Fides saluted Yuri and immediately took off running toward the rear.
His body was swift and agile.
“Be careful!” Yuri called after him, waving his hand at Fides’s retreating figure before turning his gaze elsewhere.
It was time to hunt down the warlocks.
He could sense the flow of mana, stiffened and disrupted by dispel magic.
If he could trace the source of this stagnation, he might be able to locate the warlocks.
It was something impossible for the culprit, but Yuri felt a glimmer of hope.
Closing his eyes, he sharpened his senses.
He detected points where the mana’s cohesion was being interfered with, where its flow was suppressed. At first, the sensation was faint, but gradually it became clearer.
“There, there, and there.”
“Huh?”
Laurent and Jared, standing beside him, looked at Yuri in surprise.
“There are warlocks in three places. I’ll take this side.”
“Uh…”
There was no time to explain further.
As Yuri dashed forward, Laurent and Jared exchanged glances and then split up, each running in a different direction.
He looked toward Okua.
Moyongchan was blocking its path, with the other knights standing behind, occasionally lending support.
They looked like knights from an old tale, battling a wicked dragon.
Yuri hadn’t known Okua was such a monster even in his past life. It was only in this life that he learned the creature was connected to dark magic.
What other truths could be hidden beneath all this?
“Quar!”
Yuri shouted, using the Orc word for warlock that he had learned from Kori.
“Quar!”
He yelled again and again.
The orc group, who had been hanging back and watching, reacted. Among the guards, an orc warlock with blindfolded eyes was hiding.
Yuri leapt forward and struck down Guilty immediately.
Though tired, his senses were sharper than ever. He could see even the slightest tremor in the spear blades flying toward him.
He twisted his body, dodging with acrobatic grace.
The blindfolded warlock accepted his fate calmly, as if resigned, taking the blade without resistance. His chest was split open vertically, blood and entrails spilling out.
No sooner had Yuri killed the warlock than orcs swarmed from all sides.
He aimed for the loosest gap and dashed through. Several axes flew at him.
There was no space to dodge.
Then he simply blocked them.
Yuri summoned the power of his soul blade and swung in one swift motion. The axes flying at him all bounced off simultaneously.
Slipping between two orcs standing side by side, he quickly swung Guilty again.
Blood burst from both sides of his opponents’ ribs at the same time.
Breaking through the encirclement, Yuri turned and pointed his sword back at the orcs. They hesitated, unwilling to approach him.
He had grown far stronger than when he first joined the alliance army.
But there was no time to revel in his growth.
“One down…”
Yuri moved away from the orcs and shifted his gaze.
Laurent and Jared hadn’t gone alone; they had joined other knights to ambush the warlocks.
One after another, the warlocks were slain. Yuri could feel that all the mana-disrupting presences were gone.
Now, all that was left was to rain down fireballs.
Though easily dispelled, the mage’s firepower support was devastating.
Yet, there was little response.
Half-sitting, Yuri stared at Okua.
The creature, formed from corpses, swung its massive limbs, pushing Moyongchan back. Moyongchan and the other knights fought the monster head-on.
Yuri realized something.
“Ah…”
There was still a warlock left.
The very form of Okua, assembled from corpses, was already a manifestation of dark magic.
The moment he understood that, Okua’s huge arm swept across the ground.
Several knights caught in the attack were sent flying. The third knight commander and Graham, who had shown great strength until now, were slammed into the earth like insects.
How could they stop that creature?
Yuri gripped Guilty tightly.
“If only I could break the dispel…”
Because the magic was assembled externally from mana, it was vulnerable to disruption.
If only that constraint could be removed.
Hernando was an exceptional mage. Moyongchan had recognized him as a great hero for good reason.
If Hernando gathered the mages and unleashed their magic, they might stand a chance.
Yuri took a deep breath.
His mana was already dry. His core was cracking like a parched field in drought.
If he pushed himself any further, his vital energy might be damaged.
But he didn’t hesitate.
The last remnants of his soul blade’s power responded to his will and lifted its head.
His vision faded again.
He peered into what he called “the world beyond”—the hidden layer beneath the physical realm.
Around the monstrous Okua, black, thread-like tendrils writhed.
That was the true form of the dark magic disrupting mana’s cohesion.
Seeing the vast scale of it, Yuri almost dropped Guilty.
It seemed impossible.
But he had to do it.
Only he could.
He raised Guilty.
A chilling whisper echoed in his ear.
“Never fear your enemy.”
He nodded.
“Do what you believe.”
He gripped the sword tightly.
“Fulfill your duty as Briol, to the very end.”
Yuri was no fool to question what Briol’s duty was.
The battlefield was alive in his entire body.
Soldiers staggered, swinging their swords, and knights faced impossible foes.
No one shirked their given role.
And he was Yuri Briol.
There was something he had to do.
“I have sworn an oath.”
He muttered as he squeezed his core.
White energy flowed from the blade of Guilty.
All his mana was spent. Instead, he forcibly drew on the vital energy remaining in his body.
Blood trickled from his nose and mouth; his legs wobbled.
With trembling hands, he raised Guilty high. The tip of the blade trembled continuously.
But he never stopped.
He saw the souls of those sacrificed, screaming in agony. Even in death, they were not saved, becoming part of the dark magic, unwillingly polluting the world.
“Benda.”
The trembling gradually subsided.
His breathing steadied.
He glared at the enemy.
He struck.
A single beam of sword light cleaved the sky in two.
The mages waited in the rear, protected by guards, casting dispel magic.
“Impressive,” Hernando said, arms crossed as he watched the battle.
Aizen, a mage from the empire, approached and spoke.
“Impressive?”
“No, the third prince.”
“Ah…”
Yuri, leading Briol’s vanguard, was breaking through enemy lines and shattering their formation. His breakthrough power was always remarkable.
“He’s young but has achieved so much. His swordsmanship and judgment are excellent.”
“Brave, too.”
“What do you think?”
“About what?”
“This battle.”
“The alliance will win.”
“Will the casualties be heavy?”
“I hope not.”
Hernando answered Aizen’s questions with a hint of indifference.
He didn’t like the empire’s mages much.
Magic towers were scattered across the continent, but the one in the empire was very worldly. It was more like a direct training facility for imperial mages than a true magic tower.
It was far from Hernando’s ideal image of a mage.
“By the way, Hernando, which magic tower are you from?”
Aizen asked quietly. Hernando shrugged.
“The main branch.”
“Oh…”
The main branch was the origin of the magic towers, admitting only the most talented students. Though the empire’s branch had grown large, it couldn’t compare to the original.
“Impressive.”
“Not at all. You’re impressive too, Aizen.”
“May I ask your rank?”
A mage’s personal information remained secret unless they chose to reveal it. Only a few knew Hernando was a Grand Wizard.
He answered humbly.
“Master Wizard.”
“Excuse me?”
“Master Wizard.”
It wasn’t entirely wrong.
A mage who reached Master Wizard and obtained the Arcane Tome was promoted to Grand Wizard.
“Really?”
Aizen scrutinized Hernando from head to toe, skeptical.
“Yes.”
“Impressive.”
“Yes.”
When Hernando said no more, Aizen cleared his throat loudly and continued.
“I’m an Expert Wizard.”
“Quite an achievement.”
“After the alliance ends, will you come to the empire?”
“What do you mean?”
“The empire welcomes talented mages. As a Master Wizard, you’d be treated very well.”
“No, thank you.”
“Are you satisfied with Briol?”
“That, and…”
Hernando shook his head.
“The war isn’t over yet. It’s not the time for that talk.”
“No matter how the alliance ends, it won’t be a problem.”
“What do you mean?”
As they spoke, a loud noise suddenly echoed.
Both turned their heads.
Ancient worms and wyverns appeared. The battle, which had seemed to be turning in their favor, began to shift again.
Then, whatever Yuri had done, Moyongchan appeared and engaged Okua in a decisive fight.
The situation grew urgent.
Something unexpected happened.
Just when it seemed Okua was dead, a black monster began to rise.
Aizen’s eyesight was poor, so he couldn’t see clearly, but Hernando understood.
“Corpses.”
“Huh?”
“The corpses are gathering and rising.”
“Impossible…”
“That impossible thing is happening.”
Hernando groaned.
How many lives had been sacrificed to do this?
Okua must have grown stronger by that number.
He worried for Yuri’s safety.
If they couldn’t kill Okua, the alliance couldn’t win this battle.
“Retreat might be better…”
But these were not men to back down.
Hernando clenched and unclenched his fist.
The tide of battle was worsening.
“The Grand Wizard does not interfere in human affairs.”
Within the constraints imposed on him, overcoming Dispel was impossible.
“Don’t worry so much,” Eisen said calmly.
“Even if we lose, it won’t be a problem for us. The orcs will suffer heavy losses too.”
“But many people will die.”
“That’s what war is.”
At that moment, a soldier came running from the rear. He seemed to be using some kind of mana method, moving quickly.
“Lord Hernando! Lord Hernando!”
The soldier called out his name.
Hernando stepped forward. It was a face he’d seen briefly in the barracks.
“Lord Hernando!”
“Yes?”
“The prince says to drop a fireball!”
The soldier stood before Hernando, panting.
“A f-fireball? The prince said fireball? Then he must know…”
Hernando tilted his head in confusion. Yuri couldn’t be unaware of Dispel.
“Dispel is active, so fireballs won’t work. The prince must be mistaken,” Eisen said.
Ignoring Eisen’s words, Hernando turned his gaze back to the battlefield.
Yuri never spoke nonsense in battle. If he said something like that, there had to be a way.
Hernando raised his telescope.
He saw Yuri calling Laurent and Jared over, whispering something to them. Soon, they scattered in three directions.
Where they headed, orcs had their eyes wrapped in cloth.
They were targeting the shamans.
If they could really find and kill them all, magic wouldn’t be impossible.
Hernando tried to summon mana in midair. But the surrounding area was disrupted by Dispel, making mana manipulation impossible.
Eisen spoke up.
“Oh? The prince intends to wipe out all the shamans.”
“Yes.”
“It’ll still be difficult. Even if you kill all the shamans, it won’t be enough.”
“Why is that?”
“Can’t you see?”
He pointed as if he knew everything.
“Look at that. Oqua has already become the source of dark magic.”
“You mean…”
“Yes. The empire knows quite a bit about dark magic.”
Eisen crossed two fingers toward Hernando.
“Oqua is generating Dispel on his own.”
“I see.”
Hernando looked back at Yuri with a calm expression.
Eisen was right, but for some reason, Hernando felt like Yuri would pull it off somehow. Maybe it was because of the unbelievable feats he’d already shown.
For a mage of the Celestial Insight Order, feelings sometimes meant more than mere intuition.
“Lord Hernando?”
“Yes?”
“What are you doing?”
“Preparing.”
Hernando began arranging mana in the air.
“As I said, Dispel is…”
“It’ll only take a moment.”
Hernando said firmly.
“If I’m given even a brief moment to control mana, it’s possible.”
“That brief moment…”
Just then.
Hernando and Eisen both turned their heads sharply. Even those waiting behind them stood up, staring at the battlefield.
At that moment, the mages sensed something unusual was happening.
“C-could it be…”
Eisen pointed blankly.
At the tip of his finger was Yuri.
A brilliant gleam burst from his sword, as if he was holding a beam of light.
He stared at the empty sky for a long moment, then slowly raised his sword.
And he swung.
The mana that had been frozen suddenly surged like a broken dam.
A miracle unfolded.
“Dispel’s gone.”
Hernando kept his word.
The moment Dispel vanished, he immediately formed a hand sign and began chanting a spell.
Eisen, standing beside him, was shocked at the speed.
In an instant, the magic they built radiated a bright light in the sky.
“My goodness…”
Eisen gasped, but Hernando shouted at him.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“Just watching?”
“Ah, understood.”
Startled by Hernando’s energy, Eisen quickly formed a hand sign. The mages waiting behind also began weaving their own spells.
It was a breathtaking sight.
Another sun appeared in the midday grasslands.
Around it, countless large and small stars began to rise.
“Ah…”
Humans and orcs on the battlefield gazed up, stunned.
And then.
The sun began to set.