In the barren, arid mountains, hundreds of kiloters from the ruins where Leon and the demon army rested, a man in a black cloak suddenly appeared, his figure fully concealed by the fabric.
He panted heavily, his appearance utterly wretched. His left arm was severed, with red-black blood dripping ceaselessly onto the ground. A deep slash stretched from his lower abdon to his neck, leaving a ghastly, horrifying sight.
This was the second apostle of the Temple of Twilight, brought to this pitiable state by a devastating attack from Leon.
Struggling to steady his breathing, he hurled the corpse in his grasp to the ground, his fury barely contained.
"Damn it… this mission was a complete disaster. Not only was I humiliated by the Fated One, but I also suffered these near-fatal wounds. That attack... it was terrifyingly powerful," he muttered through clenched teeth, his voice trembling with rage.
Since the Soul Eater had taken on the temple's most important mission—killing the Fated One—the seers of the Temple of Twilight had foretold his destined death. As a result, the temple assigned him a crucial task: to prevent the Soul Eater's body from falling into enemy hands at all costs. Failure would result in an unimaginable disaster for them all.
Had it not been for that duty, he would never have been so foolish as to reveal himself to the Fated One so soon.
As he reflected on this, the man glared at the Soul Eater, lying lifeless before him, consud by anger and hatred.
"You useless bastard! Even after taking the transformation pill, you still ended up dying by his hands. You're worthless and unworthy of holding the glass as the 'seventh apostle!'" The man roared, stomping on the corpse's head until it shattered.
Suddenly, foul black blood spurted from the body, accompanied by withered tentacles. It splashed across his legs and lower body, releasing a putrid, decaying stench that instantly filled his senses and further fueled his rage.
"Shit! Damn it!" he shouted angrily, continuing to stomp on the corpse in frustration.
After a while, he stopped, realizing that the Soul Eater's body had fallen apart, leaving a sight so grueso it would make anyone vomit.
With a swift motion, he ignited the corpse with a blazing red fla.
He took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself, but the effort was in vain. The agony of his injuries lingered in his mind.
"These wounds could heal if I return to the temple. But it's too far—it would take over a week to get there," he murmured, his voice heavy with frustration. "I don't have that much ti. There are more important matters to attend to."
After a mont of careful consideration, he decided against returning to the Temple of Twilight.
Letting out a soft sigh, he pulled a black potion from his pocket and drank it without hesitation.
*Whoosh!*
Monts after drinking the potion, a pitch-black light erged from his wounds. The bleeding from his front slash and severed arm gradually stopped, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.
After resting for a brief mont, he turned his gaze toward the horizon, where humanity's territory lay.
"Now, it's ti to return to the Holy Orthodox."
...
The blue sky gradually shifted to orange as the sun began to set.
On an arid plateau, Luna and Albert led humanity's army in setting up camp.
After Leon granted them permission to lead humanity's forces out of the ancient town's ruins, they were now free from the demon race's captivity.
"Damn! I didn't expect us to be free just like that," one of humanity's soldiers exclaid, excitent in his voice.
"I didn't expect this to happen either. But do you know the reason we're free?" One of them asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
At that, their joy quickly faded, giving way to deep confusion.
They had witnessed the Demon Emperor's overwhelming power and had once believed there was no hope for freedom from his grasp. Yet this unexpected turn of events left them bewildered and questioning.
They exchanged uncertain glances, silently hoping for answers, but it was clear that no one knew the cause of their sudden release.
anwhile, in one of humanity's army tents, Valen, who had been unconscious since morning, suddenly opened his eyes with a pale expression.
"Damn Demon Emperor! I won't let you get away with this!" he shouted, quickly sitting up.
However, as he looked around, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings that were vastly different from the filthy underground prison where he had been confined, Valen froze in confusion.
"What? Where am I?" he asked, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
"I'm not dreaming! This isn't that filthy underground prison! Hahaha!" After a brief mont of shock, he burst into laughter.
Though it had only been one night in that repulsive prison, Valen felt as though he'd been confined for centuries. The place had been unbearable, with strange creatures passing by while he slept, leaving him traumatized.
The stifling, fetid air, with no ventilation, made him vomit every few hours.
Had it not been for his unshakable resolve, he might have been the first spear hero in history to die in such a ridiculous way.
Valen glanced around and quickly realized he was inside a soldier's tent.
"Why am I in a tent? Did we manage to escape?" he asked in surprise, raising an eyebrow.
He vividly rembered being taken to different prisons with Luna, Rain, Natasya, and Jim after surrendering to the Demon Emperor. However, the sight of his surroundings left him even more confused.
After pondering for a long ti without finding any answers, he shook his head and decided to set his questions aside.
"Since I'm free and in the soldier's tent, that ans Luna, Jim, Natasya, Rain, and Guren must be here too. So, let's go to them first and ask them about what's really going on," he muttered softly as he slowly rose to his feet and walked out of the tent.
***
Outside the tent, Luna and Albert sat by a large campfire, eating dinner while occasionally discussing their plan to overthrow Velix's rule.
At first, Albert had been understandably reluctant to join the rebellion. As the supre leader of the Holy Empire of Elysium's military, his loyalty to Velix ran deep.
An honest and upright man, the very thought of participating in a rebellion tornted him.
However, everything changed when he learned the truth—that the man he had believed to be the Demon Emperor was actually Leon. Upon discovering Velix's involvent in plotting Leon's assassination, his perspective shifted completely.
Albert viewed heroes as revered, sacred figures—pillars and protectors of mankind.
Velix's actions were a grave cri, so severe it could only be seen as a betrayal of humanity itself.
Though he had once held Velix in great respect, Albert knew right from wrong.
"By the way, Bow Hero Luna, do you plan to bring Spear Hero Valen into this?" Albert asked, his curiosity evident.
Luna, chewing her al, paused for a mont before shaking her head.
"Originally, I considered bringing him, but after so thought, I decided against it," she replied casually, swallowing her food and taking a sip of her drink.
Albert nodded slightly and pressed on, "But the plan we've prepared will undoubtedly shake the entire Empire. So, sooner or later, Spear Hero Valen will find out, right?"
"Of course, he'll find out. But once everything is settled, does it really matter?" Luna inquired with a light smile, as if it were a thought she hadn't given much weight.
Albert sensed the truth in her words and didn't push the matter further.
Just as he was about to change the subject, a cold voice suddenly ca from behind them.
"Plans? Finds out? What are you two talking about?"
Albert and Luna were both taken aback by the sudden voice. Instinctively, they turned toward its source and saw Valen approaching with a grim expression. His bulky arms were crossed over his chest, adding to the tense aura surrounding him.
"Spear Hero Valen?" Albert blinked in surprise before glancing at Luna with concern.
However, Luna quickly regained her indifferent deanor, remaining calm and unaffected by Valen's presence.
"You woke up earlier than I expected. Would you like so dinner?" Luna inquired casually, her gaze flicking toward him.
Valen stopped next to Albert, his brow furrowing in visible displeasure.
"I'm not hungry," he replied shortly, settling down. His eyes narrowed, sharp with suspicion, as he continued, "I'm curious about what you two were talking about earlier. Why was my na ntioned? What are you planning? And one more thing—how did we get free from those demons?"
His gaze locked onto Albert and Luna, as if he were interrogating them.
Albert stiffened under Valen's piercing gaze, while Luna remained composed, letting out a small sigh but showing no change in expression.
"The reason we're free is because the Demon Emperor freed us," Luna replied bluntly, finishing the last bite of her al.
Initially, she had planned to keep everything from Valen. But soon, she realized that was an absurd idea. So, she decided to be honest with him, without hiding anything.
If Valen wanted to cause trouble, Luna wasn't concerned. After all, Leon was always ready to step in if needed.
Valen was clearly taken aback by Luna's unexpected answer.
"The Demon Emperor just let you and all the soldiers go? How is that possible?" he asked, disbelief evident in his voice.
"Of course it's possible," Luna replied casually, sipping her drink. "Albert and I made a deal with him."
"A deal?" Valen's eyes widened in shock, and his body tensed. "What kind of deal?" he pressed, his expression growing more serious.
Luna hesitated for a mont, about to answer, but before she could speak, a sudden voice broke in with laughter.
"Tsk tsk tsk! I didn't expect you to bring humanity's army this far. Don't you know how difficult it was for to track down your coordinates?"
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