Chapter 456: Fate Carved in Black Steel
We’d fought side by side for so long that standing shoulder to shoulder on the battlefield now felt like second nature.
"Don’t go getting lost in your little world. You’re not the only elite students heading back to that continent, you know. This’ll be my third time there, for your information."
With a playful smile, Sansa wedged herself into the conversation, Clinging tightly to my left shoulder.
She was seated on my left, of course.
Snow Lionheart fell silent.
I saw him try to speak, But his words died the moment his eyes caught sight of the dark horns crowning Sansa’s head.
Among all those present, I was probably the only one who treated her like a normal person.
"You could’ve stayed home if returning to that continent scared you so much."
I threw a teasing remark her way,
And as if she had been expecting it, she answered without missing a beat.
"Home is wherever you are, Frey."
"You really are carefree, aren’t you?"
To say something like that without a hint of hesitation...
Sansa had changed too.
She no longer bothered hiding her overflowing feelings for me.
Frankly, what was between us wasn’t much of a secret anymore.
She didn’t mind clinging to me in front of others, And by now, they had likely pieced together that something was going on between us.
And honestly?
They wouldn’t be wrong.
Even when I was training in the Nightmare Lands, She visited me often.
I didn’t mind her presence.
I still wasn’t sure how I felt about Sansa,
But her presence was... comforting.
Like a quiet lullaby before sleep.
Having her in my life was something I had grown fond of, So I didn’t bother pushing her away.
But of course, not everyone approved.
"Would you mind stepping back, demon? You’re tainting him with your filth."
The one who spoke those venomous words was none other than Uriel Platini.
And honestly, I was surprised to hear someone known as the sweetest girl in the world speak with such hostility.
"Uriel..."
I spoke her name instinctively,
But she paid me no attention.
Her eyes were locked entirely on Sansa.
And yet, Sansa didn’t flinch.
She simply smiled and clung tighter to my shoulder, meeting that hatred head-on.
"Why should I step back? Don’t you see? Darkness suits him perfectly."
"I don’t know where you found the audacity to show yourself before the world in that cursed form of yours.
But don’t misunderstand ..
You are no longer Princess Sansa Valerion. That girl died a long time ago."
"What you are now is nothing but a cursed demon, A filthy weapon kept alive only because it’s useful.
And when you’re no longer useful, your only home will be the grave."
"That’s enough, Uriel. You’ve gone too far."
It was Snow who intervened, cutting her off, While Sansa simply rested her head against my shoulder with a quiet shake of her head.
"I won’t argue with what you’ve said .. because, for the most part, it’s true. But I don’t mind, as you can see. Unlike you, Saint Candidate, I’ve found my place in this life. So get used to my face... you’ll be seeing it quite often from now on ~"
There were countless implications hidden within Sansa’s words. On the surface, it simply meant that we would be seeing each other frequently, given that we were assigned to the same combat squad.
But for some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she meant something entirely different.
Back to Uriel...
I had almost forgotten just how deeply she despised demons .. and how fiercely the Church condemned them.
The pure-hearted Uriel, as usual, couldn’t hide her blatant hostility. I saw the same cold resentment in Saintess Yorasha, who sat quietly beside her, casting a subtle glare at the princess.
Those sacred auras collided with the dark one surrounding Sansa.
Chaos swept through the squad before it had even been officially formed.
Trying to diffuse the tension, Snow turned back to me, asking about our third comrade.
"What about Ghost?"
He must have heard about it already.
"He’ll be joining us later. He’ll be the squad’s assassin."
It was only natural. Ghost’s participation had been decided from the very start. He would follow me wherever I went.
And so, the shape of our squad finally came together.
I saw it reflected in Bloodmader’s eyes—the man who had remained silent until now, seated beside Yorasha.
It seemed he hadn’t expected that, aside from Yorasha, every single fighter in this squad were students from his very own temple.
We had changed a great deal from the days when he still stood beside us...
Yet in the end, we were still the same elite disciples he once knew.
It must have meant something to him.
Bloodmader .. the Tank.
Snow and I—the main duelists.
Yorasha and Uriel .. the healers.
Sansa Valerion .. the Wave Controller, capable of taking on the role of a tank as well.
And Ghost Umbra ..the assassin.
There were many vacant roles, but we had the minimum required to be considered a complete combat unit.
With this much fighting strength, we could handle any battlefield situation that came our way.
As we sat together in our designated corner, the prince and the Iron Emperor continued their summit.
Our squad would lead a force of ten thousand men .. out of the empire’s total army of one hundred thousand.
Ten thousand, it seemed, was the limit for those chosen to cross the Demonic Sea.
Our mission was to carve a path to the other side .. and establish a foothold for the empire beyond the sea.
The support will always be ready. and figures like Sir Alonne and Maekar Valerion would make their move the moment the enemy’s main forces appeared.
It could be said that the demoness ranked 17th, Beatrice...
a fearsome witch of terrifying power ..and the human demon, Dragoth.
Those two were the great monsters Sir Alonne and Maekar Valerion had been saving their strength to face.
But beyond Beatrice and Dragoth, there were still the Four Lords, the Empyreans, the Hollows... and countless others.
There were far too many variables in this war.
The prince addressed most of them as he laid out his plans and vision for the battles to come.
But despite all the details they accounted for, I couldn’t help but wonder...
Were they truly prepared?
I watched them speak with passion, claiming they had calculated every risk, every scenario.
And yet, none of them dared to mention the dreadful truth the prince, Phoenix, and Ghost had uncovered.
The gates that once sealed this world were no longer closed. No longer was there a barrier separating us from the beings above.
The final enemy in this war could change at any moment. It could very well be a being no human could ever dream of facing .. especially if one of the Ten upper Seats appeared.
That was why I couldn’t place my trust in the empire.
Meeting Sansa’s keen gaze, I reaffirmed the decision I had made long ago.
The only thing I could truly rely on were the black swords in my hands .. the blades that had cut down my foes and enemies.
I needed to become stronger ..faster than ever before. Strong enough to face whatever future this world had in store.
And it would all begin with this squad—the first to plunge into the fires of war.
Seated beside Snow,
I set my eyes on the future...
...
...
...
Snow... my friend, my brother.
This life has never been fair. Fate’s currents have played cruelly with us, time and time again.
Now we stood on the battlefield, facing each other.
On one side, Snow held the Vermithor, his body shining with a brilliant light that pierced the darkness of night.
On the other side stood I—his opponent.
Clad in my black armor, wearing the Nameless mask...
I gazed at him one final time before unsheathing my twin swords, ready to fight.
"Ah, Snow... my old friend..."
I still remember the day the empire formed that special squad .. the one that brought us together. I remember how you and I fought side by side in the War of Darkness, a war that ended years ago but left behind scars that still haunt us.
I should have realized, back then, that the choices we made...
Were the very ones that led us to this moment.
If I could turn back time, perhaps I would have made different choices.
"Perhaps... I wouldn’t have had to kill you with my own hands, my dear brother."