The Empire and the Anti-Empire Alliance unexpectedly clashed in a decisive battle at the gateway to Zbeta.
The Empire’s black army, emotionless and relentless, held their ground with unyielding defense, while the Anti-Empire forces, fueled by soaring morale, charged forward like madmen.
The brutal fight left corpses rising again in a grotesque necrosis.
Yet, the most astonishing event was unfolding right then.
The Empire’s knights began to merge, their bodies sprouting writhing tentacles that bound them into a single, unified mass.
Some veterans of the Alliance had seen something like this before.
It was eerily reminiscent of Okua’s final, desperate rampage.
“No way…”
“The Empire is using orcs?”
“My god…”
Those who had yet to grasp the Empire’s true nature slowly realized that the orc uprisings had been orchestrated by the Empire all along.
Now, a monstrous, massive humanoid abomination began to move.
It was absorbing every Empire soldier and knight alike, pulling them into its grotesque form.
As the creature grew larger, a colossal shadow stretched across the battlefield.
The Anti-Empire Alliance’s momentum faltered.
Faced with this abominable new lifeform for the first time, their fighting spirit began to wane.
But then, someone broke away from the ranks and charged straight at the monster.
“Just who I wanted to see!”
It was Yuri Briol.
Leaping off the ground, he unleashed a massive slash of sword energy visible to all on the battlefield, cutting deep into the creature’s abdomen.
The icy blade sliced through the monster’s core, spilling dark, blood-like fluid.
The creature staggered backward.
Yet, the damage seemed superficial. From the severed wound, countless tentacles crawled out, rapidly knitting the injury closed in a horrifying display.
One knight watching muttered under his breath.
“We must aid His Majesty.”
Everyone on the battlefield understood the truth.
In this grotesque nightmare where humans transformed into monsters, each soldier instinctively sensed whether they could be of help—or if they would only hinder the fight.
Some stepped aside to clear a path, while others rushed toward the beast.
Tirbo of the Vengeance Knights chose the former.
Though he had fought valiantly in the past, even achieving some success in the Conqueror’s Tournament, he doubted his ability to stand against these inhuman monsters.
For the first time, a bitter anger welled up inside the usually cheerful man.
He wanted to help—but lacked the skill and the right to do so.
“Damn it…”
“Tirbo?”
A fellow knight nearby looked on in surprise as Tirbo cursed aloud—something none had ever heard from him before.
“What’s wrong, Sir Tirbo?”
“I’m frustrated.”
His companion gave a wry smile.
“Can’t be helped. Don’t forget that feeling. We still have a job to do.”
He pointed toward the Empire soldiers still resisting the Alliance.
“That monster isn’t our concern. Let’s focus on our task. That’s how we help His Majesty.”
“Yes. You’re right.”
Tirbo raised his sword and shouted,
“Let’s cut down every last Empire soldier! For His Majesty!”
The Vengeance Knights, seeing Tirbo so fired up, soon erupted in cheers.
“For His Majesty!”
“For Yuri Briol!”
Their fervor spread like wildfire.
The Anti-Empire front, which had been faltering after the monster’s appearance, suddenly surged forward again, pushing back the Empire forces.
“Good.”
Ainzar, who had left his own front to join Yuri, spoke.
“Looks like Briol’s holding things down just fine without us.”
“He’d better.”
As Yuri caught his breath and stared up at the monster, more comrades arrived around him.
“Long time no see, Yuri Briol.”
“Indeed. You look well.”
“Don’t be so sure.”
Francesco of the Holy Kingdom joined them. Having regained most of his former prowess, he was living up to his title as a Holy Knight, delivering outstanding results in this war.
“Everyone’s gathered! Ha ha ha!”
“Too late.”
Jose of Bursen appeared next. Now a seasoned veteran among the Ten Strong, he was a reliable and steadfast ally.
“With this many of us, we can use quite a bit more magic.”
“Please do.”
Inariel materialized as well.
Though the archmage was bound by the world’s laws against unnatural magic, the enemy’s heavy reliance on dark magic loosened those restrictions, allowing Inariel to wield far more powerful spells.
A creature this monstrous had surely disrupted the world’s balance, giving Inariel the perfect opportunity to shine.
Four of the Ten Strong were now assembled.
Along with Lorand, Jared, and several other capable knights—though not officially among the Ten Strong—the group was more than enough to take on the beast.
“Is killing that thing all we have to do?”
“It’s huge.”
The monster, aware of the humans gathered before it, began to move again.
Its massive foot lifted, casting a shadow over the ground.
Boom.
The creature stomped the earth, shaking the surroundings.
Then it slammed its foot down, sweeping everything nearby—Empire or Alliance soldiers alike—into a grisly death, crushing them into bloody pulp.
Inariel struck first.
“Yuri Briol, I’ll give you what you asked for.”
“Bring it on!”
Forming a seal, a massive fireball appeared in the sky.
As large as the monster’s own body, the blazing sphere slid toward the creature under Inariel’s guidance.
The monster, seemingly slow to react, swung a fist at it—and the flames engulfed its entire form.
The fire roared fiercely.
The heat was so intense the air around them glowed red.
Cheers rose from the ranks.
But Inariel’s face remained grim.
“Still intact.”
True to his words, the monster moved as if untouched by the flames.
If anything, the fire seemed to make it more dangerous.
Every time the creature swung its limbs, flames flared anew.
Inariel said,
“The fire’s ineffective.”
“Then put it out.”
“That’s not so easy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just wait a little longer.”
Yuri clicked his tongue and sprinted across the ground.
With Inariel’s attack failing, he had no choice but to kill the monster himself.
The flames around the creature died down.
Its skin was unscathed, though steam still rose from its heated body.
Yuri leapt onto the monster’s back.
“It’s warm.”
Though hot to the touch, the fire hadn’t done much damage.
There was no chance of victory without direct confrontation.
Climbing the creature’s body, Yuri dodged tentacles that occasionally burst from cracks in its otherwise intact skin.
Since the monster was made of tentacles, its insides looked the same.
He fought off the creature’s attempts to shake him off and climbed up to its chest.
“Here it is.”
The grotesque fusion had begun with Wayne.
Though many bodies clung to the monster, Yuri remembered Wayne’s was near the chest.
Instinctively, Yuri knew Wayne was the monster’s core.
“Wayne, where are you hiding?”
Guilty stabbed into the monster’s chest.
The creature twisted violently, roaring a terrible, inhuman scream that echoed across the battlefield.
Yuri summoned a swirling mana vortex along his blade.
He unleashed an endless fractal spiral that shredded the monster’s insides, preventing it from healing by reconnecting its tentacles.
His sword had become a grinding machine, dismantling the creature from the chest outward.
The monster’s cries grew louder.
“Are you just going to watch?”
Jose and Francesco spread out, each grabbing one of the monster’s arms.
The creature thrashed, trying to shake Yuri off its chest, but with the two knights holding its limbs, it failed.
Trapped by the three, the monster was immobilized.
“Inariel!”
“Got it!”
Yuri shouted as he gouged deeper into the monster’s chest.
Inariel responded instantly.
They shared the same thought without needing words.
The fireball reappeared in the sky.
Smaller than before, but its flames burned fiercer than ever.
“Dodge it!”
Inariel hurled the fireball.
It aimed directly for Yuri’s back.
Feeling the heat surge behind him, Yuri glanced back and leapt away just before the flames could engulf him.
Jose and Francesco also dodged.
The fireball struck the gaping hole Yuri had made in the monster’s chest.
Inside, it exploded in a brilliant flash.
The blast shook the heavens and earth.
Magic erupted from within the creature, burning its flesh.
The monster’s agonized screams echoed long and loud through the flames.
Even soldiers focused on their own fights paused to watch the dazzling spectacle.
A pillar of light shot skyward before fading.
And within it—
The monster’s tattered form was revealed.
Inariel’s internal explosion had turned the creature to charred blackness.
Its scorched tentacles hung limply, unable to move, before falling away.
“Is it over?”
Yuri muttered.
But unfortunately, his prediction did not come true.
The monster’s body twitched, then began to regain its vitality.
“Huh?”
Like dry branches soaking up water, the creature rapidly started to recover.
Its charred flesh reattached itself, and the withered tentacles suddenly sprang back to life, restoring its body.
Even the hole in its chest that Yuri had created was quickly filled in.
“What the—?”
Yuri and the others stepped back. The monster was now growing in size again.
“We just have to keep attacking. It can’t regenerate endlessly. So…”
At that moment, the ground suddenly rumbled as something charged toward them.
Yuri recognized the sound.
“Donchichi?”
The ogre Donchichi was running toward them.
Though smaller compared to the monster, he was still far larger than any human. But Donchichi’s eyes were bloodshot red.
He had been completely corrupted by dark magic.
Unable to speak properly, he let out a guttural roar as he charged forward.
“Uwaaaah!”
Donchichi’s sudden appearance threw Yuri and his group off balance.
“I’ll handle this.”
Francesco stepped forward to confront Donchichi. When Donchichi swung his fist, Francesco blocked it with his sword, but the sheer force lifted him off the ground.
“Ugh!”
Francesco landed nimbly like a cat.
While the two fought separately for a moment, suddenly a sword appeared out of thin air, aiming straight for Yuri’s neck.
Yuri instinctively raised Guilty to block the strike.
“It’s grown stronger.”
“And you are?”
Emerging from the shadows was Dan So-cheon, the ‘Sword Without a Shadow.’
“Long time no see.”
“Yeah, good to see you, you demon spawn.”
“You remember me, huh?”
With Dan So-cheon’s arrival, the atmosphere shifted.
Everyone locked eyes with one another.
As befits a battle that would decide the fate of the continent, six of the Ten Strongest had gathered.
The battlefield stirred as all forces focused on these six warriors.
Two of the Empire’s Ten Strongest stood alongside the monstrous creature.
Opposing them were four of the Ten Strongest from the other side.
“This is going to be one hell of a fight.”
Truly, a battle beyond the heavens was about to unfold.
Cedric paid little attention to what was happening outside Zbeta.
His own plan was nearing completion.
“Almost done,” the hooded mage said quietly. Cedric nodded.
“Yes. Thanks to you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Cedric smiled as he gazed at the statue made of orichalcum.
The dark mage he commanded had brought it from the Holy Kingdom, making the process much easier.
Soon, a god from another realm would descend upon this land.
“May I ask something?”
“Hm?”
“Why did you insist on calling the Anti-Empire Alliance to Zbeta? The imperial capital no longer holds meaning; you could have just handed it over to them…”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Cedric laughed aloud.
Even he couldn’t rationally explain that decision.
It was just a fleeting whim.
“If I had to explain, maybe…”
Cedric looked deeper into his own heart.
Buried deep inside was a more fitting reason for summoning Yuri to Zbeta.
Cedric said,
“Perhaps I hoped my little brother would come to Zbeta and stop me.”
“Cedric…”
“Don’t worry. It’s all over now. Whether those fools outside bleed and fight, wage a desperate battle, or perform some heroic feat—it will all end in our victory. Our sky is far beyond theirs.”
The dark mage bowed his head.
Cedric lifted his gaze.
Below the balcony where he stood, countless humans lay fallen alive in a pit.
“Now, let the ritual begin.”