“No… Lies. Lies…!”
Helena denied vehemently, gasping for breath.
But even uttering those words seemed to drain her of strength, and her eyes closed.
There was no trace of color left in her pallid complexion.
She looked like a dying person.
At that very moment, a familiar gate opened in the air.
It was the same gate of light used by the fairies when traveling.
Gaia and Kalia instinctively took a step back, wary of the sudden appearance of light.
It wasn’t the time for their families to appear, so who could it be that emerged so suddenly?
But the figure that emerged from there was not a fairy.
“…Helena!”
Titiana, urgently rushing outside, closed her eyes as she looked at the collapsed Helena, gasping for breath in pain.
Following the sensation triggered by the activation of the Spear of Life, she had instantly teleported to this location.
And there, her granddaughter was clinging to a dwindling thread of life, gasping on the ground.
‘You… really did it, didn’t you?’
Titiana looked sadly at the fallen Helena, biting her lip.
Gaia, who had been gazing intently at that scene, shook her head and murmured.
“Aunt Titiana?”
Titiana’s eyes turned towards Gaia.
She glanced at Gaia, momentarily surprised, and then looked at Kalia beside her.
‘So, it’s this child.’
She could recognize her at a glance.
It was impossible not to recognize her.
She possessed the beautiful features of Gaia and Leah.
“…You must be the child Leah spoke of.”
“If you mention Leah…”
“Yes. Your grandmother and my friend, Leah. She told me about you, child. There are many things I want to say… but now is not the time for a warm greeting, it seems. For now…”
Saying that, Titiana gently lifted Helena’s almost lifeless body and cradled her in her arms.
“I’ll take my karma first.”
Titiana sighed and, with a lonely smile, walked towards the still-open gate.
Suddenly, just before she entered it, Titiana turned to Kalia and spoke.
“My dear, it seems your wounds have almost healed. I will retrieve the spear myself.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the spear lodged in Kalia’s side emitted a dazzling light and transformed its appearance.
It shrank to the size of just a finger and floated gently upward into the sky.
Its shape resembled a long, exquisite earring.
As Kalia pondered how it looked like a beautiful, elongated earring, it flew and hung itself on the tip of Titiana’s right ear.
‘It truly transformed into an earring…’
Titiana smiled slightly as she retrieved the Spear of Life and glanced at Kalia.
In response, Kalia slightly bowed her head and expressed her gratitude.
Titiana turned around and entered the gate of light.
As soon as she entered, the gate closed completely.
And approximately one second later…
“Kalia! What’s going on?”
Simon suddenly popped out from the exact same spot.
With a worried expression on his face, Simon hurriedly approached Kalia, scanning his surroundings cautiously.
“I definitely sensed a strange energy wave emanating from this room just now… What’s happening? Wait a minute. Why are you dressed in formal attire… Oh, and Gaia is here too.”
Having teleported directly from the meeting, Simon belatedly examined Kalia while sharply surveying the surroundings.
Kalia, who had been absentmindedly standing there, completely forgot to respond to Simon and instead felt her side with her hand.
The pain had completely disappeared, as if it were a lie.
No, not only had the pain vanished, but she could also feel a much stronger energy within her body than usual.
‘What is this…’
She was at a loss.
She was so dumbfounded and shocked that she even found it difficult to explain this to Simon.
“It seems like my wounds have healed, Simon.”
“What…? What are you talking about?”
“Just now…”
As Kalia tried to explain what had happened a moment ago, a loud booming sound resonated from outside the palace.
It was an explosion.
And it had occurred very close by.
“They have appeared out of nowhere…!”
Startled, Kalia raised her head and quickly ran towards the source of the rising black smoke.
Several giant chimeras had broken through the shields surrounding the palace and were wreaking havoc.
* * *
Buford felt his sanity slipping away.
It felt like tiny, annoying bugs were gnawing at his mind.“Ughh…”
“Buford! Buford! Damn, wake up!”
Buford wanted to say something, but he had no energy left due to the massive amount of blood flowing out of his body.
From the black hole formed by his blood, chimeras continuously emerged without respite.
He barely survived by relying on Damon, without eating or sleeping.
He had a premonition that he would die like this.
This wretched and worn-out body, barely clinging to life like a useless object, seemed pitifully close to its end.
Buford burst into laughter.
Was this the reason he went through all this trouble just to end up dying?
Well… sacrificing his own body to bring down the mighty fortress of Rojas wouldn’t be so bad either.
“Ugh. Hehe.”
Buford weakly laughed, then fainted, only to wake up fiercely.
His body grew increasingly emaciated over time, and his sharp features became fragile and sensitive, like a frail artist.
“Please. Please…! What on earth is that mad doctor doing!”
Damon, deeply wounded from the battle with Kalia, couldn’t stop Buford’s body from being used as a gate.
If only he could close that gate of blood, he would find a way to survive. But even that was beyond his reach, so she could only feel restless.
If this hiding place were to be discovered by the Mage Tower, there would be no difference between death and life for her.
‘…Should I just abandon him?’
She looked at Buford, lying weakly on the bed.
Even his pale and disgusted expression looked lovely, her prince.
‘Yes, I have to protect this man, even if it costs me my life. It’s better to just let him go…’
A man who is not just loved by her, but the man who does crazy things because of another woman…
Even if it’s because of the transplanted heart, could his mad actions have no other reason?
Damon glared at Buford with narrowed eyes.
No matter how much she loved him, he hadn’t always been lovable.
As she stared at him with a whirlwind of emotions in her eyes, Buford met her gaze.
After a while, as their eyes locked, Buford smirked and turned his head.
“…Go… cough.”
“What did you say?”
“Leave… Da… mon. Cough.”
As if reading her mind, Buford spoke.
While his body trembled, his voice remained surprisingly calm.
“…Whether you’re here… or not… I will die.”
“Buford…!”
Waving his skeletal hand, he urged her to leave as if shooing away annoying bugs.
“Don’t… be annoying… just… go away.”
Buford spoke with a voice devoid of any emotion.
It was an impulsive outburst that couldn’t be called considerate.
If she abandoned him, Damon could survive.
As long as she lived, wouldn’t there be at least one person to remember him even if he disappeared from this world?
Was death approaching?
A childish and grotesque sentiment engulfed his mind.
“Go away! Cough! Ugh! Raaah!”
Between his lips, as he violently coughed and spat, a trickle of crimson blood flowed.
“…Ha.”
Buford felt his impending death drawing near, both for himself and Damon.
For a while, she stared at him with trembling eyes, then abruptly turned away, distancing herself from him.
Whether he had gone mad or completely left, he couldn’t tell, but oddly enough, he felt relieved.
“Haha… Ha!”
He laughed bitterly as he looked at the chimeras pouring endlessly from the gate formed by his blood.
Their appearance was different from before.
They were less gruesome but exuded a much stronger power.
Perhaps they were chimeras made from the fairies brought by the fairy elder.
The ones created with more fairy blood than demonic blood.
Some of them had grown several times larger, even surpassing the size of an ogre.
‘The fairies…’
As he thought of the fairies, the woman naturally came to his mind.
Buford felt his desire intensify as the scent of death grew stronger.
‘I want to meet that woman. If I’m going to die like this, before I die… I want to quench this thirst…’
How on earth could he quench this thirst?
He had no idea whatsoever.
This thirst grew even stronger from the moment he sensed death.
Even though he didn’t know what to do with that woman or how to handle the situation, his throat felt hot as if it would burst at any moment.
In the midst of it, the abruptly open black gap closed.
“Khuh… What’s happening?”The chimeras that were pouring out through the gap also abruptly stopped in their tracks.
Buford stared at the massive black pool created by his blood with tense eyes, but there was no reaction for a long while.
‘…No way.’
At that moment, Buford felt something and immediately stood up.
‘Has Lirik also fallen. If that’s the case…’
Fortunately, he managed to summon enough strength to get up, barely avoiding death just before it claimed him.
“I have to go… to engage in the final battle.”
He smiled gracefully with a sullen complexion.
His loose shirt flowed down from his bony shoulders as if it would crumble.
He staggered like an intoxicated person as he walked and stepped out onto the terrace, whistling.
Then, a chimera with gigantic wings appeared in front of him.
“Let’s go, to ignite the final blaze.”
Buford elegantly mounted the chimera and chuckled softly.
‘I will burn brighter than any other flame.’
The chimera carrying him swiftly ascended to a great height.
* * *
Crash! Thud! Kwa-aaah!
Thousands of demons and hundreds of chimeras swarmed and relentlessly attacked, finally creating a small crack in the magical barrier surrounding the castle.
If it broke, it was only a matter of time before it cracked.
In the end, the barrier crumbled, and the demons flooded in.
The screams of the complacent citizens, who were wandering within the barrier, pierced the sky.
“Aaaah!”
“The barrier has fallen!”
“It’s the demons! Run away!”
“Summon the magicians!”
“The guards are coming, so get away quickly!”
Fortunately, the magicians arrived at the chaotic scene, accompanied by the guards and knights.
Unlike regular soldiers, the demons and chimeras showed no fear.
They resisted the magicians and knights who were driving them back with their powerful magic and strength, pushing their way inside without fear.
“Damn it, where did they suddenly come from?”
“I can’t use wide-area magic because of their resistance! What about the Mage Tower?”
“Support is coming, but the situation is the same on the opposite side of the wall, so the support is being spread thin!”
“What about the knights! What are the guards doing?”
With great effort, they formed a defense line from the collapsed area, but with such a small number, it wouldn’t hold for long.
Through the opening created by the fallen barrier, the monsters piled up on top of each other, trampling over one another.
It was a terrifying sight.
“Get out of the way, you weaklings! Huaaah!”
And amidst that, there was a figure who appeared, roaring with an even more terrifying sound.
Brik rushed forward, swinging his massive morning star and crushing the back of a chimera’s head that had a troll’s head attached to it like a lump of dough.
Soon, the knights under his command followed him and joined the battle.
“Squad leader! If we continue like this, the magical barrier will collapse!”
“You fools! Don’t worry! The capital won’t fall just because one magical barrier broke! The secondary magic circles will activate soon! We have to quickly eliminate the innocent Imperial citizens’ casualties before that!”
“Yes, sir!”
And at that moment.
Whoosh!
Dozens of flying-type monsters covered the sky above the capital.
“…!”
While the knights were formidable in ground combat, they were vulnerable in aerial battles.
As Brik noticed this, lightning split into dozens of forks, striking the airborne monsters.
“It’s… the masters!”
Someone shouted.
As they said, the masters from the Mage Tower rushed out of the headquarters and unleashed their offensive magic.
“Ahahaha! Is it necessary to squeeze their heads for their last resistance? We’ll attack too!”
“Let’s take them all down, boys!”
Henry and Derek stood at the forefront, casting offensive spells and striking relentlessly.
On the ground, the knights and in the sky, the magicians engaged in a fierce battle.
However, the number of the demons trying to forcefully invade the small capital didn’t decrease easily.
“You bastarrrds! Aaargh!”
Eventually, enraged Brik started smashing the heads of the demons with his morning star, swinging it randomly.
The troops that were supposed to protect him had to desperately retreat, as the impact was dangerous to their surroundings.
Thwack! Boom! Crunch! Thud!
The sound of something exploding filled the air wherever Brik’s weapon passed.
Yet, somehow, the number didn’t decrease.
Around that time.
“If you swing around like that, you might dislocate your shoulders, Brik. Take care of your fragile shoulders.”
With an ice sword in hand, Kalia appeared with a twisted smile.