Tap, tap.
Rustle, rustle.
As I stood up, the shattered remnants of my binding device scattered chaotically around me. My head felt light, almost as if I were dreaming.
I slowly bent my arms, then stretched them out fully. The magic circuits pulsed with more vigor than ever before. The freedom I’d regained felt utterly unfamiliar.
But then—
Waaaaaah!
The roar of cheers from ahead confirmed one undeniable truth.
My brother, calmly watching me.
Every single Mercenary Clan member, laughing and crying.
Users from the Northern Continent, raising their arms in celebration.
The souls of heroes waving at me as if to say “Welcome back.”
The monstrous bird leader glancing at me from thin air.
And Gehenna…
…Yes.
I had finally been rescued.
Even I hadn’t anticipated Ha Seung-woo’s last-minute disguise as Ansolro to fool Satan. What seemed impossible was achieved by my brother—and all my comrades—working together. They shattered every last obstacle the relentless devil threw at them and succeeded in saving me.
So now, it was my turn to live up to their expectations.
Fwoosh!
I unleashed my Flame Blossom ability, and clear, bright flames flickered into view. With Gehenna nearby, I had no fear for my life, but I hadn’t activated it recklessly.
When this power first awakened, Hwajeong called it a gift. At first, I didn’t understand what she meant, but over time, I realized.
I don’t control Hwajeong; we’re bound by contract. Though it’s never happened before, Hwajeong could refuse to lend me power if she wished.
But the Flame Blossom ability is different. Since it’s registered in my user profile’s latent ability slot, I alone decide when to activate it.
In other words, I used Flame Blossom for one reason: to pull Hwajeong back into user control, breaking the restrictions imposed by the Thanatos shard’s seal. Now that my magic had returned, it was entirely possible.
—Puhah! Puhahaa! Oh no! I’m dying here!
At once, my chest burned warmly, and a coughing voice echoed inside my mind. It was a voice I hadn’t heard in ages, one I’d longed for.
‘Hwajeong?’
—Hooah, finally… huh? Kim Su-hyun?
‘Hwajeong!’
—Kim Su-hyun! You…!
Hwajeong’s response was surprisingly intense. She must have missed me desperately.
—You little brat!
‘Yeah… huh?’
—I’m honestly baffled. While you were trapped, what did you say? Why did you break Thanatos’s seal? Did you call me crazy? Say you were disappointed?
‘W-wait a minute.’
—Are you stupid? I did it to save you! As long as you’re alive, there’s a chance! Look! Thanks to that, I got rescued! So what right do you have to spout nonsense?
‘…You were listening?’
Chirp chirp chirp chirp! Hwajeong’s voice rose sharply, almost as if she was venting everything she’d been unable to say while suppressed by the Thanatos shard.
Eventually, she calmed down when I reminded her the war wasn’t over yet and that revenge came first.
I couldn’t help but smile inwardly. It wasn’t the emotional reunion I’d expected, but maybe that was better. It was just a normal reaction, like always. Now that I’d regained Hwajeong, there was nothing left to fear.
But first…
“Ah!”
Grasping the opponent’s arm with my left hand, I channeled Hwajeong’s energy into her. Han So-young let out a short gasp. Having completely burned away her binding device, she must be feeling exactly as I did earlier.
At the same time, I stretched out my right hand and released Hwajeong’s energy with full force. The clear flames shot straight ahead, striking the retreating old man squarely in the back. Instantly, his entire body was engulfed in fire.
“Ughhh!”
He tried to hold back a scream, which was commendable, but that was all. From the moment I activated Flame Blossom, Melinus—or rather Belial—was no match.
By the time Melinus was reduced to a handful of ashes without a sound, I suddenly sensed a vacant gaze. An-hyun and Jin Su-hyun, lying nearby, stared at me in stunned silence. I smiled faintly and waved. It wasn’t so much a greeting as a gesture of thanks.
A moment later.
“Brother…”
“Brother…”
They both squinted, then embraced each other, sobbing uncontrollably. Don’t do that—embarrassment is my burden.
“Huh? What? You already got me out?”
A thin voice floated down from above. I glanced up, and sure enough, Suna was hovering in midair, looking down at me. One eye was slightly narrowed, as if displeased.
“Geez. I go and clean up the place, and this is what I get…”
Was that a hint of disappointment? Or was I imagining it? Come to think of it, the demon army that had filled the sky was now completely gone. No need to guess who did it. Whose daughter is this, that she cleans up so well?
“Suna.”
I spread my arms slightly, inviting her over. Suna’s mouth dropped open, then she smiled brightly and opened her arms in return.
“Bye-bye… oh, wait!”
Suddenly, her expression turned serious and stern. She froze mid-motion and crossed her arms awkwardly. Honestly, it didn’t look natural.
“What are you doing? Everyone’s watching! It’s embarrassing! So embarrassing!”
She was just being defensive to hide her embarrassment.
But she wasn’t wrong, so I turned my gaze back forward. There would be time to share the joy of reunion later.
With that in mind, I stepped forward and gently touched the crown of the woman lingering beside me.
“Ah…”
Ansol, who had been hesitating, flinched and shrugged her shoulders. No, I wasn’t even sure if this was really Ansol anymore. Though she looked the same as before…
‘User…’
‘…Kim Su-hyun!’
Her eyes flickered with a faint green light. The wings fluttering on her back. Most of all, she called me “User Kim Su-hyun,” not “Brother.” When she saved me, Ansol wasn’t Ansol—she was definitely a Seraph.
I had no idea what had happened.
“Let’s talk later.”
Ansol’s eyes flickered with surprise, then she nodded cautiously. That was the last I saw before I leapt down from the platform.
Thud!
The landing sounded loud, probably because of the height. But now that my strength had returned, it was easy.
All eyes on the battlefield fixed on me as I rose, brushing away the dust and walking forward slowly.
In truth, the war was essentially over. From the moment Suna appeared, the enemy’s morale plummeted, and when I was freed, they completely lost the will to fight.
After all, the demon army, a major pillar of their forces, had been annihilated. Anyone with eyes would know they had no chance. Even if they just stood there and watched, victory was assured.
Still, I had to go. I was sick of it all. To be precise, both the demons and I had been pestering each other for far too long. It was time I cut the ties myself—the fifteen years of bitter enmity that had stretched back to the first round.
“Kim Su-hyuuuuuun!”
No sooner had I thought that than someone charged at me like a storm. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Thanatos or a demon still burning with fighting spirit. The woman scattering dark energy as she ran was Eldora.
“Take that, Melinus!”
Ah, could it be because I killed Belial on the platform?
Suddenly, I felt a pang of pity. Eldora had come this far without knowing a thing. She didn’t even know why this war had started, let alone that her comrade had long ago been consumed by demons. At this point, I almost wanted to tell her the truth.
I considered drawing my sword to respond, but instead, I stood quietly and waited.
Because—
“Dieee… huh?”
Eldora suddenly froze just before reaching me. More precisely, the Excalibur she swung stopped mid-air as if by magic.
“Eh, Excalibur…?”
Of course, it was hard to believe Eldora stopped it on purpose. She struggled, her face full of confusion, trying to move her arm, but the sword didn’t budge. In fact, it clung to the air as if refusing to be wielded. Eldora’s eyes widened like saucers.
“Excalibur? Excalibur! Why? Why now…!”
When Eldora came to me trapped in the Temple of Promise, she asked what I’d done to Excalibur. Why it no longer recognized her as its master. Eventually, she realized the problem was with herself.
She was right. Back then, I could only guess. But now, with my senses heightened beyond limits by Flame Blossom, I could feel the sword’s emotions clearly.
Probably, when I thought Eldora was dead, Excalibur sensed her survival instinctively. After all, Eldora had accepted the Thanatos shard and succeeded in reviving.
So at that time, Excalibur refused to acknowledge me as its master. From the sword’s perspective, I was a thief who’d forcibly taken its owner, and it still longed for its true master.
But now, after enduring every humiliation and finally reuniting with the master he had longed for, Excalibur was deeply sorrowful. Eldora couldn’t possibly understand why.
Thanatos was a god embodying pure evil—so malevolent he once commanded an ancient dark deity as his subordinate. Unless one bore conflicting attributes like I do, it was no surprise that absorbing an entire fragment of him would completely alter one’s nature.
In other words, from the moment Eldora was resurrected by Thanatos’s power, he lost all right to be Excalibur’s master.
So then.
Having witnessed Eldora’s fall firsthand, didn’t that mean I might finally have a chance?
“Excalibur!”
Eldora’s cry was almost a scream, his eyes burning with hatred as he glared at me.
I couldn’t be sure if it would work. But slowly, deliberately, I reached out my hand. A faint hum brushed past my ears—dark and electric.
“Come.”
And then—
“I am your master now.”
The moment I whispered those words—
Ding!
A message suddenly appeared.
『The “Summit” title effect has been activated.』
At the same time—
Whoosh!
Excalibur’s blade erupted in a dazzling blaze of light.