortress gate opened before the demons reached the wall.696
f5SqFMbDudududu!y73G
RpdbcKnights and mercenaries, armed in steel and mounted on warhorses, charged forward.yEd
CLRWAt the head of the two columns were the count and the mercenary king.OH8p7T
WXaThe count’s sword shone with a blue aura.HSj
x9uThe mercenary king’s spear burned with a red aura.Q99q84w
d6MDAnd then—nLu
2n21OTsBoom!J5pI
9YGXl“Kyaaaaah!”YP5Cd
zeAd“Grahhh!”tGn2Gc7
1h9ZmSvA thunderous blast shook the sky. Shockwaves tore screams from the demons.Gj0Jw
Hc2Their bodies shattered, disintegrating into pools of blood.lLKo
LLha2OYTwo open lines, like trails in the sand, cut through the demon army.ESHW
BnkjMaBlood painted the path.BgU4HC
P96PpfBut the demon Kimaris, even with two Royal Knights before him, merely rested his greatsword on his shoulder. He didn’t move.2SETWnA
eNQfVsThe distance between the three of them closed.PxpTj
OL4Without slowing, the two knights raised their weapons in unison.ugpP
zUxRThe demons blocking the way were immediately swept aside.WDdU
3mfGgBoom!Y3Y
DE36mKgThe strike hit Kimaris.86E
Oob9An explosion shook the battlefield, dust clouding everything.We3Hx4w
WlEBut Kimaris remained unscathed, his sword having blocked the impact.M9MhL
w6AlnBAnd it didn’t matter—the goal of the Royal Knights wasn’t to injure him, but to lure him away.43iChd3
gW3After the strike, they turned their mounts, veering in another direction.7w6ke
AespNeither toward Kimaris nor back to the fortress—a blatant provocation.5Iu6
MRHva“Pathetic.”S4Bo
yrcVKimaris lightly nudged his black horse.Z15
eleThe steed understood the command and began to gallop.TF96Vp
KgCX“Get out of the way.”YnmGn
rGwUOThe demons split into two again, forming a path.WPNPD
J9C5“Before I return, tear down the fortress.”sTcb
c1XThe formation, which had been disordered from pursuing the Royal Knights during their charge, reorganized in an instant.scdq
BmTgbFKThey advanced once more, while Kimaris calmly followed the two Royal Knights.5zg
OoALPoQAt that moment, battle also erupted within the fortress.gK9VyP
pdLydjThe demons reached the walls and the prepared spells were unleashed.fK8r
qF1Vgs“Fire!”1Sod5
WT46The arrows, like a second gift, rained down on the demons who charged through the spells with their bodies.SRMvC
Hxj“Stop them!”EZJi7
gHkaBnR“They’re coming through the broken wall!”0ViUZ1
07oQsT“Form the knight line!”AtdF
q6QufThe knights lined up in the gaps of the crumbling wall, raising a shield wall.ptrsSZX
IrHKbThe larger demons charged against it.IoDUbu
dXg4PpXBoom!YvjGxx
7jTThe aura-reinforced shield wall trembled violently.5Z8R
xgBThrough the small openings, spears and swords pierced the demons.YO79u
8YsAA fierce battle.NEE
jBtISanThe numerical difference was obvious, but it didn’t look like the fortress would fall easily.y9X0a
NGyE“Luina, Hyde. We’re going to follow the count.”jM4aLhG
SIH9l“…Excuse me?”LHg4AF
PqtD“…What?”PQjbOdJ
DBv“Then I’m not going, right?”kxiPMvG
wKQ6Fernan, having made his decision, called out to Luina and Hyde, who were decapitating demons climbing the wall.lmO
g1jXobGRealizing he wasn’t included, Gismond’s face lit up a little.Xmq
m9z“If those two lose, the world ends. The only thing we can do is prevent that from happening.”OOm
WMdyf“No matter how strong the demon is, they’re two Royal Knights. I can’t imagine my father losing.”HKHX
F4wTWz“Under normal conditions, yes. But it’s a demon. Can we really be sure there won’t be unforeseen events?”gp3o
KSbHe knew the Royal Knights were strong.IFqzEfl
xHutPTwo Royal Knights together, even stronger—he knew that too.zq5SSyB
WZEESDrEven so, Fernan felt uneasy.5uj7ea3
g72aeqYEven if they were Royal Knights, the enemy was a demon. And not an incomplete one like Andromalius, but a complete one.sg3jfSN
MuQEjpAEnemies that once tried to destroy the entire continent.PStru
kF4Could they defeat him without Aint?xTXScP
9FlKr“What more do you want me to say? I can’t imagine those two losing.”Z8Sh
GCKNLuina’s eyes, as she said that, didn’t waver in the slightest.mK5
DAGKgU5‘…She’s right. Even if it’s a demon, the Royal Knights are the strongest on the continent. And there are two. I shouldn’t be this uneasy…’weL
n2jRNLzNo, there was no reason.wuUJoI
rB5Was Aint stronger than a Royal Knight? No.EgEBwR
zVwUBut in that instant, Fernan realized the source of his unease.71LdhPO
CSR‘Kimaris… the prophecy book never mentioned him.’VmoI
6h1oNBcKimaris wasn’t one of the demons named in the prophetic grimoire.FSttVpO
Xp2Nor was this situation.3xoiZ1l
cuv6uyuMaybe he’d appear in the future, but until now, he had never shown up in any vision.AgSC
C6uA complete unknown. Since he’d obtained the book, it was the first time he’d faced something like this.mn34
jruJBUntil now, even when the future changed, it was always within the same framework; things that already existed, just with slight variations.4DH9
p44NG8Not now.m0jhDro
DtmZKcBThat’s what scared him so much.g98
Q1wHe bit his lips hard.NfDb5SD
gj4ET0q‘Since when have I clung so much to the prophecy…?’NrD
jlsM1Knowing the future was useful, even if it was a terrible future, because it gave time to prepare.ZXyuA3
aQWv6That’s how he’d managed to change fate and stop the corrupt and the demons.eZSmST
MGsjxBut relying too much on an uncertain future was foolish. Clinging to it could ruin everything.GCp4gbI
ujSnbd‘Hiring the mercenary king was all I could do.’Rq8Iu3J
cHiThat was his best move at the time.yq9Su
R9ARjGPWhat more could he ask for? Even if he went, what could he do?2Ow
l7kN“…You’re right, Luina.”lxpA
Xd45ECvFernan ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back.kZ7
6eN7EZ“First we have to hold out here.”AvSGhT
YaRBecause it wouldn’t be easy either. The ten thousand demons before them weren’t weak.HdZ
7KuUZcThey were too many in number, and it couldn’t be said they were weaker in strength.9ol7
rIPof“GRRRAAAH!”yrSUB6p
VjHJExZ“It’s a Barka!”wjYoE
dcml7In the distance, a fourth-rank demon appeared. Fernan gripped his staff. The scene reminded him of when they transported the World Tree branch.LSA4uyc
3xNcEThat monster had been too much for him back then.ks9pWzk
YSOT“The natural enemy of golems…”L3uQ
AhMKcnHe had lost several of them that day.uEirfZ
ddhZLsb“What are you saying? Enemy of the golems?”4ES
rswZX“I still remember. There were four! Exactly four. Isn’t that right, Hyde?”lSnvkcW
nna9ktm“Yes. There were four.”lprpweC
l5LKtRumble!mdM4
AMXVpLA mountain of rocks rose, taking the shape of a giant.qdjX
2KhfIt wasn’t a golem, or anything of the sort. Just Fernan infusing mana into rocks to give them form.cKoqwXO
mOAEven so—XFQ73k
earCrash!sZpX48
zJSIt blocked the Barka’s charge.3AQ
uwNIALkBoom!iuKM
SfyNLBEven counterattacking with its fist, the Barka’s body staggered.F8NEw
49eEKFk“He stopped it.”Uyyx
Qez44TLIt wasn’t just Aint who had faced demons, the corrupt, and infernal creatures.yQKP
Wvt2OoFernan had been there too, always preparing before anyone else.SdVXj
fy0R“I haven’t been sitting idle.”zCl4FHU
4uVDImEven if his priority was protecting Aint, he had never neglected his own training.wR3Dd1Z
OwxWR5Because he knew only he could protect what was his.OEnKv
3zoiuDfThat’s why now he could do what he couldn’t before.TfTG3
wEpDMwBefore, not even with golems could he stop a Barka. Now, with just animated rocks, he had done it.U5TBP
ynKxsrHis earth magic was stronger, firmer, more flexible.xoBZ
p7X9JEnough, even if just for a few seconds, to contain a Barka’s charge.tQDU
WYXMaybe not enough against a demon.OVrTA
Luu“But against you, it’s enough to avenge my golems!”pqjBwiG
363The rocks collapsed, enveloping the Barka’s entire body.B2ZS5
2MQW3xThe creature struggled in vain.H3z3
RELgeAnd in that instant—RAp
Sb8g3hSlash!KfP
rrwnbP6A sword of blue aura sliced off its head.u0V
GQ9“Please explain yourself! What have you been saying this whole time?”XF9
08uJ4The owner of the sword was, of course, Luina. The true genius who had grown a hundred times faster than Fernan.zZ5dWSM
jb6RQvAfter beheading the Barka, Luina leaped back to the wall.sDeX1
cGzkh“What I’m saying…”bHZk1U
mC8Fernan extended his staff forward.VWIW8c4
CjT“Is that you’d better protect me well, Luina. If I get so much as a scratch, I’ll be charging you for damages.”eorSy8N
Le10b“Even now you’re still joking?!”mUu
AUbLuina shouted at him indignantly.Tl5C
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