■ Everyone’s Fight □
Dorothy Gale is one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s Army.
Originally, she was a first-class witch belonging to the Ruby Tower in the southern continent, but after reaching the sixth tier at the age of twenty and securing the title of the youngest grand mage in the continent’s history, she left the magic tower and joined the Demon King’s Army.
As part of the Demon King’s forces, she killed Elphaba, one of the Four Directions Witches, the West Witch, and inherited her name, becoming the second-generation West Witch, rapidly ascending through the ranks at an unprecedented speed within the Demon King’s Army.
In particular, her signature element was ‘fire.’ Her innate red hair and flame magic were so closely linked that rumors spread that she was the incarnation of the salamander, the spirit of fire.
To such an extent, Dorothy loved playing with fire.
But in truth, what she truly wanted to burn wasn’t people or buildings—it was the ‘narrow-minded world’ that envied and resented her innate talent.
So, summarizing the story:
Even though she has become more mellow now after meeting Caldlasth, the original Dorothy was known as the Iron-Blooded Witch, someone said to lack both blood and tears.
—Exactly like this moment.
“Kraaaaagh!”
“Save me!”
Soldiers with flames engulfing their entire bodies run around in front of her eyes.
Superheated flames.
Since causing chaos was the main objective, Dorothy only used ‘suitable’ temperature flames.
Even so, the streets around the eastern gate, which she was responsible for, were already half-devastated.
One of her primary magics, “Salamander’s Breath,” was responsible.
This magic differs from ordinary flame magic in that it cannot be easily extinguished by water.
It’s a notorious cursed flame infamous for clinging to its target until it burns out, then spreading sideways.
The fiery red flames search for prey as if licking their tongues.
Right at that moment,
“Mezzo forte (Medium loud)!”
Familiar incantations rang out, and a dolphin-like rock surged from the ground, extinguishing the flames enveloping the soldiers.
Dorothy recognized this magic.
No, she could never forget it.
It was the magic of Baron Betendorf, who had humiliated her with a crushing defeat on the Eastern Front she was responsible for.
The original caster had died there, his limbs torn apart by Caldlasth’s magic, so this must be his direct disciple.
As soon as she spotted the middle-aged man with all-white hair emerging from the alley, she sneered savagely because he looked very much like the face she knew.
“Are you related to Baron Louis von Betendorf?”
The man with deep wrinkles around his eyes narrowed them and replied,
“My late father.”
“Good timing. I owe him something.”
Saying this, Dorothy unleashed flames from both her hands.
“It’s said that children sometimes repay their parents’ debts. What do you think about that?”
“…I don’t particularly want to repay it.”
“That’s not for the prey to decide.”
Saying this, Dorothy shrugged off her coat and crouched low like a four-legged beast.
As her hands touched the ground, her magical ritual activated, igniting flames on her limbs.
Transforming into a fiery feline, she grinned wickedly and declared,
“The predator decides.”
In an instant, she covered herself with various buffs, unwilling to miss this chance for revenge after half a year.
Whatever happens, she’ll kill.
She decided to kill first.
“Since you insist, there’s nothing I can do.”
The son of Baron Louis drew his staff.
At a glance, it was clearly a specially crafted artifact.
A literal object dripping with money.
On the other hand, the red ruby shoes Dorothy wore were looted goods originally belonging to the East Witch.
Afterward, she kicked off the ground.
Whoosh!
An explosion beneath her feet propelled her forward.
When she finally arrived right in front of him, the son, armed in flowing armor just like his father, Baron Louis, attempted a kick.
Their legs crossed in mid-air.
The moment hot steam rose, Dorothy grinned as she flipped in the air.
“Gehenna Sturm”
Dozens of fireballs soared into the sky.
A storm of infernal heat sweeps through.
Though it was merely a fifth-tier magic, the son, unlike his father who hadn’t reached mastery, seemed barely able to withstand her attack.
“Pandemonium Krise”
Plasma cutters formed superheated claws that slashed across the earth.
A spell potent enough to make the ground bubble upon slight contact.
“Kraaaaagh!”
Despite attempting defense, his arm was severed along with the magic he used for protection.
Her magical ritual’s effect slowly healed the wound, but due to the heat, the cells were dead, preventing immediate regeneration.
Dorothy decided to conclude with her most spectacular magic.
Hop-step jump.
Creating a beautiful melody by tapping her boots together.
Subsequently, a massive magic circle appeared around the son of Baron Louis.
He hurriedly tried to escape the range of the magic circle, but Dorothy’s casting speed was far faster.
“Katastrophe Elysion”
At that moment, an absurdly large pillar of fire shot up into the sky, engulfing his body.
A firepower of this magnitude would leave not even a bone fragment behind.
Watching him being incinerated alive, Dorothy, who had been quietly spacing out, suddenly wondered how the others were doing.
‘Kaldratschu will probably start running away soon…’
She then glanced at the southern city gate assigned to Barnett.
“That guy is probably wreaking havoc right about now.”
There was still plenty of time.
Just as she was about to proceed with destroying the city area to act as one of the Demon King’s Four Heavenly Kings again,
Kwaang!
With a deafening roar, a massive sword-shaped engraving suddenly appeared on the southern castle wall, making Dorothy instinctively realize, ‘I still have much to learn.’
From the beginning, the Demon King’s Army had too many powerful individuals.
Anyway, similar to Dorothy, she decided to use brute force to buy time for Kaldratschu’s escape.
Far in the distance, white-armored knights were rushing over in haste.
They were likely the Royal Guards that Kaldratschu often talked about.
They could be considered the kingdom’s strongest fighting force.
“Halt! How dare you invade here, vile demons!”
Barnett felt slightly wronged by their one-sided condemnation but realized they weren’t entirely incorrect, so she chose to remain silent.
Considering no one present would believe that she was originally a member of the most prestigious knight family in the empire and somehow ended up as a Dullahan 300 years ago, silence was the best option.
The situation looked unfavorable at a glance.
While random soldiers wouldn’t be able to withstand her sword strikes, matching numbers seemed important.
Thus, the magic she employed was Death Knight Calling.
Her elite troops stationed at the Demon King’s Castle.
The spectral knights who returned from death.
Summoning the Death Knights decaying in the Demon King’s Castle using her authority as the commander of the royal guard caused noticeable panic among the approaching Royal Guards.
Well, isn’t this side more visually appealing?
Because it was a showdown between the Royal Guards in white armor and the Death Knights in black armor.
Barnett thought this while idly touching the hilt of the sword strapped to her waist.
Given the undead nature of Death Knights cursing the living, they roared wildly and charged forward as soon as summoned.
Massive Zweihanders swung wildly.
Chunks of flesh were torn apart.
In the chaotic battlefield that instantly turned into an Asura field, only one person approached her slowly, someone uniquely capable of engaging her.
Around mid-30s in appearance.
The blonde knight with a slightly grown beard exuding a dandyish charm seemed to instinctively sense her strength and assumed a leading posture.
Experts recognize each other.
He was likely the captain of the Royal Guard.
Likewise, Barnett drew her sword from her waist.
The suffocating tension.
Roughening breaths.
And the heated atmosphere reached its peak the moment—
The two clashed.
