Gullard traveled so fast that his wings tore.
This was also a power of his wings, but it was something that only the Demon King and the Five Dukes knew about.
Nevertheless, he couldn’t use this power freely with only 10% of his power.
Already, his entire body looked like a torn rag, his flesh and blood falling like rain as he was unable to overcome the strong wind pressure.
Nevertheless, Gullard didn’t stop nor did he slow down. At that point, he could no longer feel anything but pain, and he knew that his death was inevitable. But his sense of duty overpowered the fear of death.
Taht!
Then, finally, he arrived at his destination.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, Gullard felt an intense demonic energy piercing into his skin. This demonic energy was so powerful that even Demons would be overwhelmed with fear, but that wasn’t the case for Gullard. Instead, he felt comfortable as if he had returned home after a long time.
“…Gullard?”
He heard Azazel’s voice. By that point, Gullard could no longer see, but luckily, his tongue could still move.
“Aza… zel.”
“What the hell is going on? Who did this to yo-…?”
“The King… is he in front of me?”
Gullard cut Azazel off. He couldn’t afford to waste any time. He could feel his tongue gradually stiffening. This meant that his time was running out.
Azazel seemed to realise this. His head lowered sorrowfully as he said.
“Yes, he’s looking at you.”
Gullard knelt. No, it was more like he collapsed to his knees.
“…My… King.”
[Gullard Phisfounder.]
The King’s voice sounded.
When he heard it, Gullard felt the pain wracking his body gradually begin to subside.
“Please forgive me for greeting you in such a shameful manner.”
[It seems you have something to tell me. Say it.]
The King spoke in a blunt tone.
A faint smile blossomed on Gullard’s lips. Right, this was the King. The King was stronger and more straightforward than anyone else. Even the death of one of his most favoured subjects wouldn’t faze him much.
Gullard smiled brightly for a moment before speaking.
“…a man suddenly appeared. He called himself the Great Mage.”
“…!”
It was Azazel, not the Demon King Kasajin, who appeared stunned at those words.
[…]
Kasajin just remained silent. He looked at Gullard with an unfathomable emotion hidden in his eyes.
“He’s strong. He seemed to be holding back… but he was still too much for me.”
[I see.]
“Yes. However…”
Gullard continued confidently.
“He’s weaker than the King.”
[…]
Kurk.
Gullard coughed slightly, followed by the sound of him swallowing his blood back down.
Unfortunately, that was the deciding factor. After doing that, he knew that he wouldn’t last much longer.
“P-… please forgive… this weak servant. I’m sorry I will not be able to achieve the great cause together with you, my King…”
After saying that last word, Gullard fell silent. He died on his knees, bowing before his king.
Azazel looked at his corpse with a solemn expression.
‘You did a great job. Rest well, comrade.”
Then he turned to Kasajin.
“I remember what you said… about Lukas Trowman…”
[Stop.]
The King interrupted him.
[That is a thing of the past. A very, very long time ago. Now, those memories are nothing but a blur.]
There was a brief flash on Azazel Trowman’s face when he heard those words, but that was it. Azazel didn’t react more than that.
He didn’t dare show rudeness by refuting the King’s words to his face. Even if he thought he was lying.
“Then, if I meet Lukas Trowman…”
[Tell me. You wouldn’t be able to take him on.]
Kasajin continued in a low voice.
[I will kill him myself.]
* * *
The spell that man had just displayed was amazing.
Because that single spell had completely wiped out the hybrid army, which had caused everyone to feel the threat of death.
Joanna couldn’t help but recall the Medusa he’d just shown. Was that the real Medusa? Compared to the spell she’d used, the range and power were on completely different levels.
Why hadn’t he shown his power before if he was so strong?
Joanna couldn’t help but think about this.
There were still Demons and Demon Beasts in Zinga, and a few hybrids had managed to survive.
Of course, they weren’t in good condition, and they wouldn’t be able to display much of their strength in the fights to come. Nevertheless, they were still a formidable force for Joanna and the rest of the Gray Sun to face.
Ba-ba-bang!
Fire spells constantly exploded on the ground. However, the Demon Beasts whom they were facing now were different from the Demon Beasts they’d faced before. Even when hit by 5 star spells, their skin was only slightly singed.
Joanna’s face became pale once again.
She was in a hyper-focused state.
At the same time, she felt free.
‘This… is a real battle.’
She could feel it.
The amount of experience she would gain in just a few seconds on this battlefield was something she wouldn’t be able to learn in her previous, sheltered environment even if she spent ten years.
She didn’t have the time to think. But that was exactly why she couldn’t stop thinking and planning. She couldn’t give up thinking just because she didn’t have the time to.
What she had to look at wasn’t one of them but the entire horde.
Instead of the single Demon Beast in front of her, she had to see the movements of the enemies as a whole. Instead of just herself, she had to pay attention to all of her allies.
In order words, she had to see the entire battlefield. She had to constantly collect information and use the right spells in the right place at the right time without making any mistakes.
Of course, if she was an ordinary Wizard, she wouldn’t have to go that far.
‘However.’
She wasn’t an ordinary Wizard.
She was Joanna the Archmage.
No.
She was the Great Mage’s Chosen.
This meant that she had to endure such hardships.
“…”
A pair of red eyes stared at her.
It was a Demon, the second-in-command of Zinga.
Count Perado.
None of the humans there had noticed his presence yet, but it couldn’t be helped.
Even now, Perado hadn’t released any demonic energy and, instead, was calmly observing the situation from a distance.
He hadn’t revealed himself.
Perado was a Demon to the core. This meant that he valued his own survival more than anything else.
There were only two moments when he would make his move.
Either when his safety was guaranteed or when he found the key to victory.
Perado looked around the battlefield thoughtfully.
The humans were clearly at a disadvantage. Be it in terms of individual strength, numbers, or geographical location, nothing was in their favor.
And yet, it was the Demons who were dying one-sidedly.
Of course, this wasn’t too surprising. It was common knowledge that humans on the verge of death were the most annoying.
But even when that was taken into account, this situation didn’t make much sense.
After thinking about it for a while, Perado finally realised what the problem was.
It was the presence of characters who played a key role in maintaining the line of defense.
‘Three.’
Lee Jong-hak slaughtered Demon Beasts at the front.
Elijah commanded and encouraged their troops from the middle.
And, lastly, Joanna, who paid attention to the entire battlefield from the rear and bombarded the enemy with spells.
All three of them were annoying, but it was clear who the most annoying one among them was.
‘That woman.’
The Wizard.
Even Perado couldn’t help but admire her wide field of view. If that woman didn’t constantly use the right spells at the right times to help her allies while also providing them with vital information, the humans would have already been wiped out by now.
‘In other words, if that woman dies, we’ll win.’
After coming to this conclusion, Perado’s gaze suddenly grew cold.
Suppressing his presence, he quickly closed the distance to Joanna. Two guards stood on either side of Joanna, but they weren’t a problem.
Shurk.
With a purple glow surrounding them, Perado’s nails became abnormally long and sharp. As soon as he appeared, he tore the two guards apart in an instant, his claws ripping them to pieces at the slightest touch. The guards became scattered pieces of meat before they were even able to scream.
It was only then when Joanna sensed Perado’s presence and gasped in shock. She was already exhausted from her constant stream of spells. She had very little mana left, and her mental strength was as thin as a thread.
And just when she reached her limit, a high-ranking Demon Noble made his appearance.
Clang!
The bright purple claws that were heading directly for her were inexplicably blocked. Then, Joanna felt the presence of someone standing behind her.
“Frey…?”
“Good job.”
“Ah…”
With just two words, all the tension in her body was relieved. Joanna stumbled slightly, but Lukas caught her by the shoulders.
“It’s over. You can rest now.”
“…”
This was a lot to ask, but Joanna nodded and closed her eyes without hesitation.
‘Great.’
Lukas had acknowledged her.
She could tell even without looking at him.
Up until she fell unconscious, Joanna was the one who had been in control of the battlefield. She had faithfully performed her role far beyond Lukas’ expectations.
The battle wasn’t over yet, but she had earned the right to rest.
“You…!”
Perado’s eyes widened.
He knew that this man in front of him was a powerful Wizard who had driven even Duke Gullard away.
Should he run, or should he fight? More importantly, where was Duke Gullard?
He was indecisive, and this indecision created a small opening.
Crack!
And Kran would never miss such an opening.
The tip of his sword pierced through Perado’s chin before slicing up through his brain.
Perado died before he could even make a sound.
This was a futile death unbefitting of a Count, but it was a natural result when his opponent was one of the Top Three.
“Hmph.”
Kran wiped the blood off of his sword with a snort. Then, he turned to the battlefield and clicked his tongue.
“You all haven’t managed to get rid of this trash yet? How pathetic.”
Killing intent surged within his eyes.
Then, he jumped into the battle without hesitation.
“Kiieek!”
“Kuk!”
It was as though a huge gust of wind had appeared on the battlefield. With nothing but his sword, Kran slaughtered Demon and Demon Beast alike as he easily moved forward. Most of the Demon Beasts could not handle even a single strike from his sword, and even the stronger Demons did not last much longer in front of him.
When they noticed his presence, the members of the Gray Sun froze almost subconsciously.
Kran looked over to them and shook his head.
“You’re all in the way. Fall back. I’ll take care of this on my own.”
After those short words, Kran resumed his slaughter.
Lee Jong-hak watched this scene unfold with a blank gaze.