A sudden fierce wind blew. Dust rose from the ground, slapping my face, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

The wind soon died down, but I didn’t open them. Though I couldn’t see a thing, all my other senses sharpened. My heart thudded wildly with the fear of death, my lips trembled, a filthy hand brushed the crown of my head, and countless dark energies pressed down on the nearby earth.

Thud!

At that moment, a strong vibration shook my knees—heavy, rough footsteps approaching.

“Lord Belphegor, this is a report from the reconnaissance unit.”

Then, a grating voice pierced my ear like metal scraping.

“We’ve confirmed the appearance of the Thunder Emperor.”

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, Belphegor grabbed my hair tightly, and a sharp pain surged as if my whole head was being torn off. But the pain quickly faded, replaced by a flood of shock at the unbelievable news I’d just heard.

“Hah! I thought it was impossible, but he really came? Wait—he didn’t come alone, did he?”

“The contact was lost immediately after the first report. It looks like there are at least a thousand of them…”

“A thousand, huh? Then the Hamil bastards might all be here… Fine. Relay the situation immediately. We outnumber them by far, but don’t let your guard down. Each one of those bastards has fought us on equal footing multiple times—they’re not to be underestimated.”

“Yes, understood.”

The footsteps faded again. I struggled hard to hide my surprise.

He’s coming.

My brother and the Hamil clan comrades are coming to save me.

In that moment, an indescribable feeling stirred in my fear-soaked heart.

The one at the front dropped his armor, and the other five did the same simultaneously. Then, three on each side quickly stepped back, forming two lines facing each other, as if waiting for someone to enter.

“You still have enough strength to speak, right?”

The thought barely crossed my mind when it proved true. Someone walked through the rows of demons lined up on both sides. The voice was familiar.

“If you want, I could even help you put it on.”

Slowly, step by step, a figure emerged—a woman smiling slyly. It was Erwin.

“What’s the meaning of this?”

No matter how much I thought about it, the situation made no sense. After locking me up so thoroughly, why suddenly return my gear? I couldn’t understand.

“What do you mean? Meaning?”

Erwin raised an eyebrow, as if puzzled.

“There’s no hidden agenda. Your brother will arrive here soon. That’s all.”

“What?”

Snap!

At that moment, Erwin snapped her fingers sharply. Instantly, the chains binding my wrists and ankles fell away—not just mine, but Han So-Young’s as well.

Freed all at once, my body wobbled, unaccustomed to sudden freedom, but I managed to steady myself.

“There’s no time for long explanations, and you’re smart enough to understand this much. So hurry up and put it on.”

“Wait…!”

“Ah, I’m sure you understand I can’t release the restraints just yet, right?”

“…”

With that, Erwin turned and disappeared toward the entrance. Han So-Young and I stared blankly at each other for a long moment before the sound of demons handling the gear snapped us back to reality. Whatever was going on, it felt like an unspoken pressure to hurry up and get dressed. Unable to resist, I slowly reached out.

Surprisingly, the gear was well preserved. Not only the armor, but also the weapons—my sword and Victoria’s Glory—were all handed over. Only Excalibur was missing.

Setting aside the restraints, it felt awkward to wear the gear with my magic still bound. Still, thanks to the Shirt of Hope, I could move without much trouble. I quickly put everything on and stepped toward the entrance, where Erwin waited in the hallway. She glanced at me briefly, said nothing, and started walking.

I reflexively reached out toward her quickly retreating back, then withdrew my hand. I had a mountain of questions, but for now, it seemed better to watch quietly. I had my suspicions, after all.

Some time passed.

The place we were in was the uppermost floor of the Temple of Promise.

As we descended the stairs and navigated the maze, the only sounds were Erwin’s footsteps ahead, mine and Han So-Young’s, and the demons trailing behind like guards.

Then, suddenly—

“…”

A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me.

This was supposed to be my first time in this situation, so why did it feel like I’d been here before?

“A perfect day to die…”

Out of nowhere, a quiet muttering drifted through the air. Startled, I looked ahead, only to feel someone gently push my back.

“Ugh!”

I let out a small gasp—not because I was pushed, but because a sudden bright light flooded my vision.

The sunlight, so long unseen, was sharp and dazzling enough to make me squint. At the same time, fresh, clear air filled my lungs, replacing the heavy, oppressive atmosphere. Though my vision was still mostly white, I instinctively knew I had stepped onto the broad central platform.

The Temple of Promise is a massive structure made of three tiers. At the top is a church building with an arched roof, below it a temple with a columned entrance, and at the bottom, a wide, sturdy platform with long stairs supporting the two buildings.

I was somewhere between the lower and middle tiers.

As my eyes adjusted and my vision cleared—

“…!”

Looking down in stunned silence, I nearly cried out in shock at the crushing pressure bearing down on me.

Countless beings stood in perfect formation on the ground below the platform. Demons, users from the Southern Continent, users from the Western Continent, even fairies. Under a sky filled with white clouds and bathed in brilliant sunlight, they all looked up at the platform.

Seeing such an enormous army filling the vast land was staggering. Despite how many I’d killed, a significant number still remained.

But that wasn’t all.

What struck me was the tense atmosphere hanging over the crowd. If my guess was right, this was the meeting place where I would exchange the Zero Code.

Yet, the ominous war tension was so thick it felt like my throat was parched. I wasn’t imagining it.

Still, where was Thanatos? Why couldn’t I see him? Where was he?

“Where is Kim Yoo-Hyun now?”

Just as I searched for Thanatos, Erwin’s voice came. She seemed to have changed her tone, probably aware of the fairies nearby, but no matter how many times I heard it, it still felt strange.

“They passed through the gate a while ago. Recon reports… Ah, here they come.”

Astaroth, sitting casually on the edge of the platform, pointed to the left stairs. Coincidentally, a demon hurriedly ran up the stairs and bowed so hard it thudded.

“Reporting. Enemy approach confirmed.”

Enemy approach confirmed. At this point, I had no choice but to believe it. I’d been half in doubt, but my brother was really coming.

“They passed through the gate?”

“Yes. They should arrive in about twenty minutes.”

“How many?”

“Still about four thousand. The same number that came through the warp gate Melinus set up. The number hasn’t changed since then.”

“And…?”

“We sent out scouts to search within a ten-kilometer radius. No unusual signs. No reinforcements, no troops sneaking behind or flanking. Melinus already sealed the warp gate.”

While Erwin listened to the report, Astaroth glanced back and muttered.

“Honestly, I’m not sure letting them pass through the gate was the right call…”

Erwin waved the demons away with a gesture and nodded.

“It can’t be helped. Unless that man is insane, he wouldn’t come here alone. Four thousand is not a small number, but it’s within the range of a reasonable escort force.”

“But you still kept scouts out because you felt uneasy, right?”

“That’s true, but I don’t think they could pull off any tricks in this open plain. It’s one of two things: either that’s their full force, or they brought an escort.”

“Yeah. Unless they have wings like us.”

Astaroth chuckled to himself. It wasn’t funny at all, but Erwin’s thoughts were close to mine.

They said four thousand. Not a small force, but not enough to fight a full-scale battle. Erwin suggested two possibilities, but she probably leaned toward the latter. So did I.

In other words, my brother had chosen to negotiate after all.

Thinking that, a sudden ache blossomed deep in my chest.

Of course, I understood my brother’s desire to keep me alive, and I too had a deep yearning to live. But when I actually thought about giving up the Zero Code, an inexplicable emptiness washed over me. I couldn’t quite put it into words, but somehow, it just felt wrong to do that…

But there was no other way.

“…”

Really…

Is this truly how it ends?

“Huuuu…”

Unable to bear the suffocating weight of it all, I let out a long, heavy sigh. The place was engulfed in silence, broken only by the occasional murmur of voices. Maybe because of that, my sigh seemed to echo louder than usual. Then, suddenly—

A murmur, a stir!

“Hm?”

Out of nowhere, a noisy commotion rose from afar, accompanied by someone’s startled exclamation.

“…Look, they’re coming.”

At Astaroth’s voice, the restless energy spread like ripples in every direction before anyone even realized it.

---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------

Kim Yuhyun: Hahahahaha

Satan: What’s so funny? You only brought three thousand.

Mar, Ansol: Hahahahaha

Satan: W-we have Thanatos back on our side…

GeXX, SuX: Hahahahaha

Satan: …Ah, damn it. No way. This can’t be happening.

Kim Suhyun: Hahahahaha

Satan: Don’t laugh. Nothing’s decided yet.

Ro Yujin: Hahahahaha

Satan: Seriously, you too? How can you laugh at a time like this?