Chapter 36: The Fool (6)

Although Connel, Lelagin, and Ulric’s timely support saved Allen, Ravia, and the others from the threat posed by those three Immortal Kings, the situation on the central front was not so optimistic.
After the losses on both the northern and southern fronts, the central front had become the only stronghold for human armies in their struggle against Agus’s dark forces. If this area could not be held, the consequences would be catastrophic—not only would it affect the decisive battle against Agus, but it could also lead to the complete destruction of the entire allied army.
Worse still, facing those Death Knights—monsters unaware of what death meant—the morale of the allied forces wavered. After all, humans are intelligent beings with souls; in the face of extreme danger, they feel fear and terror. When such emotions escalate, chaos and even desertions occur.
The first to succumb was Abraham Banyard, the lord of [Yudel] who had chosen to side with Operelles. When his two thousand soldiers were nearly wiped out, his already weak resolve faltered. After all, he was just one of many nobles fighting for personal gain, never intending to sacrifice his life for his country—perhaps this was the common mindset among nobles these days.
The higher a noble’s status and the more power they held, the more afraid they were of death. This was an almost unchanging law in human society. Warriors who sacrificed themselves for glory or their country were rare. As knights declined, the ruling nobility also became increasingly corrupt. As Agus said, today’s nobles were no longer the honest, brave, and passionate nobles of the Saxon era—they certainly could not sacrifice their lives for what they valued.
Abraham Banyard’s retreat caused chaos in command among the few hundred soldiers he led. Without a leader, they were unable to mount a proper counterattack, creating a gap in the human defense line.
Allowing the tide-like forces of the Death Knights to exploit this weakness was tantamount to seeking death. Soon, the gap grew wider as the Death Knights surged through the weak points in the defenses, eventually breaking through. The human soldiers, who had only needed to hold their ground, found themselves trapped between enemy forces on all sides.
Eventually, one deserter appeared among the human troops, then another, and another…

Allen and the others, who thought they could take a breather for now, were horrified to find that the battlefield situation had almost completely tilted in Argus’s favor. In the vast central battlefield, only the soldiers of Altak and Galic, along with less than three to four hundred members of Allen’s Wind of Freedom Knights, remained.

“What the hell are those bastards doing?!” Allen, usually cheerful, roared like an enraged lion. “Come back, you bastards!”

But after all, he wasn’t the commander of the allied forces, nor did he have enough prestige to influence the soldiers’ wills, so he couldn’t effectively stop those deserters’ foolish actions.

“Stop wasting effort,” Scott said nearby, having killed a Death Knight with magic. Frowning at the situation behind them, he added, “This was expected, but not so soon…” His brows furrowed further.

Unfortunately, there were no discipline squads in the regular army. After all, in the days of King Sassen, when chivalry was at its peak, everyone revered bravery and glory, and desertions never occurred. Now, the empire resembled an aging man who had long lost its fighting spirit. Yet the nobles, who emphasized virtue and etiquette, refused to break the old rules. After all, using discipline squads was a cruel practice, reserved only for armies composed of prisoners. Perhaps this was what Argus meant by “noble hypocrisy.”

“This is bad…” Looking worriedly at the battlefield, Ravia wiped the sweat from her forehead and decided quickly, “Allen, Scott, we must hold this place until the battle with Sos ends. We can’t let it interfere with his duel with Argus—that’s our only hope… Allen, stay here. I’ll resist from the north. Scott, the south is on you!” With that, she waved her fire whip and shouted, “Warriors of Altak, follow me to support the north!”

“Ooh!”

“To end up in such a predicament… But it’s the only option!” Scott pushed up his glasses and whispered to the knight puppet Knight beside him, “Knight, gather Galic’s soldiers and follow me to support the south!”

“Understood!”

To avoid being completely surrounded by the Death Knight army, the only remaining force in the allied forces split into three. As Scott said, this was a very dangerous move, but to buy Sos enough time and prevent the entire allied force from being annihilated, they had no choice but to do so.

The army of Death Knights surged forward like a tide, mixed with an immeasurable number of skeletons summoned by the necromancers. They would not give up this hard-won chance to live in a world bathed in sunlight. Meanwhile, the black magicians capable of opposing those necromancers found themselves in a difficult predicament. After all, magicians who did not focus on physical training had extremely fragile bodies. Without physical shields to protect them from blades and arrows, they could not escape the Death Knights’ attacks. Worse still, due to the deserters, the command structure of the black magician group was in chaos. If Sos was here, his immense power would easily allow these black magicians to regroup, but Sos was busy fighting against Argus…

“Defend! Defend! — Where are the magicians?” shouted a Gallic officer anxiously. His words seemed to awaken the panicked black magicians, who then cast various spells. But what use were such uncoordinated attacks? They were like a small stone thrown into a lake—creating only a few ripples, nothing more. After all, they lacked the power of figures like Sos and Argus. In such a large-scale battle, their individual strength was negligible; only by fighting together could they resist the enemy—attacking and defending as one. Yet, the command of these magicians was in disarray. Some who were responsible for passing orders were scattered or killed by the enemy, making it impossible to organize an effective defense.

Allen noticed this. As the commander of Opheliers’ army, he was qualified to lead those black magicians, but right now he had no time to deal with it. Just defending against the enemies before him left him exhausted, let alone having the energy to command them. Watching as the Death Knights continued to shrink their defensive area, Allen grew increasingly anxious and muttered, “This is bad… really bad…”

Just then, countless bolts of lightning suddenly descended from the sky. Those arm-thick bolts knocked down a large number of the advancing Death Knights at once. Soon after, a clear voice rang out not far away.

“What chaos! — Follow my orders… Shield!”

Including Allen and those bewildered dark mages, the human soldiers in the vicinity instinctively turned toward the source of the sound. To their astonishment, in the slightly open area there due to the fall of some Death Knights, a young woman dressed in a magical robe had appeared out of nowhere… She wore a wide wizard’s hat and a robe adorned with countless gemstones forming magical circuits. The quality and quantity of those gems shocked even Allen, who came from a wealthy family—after all, not everything could be bought with money. With his keen merchant’s eye, Allen was certain that the magical robe on this woman was even more expensive than the entire cost of his own knight order, not to mention her other magical items, such as a wand embedded with gems the size of a child’s fist, as well as rings, earrings, and a necklace that shone brilliantly… “Who is she?—Has this guy plundered the treasury?” Allen couldn’t help but wonder. Of course, he wasn’t the only one with such ridiculous suspicions—didn’t they see that the dark mages nearby were frozen in place? They seemed utterly stunned… “What are you doing?” Seeming to notice Allen and the dark mages’ stunned expressions, the woman raised her hands and simultaneously cast fire and water magic, attacking the approaching Death Knights. She… was she a great mage? The dark mages nearby were truly shocked, but what surprised them even more was the power of the magic she wielded. She didn’t seem to exert any effort, yet her attacks destroyed hundreds of Death Knights in an instant… Especially her lightning magic—just one [Chain Lightning] sent a large group of Death Knights falling in unison. What incredible power! Allen was willing to bet that even Thos, as an apostle, could only achieve so much. Moreover, this woman cast her magic faster than his friend, using a wide variety of spells—water, fire, lightning—without showing any signs of strain, effortlessly unleashing powerful magic that left the dark mages in awe. More importantly, she dared to cast two different types of magic at the same time. Had you ever seen a mage casting a water shield with one hand while firing lightning with the other? Even in the entire magical world, no one could combine offense and defense like her…

“There’s not a flaw in her at all…” Allen stared blankly as the woman single-handedly held off hundreds of Death Knights.
This guy seems even stronger than Bithos…
Yes, stronger than Bithos—at least that wretched Sos can’t afford such a magnificent magic robe. Not to mention him, probably few people in the whole world could wear something like this. She’s completely armed to the teeth! Who is this guy?
As Allen pondered, the woman seemed impatient. She turned around and said irritably, “I came all this way to help you—what on earth are you doing?”
It was fine when she didn’t turn around, but once she did, everyone nearby was stunned, even Allen was frozen in shock…
So… so beautiful…
He had never seen such a beautiful woman before…
Her star-like black eyes, long eyelashes, milk-white and delicate cheeks, and slightly red, petite lips made Allen marvel at the wonders of this world…
Could there really be such beautiful women in the world?
Unconsciously, Allen, who thought he had seen much of the world, swallowed hard.
“Really,” the beautiful woman said with a slight frown and a helpless tone, “Reinforcements will arrive soon. Until then, in the name of Archmage Hastings, I ask you, Imperial Mages, to temporarily follow my commands!”
“Yes… yes…” The dark mages nodded blankly, showing no sign of resistance. But then they suddenly realized something and exclaimed in surprise, “Hastings? Archmage Hastings?”
“Mm,” the woman smiled coquettishly under the astonished gazes of the mages and said softly, “Jiana Malajiji Hastings—please take care of me!”
“Yes… yes…”
“And you too,” she suddenly turned to look at Allen, the beautiful woman named Jiana said with a light laugh, “Young commander!”
Facing such stunning beauty, Allen forced a smile and said awkwardly, “Okay, okay…” As he spoke, he wondered who she meant by “reinforcements.”
With the help of this Jiana, who possessed the power of an archmage—or even surpassed it—the once-disordered dark mages finally managed to organize an effective counterattack. Looking at her delicate appearance and the power of the magic she wielded, Allen found it hard to accept such a contrast.

It’s a bit like Avi… Hmm, no, it should be very similar to Senior Sister Dia… Hmm, that’s not right either; it’s like a combination of the two of them… As she was thinking, a clear voice suddenly came to her ears, “Seriously, don’t get distracted on the battlefield! — What are you thinking about?”
“Uh,” looking at that stunning face, Allen curved his lips and suddenly joked with a smile, “This sister is really amazing. If I have the honor, could I invite you for afternoon tea after this is over?”
“Tea?” A hint of a smile appeared on Gianna’s face as she waved her finger and also joked, “If it’s just tea, I might consider it. After all, you just called me ‘sister’—I can’t help it! — But before that, don’t get distracted again!”
“Really? You agreed?” Allen said in surprise.
“Hmm, just tea, young commander ‘brother’!” Gianna giggled, showing a mischievous smile.
For some reason, Allen suddenly felt guilty toward his wife, Lisa…
This woman… this woman who was only two or three years older than him seemed to possess a charm that surpassed even the women he knew, including Ravia, Senior Sister Dia, Lisa, Lelirra, and even Sister Abel. It was dangerous…
Allen, who had usually been a bit frivolous in such matters, suddenly had a strange illusion—that she might even be better at joking than him…
Before long, as the young and powerful mage Gianna had said, reinforcements arrived at the last moment—two armies. Those supporting Ravia on the northern front were the Theralanders, considered rebels. They drove chariots modified from carts, wielding spears as they charged into the battlefield…
“Theralanders?” Seeing those warriors with crude equipment, even worse than barbarians, Ravia, who had been relieved, showed a puzzled expression.
“Huh?” Suddenly, a strong warrior jumped down from the chariot, glanced at Ravia with a spear in hand, and said in surprise, “What are you doing here, kid?”
His tone made Ravia frown. When she looked up, she was surprised to find that it was Tami, the Theralander who had suppressed Allen with anger back in Ventoris City.
“While I’m grateful for your support, your words are rude! — As the acting lord of Altak, is there anything wrong with me being here?” Ravia said firmly, maintaining her dignity.

“A proxy lord? Altak?” Tamir, a warrior from Theraland, stared in astonishment at Ravia, the Altak soldiers surrounding her, and the fluttering Altak flag. He was momentarily stunned, then grinned and said earnestly, “I really didn’t expect this… Leave it to us from now on. You must be very tired, along with your soldiers!”
Although it was a kind offer, Ravia seemed unwilling to accept it. She shook her head, took a deep breath to steady herself, and then said seriously, “The warriors of Altak never retreat before the battle is over!”
Looking at Ravia in surprise, Tamir smiled and shrugged. “Impressive… Then let’s fight side by side! It’s an honor to fight alongside the most famous Altak warriors in the empire!”
“Heh!” Ravia smiled proudly, then raised her whip and declared loudly as a declaration of victory, “Forward, warriors of Altak!”
“Oh!”
Tamir gazed deeply at those Altak warriors. Though they were extremely exhausted, their eyes still shone with the will to fight.
“Truly worthy of being monsters that have fought against barbarians for over a hundred years… Tch!” Saying this, Tamir shook his head and shouted, “Remember our glory, people of Theraland!”
“Oh!”
Meanwhile, reinforcements seemed to have arrived at the southern front…
This war had been going on for over four hours now. More than half of the 4,000 Gallic soldiers had been killed, and their enemies seemed endless, which filled Scott with great anxiety.
Fortunately, Scott had the help of Prince Theo’s Royal Knights and the Gallic vampire forces, so the situation here was much better than on the northern front. Yet even so, it couldn’t stop the Death Knights’ relentless attacks.
Since the magicians remained at the central front to assist Allen, Scott’s southern front was almost entirely a melee battle. But the enemy had the help of necromancers, putting them at a severe disadvantage. Countless Gallic soldiers had already died under the bone spears of the necromancers.
Like Altak, the Gallic army was mostly composed of infantry armed with long spears, with very few cavalry. Archers? As one of the empire’s oldest knightly families, using crossbows in battle was considered despicable, so Gallics didn’t have any.

Thus, under the enemy’s magical attacks, Galic’s forces were completely at a disadvantage. They had to deal not only with the combined forces of death knights and skeletons before them but also evade the spells of necromancers, putting them in an extremely unfavorable situation with no chance to catch their breath. However, the arrival of reinforcements gave Scott a moment of respite, much to his surprise. It was a well-equipped and disciplined army. Scott considered Galic’s soldiers to be the best in the world, but these reinforcements were no less formidable. Looking at the bright silver cross emblems on their armor, it was easy to guess they were from Salonia—the main force of Salonia during the [Year War] twenty years ago, the Holy Crusaders! “Why are Salonian troops here?” Scott’s eyes showed doubt. Suddenly, a cold laugh came to his ears. Turning around, he saw a man around his own age mocking him, with several bone spears gradually turning transparent at his feet. “I thought you were a cautious person. What a disappointment, Scott! —Huh? Forgot me? Well, it’s better if you did!” “…” Hearing the mockery in his words, Scott opened his mouth involuntarily. Forget? How could he possibly forget! With a cold snort, Scott pushed up his glasses and said indifferently, “I’ve always thought I could have won back then… Gert Danzi!” It turned out that the boy who saved Scott was one of the friends Gert had gotten to know during his three years in Salonia—now a monk named Gert Danzi. “Oh? I didn’t expect you to say such irrational things!” Gert adjusted his single glasses, shook his head at Scott, and said expressionlessly, “Full of flaws… Such a disappointment! —Three years later, you haven’t improved at all!” “Damn it!” Faced with Gert, who shared similar personality and combat style, Scott gritted his teeth in anger and frowned, “Why are you Salonians here on imperial territory?!” “Hmph. Is that what you say to someone who saved your life?” Gert mocked lightly. Seeing Scott’s frustrated look, he shrugged and pretended helplessly, “There’s nothing I can do. It’s just an order!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud boom came from not far away. Scott instinctively turned his head and saw a teenager with a spiky hairstyle, waving a spear as thick as a pillar while laughing maniacally. “Hey, hey, hey—so this is the so-called Death Knight? He’s so easy to defeat! Are the Imperials really that useless…?”

“Gale Vizin?” Scott was stunned. In his memory, that guy was a monster with strength comparable to Allen’s.

“What an idiot!” Gest shook his head helplessly at Gale’s reckless actions and called out, “Hey, Gale! With such big movements, do you want to kill everyone around you too? Can you be any dumber?”

“You! You bastard! The one I want to kill the most is you!”

Watching the two arguing, Scott sighed helplessly. Just then, a cheerful smile came from beside him.

“You’re thinking they’re unreliable reinforcements, right?”

“Hm?” Scott looked up and saw a Holy Knight in silver armor. After removing his helmet, it was Eddie Neuhm Amherst—the same person who had missed the battle against Thors.

Beside him was a girl in a white nun’s dress, holding a thick holy book, looking pure and lovely.

“I didn’t expect to see you again under such circumstances!” Scott stretched out his hand to Eddie and said sincerely, “Anyway, thank you for your support!”

“You should thank Lord Bon Hamsworth, the new Cardinal. He’s the one who convinced Archbishop Alma Beard…” Eddie said with a smile after shaking Scott’s hand.

Next to him, the girl in the nun’s dress clutched the holy book tightly and asked Scott, looking a bit shy and hesitant, “Um… looking around.”

“Thors?” Scott was stunned. He glanced at the girl, then turned to point at the distance, about to speak when suddenly, a strong wind storm erupted on the battlefield, making it impossible for anyone to open their eyes.

Pointing at that area, Scott said with concern, “Can you feel it? Those two incredibly powerful forces! Thors is over there, and Argus too!”

“Ah!” Eddie nodded and said with a bitter smile, “It’s unbelievable that humans can wield such power… They’re practically monsters!”

“Sos is not a monster at all…” Beside Eddie, the girl with golden hair, Katerina Catherine Latimer, murmured in a barely audible voice, her hands clasped over her chest as if praying to some deity she believed in. As Scott and Eddie had discussed, on the distant central battlefield, two monster-like men were engaged in a life-or-death struggle. It was an open area where human armies had long since withdrawn. Even the Death Knights, who knew nothing of death, dared not set foot there, for the battles taking place there were beyond the power of this world—neither humans nor Death Knights had the right to intervene. Light and darkness, these two utterly opposing forces, clashed relentlessly. Within this area spanning two thousand yards in diameter, it seemed as though only black and white remained in the world, with no other colors at all… It had been over an hour since the two men first clashed. Such intense fighting had pushed even an Apostle to the limit… The area was completely destroyed; looking at the desolate landscape resembling a desert and the deep, bottomless ravines, one could hardly imagine it had once been a field. No wonder—after all, these two men possessed powers beyond even those of archmages! Even a strong man like Argus was breathing heavily and rapidly, yet his expression seemed extremely pleased! No, exhilarated! “Ha, hahaha!” Watching Argus laugh heartily, Sos took a few deep breaths. Glancing at the half-shirt hanging on his body, he frowned and pulled it off, revealing his strong and graceful muscles, as well as a necklace of wolf teeth around his neck. Of course, the most eye-catching feature was undoubtedly the black and white tattoos covering his entire body. “I don’t see anything funny about it!” “No, no,” Argus shook his head, struggling to stand up from the ground. Stretching his arms out, he laughed maniacally, “You don’t understand! This is the kind of battle I’ve been waiting for, Sos! Those worms outside can at most serve to amuse me. Only you—only fighting you makes me feel that starting this war was the right decision! Hahaha!” Like Sos, his black coat had long been torn apart during their earlier clash, revealing his dark purple skin resembling that of a demon, along with dark tattoos just like Sos’s. “To start a war just for this purpose? Argus, are you crazy?!” Sos said through a frown.

“Crazy?” Argus stretched out his right hand, his expression wild as he shouted, “Don’t you think this is only natural? It’s the right of the strong! Why can I destroy this country? Why can I make those nobles depend on me? Because I’m strong enough! Those weaklings can only survive by relying on the strong—ones like us! As long as you have enough power, you can order them to do anything, and they’ll submit to you like dogs. But don’t pity them; those ugly wretches are like unruly wild dogs. When they lose power, they’ll turn around and bite you…”
“You’re too deep in it, Argus…”
“I’m not wrong!” With a fierce swing of his arm, Argus showed a grotesque expression and said viciously, “This is the way the world works! The strong prey on the weak. The strong can reach the highest pedestals, while the weak serve as stepping stones. It’s an unchanging rule—just a rule! The rule of this world!”
Thors shook his head slightly. He could see that Argus’s mind was gradually becoming chaotic. The pure dark power he once possessed was now tinged with evil—Mammon’s influence.
Constantly eroded by Mammon’s power, Argus was slowly turning into a beast—fierce, cruel, and irrational…
What a pity, Apostle…
“I… hate the look in your eyes now!” The moment those words left his lips, Argus, who had been standing in the distance, suddenly appeared in front of Thors.
With a loud crash, both of them were pushed back by each other’s counterattacks, sliding dozens of yards across the barren ground.
“Damn it, I was careless…” Wiping the blood from his mouth, Thors struggled to stand up. At the same time, Argus, who had been laughing maniacally, also stood up from afar. Glancing at the white flames burning on his body, he chuckled and even extinguished them with his hand.
After all, those weren’t ordinary flames—they were white flames infused with divine power, a fusion of fire and holy light known as [Holy Flames]. Although their power wasn’t significantly increased, against dark forces, Holy Flames had an effect far beyond ordinary white flames.
But not all darkness could be driven away by light. At least, the dark power within Argus was enough to devour light, like a black hole.

The projection of Mammon summoned by Argus was still fighting against the three sacred angels summoned by Thoth. As long as their respective masters retained their strength, the summoned beings would not perish. This meant that the key to this battle lay with Thoth and Argus themselves.
At such a level, magic had actually lost its necessity; what mattered was the competition in mental strength, physical power, and mastery over [Primordial Power]…
And it seemed that no one in this world could achieve this, not even Thoth and Argus… Well, perhaps one person—just one!
Argus continued to laugh, but gradually, Thoth could no longer hear any joy in his laughter—only endless, heavy sorrow, regret, self-mockery, and longing…
Suddenly, Thoth seemed to understand Argus a little better. That man, who appeared like a demon, was actually just a pitiful and sad fellow…
After what seemed like a long time, Argus’s laughter ceased, and the insane expression on his face faded. He stared at Thoth with a complex gaze for a long while before saying in a calm tone, “Whether it’s you or me, our attacks have weakened greatly compared to before. Even apostles have their so-called limits, right?—Fighting is magnificent, but we no longer possess that now. It’s time to end this battle. Use all your strength—your next move!” With that, he took a deep breath, and the projection of Mammon, who was fighting against the three sacred angels, gradually turned from a solid form into a shadow before disappearing like foam in the wind.
“A pure competition of strength?” Seeming to understand something, Thoth also recalled the three sacred angels and gathered all the sacred energy in the vicinity.
For a moment, the entire space seemed to be frozen. Dark and light energies were constantly being drawn together, but they brought a heavy pressure. The ground began to shake, and small stones kept rolling around, as if even they could sense that unimaginable energy. Crackling sounds filled the air, as if the entire space was collapsing.
The entire battlefield suddenly fell silent. Countless people stared toward the area where Thoth and Argus were, feeling uneasy.

At that moment when countless people held their breath, the entire world seemed to lose its color. The forces of darkness and light surged upward, becoming the dominators of the world…
“Boom! Boom!”
The surface of the Brimme Fields gradually cracked. The intense energy impacts seemed to tear the land apart, creating deep ravines.
—Central Battlefield—
“Hey, hey, hey! There’s no need for such a big deal, right? That guy!” With a look of shock in his eyes, Allen shouted urgently, “Retreat! Everyone, retreat!”
“Such power… who on earth is it?” Beside him, Jaina stared into the distance with a doubtful expression.
—Northern Front—
Glancing at her master, Ravia, the Queen Puppet Queenyn gently placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered, “Don’t worry, it’s okay…”
“Mm!” Suppressing her worries, Ravia stared into the distance, clenching her hands tightly and murmuring, “Don’t lose, Thos!”
—Southern Front—
“This is really troublesome…” Scott sighed inwardly and said to Eddie beside him, “Order a retreat. Otherwise, we’ll get dragged into this too!”
“Yes, there’s no other choice!” Eddie shrugged helplessly and sounded the retreat horn.
Glancing into the distance, Scott pushed up his glasses and murmured, “Don’t die, buddy!”
…
The clash between darkness and light lasted for a full minute on this land before ending with a faint victory for light.
Just like in knightly novels, light would ultimately drive away darkness…
Thos was flung far away by the recoil of those two forces. Covered in blood, he lay on the ground, gasping for breath, too weak to move. Agus’s condition seemed even worse; he must have hit a raised rock during the impact and kept coughing up blood.
“What a shame…” Agus smiled self-mockingly as he lay against the rock, staring at the lingering forces of light in the air, feeling his strength draining away.
Somehow, he seemed to hear again the words once spoken by the great mage Gret Kaines.
“…To sacrifice everything for power is a foolish act. Even if you gain great power from demons temporarily, it doesn’t truly belong to you. Sooner or later, you’ll lose everything…”

“Tch! That old guy was right after all. Damn it!” Argus curled his lips, then shook his head self-mockingly. “But this is fine…” As he spoke, his eyes gradually covered in a deathly gray haze—his vision was deteriorating rapidly.
“It’s so dazzling…” Looking up at the sky with eyes that were losing their sight, Argus murmured with a hint of nostalgia, “That’s the light I once longed for so much…”
It’s all over, Claire…
Finally, the man who brought such upheaval to the entire world stopped breathing. The moment he ceased to breathe, his body turned into tiny black crystals that scattered like dust in the wind, leaving no trace behind.
And at the same time…
—Sasen’s Dark Altar—
“What a dull ending! Boring!”
Belial, who had stood with his eyes closed at the edge of the altar for a long time, suddenly opened his eyes and turned toward the giant black silver cup. With a stretch of his right hand, he absorbed all the souls that were wailing in pain around the cup into the darkness of his right hand, not leaving a single one behind.
Then, Belial glanced in the direction of the battlefield, snorted coldly, and said expressionlessly, “Let’s go! Cain, Hampa!”
“Yes, master!”