From the sky, a boy descended effortlessly. He landed softly right beside Caron and waved his hand with a casual grin.
Thud.
A number of severed heads dropped to the ground. The boy turned to Caron and said in a low voice, "Thanks to your clash with the Mercenary King, I was able to deal with the traitors quite easily. Thank you, Caron."
The Dark Magic Tower Master, Libre, bowed respectfully.
Caron retrieved an elixir from his pouch of dimensional space and drank it in one swift motion.
Fwoosh!
With the holy power radiating from Seria in the stands combined with the elixir's restorative power, the wounds on his body began to heal at a rapid pace.
Sssshhh.
But when Seria's holy light touched Libre, his skin began to burn as if scorched by fire. Even so, he didn't flinch. Draping his black robe tighter, he simply said, "No mercy, as always."
"You're still a dark mage who deserves death," Seria said coldly.
"Hmm, is that so? Still, it seems like I helped subdue the Demon King of Slaughter quite effectively," Libre said with a smile.
"Don't get cocky. Just step back," Seria said.
"As you wish," Libre answered.
What Libre had called his token of trust was this. He'd claimed he possessed the means to effectively restrain the Demon Kings. Caron had been skeptical at first, but what lay before him now was undeniable proof.
Chains, torn from the fabric of space itself, were binding Nelson's body—now possessed by the Demon King of Slaughter.
Clang!
Nelson thrashed violently, trying to break free, but the chains held firm. The more he struggled, the tighter they constricted.
Caron exhaled lightly and stepped forward.
"That was close. Wouldn't you say?" Guillotine said.
Still a long road ahead, Caron replied to Guillotine internally.
The sword technique Nelson had unleashed—with all his might poured into it, and fueled by dark mana from the dark mages—had been beyond anything Caron could have anticipated. It was like a sun that devoured everything in its path.
But ironically, that had been his downfall.
I got lucky, Caron thought.
That dark mana had disrupted the harmony of Nelson's technique. If he'd fought using only pure mana, it could have been Caron lying in the crater instead. There had been a high possibility of that occurring.
Nelson had tried to end things quickly, to crush Caron in one overwhelming blow. But in the end, the sun was swallowed by the moon.
About thirty percent of my mana is usable now, Caron thought.
Devouring Nelson's black mana had partially restored his reserves, but the damage to his core was severe. Caron couldn't fight at full strength in this state.
If Kynda hadn't been nearby, retreat could have been his only option.
I'll analyze the battle later, Caron thought. There was something more urgent to deal with first.
He steadied his breath, then slowly approached the bound Nelson. The killing intent radiating from the Demon King of Slaughter was palpable against his skin. With smoldering eyes, the demon glared at him.
"It's a clever little trick! Do you even know whose power you dared to entrap like this?" Slaughter's voice trembled with rage.
The overwhelming bloodlust emanating from the demon rippled across the battlefield. Some nearby onlookers clutched their heads and screamed, unable to bear it. If Seria hadn't quickly raised a barrier, most of the humans there would have gone mad under the weight of it.
But this time, unlike their encounter in the Southern Great Forest, the situation was much better. The Demon King could only threaten them with his presence—he couldn't move an inch.
"Getting desperate now that you're caught in a trap?" Caron asked with a bitter smile, raising his blade. "I didn't trust that damned dark mage's offer, but... I'll admit, he exceeded expectations."
As Caron muttered in admiration, Libre responded brightly from where he stood, now further back.
"I have anchored his soul in this plane. Those chains cannot be broken. The power of the Void devours even dark mana. The moment the Demon King of Slaughter possessed that body, his fate was sealed," Libre explained.
"Say it in a way I can actually understand, you damn dark mage," Caron snapped.
"If you sever the Mercenary King's head in his current state, the Demon King of Slaughter in the Demon Realm will suffer a critical blow," Libre said.
"Oh?" Caron raised his brows. It was a better outcome than he'd expected.
Almost as if to confirm Libre's words, the Demon King suddenly roared in fury, "You're a traitor to the Demon Realm! You dare claim this is the will of the Void? Void should stand with us—we were to devour the mortals of this continent together!"
But Libre replied with a chilling detachment, "This isn't the will of the Void. It's mine. I sincerely wish for your extinction. All three of you Demon Kings must vanish—only then can I fulfill the purpose I've long pursued. So... Accept your fate."
Clang!
The Demon King attempted to unleash dark mana, but the chains held him fast. The more he struggled, the more the Void-bound chains tightened around him, eating away at his power.
He turned to glare at Libre, screaming, "You... I should have killed you long ago! Letting you live was a mistake—"
"Now, now," Libre interrupted with a smirk, flicking his fingers. "You really shouldn't go around spilling secrets I want kept. It's rather unsophisticated."
At his gesture, the Demon King fell abruptly silent.
Caron turned his head slightly to look at Libre, then said, "You've got a lot of secrets. Can I not hear them?"
Libre responded with a soft smile, gently shaking his head, then replied, "Everyone has at least one secret they keep to themselves, don't they?"
"That's only making me more curious," Caron said with narrowed eyes.
"I imagine the same could be said about you. Surely you're hiding a secret as well," Libre said.
Libre's tone carried an unsettling weight, as if he knew more than he should. Caron furrowed his brow, eyes fixed on him.
But even as Caron radiated open hostility, Libre remained unbothered, his composure intact.
"Are you trying to threaten me?" Caron asked sharply.
"I'm simply suggesting you stay focused on our common enemy," Libre replied coolly.
Caron exhaled quietly.
There was no need to deal with that damned Dark Magic Tower Master just yet. Whatever schemes he was hiding, he had clearly made himself the enemy of the Demon Kings—and that, for now, made him useful.
Libre was going to be a very sharp blade for the right moment.
Having made up his mind, Caron turned to the Queen without hesitation and said, "Your Majesty, I'm running low on strength. Would you mind striking first with your spear?"
"That's hardly a problem," Kynda said with a grin. "When will I ever get another chance to stab a demon king?"
She poured her mana into the spear without hesitation.
The weapon glowed red-hot, pulsing with such dense mana that even space itself seemed to distort around it. Then, with a roar, the spear transformed into a meteor and shot toward the Demon King of Slaughter.
This was Kynda Reynolds' signature technique, Meteor Spear.
Empowered with the might of an 8-Star, the flaming projectile pierced straight through the demon's chest with surgical precision.
In that instant, a horrific scream tore through the air as an enormous burst of dark mana exploded in all directions.
Screech!
Slaughter's dark mana began to spiral out of control, and several people nearby were overwhelmed by the sheer force of it, their minds consumed by the surge of killing intent.
"O Light, guide us!" Seria cried, doing her best to suppress the rampaging darkness. But even she had her limits.
Caron kicked off the ground and soared into the air. Without a moment's delay, he dove toward the Demon King, still bound in chains.
"Caron Leston!" the Demon King roared, his voice soaked in fury. A wave of murderous intent slithered into Caron's mind.
But Caron welcomed it. Just like before, he knew exactly where that bloodlust would end up.
Caron gathered every ounce of it and funneled it straight into Guillotine. Then the blade plunged into the bound demon's chest.
Shhhhk!
Whoosh!
A torrent of dark mana surged up through the sword. On the other side of the blade, the Demon King of Slaughter glared at Caron with murderous eyes.
Caron simply smiled, asking, "How does it feel to be completely powerless?"
"I should have killed you when I had the chance!" the Demon King spat. "No matter the cost, I should have—!"
"When I reach the Demon Realm," Caron interrupted, "Yours will be the first domain I burn to the ground. Next time, we'll meet in person."
Libre's timely intervention, the fact that the demon possessing the Mercenary King happened to be the Demon King of Slaughter... It had all been a coincidence.
But stacked coincidences eventually became fate.
Sssshhh!
Slaughter's power, once wild and uncontrollable, now flowed steadily into Caron. In the past, such a force could have overwhelmed him.
But not anymore. Caron's mind remained sharp, and the power of Slaughter no longer had the ability to consume him.
The dark mana of Slaughter, purified by Guillotine, began to settle into the vast sea within Caron. It was a boundless sea, and it swallowed every last drop.
Caron felt the mana coursing through his body and let out a ragged breath. He said, "Thanks for the donation, you dumb bastard."
Coming to the Neon Kingdom had turned out to be the best decision of his life. Caron wondered what would've happened if he hadn't been here.
The Demon King possessing Nelson could have secured a foothold on the continent—and the consequences would have been catastrophic.
With satisfaction gleaming in his eyes, Caron pulled Guillotine free from the demon's chest. Then, gripping the sword with both hands, he whispered, "See you again."
"You cursed descendant of Leston," the Demon King rasped. "Are you truly trying to return to your homeland? To resurrect the history your ancestors tried to erase—"
"Damn, you talk too much," Caron interrupted.
Slice!
Thud.
Nelson's head dropped unceremoniously to the ground. Violet smoke drifted from his decapitated body, but even that was devoured by the sea within Caron.
Caron casually stomped on the lifeless head and let out a slow breath. Then he turned, scanning the area around him.
Chaos reigned. There were corpses and screams everywhere. In just a few moments, the Demon King of Slaughter had sown carnage throughout the arena.
"Your Majesty," Caron said calmly, "I leave the rest to you."
Kynda gave a small nod and dispersed her mana into the air.
"The battle is over," she declared, her voice echoing with undeniable authority.
Her overwhelming power was enough to force even the frenzied pirates and mercenaries to fall to their knees.
Then, as if to cleanse the battlefield, Seria's miracle descended. Radiant Light poured down, sweeping away the madness that lingered like a plague.
Only then did Caron let out a long breath and sink to the ground, muttering, "...Time to rest."
Perhaps it was the adrenaline wearing off, but exhaustion hit him all at once. So he closed his eyes, if only for a moment.
"Your Majesty, I'm going to take a quick nap," Caron said.
"...Here?" Kynda asked.
"I can't hold it anymore," Caron replied.
"Very well. You can rest," Kynda said.
"Thank you," Caron said.
Leaving the rest to the Queen, he allowed his eyes to close.
And just like that, the monumental crisis that had threatened to consume the Neon Kingdom slowly began to fade away.
***
The news of the Mercenary King's fall at the hands of Caron spread across the continent with astonishing speed.
Word that the youngest of the Ducal Family of Leston had defeated an 8-Star warrior was more than enough to shake the entire continent once again.
"Have you heard the news?"
"What news?"
"They say Caron Leston cut off the Mercenary King's head! Turns out the Mercenary King had borrowed power from a Demon King, and Caron joined forces with the Pirate Queen to bring him down. The Neon Kingdom has been liberated!"
"If he was with the Queen, wouldn't she have been the one who defeated the Mercenary King?"
"No, Caron Leston drove back the Mercenary King alone, and then he and the Queen took down the Demon King who appeared afterward."
"The Mercenary King and a Demon King? Oh dear..."
"I hear the Holy Kingdom is already calling him the Warrior chosen by the Light. If that's not divine favor, I don't know what is."
Just the fact that Caron Leston had toppled the Mercenary King was proof enough of his power.
The Orias Empire began widely broadcasting the news, while in the Holy Kingdom, the papacy declared it to be the will of the Light in an official proclamation.
While the people across various nations excitedly exchanged tales about Caron Leston, the rulers and officials fixated on a very different matter.
So it was a Demon King who had devoured the Neon Kingdom... one of the rulers thought.
This is dangerous. The political climate is already unstable—if the Demon Kings start stirring, then... another ruler thought.
In the end, do we have no choice but to side with the empire? another ruler wondered.
Particularly among the southern kingdoms bordering Neon, the tension reached a boiling point.
The Demon Kings had made their move. And now, massive hordes of undead were rising from the Free City Union. Signs of an age of chaos were surfacing everywhere.
The leaders of the various nations had no choice but to act.
"Send word to the empire. Tell them we'll attend the Continental Peace Summit," one of the rulers said.
"Make it clear—we will be participating," another added.
The wave Caron had stirred was now unleashing a chain reaction across the continent.
A new era had finally arrived.