The white orb turned crimson and enveloped the demon, swallowing it whole.
The underground plaza was momentarily bathed in a brilliant white light before returning to normal.
Ray’s overwhelming display left those who had never encountered demons with the impression that Eridanus had been utterly annihilated.
As the storm subsided, an oppressive heat settled over the underground plaza.
All eyes were on Ray.
Mohamed and Jenkins let out long sighs. Neither of them had escaped unscathed. Jenkins, in particular, had one leg almost completely crushed, but the complex emotions filling his chest weren’t due to his injury.
For the first time, Mohamed and Jenkins had witnessed Ray unleashing his full power until the end.
They finally began to understand the immense pressure Ray had endured and the suffering he had experienced up until now.
A mix of awe, bitterness, and regret spread into a complicated smile, and at the same time, they worried about what would come next.
“…”
In a corner of the underground plaza, Johanna stared blankly at Ray’s back.
Johanna stretched out her hand and muttered to herself.
“You’re too far away.”
Too far away for her to catch up.
She doubted she could hold onto him before he left.
Johanna recalled the wish Ray had once whispered to her: to work hard, become stronger faster, and strive to surpass him quickly.
“Idiot.”
Johanna felt irritated by Ray’s irresponsible request and her own helplessness.
“…”
Beside her, Karen silently wept.
The sight of Ray’s wounds churned her stomach, and the unfamiliarity of Ray made her heart feel hollow.
The gap between the simple country girl with nothing but a pretty face and the admired young hero loomed large, making her future seem daunting.
Unable to bear looking at the celebrated Ray any longer, Karen turned her head away.
Speira, having belatedly grasped her greatsword, dropped it and sat down, letting out a bitter laugh.
No matter how hard she tried to suppress it, her lips kept curling upward.
“What is this…?”
When they first met, Speira had gone to greet what she thought was some random hick her great-grandfather had picked up, annoyed.
Despite her initial dissatisfaction, she found the first impression wasn’t bad.
She was amazed by his talent and made efforts to open up and communicate.
But then, whether genuine or feigned, his shortcomings disappointed her greatly.
She had also harbored thoughts that his humble origins couldn’t be helped.
“What exactly are you?”
Speira clutched her rapidly beating heart and laughed.
Could this moment be the meeting with the prince from a fairy tale she had read as a child? The thought made her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
“I guess I alone won’t be enough as dowry.”
To hold onto the boy destined to become a hero and continue the myths of old, much more would be needed.
And to protect him, even greater efforts would be necessary.
Speira resolved to achieve that.
The oppressive heat that had gently settled earlier soon transformed into enthusiastic cheers.
Some knelt with their swords planted in the ground while others drew crosses on their chests.
Glory to the Empire!
The cries grew louder.
Amidst the rising cheers, Delun smiled broadly.
Ray had always been Delun’s hero, both in the past and now.
Still, Delun occasionally felt uneasy.
He worried that when Ray ventured beyond the countryside into the wider world, his greatness might fade and lose its luster, fearing he might lose his hero.
But it was all for naught. Ray was someone who could become everyone’s hero even in the larger world.
Even if Delun parted ways with Ray someday, he would proudly remember forever the days he followed Ray calling him “big brother.”
Delun clenched his fist, raised it skyward, and shouted loudly.
As the roaring cheers continued, Alesya, who had been summoning spirits to protect non-combatants, muttered darkly.
“My knight doesn’t look well.”
At that moment, Ray lifted his arm halfway.
The voices of the people who had been cheering abruptly ceased.
“You lot.”
Those who had cheered believed Ray was addressing them.
But he wasn’t.
Ray’s gaze pierced through the darkest depths of his dilated pupils.
“Too persistent.”
Thud!
A black mass emerged from the pupil.
Eridanus’ upper body was nearly shattered in half.
Eridanus couldn’t immediately recover from the damage.
While minor parts could be easily regenerated, major organs took longer to restore.
Nevertheless, being a demon, Eridanus withstood injuries that would have killed a human long ago and stepped toward Ray.
“The Great One…”
Eridanus felt his depleted mana rapidly replenishing.
With every step, strength returned to his legs.
“Desires your death.”
Eridanus felt the blessing of the Great One.
Though not matching the full power he possessed in the Demonic Realm, the force coursing through his body was still overwhelmingly potent.
Ray quietly observed Eridanus.
This was definitely not just 20% of a Lord-class entity’s power; it was closer to at least 40%, and Eridanus skillfully wielded fragments of Dragonheart.
Without a word, Ray pulled out Zeppelin’s Omega Series embedded in the ground.
Two mighty beings clashed once again.
Clang!!!!!
Blood splattered everywhere.
Johanna and Speira instinctively grabbed their swords and rushed toward Eridanus.
Mohamed and Shay pushed them back forcefully and charged forward.
A few remaining mages and paladins poured out their last reserves of strength against Eridanus.
However, Eridanus effortlessly dismantled the mages’ spells or nullified them and crushed the weak divine power with the blessings of the Great One, focusing entirely on Ray.
Already sustaining significant injuries, Ray struggled under Eridanus’ relentless assault and retreated.
Just as Eridanus was about to unleash another barrage of magic on Ray, three graduates lunged in, swinging their swords from the shoulders.
Kraaaack!!!!
Mohamed, Shay, and Dillid Prisland unleashed their full power.
The tentacles surrounding Eridanus were severed in one swift motion, but Eridanus paid no heed and instead drew a magical circle, spewing crimson flames.
Casualties continued to mount amidst the endless battle.
No matter how many wounds the humans inflicted on Eridanus, he rose again, exuding ominous energy.
Knights who had previously shown no regard for their lives began to visibly tire.
Demons remained as tenacious as ever, much like the myths from six hundred years ago, whereas the humans of today only knew of such tales from records.
The inexplicable immortality that the humans hadn’t experienced firsthand corroded their steel-like resolve and inflated the suppressed fear, suffocating them.
Eridanus rolled his single fused eyeball.
Human endurance and spirit had clear limits, and the forces aiding Ray dwindled moment by moment.
On the other hand, Eridanus, blessed by the Great One, was akin to an immortal.
If he prolonged the fight and accumulated more casualties among the humans, he could dominate the situation unilaterally.
However, it wasn’t yet time to confidently claim victory.
Eridanus remained wary of Ray.
Ray was a being capable of performing miracles in the most dire circumstances.
If the situation turned unfavorable, Eridanus planned to escape using the Warp Gate.
Currently, Eridanus held control over the Warp Gate and, with his skills, could reliably transport himself near the Demonic Realm.
Of course, without a corresponding Warp Gate on the other side, teleporting his body would likely tear him apart, but Eridanus’ body could endure such injuries without dying.
Having secured his escape route, Eridanus briefly glanced at the Warp Gate and froze.
“…?”
A girl with blue hair stood there.
The settings of the gate she touched were drastically warping.
It was an impossible feat.
Eridanus himself had personally manipulated and sealed the Warp Gate.
Breaking that seal would require dozens of skilled mages working for hours.
Yet here, the seal created by Eridanus’ knowledge and authority was crumbling under the hands of a single girl.
In the short span of the ongoing battle…
The girl had almost completely destroyed Eridanus’ seal.
“…!!!”
Panicking, Eridanus abandoned his defensive stance and charged toward the Warp Gate.
Though unexpected, Ray had already anticipated Eridanus’ move and blocked his path.
Clang!!!!!!!!!
Their blood sprayed outward.
The burst of blood from Ray’s shoulder struck Luna’s face.
Ray smirked at Eridanus.
“I told you.”
“…!!”
“I won’t let you escape…!!”
Eridanus redirected his single remaining eye toward the Warp Gate.
Luna glared at Eridanus with malevolence, her face covered in blood.
She inserted an artifact resembling a twenty-sided gemstone into the gate.
Eridanus knew what that artifact did.
It functioned in pairs, resonating with each other and sharing coordinates when one was inserted into the gate.
Who held the counterpart to that extremely precious artifact was obvious.
“Get out of the way!!!!!!!”
Eridanus screamed and shoved Ray aside.
Dozens of steel-hard tentacles surged toward Ray.
But Ray didn’t budge.
Even as he blocked the tentacles and magic with his body, he held his ground and laughed.
Seeing his deranged expression, the remaining knights charged in and pushed Eridanus back.
Behind them, Luna remained unscathed, drenched only in blood.
Luna wiped the tears and blood off her face, feeling nauseous.
She had completed everything Ray had asked of her.
The Warp Gate activated.
Ray raised Moros high into the sky and slashed it downward in a straight line.
Clang!!!
Struggling, Eridanus was unable to fully counter Ray’s blow and was pushed back.
The Warp Gate activated, creating a passage through space.
It was so small and unstable that barely one person could pass through.
And…
Step
An old man stepped through from the other side of the Warp Gate.
Everyone observing the gate held their breath.
The old man who appeared from beyond the Warp Gate surveyed the situation with golden glowing eyes and silently walked to stand beside Ray.
A sword was drawn from the elder’s embrace.
The pinnacle of the current Empire and the heir to the zenith of Imperial history simultaneously targeted the same enemy.
