As soon as she sensed a dark energy, the first person that came to mind was Zion.
Arundel ran to the temporary residence where Zion was staying. Since the main palace was in a mess, Zion was staying in an annex.
The guards, surprised at the sight of the empress who had rushed over in a hurry, quickly opened the door.
With a confused look on her face due to the unfamiliar structure of the annex, she searched for the place where Zion might be.
“Where is His Majesty?”
In her anxiety, she grabbed a maid who was leaving and asked.
The surprised maid quickly guided Arundel, who looked desperate. Arundel, who had arrived in front of Zion’s room, did not hesitate to open the door.
But,
‘He’s not here.’
Zion was nowhere to be seen. Her throat was dry. She wondered if something had happened to Zion in the meantime.
Just as Arundel was about to leave the room to search elsewhere, she bumped into someone.
“Irina.”
Before she could even touch her numb nose, Arundel hugged Zion tightly at the sound of his voice, which she had been waiting for.
She just held him quietly for a moment. Zion also silently hugged Arundel back without asking what was going on.
“I was scared. I thought something was wrong…”
Her throat was so choked up that she barely managed to spit out the words. Zion pulled away from Arundel’s arms and looked at her face.
Seeing Arundel’s face turn pale, Zion hugged her again.
“What’s wrong?”
“…I guess I’m just anxious because of the demons.”
Arundel made an excuse, but she knew that Zion wouldn’t believe her. He was just pretending not to know.
She felt frustrated that she couldn’t be honest with him.
Zion took Arundel’s hand and sat her down on the bed, handing her a glass of water.
Arundel silently took the glass.
The cool sensation of the water going down her throat seemed to clear her mind a bit.
Then, Zion’s resigned voice came.
“You won’t explain even if I ask, will you?”
“…”
Silence served as the answer.
Suddenly, Arundel looked up at Zion.
If the premonition she felt earlier was about to happen, this might be her last time with Zion.
“Zion.”
But she didn’t know what to say. What should she say so that she wouldn’t regret this moment in the future?
In her anxiety, she kept clutching and releasing the blanket.
“Don’t get hurt.”
And don’t be in pain. Even if I’m not there.
Arundel swallowed her words and bowed her head. She couldn’t look at Zion because she felt like she was about to cry.
Then, Zion let out a big sigh.
“I didn’t want to say it like this, but I think I have to say it now.”
Zion lifted Arundel’s chin to meet her gaze. Arundel looked at Zion with trembling eyes.
“I love you.”
His soft voice seemed to squeeze her heart.
“I love you, Irina.”
Zion’s warm hand cupped Arundel’s face.
“So… please don’t leave me.”
Her emotions were in turmoil.
“I often dreamt that you would suddenly leave me, like sand slipping through my fingers.”
“Zion…”
“Each time, I was relieved to see you next to me.”
She could clearly feel his anxiety from the hand that was holding hers.
“But now… it feels like you could disappear at any moment.”
If it were before, she would have reassured him.
No, I’ll be by your side, Zion. But she knew it was a lie that would soon be exposed.
The only regret was,
‘I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you I love you.’
Even in response to his desperate confession, she couldn’t tell him that she loved him too.
She didn’t know when it started. She was looking for Zion, pulling herself together, and he was in her eyes.
When she thought of him, her heart seemed to melt, and she found herself imagining happy moments.
But even at this moment, facing a farewell, she couldn’t honestly convey her feelings to him.
“Zion.”
But there was one last thing she wanted to ask him.
“Can you call me Arundel?”
When he called her Irina, it felt like Zion was calling another woman, and it hurt her heart.
It’s the last time, so this much request should be okay.
Zion opened his mouth with a slightly surprised look but a calm expression.
“Arun…”
But he couldn’t finish calling her name, Arundel. Because the ground shook violently at that moment.
Boom!
A tremendous noise followed.
Flames were seen rising outside the window. Zion got up first to assess the situation.
“The demons have attacked.”
Arundel approached and looked out the window. The sky was pitch black. It wasn’t that the sky had darkened. It looked that way because the demons filled the sky.
Arundel closed her eyes and thought.
‘The time has come.’
As they headed to the main gate, the members of the sibjugation squad were already gathered. Royden, who found Zion, briefly reported the situation.
“The demons that attacked the palace last time have attacked the main gate again. But, their number…”
It was enormous.
Incomparable to the last time.
“For now, the priority seems to be preventing them from crossing the main gate.”
Behind Royden, Bianca was using magic to suppress the flames, and Lucas was also fighting the demons with his divine power.
Hills’ situation was no different.
They seemed to be busy dealing with the overflowing demons. Royden, who had finished reporting, also jumped into the battle soon.
Arundel quickly gathered divine power in her hand. It was not a situation to be lost.
Since the number was incomparable to the last time, they had to fight together quickly.
Zion also drew the sword he had brought.
And then the real battle began.
Arundel clenched her teeth and pulled up the divine power. Since the amount of divine power that a human body could use was limited, it was hard on her body to use a large amount.
While she was standing for a moment to recover her body, Bianca’s urgent cry came.
“Your Majesty! Be careful!”
Arundel, who found the demon approaching from behind, quickly bowed her head. And she blew away the demon with divine power.
“…The rumor was true.”
Bianca, who saw that, muttered in surprise. Arundel just smiled awkwardly.
Before she knew it, Lucas, who had come close, appeared. He looked a little tired, but he was fighting much better than when he faced the ancient demon Baphomet.
Lucas, whose eyes met Arundel’s, made a slightly flinching expression and then turned his head.
He had never looked at her since he came here. Arundel felt bitter, but she understood him.
Even though the fierce battle continued for a while, the number of demons did not seem to decrease.
Hills, who realized the situation, muttered.
“It won’t work.”
And he shouted to the subjugation squad members around him.
“I will gather the demons! You guys strike at once!”
At Hills’ words, the subjugation squad members cleaned up the surroundings and gathered.
As Hills chanted a spell, the demons that were covering the sky were forcibly gathered one by one as if they were attracted by a magnet.
“Let’s go in one shot.”
Hills muttered softly.
In this way, the demons that were gathered gradually coalesced in one place in the sky, and their shape was like a huge and pitch-black sphere.
It was a powerful magic that could gather all the demons in the sky.
“Almost all gathered! Get ready!”
As Hills said, the demons that were scattered like black dots were all tied up without exception.
“If Bianca and Lucas use magic and divine power, I will throw it with sword energy.”
At Royden’s command, Bianca summoned a huge fireball.
The hotly flickering lump was getting bigger and bigger, and Lucas’s divine power was added to it, emitting a tremendous power.
“Throw it when I count to three! One, two… three!”
At Hills’ signal, Royden threw the concentrated power at the gathered demons with sword energy. The power that flew on the sword energy caused a strong impulse with the demons.
Bang!
With a dazzling flash, when the view became clear, the clear sky was visible.
The demons had disappeared without a trace.
“Is it over…”
Royden put down his sword and said.
Bianca, Lucas, Hills, and Arundel and Zion, who had finished a tough battle, gathered in one place.
Everyone looked tired because they had used a lot of power, but fortunately, no one was injured or exhausted.
Considering the enormous power they used, everyone was in good shape.
Everyone was relieved then,
“What is it…?”
Royden’s puzzled voice came out. The reason was because the view was getting dark like night.
Not only Royden felt that way, but Bianca, who looked up at the sky, spoke in a voice that had lost its soul.
“…Look at the sky.”
The group looked up at the sky all at once.
“The sky…”
Lucas muttered with his eyes wide open.
As he said, the sky was strange. It was as if a dark cloud had descended, and darkness was descending.
But the strange thing was that nothing was blocking the sun.
Like dropping black dye into transparent water, the sky was turning black.
It was the sight she had seen in the illusion earlier.
And a tremendous wind blew.
A huge whirlwind swept around as if it would sweep everything away soon. Everyone hurriedly covered their faces with their sleeves.
Bang!
A huge figure appeared between the black sky accompanied by lightning.
“What is… that…”
Bianca’s voice, which had lost its soul, came out. But everyone was in the same state.
They were looking up at the sky, their minds gone as if they were facing the end of the world.
And soon a huge being revealed itself under the sky. Hills, who confirmed the existence, muttered softly.
“Damn.”
Arundel soon understood his attitude.
She also knew the huge being that was slowly landing on the ground.
‘The Demon King, Leviathan.’
The Demon King himself came out.
When Leviathan set foot on the ground, the ground shook with a thud.
When everyone was stiff as if facing death, Hills stepped forward.
“What are you here for, Leviathan.”
The people around looked disturbed.
The captain of the royal knights was stepping forward, spitting out the name of an unknown being, and they were confused.
But Hills didn’t care about the people and glared at Leviathan.
“Hills.”
Leviathan’s voice vibrated low.
“I came to find the Archangel Arundel.”
Arundel closed her eyes.
As expected, the uneasy premonition was not wrong.
‘I’m glad.’
It was okay as long as he didn’t come to retrieve the forbidden seed.
“You must know that Arundel is here too.”
Leviathan seemed to know everything.
The demon with a torch, Haures, seemed to have played his role. That’s why Haures attacked the palace not to bombard, but to check if Arundel was there.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
But Hills answered as if he knew nothing. Leviathan, seeing his demeanor, laughed as if amused.
“Hills, I don’t want to fight you.”
“Then go back.”
Hills’ cold words echoed.
“If you come like that, a fight is inevitable.”
The Demon King, Leviathan, flapped his wings. Then a strong wind blew.
‘No…!’
It had to be stopped. If left as it is, Hills will fight Leviathan.
The opponent was the Demon King.
The probability of Hills winning was low.
But before Arundel could take any other action, Leviathan threw a huge lump of magic power.
Hills quickly raised his hand to form a protective shield.
Bang bang!
Lumps of magic power that seemed to break the protective shield at any moment hit. The shield was cracking.
Hills clenched his teeth and muttered.
“This won’t work.”
And he looked at Arundel.
“Arundel!”
Hills was calling Arundel, but the desperate voice made the surroundings unable to pay attention.
Crack crack!
The shield was cracking.
“I’ll do what you asked for.”
Bang!
At the same time as the shield broke, a black energy rushed into Hills’ body. His gaze was towards Arundel until the end.
“Please don’t step in.”
The black light swirled around, and Hills disappeared.
And there,
“A… dragon!”
Surprised people shouted from all around.
It was because Hills had transformed into a huge dragon that could compete with Leviathan’s size.
Everyone was frozen at the sudden appearance of the dragon. Not to mention Royden, Bianca, and Lucas, who had watched him up close.
Even Zion was stiff as if surprised.
The dragon kicked the ground and flew up to hit Leviathan.
“Hills…”
Hills, who had transformed into his true form, was much stronger than she thought. She thought he would be pushed by Leviathan’s strong power, but it was a mistake.
Hills was fighting Leviathan equally.
A strong power swirled in the air.
This can’t go on. Even if Hills somehow blocks it, the power could spill onto the ground.
“We don’t have time for this. We need to evacuate the people!”
Arundel, who came to her senses, shouted at Zion, Royden, Bianca, and Lucas.
But that too was only for a moment,
As expected, lumps of magic power fell to the ground. Arundel looked up to see if it had bounced off during the attack, but it wasn’t.
Leviathan was throwing lumps of magic power to the ground.
‘He’s deliberately attacking the ground to distract Hills!’
Arundel clenched her fist. It was too much for Hills to pay attention to the bottom while blocking Leviathan.
As expected, Hills, whose attention was distracted, could not avoid Leviathan’s surprise attack. The dragon that was hit by a blow was falling under the sky.
He soon spread his wings and regained his posture, but the dragon spat out a painful sound.
Hills was reaching his limit.
Arundel closed her eyes tightly. After all, the guilt that all this situation started from me pressed my heart.
All this chaos and despair. It wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t stolen the forbidden seed.
Her closed eyes trembled. But suddenly a prophecy came into her head.
‘Arundel, look around.’
Arundel, as if enchanted, opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the people around her. She saw the figures of people who were precious to her.
Zion, who never said he loved her until the end.
Hills, who chased her to the temple, worried.
Bianca, who threw away her family for her.
Royden, who took the attack instead and was seriously injured.
Lucas, who protected the collapsing Elbis temple.
And the people of the palace who helped a lot.
‘That’s right.’
By touching the forbidden seed, she was able to meet Zion and form precious relationships with others.
She knew that even if she went back to the past now, she would act the same way.
So there was no time to be tormented by guilt. Since this incident started with my greed, it was my part to solve it.
Arundel, who took a deep breath, approached Lucas.
“I’ll borrow your spear.”
Lucas, with a different energy, handed over the spear without resistance.
Arundel, who held the spear, approached Zion and stroked his cheek with her hand.
“You have to be happy.”
Zion, surprised by the unusual atmosphere, tried to grab Arundel urgently, but he couldn’t.
Because a tremendous energy was swirling from Arundel, who was holding the spear tightly.
Arundel quietly muttered.
“Liberation.”
And six wings spread out in all directions.
