The hall where Hamel and Vlad Chepesh had vanished.
A cold silence stretched between Hamel’s party and the captain of the guard, weapons leveled at one another.
Soon Ono frowned and spoke in a low voice.
“This is—”
“Yes. It’s the same as before.”
Lena and Daniel nodded.
The climactic battle at Sturnhelm remained vivid in their memories. The demon, tricked by the party and trapped in the crow’s body, had vanished with Hamel at the last moment. Just like now.
Later Hamel had explained that incident. He said they’d been drawn into the demon’s ‘domain,’ a special space cut off from reality.
“Kid. Didn’t you say that thing barely escaped back then too?”
“Yes. He definitely received help from Lunacornus.”
“I remember. He only survived then because of me, didn’t he?”
Daniel, weapon leveled at the captain, replied with a wry expression.
“…Though he did strip the Glenval family’s coffers, mind you.”
“I offered the tribute, so it was thanks to me.”
“…”
Faced with Ono’s brazen attitude, Lena and Daniel fell silent. If Reikard Glenval had been here, he might have grabbed Ono by the scruff of the neck.
“Anyway, this is bad. There’s nothing here worth offering as tribute, is there?”
“That’s not the problem.”
Daniel tilted his head at Ono’s murmur. The captain of the guard had stood motionless since earlier. If anything was different from before…
“There are way too many.”
Soldiers packed tightly around the party. There wasn’t room for more to enter, but behind the tapestries countless troops had gathered.
Ono glanced around and snorted. “They’re nothing you could even rank. Clean them up by yourself.”
“…What an idiot.”
Daniel’s face twisted as he spoke. “I don’t know about the others, but that captain and the knights behind him are different.”
“…Strong?”
“They’d be around upper-rank knights.”
“…”
Upper-rank knights—the empire only kept a hundred of them. He had thought the north was the end of the road where such people roamed like the ground beneath one’s feet.
“…Being an upper-rank knight isn’t that big a deal, right?”
“Then Ono, you can fight those guys.”
“…I’ll pass.”
Ono quietly tucked his tail and hid behind Daniel. Lena watched and could only sigh in exasperation.
At that moment.
─Kyaaaark!
A roar cut through the hall, followed by the acrid stench of beasts.
“…What now.”
Just as Ono muttered that.
─Clang
A massive spear shattered and something black slithered through the breach alone.
“Kruk.”
A bear-like, black bulk with a disturbingly human face curled into a slight smile.
The party recognized them instantly: the monsters that had slaughtered hunters at the ruined Rio domain’s castle. Hamel had said those might once have been human.
“Phew. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
Daniel gritted his teeth. “Shoot.”
The captain, who had kept his mouth shut, finally opened it. Daniel flinched sharply, thinking the creatures would attack. But what happened next exceeded his expectations.
─Pabababak
“Grrrrk!”
Dozens of arrows punctured the bodies of the monsters that had burst through the spear. The beasts foamed at the mouth, staggered, and fell back through the breach, collapsing in a heap.
Then the sound of monsters crashing down echoed from inside.
‘Infighting?’ Daniel couldn’t make sense of it. He checked the party’s reactions just in case, but…
“W-what is this now. If this keeps up, the thornwood giants will—”
“Wait a moment, please.”
“What! Kid, do you know something?”
“No. Isn’t this just an entertaining spectacle? Demons brawling among themselves.”
“…?”
Ono stared at Lena as if she were mad. Daniel’s expression as he listened to their conversation wasn’t much different.
‘It was my mistake to expect anything from them,’ Daniel sighed.
At that moment the captain of the guard began to move.
─Flinch
Daniel had only a moment to be wary as the man approached. Contrary to expectation, the captain passed by the party and stood before the hall’s doors. He calmly issued an order.
“Form a spear wall.”
No sooner had the command been given than the surrounding soldiers tightened into a shield wall, spears bristling toward the doors—the side opposite the party.
“Kyaaaark!”
The horde of monsters appeared the moment the formation was completed, hurling themselves at the spears as if oblivious to pain.
By now the party couldn’t be fooled: the captain and his men were not hostile. Daniel asked, “What are those things?”
The silent captain suddenly swung his sword. The speared, blood-splattered monsters that had charged crashed to the ground, their necks severed.
As he glanced up, the captain said, “They’re remnants.”
“Remnants…?”
“Vessels from which souls have been drawn as offerings. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Daniel’s suspicion confirmed, he wore a grim expression. Those monsters had once been human—sacrifices to Vlad Chepesh.
He asked again, bewildered, “Why are you helping us?”
The captain fell silent, and only after a long pause did he answer.
“Our master ordered us to ‘set you aside.’ Nowhere did he say to kill you.”
“…”
“So it’s right to keep you alive for now. You’re a nuisance—go hang out in that corner over there.”
A ridiculous sophistry. Daniel thought the man probably didn’t even understand the words he was spouting.
Roars rose from all directions: not just the corridors, but across the battlements outside the windows. Hundreds of monsters that had once been human swarmed in to hunt the only humans left in the domain—their last prey.
─Clang
Spears shattered again and more monsters poured through. The same scene played out repeatedly.
“Shoot.” Daniel watched helplessly as monsters that had been human attacked them—an ironic defense where beasts resembling humans protected the living. There was nothing they could do now. Daniel could only hope Hamel would return safely. If Vlad Chepesh came back, the captain who had been protecting them would no longer be on their side.
Hamel twitched the fingers inside his gauntlet. He lifted a greatsword as tall as a person with one hand and felt no weight.
Overwhelming power flooded him. Violent, domineering force ran through his whole body.
‘Is this what it felt like?’ He had felt something similar once fighting Karaksis, the frost dragon, in the dragon temple, and again when facing a lamia at Haidern port. Now, for the third time, he donned the armor.
Unlike those other times, his mind was clear. Hamel could tell why: ‘It’s probably thanks to the super-class sigil.’ Following Reteil, the Man-Faced Lion, he had newly gained the lamia sigil as well. The magi he had absorbed suppressed the dragon’s frenzy.
Hamel looked at Vlad Chepesh. “I didn’t think it’d be to this extent…”
Chepesh watched, visibly bewildered, as Hamel quietly raised his sword. When Hamel swung down with all his might:
─Flarak
Blue flames blazed along the blade’s arc and surged toward Chepesh. The other man calmly reached out and unfolded a crimson veil of protection.
“Azure Flame again, is it?”
His reaction was oddly underwhelmed, not what Hamel had expected. That complacency didn’t last.
─Fhrek
“…What!”
The shield Chepesh had spread melted instantly as the flames engulfed him. The blue fire clung greedily to his flesh.
“Ghh!”
Unlike before, the Azure Flame wouldn’t die easily. Chepesh tore burning flesh away and staggered, bleeding.
─Pajik
Something flashed in Hamel’s hand.
Talisman control ritual form (Open) Type 2. Shadow Lightning.
The bolt shot forth like a flash—too quick for the staggering Chepesh to dodge.
─Kraang!
A thunderous blast erupted where the black lightning struck, as if a real bolt had been hurled from the sky. Charred and smoking, Chepesh stood there, powerless.
Hamel muttered, “Black Spiris,” and unleashed hundreds of flame-swords into the sky. They plunged down like a merciless bombardment.
─Kwaaaak
The roar, more torrent than rain, shook heaven and earth. Hamel poured everything into Chepesh, Shadow Lightning twice its usual power.
‘If this keeps up, maybe…’ Drawing on his strength, Hamel gripped his sword and stared at the place where Chepesh had stood. The ground had been scoured; dust, smoke, and flames swirled.
Something moved. Through the raging fire, a figure walked with a leisurely step as if on a stroll.
─Tread-tread
Snorting as if satisfied, he stopped before Hamel.
“Hmm. Excellent.”
“…”
Hamel couldn’t find words for a moment. The man was startlingly intact: a gentleman in appearance—Vlad Chepesh.
He stroked his neatly trimmed mustache. “You startled me. To draw upon the power you’ve been gathering to hunt Diabolos—that’s something. I may have to give up hunting that thing this time.”
“…How?”
Hamel’s short question carried many meanings.
Chepesh shrugged playfully, twirled his staff, tapped the ground, and laughed. “I suppose you forgot. This is my domain. If you wanted to kill me here, you should have at least obtained divinity.”
Hamel didn’t fully grasp the words, but one thing was certain: there was no chance as things stood.
He hurried to find another way.
“It’s done now.”
“…?”
A voice came from behind Hamel. As he turned:
─Pook
Something cold and, at the same time, hot pierced his body.
Hamel saw a red spear protrude through his armor—piercing beside his heart, through a lung.
“Gurgle.”
Red blood trickled beneath Hamel’s mask, but he couldn’t stop. As he tried to turn:
─Kwachik kwajik
Dozens of spears pierced him, tearing his entrails to shreds. Only one place had been spared by the spears: the heart. He couldn’t move—pinned like an insect specimen.
Hamel had to look on helplessly as Chepesh approached, smiling wryly.
“To achieve this level of perfection with a mere human body is remarkable,” Chepesh said. “You managed not to be consumed by the dragon’s madness. In any case, I’ll make good use of your heart.”
His hand reached for Hamel. The scene unfolded in slow motion. The blue flames licking Hamel’s armor slowly died, along with the last of his life force.
‘To end like this.’ Hamel gritted his teeth. He wouldn’t allow it. He needed power. He wanted strength.
‘For the sake of power…’ In an instant, blue light flared in his fading eyes.
‘I’ll even embrace madness.’
─Suddenly upright
Chepesh’s hand, reaching for Hamel, halted. He tilted his head at the strange pressure. His opponent should have been dying; he only needed to pluck out the heart—so why this feeling?
─Pfaat
Chepesh hurriedly turned into mist and barely avoided Hamel’s outstretched hand.
‘…What?’
His limbs should have been impaled by the stakes. How had he gotten free?
“Ah.”
Vlad Chepesh could only stare blankly at the sight before him.
─Creak creak
Armor shattered as the body beneath it swelled. Hamel no longer held a human shape. A gigantic form grew until it filled the limits of the domain.
If one had to name that being in a single word…
“A dragon.”
Chepesh did not notice that his voice trembled faintly as he spoke.
