The moment the thread snapped, every Deathberry froze and collapsed as if their strings had been cut.
"It is over," Seren murmured wearily.
The hostile energy that had thickened the air vanished without a trace. The Deathberries scattered across the ground reverted to their original doll forms, utterly still. Not a single twitch remained. Even the main body, whose thread Seren had severed, returned to its original jointed doll shape—the same eerie doll the princess once cradled in her arms.
Just then, Charon coughed up blood and collapsed. Evan, who had been closest, dashed forward and caught him before he hit the ground.
"Hey! Are you okay?"
"The enemy?"
"They're down. It's over now. But you... damn, how much blood have you lost? Luan! Do you have any potions?"
"Unfortunately, no. We need to stop the bleeding first."
"R-right. Anything we can use as a bandage?"
Charon was a tough guy and wouldn't die easily. Even so, his condition looked dire.
Seren, who had been sitting down, sighed heavily and held out the scissors with trembling hands. "This was what you picked from the dean's treasure trove, right?"
"That's right."
"You have good eyes. They look like rusted old junk no one would bother with. How did you know it was a relic?" she asked.
"Like you just said. I have good eyes."
Technically, the Martial God had the keen sight, but I accepted the scissors from Seren and examined their condition. The blades had degraded severely, pushed far beyond their limits. Honestly, they looked like they could break apart any second.
It was a shame that such a divine relic, a national treasure,had suffered this damage. There really hadn't been a better way to use it. If anything, I figured the divine relic itself would approve of the ending it had earned with a smile. Even a skilled dwarf craftsman would struggle to repair it, but I decided to keep it just in case.
"That thing... If an ordinary person tried to use it, it would probably drain their life and kill them. They'd shrivel up like a mummy," Seren said, her face unnaturally pale.
"What do you mean?"
"One use sucked all my mental strength, stamina, and mana. It felt more like a demon sword than a divine relic."
"I see..."
Such a harsh side effect explained her pale complexion.
She added, "I want a hot shower, a full meal, and to sleep for a day or two straight."
I was just about to reply, " I agree with you 100%," but the words stalled in my throat.
Something felt wrong. The Deathberries had stopped, and every doll had gone still. Yet, the Dark Qi remained. Worse, that blood-red light hadn't vanished.
Without thinking, I looked up at the sky and locked eyes with the blood-red moon, still hanging there. Had it drawn closer, or was it my imagination?
Then the moon opened its mouth, and a spear-like projectile shot out. It wasn't aimed at me, but when I shoved Seren aside, it pierced straight through my right arm.
"Luan!" Seren screamed.
"I'm okay!" I answered, though I inwardly grumbled, It hurts like hell!
"You sure!?" Seren pressed.
"Brother Luan...?" Charon called out.
"Don't come closer. Stay alert! It might attack again!" I barked.
After ordering Evan to stay back, I grabbed the spear with my uninjured hand.
Wait a minute... Was this really a spear? It had come from inside the moon's mouth. Wouldn't that make it a tongue? Not that I wanted to take that identity away from the Green-Tongued Demon King.
Now that I was touching it, I grew more certain. It felt too warm and rubbery, like grabbing a live fish with bare hands.
What if I pull on it? I immediately put this idea into action. Twisting my pierced arm, I wrapped the tongue around my wrist and yanked.
Naturally, I didn't expect to drag the moon out of the sky, but a tongue was usually a weak spot. If I could rip it out with sheer strength, wouldn't I be able to inflict a meaningful wound on the demon king?
Unfortunately, that hope died fast. The tongue detached itself from the moon.
" Ugh... " So it could just detach on its own? What was this, a lizard's tail? My mistake was treating the demon king like an ordinary living being. Thinking I could hurt him by pulling the tongue was a comforting illusion. In the first place, the moon didn't have a tongue.
Then why does it seem to be alive?
The moment I looked at it, the severed tongue writhed like a freshly caught eel and wrapped itself around my forearm in a snake-like, sinister motion.
The pressure was immense, as if trying to tear my muscles and crush bones.
I fought back by channeling my internal energy and flexing my arm, but the severed tongue suddenly swelled in size. In an instant, it ballooned large enough to swallow me whole.
Did it want to eat me? The absurdity stunned me for a moment.
At that moment,a fierce gust of wind sliced through the bloated tongue, tearing it apart.
It was magic.
"Over here!" Alderson's voice rang out.
I quickly turned toward him. As he raised his staff once more, I realized this was the first time I had seen him wield it.
With a bright flash, the scenery around us shifted instantly.
I muttered, "Huh? Where are we?"
"One of the research buildings, Building 6. I teleported us away." Alderson's voice was strained, and he looked far from well.
From a distance, the sound of another building collapsing caught my attention. I moved to a window and peered outside.
The blood-red moon was tearing through the research complex, smashing buildings apart just like it had demolished Building 13 earlier.
"He seems to be searching for us."
"Yes. By destroying the buildings one by one," Alderson said, his eyes fixed on the chaos outside. "Fortunately, each attack takes some time. It will be a while before he finds us. There were thirteen research buildings in total."
Building 13 had fallen, and Senior Brother Arang was guarding Building 12. One building had just collapsed, so ten remained.
From the demon king's point of view, he had to guess and destroy each one, like searching for a coin hidden under cups.
" Ugh , my whole body hurts..."
The building could collapse at any time, but I was so drained I abandoned all pretense of pride and collapsed onto the floor. Training had dulled the side effects of the White Flame state, but this crushing fatigue never got any easier.
It was disrespectful, but I asked Alderson from the floor, "Thanks for saving us... but what about Building 12?"
"There's a lot I want to ask you about that," Alderson replied. "But I doubt we have time to talk."
Now that Senior Brother Arang had been summoned, the 250 armored soldiers were no longer a huge problem. The hero disciples' safety was at least temporarily assured. Of course, that safety wouldn't last forever. Senior Brother Arang's summoning likely came with a time limit.
"I've heard a rough summary from Princess Perist," Alderson said with a heavy voice. I sensed a sudden movement and finally noticed Perist squatting quietly in a corner.
"You..." The moment I glanced at her, Perist flinched and hid her face between her knees. I didn't like the way she looked and wanted to smack her head, but I didn't have the energy to do so.
Alderson asked, "Now let me ask you. What happened to the raid team? In the end, you didn't defeat the demon king."
I wasn't sure how to explain it, but Seren stepped in for me. "Numerous threads descended from the moon, and the demon king used them to control the dolls. Among those threads, there was one especially tough. The object connected to it was the main body. After many twists and turns, we managed to sever it. Still, this world hasn't crumbled or anything."
"I see..." Alderson contemplated it for a moment before sighing. ""As I suspected. We need to destroy that moon to escape this place."
"Destroy the moon... That's insane."
"The demon king is an insane existence. Still, at least it can't control the dolls anymore. Now there is only one enemy left..."
That one enemy was stronger than all the dolls we had fought and far more annoying. How the hell were we supposed to bring down a moon?
Maybe it's time I learned some long-range techniques for situations like this. Perhaps it was my nature as a martial artist, but even now, facing all this chaos, I found my mind drifting back to martial arts.
I couldn't rely on Fire Wheel forever or keep throwing my sword like a javelin. It seemed I had one more thing to add to my list.
I also realized that people could only recognize their own shortcomings by traveling the world and weathering storms. This truth tied into the drawbacks of closed-door training. While such an environment allowed complete focus, it also made it harder to realize when you were heading down the wrong path. A single mistake could lead someone to spend years honing a technique in the wrong direction.
In the distance, I heard another building collapse.
"Let me see." Alderson frowned deeply as he checked Charon's pulse and glanced at his pale complexion. "Hm."
"Is there nothing you can do?" Evan asked.
"Not right now. We need to get him out of here and to a priest as soon as possible."
Evan exhaled sharply. I knew what he was thinking. Could Charon survive long enough to make it?
Just then, Perist hesitantly stepped forward and placed a hand on Charon's chest.
Evan, still hostile toward her, roughly slapped her hand away. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"H-haack?!" Her pale skin flushed where he struck her, but Perist only lowered her head repeatedly in apology. "S-sorry... I'm sorry..."
Evan looked flustered. Maybe he hadn't meant to hit her so hard. Maybe he just wasn't used to her new attitude.
On the other hand, I had come around. At first, I thought it was absurd. Then I realized that she looked more like her real self. She had mentioned that she regarded this Otherworld as a false reality, hadn't she? Then everything we'd seen before had probably been an act. A mask.
In lucid dreams, one could become the most ideal version of oneself. Hers just happened to involve a dismal dress, dyed-black hair, and talking to an ugly doll.
At that moment, Evan gasped. Charon's complexion had improved considerably.
Perist stammered, "My blessing... I used it... It isn't healing magic, but... he won't die..."
Her voice was barely audible. Then she buried her face in her knees again.
A heavy silence filled the room.
I looked at Alderson. "If we stay here like this, we'll all die eventually, won't we?"
"I guess so," he replied.
"Isn't there another way?" I asked. I couldn't think of any. In that case, I had to leave it to the adult.
Alderson hesitated, then said, "There is one way, but..."
"Tell me."
"There's a spell powerful enough to destroy the moon. But it's grand magic, and casting it will take time."
Of course, casting. Magicians were powerful, but this was the frustrating part.
"How long?"
"At least thirty minutes."
That was longer than I expected. For an Archmage to chant that long, the spell's power must be immense.
Meanwhile, the buildings continued to fall, one by one.
Alderson stared out the window. "The demon king seems to rest about five minutes between attacks."
"There are eight buildings left. If we're lucky, we can stretch it to forty minutes," I said.
"Unlikely. It wouldn't surprise me if the demon king targets this building next," Alderson said, falling silent again.
I glanced around. Seren looked pale, Charon barely clung to life, and Evan appeared relatively fine.
I doubted Evan would risk everything. One mistake could blow his cover and expose his identity as the Young Dark Pope.
I spoke up. "I'll do it."
"You'll hold out alone for thirty minutes?" Alderson asked, stunned.
"Yes. I still have one last card to play."
I had thought this through. There was no better option.
Seren and Evan both stepped forward.
"I'll help you."
"Me too."
"I appreciate the spirit, but you need to rest. You'd only get in the way right now," I said firmly.
This was the truth. In my view, the only difference between them and Charon was that they were still conscious.
I looked at Alderson. "Please use your teleportation spell. Send me as far away from here as you can."
"I understand." Alderson hesitated as he looked at me. "I'm ashamed of myself as the dean. Relying on a mere hero's disciple like this... it's disgraceful."
"It's fine," I said with a smile. "When times get tough, we have to help each other."
***
I opened my eyes again and found myself in another building. It was likely one of the adjacent research facilities.
Just then, another building collapsed in the distance. The timing bought me five precious minutes.
I strolled down the hallway at a measured pace. There were plenty of reasons to take my time when facing a demon king. One was Hadenaihar's attitude toward me; he probably wouldn't try to kill me outright. Still, I couldn't afford to rely solely on that.
While walking, I drew the Yin-Yang Dao and considered my situation. After this fight, I wouldn't be able to return to the Badniker family.
Well, it didn't really matter. At sixteen, wasn't this exactly the right age to leave home?
I opened the door and stepped outside. The demon king's eyes, sweeping across the Otherworld, locked onto me instantly. His sinister gaze traced a cold arc, and his lips curled into a wide, unsettling grin. No matter how many times I saw it, that smile always struck me as deeply unpleasant.
"Watch closely," I murmured while looking at the demon king. "And don't tell anyone what you see."
That last bit was for Alderson and the hero disciples, who were probably watching. Then I awakened the dormant Dark Qi in my dantian.
The unfamiliar power mingled with my internal energy, forming a unique force within. I channeled it through my palm, sending it into the weapon I held. The turbulent energy instantly calmed when it touched the Yin-Yang Dao.
The red and blue flames, two distinct types, danced together and blended into a new purple hue.
The mysterious purple flames consumed not only my energy but also my exhaustion. The fatigue and weariness from the White Flame state evaporated instantly, and my mind sharpened as if I had starved for days.
Such purple flames could only be controlled in this heightened state.
Gripping the Yin-Yang Dao, I faced the demon king and said, "We've been at this a while, haven't we? I'm sick of this. Let's end it."
The Blood Moon Demon King responded with a howl of laughter.
I returned the laugh and pushed off the ground.
The final battle had started.