A sword.
A weapon to cut down enemies.
Fiore had reached the pinnacle.
The magical attacks conjured by Dansocheon and the dark spells cast by Cedric were all cleaved in half beneath Fiore’s blade.
All they could do was keep swinging their swords and piling on dark magic, trying in vain to slow his advance.
Nothing could stop him.
“Is there no way?”
“Not that I see.”
“You sounded so confident.”
“Didn’t expect it to be this bad.”
“Are your calculations ever wrong?”
Cedric smiled.
“My father’s involved with that guy too. It wouldn’t be surprising if things turned out worse than expected.”
“Damn it…”
“So you’re supposed to be the Heavenly Demon, and this is all you’ve got?”
“There was no match for me in the East.”
“Just hold on a little longer.”
“And then?”
“I didn’t want to waste power here, but I guess I’ll have to push harder.”
“How long do we have to hold out?”
“No idea.”
Dansocheon took a deep breath and stepped forward again.
Despite being grabbed countless times by unseen hands, Fiore pressed on without hesitation—a truly terrifying sight.
Could all those lingering human grudges and screams really not bind him at all?
“Huff… huff…”
Dansocheon inhaled deeply.
He’d wanted to face the strongest man from the Western Regions, but the gap was overwhelming.
Now, all he could do was struggle to survive.
He glanced sideways at Cedric.
As a madman wielding the Dark Angel Secretary’s power, Cedric’s sinister sorcery was formidable. Somehow, they had to hold that monster back until then.
Dansocheon unleashed his most potent magical energy. His entire body twisted with the strain. The stronger the magic, the harsher the side effects—but no disciple of the Dark Sect feared such things.
He was the Heavenly Demon standing at the very peak.
“Come.”
Fiore raised his sword.
It was an unremarkable motion.
Neither graceful nor elegant—nothing like that.
He swung the sword back as if he were a novice, naturally and without hesitation.
Then he struck.
Within that rough movement was a terrifyingly refined killing intent.
You had to dodge.
But it was impossible.
The moment Fiore swung his sword, Dansocheon’s fate was no different from a fish on a chopping block.
All he could do was do his best to block the strike.
Heavenly Demon Divine Sword.
Skybreaker.
A cluster of sword energy split into dozens of beams, arching to meet Fiore’s blade.
Two forces collided.
Dansocheon gritted his teeth.
Fiore’s sword was unbearably sharp.
The infinitely condensed blade sliced through his defenses and pierced inward.
Once his guard broke, he was helpless.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Sword shattered.
Dansocheon took the blow and collapsed to the ground.
“Ugh…”
Fortunately, he wasn’t dead.
The sword energy absorbed some of the impact, and the black hands clinging to Fiore’s body had somewhat hindered his movement.
Dansocheon struggled to rise.
But he no longer wanted to fight.
“Ugh…”
He glanced back again.
Strange dark energy swirled around Cedric, but it wasn’t yet complete.
“Where should I look?”
Before he could decide, Fiore’s sword was already near his neck.
Dansocheon closed his mouth and slowly turned his head.
Blood trickled from his throat.
Fiore’s indifferent eyes locked onto his.
Those eyes were exactly like Cedric’s.
“You…”
As Fiore stood before him, the grasp of solitude conjured by Cedric came into clearer view.
Just being that close sent shivers down his spine.
The horrific emotions of humans turned zombies—living corpses devouring each other—manifested as tangible hands clutching Fiore’s limbs.
The surface of those hands touched Dansocheon’s body.
Even he, accustomed to magical energy, held his breath at the intense curse spreading through him.
His insides churned violently.
“Not an ordinary human, after all…”
Dansocheon muttered.
The grasp of solitude now reached out to touch Dansocheon himself.
His eyes darkened.
Without hesitation, Fiore aimed his sword to stab.
At that moment, Cedric spoke.
[Snap out of it.]
It wasn’t human speech. Something far more terrifying.
Dansocheon felt the lingering grudges within him begin to fade.
Solitude obeyed Cedric.
Or rather, it obeyed the deeper darkness Cedric commanded.
Fiore also broke eye contact with Dansocheon and looked at Cedric.
[Fiore Briol.]
Cedric uttered an unknown phrase.
Though the words were incomprehensible, their meaning was clear in Dansocheon’s mind.
[Stop.]
Then, a massive hand appeared.
It was different from the black hands enveloping Fiore’s body.
If those were a mass of darkness stained by lingering grudges, the hand Cedric summoned was solid.
It had five fingers with long nails, tangled with mane-like tendrils, and glimpses of wounded, oozing skin beneath.
An arm belonging to a creature unknown to this world.
[If not, I will tear it away.]
The giant hand held something faintly glowing.
Fiore stopped.
[You didn’t care about all those grudges, but you don’t want to lose this?]
Fiore quietly stared at Cedric.
He could tell another presence was speaking through Cedric’s mouth.
While Fiore hesitated, Cedric formed hand seals again.
The hands clutching Fiore’s body tightened their grip.
Those hands, which had seemed like dragging burdens, suddenly surged with renewed vigor, wrapping around Fiore once more.
[Let’s begin negotiations. I will protect your precious memories. In return, you must sleep within the darkness. It won’t take long.]
Fiore remained silent.
[Very well.]
The giant hand moved toward Fiore, returning the glowing object it held.
At that moment, Fiore swung his sword.
The sudden move caused chaos.
With a death cry, the hand split in two.
The light inside broke free from its bonds and was absorbed by Fiore.
He swung his sword again.
The black hands made of grudges retreated, and the giant hand Cedric summoned fell to the ground, bleeding.
Fiore’s sword spared no one.
Dansocheon stepped in front, scattering blood as he collapsed.
Cedric continued forming hand seals, but all the dark magic was destroyed.
Fiore and Cedric faced each other.
“You’re a monster, Father.”
“You seem more monstrous than I am.”
“It wasn’t like this before.”
“I’ve had some recent realizations.”
Fiore swung his sword.
Black energy exploded from Cedric’s body, forming a shield.
But Fiore’s sword energy tore through it all and pierced inside.
One of Cedric’s arms flew off into the air.
Blood poured out.
Cedric didn’t even scream.
He bent forward, chuckling.
“So, it’s true. It must be because of Yuri, right?”
Fiore raised his sword with a blank expression.
His blade was no longer aimed at an arm, but at Cedric’s neck.
Without hesitation, Fiore swung.
At that moment, strange words slipped from Cedric’s mouth again.
Darkness billowed from his severed arm, transforming into tentacle-like appendages that wrapped around Fiore’s sword.
For the first time, Fiore’s blade was stopped.
He tried to pull back, but the tentacles wouldn’t let go.
Cedric said,
“Father.”
His eyes turned pitch black.
[To think you’d make me use this much strength, truly impressive.]
“Cedric.”
[The losses are so great, it feels fantastic. Ha ha ha ha…]
Cedric laughed wildly, intoxicated by the moment.
[But this is where it ends.]
“Cedric.”
[Rest easy.]
Cedric smiled faintly.
Reptilian scales began to rise on his cheek.
At the same time, the grasp of grudges completely engulfed Fiore’s body.
Cedric’s tentacles wrapped around the black mass once more.
Fiore transformed into a black orb made of tentacles.
Cedric muttered unknown words.
With each phrase, his aura thickened.
The ground beneath him began to die.
The weeds growing from the earth withered and turned yellow all at once.
Cedric placed his hand on the orb.
Suddenly, a pure white blade pierced through its surface.
Blood dripped from Cedric’s cheek.
Through the narrow gap, Fiore’s eyes shone.
Cedric laughed.
[Rest.]
He clenched his fist.
The evil energy peaked.
The orb imprisoning Fiore contracted.
It shrank and shrank until it was about the size of a normal fist, rolling on the ground.
Cedric sat down.
“Ha ha ha…”
The tentacles hardened completely, now resembling grotesque carved stone.
“Ha ha ha ha ha…”
Cedric propped himself up with one arm.
The stump where his right arm had been was grotesquely fused with skin, healing over.
“So this is the continent’s strongest swordmaster.”
Meanwhile, Dansocheon struggled to his feet and staggered forward.
“Are you okay?”
“No. How about you?”
“Not really.”
Both of them were battered and bruised.
Around the spot where they had collapsed, the ground was deeply scarred by Fiore’s sword energy.
“We sacrificed an entire city, stationed the so-called invincible Celestial Demon from the East there, and even with me joining in, we still couldn’t stop it.”
“But in the end, you did stop it, didn’t you?”
“We ended up using another page from the Dark Angel’s Secretary.”
“That bad, huh?”
“We lost more than I expected. We couldn’t kill it—just barely managed to seal it.”
Cedric picked up the sealing orb that had fallen to the ground.
“Well, at least we’ve passed the biggest hurdle.”
“So what’s the plan for that thing now?”
Cedric turned around.
Not far from where they had fought, Laurent was standing.
“Leave it be.”
Laurent had watched their battle and witnessed Fiore being sealed by Cedric and Danso Cheon.
From Laurent’s perspective, it probably looked like Fiore had died from dark magic.
“It’ll handle itself.”
Cedric tucked the sealing orb into his chest.
“Now, it’s time to head back to the Empire.”
While Yuri lay unconscious, much had happened.
First, Fiore, the king of Briol, and the crown prince Cedric had gone missing.
Frances had been reduced to complete ruin.
Some suspected the Empire was behind it, but there was no proof. Even if there had been, no one could hold the Empire directly accountable.
In the chaos, Joshua, the second prince, took temporary control of the government and signed a ceasefire agreement with the Empire.
As part of the deal, Briol had to hand over Bezos.
But the Empire wasn’t satisfied with just that.
Though it was officially a ceasefire, they stationed a large army in Bezos and began stockpiling massive amounts of military supplies.
From Briol’s perspective, it was as if an imperial fortress had sprung up right on their doorstep.
Meanwhile, the war between Bursen and the Holy Kingdom intensified.
Countless soldiers died.
With Fiore gone and Briol kneeling, no nation on the continent remained willing to openly oppose the Empire.
“Ugh…”
“Your Highness?”
“Ugh…”
“Your Highness!”
When Yuri opened her eyes, the face she saw was Ena’s, tears welling up.
“Ena…?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“Where am I…?”
“The royal palace.”
Yuri suddenly sat up and looked around.
It was her room.
Familiar yet strange, as if she had gone back in time. She felt weak, unable to summon strength after lying down for so long.
Yuri asked, “What about my brother? And the Empire?”
“It’s over.”
“What is?”
“The war. They signed a ceasefire. So don’t worry—just rest.”
“What about Cedric?”
“Just rest for now.”
Ena gently pushed Yuri’s shoulder, guiding her back down.
“Once you’ve rested more, I’ll tell you everything slowly.”
“Ena… how long have I been out?”
“A month.”
“What?”
“You’ve been lying here for a whole month.”
Yuri stared blankly at the ceiling.
A month.
A long time.
It felt so distant that she closed her eyes.