"Hmm..."
Krein kicked a stone on the ground and let out a groan as if in pain.
"I'm so anxious..."
He tugged at his hair while looking at the silver orb hidden behind the statues of the five heroes.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Krein nodded at Dorian, who was leaning against the statue.
"Why are you acting so serious, unlike usual?"
He narrowed his eyes as if perplexed.
"How could I be alright..."
Dorian shook his head, gasping for breath.
"I feel like I'm going to throw up. Not food, but my insides..."
He sniffled, trembling not just his hands but his entire arms.
"Why did the Palace Master entrust this place to us?"
Dorian closed his eyes, saying he felt like he was suffocating.
"...Because he trusts us. That's why he entrusted it to us."
Krein looked up at the sky and exhaled softly.
"If not for that, he wouldn't have sent us to such an important place."
He clenched his fist, saying he didn't want to betray that trust.
"I suppose you're right."
Dorian nodded in agreement, but his trembling gradually spread throughout his body.
"I guess five tranquilizers weren't enough. The shaking won't stop..."
Just as he was about to slap his cheek and reach for another tranquilizer, a spine-chilling wail echoed as the shadows of the surrounding buildings darkened.
"It's here!"
Krein stepped forward, pressing his lips tightly.
"Be careful..."
Dorian warned Krein and stepped away from the statue. His fingers, resting on the sword hilt, trembled pitifully. As the two stood before the statue, the sky, earth, and buildings were suddenly bathed in a dark, ominous light, as if splashed with black paint.
"Wh-what's going on!"
"Why did it suddenly become night..."
"What's happening right now!"
The people around the statue were startled by the sudden situation and couldn't move from their spots. As the pitch-black darkness filled every space, a white-haired old man in a black robe approached with a dull tapping sound of his staff.
"That old man..."
Dorian furrowed his brows as he looked at the old man's wrinkled face.
"Don't you know? He's the one from the statue you've been leaning against."
Krein pointed at the statue behind them. As he said, the old man's face was identical to the magician on the far right of the five heroes' statue.
"His name was Foreshon, the Archmage."
Krein mentioned the old man's title and name as he drew his sword.
"I'm pleased that young friends recognize me."
Archmage Foreshon stroked his white beard with a gentle smile.
"If you hand over the orb behind the statue, I won't harm you."
He shook his head gently, saying he would make a concession.
"What a load of crap."
Krein snorted, tilting his chin sideways.
"If you were really that benevolent, you wouldn't have left suffering children alone."
He wiggled his finger as if trying to provoke Foreshon.
"How regrettable."
Foreshon raised one eyebrow and let out a low sigh.
"Refusing a reward and choosing punishment..."
"Drink your own punishment. I don't know why all villains spout the same lines. Did you all go to villain school or something?"
Krein clicked his tongue, saying it was cliché.
"How ill-mannered."
Foreshon seemed genuinely angry, blue veins popping up between the wrinkles on his forehead.
"If you trust the children around you, you'll regret it."
"Has the old man gone senile? What do you mean around us!"
"I can see it all. Your qualities are all similar. It means you were raised in the same family."
He twisted his lips while looking at the people trembling in the darkness.
"You've got one hell of a sharp eye."
Krein gritted his teeth, stomping his foot.
"We've been found out! Get ready to fight!"
At his gesture, the Light Wind Palace swordsmen disguised as tourists and residents revealed their true forms.
"So it was Zieghart after all."
Foreshon nodded calmly as he looked at the swords and uniforms of the Light Wind Palace swordsmen.
"Being all Masters is certainly an advantage, but it will mean nothing before me."
As he tapped the ground with his staff, the darkness coloring the earth writhed and rose up. Hundreds of shadow beasts emerged, their bright red eyes gleaming.
'He's strong.'
Krein frowned as he looked at the shadow beasts summoned by Foreshon.
'Each one is at least on par with a large monster.'
Of course, dealing with them would be much more difficult. Unlike monsters with known strategies, these shadow beasts were completely unknown. It was obvious they would be strong and agile, making them challenging even for Masters to handle.
"Formation! In the High Wind style!"
At Krein's command, the Light Wind Palace swordsmen formed a small wind formation in front of the five heroes' statue.
"You're going for a defensive battle? Not a bad choice, but how long can you hold out?"
As Foreshon struck his staff down with a smirk, the shadow beasts he summoned simultaneously sank into the ground. They emerged right in front of the statue, baring their sharply honed teeth towards the Light Wind Palace swordsmen's necks.
The Light Wind Palace swordsmen struck down with their sword techniques without a moment's hesitation.
The shadow beasts couldn't withstand the sword strikes imbued with wind energy and melted away into black mist.
"Hmph!"
As if Foreshon had anticipated this situation, he flicked his staff, and the beasts that had been cut down by the wind blades revived, once again opening their pitch-black maws.
"We'll just kill them again!"
Krein, also unfazed, cut down the revived shadow beasts.
"How about this?"
As Foreshon raised his fingertips, condensed black demonic energy shot from the tip of his staff towards the statue. Just as the dark magic was about to erase both the hero's statue and the silver orb, Dorian leaped out from within the sword formation. He swung his sword down, rushing into the demonic energy to prevent the swordsmen from being harmed.
Dorian's sword strike, imbued with insight, split the center of the dark magic, even quelling the explosion of demonic energy.
"Ugh..."
However, he seemed exhausted just from that, his hands trembling and drool dripping from his mouth.
"Well done!"
Krein patted Dorian's back, saying it was impressive just to have endured.
"You have some skill worth mentioning. But it's still meaningless."
Foreshon frowned and revived the beasts again, pressuring the Light Wind Palace.
"Whether it's meaningful or not, we'll have to see it through to the end!"
Krein snorted, saying they could bring it on as much as they wanted.
"Very well. I'll show you your end."
As Foreshon's demonic energy exploded and the Light Wind Palace swordsmen's sword strikes flashed, a war of attrition began between the two forces.
* * *
"Hmm..."
Foreshon frowned as he watched the Light Wind Palace swordsmen desperately protecting the orb.
'This is taking longer than I expected.'
He thought he could subdue the Light Wind Palace in about 10 minutes, but those young ones were supporting each other, blocking both the beasts' charges and his magic.
Their mental strength, physical endurance, and practical experience were superior to their raw power.
'Is the energy contained in the orb growing stronger?'
The artifact they were currently protecting had the power to erase the barrier of Montiro. It seemed that the time for the barrier to break was not far off.
'I have no choice.'
If Montiro's barrier broke, many things would collapse. He had to remove that orb, even if he had to move directly. Foreshon shook his head and struck the ground with his staff. The demonic energy surrounding him grew thicker, spreading a pitch-black darkness where not even an inch ahead could be seen.
"Stay focused! We win if we just hold out!"
Krein encouraged the swordsmen, shouting at them not to leave their positions under any circumstances.
"Ugh..."
On the other hand, Dorian trembled not just his hands but his legs as well, as if feeling fear in the darkness.
'This should be easy enough.'
Foreshon licked his lips as he watched the Light Wind Palace swordsmen trembling in the darkness.
'It's impossible for them to kill me anyway.'
Against an opponent who has deployed an obsidian barrier, one's weakness is only in one place. No, they wouldn't even be able to find him in this darkness, let alone strike his weakness, so breaking the orb would be as easy as eating cold porridge.
'Hmph.'
Foreshon sneered as he looked at the green-haired swordsman with puffy cheeks.
'If the strongest one looks like that, this fight is already over.'
His skill in blocking his demonic energy was decent, but he was too scared, constantly reacting slowly. He had never seen such a pathetic guy before. Foreshon moved through the darkness, burrowing behind the statue. Taking advantage of the moment when the Light Wind Palace swordsmen were cutting down the beasts, he reached out towards the silver orb buried in the ground.
Just as he thought it was perfect and was about to destroy the silver orb, a blade glowing with blue light pierced his flesh.
'It's impressive that you noticed me, but something like this won't cut... Gah!'
Foreshon revealed his true form and coughed up black blood. He let out a dull groan as he looked at the sword that had pierced above his left knee.
"What is this..."
In this state, his only weakness was the thigh above his left knee. Like a dragon's reverse scale. He couldn't understand how they had managed to stab such a tiny area.
"I-I was waiting for you."
The green-haired swordsman who had seemed the strongest but most frightened among the Light Wind Palace swordsmen shook his head, tears streaming down his face.
"You... you were acting from the start..."
Foreshon collapsed with a look of shock on his face, as if realizing he had been fooled by Dorian's act. As his body sank into the black demonic energy, red blood gushed out. With Foreshon's death, the shadow beasts lost their power and melted away into black mist.
"Hah..."
Dorian exhaled deeply and collapsed on the spot.
"Hey! What did you do?"
Krein approached Dorian with wide eyes, as if he couldn't believe it.
"Dorian!"
"Did you really kill that old man?"
"What happened?"
The other Light Wind Palace swordsmen also rushed towards Dorian, shouting in amazement.
"I-I read him..."
Dorian shook his head, taking a long breath.
"Just as we were struggling, that guy was getting impatient too."
It seemed the effect of enduring Raon's hellish training paid off, as Foreshon was flustered by their unwavering stamina and decided to move himself. As soon as he realized this, Dorian maximized his Mind's Eye to read the man's psychology.
The location where the vanished Foreshon would appear was obviously in front of the orb, and by grasping his movements, Dorian was able to end it by stabbing not the human weak points like the neck, head, or heart, but the thigh one span above the left knee that he was trying so hard to protect.
"So you really were acting?"
"Acting my ass..."
Dorian shook his head coldly.
"I really thought I was going to die from shaking! Look! I'm still trembling!"
He pointed at his still shaking hands and legs.
"Then how?"
"Because I saw Rensia."
Dorian clenched his trembling hands into fists.
"If I can't move after seeing that child, I have no right to wield a sword."
He nodded, saying that was all that moved him.
"Oh! Dorian, you're looking pretty cool?"
Krein grinned and grabbed Dorian's shoulder tightly.
"Now that I look at you, maybe you're more suited to be a swordsman than a merchant?"
"I've been a swordsman from the start."
"Huh? Weren't you a quartermaster?"
"I feel good, but bad..."
* * *
Runaan and Martha were pushed back, rolling on the ground.
"What the hell! Have those guys gotten stronger?"
Martha gritted her teeth in disbelief.
"Yeah..."
Runaan nodded, looking at the demonic energy blazing from the tip of her sword.
"They've definitely gotten stronger..."
Just as they were about to gain a small realization and try to break through the wall, Calob and Felix overwhelmed them with even stronger demonic energy. It seemed that the power they were showing now wasn't their full strength.
"That was quite dangerous."
Calob licked his lips, looking at the wound on his chest inflicted by Runaan.
"The same goes for me. I almost got hit despite not letting my guard down."
Felix frowned, examining the sword marks engraved on his spear shaft.
"They're stronger than we expected, but what we really need to be cautious about is their practical experience. It wouldn't be strange if they grew even more at any moment."
He calmly lowered his gaze.
"We should end this as quickly as possible."
"Yes, I'll go with that plan too."
Felix lowered his stance, aiming his spear at Rensia.
"Like that..."
Calob nodded as if agreeing with Felix's thoughts.
"Watch out."
Martha clicked her tongue and took a step back.
"It seems like the real fight starts now."
"I know..."
Runaan calmly nodded and made frost flowers bloom around the fountain.
"From now on, I'll be the villain you want me to be."
Calob, covered in demonic energy from head to toe, broke through the frost and lunged to the right. Without a moment's hesitation, he swung his greatsword down towards Rensia's head. Felix also stepped in from the left, swinging his spear shaft rippling with demonic energy. His spear blade was also aimed at Rensia.
Martha and Runaan urgently stepped forward to block Calob's sword and Felix's spear. Their eyes began to shake violently as if hit by waves. Calob and Felix, seemingly with no intention of turning their sword and spear away from Rensia, intensified their pressure by emitting increasingly dense demonic energy.
"As expected of a bunch of demonic bastard! You're acting so disgustingly! Do you want to target a child?"
Martha gritted her teeth as she pushed back Felix's spear shaft.
"It stinks..."
Runaan wrinkled her nose and raised a wall of frost to block Calob's demonic energy.
"Even if you've figured out how to block demonic energy, you can't protect everything."
Felix tilted his chin up as he pressed down on Martha's shoulder with his spear blade burning with black demonic energy.
"Even if you can endure, those behind you can't."
He emitted terrifying demonic energy as if trying to devour this entire space, not just Martha.
"That's right. It'll all be over if we just kill Rensia and Raon Zieghart."
Calob, seemingly in agreement with Felix, relentlessly poured out sword strikes. The demonic energy that Martha and Runaan couldn't completely erase scattered around the fountain, igniting black flames on the ground.
"Ugh..."
"It won't go out!"
"Damn it!"
The Light Wind Palace swordsmen tried to help somehow, but the difference in power was too great for them to even approach.
"Ugh..."
Rensia trembled as if in intense pain due to the spreading demonic energy. Black, dead blood flowed from her mouth, as if the pain was on a different level from ordinary suffering.
"Rensia!"
Martha screamed as she saw the black blood staining Rensia's lips. However, she couldn't approach Rensia, struggling just to block Felix's spear.
"Urgh..."
Runaan also tried to erase the demonic energy somehow, but she couldn't move properly due to Calob's interference.
"I had a hunch, but now it's certain."
Felix licked his lips as he looked at Raon, who was calmly keeping his eyes open.
"You can't move a single step from that spot."
"As I said before, I don't understand. Entrusting your life to such vermin."
Kalob sneered at how light the Transcendent's neck was.
"You're making me repeat myself because you're stupid."
Raon calmly shook his head.
"I trust them because they're trustworthy."
"Will that trust be fulfilled even at the moment you and Rensia die?"
Calob licked his lips, saying he wanted to see what expression Raon would make in his dying moments.
"I only believe in myself. That's why..."
Raon smiled faintly as he looked at Martha and Runaan's backs.
"I believe in myself who has watched over those two."
He gripped Rensia's trembling hand more tightly, saying he had no intention of moving at all.
"I also..."
Rensia opened her eyes with difficulty.
"Believe in my sisters."
Despite the terrible pain causing her veins to bulge on her skin, she smiled brightly. It was clearly a sad situation, but her smile was so pure that it seemed to brighten the world tainted by demonic energy. Martha and Runaan's eyes, upon seeing Rensia's smile, were filled with images of their childhood.
A girl crying out for her mother in a village full of corpses, and a girl who couldn't even look at the world, held in her brother's grasp.
Rensia, wearing a blue backpack, stood before Martha and Runaan, each carrying their own pain. The child extended her hand to the two with a bright smile. Martha and Runaan reached out their burned and blood-soaked hands towards Rensia's brightly shining hand.
As the three children's hands joined, the burning village disappeared, and the door of the cage made of blood opened.
The Titan's astral energy that climbed up Martha's fingertips rotated diagonally, suppressing the demonic energy spread in the air. The frost fragments that bloomed on Runaan's beloved sword Snow Flower formed a chandelier-like shape, freezing all the incoming demonic energy.
"Could it be..."
"What in the world!"
Calob and Felix widened their eyes in disbelief at Martha and Runaan's simultaneous awakening.
"Finish it now! Before their astral rings are completed, pour out all the demonic energy!"
Felix, so urgent that he spoke informally for the first time, exploded all the demonic energy he possessed.
"I know!"
Calob also clenched his teeth tightly and shot an astral ring of demonic flames towards Runaan.
"Runaan."
"Yes."
Martha and Runaan didn't look at Calob and Felix. The two lowered their swords towards each other while standing in front of Raon and Rensia. As the two swords, emanating frost and earth energy, clashed, a clear blue light burst forth.
The black demonic energy that had covered heaven and earth melted away like spring snow before the natural energy that seemed to contain a land of extreme cold, unable to even struggle once.