"Your, Your Majesty!"
"...What are you saying right now?"
"How dare you insult God!"
"Why are your eyes turning black..."
The high priests and kingdom officials trembled as they saw King Bauren's black eyes.
"You don't seem surprised."
King Bauren smiled gently at Raon, ignoring the wide-eyed priests. Black demonic energy smoldered over his shoulders.
"Did you know from the beginning?"
"I wasn't certain."
Raon shook his head as he looked at King Bauren's grotesquely twisted eyes.
"After hearing Lord Hoppen's words, I only thought it was most suspicious."
He pointed at Hoppen, whose eyes were reddening in disbelief at his father's transformation.
"What did he say?"
King Bauren stroked his chin curiously.
"They say you were so immersed in grief when Lord Byten died that you couldn't do anything for a while. It doesn't make sense that someone who loves his son so much would send his youngest son on a dangerous mission without proper investigation."
Raon calmly closed his eyes and opened them again.
"Moreover, you repeatedly offered empty thanks to me rather than expressing relief that your youngest son returned safely."
King Bauren neither called Hoppen separately for a conversation, nor disciplined the intelligence department for their sloppy investigation.
It was behavior that a father who had lost three sons could never show.
"That means either there was something more important than your son, or you underwent a major psychological change, or both."
Raon continued with confidence.
"Wasn't sending troops to the distant Devarn Mountain without proper investigation also to prevent Zieghart from intervening in this matter?"
"Ha..."
King Bauren lightly tapped his forehead.
"You're correct. You're reading me completely."
He nodded with a faint smile to his only remaining son. His gaze was a strange mix of warmth and coldness.
"It seems my impatience was revealed as the grand plan is nearing its end. It's a shame. I wanted to see you surprised."
Bauren nodded without the slightest hint of embarrassment. His expression readily admitted that he was the instigator of this incident.
"Ah, Father. Did you really..."
Hoppen's hands trembled as if he still couldn't believe it. No, as if he refused to believe it.
"You bastard!"
Saintess Olga gritted her teeth so hard they might break.
"I didn't believe it! I refused to believe it until the end! Why the hell are you doing this!"
She blinked back clear tears that didn't match her fierce gaze.
"W-What's going on here?"
Paladin Kinier chewed his lip as he touched his gauntlet.
"Why are you talking as if His Majesty is the culprit!"
He shouted at King Bauren.
"As expected, you two don't understand me."
King Bauren calmly nodded as he looked at the Saintess and Kinier in turn.
"I love our kingdom so much. It's more precious to me than my own life."
He raised his finger to point at the kingdom slowly filling with darkness.
"But since becoming king, I've learned something. This vast kingdom, contrary to my feelings, is a very fragile place that could disappear with a single gesture from someone."
"What do you..."
"My first son was killed by a demonized human from the Black Tower during his second mission. They say he was devoured without leaving a single bone. The second died while on a holy power service, torn apart by Eden's Blood Demon. Even though my two beloved sons were killed, I couldn't question it. Why?"
Bauren's lips curled up eerily.
"Because God doesn't want revenge. And more importantly, because I can't take revenge! Because in front of those Five Demon monsters, this kingdom is no different from a castle made of paper!"
Blood flowed from his lips. It was a black color as if his breath had been cut off.
"I prayed. I wouldn't cry for revenge. I would erase my anger. Instead, I prayed countless times not to take any more of my children. But..."
A chuckle escaped from King Bauren's blackened lips.
"Priests, Holy Knights, and innocent citizens died countless times by the blades of evil ones. And then my third son died in Barene where you were. Having his blood sucked by the Leader of the White Blood Religion. I can't imagine how painful it must have been for him. How heartbreaking it must have been."
"..."
Raon couldn't say anything because he had witnessed Byten's death firsthand.
"I wanted revenge. Revenge that would drain all the blood from their bodies just the same. But I couldn't do it. God didn't want revenge, and I didn't have the ability to take revenge. That's when I finally realized."
King Bauren smiled as he looked at the gradually darkening sky.
"Ah! There's no such thing as God in this world. What I begged and prayed to was just a fucking son of a bitch!" (E/N: Well, he is righ- oups)
"Ah, Father..."
Hoppen's lips trembled as he heard Bauren's distorted laughter.
"Your Majesty..."
Kinier gritted his teeth, still unable to believe what was happening.
"So I joined hands with the darkness that approached me. Unlike that deaf one, it immediately answered my questions."
Bauren clasped his hands together. Black darkness bloomed from his hands where light had once gathered.
"You're the deaf one!"
The Saintess stood in front of King Bauren and screamed.
"How we... How we protected you with all our hearts, and you..."
She glared at King Bauren with eyes that were more anguished than malicious.
"Saintess. No, Olga."
Bauren smiled at the Saintess with a grin that seemed to crumble holiness itself.
"You are the noblest person in this kingdom. But you're too good."
"Shut up!"
"I will kill the foolish god who calls upon people like you. Soon… hmm?"
He nodded calmly but then stopped.
"What is it?"
King Bauren frowned as he saw the demonic energy that had been rising against the wall of holy power come to a halt.
"I'm sure I removed all the holy artifacts and holy water?"
He rubbed his fingertips as if wondering why the demonic energy had stopped.
"We were prepared."
Raon nodded towards the bottom of the tower. He pointed to the Holy Knights and the Light Wind division who were suppressing the demonic energy on the walls while carrying holy artifacts and holy water.
"So we could stop whoever joined hands with the demons."
"Ha, I had heard that the Dragon Slayer's real weapons were not his sword, but his tongue and mind. I didn't know it was true."
Bauren didn't lose his composure even as he watched the Light Wind division blocking the demonic energy.
"But it will only buy you time."
As he clasped his hands together, the demonic energy burning between them rose into the air and began to spread throughout the kingdom.
Boom!
Raon gritted his teeth and stepped on the Supreme Harmony Steps. He leaped towards the sky where the demonic energy was rising, drawing both the Heavenly Drive and the Requiem Sword.
Before he could even exhale, he extended a swift Frost Snap with both swords.
Chiiiing!
The blade, shot with experience tempered through countless battles, pressed down on the demonic energy.
However, the demonic energy that King Bauren unleashed was so formidable that it couldn't be completely blocked. The eerie demonic energy fell in the north, east, and south, sparing only the west.
Kwaaaaa!
Demonic beasts wrapped in black flames rose from the fallen demonic energy and let out monstrous cries.
"Uh..."
"Uwaaaaah!"
"M-Monster!"
"Save me... Kwaak!"
"R-Run away! Right now... Ugh!"
The citizens who were praying had no time to escape and were trampled or devoured by the demonic beasts.
"Kuuugh..."
"S-Save me!"
"God..."
The movements and strength of the demonic beasts surpassed ordinary monsters, so the powerless citizens of Suphren died helplessly.
As their blood flowed onto the scorching white ground, the black flames burned even more intensely.
"Stop!"
"Bauren!"
Raon and the Saintess rushed towards King Bauren simultaneously.
As the sharply honed blade and the fist charged with holy power lightning advanced towards King Bauren's neck, a wall of holy power and a blue Astral Ring blocked their path.
Zzzzzeng!
A powerful shockwave that shook the entire tower spread, and black mist rose.
Amidst it all, four eyes shone. Not King Bauren's, but those of Priest Piron and Royal Guard Captain Danieff.
It wasn't just the two of them. Behind them stood four high-ranking priests. From the beginning, it wasn't just the king who had been corrupted.
"P-Priest Piron!"
The Saintess gritted her teeth as she looked at Priest Piron's calm, sunken eyes.
"You too!"
She trembled, seeming more heartbroken by this than the king's betrayal.
"As I thought..."
Raon twisted his lips towards Danieff, whose sword was pressed against his.
"You two were in on it as well."
Hoppen had said that Priest Piron and Royal Guard Captain Danieff had served King Bauren since childhood, and during the Light Wind division's investigation, the three of them had almost always been together.
Having been friends with King Bauren since childhood, it was impossible for them not to notice his changes, so Raon had expected they would betray together.
"Huh?"
King Bauren raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"I really didn't expect you to read this far. But now it's all over."
As he clasped his hands together again, darkness began to rise from beneath their feet.
"Please leave."
As darkness filled around King Bauren, the floor of the tower they were standing on collapsed without warning.
"When we meet again, I will have become a god."
King Bauren rose into the air and entered a black sphere. Priest Piron, who followed him, no longer smiled, and Danieff remained silent.
"Huh..."
"Uwaaaah!"
"S-Save me!"
There were so many people on top of the tower, and many of them were priests who only had holy power, so if left like this, nearly a hundred people would die or be injured from colliding with those below.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuck!"
The Saintess moved towards the people first, even while cursing. She spread her holy power thickly to create a protective barrier for the falling people.
"Bauren!"
Kinier called out the king's name while grabbing the falling people.
"Huu."
Raon extended the Heavenly Drive and the Requiem Sword. He simultaneously summoned the winds of the Gale Wind Style and Garunua to slow the fall of the people.
By utilizing the Ring of Fire to heighten his concentration, he was able to save all dozens of falling people without the slightest mistake.
However, King Bauren and those following him had already entered the black sphere and hidden themselves.
Woooong!
The sphere of demonic energy enveloped the entire tower as if to protect King Bauren, raising black flames.
The pulsing flow of intense demonic energy sent chills down their spines.
"Raon."
Rimmer approached with black blood on his shoulder. It seemed he had already slain some demonic beasts before coming here.
"It really turned out as you said."
"Fuck. I was hoping it wasn't true..."
"Division Leader..."
Burren, Martha, and Runaan also sighed, their swords dripping with black blood.
"Division Leader. The demonic energy is more potent than expected."
Mark Goetun frowned as he shook the blood off his sword.
"It feels like the demonic energy is gripping my ankles. I can't move properly."
He shook his head, saying he couldn't exert his full power.
"Even when we sprinkle holy artifacts and holy water, it only works for a moment."
Dorian sighed, pointing at the holy artifact he had taken out of his pouch.
-That's to be expected.
Wrath nodded as he looked at the faint black flames burning on the ground.
-This is the Sacrifice's Brand prepared from the Devildom. It's a barrier that constrains the body and mind so the sacrifice can't escape.
'Then you could have told me earlier.'
Raon frowned at Wrath.
-How would I know about something prepared in the Devildom! If I had known the fool was a servant of that bastard, I would have stopped it earlier!
Wrath shook his head, expressing his own regret.
'The Sacrifice's Brand...'
Raon narrowed his eyes as he slowly observed the demonic energy covering the barrier of holy power. The demonic energy wasn't breaking the barrier of holy power, but very slowly building up its strength.
'This was their aim from the beginning.'
Because they had been drawing out holy power through prayer all day, from the outside, it would still look like everyone was conducting the Holy Assembly.
It was clear that the king intended to use this moment to increase his own power by sacrificing the kingdom.
'And...'
A demon is also moving.
It wasn't the one who made a pact with King Bauren, but the demon Raon had sensed when he first arrived here.
The demon itself wasn't particularly strong, but fighting within this barrier would be challenging.
"I'll erase the demonic energy."
Paladin Kinier drew his pure white sword. The moment he struck the ground with his darkness-erasing blade, a clear light spread in all directions, beginning to quell the flames of demonic energy.
"Ugh, t-this is stronger than I thought..."
Kinier's complexion turned pale. Even the holy power of the Paladin, said to be the strongest among Holy Knights, seemed unable to suppress the demonic energy covering the walls and ground.
"Pathetic guy."
The Saintess placed her hand on Kinier's sword. A massive light sprouted from her small hand. It was as if a pure white mountain was rising from the center of the kingdom.
Kuwaaaaaaah!
As an enormous amount of holy power gushed out, the flames of demonic energy burning everywhere subsided.
"Can't you even do this?"
The Saintess frowned at Kinier.
"Don't compare me to a monster like you."
Kinier gritted his teeth and shook his head.
"You can hold out, right?"
"You think I can't even do that?"
He furrowed his brows, asking to be trusted.
"Hoppen."
"Ah, yes..."
Hoppen, who had been standing dazed, trembled at Kinier's call.
"I'll give you the authority to command all the Holy Knights."
Kinier handed over the Paladin's emblem he wore on his chest to Hoppen.
"Wipe out the demonic beasts."
"I, I..."
Hoppen didn't take the emblem, swallowing dryly.
"It's unfair for a child to take responsibility for their father's mistakes. But..."
Raon sighed briefly as he approached Hoppen.
"Now is the time to accept that unfairness."
"...I understand."
Hoppen bit his lip and accepted the Paladin's emblem.
"A demon is moving."
Raon raised his finger as he looked at the Light Wind division.
"Stop it by any means necessary."
"If the Division Leader insists, we'll do it."
"Don't worry and go up... okay?"
"Let's finish quickly and get ice cream."
Burren, Martha, and Runaan nodded as if to say not to worry.
"I'll do my best too."
Mark Goetun also nodded, asking to be trusted.
"Then, as I said at first, is my opponent up there?"
Rimmer smiled, tapping the sword at his waist.
"I'm counting on you."
"I'm going too. Even if I die, I'm going to beat the crap out of those damn bastards before I go."
The Saintess raised her gaze as she wiped the blood flowing from her mouth. On her thigh, another pattern had appeared where her skin had melted from overusing her holy power. It seemed useless to try and stop her.
Raon nodded and placed his hand on the black demonic energy enveloping the entire tower.
* * *
"It's coming from the right!"
At Burren's shout, the balance of the Light Wind Formation shifted to the right.
Kugugugugugu!
A monster burning with black flames charged forward, plowing through the earth. Its three tails with eyes moved like whips. It was a demonic beast not found in this world.
"First squad, spear formation!"
Martha struck the ground along with the swordsmen of the first squad. The wind of the Gale Wind Style settled on their blades filled with dense aura, and blue sword strikes flickered.
Peoooong!
The demonic beast that had been approaching, crushing buildings, split into dozens of pieces and disappeared into black mist.
Huuuuung!
As the Light Wind division's swords lowered slightly, a demonic beast in the shape of a giant bird suddenly descended from the air, extending its axe-like talons.
Chiiiing!
Runaan and the second squad moved as if they had been waiting. Blue frost spread like a net, and wind followed, enveloping the bird-shaped demonic beast entirely.
Chwaaaak!
As the demonic beast tried to flee, seeing its wings freeze, Mark Goetun's lightning-fast sword strike fell, splitting the bird-shaped beast in half and melting it away.
"Th-Thank you."
"Thank you for saving us."
The people who barely survived bowed their heads, standing on shaking legs.
"Take this."
Dorian took out a small vial of holy water from his pouch and sprinkled it over the heads of the survivors.
"Move to the west. It's dangerous here."
Burren pointed to the west where no demonic beasts had fallen, and moved again.
'Learning the Gale Wind Style is proving to be a great help.'
Each demonic beast was powerful and would have normally consumed a lot of aura, but thanks to the Gale Wind Style, their combat efficiency had improved.
Even if they couldn't kill them all, it seemed they could buy a lot of time.
"Where the hell is that demon!"
Martha frowned as if displeased.
"There are too many presences. It's impossible for us to find it. But..."
Burren shook his head and licked his lips.
"We know where it will come."
"We know?"
"Yes. We should go there now."
Burren nodded and turned around. He started going back the way they came, drawing out his aura to its fullest.
"Isn't this the way we came?"
Krein tilted his head in confusion.
"The demon's target is obvious."
"Ah!"
Martha clapped her hands as if she understood Burren's meaning.
"Everyone, return at full speed!"
Burren said it was urgent and ran towards the tower where Raon and the king had been praying.
Just as Kinier, who was suppressing the demonic energy, came into view, the main street split in half, and black flames erupted.
The black flames transformed into the shape of a giant dog with a thorny collar, and with a single wag of its tail, it demolished all the surrounding buildings.
Kuwaaaaaaah!
On top of the giant dog was a black-haired, black-eyed young man with a small horn protruding from his forehead. He targeted only Kinier, flicking his finger at the dog-shaped demonic beast.
As the demonic beast breathed fire towards Kinier, the Light Wind division rushed forward to block its path.
Kuuuuuuu!
The black flames couldn't penetrate the wind of the Gale Wind Style and sank to the ground.
"Haa, I thought I was going to die..."
Kinier sighed in relief, placing his hand on his sword.
"How dare you interfere!"
The black-haired, black-eyed demon glared at the Light Wind division and twisted his lips.
"Do you lowly humans think you can stop me?"
"Talking like a big shot for a demon."
Martha sneered at the demonized human, glaring at him.
"We fight the Demon King, not small fry like you, every day." (E/N: it's not even entirely wrong...)
"There's nothing to fear."
Runaan nodded slightly.
The Light Wind division gripped their swords tightly, showing no fear of the demon's demonic energy.
"These guys..."
The demon's black eyes trembled in confusion as he saw the Light Wind division remain calm even after being exposed to his demonic energy.