Chapter 250

The sudden appearance of Wooden, falling from the sky, was something no one had foreseen.

But precisely because of that, it was so unexpected—and so lethal.

— Kyu!

“It can’t be…!”

Wooden’s innocent smile contrasted with Valac’s twisted face.

Wooden’s arrival could only mean one thing—Valac’s two monsters, Valoco and Valoki, had been defeated.

Moreover, the golem had precisely timed his strike to the moment Fernan’s white light barrier ripped the demonic energy from the enemy, slicing through that breach with his massive sword.

For Valac, who had been preparing to receive Luina, it was like lightning from a clear sky.

Wooden’s colossal sword was violent on its own, but its edge was charged with pure mana—a force nearly opposite to demonic magic. The result was a force of absolute destruction.

The blow shattered the fist Valac used to block and severed his entire right shoulder.

Under normal circumstances, it would’ve healed instantly—but the enemy’s flames prevented regeneration.

This wasn’t a good situation.

“A mere toy like you…!”

Valac extended his demonic energy. Thousands of dark tendrils surged toward the white barrier to break through.

Slash.

The claws of the lion of Bercheff slashed through the flames, cutting dozens of serpents in one blow, charging straight ahead.

The remaining serpents swarmed like a hive, diving at their prey.

The moment Luina’s body was covered by demonic energy and faltered, Wooden’s sword came down again.

— Kyu!

The serpents were cut in a single strike.

Taking advantage of that brief opening, the lion of Bercheff bared its even larger fangs.

‘This is dangerous.’

Valac raised his left arm to block.

The sword grazed his forearm and cut it.

‘He’s not of Armian, but he has the power of a natural enemy of demons.’

Why?

Why someone like him? How?

Even as a mage, his level was nothing to envy compared to a true descendant of Armian.

It was like seeing that cursed figure from a thousand years ago.

Valac had thought that, even if Fernan possessed such power, it wouldn’t amount to much.

Crack!

His scales tore away, and a deep wound split across his abdomen.

“You think I’ll fall so easily!”

“I am Valac, sixty-second demon of Hell, commander of thirty infernal legions.”

From the open wound, dozens of serpents burst out, hurling themselves at Luina.

Caught off guard by the attack, she threw up a wall of energy and quickly retreated.

‘I have to use this moment to escape…’

So much time had passed since his descent—he couldn’t die here.

But his opponent wasn’t only Luina.

The giant raised his sword again and brought it down with all his weight.

He couldn’t dodge it.

The enemy’s flames, the open wounds, the loss of demonic energy—all of it slowed his movements.

So, he opened his mouth.

He gathered all his remaining demonic energy and unleashed it in one burst.

────!

A black pillar tore through the sky, pierced the white barrier, and punched a hole through the clouds.

The golem, struck by the darkness, vanished without a trace.

— Kyu?

Not really—it had never hit him.

In front of Valac appeared a small golem barely a meter tall, brandishing its sword.

“What…?”

He couldn’t believe it.

A mere toy mocking him?

Crack!

Still stunned, he reacted immediately.

The golem’s sword struck his wings, which spread like blades and lashed out.

But the impact turned against him.

The recoil flung him backward while the golem, now nearly five meters tall, stood firm, planted like a mountain.

“Damn worthless toy…!”

But he had no time to shout.

Slash.

His legs were severed. His body lost balance and collapsed.

He tried to stabilize himself by flapping his wings, but at that instant, his defense vanished.

— Kyu!

A blue line traced across his neck.

Just once.

“Huh…?”

A knight who has pushed their sword to the limit only needs one chance to behead a demon.

“Fernan!”

And right after, the white light devoured everything.

***

Boom!

Booom!

Crash!

“T-the kingdom…”

Everything was being destroyed.

The capital had become the battlefield of monsters.

The symbol of the Kingdom of Linelt, a city that once shone with splendor, was now reduced to a heap of ruins.

“Ah…”

“Your Majesty!”

“Father!”

The king staggered, supported by the first prince and Princess Yuli.

“The capital…! The city of five hundred years…!”

Tears fell without end.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

The buildings were leveled with a single gesture from the demons.

The Archmage’s lightning fried everything in its path.

The swords of the great knights carved massive wounds across the city.

And the steps of the Lizard and the Golem shook the very foundations.

The capital buckled, broke, and was crushed like a mere toy.

What… what a desolate reality.

He had spent years bedridden by illness, and upon waking, he found his country plunged into chaos by the corrupt.

And now, demons walked upon the capital.

Could this still be called a kingdom?

“Look at it, Gerlan! This is the Linelt you so desired!”

His anger turned to his second son.

The man who had poisoned the king with demonic energy, who had driven the crown prince mad and handed the kingdom over to heretics.

“Perhaps a rotten country deserves to disappear.”

“What… what did you just say?”

“If I had been the heir, this would never have happened.”

“Shut your mouth, insolent wretch!”

“It’s your fault! Even though my talent surpassed that useless fool’s, you always protected him just for being the firstborn…”

Smack!

The king struck him across the face with a punch, knocking the second prince down.

“You think I’ll reclaim this country with fists? Everything is lost! Everyone will die! Linelt will fall!”

“Curse you!”

The king stomped on Gerlan, but the crown prince and Princess Yuli stopped him.

“Father, you must stay strong.”

“Your Majesty, the worst has already passed. The worst…”

“The worst? What could be worse than watching the capital collapse?”

“That the entire kingdom is destroyed and demons rule this land.”

“……”

Many might have thought that was already the worst.

But there was a future far more horrifying.

A future where the second prince became king, the monarch and his elder children died, and demons took control of the Kingdom of Linelt.

If Fernan Pellenberg, Aint Armian, the Mercenary King Garrett Schreiner, and the Academy’s rector hadn’t intervened, that future would have become reality.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Thanks to Fernan’s advice, we managed to save a large part of the people. Rebuilding the capital won’t be impossible.”

Reconstructing the capital, of course, wouldn’t be easy.

But as long as the citizens of the capital remained alive, hope still existed.

“Wake the king and evacuate the capital by royal decree.”

That’s what Fernan had entrusted to Antenor and Princess Yuli, emphasizing that it must be the highest priority.

When they asked why, he replied:

“They might summon a demon.”

“In the capital?”

“In the capital.”

Those words were chilling.

They asked if he could prevent it, and he said he would do everything he could—but couldn’t guarantee it.

“But is that even possible? No matter how dire things are…”

“The second prince is nothing more than a puppet controlled by Count Patrick Pirandello. Do you really believe there’s no chance?”

When the king heard he had to flee the capital as soon as he awoke, he was outraged.

Still, the desperate pleas of the crown prince and the princess eventually convinced him.

And indeed, the demon was summoned.

Not one, but two.

It was a calamity.

No kingdom on the continent could have anticipated the sudden appearance of two demons.

But Fernan was prepared.

‘Not just the Mercenary King, but also the Academy’s rector and Aint Armian…’

In addition to them, there was the giant golem who had shaken the continent, and Luina Bercheff, a knight who, in Princess Yuli’s eyes, could rival the Royal Knights.

It was as if Fernan had known in advance that those two demons would appear and had prepared accordingly.

‘No, that would be absurd.’

If he had known before arriving in Linelt, it would mean he deliberately allowed the descent—and that made no sense.

After all, who could predict the summoning of not just one demon—but two?

‘He’s fought the corrupt and demons many times—he prepared for the worst.’

And that preparation was what was saving Linelt.

Whether it would ultimately lead to hope or despair, they didn’t know—but for now, there was a light in the darkness.

Her gaze landed on that hope.

— Kyu!

The golem smashing the heads of the two-headed lizard was, without a doubt, the most striking sight.

The streams of demonic energy raining down, the rocks blocking them, and the knight running between them created a brutal scene.

The battle between Mercenary King Garrett Schreiner and the creature responsible for the kingdom’s destruction was so fast that Yuli could barely follow it with her eyes.

But among them all, the one who shone the brightest was Aint.

His holy light—the radiance that repelled the darkness.

Aint Armian shone like a true hero, the hope of Linelt.

Yuli thought:

He’s also handsome. Even in the midst of chaos, he shines.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Antenor Linelt’s voice rang out.

The monsters that had fallen like meteors across the capital began to move, seeking lives to devour.

Faced with their horrific appearance, Yuli remembered more of Fernan’s words:

“Demons rarely appear alone. If one is summoned, monsters will always follow. You must be prepared for that.”

He had also said that preserving the capital depended on how well they could contain them.

‘But what’s the point?’ Yuli thought, uncertain.

If the battles between demons and heroes, between the lizard and the golem, were already destroying everything—what could they, mere humans, do?

The fight between the monsters and the kingdom’s army wouldn’t change the overall outcome.

And yet.

“Oh, and as for the capital’s reconstruction after the disaster—leave it to the Golden Turtle Guild.”

They had to do everything they could.

“A-abba!”

Suddenly, she remembered Fernan’s final words, and her face went pale.

“It might not make much sense, but we must do everything we can!”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Fernan Pellenberg asked to personally handle the capital’s reconstruction! If we want to keep costs down, we must…!”

“……!”

At any other time, it wouldn’t have mattered.

Although the Pellenberg family had a reputation for being loan sharks, their other companies, like the Golden Turtle Guild, operated on honesty and trust.

Otherwise, it never would’ve become an international trade consortium.

But this time was different.

It wasn’t just a reconstruction contract—it was a form of repayment.

A gesture of gratitude toward the one who saved the kingdom.

Even if he charged a fortune, they couldn’t complain.

If not for Fernan, they wouldn’t have just lost the capital—they would’ve lost the entire kingdom.

Nothing he requested could be considered excessive.

But her thoughts were abruptly interrupted.

───!

The monsters began to attack.