Bastello's brows knitted together as the sight of Remedios filled him with irritation. The two future madams may scold me, but where does a mere ant like you find the courage...? Are you truly not afraid of death?
At that moment, the sky dimmed abruptly. The setting sun slipped behind the jagged mountain peaks, casting long shadows over Diborne City. A hush fell over the defenders. Sunset meant the demons could strike at any second—unrestrained by daylight's fragile protection.
"Everyone, take cover in the fortifications!" Calca ordered sharply, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. Her eyes remained cold and focused, though Bastello could sense the faint tremor beneath her regal composure.
At the same time, she felt the overwhelming, suffocating aura radiating from Bastello. A small spark of reassurance flickered in her chest. Since the demon's true form is here, Helant should be safe.
"Darkness has fallen... then the game ends!"
Five blood-red pillars of light erupted on the distant horizon, stabbing upward and staining the not-yet-fully-dark sky a ghastly crimson. A thick, metallic stench of blood rolled across the battlefield like a physical wave, making throats tighten and stomachs churn.
Calca's heart skipped. Pressed against the city wall, she stared toward the border and cried out, "Helant!"
Holy light swirled around her like a volcano on the verge of eruption as she whirled to glare at Bastello.
In Helant's current state, he cannot survive that kind of attack!!!
All she could do now was pray that Zesshi arrived in time.
"You seem mistaken," Bastello said lazily, pointing one clawed finger into the distance. "I have not laid a finger on Sir Helant yet."
Future madam, although I admire your concern for Lord Helant, you must remain rational. Do not let rage cloud your judgment.
Following his gesture, Calca realized the beams were not rising from the Five Border Cities at all—they originated from far beyond, deep in enemy territory. She cast a wary glance upward at the sky screen. Only when she saw Helant looking equally puzzled did she exhale in partial relief.
Then she strained to pinpoint the source. A mountain ridge?
"Those beams... they should be coming from the demi-human stronghold," Remedios muttered, tugging absently at her hair in frustration. If she hadn't memorized every detail of the border terrain, she would hardly have believed it herself.
As a Hero-class warrior, she could recognize the signature of a sacrificial spell in the crimson light. But a sacrifice in the demi-human stronghold?
She stared at Bastello, utterly confused.
Bastello shifted his gaze from Remedios to the sky and spread his arms wide. "Boom!"
The five pillars thickened in an instant. Their red light turned blinding, as though fresh blood had been poured over glowing coals. Within the columns, countless souls twisted and wailed in silent agony, their ethereal forms stretching and distorting like smoke caught in a gale.
"Blood-sacrifice spell complete!"
Bastello gazed at the towering pillars with open satisfaction. "Ahahaha~ So this is the power of one million demi-human lives. Splendid!"
"A million demi-humans?!"
Remedios's face froze in disbelief. "Are you insane? You bypass the Five Border Cities and sacrifice your own troops instead?!"
"You sound just like Caspond. Such a traitor!"
"Remedios, calm down," Calca said, already analyzing the implications with forced composure. "A demon would not be so foolish. Sacrificial spells grow stronger with more valuable offerings—and the demi-humans on the border are battle-hardened veterans."
"The Holy Queen sees clearly, unlike the fool beside you," Bastello sneered.
Boo! How does that fool's intuition keep landing on the truth...?
"Then I cannot give Helant any time to recover. Farewell."
Bastello vanished in a blur of shadow.
The sky screen still displayed the scene in crisp detail. Zesshi now stood beside the slumped Helant, her imposing figure casting a protective shadow over him.
Calca's heart tightened as she glanced at Quaiesse, whose face had gone pale and drained from mana exhaustion.
"Your Highness... please wait until I recover some mana. The distance is too great!"
On the screen, Zesshi stood a head taller than the seated Helant. Her platform shoes and distinctive black-and-white twin ponytails accentuated her already striking height, giving her an almost statuesque presence.
"Why are you here?" Helant asked with a gentle smile, reaching out to brush one of her twin ponytails.
Zesshi slapped his hand away and rolled her eyes. "This is no time for games! That demon is waiting for the moment you collapse!"
Helant's handsome face had regained some color, though fatigue still lingered in his eyes. "I am worried about the Five Border Cities, not my own life."
Too kind for your own good...
Zesshi stepped directly in front of him and tapped the tip of his nose with a finger. "Remember: put your own safety first."
Her tone softened, almost imperceptibly. "Or who will marry me?"
Helant finally succeeded in stroking her twin ponytails, savoring the silky strands between his fingers. "I am exhausted. The demon will come for me now."
"Then you have a trump card?"
"Once its true form arrives, I will summon the Holy Domain God Lord and end it in a single blow."
"Idiot. Absolutely forbidden!"
Zesshi pinched his cheek, hard enough to make him wince but not enough to truly hurt. "Quaiesse told me that spell burns your life force!"
"One strike to settle everything," he replied with that same bright, reckless grin.
Looking at his smile—so full of warmth and determination—Zesshi's heart fluttered despite herself. Her gaze lingered on his lips, drawn there by something she couldn't quite name.
She bent down slowly and pressed her lips against his. The kiss was awkward, inexperienced, tentative—like someone stepping onto unfamiliar ground for the first time.
Helant, who had been tutored in such matters by the succubus Albedo, instinctively deepened it. One hand slid to the small of her back, pulling her closer into his arms.
"Mmph."
Stronger than most—stronger even than Mino—Zesshi never once gasped for air, her endurance matching her raw power.
Helant only pulled away when the last sliver of sunlight vanished, leaving the world in deepening twilight.
Zesshi cupped his face in both hands, her expression dazed, almost vulnerable. "Helant, do not summon the Holy Domain God Lord... please.. I will protect you."
She reclaimed her scythe from where it rested against the ground, the weapon's curve gleaming faintly in the dying light. Then she smiled—a rare, genuine curve of her lips—and brushed his lips once more, soft and lingering.
____
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