Alice froze in shock. She hadn't expected this at all. Staring straight ahead with wide eyes, she asked angrily,
"How...?"
Kondo was holding her sword.
Even Sam was surprised. He hadn't even noticed when Kondo had moved.
Ishita was just as shocked. She turned to Alice and asked coldly,
"Why are you trying to kill me?"
Alice looked at her and smiled faintly.
"Why?" She let out a small laugh. "I don't think you're worthy of knowing."
She glanced down at her legs, which were completely frozen in ice. With a little force, she shattered it.
The moment the ice broke, the recoil threw Kim backward. Luckily, King Rose and Shin were right behind her and caught her before she could fall.
Shin grabbed Kim's arm and said worriedly,
"Kim, don't push yourself so hard."
As soon as Alice freed herself, she quickly pulled her sword out of Kondo's hand.
Kondo let go before the blade could slice through his fingers, but as Alice pulled it away, it still left a cut across his hand.
He looked down at the wound.
A moment later, his eyes widened in surprise.
The cut had already healed on its own.
Kondo stared at his hand in confusion.
Did I... gain some kind of healing ability too?
He slowly clenched his fist and looked up.
By then, Alice had already teleported to the demons' side.
High above, King Veld had been watching everything unfold.
There wasn't the slightest hint of worry on his face, almost as if he had expected something like this.
He turned to Yen.
"So... she didn't just betray us. She was hiding far more than that."
Yen adjusted his glasses.
"You're right, Your Majesty. But I never expected her to reveal herself at a time like this."
Both of them kept their eyes on Alice.
Alice stood beside the demons.
The demons shifted their attention toward her, and she smiled fearlessly.
"I never thought demons would disguise themselves and walk among humans."
Yina looked at her with obvious annoyance.
"Hmph. Who are you to point that out? Besides, we came here for an entirely different reason. So why are you standing on our side?"
Alice smiled.
"We're after the same target, aren't we? So why not work together? I don't think I'll make it out of here alive on my own."
A smirk slowly formed on her face.
"And besides... the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Yina's grin widened.
"And what makes you think we'd team up with you? For all you know, we might kill you ourselves."
Alice's smile disappeared.
"I know why you're after Lawine. I can help you get her."
She looked directly at Yina.
"And from what I've heard... you enjoy fighting strong opponents. So you can keep Ishita busy for me, while I bring Lawine to you and make sure we get out of here safely."
"That way... both of us get what we want."
After hearing that, Yirina replied calmly,
"Fine. I'd rather finish this quickly without wasting too much of my strength. We didn't come here to start a war."
She looked around before asking,
"Though... I thought her son would've been dead by now. So where is he?"
Alice raised her sword and pointed ahead.
"There."
"He's right in front of us."
Everyone turned toward Kondo.
Yina looked at him and grinned.
"So it's that kid from the forest."
"What luck."
"Our prey was right in front of us all along, and we've been searching everywhere for him."
Yirina looked at Kondo.
Kondo stared back at them.
Sam had already stepped in front of Kondo, shielding him.
He knew he couldn't win this fight...
...but he could still protect Kondo.
Just then, the butler rushed over and reported,
"I've evacuated everyone. Vold and the other maids have been sent away as well... but I couldn't find Miss Lawine."
Sam looked at the butler and said anxiously,
"Take Kondo and get out of here."
The butler's eyes widened.
"But I can't leave you behind!"
Sam looked straight at him.
"We won't be able to hold them off for long. Hurry... that's an order."
Hearing that, the butler knew he had no choice.
He grabbed Kondo's hand.
The demons simply watched them with amused smiles.
Ishita materialized a sword in her hand.
The sword itself looked ordinary, but its hilt was shaped like a pair of wings. A faint white aura flowed from the blade, making its sharp edge stand out.
Without taking her eyes off her enemies, Ishita tightened her grip.
Yina had already run out of patience.
She cracked her knuckles and grinned.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's begin."
The moment she finished speaking, she disappeared in a flash.
An instant later, she appeared in front of Ishita, her fist already flying toward Ishita's chest.
Ishita immediately raised her sword to block it.
She stopped the punch.
Yina smiled.
The moment she did, crimson lightning flashed around her fist.
Ishita realized what was happening...
...but she was already too late.
The impact passed straight through her sword and slammed into her body.
Ishita was forced backward, sliding across the ground.
Yina immediately chased after her.
Seeing that, Sam's expression turned tense.
He had to get Kondo out of there before it was too late.
He looked at the butler again.
"Hurry! Get Kondo out of here!"
The butler pulled Kondo along.
Realizing they were leaving, Kondo struggled to stop him.
They had barely gone a few steps...
...when Yokzo suddenly appeared in front of them.
The butler stopped immediately.
Standing before Yokzo, he couldn't tell how strong his opponent really was.
But the overwhelming pressure coming from him was enough to make his heart race.
Slowly, the butler placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it at any moment.
Sam's eyes widened.
He hadn't even noticed when Yokzo slipped past him and reached Kondo and the butler.
Clenching his fists, Sam started running toward them.
Fear filled his eyes.
Can I really get Kondo out of here safely...?
Before he could reach them—
Dolt stepped in front of him.
Sam's face darkened.
Now there was no way he could help the butler.
Dolt grinned.
"Looks like you'll be playing with me."
He threw a punch.
Sam quickly crossed both arms in front of his face and blocked it.
Dolt smiled even wider.
Sam had stopped a punch powerful enough to bring down a wall.
Finally...
He had found someone worth fighting.
But Sam wasn't focused on the battle.
His eyes kept searching for Lawine.
She was nowhere to be seen.
Seeing Sam distracted, Dolt immediately grabbed one of his arms.
Small tentacles wrapped around his other fist before he drove it straight into Sam's chest.
The impact sent Sam flying.
He crashed through a wall and disappeared outside.
Kondo's eyes widened.
"Dad!"
He tried to run toward Sam.
But the butler still had a firm grip on his hand.
No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free.
He knew the butler was only trying to protect him.
The butler immediately drew his sword.
A silver flash cut through the air as he slashed at Yokzo's neck.
Yokzo casually caught the blade with one hand...
...as if it were nothing more than a toy.
The butler's face turned pale.
If he can stop my sword that easily... then he's far stronger than I imagined.
Yokzo grabbed the butler by the collar with his free hand.
The next instant...
The two of them disappeared.
Kondo stared at the empty space in shock.
He quickly looked around.
Not far away, Ishita and Yina were still fighting.
They leaped across the battlefield at incredible speed, clashing again and again.
Yina's punches were unbelievably fast, but Ishita continued blocking every one of them with her sword.
Their battle alone was tearing the surroundings apart.
High above, King Veld, Yen, and Kiora watched everything in silence.
King Veld looked down at the battlefield.
"It looks like this fight is becoming more dangerous than we expected. Should we stay? Sam might need our help. If the Emperor Force arrives in time, dealing with them should become much easier."
Yen kept watching the battle below.
"We never expected things to turn out like this. Otherwise, we would've brought an army with us."
After a brief pause, he continued,
"For now, all we can do is wait for them."
His expression grew serious.
"And... as much as I hate to say it, it isn't safe for you to remain here, Your Majesty. I won't be able to protect you every moment."
King Veld simply smiled.
Yen lowered his gaze...
...toward Kondo, who now stood alone in the middle of the battlefield.