Chapter 765
—The King of Toorun is dead.

The sudden voice of the Minister of Magic echoed through the chamber.

Barsabe, who had been about to swing her sword in a wide arc, and the man looking up at her with fear both froze in place.

“Ah, ugh… please, spare me! Spare my life!”

“Did you hear that too?”

“Didn’t he say the king is dead? We surrender. We surrender unconditionally. Just spare my life, and I’ll give you everything I have…”

Barsabe hesitated for a moment. Did the death of the Toorun king mean the war was over? She was currently in the northern mountain shelter connected to the palace’s underground. With no way to know what was happening outside, she couldn’t tell if killing this man was merciless slaughter or just part of the war’s course.

But then Ian’s message continued.

—The god you worship appeared on earth itself, yet failed to protect even a single small human child. How can you call that a god?

So it wasn’t over yet. Barsabe raised her sword again, which she had slightly lowered, and the man, sensing his imminent death, pleaded while glancing behind her.

“Vanusa! Please!”

Shing!

That was his last word. He collapsed without even a scream.

Barsabe sheathed her sword and looked around. Over a hundred bodies lay scattered. Since she had taken them all down alone, the wounds were all identical in position and depth, as if measured with a ruler.

The corpses, covered in blood and dust, were all dressed in fine clothes. They were the nobles of Toorun who had taken refuge underground by the king’s decree.

Wiping her sword clean, Barsabe turned around.

“Vanusa, you didn’t have to stay so close. You probably just made things worse.”

“No, it’s fine. These people are of no use to Toorun. They only enjoy rights without any duties.”

“You heard the news about the king’s death, right?”

“Yes. It’s good news.”

Vanusa had been destroying the king’s weapons underground, while Barsabe had fled downward to avoid the palace’s collapsing ruins. Their meeting felt like a fateful coincidence.

“That good news makes me want to get out of here quickly.”

Barsabe muttered as she examined the walls and ceiling of the shelter. No matter how she looked, she couldn’t find an exit.

Vanusa nodded, turning her body into liquid form.

“Same here. I’ll check if there’s a way out.”

“Thank you. Please be careful.”

When the palace collapsed, Barsabe had been trapped in a small space connected to the underground, unable to move. The debris was too heavy to shift.

After struggling for a while, just as she was about to risk releasing her magic—

A soft sound.

“Don’t do that. Try crouching down here.”

“Ahhh!”

She had met Vanusa, who had transformed into liquid and slipped through the cracks in the rubble, spotting Barsabe in her Bariel uniform marked with the sigil.

Thanks to that, Barsabe had reached the palace’s secret passage and cleared out those hiding here.

Sighing, Vanusa disappeared, and Barsabe sank down slowly. Her comrades were risking their lives outside, and here she was, stuck.

Finding the northern mountain shelter was good, but it didn’t seem to mean much. She roughly wiped the dried blood with a handkerchief.

Suddenly—

Vanusa appeared again, looking troubled.

“Vanusa? You’re back already?”

“Yes. I can’t get out.”

“What do you mean?”

Vanusa, who could freely move through even the tiniest cracks in liquid form, had found many gaps throughout the shelter.

“It’s raining.”

“Rain?”

“Yes. But it’s not ordinary rain. Something alien is mixed in. It’s unfamiliar to call it an impurity… When I turned into liquid, it tried to seep in, so I hurried back.”

Vanusa shook her head, clearly puzzled.

Normally, even in liquid form, unwanted absorption or fusion didn’t happen. But this outside substance felt almost alive.

“I don’t know what it is, so I can’t risk contact.”

“So, once the ground dries, can we get out?”

“Yes. It’s still falling, so I don’t know when. Or we could return to the palace side. This place is all dirt and soaked, but the palace area is fine. I’ll slip out through a crack, check the situation, and ask the mages or others for help.”

It was risky, but Barsabe could also try releasing her magic herself. If she failed to escape on the first try, she’d have to bear the full impact of the debris.

She picked up her sword and stood.

“Then let’s head back for now.”

Just as Barsabe took a step with her sword in hand—

Rumble! Rumble!

The ground shook violently, as if it might collapse at any moment, the tremors relentless.

Sand fell from the ceiling, and the scattered corpses trembled helplessly.

“…!”

“Let’s run!”

Clatter!

If it collapsed, there’d be nothing to hold onto. At least heading toward the palace would increase their chances of survival.

Barsabe sprinted forward, and Vanusa lightened her body to follow swiftly.

Rumble!

The shaking didn’t stop. The closer they got to the palace, the clearer it became—the epicenter was right there.

“Damn it.”

Barsabe pushed open the entrance door they had come through and gripped the frame tightly. If the ground gave way or the doorframe twisted and blocked the exit, it would be disastrous.

Rumble!

The roaring noise continued for a long time. Barsabe’s heart pounded.

Though unseen, she could feel the explosive magic from the other side. The mages and the royal guard were desperately combining their powers, creating a fierce resonance. She bitterly regretted not being able to join the battlefield.

“Vanusa, can’t we get out here either?”

“No. The rain keeps falling. It’s starting to pool instead of flowing.”

Boom!

Rumble! Shing!

With every thunderous sound, an unexplainable pressure crushed Barsabe’s body—the aftermath of the fierce battle above.

Vanusa trembled and staggered, clearly feeling it too. They both leaned against the wall, trying to steady themselves, but darkness crept into their vision.

“Stay focused, Vanusa.”

“I can’t control it… ugh, what is this…?”

Boom! Thud!

Saying the world was shaking wasn’t enough. Through a faint crack, white and black energies intertwined and flowed.

Barsabe finally knelt, bracing herself on the floor with her sword, while Vanusa lost consciousness.

Gooooo.

Barsabe sliced her palm with the blade, trying to stay awake, but she sensed her limits approaching.

Before long, she too fainted without realizing it.

---

Thud. Thump.

Drip, drip.

“Help me here!”

“One, two, three!”

“Careful. Slowly, slowly!”

“Found a body! Imperial soldiers!”

“Found some here too. Looks like the search party that entered with Commander Barsabe’s royal guard.”

Barsabe’s eyes fluttered open to faint voices somewhere. It was dark, but light seeped in from various places.

After shifting her gaze a few times, she coughed. The debris must have shifted further from the explosions.

“Huh? Didn’t you just hear something?”

“Wait. Shh!”

“Ah…”

Barsabe groaned softly.

The noisy voices stretched on.

She shook her head and reached toward the light. A faint trace of magic flowed.

“Hey, over there.”

“Yes?”

“What’s there?”

“Ah, yes! I just heard a faint movement.”

“Right? Step aside.”

It was Beric.

Barsabe frowned and tried to sit up, but her left arm, crushed under heavy rubble, wouldn’t move.

“Vanusa.”

What about Vanusa? Worried, Barsabe tried to turn her head, but one by one, the stones above her were cleared.

Then a familiar face slowly appeared.

“…”

“…”

Beric looked down at Barsabe, who scowled back.

“Still alive, huh, molar.”

“You’re a little shit.”

“Can’t get out?”

“My left arm.”

“Okay, hold on.”

Beric called over some men and began moving the largest stones first. Once he cleared a path, four or five strong men rolled the debris aside, then another group cleared the rubble.

Watching this, Barsabe sighed inwardly. If only she had Beric’s strength, she could have cleared it herself.

“Commander Beric, there are survivors over there too.”

“Yeah, but this side first. We’ll be there soon.”

“Understood.”

Barsabe’s eyes widened, wondering if she’d misheard. Beric… commander?

Thud.

As the stone crushing Barsabe’s arm was removed, Beric lifted her body. Dust and small stones fell. Barsabe carefully grabbed his arm and asked,

“Wh-why are you—?”

Why commander? How come?

Beric didn’t answer but slung her arm over his shoulder.

“Get treated first. The war is over. Bariel has won.”

“Beric.”

“…Stay strong.”

It wasn’t just Jarrett. The Imperial Guard had suffered countless casualties as well.

Seeing Beric like this—so unfamiliar—Barsabe broke down in tears, her legs giving out beneath her as she collapsed.

Beric silently supported her, urging her to keep moving. They couldn’t stop now. How long were they going to linger among these ruins?

“Were you alone?”

“N-no. Banusa was with me. He guided me through the palace’s secret passages and stayed by my side until I lost consciousness. But now… I can’t see him anywhere.”

Beric glanced back. The soldiers were scouring deeper into the rubble, searching for any survivors. Barsabe wiped her tears on the back of her hand and asked quietly,

“…What happened to the others?”

“Well. Those who survived, survived.”

“The force was too strong—even down here, we couldn’t hold out.”

“Yeah. Ian really went through hell.”

“I-Ian Minister?”

The Undergod was the very reason Ian had come to the past. If they had repelled him, then what came next?

‘He hasn’t gone back, has he?’

She didn’t dare voice the thought. She knew all too well what Ian meant to Beric.

Barsabe cautiously studied Beric’s expression.

“Ian?”

Beric looked toward the approaching guards and replied,

“He’s been asleep for days. After everything he went through, it’s only natural. But the magic department’s been making a huge fuss, acting like he’s dead or something. It’s driving me crazy.”

“Oh. That’s a relief.”

“But since when have you been looking out for Ian? Take care of yourself first. Your left arm’s busted—like one of your own molars.”

“What? Hey, you mutt—ah, aah!”

Only then did the sharp pain in her left arm flare up. Barsabe bent her elbow slightly, inspecting the exposed bone. Thankfully, it was intact. Then, without thinking, she blurted out,

“I was just wondering where Ian went—ah!”

“What?”

“What are you doing? Stop twisting it—ah!”

“Where would Ian be going?”

“Huh?”

Beric stared at Barsabe.

She, in turn, found their oddly mismatched conversation strange and looked back at him.

Their eyes met in midair, confusion passing between them. What could she say? As Barsabe hesitated, a soldier came running up from behind.

“Captain Beric! It’s urgent! We need your help!”

“Right. I’m coming. Hey, help her up.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Get treated. We’ll talk later.”

Beric handed Barsabe over to another soldier and turned sharply. Barsabe just parted her lips, then nodded a moment too late. What was that…?

‘Something’s off.’

But that was all she could think.

Gripping her left arm again, Barsabe groaned. The pain was too intense to waste energy on strange thoughts.

…(To be continued)