Hans, unleashing the power of both spirit beasts at once, swept through the paladins with overwhelming might.
‘Still, it doesn’t feel good.’
Now that he was using a fusion of both spirits’ powers, Hans could feel an intensity he had never known before.
The instinct inherent in his genes showed him how to wield it.
Adding his own experience on top of that, Hans fought the paladins with refined precision.
If this had been his original body, even a single paladin among that many would have been enough to overpower him.
But now, as he wielded the power of the spirit beasts, he could feel just how much stronger he had become.
Yet, the sense of pride was overshadowed by discomfort.
He did not want to kill anyone.
Even now, he carried trauma from when he had turned into a beast and harmed people.
Was it because of the wolf spirit’s power?
The metallic tang of blood and the stench of death brushing against his nose made it impossible for Hans to escape reality.
That was why he could see everything he was doing.
That was why he did not avert his gaze.
That was why he did not run away.
‘I can’t keep living like this forever.’
After meeting Ludger and accompanying him, he had experienced many things.
He had fled from fights, hidden like a coward, and tried to comfort himself by saying, “This much is enough.”
But the path Ludger was walking grew rougher and rougher, and even Hans, who walked beside him, was starting to tire.
Should he quit?
That desire surged within him several times a day.
‘Brother said I could run away if I wanted to.’
He had said that even if Hans turned from the path and fled, he wouldn’t blame him.
Those words had not been empty kindness; they had been sincere.
Hans had been truly grateful for that.
He believed Ludger had said it because he knew him well and was showing him consideration.
‘Yeah. He was always like that. Even when he knew things would get harder for himself, he’d think of others first.’
And now was no different.
He had told Owens to make their own decisions and yet had let himself be captured right in the middle of enemy territory.
Even if they hadn’t come to rescue him, Ludger would not have fallen so easily.
He would’ve found some extraordinary method to escape and continued his lonely battle, just as he always had.
From the past until now—
Always the same.
‘I’ll never let that happen again.’
Hans had received too much help to ever repay.
Ludger might say it wasn’t necessary, but Hans’s pride would not allow that.
More than that, he wanted to see him again.
He was curious—
About what awaited at the end of the path Ludger sought to reach.
Even if he could not walk with him to the end, if he could at least push him forward, even a little—
Wouldn’t that be enough?
‘That’s why I fight.’
The blue light descending from the heavens, the azure wind sweeping across the earth—
The number of starlight antlers pouring down from the sky had grown to five.
The guardian beast of House Ulburk possessed the ability of [Division].
Even when divided, each copy’s combat strength was nearly equal to the original.
Combined with the overwhelming mana of the deer spirit, the synergy was tremendous.
“Amazing.”
Seridan couldn’t help but voice her admiration at Hans’s display.
Even someone with no understanding of warfare would’ve been left speechless by such a sight.
‘That coward... he’s really giving it his all.’
What impressed Seridan even more was that Hans was fighting with genuine resolve.
“Everyone, fall back!”
“Retreat to the fortress! Move!”
As the battle turned against them, the paladins swiftly chose to retreat.
Hans, who had been pursuing them relentlessly, halted his bombardment once they had moved too far away and returned to the First Checkpoint City.
“Phew.”
Gathering his divided forms back into one, Hans injected a neutralizer and reverted to his normal self.
“Well done.”
“It’s nothing.”
Hans’s complicated expression eased with just that single remark from Ludger.
Owens silently observed the retreating paladins.
“Is it all right to just let them go?”
Violetta asked if they shouldn’t chase and eliminate the remnants.
“Our goal lies in that Galaharad Fortress. What we must do hasn’t changed.”
“It’s a fortress with no intel whatsoever. We have no idea how many soldiers could be waiting inside.”
“No matter how many there are, it won’t be fewer than now.”
If not now—when most of the Bretus Theocracy’s forces had already spread across the continent—there would be no other chance.
“Prepare yourselves. We’re taking Galaharad Fortress.”
* * *
Salesin von Bretus was being treated with utmost courtesy by the Empire, residing comfortably within the Imperial Palace.
No one stopped him wherever he went.
Now that his power of brainwashing had swallowed the entire Imperial Court, it was no exaggeration to say Salesin was effectively the master of the place.
Reports flowed in for him one after another.
They came from the paladins and priests he had sent with his orders—confirmation that his commands had been carried out successfully.
Satisfied, Salesin nodded approvingly.
But then, his expression chilled slightly as the last report arrived—at the worst possible timing.
[Yo–Your Holiness! It’s terrible!]
“What is it?”
A signal from the homeland.
And the sender was the archbishop in charge of its defense.
He was the reserve force left behind just in case enemies invaded the now nearly empty Theocracy.
For such a man to be contacting him with a voice full of panic—
“Judging by that reaction, it’s not good news, is it?”
[Th–That is...!]
Before the archbishop could finish, a chain of explosions echoed from afar.
Soon the shouts of elite paladins—“The outer wall is breached!”—reached even Salesin’s ears.
The outer wall of Galaharad Fortress—
The first and strongest line of defense—had fallen.
It seemed almost impossible.
“You don’t even need to say it. The enemy’s already there, aren’t they?”
[Y–Yes, Your Holiness.]
“Hm. I hadn’t heard of any large-scale army movements. That must mean it’s a small elite force, and naturally, my brother is leading them.”
[Y–You are correct.]
The archbishop stammered, astonished that Salesin had grasped the situation so quickly.
“Well, I never thought my brother would sit quietly in some prison. I did, however, believe I’d prepared sufficient forces to handle him. Were they really that strong?”
[I hate to admit it, but the enemy’s strength is beyond comprehension. We didn’t even understand how they possessed such power before being overwhelmed.]
“Hah. It seems my brother came well prepared.”
[Your Holiness, please! We must request reinforcements from the homeland—!]
“Ah, I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
[Wh–What? What do you mean—?]
“It’s already too late.”
The archbishop froze at those words.
Now that he thought about it—the explosions outside had gone quiet.
The high-ranking paladins? The priests? The inner sanctum’s barrier?
He turned around—and froze in terror at the sight of cold blue eyes staring down at him.
[H–Hiiik!]
The archbishop’s face turned deathly pale at the sight of Ludger.
When had he gotten here? And why hadn’t he sensed his approach?
And those men and women standing silently behind him—who were they?
[Y–You, you’re—!]
Crack!
Before he could shout, a massive hand seized his head.
The archbishop tried to summon holy power and struggle, but that iron grip made resistance meaningless.
With a light squeeze, his body went limp.
A high-ranking archbishop of the Theocracy—a man revered wherever he went—
now lay dead, flung aside like a broken doll, his body rolling across the marble floor.
Salesin, watching the scene through the artifact, slowly shook his head while maintaining his faint smile.
“My, my. You could’ve at least spared the archbishop. Do you know how much time and money it takes to train one?”
[You summoned me here knowing this would happen, didn’t you?]
“To be honest, I didn’t think it would go this far.”
Salesin clapped his hands mockingly.
“Your handpicked subordinates must be quite skilled. For the outer wall to fall to so few—it’s unprecedented in our nation’s history. You should be proud.”
[You think this is where it ends?]
“Of course not. But you know as well as I do that it can’t be helped. You may breach the outer wall using Father’s bloodline, but the inner wall is another story altogether. That’s where the real fortress begins.”
Even without being there, Salesin understood exactly how things were progressing—and how they would end.
“Besides, even if you conquer the inner sanctum, what then? You’ll just be occupying an empty shell with its core forces gone.”
[At least I’ll stain the holy name of your nation properly.]
“Haha. Frightening words. But such stains only matter if someone remembers them, don’t they?”
[You’ve done something, haven’t you.]
“No one will remember what happened here. Instead, they’ll see you as evil incarnate. The Theocracy of Bretus will be remembered as noble martyrs who fought against the darkness.”
Salesin bared his teeth in a wide grin.
“Because I’ll make it so. I can make it so.”
[You sent priests and ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) agents across the continent for this purpose, didn’t you.]
“Oh? You figured it out?”
[I always wondered why Lumenis had no Apostle. Every god leaves a proxy in the mortal realm to act in their stead. Lumenis couldn’t have been an exception. Seeing this now, I understand.]
Salesin shrugged lightly.
“You’re right. I do hold the Apostle’s authority. And that authority...”
[Is a vast brainwashing power capable of rewriting history itself.]
“...My, don’t steal my lines, little brother. How rude.”
[Do you intend to brainwash every world leader and place them under your control?]
“I’m starting with something simpler—creating one great enemy for the world to unite against. Heathcliff von Bretus. The Heretic King. The Demon Sovereign. The Apostate. What do you think? Catchy, isn’t it? You can even pick your favorite.”
Ludger ignored his mockery and spoke coldly.
[That brainwashing—it doesn’t last long, does it?]
“......”
[If it did, the Theocracy wouldn’t have needed to go through all this trouble. Its range may be wide, and it can affect many, but its duration is short. The effect remains only as traces in memory—slight manipulations of recollection.]
The reason the ancient kingdom—the Empire’s predecessor—vanished without a trace.
The reason the Theocracy had endured unbroken for centuries.
[And you can’t use it freely, can you? The greater its scale, the greater the limitations. One mistake, one leak, and the world would know your secret.]
Through the artifact screen, Ludger’s lips twisted into a sharp smile.
[So it’s a half-finished authority. You’re so obsessed with maintaining your own power that even Lumenis’s gift has lost its radiance.]
At those words, Salesin’s shoulders trembled—then he burst into laughter.
“Hahahaha! Yes! You’re absolutely right, brother. This authority is incomplete. The original power was far more perfect.”
[After Saintess Arkenis’s death, that power was halved. You needed her Judgment Eye, didn’t you.]
“Oh my, you see right through everything.”
[You sent people across the continent to find her power. Even if Saintess Arkenis died, her strength must’ve continued somewhere.]
“Exactly. That’s why the Theocracy has always reserved this authority for decisive moments—for turning points in history.”
[Moments when the nation’s existence is threatened.]
“If used carelessly and other rulers discovered it, Bretus would collapse instantly. So yes, it must be used thoroughly—or not at all. And what a nuisance it is. To think I’d be the one to wield it in my generation.”
Salesin laced his fingers together and gazed slyly at Ludger.
“So what will you do? The authority is already active. I hold the power to move the world, while you haven’t even taken Galaharad Fortress.”
[...]
“You’ve turned the whole world against you. Are you prepared for that, my heretic brother?”
[Prepared?]
Ludger scoffed softly, as if amused.
[I’ll be waiting. Use every trick you have. I’ll do the same.]
“Still insisting on a fair fight even in disadvantage, huh? Fine, let’s lay all our cards on the table, brother.”
Blood-related only by half, the hollow brothers declared war upon one another.
And that was the end of their conversation.
Just before the signal from the artifact cut off, Ludger spoke one last time.
[Those titles you listed—your sense is dreadful. Not one of them suits me.]
“Oh? I actually thought they were rather good.”
[If you must call me something—call me this.]
As the connection faded, his quiet voice reached Salesin’s ears.
[The Demon King.]