Luminas was irritated—genuinely irritated.
She rarely allowed emotion to surface, but today was an exception.
Of all times…
She had invited Demon Lord Atem of Eterna to attend the grand musical exchange, and in that very moment, the traitor Granbell Rosso chose to ravage her country.
Such miscalculation hadn't happened once since the founding of Lubelius.
Her instincts screamed at her to rush to the Grand Cathedral and obliterate every intruder staining her land.
But her reason—the cold judgment she was known for—held her back.
The destruction was too noisy.
Too theatrical.
Too…deliberate.
A distraction.
Louis and Gunther stood quietly beside Luminas, stiff with tension.
Neither dared to speak.
Their master's irritation alone shook the air.
Yet despite the quiet around them, all three were anxious.
Still, they weren't foolish enough to misjudge their priorities.
If Granbell was creating this chaos…
What was his real target?
Luminas narrowed her eyes.
If it's that man… then he must know of my Holy Ark. He knows what sleeps within it. He must be after—Her…
The Holy Ark was Luminas's most sacred treasure.
But the deeper reason she guarded it went far beyond mere ownership.
Granbell knew that reason.
Which made it hard to believe he would target it.
And yet—her instincts roared.
And she was right.
In the deepest tomb, in a room no one should have known existed, unwelcome guests arrived.
"Wha' the hell? Our infiltration got sniffed out! Or maybe the security's too tight," a man laughed.
"Hehehe… too bad for us, but hey, looks like we found some fun prey," another giggled.
"Why not? But be careful. That girl over there ain't normal. That's Demon Lord Luminas, right?"
Two intruders stood proudly—Laplace and Footman of the Moderate Clown Troupe.
Luminas reclined elegantly upon a couch before the Holy Ark, gazing coldly at them.
They looked like small fry, but the aura they released told a different story.
She swallowed her fury, masking emotion with royal composure.
"…I shall permit you to announce your names."
The clowns blinked in surprise—they had expected chaos, not composure.
But Granbell had warned them, and he had sent someone to guide them past the defenses.
Laplace stepped forward with a mocking bow.
"Nice ta meet ya. I'm the 'Wonder Pierrot' Laplace, vice-chairman of our little troupe. This guy's Footman."
"Heheheh, name's Angry Pierrot Footman. Don't know much about ya, but let's play nice," Footman said, already itching for violence.
"Oh yeah, come on in," Laplace called out.
A blonde woman entered the tomb.
"…."
"She ain't much of a talker," Laplace added. "But I think her name is—"
"I know her," Luminas said coldly. "Maria Rosso.
The woman Granbell loved."
Laplace grinned. "Bingo! So ya remember her."
Luminas's expression twisted with disgust.
"You three—quit acting familiar. Your introductions are done. And so are you."
Her patience snapped.
Laplace sighed dramatically.
"Well, that's your temper gone. But before we start—Granbell left ya a message."
"Speak," Luminas ordered.
"He said, 'I'll be waiting above. Fight me. And get here fast—unless you want everyone you value to die.' Oh, and he's probably fightin' that monster Hinata right about now. Wonder who's—"
That was when Louis, acting on Luminas's silent command, struck Laplace with a brutal blow.
"Was it you who killed my brother?" Louis growled.
Laplace wiped blood off his lips and smirked.
"Tsk. Ya coulda let me finish. Anyway—yeah. I killed Roy. He looked just like ya, too!"
"…I don't care about revenge," Louis replied. "But this is the perfect chance to prove I'm stronger than my brother."
"That's what I like to hear!" Laplace cackled.
Gunther and Footman exchanged a glance—
—and immediately blasted out of the tomb to fight, leaving destruction in their wake.
Luminas exhaled sharply.
"Those two are headaches. Level-headed until they smell battle…"
She paused.
"…But I'm no different. Granbell—whatever your trump card is, it won't stop me."
Her fierce gaze turned toward the silent Maria.
"A corpse—or close enough. Granbell still clings to you? Even my divine miracle 'Resurrection' cannot save someone who has lost their soul."
Indeed, this "Maria" was just an imitation.
"Then I shall perform your final rites."
Luminas's youki flared.
In an instant, she and Maria vanished, clashing faster than mortal eyes could see.
Their fight tore through the tomb and forced them to relocate outside to avoid damaging the Ark.
The only thing left behind was the Holy Ark.
That was when a young man emerged from the shadows.
"Ahaha… I didn't expect this to be so easy," Yuuki chuckled.
He had followed silently, perfectly concealed.
Even Luminas never sensed him.
He placed a hand on the icy coffin.
"…So this is the Holy Ark."
He felt the material.
"Pure holy particles… something like this should be impossible."
He laughed quietly.
A normal person would be vaporized just touching it.
But Yuuki's Anti-Skill neutralized all of that.
He, and he alone, could steal the treasure within.
He shattered the Ark.
The strongest treasure of Lubelius broke like glass.
Inside was a beautiful young girl.
The Hero.
"…Well now. This one's sealed too," Yuuki muttered. "I can break it… but later."
Another barrier—a powerful one—wrapped around her skin.
He'd deal with it at his base.
His eyes drifted over her face.
"…I've seen you somewhere… No, that's impossible," he said quietly.
She looked around sixteen.
Long dark-silver hair draped over her body.
A perfect, vulnerable stillness.
"Uh… I'll be accused of harassment for this, but time's up," Yuuki muttered, scooping her into his arms.
"I've got the Hero. Time to go."
He smirked and melted into the shadows.
He had no idea what he had unleashed.
Not the truth behind the Ark.
Not the real purpose of the Hero.
Not Granbell's true intentions.
The otherworlders rushed me like mindless puppets—bodies moving, eyes empty, wills stolen. They weren't enemies… just victims. So I didn't strike to kill. Instead, I immobilized them one by one with precise bursts of paralyzing magic. With my current power, even a hundred of them wouldn't pose a challenge. The only annoying part was the curse removal afterward.
Still… something about them bothered me.
These otherworlders had huge magicule reserves—far larger than the average soldier. Some of their bodies were strong enough to classify as rank A. And yet… they fought like hollow shells. No technique. No spirit. No will.
«Report. During this conflict, none of the otherworlders activated their Unique Skills.»
Solarys, the Sovereign of Wisdom, spoke calmly within my mind.
Ah.
That explained the monotony of this fight. So their abilities were sealed—or never awakened. Either way, the truth didn't matter right now. All that mattered was ending this farce… and ending Granbell's schemes.
I moved carefully to the final child—a young girl, maybe ten. Old enough for magicules to settle in her body, but not old enough to control them. Empty power. No threat. I dissolved the curse instantly. When she woke, confused and trembling, I simply put her back to sleep and laid her beside the others.
Granbell didn't care about them.
I did.
If his goal was simply to stall me… then he succeeded. Killing these children would've been instant. Saving them took time.
But now, all of them were safe.
I turned toward the main battlefield.
The band was still practicing, of all things—fear turned into focus. Hinata and Granbell held their duel at blinding speed, exchanging blows where a single misstep would mean death. Interfering without precision would throw off the balance, so I saved my intervention for later.
My eyes shifted to the side.
Shion, Ranga, and my spirit monsters—Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, and the Skilled Dark Magician—were clashing with Razul. Even so, they weren't overpowering him thats because i limited the amount of power my spirit monsters can use, i wanted to allow Shion and Ranga to grow more powerful.
Shion fought fearlessly, letting Razul stab and slash her knowing her Ultra-Speed Regeneration knit every wound shut. A reckless style, but undeniably effective.
Ranga hid inside her shadow, launching attacks from blind angles—Death Heralding Wind, Black Lightning, razor-sharp wind claws. The Dark Magician trio bombarded Razul with enchanted blasts—Dark Burning, Sage's Judgment, Chaos Bolt—but Razul twisted and slid between the spells with insect-like efficiency.
His compound eyes saw everything. No blind spots. The black armor covering him wasn't armor—it was his exoskeleton. Harder than steel, enchanted with a natural effect similar to Magic Interference. Shion's odachi bounced off him. Ranga's spells dispersed on contact. My spirit casters struggled against his innate resistances.
Which meant Diablo would've had the worst matchup.
And yet… Diablo still fought. That alone proved Razul's monstrous endurance.
A creature with overwhelming magic and physical defense… so loyal, yet so purposeless. What a waste.
If I intervened, he'd fall quickly.
I prepared to move—
—but suddenly froze.
Everyone froze.
Even Hinata. Even Shion. Even Granbell.
Because standing in the entrance of the Grand Cathedral was—
Demon Lord Leon.
White robe, golden armor, immaculate attire. As always, he looked like a man carved by the gods—but today, his expression was pure storm. Behind him were several knights radiating lethal authority.
Why was he here?
Friend? Foe? Something between?
Granbell casually greeted him, unfazed by Leon's presence.
"You've come, Demon Lord Leon-dono. Hinata, since your eyes are elsewhere, you must have plenty of strength to spare."
What arrogance.
Granbell wasn't intimidated in the slightest.
Which could only mean—
he expected Leon.
"Don't act familiar. Who are you?" Leon's tone was ice.
"Oh? First time meeting, yes. As a matter of fact, the children you purchased were all gathered by me. My apologies for making you collect the delivery in person this time."
…Purchased?
My eyes narrowed.
Most of the otherworlders I subdued were children. Young. Scared. Barely past ten.
Was this what he meant?
Leon's expression didn't change, but something flickered under the surface.
"I didn't come for you," Leon said coldly. "I came here because—"
"Ahh, I simply used the summoning technique you taught me. Going to claim ignorance now? You want unstable 'Otherworld children' to make spirit hosts, don't you? To build more weapons like Shizue Izawa."
His words hit me like a strike to the chest.
Solarys spoke sharply:
«Warning. High probability that Granbell is attempting to pit Atem and Demon Lord Leon against one another.»
I felt it too.
But the problem was…
Granbell's words were believable.
Spirit possession required unstable, young vessels.
Leon's subordinates all wield spirit auras.
My jaw tightened.
"…Is this true?" I asked, not moving my blade from my side.
Leon exhaled. "Yes. But—"
Granbell cut in with a cruel laugh that echoed through the cathedral.
"KUKUKU—HAHAHAHA! Leon, tell him! You requested OTHERWORLD CHILDREN UNDER TEN! Not stable adults! You wanted to 'rescue' them and twist them into weapons! Wasn't that your noble plan?!"
I felt heat rise inside me—anger, not magic.
Shizue…
The children here…
The countless failures…
"Is that true?" I repeated.
"Yes. But I—"
I didn't wait.
I punched him.
A direct blow across his face. With enough force—not to kill, but to send a message. His knights tried to intervene, but he stopped them with a raised hand.
He did not dodge.
He did not defend.
He accepted it.
My knuckles cracked against his cheekbone. Blood formed at the corner of his lip. Leon calmly wiped it with a handkerchief.
"You finished?" he asked.
"No," I said coldly. "Not even close."
It was then—
in that single moment—
that I understood.
He wasn't cruel for cruelty's sake.
He didn't strike back.
He faced me directly—even unguarded.
Leon… was not the monster I thought he was.
Shizue couldn't truly hate him. Even dying, she wanted to understand him. And I had promised her I would.
I fulfilled that promise a moment ago with that punch.
But the real conversation hadn't started yet.
I straightened, voice sharp as a blade.
"My anger isn't gone. My questions aren't answered. And my promise to Shizue remains. So yes, Leon—"
I raised my sword and leveled it at him.
"—we're going to have a nice, long talk. Right after we settle what to do about Granbell."
Leon's eyebrow twitched.
He understood.
And so did everyone else.
The king, the knight, and the traitor—
the lines were drawn.
And Granbell's smirk finally began to crack.