Every enemy attacking him understood clearly that he had to die.
Because if he were allowed to live...
then who in existence could fight him and his king together if the two ever chose to cooperate against the world?
Not a single creature across the vast universe would be capable of it.
At some point during the thunderous battle, it began to feel as though the end had finally arrived.
The Upper First endured far better than expected and was preparing to unleash the very last of his remaining power to kill as many of them as possible before leaving the world forever.
Gripping Kingslayer with all his might, Crimson prepared to strike—
only to suddenly freeze in place.
A strange light reflected across the sharp edge of his spear.
A great white light of absolute purity shone from afar.
It was as though it were calling to him.
Only then did the demon realize it originated from one of the countless doors scattered throughout the maze.
This door was different.
That light was unnatural.
It seemed enchanted, compelling anyone who looked upon it to enter.
Crimson had previously considered escaping through one of the doors, but abandoned the idea long ago.
He knew his enemies would pursue him regardless.
And even if he destroyed a door, another would simply appear immediately afterward, making escape impossible.
Normally, something like this would never affect his judgment or influence his decisions.
But this time was different.
The light felt strange—
as though fragments of himself existed within its particles.
Crimson felt belonging.
Familiarity.
And before he realized it—
he was running.
Running toward it unconsciously, drawn forward as though it were his final refuge in this life.
His final suicidal attack became nothing more than cover for his escape as he gathered every last ounce of speed he could muster.
Everyone immediately chased after him.
Orsted was the fastest among them and nearly caught up to Crimson.
But the Upper First reached the door first.
He opened it and hurled himself inside.
Orsted followed immediately afterward.
Then Midir.
Then the Great One of Krat.
And after them came the golem Zahara.
All of them vanished from the Maze of Doors and entered an entirely different maze.
Many others followed behind moments later, most notably Midir and Orsted’s allies, who rushed in to support their rulers.
Only seconds later, they found themselves inside a completely different labyrinth.
It resembled an ancient forest overflowing with massive trees.
Fields and plains stretched endlessly in every direction.
Everyone had entered through the same door.
Thus, they all arrived at the same point.
The moment they entered the new maze, identical expressions appeared on all their faces.
Their expressions darkened.
Hardened.
Everyone was there.
Midir.
Orsted.
The Great One of Krat.
The golem.
The witch.
Every warrior belonging to the great races.
Everyone—
except one.
"He... disappeared?"
Those words escaped from the Great One of Krat himself as he stared in disbelief.
Furious, his World-breaking abilities erupted wildly and began destroying the forest at random, shocking everyone present.
But the Great One did not care.
He only wanted to find the Upper First who had slipped from his grasp.
Yet no matter how much of the forest he destroyed—
he could not find him.
The door had led all of them to the same place.
All except Crimson.
No trace of him remained no matter how desperately they searched.
Then realization finally struck the Great One of Krat.
And terror slowly spread through his heart as he understood what had happened.
He had failed his mission.
Far away from their location ...
deep within the continent...
At the deepest point, a place that should have required months or even years for anyone to reach—
Crimson had arrived there instantly.
Unlike the endless spaces of the Maze of Doors and the other vast regions, the place Crimson reached was much smaller.
It resembled a building.
Or perhaps—
a palace.
The Upper First found himself standing inside a vast majestic hall.
Before him stretched a long corridor leading forward.
Behind him stood another path completely sealed shut, hiding whatever lay beyond it.
Crimson coughed blood heavily and leaned against Kingslayer, stabbing it into the ground to maintain his balance.
Blood Armor had been utterly ruined.
Bent and shattered in several places.
Completely destroyed around the chest, back, sides, and right arm.
Crimson had lost an enormous amount of blood.
He felt unimaginably weak.
And yet—
after battling all of those monsters at once—
he had remained conscious.
"I... survived?"
He spoke in an exhausted voice, unable to comprehend what had happened.
He searched for the door that had brought him here.
But it had vanished completely without a trace.
That strange light had guided him toward a mysterious, desolate palace.
Its walls were made of black stone adorned with golden engravings that appeared forged from pure gold itself.
Even the floor was golden.
Clean.
Pristine.
The decorations looked luxurious and unlike anything Crimson had ever seen in his life.
The Upper First carefully observed his surroundings and found nothing.
So he decided to move forward and uncover where he had arrived.
Placing one hand against the nearby wall, he slowly walked while dragging Kingslayer behind him.
His injuries had devastated him and most of his strength had been exhausted.
Letting out a heavy breath, Crimson focused on recovering.
"I need to restore my strength quickly... and find my way out."
"I did not die."
"I did not die, my king."
"I was still strong enough... to keep moving forward."
"I’m still... alive."
Crimson staggered as he spoke, barely managing to keep himself standing.
The Upper First walked alone through the long dark corridor, unaware of where its end would ultimately lead him.
Crimson had proven himself.
Proven his strength.
He had brought down the mightiest of the Great Ones who stood against him, endured the united assault of the strongest creatures in his world—
and survived.
The Upper First remained standing.
And deep within his heart, he felt that if he escaped this place alive...
then nothing would ever stop him again.
He would continue moving forward.
Continue growing stronger.
He had remained loyal to his purpose.
Loyal to the Demon King he himself had chosen.
Then, after wandering for a long time lost in thought while recovering as much strength as possible...
Crimson finally reached the end.