The extravagant potions worked fast—his wounds sealed shut. Yet he lingered, head resting on her lap.
Why?
What man could resist that soft warmth, that resilient give beneath his cheek?
"Victory?"
"Raya Lucaria is ours. We're sweeping for stragglers."
Allen's tone carried respect.
If he couldn't win this, he might as well find a quiet corner and slit his own throat. Throne nodded, accepting the deference with calm. Some truths didn't need words—they were reclaimed through action.
"The last magic professor?"
"The witch Ella surrendered. Chelona's still missing."
"Don't bother with Chelona. Pin him to the wall, strip him bare, and bury him somewhere."
"Yes."
Throne rose from Melina's lap, reluctance in every movement. He flexed his wrists.
"One Tarnished escaped. Find him. I have questions."
'Stray Sorcerer' Vilhelm had fled the moment he sensed danger, but Throne had caught a whiff of something strange on him—an aura that felt familiar.
The origin wasn't in Raya Lucaria. Vilhelm must have crossed paths with someone. He wouldn't get far.
"Let's go, Melina."
He took her hand, calm. They hadn't spoken since the battle ended. Not out of anger—the fight had drawn them closer. Words felt unnecessary now.
"Mm. Next destination."
Melina's face stayed blank, her focus solely on his hand.
Allen hesitated. This wasn't part of the plan.
"Throne, what are you—"
Bang!
A Glintstone Dragon crashed into the plaza, its massive form shaking the ground. It glanced at the Red Wolf's corpse, then bowed its head—genuine submission.
Usually, it wanted to tear Throne apart. Tonight, it trembled before him.
Throne wasn't surprised to see Adula. He stepped onto its back.
The dragon's wings beat, stirring a gale as they soared into the sky. Throne pointed toward Caria Manor.
"Tonight's far from over. Guard the Grand Library. I'll be back soon."
Everyone would assume he was exhausted from the battle, waiting for results. But no one knew Throne's true trump card wasn't his willpower—
It was his ability to grow stronger with every fight, feeding on the flesh and blood of his enemies.
......
The pillar of light from Throne's clash with the Crucible Knight lit up Caria Manor.
Over a dozen pitch-black shadows scattered across the grounds. Ice statues stood frozen in place, frost creeping across the earth. Crimson flames burned atop the ice.
Heavily armored Troll knights knelt, their bodies wreathed in black flames.
War Counselor Iji stood firm, hammer and shield raised like a fortress wall.
Miriam flickered into view atop the magic tower.
Behind Iji, Ranni stood silent, twin swords in hand. She was the true master of both magic and martial arts. Her calm gaze swept the scene before her.
What a spectacle.
On one side, Black Knife Assassins. On the other, Baleful Shadows.
Together, they outmatched even the Night of the Black Knives.
But Ranni wasn't Godwyn the Golden. She wasn't fighting alone.
"We must hurry."
A slender figure glanced at the pillar of light behind her. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper.
It was Alecto, who had failed all those years ago.
She'd lurked for years, biding her time, waiting to strike. Now the moment had come. Blaidd was gone. The main army marched elsewhere. The Lunar Princess stood weakened.
No hesitation.
"Split and surround them. Kill her first!"
The Baleful Shadows flickered through the night. Black Knife Assassins melted into the air—supreme killers wielding blades of certain death.
Ranni's fingers tightened around her swords. Stripped of her demigod body, she couldn't wield martial arts. Even with two divine artifacts, their power lay just beyond her grasp.
Worse, this fragile form feared Destined Death. Arrogance, perhaps. She bared her teeth.
No regrets.
"Protect Her Highness!"
Iji's roar split the air as he charged, greatshield raised like a battering ram. Mud erupted in his wake, a tidal wave crashing over the advancing Baleful Shadows. Five of them, armored in black steel, greatswords gleaming.
They brute-forced through the muck—then the hammer fell.
Boom.
The cliff shuddered. Iji was no mere blacksmith, but the Shadows weren't fodder. They scattered, leaping clear before the shockwave could pulp them.
Miriam's staff flared in the distance. A bow of light formed in her grip. She loosed. Meteoric arrows streaked down, slamming two Shadows into the dirt. Her lips parted—a gasp—before she dissolved into Starlight, faster than thought.
The professor rematerialized atop the stone pavilion, fingertips brushing her cheek.
Her mask lay in pieces on the ground. The face beneath was sharp, beautiful.
Black Knives swarmed. She fought blind, intuition her only guide. The moment her boots touched stone, assassins materialized on all sides. Alecto wasn't stupid—the sorceress died first.
Their blades never connected.
"Dodge!"
Meteors screamed across the sky. Fire followed. Ranni danced between strikes, the Sword of Night and Flame alive in her hands. Above, the heavens answered—crystalline ice rained down.
Boom. Boom. Boom—
The Lands Between had no stronger spellcaster. Unleashed, Ranni's magic became a monsoon drowning the Three Sisters. Invisibility meant nothing here. Two Black Knives flickered into view, then exploded into red mist.
Two. Ranni tallied silently.
Her right foot stamped down. Ice walls erupted—just as the Baleful Shadows crashed into them. Bang. Shards sprayed like shrapnel. She didn't glance back. Left foot down. Cold exploded outward, flash-freezing everything within a hundred meters.
She pivoted. The Dark Moon Greatsword carved the air. A crescent blade of moonlight tore free. The Shadow met it head-on, greatsword shattering the arc—but the backlash froze it solid, a statue mid-swing.
Ranni had no time to deal with this person because three greatswords hurtled through the air like ballista bolts. Three Shadows charged, arms cocked back, raw fury driving them. The Lunar Princess didn't flinch. She dissolved into starlight.
A demigod's dignity was just the surface.
The Starlight surge left trails of phantoms in its wake, lifelike and flickering—a dozen decoys that crumbled into glittering ice dust as they vanished. Unlike Miriam's precision, this was chaos disguised as grace. But the assassins weren't fooled; they'd danced this deadly waltz before. Shadows deepened, veils fluttered, and Black Knives descended from every angle, their jagged edges hungry for flesh.
Ranni floated upward, weightless, her form dissolving into a luminous, pale moon.
"Fall back!" Alecto barked, her voice sharp enough to cut steel. The assassins obeyed, melting into the air like smoke.
The Dark Moon erupted.
A thunderous crash split the night, and waves of frigid energy rippled outward in rings. Two statues of ice crystallized midair, only to be obliterated by a single swing of the Dark Moon Greatsword. Ranni landed softly, her gaze sweeping the battlefield.
Iji roared, his massive frame struggling under the relentless assault of Destined Death. Even a Troll's vitality wasn't enough.
Miriam flickered in and out of existence, her light bow humming as she laid down desperate cover fire. Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"Bad."
She knew the assassins too well now, their patterns, their instincts. The Dark Moon couldn't wipe them all out in one strike. And those shadows—relentless, fearless, unstoppable.
Ranni's foot slammed into the icy ground, and frost radiated outward. The Baleful Shadows marched forward undeterred, their feet freezing solid as they advanced. Two dropped to the ground, letting their comrades use their backs as stepping stones to vault over the ice.
Her eyes widened. The Dark Moon Greatsword rose for the first time. Metal clashed against metal as two identical blades met hers, the force knocking her puppet body backward. She swung her straight sword, flames erupting along the edge, engulfing the shadows. Flesh hissed and burned, but the creatures didn't falter. Pain meant nothing; their frenzied swings never ceased.
"Now!"
Alecto's command sliced through the chaos. Hesitation meant death against the Lunar Princess. Close-quarters combat was the only way to break her puppet shell. One Black Knife, one strike—that was all it would take.
Ranni's vision remained steady, but she felt the invisible blades closing in.
What now? she thought. If the full moon sets, I'm done.
Her hesitation lasted a heartbeat. Then her resolve hardened. Those who defy me will pay.
She leapt, her form beginning to shift into the Dark Moon once more. The Baleful Shadows charged headlong into the destructive energy, their greatswords thrusting toward her.
It'll hit, she thought, teeth clenched. But I'll endure. I'll scatter them all.
A dragon's roar shattered the air, sharp and piercing. Blue light flashed before her eyes.
Boom!!!
A meteor struck the ground, mud and debris exploding outward. The Baleful Shadows were hurled back, their bodies crumpling against the force. Two assassins beside Ranni were flattened into the dirt.
A figure wearing tattered Carian Knight armor crouched in the crater, smoldering remains crushed beneath his boots. One assassin's head had burst like a melon; another lay split clean in two by a longsword.
Ranni stared, surprise and relief flooding her. Before she could speak, his back moved in front of her, shielding her from harm.
Throne rose slowly, the Moonveil resting against his shoulder. His gaze swept the battlefield like winter wind.
"Keep your filthy hands off my Ranni."
The Glintstone Dragon's roar split the sky. The full moon dipped toward the horizon, dawn bleeding into the edges of night. Without its light, Ranni's power waned further. Victory had been within grasp—until justice crashed down from the heavens. Ranni's eyes widened, just a fraction, fixed on the figure before her.
Not imposing. Not even whole. His armor hung in tatters, yet he radiated unshakable safety.
"Raya Lucaria?"
"Done. The academy belongs to Caria again."
Throne stood like a fortress, watching the Baleful Shadows claw free from the ice, watching the hollow night stretch around them.
One glance at the twisted corpses made him grin. Ranni was no fragile doll—she knew how to paint the ground red. He shifted his weight, fingers tightening on the hilt, tucking the Mimic's Veil into his belt.
"How many left?"
"Twelve."
Ranni's composure returned, her lips curving in a ghost of a smile.
"They chose the worst possible moment. Wasted their best chance."
Mockery dripped from her words, made sharper by the two mangled corpses at Throne's feet.
Woo... The Baleful Shadows groaned low. They ignored this sudden intruder—even those harrying Iji turned their attention. A breeze stirred the grass.
Invisible assassins shifted into formation. Adula circled above. Miriam fought to shake her pursuers. Iji forced himself upright, agony etched into every movement. On the surface, little had changed—just one more body, one more dragon on Caria's side.
The Glintstone Dragon was useless. The knight who'd fallen from the sky looked worse for wear. Yet Ranni's pulse steadied. She tucked a stray lock behind her ear and lifted the Dark Moon Greatsword.
"My knight. End them."
"Your will be done!"
Like a gunshot, Throne's boot slammed into the earth. He charged the nearest Baleful Shadows—first strike, for once. Two against one. Two black-and-red greatswords humming with Destined Death. He met them head-on, reckless as a storm.
Clang!! Steel shrieked. The greatswords flew.
They carved furrows into the frozen ground. Throne's legs still burned from the cold, but he didn't pursue. He ducked, the whoosh of a returning greatsword grazing his scalp, and assessed in a heartbeat.
Slower. Weaker. Not like the one in Nokstella.
His palm hit the dirt. He spun, a breakdancer's whirl.
His leg snapped out, sweeping the Baleful Shadow off its feet. As it crashed down, he raised his left arm. The first shadow recovered, lunging again. Its greatsword sheared through fractured armor—only to meet glintstone crystals beneath.
"I'm not the same as before!"
One hand blocked the left blade. His long sword lashed toward the fallen shadow. The creature scrambled to parry, bracing for impact—but the blow never came. A feint. Throne's blade twisted mid-air, flashing into a reverse thrust behind him.
With a pfft, he pierced the shadow's abdomen, wrenched the blade free, and surged forward. His foot rose—