Victory. And Apostle Han Doyun.

[Skill ‘Hecleus’s Style (Hecleus’s 式) Pugilism’ has been created.]

[Skill ‘Pugilism’ has been created.]

[Subskill ‘Hecleus’s Style (Hecleus’s 式) Pugilism’ has been integrated into the superior skill ‘Pugilism.’]

Doyun approached the fallen Berthe, staggering after withstanding the ultimate technique.

Berthe seemed dazed and despondent, with a large hole in his thick, broad torso as if struck by a cannon.

Yet his expression did not seem to stem from his wounds.

The ashen-faced Berthe gazed up at Doyun, who had moved beside him.

His expression spoke volumes.

Though he had defected to the Demon Lord’s army after succumbing to despair from the new Demon Lord, he too had once been saved by Enoch, respecting him as a peerless warrior.

Berthe strained his voice to speak.

“Are you… Sir Razvolnic…”

“Yes.”

“Ah…”

Drip.

Tears streamed down his scales, now shattered into pieces. The tears of a dragon.

“I’m sorry… The Demon Lord of this world without you… the imminent downfall… was too frightening…”

“…”

“I’m sorry… for trying to destroy… the world you saved…”

To Berthe, straining his dying breaths to apologize, Doyun asked.

“…How did Hecleus die?”

“He…”

As Berthe’s voice gradually faded, Doyun leaned closer to listen.

And after a moment.

“…!”

Doyun’s eyes shot wide open.

With eyes filled with shock, he roared at Berthe.

“That’s… how on earth…!”

“The Fist Saint… went alone to the Demon Lord’s castle to stop that project… sustained a fatal wound from the Demon Lord, and fled…”

“Impossible! By what means?! How could that be possible?!”

Denying Berthe’s words, Doyun’s face was etched with rare contemplation.

“Then… the Celestials too…!”

“I’m sorry… You warrior…”

“The Celestials are included in that project too?! Hey!!”

But Doyun did not receive an answer.

Berthe closed his eyes and stopped breathing. The rising and falling of his chest stilled.

The death of Legion Commander Berthe, the Armored Dragon Kyu-ryong.

“…”

Doyun muttered Berthe’s words again with a dazed expression, then suddenly staggered from an intense headache.

“Ugh…!”

The world shook.

“Doyun!!”

Haineken appeared before him.

Doyun felt himself collapsed on the ground, with Haineken propping up his head. He had lost consciousness without realizing it.

The duration of Hell’s Flame had ended, and the recoil was beginning.

Meanwhile, as the battlefield fell silent after a tremendous shockwave, the Demon Lord’s officers who had evacuated inside the fortress heaved sighs of relief.

‘For Lord Berthe to struggle so desperately…’

Especially that final attack had been truly cataclysmic, shaking the entire fortress. Undoubtedly, it had been Lord Berthe’s ultimate technique.

That even Lord Berthe, a monster capable of unleashing such destructive force within the Holy Stone, had to fight so earnestly against this foe.

‘But he ultimately emerged victorious.’

The Necrotic Gardener, puffing out his chest to announce the victory, peeked over the ramparts.

However, what he witnessed was the complete opposite of his expectations. No, it was a sight beyond his wildest imagination.

“Huh…?”

A 3m giant lying on the ground, his broad torso riddled with a massive hole.

The Necrotic Gardener, as a necromancer, instantly recognized his demise.

“L, Lord… Berthe…?”

A man who had stood like a mountain for the Demon Lord’s army now lay in gruesome ruin.

“Is it over? …Huh? What?”

“Is that… really Lord Berthe? Really…?”

“Just what on earth is this…!”

One by one, the Demon Lord’s officers grasped the situation, their mouths agape in shock.

‘Did that Apostle really…?’

The Necrotic Gardener gazed at Haineken and Han Doyun.

“Doyun! Snap out of it! Doyun!”

Haineken shouted at Doyun. His pupils were gradually losing their light.

But that wasn’t all. His limbs kept twitching, emitting a chilling cracking sound.

His body had been relentlessly pummeled by the Legion Commander specializing in hand-to-hand combat. Moreover, Berthe had mentioned something about the recoil of martial arts.

Haineken could not envision a positive outcome. No matter how he considered it, Doyun’s survival seemed improbable. Even if he lived, he would likely be crippled for life, unable to move a finger.

“No, no…!”

He gazed down at Doyun in desperation.

“Don’t you dare die! You’re the Alliance’s hope! Please…!”

Then, Haineken noticed Doyun’s lips feebly moving.

He leaned in close, straining his ears.

“In my… bo… som… map…”

“…Map?”

Haineken hastily searched Doyun’s bosom, retrieving a small folded paper.

“This is…?”

A crude map indicating the location of something near the frontlines.

“Ugh… Urk…!”

After uttering those brief words, Doyun’s body twitched again with a cracking sound, and blood gushed from his mouth.

As his consciousness faded, Doyun could no longer hear the sounds escaping his own lips, all his senses consumed by agony.

“Doyun!!”

Witnessing this, the Necrotic Gardener thought:

‘He took down the Legion Commander…!’

A mere Apostle, not even a Hero, had achieved this result. Yet he now teetered on the brink of death.

Moreover, Haineken and Ley were also on the verge of demise.

‘They must be slain.’

Obstacles that could derail the Demon Lord’s grand scheme.

This was the perfect opportunity.

The Necrotic Gardener, holding command authority, shouted.

“That man slew the Legion Commander! Muster all forces and slay the mighty one who killed the Legion Commander, as well as Haineken – both are on their last breaths!!”

The gates flung open, and

Uwaaaahhhh—!!!

An undead army, high-ranking officers, and even formidable demonic beasts –

The overwhelming Demon Lord’s forces that had effortlessly conquered Metapolis Fortress charged at the two.

Haineken supported Doyun, preparing to flee.

Gritting his teeth, he mustered his remaining mana and roared.

“The Legion Commander has fallen!! All troops! Protect the Alliance’s Heroes!!!”

His tiger-like howl resounded through the fortress and forest, soon accompanied by distant shouts and tremors. The retreating troops were advancing towards them.

As the deathly forces converged on the inverted horizon, Doyun was slung over Haineken’s shoulder.

“Ugh…”

Haineken staggered.

Could he possibly flee from such overwhelming numbers in this state…?

‘If impossible, then at least this one by any means…!’

Just as he steeled his resolve,

Hwaaah-

Particles of light coalesced in midair, forming three human figures.

Tak.

The first to touch the ground was Sophie.

And then.

“…!”

“Rest now.”

Clad in a fluttering, simple yet lightweight attire with a sword at her hip, the one hailed as the paramount swordsman of the continent alighted gently.

“Well done. Haineken, Doyun.”

Accompanying her was an elderly man in tattered robes, a long staff slung across his back.

“Master…”

“Leave the rest to us.”

The two strode towards the encroaching dark army.

“…!”

“Th, Those people are…!”

Recognizing their identities, the Demon Lord’s forces faltered.

“Oh no…! Of all people, those two…!”

“I couldn’t sense their presence at all, how did they arrive so swiftly!”

“Retreat! Retreat!!”

The tens of thousands fell back before the two lone men.

To them, these figures were akin to towering mountains through sheer might alone, just as Legion Commander Berthe had been.

The Vagabond Hero. And Brudhild Buske.

Sophie, who had departed the frontlines to rescue Haineken’s sister, had now returned with the Vagabond Hero and Brudhild.

“Defend the fortress! All troops retreat!!”

Behind those two reassuringly stalwart men,

‘Ah…’

Doyun slowly closed his eyes, gazing at their dependable backs as his vision faded.

+++

Supreme Command Tower of the Muspelheim Military.

There, Muspelheim’s highest-ranking generals and the Alliance’s key figures were engaged in an urgent conference.

“Report of a Demon Lord senior officer, the Commander of Lamentations, infiltrating Fortress A-6! Reinforcements needed!”

“Muspelheim has no more deployable troops. When will Pavilion’s reinforcements arrive…”

“Confirmed fall of Fortress B-2! Impossible to besiege with current forces…”

“At Fortress A-4…”

Dire updates poured in from various battlefronts.

It seemed the Demon Lord’s army had truly prepared for this offensive, as not a single battlefield was easily defensible.

However, the Command Tower could not attend to all these fronts immediately.

Their deployable forces were limited over just two days, and the most pressing fire had yet to be extinguished.

“What about Metapolis Fortress?! Any word from there yet?!”

“Hero Ley did depart for that battlefield immediately after resolving his assigned front… but no reports since entering the communication disruption field…”

“Dammit! Two Heroes went there, so why hasn’t communication been re-established yet?! Did a Legion Commander show up or what?!”

“Based on the circumstances, Metapolis has likely already fallen.”

“…”

“Plague take it all…”

A momentary silence fell upon the previously raucous Command Tower.

The fall of Metapolis Fortress, one of the Alliance’s greatest strongholds, was no ordinary setback. It could only be described as catastrophic, an immense loss bordering on hopelessness.

But then, one of the reporting officers cried out at the top of his lungs.

“Metapolis Fortress communication channel restored! Transmission from our forces!”

“What did you say?!”

All fell silent, focusing on the report.

The soldier recited verbatim the incoming report in real-time.

“Hero Haineken, confirmation of Metapolis Fortress’ fall!”

“Ah…”

“This can’t be…”

Agonized lamentations pervaded the control room.

However, the subsequent reports left no respite, each line sapping their momentary relief with fresh anguish.

“Hero Haineken, engaging the Demon Lord’s army! Enemy’s main force is a Legion… Co, wha, what? A Legion Commander…?”

“Wha, What did you say?!”

“A, A Legion Commander! A Legion Commander really appeared on the battlefield!!”

Everyone in the control room cried out in shock and despair, clutching their heads.

Damnation, a Legion Commander?! A Legion Commander had manifested within the Holy Stone’s interior battlefield!

‘The Demon Lord’s army truly intended this…’

An unprecedented plight unseen for decades.

“Wait! But the Hero who went to Metapolis was Haineken!”

“Ah…! Then until reinforcements arrive…”

“Hero Ley had departed for that front! Since it’s within the Holy Stone’s interior, there’s still hope…”

Given the urgency, the conference proceeded in real-time without formalities, conducted haphazardly. As they received the shocking reports, they immediately debated hope and despair.

But the reports were not yet finished.

“The final report is coming in…”

Upon seeing the report on his crystal, the soldier could not speak.

“Why are you hesitating?”

“Spit it out already, time is of the essence!”

At this, a few generals approached him directly to view the report’s contents.

However.

“…? Huh?”

“Th, This is…”

They too could only gape wordlessly.

The final transmission consisted of just three lines.

But those concise statements were enough

[Legion Commander Berthe defeated.]

[Victory. Retook Metapolis Fortress.]

[Returning.]

to completely upend the control room.