Chapter 219
WztCVBWLuina opened her eyes in the darkness.7kgNP
vg5aThe world regained its light, but she was no longer at the Academy.WIiB
tjusRjOThe sky was red.0SEXz6
VxhhlWkScreams echoed.5ccuIS4
zVmCorpses were piled up.N8wq
OccZwI‘Where am I?’hKYA4F
vGiWhat was this?NpsyaCH
zLtqz1Where was she?WfrNHy
xGQ“Miss Luina! Come to your senses!”3GyP
Rn5hHaThe voice of a knight running alongside her pulled her out of her thoughts.5KQ
g5LSHe cut the neck of a monster that lunged at her with its jaws open.CLGp2
ctpbZnT“Bercheff…”rCV0
KQBOFamiliar landscapes. Familiar people.KqzmNiO
P8SEPYes, it was Bercheff, her home, the place she had always wanted to protect.OZLh
rSzAnd it was in danger.OKxtb
vUXlrThe hordes of monsters wouldn’t stop coming.513
Esi“Hold the line! Enter the inner fortress!”JGCpoY
P3DQv4“Save the citizens!”Rfl
yxgThe land where she had grown up was turning into a wasteland.Zmoh
63x5MHer neighbors’ houses were collapsing.CnaUT
r3qR0The walls were falling, the city was crumbling.BQ5pab
keaFIt was a catastrophe.fGewZ0
dBxG1FHA disaster.64Ddx7U
hFFZndLuina couldn’t think straight. How had Bercheff ended up like this?PFy2
zQJJThe sight of her homeland falling apart tore her heart apart. And the more pain she felt, the tighter she gripped her sword; her strikes grew fiercer.mo9A
FgiNBehind her, a path of blood from fallen monsters was carved.fkOA8q
9G4oThen—uCYP8
EQSOcSb────!6Kef
WZAxBeyond the creatures besieging the fortress, at the end of the plain, a massive presence was felt.IBqdE
mZJB“A demon…!”zrelJt
07dRTtyLuina bit her lips; the knights’ faces turned pale.ltHW
fh4She quickly dismounted and climbed the wall. There she saw them.pCjuL
FhUrDThe 69th demon, Decarabia.PrKk2Z5
HJ8Gs2The 66th demon, Kimaris.9D4x7ZF
DgpFoNO‘Decarabia? Kimaris? How…?’UO6n
F4ZHadn’t they been defeated by Fernan, her father, and the Mercenary King?wXAU
4ODfFDefeated? How, if they were standing there, perfectly intact?2P0wKBp
Eyk“Luina!”D550Q
8NRIn that instant, the border marquis was cutting down monsters and running toward her.CPmQ1CI
eVAyW7“Run, Luina!”gGQCR
K1LURq8Her father grabbed her shoulders.30nIo
CDO“They’re demons! Demons have appeared! Bercheff won’t survive this day.”56BFc
W5zu“What are you saying…?”xsFeSh
qPD0B“This is no time for nonsense!”hsx
mP8M5hThe count roared.p4z
AcIXX“They’re demons, Luina! Face the truth! No reinforcements came from the Empire, and more than twenty thousand monsters are besieging us. We’re barely holding on, and now those demons have descended!”nEkxxDt
ALWhyIt was impossible. Bercheff couldn’t withstand them.R6eCFi
2skb“That’s why, run. I entrust Bercheff to you. Lead the citizens to safety. As long as you live, Bercheff will continue to exist.”Pqay2h
8WzCw2The count rested his sword on her shoulder.Qd5f
Wdb3lr“I entrust our people to you. From this moment, you are the new head of Bercheff.”JSa
W4PCz“Then come with me, Father…”3PgcGRq
w33I“There are two demons. Someone must stay to buy time for the people to escape.”oOz0jU
ITZz5Knights of the White Lion, of the Black Lion, soldiers of Bercheff!8mxCKU
pJGPThe count shouted.TDg2mD
gCrs“Give me your lives! For Bercheff, for its future, for your families! But you won’t be alone! I’ll fight beside you until the end!”FA69g3w
HuuAE“We gladly give them!”z02RhT9
LhsD“Glory to the count!”3AHu78
Wgv“Bercheff will be eternal!”n26I0Y
mmm6BThe elite knights stayed with him.zuo6Y
UlDc1e“My lady, we must go. If we don’t, the count’s sacrifice will be in vain.”nsa21
nWXEtlyThe Red Lion knights, reserved for the future, dragged Luina—crying blood—toward the retreat.yQb
haxShe carved a path through monsters, guiding the citizens.lKQw7
OXlAE2In the distance, the wall crumbled.5JYcC
FTvhi“Where… where should we go?”Zs9K21A
Whu“We must head to Schwaben. It’s our only hope now.”RLDgZx1
oRgHtr“If the Pellenbergs hadn’t allied with the demons, we could’ve gone to the county of Ashtof…”prxpUa
RA1AS“The Pellenbergs allied with demons?”Wxp
fhmwz73“Yes. Don’t you remember? The Archduke of Pellenberg summoned a demon at the Continental Academic Conference and killed everyone.”8ZF1
qkJ‘That… happened?’kkKa
asP5Yes, she remembered now. The Conference had been reduced to ruins, with countless deaths.p92ky9s
SEzEqYIt was revealed to be the work of Rosalia Vienderk and Fernan Pellenberg.neob
rI0Both princely houses were accused of collaborating with the corrupt.OGPH
ITVEven the man known as the Empire’s hope died there.AzxM
coC93Te‘Aint Armian…’3TU
l3eNThe one who had restored the secret swordsmanship of the Armian died fighting the 71st demon, Seir.bpa2NY
jLTxP8nAfter that, the continent fell into chaos.HK4A
hSMThe houses of Vienderk and Pellenberg were hunted, and the Cult of the Dragon God along with other princely houses declared them corrupt.zBGKvA
xGcZBoth houses became public enemies and war broke out.qQ9Ig
cCnAnd they weren’t weak houses.03pH
ubcH2GGEspecially the Pellenbergs, whose financial network spanned the continent like a web.oyKqj00
cA7The Empire, after a thousand years of history, began to devour itself and sank into ruin.StBt
eHNLi‘Schwaben…’O0BpF
kApmThe emperor of Schwaben proclaimed they were the new adversaries of the demons.eCO
Ks7But in reality, they could barely withstand the sabotage from the Pellenbergs.EuoP4q
P3BThus ended Bercheff, guardian of the north for a thousand years, falling without receiving any aid.jSB4
c5wLuina bit her lips.3M41
X4VMmIEven if Schwaben was questionable, it was the only option.wOmg
nOOy44d“Don’t waste your father’s and the knights’ sacrifice! The citizens come first!”IpATJ
1AYm“Yes!”Qf6y
Zf6CLuina led the refugees, cutting down enemies.DFA3T
4yXWere they surviving thanks to her father’s sacrifice or because the demons were toying with them?DwkTv9
cSoM6Fortunately, the pursuit wasn’t immediate.a2YrXP
yzUBOShe lost countless comrades, but managed to save more than half of the refugees and lead them to Schwaben.xJH4jh
KKNlkaW“My God, Bercheff has fallen…!”0i5g2
0Yxnz“Two demons…?”EGIcq
4QSSchwaben, already on edge, welcomed them eagerly.FbzYDTD
FtwMTXThey granted land to the refugees and extracted every bit of information from Luina and the surviving leaders.08PwQ6
VEvP“Countess Luina. Fight alongside us against the demons, and Schwaben will one day help rebuild Bercheff.”dfKb
UaQAJGXBut it wasn’t free. Schwaben demanded the survivors defend their lands.rKa
dnp7J“Understood.”vyC0dpE
bQ8piRDThere was no choice. It was more blackmail than a request, since they were using her people as hostages.8ro8
VGGeuxiAnd even so, she wouldn’t refuse her hatred toward the demons wouldn’t allow it.2zhYJL
EBYYThe monsters that had destroyed Bercheff began attacking Schwaben, and battles became daily.wBK4U0U
9eYA month passed.164el
jagtThe Empire slowly regained stability.C7gr
Nj5zfVVienderk was destroyed by the other electoral princes, and Pellenberg left the continent of Lutar, fleeing to Pandrein.AKAVnH
vTUThere they still held influence, so the Empire chose to focus on the demons rather than attempt annihilation.fPFF13
UyHKFearing that the demons who ravaged Bercheff would move south, Schwaben gathered all its strength.oOXqXIV
fAzvThe First Knight of the Empire.AblD5
Z90ZLThe Mercenary King.0Cx
Na0pW6The former First Knight of Vienderk, now converted.wvEr0Ru
amA9BA cardinal of the Cult of the Dragon God.uDCbUls
uQ7SAnd the Master of the Magic Tower.7cP
tGsmqqnThree Royal Knights and two Archmages.Jpbcbj
Va9Five superhumans gathered in one place.QPMhb
Yo5LR6USomething that would never happen unless a demonic threat demanded it.0pxlWUm
JD4t23nAnd soon, the fear became reality.SgMHD
Kq8bTens of thousands of monsters, strengthened after devouring Bercheff and the northern Empire, struck Schwaben.SkXXs9
dgvLuina fought nonstop on the front lines.Qt5yp
NBWFor two whole weeks, the beasts’ offensive never ceased.szo
a0qsThanks to the five superhumans, there were no catastrophic losses, but the constant pressure wore humanity down.zJl
G2EIn a brief respite, sitting on the wall, Luina bit a piece of hard bread while gripping a newspaper.b5paQr
sns【The fall of Esrin. Esrin overrun by monsters.】pL3
ovI【After the mysterious death of the crown prince, Alfrosen falls into civil war.】vAJ0xd
Y95Pa【Another demon, the 64th, Flauros, descends in Frazia. A hellish chaos! Refugees flood the streets.】Sr51jft
LDv【Traitors to humanity? The Kingdom of Heinburg refuses to join the Alliance and attacks the Kingdom of Grunad.】mgjvNNh
gqLIo8If only there were hope.IZ6T
EPeIf resisting meant finding a ray of light.AwmdEK
YGPj3hoBut no.2gyU8
JLFR4JiThe news kept growing darker. The continent was plunging into the abyss.bfc
6emThe morale of the soldiers dropped day by day.aeINy
Wwo2myAnd the demons attacked at that precise moment.Fxw1eUS
pZ7s“Demons! Demons have appeared!”NR5nFDb
I86dsp“Don’t fear! The Royal Knights and Archmages are with us!”5rswuV
7CwBut their faith trembled.UaTE
hZW“…Another… another demon…!”S9tfnv
EkMkwIt was snuffed out as fast as a candle.luiK9sR
ZYkThe strange demon resembling a pentagram, Decarabia.TNrFz2n
onupmkThe black knight riding a massive dark horse, Kimaris.o09nv5
ZJAeAnd that wasn’t the end.IxRZ2A
ZllA colossal peacock. Hundreds of eyes embedded in its feathers made everyone tremble in fear just by their gaze.aoKhwF
aAHY1oIn that moment, Luina understood why the demons had shown such calm.dlMER
oH5TpptIt wasn’t because her father had stopped them, nor because they enjoyed toying with humanity.NXPMh6
4FLThey had summoned a new demon to ensure humanity’s end once and for all.cLz
v2W8h“…The 65th demon, Andrealphus.”WqRIKb6
PqGxLuina muttered softly.BIRL
4vAqFrom there began a new despair.xvtJS9A
oflNThe sky cracked, the earth turned over.4vDLJL
RLhlUirFlames flooded, storms raged.P61h
8NrnCA battle far beyond the realm of humans.XeE
c4FKAnd in the end, there was no victory.Cva
UboXuJx“Kugh…!”MDe
L3iThe sword of the former knight of Vienderk broke.D0X3
WEenSh“Aaaaargh!”J2y
3QLjHa3The Master of the Magic Tower was split in two and died.ylCWiL
e03ahF1The Mercenary King, the First Knight of the Empire, the Cardinal of the Cult of the Dragon God.SMw
GQhSB8They fell one after another.JPr0I
ihgVB4yIf there was any consolation, it was that their sacrifices weren’t entirely in vain—they managed to take down the 66th demon, Kimaris, and dealt a fatal wound to Decarabia.4zHJh04
cB0Mgt3But Andrealphus still stood.bFrSE
rjWeAnd with the transcendent dead, the walls of Schwaben crumbled ridiculously easily.UdPUW
iy9YQ5“We must flee, my lady!”3XO8
fLDcUjYThe captain of the Red Lion Knights, who had escorted her since her escape, shouted.fhk
tFboBut Luina had lost the will.gteoYc
QkZu0“Where are we supposed to flee to?”mEAf5tO
TljS6Bercheff had fallen. Her father was dead.Mfi
yzau59They had barely escaped to Schwaben. Five transcendents had gathered there.fYQA
dzsnsmAnd still, they all died.PMN
YudVJQCould there be any more hope?l9At58
N3EWith Schwaben collapsing, while demons continued to sprout across the continent?M7eMvUL
6l07MfiNo, no matter where she ran, there would be no answer.BAL8H
2XhMR“…I won’t run.”Z3fLao
SVOQzzoIt was no longer the chivalry she revered.dNT7q0
gunIt was resignation.Ot8WGu
aqsShe had lost her father, her family, her homeland, and in the end, even hope.34P
DSZShe then decided to burn her own life, to give everything she had, and at the very least, plant a seed of hope for humanity.uPC
qbHWIt‘I’ll kill Decarabia.’d1vTcDf
6iyD7That fatally wounded Decarabia, who was retreating. She would kill him.5wal
jCk1aTo die alongside a demon as a knight wasn’t a bad end.81m
J5Jui“No.”NaL
R1lZGA familiar voice suddenly slipped into her ears.nQy
tD3wQp“A future where all the demons’ plans succeed—that’s a very bad ending, Luina Bercheff.”0hRoMa
JlJShe turned her head. Since when had he been there?8IDtO
45kSomeone was watching her.Cee
Xvor7O7Neatly combed black hair, red eyes that looked down on everything.emj
w8k“…Fernan Pellenberg?”OHq
hJiRLuina ground her teeth.Zl8qleO
iaiThe traitor who, along with Rosalia Vienderk, had betrayed humanity.yge
eonIf not for that betrayal, the Empire wouldn’t have been divided so miserably.BvfjTt
CpgXLGBercheff wouldn’t have fallen either.IUROe
senb5d‘I’ll kill him. I’ll end this traitor.’toMA
TTKgLHer murderous intent overflowed.Znni6K0
xoMg34“You’re mistaken.”c5PV
s5sBut Fernan Pellenberg remained unfazed.FvFJ8p
XjV“I’m not a traitor to humanity. I’m just a merchant.”lFrPdX
To431A common man who only wanted to earn money and spend it.1eKQ
YIlv“No, wait, I’m not just a merchant anymore.”x0cIth
6hHI’m a debt collector.ZJlEOq
rRCzI“Luina Bercheff, I haven’t recovered my investment yet. How do you plan to die so easily?”tl4tR
jzPh0“What? What are you saying…?”qpLY1N
AbajoFBefore she could even ask, something went straight into her mouth.r4u7o
q6mcVA sweetness flooded her senses. Chocolate.EQ7v
fEOeiShe was stunned.Vh3znI
MDKt“Get up, Luina Bercheff. You cannot die.”Sz2
pL5kh────!AGq
sxwuS9PThe world flipped. Luina opened her eyes.Uob25H
AOOBoom, boom!o1rFZ
xJwA roar struck her eardrums. Vibrations ran through her body.bpr
x24GAAnd she felt soft hands enveloping her, and Fernan’s face looking down at her.8OvcZ9u
YxMbQx“…Fernan?”DJJu9
bpJiF“That’s right.”2pQpvw
lq788“How…?”nj1WXl
1Cq“You held on well, Luina. Leave it to me from here on.”YeewFk
J2TcKFernan turned his gaze far off, toward Andrealphus fighting Professor Grad.bdWcFb
ho3qDrd“Luina, what do you think of that?”b8K
Qs4OirN“It’s a demon that must be killed.”FW2bFPf
JgC68“No, that’s not what I mean.”qwHK8
X279RFernan shook his head.FNsDI
cTAusNd“Isn’t it unfair?”tvrxH
vi8B“…Huh?”zH5jZD
qC3jRX“Those of equal level should fight each other. As it is, how is it different from a human abusing a defenseless puppy?”JGIA
CD4E“What kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden?”YeU
mnrWhat I mean is—FZb5b
QQy“Go, Wooden.”LQD
usl─────!Sl9ktD
sUvbA gigantic figure fell from the sky, crushing Andrealphus.ZJvjRds
s8bKIyThe demon was knocked down and smashed into the ground.hR5Vfy
g6vIaXR“Destroy it. As if crushing the head of a beast.”qj1bDX0
NeEiP— Gwoooooooh!9iuUM
Sr0wThe golem that slammed into Andrealphus roared.MBj
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