Caron hurried to check Leo's condition.
Seria, who had been tending to him, looked as if she was on the verge of collapse herself. A few priests had rushed over, pouring waves of holy power into Leo's body, but his condition showed no sign of improvement.
"Seria," Caron called softly.
Still facing Leo, Seria answered, "He is alive. And... He can be saved."
"Seria," Caron called again.
"He ended up like this because he was protecting me. If this continues—" Seria replied, but was cut off.
"It's fine, so step back," Caron interrupted.
At that, Seria finally turned her head. Her face had lost all color, so pale it seemed she could faint at a touch.
"You go take a rest," Caron said.
"...Caron. Leo needs—" Seria began, but was cut off again.
"I know how to bring him back. Trust me," Caron reassured Seria.
His voice carried no trace of the usual teasing. Hearing that tone, Seria hesitated, then slowly backed away.
Caron kneeled beside Leo and examined him carefully.
Wheeze.
Leo's breathing was shallow, thin, as if it could break at any moment. Caron checked the wounds first. Fortunately, Lust's hand had missed Leo's heart.
Mana depletion and excessive bleeding, Caron thought.
Those two things were critical. The bleeding had yet to stop, and Leo's remaining mana was dangerously low. His core, at least, remained intact. But Caron wondered why Leo's mana had been completely drained.
Whoosh.
Caron pressed a hand to Leo's chest and quickly pushed Azure Mana into him. A moment later, the cause revealed itself.
Hiss!
Lust's dark mana had seized hold of Leo's entire body. Leo's own mana had no doubt fought desperately against it, but the struggle had drained him dry.
From the beginning, Leo had been a knight of only 7-Star. Against the power of a Demon Queen, it had been impossible to endure.
This is my fault, Caron thought.
If he hadn't let Lust escape, this never would have happened. He had even stationed several strong warriors by Seria's side, but most of them had been consumed by the Demon Queen's mana.
There was no need for deeper analysis. Lust's strength had far surpassed his expectations, and this was the result.
"Damn it," Caron swore as he forced himself to focus.
There would be time for regret later. Right now, saving Leo mattered above all else.
"Caron."
"Kid."
Sabina and the Queen arrived to assist. Their armor was already stained with the blood of countless enemies.
"I'll handle this alone. Please, just guard me," Caron said.
"...Understood," Kynda replied.
"Call if you need aid," Sabina added.
Even though Lust had perished, the dark mana she'd scattered still spread like poison through the expeditionary force. The corruption was relentless.
Caron kept the two 8-Star knights behind him and focused wholly on Leo's body.
Whoosh!
Azure Mana sank into Leo, and soon Caron could see the pathways of Leo's mana clearly in his mind.
"...Ah." A sigh escaped him. Caron wondered if it could even be called a living body anymore.
There was no vitality, no mana, nothing. Only Lust's dark mana, gnawing persistently at Leo's life.
But it was too soon to give up.
Guillotine, Caron called.
"...You'll have to use some of Void's power. I'm at full capacity already—I can't absorb this much too," Guillotine said.
Following the blade's counsel, Caron drew upon the power of Void. He hesitated only for a moment at the thought of pushing such energy into Leo, but there was no other way.
Hiss.
Meow.
Pluto materialized at his side to assist, and Caron began weaving the Void's power.
The force born of Void devoured demonic mana far more effectively than Guillotine could, but it was infinitely more dangerous. If he lost control even for an instant, Leo would die. If the power rampaged within him, even the fragile life Seria had preserved would be crushed in a breath.
His mind was already fraying from the battle with Lust, but Caron didn't waver. Even if he fainted, he would save Leo here.
Crackle.
The violent energy tore into Lust's dark mana, devouring it in greedy gulps. Sweat beaded across Caron's brow.
He wasn't yet accustomed to this power; controlling it was difficult enough on its own. Channeling it into Leo while restraining it was even harder.
"Owner, Lust's dark mana is gathering near the core," Guillotine informed Caron.
I know, Caron replied.
The moment Void struck at it, Lust's dark mana surged toward Leo's core as if it had been waiting. Using the core as a hostage, it tried to hold out.
There was malice in that act beyond anything Caron had ever seen. If he slipped, Leo's core could shatter.
If necessary, Caron could destroy the core to devour Lust's mana outright. But he could never make that choice.
Leo had poured endless effort into chasing him all this time. To sacrifice the core would be to nullify everything Leo had fought for.
Caron clenched his jaw. He wouldn't consign Leo to such a future.
Will I be able to protect the core? he thought.
Thanks to sealing off the mana channels leading to it, only the faintest trace of black mana seeped into Leo's core. Caron spread Azure Mana to isolate the core completely, then drew in a deep breath.
Now came the critical moment.
I can't afford a mistake, he thought.
The dark mana already lodged in the core had to be purged without leaving a trace. A mana core was an organ exquisitely sensitive to outside interference—one slip, and it could be damaged beyond repair.
Let's begin, Caron thought.
"I'll back you up," Guillotine's voice echoed.
Whoosh.
Caron infused mana into Leo's core, letting the power of Void ride along that current. Not even the slightest misstep could be allowed.
Ssshh.
Leo's core began to shimmer in violet. The dark mana of Lust, sensing danger, lashed out in a final frenzy, but it couldn't escape Caron's control.
Screeeeech!
A shrill scream pierced Caron's ears.
Perhaps the Demon Queen of Lust had left behind a curse, a lingering will. The cry sounded uncannily like her voice.
Sizzle.
At last, the dark mana within the core was completely erased. The moment Caron confirmed the core was clean, he tried to withdraw the Void's power.
But—
Craaaash!
"Owner! I told you to focus! Void's power—!" Guillotine shouted.
"Shut up for a second!" Caron snapped.
A portion of the Void's power slipped free of his control. He frantically spread Azure Mana to suppress it, but his efforts came too late. Void's power spread unchecked, branching into every corner of Leo's core.
And then—
Whoosh.
The once hollow core was completely occupied. It happened in an instant.
Caron was scrambling to rein it in when—
"Huuaaagh!"
Leo, who only moments ago had been unconscious, let out a strange noise as his body jerked upright. His eyes met Caron's.
For a long while, he said nothing. His face was deadly serious, unreadable even to Caron.
"...Ah." At last a sigh slipped out of Leo. "Ha... This place is hell, isn't it?"
"What?" Caron asked, blinking.
"You bastard! You couldn't even beat half a Demon Queen and got yourself dragged down here?" Leo snapped.
"What are you talking about?" Caron asked.
"If you're in this afterlife, then of course it's hell! Ah! I should've repented to the Saintess yesterday! Now I've gotta roam hell stuck with you? Damn it... God really is dead..." Leo ranted bitterly—until his eyes landed on someone else.
It was Seria, with her white wings unfurled.
"...Huh?" Leo pointed at her in shock, then slowly nodded as if the truth had dawned.
"Caron! Because of you, the Saintess fell and came with us into hell! How the hell are you going to take responsibility? Don't you dare complain about ending up in—" Leo continued, but his words were cut off.
At last, he noticed Sabina and Kynda the Pirate Queen. Then he turned, scanning the battlefield around them.
The fight was nearly over. Archangel Raphael and the Phoenix looked down at him with open disdain, while nearby soldiers quickly busied themselves and slipped off to other skirmishes.
Leo swallowed hard and glanced at Caron. He remarked, "Haha... I'm not dead yet, huh?"
"You just realized that?" Caron said dryly.
"...Don't kill me, alright? I swear I almost died just now. It'd be pathetic to actually die at your hands—" Leo begged.
Before Leo could finish, Caron grabbed him and pulled him into a tight embrace.
Leo froze, then awkwardly patted Caron's back and said, "You bastard, you were worried I'd died, weren't you? I'm not that easy to kill! What's gotten into—aaargh!"
Crack.
Caron tightened his arms around Leo's neck, smiling faintly, then said, "I told you, if you die, it'll be by my hand, you stupid cousin."
"Gaaaah! Caron! I'm dying, I'm really dying this time!" Leo shouted.
"You've got some nerve, making people worry like that," Caron said.
"Sp-Spare me—!" Leo croaked.
Still holding him, Caron whispered quietly, "Thanks for surviving, Leo."
It had been a long time since he'd spoken with such sincerity.
Leo managed to rasp back, "It's... nothing..." before waving a weak hand as if brushing the moment off. Then, moments later—
"Urghh..."
Leo's head sagged forward.
"Caron! Let him go!" Seria cried.
"L-Leo!" Caron shouted.
"Leo just fainted! You crazy Warrior, get off him! Lady Sabina, please restrain this mad dog!" Seria snapped.
"Leave him to me, Saintess," Sabina replied coolly.
And so Leo, having barely survived, promptly fainted once more.
In other words, it was the most Caron-like ending imaginable.
***
The battle with the Demon Kings in the fortress of Liberation had finally come to an end.
The outcome was recorded as follows...
"The Demon King of Lust—eradicated. The Demon King of Havoc—escaped."
The fight against the Demon King of Havoc, where Halo and the elders of the Ducal Family of Leston had been mobilized, ended in a stalemate. Many of the elders suffered grievous wounds, and even Halo himself had sustained a deep gash across his right shoulder.
It wasn't that Halo and the elders had been weak. Rather, the Demon King of Havoc had proven far more overwhelming than anyone in the expedition had anticipated.
Still, Havoc hadn't escaped unscathed. His neck had been nearly cleaved through, and he had barely managed to flee with his life. Even so, the expedition's mood remained heavy.
"This was our mistake. We failed to achieve our intended goal. Forgive me, Caron," Halo said gravely.
"There's nothing for you to apologize for, Grandfather," Caron replied. "That bastard Havoc was simply stronger than expected."
Despite their meticulous preparations, the Demon King of Havoc had slipped from their grasp as if mocking their efforts. The case with the Demon Queen of Lust had been an exception—after all, she'd entered the fortress fully intent on dying.
After the annihilation of the Demon King of Sloth, the expedition's morale, which had soared to the heavens, began to falter.
Caron took a slow sip of harsh whiskey, then glanced sideways at Leo as he said, "Still, we've dealt with Lust. That means there's no chance of a two-front war anymore."
The dukes who had once been Sloth's lackeys were already sending word of their victories. With Lust gone, the demons who had followed her inevitably crumbled as well.
Now, only two Demon Kings remained in the Demon Realm: Havoc and Void.
"According to the latest scout reports," one of the elders said, "the demons and demonic monsters loyal to Havoc have begun moving beyond the Veil of the Void."
"Are they planning to stage the final battlefield there?" Caron asked.
"That seems likely," another replied.
No one could say for certain what the Demon King of Havoc envisioned, but one thing was clear. What he sought lay beyond the veil.
Caron swirled the liquor in his glass, silent for a time, before murmuring, "We shouldn't pursue immediately."
Halo's brows furrowed and asked, "What do you mean?"
"If Havoc has emptied his domain of troops, then we should seize it first before following him," Caron explained. "In other words, plunder the empty house. Best to secure everything thoroughly."
He wondered what in the world was hidden beyond the veil that could make Havoc take such a risk. Perhaps he even wanted to lure the expedition into that shrouded abyss.
Caron's mind grew increasingly tangled. Thoughts of the Demon King of Havoc mixed with the memories he had absorbed from Lust, each one more troublesome than the last.
He would have preferred to share a quiet discussion with Halo alone, but there was a reason he'd brought Leo here as well.
"Grandfather, there's something you need to know," Caron said.
"Speak," Halo commanded.
"...Leo, why don't you show him yourself?" Caron urged.
Leo let out a long sigh, then reluctantly revealed something.
Halo's face twisted as he watched in silence, then he growled, "...How?"
"People change when they brush against death, don't they?" Caron said lightly. "Maybe it's because Leo came back from the brink."
"You little! What on earth did you do to my grandson?" Halo roared.
Caron grinned, then said, "I'm your grandson too, you know. Hehe."