Chapter 42: The Turbulences of Sassen (II)

By the time Thors, along with Ravia, Allen, and others arrived at the Sassen Imperial City, it was already the second day.
It must be said that this ancient city, founded by the first Sassen king, was even more magnificent and grand than Vando. Although Argus had left indelible scars on this ancient city, it remained one of the most prosperous cities in the empire, with a population far exceeding that of the magical city of Vando.
Nobles were Sassen’s “special product.” Don’t underestimate the streets and towering buildings in the imperial city—nearly one-third of the population there were nobles from Sassen. Even before Argus appeared, these nobles still considered themselves the elite of the Sassen king’s era, idle and pretentious. Despite being on the verge of poverty, they clung to their noble pride, which was why they were always looked down upon by the merchants of Operelles.
Yet, it must be admitted that this was one of the few cities in the Sassen Empire completely dominated by the concept of nobility. Here, if you had no title or reputation, you could achieve nothing—unless you, like Argus, took control of the city by force and killed all the rebellious nobles.
Of course, that was just Argus’s approach. His true goal wasn’t to truly rule the country. If you merely wanted to find a job in this city, you would eventually come into contact with the Sassen nobles. Without their support, you couldn’t stay in Sassen for long.
Sassen was, in essence, the most realistic and cruel reflection of the empire.
“Tch!” Glancing at the towering buildings in the city, Allen still seemed dissatisfied. With a cold snort, he said, “Those bastards from the Flores family are comfortably drinking fine wine in the palace. It should be us!”
Seizing Allen’s dissatisfaction, Simonli, the demon god following behind him, sneered and said, “If you’re not satisfied, then take it back from them! War is always the best means of negotiation. Give me enough strong souls, and I can help you rebuild an army of death knights!”
“…” Allen gave Simonli, who was laughing wildly, a speechless glance and said irritably, “Do you want me to become the public enemy of this empire? Forget that silly idea. What I value is your honor as a warrior!”

“The glory of a warrior?” Simmonley chuckled, seemingly pleased, then clenched his fist and said in a low voice, “But the glory of a warrior is shown on the battlefield…”
“Enough, enough! If you keep talking like this, we’ll end up declaring war on Sassen directly,” Allen interrupted the conversation with the demon Simmonley irritably. Lavia glanced around and said calmly, “Where are the people from the Flores family? They should know we’ve arrived by now. Why can’t I see a single soul?”
“Because they’re the ‘Final Victors’!” Connel, the werewolf following behind Lavia, said with a smile. “That’s what nobles are like, hey!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lavia frowned and said, “Shut up, Yan. Your words only make me angrier!”
“Hey!”
Just then, a group of people came walking down the streets of the city. The leader was a young man with short golden hair, dressed in a magnificent noble outfit. He glanced at Sos and the others with his light green eyes and said with a smile, “I’m sorry for making you wait, Allen, Lavia… and Sos…”
“Hey!” With a cold smirk on his lips, Allen rested his hands behind his head and said lazily, “I don’t remember us being that close. Even now, seeing your fake smile makes me want to beat you up, Vincent…”
It turned out that the young man was indeed the legitimate heir of the Flores family—Vincent Flores.
A hint of hatred flashed across Vincent’s handsome face for a moment before he said cheerfully, “After all, we’re classmates from the same academy, right? Then shouldn’t we get along better?”
“With you?” Allen sneered, turning his mouth up in disdain. “Where’s that guy Scott?”
“Prince O’Gill? He’s currently discussing matters related to the coronation ceremony with Galleck, my father, and Prince Theo… oh no, the new king. So, it’s my duty to welcome you…” Vincent said with a smile.
“Tch, that guy Scott…” Allen showed signs of dissatisfaction. At that moment, Lavia interjected, speaking in a firm and unarguable tone, “Enough. Save the boring pleasantries… You don’t expect us to stand here forever, do you, Duke Vincent Flores?”

“……” Vincent Flores glanced at Lavia with a complex expression, then looked at Thors, who was frowning silently beside her, and forced a smile. “Of course not, Lady Womisley. Please forgive my rudeness. Everyone, we’ve arranged resting rooms for you in the palace… Lastly, once again, thank you sincerely for attending the coronation ceremony!”
“Hey!” With a cold laugh, Allen spoke in a tone laced with subtle mockery, “I hope everything goes well…”
“That’s true!” Smiling slightly, Vincent Flores raised his hand and introduced Thors, Allen, Lavia, and the others as he led them toward the palace.
During that time, Lavia noticed her husband keeping his head lowered as if deep in thought, so she said in a mocking tone, “Worried about Dia?”
She had only meant to vent her dissatisfaction, but Thors’ reply left her stunned.
“Belial… he’s here!”
Lavia was shocked. Her jealousy had long vanished, and she frowned, asking softly, “Belial? How do you know?”
Thors looked puzzled and shook his head. “I… can’t explain it, but I can sense his presence. And it’s getting stronger. I think… he can sense it too!”
“Thors…” Looking at her husband worriedly, Lavia sighed softly, took his right hand, and comforted him with a smile, “We’re not here to declare war on Belial. Didn’t the Grand Elder say that if Belial intended to cause us trouble, we wouldn’t be able to resist him now? But since he hasn’t appeared formally before us yet, it means he probably doesn’t want to be our enemy, right?”
“Doesn’t want to? Maybe he just disdains us…” Recalling Belial’s godlike gaze from his dream, Thors shook his head with a bitter smile.
Seeing Thors’ disappointed and gloomy expression, Lavia thought for a moment before deliberately mocking him, “Compared to Belial, I’m more concerned about another thing… Dia is also in Sasan, right? You won’t leave me behind and go find her in front of all these nobles, will you? I swear, if you dare do that and embarrass me in front of Sasan’s nobles, I won’t let you off!”

“You…” Thors was momentarily at a loss for words, his worries about Belial forgotten thanks to Ravia’s words. Shaking his head irritably, he said, “Okay, okay, it’s fine if I just stay by your side all day without saying anything, right?”
“That won’t do either!” Seeing Thors revert to his usual lazy demeanor, Ravia secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said willfully, “As my husband, just standing there dumbly—what’s that supposed to mean? Even if it’s a Sasanian noble, you must uphold the etiquette of the Vomisli family. I don’t want to be looked down upon by those extravagant and impractical nobles…”
“Okay, okay…”
Behind them, the werewolf Connel shook his head with a smirk, then seemed to remember something and murmured, “Belial… is that guy really that strong?”
In fact, aside from Thors and the elders of Vandel, most people were skeptical about Belial’s strength. They believed the grand elder had exaggerated the truth, especially Connel and the demon Simonley. Even Ulric, a vampire from Vanzo, had some doubts, as they themselves possessed powers far beyond human comprehension.
Half an hour later, guided by Vincent Flores, Thors and the others arrived at the palace. Even Allen, who came from Operelles, was astonished by the extravagantly luxurious decorations inside. Of course, he wasn’t surprised by the Sasanian nobles’ wealth—it was the fact that they spent it on such extravagance that surprised him. After all, the merchants of Operelles, who possessed wealth equivalent to three layers of that of the empire, usually led very simple and frugal lives. Rather than spending on lavish meals and decorations, they preferred to use that money to build armies or expand their businesses for greater profits.
“Well then, please rest here for now. I’ll take my leave!” After leading Thors and the others into the palace’s lounge, Vincent Flores left. To be honest, though Allen disliked this guy, as a legitimate noble, Vincent Flores hadn’t done anything to undermine noble etiquette. Even though Allen frequently mocked him, he never reacted excessively. In that regard, he truly deserved to be the future heir of the Flores family—a remarkable nobleman.

“Hey!” Watching Vincent Flores leave, Allen wore a peculiar expression before glancing around the room. He casually picked up a few bottles of fine wine from the counter, followed by Connel’s chuckle. As someone from a merchant class, Allen wasn’t bound by noble etiquettes; far more casual than the nobles, he acted freely.

So, Allen, Connel, and Simmonly started drinking the wine in the lounge without the host’s permission. As they drank, the door suddenly opened. Genevieve Dorby, the leader of the Theralanders, along with Tami Sampford, their top warrior, entered under the guidance of a servant. They were stunned by what they saw inside—the palace, after all, was at the heart of the empire!

“Wow!” Seeing the two standing frozen at the door, Allen raised his glass and said with a smile, “Join us?”

Smelling the aroma of the fine wine, the two Theralander representatives licked their lips, exchanged a glance, and happily approached Allen and the others. After all, none of them were outsiders here.

“Mm, a bit light, but the taste is really good…” After finishing the wine in his glass, Tami licked his lips, still wanting more, and said to Allen with a smile, “When I first met you, I thought you were a bold kid. I didn’t expect… you’re amazing!” He gave a thumbs up—after all, he was also the kind of daring person who would otherwise have encouraged his entire tribe to attack Galic’s payroll.

“Tami!” Compared to Tami, Genevieve Dorby, the Theralander leader, was much more composed. After glancing at the door, she whispered to Allen, “Allen, do you think they’ll be willing to give back what they’ve got?”

“Willing?” With a cold laugh, Allen glanced toward the door and sneered, “Of course not. But if they don’t, I’ll be the first to deal with them!”

“Great spirit!—That’s exactly what I think. That guy, Viv, is always too cautious. We might as well go to war with the Sassen!” Tami said approvingly before licking his lips at the wine bottle in Connel’s hand.

“Shut up, Tami!” Genevieve Dorby sighed helplessly and shook her head. “War isn’t the best way to resolve disputes, Tami, and Allen too… Although I personally lean toward your side, my people need rest… Oh, thank you for the Operrials’ relief supplies—thank you so much!”
“It’s no big deal!” Allen chuckled, then touched his chin covered with sparse beard hair. Glancing at Ravia and Thos, who were whispering on the sofa nearby, he said meaningfully, “The Flores family isn’t that foolish. Right now, our forces in the west are clearly stronger than theirs in the east. Oh, and you need to be careful, as you’re under the watchful eyes of Galk and Sassen. If anything happens, I won’t be able to rescue you in time…”
“Mm!” Viv nodded and said softly, “I’ve thought about that too. That’s why I’ve asked my people to keep a close eye on Galk and Sassen’s military movements. If it weren’t for you coming as well, Tami and I wouldn’t have dared to enter Sassen’s territory rashly… I hope we can get a fair share of the benefits this time. Although we’ve taken control of many cities due to the war, we still lack food…”
“Don’t worry about food!” Allen laughed, dispelling Viv’s concerns. Following the principles of a merchant, he made every effort to win over the Theralanders, as they were the only force in the Western Alliance that controlled some cities in the east.
Later, after dealing with some matters, Scott also appeared before Thos and the others, accompanied by the knight puppet Knight and the demon god Lelarkin. It could be sensed that the relationship between Allen and Scott seemed much worse. Although nothing unusual occurred during their conversation, Allen began to speak to Scott in a more formal tone, unlike his casual manner with Thos, Cornell, and the others. It seemed Scott had noticed this as well.
The coronation ceremony was held in the huge square outside the palace—a vast space capable of holding thousands of people. Three hours before the ceremony, a royal guard force of two thousand men was already stationed there. To ensure the ceremony went smoothly, they sealed off the entire surrounding area.

As noon approached, signs of the coronation ceremony beginning appeared. Vincent Flores, the host, reappeared before Thos and the others, inviting them to attend Prince Theo’s coronation. Besides Thos and his group, many lords and city rulers sent representatives, along with the upper nobles of Sasan. The entire vast square was almost filled by these powerful figures; there were hardly any commoners, who could only watch from a distance of over two thousand yards.

It was a long time after Thos, Lavia, Allen, and the others entered the square that the former Prince Theo finally showed up, late as ever. He wore a pure gold crown and a red robe trimmed with gold edges, emerging slowly from the palace accompanied by several prominent Sasan nobles.

“Hey, it does look pretty proper!” Allen, who had been waiting impatiently, said sarcastically.

Led by the Flores family members, the Sasan nobles in the square cheered as proof of their support for this thirteenth Sasan king. In contrast, Allen’s group seemed unenthusiastic, as they were more concerned about the upcoming meeting to discuss the distribution of power—they hadn’t come for such a trivial coronation ceremony.

It must be said that as descendants of the Sasan king, the royal authority was in a rather awkward position.

Prince Theo, the former first prince who was about to ascend the throne, seemed very excited, as he had finally regained what belonged to him. With a smile, he began reciting long and tedious odes praising past Sasan kings and the empire, which made Allen yawn repeatedly.

Just then, Thos, standing beside Lavia, suddenly frowned and said, “He’s here!”

“Huh?” Lavia, who was chatting with the queen’s puppet, Queen Quin, didn’t hear clearly at first and asked doubtfully, “Here? Who?”

Thos frowned again and repeated in a low voice, “Belial!”

“……”

—Meanwhile, outside the square—

As Thos had said, Belial, almost entirely covered in a gray cloak, appeared before the royal guards. Behind him followed the king’s puppet, Cain, and eight legendary demons.

One of Belial’s followers, “Death’s Servant” Simachimo, sneered, “Hehehehe, what a lively scene! Those fresh bodies and blood—how I long for them, hehe…”

“Shut up, Simachimo!” Glancing at Simachimo, Kane said in a deep voice, “Don’t forget our main task!”
Simachimo smirked darkly and said with a cackling laugh, “As you say, Lord Kane…” Then he secretly glanced at Belial, who had a solemn expression, and whispered, “Rest assured, Belial. That flesh and blood is sufficient as material for the magic circle. Combined with the numerous soul powers you possess, it will definitely open the gates to the Land of Death. However, I find it strange—why must it be Sasan?”
“Because Sasan is the birthplace of black magic,” Belial said expressionlessly, gazing at the crowd in the distance. “Countless black magicians have experimented with magic here, so this land is imbued with immeasurable dark power. This is why Argus chose to build a dark altar near Sasan… What we need to do is use the magic circle to reactivate the dark power already inherent in this city, built upon darkness. With this power, along with the strength of many souls, we can open the gates to the Land of Death… Waste no time!”
“Yes, Lord Belial!”
“Who are you?” The royal guards stationed near the square to maintain order appeared before Belial and the others immediately, sizing them up with suspicious eyes. They said in a stern voice, “That’s where His Majesty the King holds his coronation ceremony. Unrelated people are prohibited from approaching!”
“We’ve been stopped…” Thief Duke Waliver licked his lips and said with a smile, “Should we force our way in, Lord Belial?”
“Ah,” Belial nodded slightly and said calmly, “Trouble you then! I don’t want to waste too much time!”
“I understand…” With a hehe laugh, Thief Duke Waliver drew the two daggers at his waist. Instantly, he turned into a shadow that flashed rapidly. The royal guards were killed almost without any resistance.
“Daring to block Lord Belial’s path—how foolish!” A thunderous roar was heard as Tyrant Bal’s entire body flashed with intense lightning. He spread his arms, and the lightning, as if alive, swept through the royal guards. Anyone struck by it was turned to charcoal by the powerful energy, their deaths terrifying.

“What a terrifying power,” Simachimo said with a sneer as he glanced at the royal guards killed by lightning. “Stop it, Bal. I still need the blood of these humans to summon the magic array… Don’t ruin Lord Belial’s plans!”
“Uh…” As if remembering something, Bal reluctantly stopped what he was doing.
Meanwhile, Lilith, who was in a room of the palace with Dia, watching the crowded square, frowned and murmured, “Are those guys? What do they want?” Just then, she felt a slight pain in her chest—clearly, her injuries from before hadn’t fully healed.
“Lilith? What’s wrong?” Dia asked in surprise.
“N-nothing… it’s nothing.”
Like Lilith, all humans with considerable strength gradually felt a powerful force coming from outside the square, especially Thors…
By then, Prince Theo had finished reciting the long and tedious incantation and was about to receive the scepter symbolizing imperial power from a duke when the entire square suddenly fell eerily silent. In the center of the square, someone dressed in a gray cloak had appeared out of nowhere.
“Belial…” Feeling the immense, black-hole-like power emanating from him, even mighty Thors couldn’t help but shudder.
“Who? Is that guy Belial?” Allen, who was near Thors, watched Belial standing in the center of the square with interest and said with a smirk, “Hey, what does he want?”
As he spoke, his smile froze as he saw chaos arise among the crowd in the square. Then, among the dispersing crowd, several people also dressed in black cloaks stepped into the square one by one, with a path paved with the corpses of royal guards behind them.
“No way…” Allen was stunned. Although he already had a feeling that the coronation ceremony wouldn’t go smoothly, he never expected those guys to be so insane as to kill the royal guards who were maintaining order just to get into the square where the ceremony was taking place.
“You… who are you?!” Prince Theo seemed extremely angry.
But Belial didn’t even seem interested in answering. He simply said to the demons behind him, “Start!”

“Yes, Lord Belial! — Leave it to me!” The speaker was Valiver, the demon known as the Duke of Thieves. He grinned at the bewildered nobles, suddenly clenched his right hand, and instantly, the shadows beneath their feet twisted around their masters’ necks… With a wave of his right hand, nearly a hundred nobles turned into headless corpses, collapsing on the ground as their bright red blood stained the brick-paved square.

Legend has it that Valiver is the ruler of the world of shadows. Not only can he blend into any shadow, but he can also command them. Hence, he is also known as the “Duke of Shadows” and is one of the most skilled killers among demons, especially when targeting defenseless humans. Amidst the continuous screams, Valiver seemed delighted. He licked his lips, trembled, and chuckled, “What beautiful screams! They make my blood boil…” As he spoke, he suddenly sensed something, his expression changing as he quickly merged into the shadows beneath his feet, only his eerie black head remaining, frowning as he stared at the humans attacking him.

With an interested gaze, Scott had somehow appeared not far ahead of him. His raised right hand emitted a dangerous black glow as he said coldly, “Do you know what you’re doing?!”

“Heh!” With a strange laugh, Valiver transformed into a shadow and moved across the ground at incredible speed, aiming straight at Scott. But just as he was about to reach him, three arrows shot swiftly and accurately struck the shadow on the ground, causing Valiver to pause momentarily. Revealing his eerie black head, Valiver stared in surprise at the man standing behind Scott, holding a giant bow. With a serious expression, he frowned and said, “Lelarkin?”

“[Duke of Shadows] Valiver?” Lelarkin, standing beside Scott, also showed a serious expression. Frowning, he whispered to Scott, “He’s a demon! And he’s ranked sixth among them…”

“Is he that strong?” Scott asked in a low voice.

Lelarkin hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “One-on-one, I have no chance of winning! — My arrows are ineffective against demons! At best, they can slow down wound healing, but this guy can blend into shadows. When he’s in shadow form, he hardly suffers any damage!”

As they discussed this, Whaliver emerged partially from the shadows, looking at Lelarkin with mockery and saying, “Do you intend to stop me, Lelarkin? You should know you can’t defeat me, but your arrows are indeed a hassle…” With that, he snapped back to reality and shouted at one of the demons beside Belial, “Babatos, leave him to you. No problems, right?”
Under Lelarkin’s astonished gaze, the demon standing beside Belial—also the legendary archer Babatos—removed the gray cloak covering his body, revealing his usual gray archer’s attire. Holding a giant bow, he said to Lelarkin calmly, “It’s been a long time, my brother! —Karl Lelarkin!”
Under Scott’s puzzled gaze, Lelarkin’s hands gripping the giant bow trembled slightly as he murmured, “Renast Babatos… It’s really you?”
“Is that how one addresses one’s own brother?” The demon Babatos finally opened his eyes, which had been closed, and after staring at Lelarkin deeply, he said disappointedly, “I can sense your fear of me… Step aside, Karl! —You pose no threat to me!”
“Well… that’s not necessarily true!” With a fierce look in his eyes, Lelarkin suddenly raised his bow at Babatos. But before he could aim, his whole body trembled as he glanced at his chest—there, three arrows piercing through his body were trembling…
“How is that possible?” Scott murmured, seeming to notice something wrong. “There… no flight trajectory?”
“That’s impossible,” Lelarkin said, struggling to pull out the three arrows stuck in his chest. Looking at Babatos, he said self-mockingly, “My ability is such that as long as I’ve seen someone’s appearance, the arrows I shoot will never miss, and I can ignore distance. No matter where they run, I can hit them… As for him, he ignores time. The moment the arrow is shot, it can hit its target. As long as they’re within his line of sight, no one can defeat him… This is my brother, a more powerful archer than me—Renast Babatos’ ability!”
“Since you know this, step back!” Babatos said calmly, raising his bow at Scott. “It’s tragic for a demon to be used by such a weak human, Karl! —Let me free you!”

Although Scott managed to activate his domain, [Endplace], in time, he was unfortunately still a fraction too slow. Though he succeeded in corroding the tail of the arrow, the arrowhead still struck his shoulder.
“Huh?” Renast Babatos showed a hint of surprise on his face and murmured, “You can even corrode my arrows? It seems you’re not some weak human after all!” With that, he took out three arrows from his quiver and sneered, “But anyway, you still must die…”
“Scott!” Amid Lelarkin’s slightly anxious call, three sharp sounds were heard as Renast Babatos’ arrows were all knocked down. After all, Renast Babatos didn’t possess the ability to guarantee a hit like his brother Lelarkin.
“Hey, hey,” Allen said cheerfully, standing in front of Scott with his knight’s sword in hand. “Though this guy sometimes really irritates me to the point where I want to beat him up, he’s still my friend. I can’t let you kill him so easily!”
“Allen?” Scott’s eyes showed a hint of confusion.
“I’m not saving you,” Allen said indifferently after glancing at Scott. “I’m only saving my friend Scott, not the new noble of Sassen, Duke OGill. Remember that!”
“…You bastard!”
“Hey!”
At that moment, another demon god beside Belial pulled off his gray cloak. It was the demon god known as the ‘Will of the Warrior,’ Elioq. He watched Allen with interest and said with a grin, “I’m surprised you could block Babatos’ arrows, human. Let me be your opponent!” With that, he spread his arms and charged at Allen.
But just then, as if a gust of wind swept past Allen, a dark shadow rushed past him and faced Elioq head-on.
With a loud crash, Elioq’s fist collided with a sturdy onyx knight’s sword, forcing him to retreat several steps. He raised his head in shock to see a knight in black armor sitting proudly on a undead warhorse, staring down at him.
“Simonley?”
“Oh, Elioq!” Simonley, still on his warhorse, pointed at Allen and said calmly, “That guy is a human I recognize. I can’t let you kill him so easily! — Let me be your opponent!”

“Hahaha, is that so?” Eirwen, dressed only in simple leather armor, laughed heartily as she looked at Simmonley. “Interesting, really interesting. Having you as my opponent seems quite good too!” As she spoke, her expression changed, her muscles swelling dramatically as she threw a punch at Simmonley’s Obsidian Knight Sword, sending him staggering back several steps. Looking at Simmonley’s serious gaze, Eirwen laughed wildly and said, “But don’t forget—my rank is far above yours!”
“Rank?” Simmonley snorted coldly and charged at Eirwen on his warhorse, but it was hard to believe that her fists could be as tough as obsidian.
“Lerajin, Simmonley… Oh dear, what an incredible obstacle!” The Duke of Thieves, Valiver, glanced at the nobles who seemed stunned, then chuckled. “Still standing there like fools? I really admire your stupidity. But… hehe, let’s continue this magnificent slaughter!”
As soon as he finished speaking, his expression froze—because he noticed a human in a black robe appearing before him, speaking to him in a gentle and kind tone, “Please stop, mighty demon god. Life is a gift from the gods; it is precious. As servants of the gods, what right do we have to take away others’ right to live?”
“Heh!” Valiver grinned and waved his right hand. With a crack, the human’s head fell off instantly. Staring at the head rolling on the ground, Valiver said madly, “What foolish humans! Why try to stop me? Wouldn’t it be better to hide now? No more of your so-called precious life…”
But as soon as he finished speaking, a sigh from the head on the ground made him widen his eyes in shock.
“It seems you’re the kind who won’t listen to advice…”
Under Valiver’s astonished gaze, the head and its owner turned into blood with a pop, forming a grotesque figure with demonic wings on its back—completely the opposite of its handsome and polite human appearance earlier.
“Following the will of the gods, I will stop your cruel actions here, mighty demon god…”
“You…” Sensing some kind of crisis, the moment the other raised his right hand, Valiver merged into his own shadow, saying in confusion, “You’re not human…”
“Oh, I’m a vampire, Vampire Ulric Vlad!”

Meanwhile, aside from ‘Prophet’ Vashak, ‘Death’s Servant’ Simachimo, and the weak Hampa, Belial’s top lieutenant, the Tyrant Bal, seemed to be provoked by the bloodstained air in the square as well. He began killing among the fleeing nobles, but to avoid disrupting Belial’s plans, he did not use his special powers as the ‘Lord of Thunder’. Just as Bal was about to reach the area where Ravia was, his hand, which was killing humans, was grabbed by another powerful right hand. Among those present, aside from Thos, only the werewolf Connel could do such a thing. Looking at the thick fur on the other man, who resembled a humanoid beast, Bal frowned and said, “You… want to die, human?!” “Die?” With a wild laugh, Connel showed a scornful smile and taunted, “Go ahead and try! Try to kill me…” “Heh! Interesting!” A cold glint appeared in the Tyrant Bal’s eyes as he punched Connel. With two muffled thuds, both Bal and Connel were sent stumbling back two steps by each other’s punches—their raw strength was evenly matched. “What’s… your name?” “Connel, Jean Connel!” Under Prince Theo’s incredulous and furious gaze, the entire square had turned into a fierce battlefield, with groups of beings beyond human comprehension fighting using various unimaginable powers. The culprit behind it all, the protagonist standing motionless in the center of the square, seemed to be focusing his gaze on Thos, who was standing beside Ravia… “Don’t go, Thos…” Ravia, who usually adhered to justice, seemed to back down this time as well. She tightly held Thos’s hand and shook her head repeatedly, because the opponent this time was simply too powerful… Thos gently patted Ravia’s worried hand, broke free, took a few steps toward Belial, and looked at him with a complex expression. “I said that back then, didn’t I?” Belial said calmly, with a faint smile on his face, “Perhaps we would meet in the future. Sure enough, we have met…” Looking at Belial’s indifferent smile, Thos couldn’t help but recall that ‘dream’ from years ago, the hellish cruelty depicted in it, and the words of the Grand Elder. Belial—a man with the power to overthrow the entire world…