Gozine

The surrounding black fog completely engulfs me, exuding an alien mana.
The gloomy aura unique to demonic humans and a nauseating mana clash, making my insides churn.
Grand Duke Amdusias chuckled softly.

“You deliberately didn’t resist. Someone of your skill wouldn’t fall for such a shallow trick… I assume you decided to face me alone because you wanted answers about the first family head, your family’s secrets, and the curse?”

“I won’t repeat myself. Tell me everything you know.”

“This. It’s hard to tell who the real villain is here.”

Amdusias laughed, raising both hands nonchalantly.
I remained still, watching him without reacting.
No matter how you look at it, what he wants is one thing.

Nox von Reinhaver, in other words, my death.

But things won’t go the way he wants.
I can say this with certainty.

I won’t die here.
At least, not in this place.

“I’m willing to explain the Reinhaver family to you. But before that.”

In an instant, Amdusias’ figure vanishes.
I quickly roll my eyes.
I glance once at the ground he had struck.
Judging from the scorched ground and the footprints of the shoes he was wearing.

Chaeng!

Left side.
Amdusias attacked with his claws, but I lightly blocked them.

“Good block. So this speed is nothing to you?”

Amdusias grins eerily, but I don’t respond.
After all, there’s something I need to hear from him first.
At least, at this stage, I can’t kill him yet.

“Tell me about Jin.”

“Hmm. That’s certainly where it all began.”

Amdusias crossed his arms and continued.

“Listen well, last sword of Reinhaver. Jin von Reinhaver. Your first family head was”

He deliberately pauses for dramatic effect, as if relishing the tension.
When I waited for a moment, perhaps finding my reaction boring, he continued flatly.

“A demon.”

“….What?”

That was laughable.
An unbelievable story spills from Amdusias’ lips.

What kind of nonsense is this?

If it’s true, why did he fall under a curse? Why did he stand by humans instead of demons, maintaining the family all this time?
Was there something else he desired, enough to leave behind a curse upon his descendants?

“A demon even the Demon King Baal found difficult to deal with. Jin. he became a demon to achieve his desires, unfortunately in the end, he never obtained what he wanted.”

“What the first family head desired… What could he have wanted so badly that he became a demon?”

“The resurrection of the dead.”

“…..”

“Jin von Reinhaver wished to bring back his only blood relative. So he sacrificed everything and became a demon. But it ended in failure… and he became a calamity upon humanity. He went mad. That sword you wield. It was his.”

“Such…”

“The sword bearing the name of storm. Stormbringer. To draw out its true form, I haven’t seen it since Jin wielded it in the past. Do you know what this means?”

I immediately raise my sword.
Something moves rapidly, leaping toward me.
Darkness engulfs me in an instant, and the space flickers like a dungeon where torches have been extinguished.
He’s coming closer.
Sensing it, I grip the sword bearing the name Storm and hold it steady.

Amdusias bares his teeth in a grin.

“If I don’t kill you here, you’ll become an even greater calamity. Perhaps even greater than Jin himself.”

**********

After Nox and Amdusias disappeared.
The morale of the soldiers on the front lines began to plummet.
Demons inherently possess strong regenerative abilities.
And beastfolk?
Being hybrids of humans and animals, they naturally inherit the traits of their animal counterparts.

Like it or not, now it’s time to admit it.

The weakest on this battlefield are none other than the humans.

Paracelsus furrowed his brow.

‘Damn it, Amdusias…. It’s fine if that damn demon disappears, but what are we supposed to do if Sir vanishes too?’

Just moments ago, when Nox was still here, they believed they could seize victory.

The Emperor’s Knight.

Nox’s position alone carried that meaning.
Only those who stand at the pinnacle of strength on the continent, or those close to it.
Only they qualified to guard the Emperor’s side.

The greatest combat asset.
Objectively speaking, such a presence had now left the battlefield.
The enemies are monsters that regenerate severed arms and legs.
Though Lars crafted artifacts and distributed them to many…
Their numbers are still insufficient.

“Everyone, pull yourselves together!”

Paracelsus knows he can’t command as skillfully as Nox, but he shouted anyway.
Of course, he’s aware that few will heed the voice of a mere commoner among the soldiers.
But if it’s just to buy time until reinforcements arrive, it’s possible.

“Right! Damn it, let’s do this somehow!”

“Are we supposed to let these demons march into the imperial palace? Not until dirt fills our eyes!”

“Let’s go!”

Paracelsus engages the enemy using the first stage forms of the Saving Sword.

His main strength is swift, precise strikes that exploit gaps in their defenses.
He repeats this, cutting down foes one after another.
Though the enemy shows no sign of dwindling, it doesn’t mean there’s no possibility.

Paracelsus isn’t the type to overthink things.
He wasn’t the kind to focus during tedious lectures.
But there’s one reason he became a rising star in Eldain despite being a commoner.
One reason he gained a position that cannot be ignored.
Absolute repetition, a talent to work hard.

Chwat!

Blood splashes into his eyes, but Paracelsus’ sword doesn’t stop.
He continues cutting down enemies tirelessly, precisely, relentlessly.
Sensation.
And effort is a talent too.

Paracelsus was the very symbol of this

And for those like him, miracles occasionally come.

Ziiiiing!

The sound of a portal activating.

Its meaning was clear.

Reinforcements have arrived.

Paracelsus finally relaxed as he shouted.

“What took you so long?!”

“Sorry about that. We’ll take it from here.”

Those who step through the portal gather together.
The first to offer an apology is the White Flame Knight, Robert.

Next is his daughter and the next family head, Cell. Then the Princess.
Naturally, that wasn’t all.

“Disgustingly, there’s a lot of them, huh. Those bugs.”

A Sword Emperor, Ulysses, has returned. And someone no one expected to appear here.
The strongest existence makes her entrance.

Luna.
No, Luna von Arkheim has arrived leading the entire Lunatic army.
Not for the Emperor’s sake, of course.
She was one who had lived enjoying what might never have been hers.

To say she held no hatred would be a lie.

But for the foolish Emperor who charged into enemy territory to save Nox.
For such her, at least, she might lend her strength to rescue Nox.
At the very least, that single certainty is why Luna is here now.

“Everyone… has gone mad.”

Paracelsus muttered.
Only a select few ever witness the gathering of the continent’s strongest.
Being one of them intensifies the emotions surging within him to their limits.

“All injured on the front lines, fall back! We’ll take the vanguard.”

At Ulysses’ command, the knights she brought swiftly advance, attacking the demon army.
Those on the front lines retreat.

“Quick, potions!”

A voice from among the allies.

Eleanor de Rivalin.
She generously distributes potions to the wounded without hesitation.
The woman once known as the Golden Fox has changed far too much to still fit that title.

‘She’s changed too. Even her.’

Erina, dark circles under her eyes, personally hands out potions she brewed.
Professor Lars also joins the battle, providing new artifacts to replace broken ones.
This process repeated.

— Damn it!

The demon army slowly begins to retreat.
This is a miracle.

But as expected, there were two people able to decisively turn the tide.
Naturally, one of them is a Sword Emperor. A genius who has already broken past her limits time and again.
Luna.

“All members of Lunatic, listen. Our goal isn’t to save the imperial soldiers. We have only one objective. Ensure Nox von Reinhaver returns alive. That’s all. The End!”

Lunatic’s elite forces weave through the army, approaching the black smoke where Nox and Amdusias disappeared.

Luna instinctively knew.

The fact that there are two presences inside, and Nox is fighting Amdusias.

**********

Even if he can’t see anything within the thick black fog.
He can still sense what’s happening outside.

‘Did the Emperor finally settle things with Luna and make the wise choice to keep them both alive?’

Penelope.

A wise woman.

That’s why I trusted her with the truth.
That she had an older sister.
But that sister wouldn’t be favorable toward her, and she’d face hardship.

‘But there was no need to worry.’

Penelope handled it well.

I don’t know how she persuaded her, but the fact that it worked is what matters.

Inner Lunatic.
During the time I played the game, this episode had a name.

‘The Rose Pierced by the Crescent Moon’

An achievement unlocked by preventing the assassination of the Imperial Princess.
The exhilaration of accomplishing this in reality fuels my entire body.

Even as I deflect Amdusias’ hidden weapons and claws, I couldn’t help but smile.
Maybe it’s because, after 27 regressions, I’ve grown accustomed to this.

But this is.

“Aren’t you too weak?”

Chaeng——!

Stormbringer shatters his claws and tears through the encroaching darkness.
Amdusias’ slightly flustered voice reaches me.

“How!”

This is just Phase 1 pattern. But I know
This is the worst difficulty level game, no, reality.

The fact that I’m skipping through Phase 1 so easily means one thing.
Even if I die, I won’t lose to him.

“Amdusias.”

“…What?!”

This time, it’s my turn to leap.
I leave no scorch marks on the ground.

I merely use the Light step.

After a slight modification, I did employ the moonlight element.
If I had to rename it, it would probably be something like Moonlight Step.

Anyway, I close the distance to his back in an instant and swing my sword.
Amdusias twists his body, avoiding a fatal blow.
But naturally, I don’t stop there.

Smiling, I reversed the grip on my sword.

Then, I lean close to his ear and whisper softly.

“I’ll make sure you die in the most painful way possible.”

For a moment, Amdusias’ flinching reaction is quite satisfying.
I feel joy.

From what?

This battle? Or something else?
For example, in learning a fragment of my family’s secrets…
Though small, I feel a sense of relief?

I, who had originally belonged to this world but had become an outsider.
The moment I truly believe Nox von Reinhaver is part of this world, I feel genuine happiness.

Now, I can even deceive myself into thinking that, even if I die here, I’ll have no regrets.