It was magic power.
It was a force so powerful that both Hio and Teodore could feel it vividly.
Because they sensed such immense magic power, every Strange Entity in the vicinity was charging toward that location like madmen.
It was the instinct of a Strange Entity to feel intense rage toward any energy other than that of the Abyss.
“Just who is it…?”
The first person who came to mind was Kreutzvalt.
But that was impossible.
‘Would Kreutzvalt personally step in to help Hio in a crisis?’
That made no sense.
Kreutzvalt was the man who wouldn’t even accompany him, telling him to grow further at the crossroads of life and death.
Furthermore, this wasn’t an inescapable crisis.
It was certainly a dangerous situation, but there was a way through.
He would have had to fight through the night, but it was manageable.
If things got truly dire, he could have simply summoned the 255 undead units stored within the Sarcophagus of Death.
So, it wasn’t Kreutzvalt.
‘Then who could it be?’
‘Who else besides himself and Kreutzvalt could be alive and breathing in this wretched End of the World?’
“…Teodore.”
Regardless of who it was, only one thought filled Hio’s head.
“Let’s go.”
He had to go there.
He had to meet that being.
Only then could he learn the truth — the truth Kreutzvalt was hiding.
Kreutzvalt’s truth.
Teodore understood that resolve, but he showed signs of hesitation.
For this stubborn knight, whose only reason for living was Sylvia, the goal was to return to the Continent as quickly as possible.
To him, now that all the Strange Entities had rushed to one spot, it was the perfect opportunity to travel a long distance.
Nevertheless, Teodore eventually nodded.
He knew that one couldn’t reach the truth by only looking an inch ahead.
If they didn’t seek the truth now, they would face a result that would undoubtedly lead to the Continent’s defeat.
Even to him, this current situation was clearly abnormal.
Thus, he reached the conclusion that they had to find the being that had unleashed such magic power.
He shared Hio’s thought.
He felt that if they met that unknown entity, they might learn the truth.
Hio and Teodore moved their feet cautiously.
They weren’t too slow, but they were fast enough not to disrupt the surrounding atmosphere.
Gradually, they increased their pace.
The atmosphere itself was already bordering on a frenzy.
A thick madness was being transmitted through the Abyss.
An obsession to devour and tear living things apart gathered together, becoming a wind of insanity that brushed past Hio and Teodore.
Therefore, there was no need to worry about being caught.
They only needed to run quickly behind the monsters.
Running at that speed, they soon arrived at the scene.
It was a silent site, devoid of the noise of battle or traces of an exchange of blows.
All that remained were traces of overwhelming violence and the residue of swirling magic power.
No other being remained at the site besides Hio and Teodore.
The giant eyeball that must have originally been a Watcher was torn to shreds, draped over the corpses of the Strange Entities like a blanket.
Between the moment Hio felt the magic, the monsters rushed toward it, Hio and Teodore talked, and they realized they needed to run fast — although the description was long, it had actually taken very little time.
In that brief window, the mysterious figure had instantly torn apart and killed every charging Strange Entity and left the area.
He truly didn’t know who it was, but…
‘He’s strong.’
At the very least, this person was a powerhouse far above the current Hio, who was only using magic.
At a glance, it was a level of strength comparable even to Kreutzvalt.
“Just who could it be…?”
Hio stepped over the carcasses of the Strange Entities.
Teodore grabbed Hio’s shoulder and shook his head.
“I know.”
The Strange Entities were gathering again.
The mysterious person had vanished, but the massive residue of magic power, presumably his, still lingered.
“It’ll only take a moment.”
The reason Hio kept walking was that he thought he saw something.
It was the spot where the magic power remained the thickest — the place where that being must have stood.
Upon reaching it, he saw a bizarre sight.
It was a miracle that felt unrealistic and even dreamlike.
To put it simply, it was a form of magic.
Tiny specks of common ash on the ground had clustered together to form a small sentence.
— Beware the black monster.
As soon as he confirmed it, the ash broke apart, scattered, and flew away.
***
The Verden Empire has abandoned the expedition and chosen to focus on defense!
That news was quickly delivered to the key figures of various nations.
They understood the meaning behind it and the circumstances that forced such a choice.
Consequently, they had to change their movements to match the Empire’s decision.
Even so, not much would change.
The entrances to the Magyeong were strangely concentrated in the Empire.
The other kingdoms only needed to station all their troops at the few Gates that appeared in their territories to prepare for any failure to clear them.
However, even those few Gates were overwhelming.
The reason the Magyeong entrances were so concentrated in the Empire was that the Empire possessed an unusually high concentration of power.
The other nations lacked the capacity to handle the Abyss Monsters that appeared toward the later stages.
This led to the current situation.
“Abandon the Gates in the south and west.
Issue an evacuation order to all nearby residents and focus solely on defending the capital.”
‘How immense had the damage been when they foolishly split their forces?’
Not only had they failed to block all the Gates, but they had also lost precious strength in the process.
To avoid repeating that, they decided to focus on a single Gate.
‘Then what would happen to the rest?’
The Abyss Monsters were released without any restraint.
They headed for only one place — the location that instinctively provoked their strongest rage.
It was the place they most desired to destroy, the only light capable of opposing the Abyss.
It was the Holy Kingdom of Hibernia.
“We must help Hibernia.”
He knew.
He knew that if the Holy Kingdom fell, there would be no future.
‘How much land had already been abandoned because it couldn’t handle the spreading energy of the Abyss?’
‘How many places had become lands of death?’
If the Holy Nation fell and the priests were annihilated, such lands could never be reclaimed, and the citizens dying from the Abyss could never be treated.
The plains that should have filled the mind with abundance while turning yellow with grain had become black lands of death where humans could not live.
The people, who were the foundation of the nation, were dying helplessly along with their meaningless struggles.
‘In such a situation, how could they discuss the future?’
They might have to prepare for ruin, just as the Emperor’s final command was rumored to suggest.
Therefore, they had to at least protect the priests.
Vitalianus knew this fact better than anyone.
“…Could we not at least bring the High Priests to the Empire?”
But there was no spare capacity.
To send support to Hibernia, they would have to abandon many lands of the Empire.
Protecting their own people and territory versus dispatching troops to Hibernia for the sake of the future — every single choice was agonizingly heavy.
“That would mean asking them to abandon their own kingdom… Moreover, the priests of Liphyue value the Sanctuary more than their own lives. It will be difficult.”
“I suppose so. What is the internal situation in Hibernia like now?”
“Thanks to the efforts of the Holy Maiden and the Cardinal, who possess immense Holy Power, the leadership doesn’t seem to be shaking much. However, since all the monsters abandoned by the surrounding kingdoms are heading toward Hibernia, they are barely holding on externally. At this rate, they will be destroyed in this wave.”
They might have managed to block it well so far, but now they had reached a clear limit.
Now that the expedition had been abandoned, a massive influx of monsters and the Abyss would soon pour out of every Gate.
Most of those creatures would instinctively head for Hibernia.
The tattered Holy Nation lacked the strength to withstand such a wave.
All that remained was destruction.
The best option was to evacuate at least the High Priests to the Empire, but as someone had said, that was also impossible.
If so, the next best alternative with the highest feasibility was to dispatch a very small number of people — individuals who wouldn’t significantly impact the war situation for the Empire itself, but who possessed enough power to change the tide upon arriving in Hibernia.
There weren’t many people suited for that.
“…Will you be alright?”
A person capable of striking a wide area single-handedly.
The person who would be the greatest help among the forces that could be sent as a small group.
“Claire.”
Vitalianus’s gaze turned toward the person sitting opposite him, with whom he had been conversing.
Red hair and red eyes that resembled flames.
However, she was cold.
The burning passion that had once filled her eyes was gone.
Only a pair of haggard eyes, filled with an empty void, remained.
“Yes. I’ll go.”
One Claire was better than sending an entire legion.
She didn’t require much preparation or supplies.
Yet her strength was so great that her recently acquired epithet felt insufficient to describe it.
She was one who went beyond merely using skills; she ruled over fire and held flames beneath her feet.
“I shall trust you with this.”
Claire was strong.
In just a little over one year, she had grown rapidly enough for her fame to spread across the entire continent.
However, her method was extremely dangerous.
She fought directly against the Magyeong with her whole body, disregarding her own safety.
It was as if that was her only reason for living.
As if no other goal remained.
Thus, Vitalianus felt his heart grow heavy whenever he looked at Claire.
He feared that the fire she unleashed without regard for anything would eventually burn and consume her own body.
He felt as though he had failed to keep the final request left by his late friend, the hero who had sacrificed his life to stop the Abyss.
Knowing that he couldn’t lead her summer, which had burned so hotly, into spring, his heart felt as heavy as if a lump of lead had been placed upon it.
“Then I’ll leave immediately.”
As Claire tried to stand up immediately without showing any emotion, he stopped her by calling her name.
“Claire.”
“Yes.”
The answer came instantly.
Her voice was devoid of any inflection.
‘Where had the girl gone who was as hot as midsummer and as fresh as summer flowers in full bloom?’
“Do you know the Holy Maiden of Hibernia, Irina?”
“Is there anyone who doesn’t know the Holy Maiden, the Light of the Holy Nation?”
As she said, there was no one who didn’t know Irina at this point.
She was the most holy woman born in forty years.
The only existence capable of opposing the Abyss.
Claire couldn’t guess Vitalianus’s intention behind the sudden question, but she answered anyway.
However, she couldn’t answer the following question.
“Then do you also know who it was that found the Holy Maiden, protected her, and awakened the immense power within her?”
This was also a very famous story.
The one who found and protected the Holy Maiden when she was a mere girl on the streets.
The person the Holy Maiden regarded as her benefactor and held in special regard.
There was only one.
The hero, Hio Pavlenko.
A deep shadow fell over Claire’s face as she recalled that name.
“If it weren’t for him, the Holy Kingdom, which had no focal point, would have collapsed long ago. Especially since Holy Power was fading at the time.”
She knew.
Claire knew the whole story.
‘But why was he bringing this up now?’
For nearly a year, Hio’s name had been almost taboo in front of her.
“Also, what about Her Majesty, the current Emperor, Sylvia Verden?
Who was the person who recognized Her Majesty’s value, entered her faction alone when she had no power, and ultimately placed her on the throne?”
This was another fact everyone knew.
He had stayed by Sylvia’s side, ended the civil war single-handedly, and made the weakest princess the Emperor.
“If another prince had taken the throne, the Empire would have fallen into ruin through all sorts of wars even before the Magyeong appeared. Also, if it weren’t for Her Majesty, the Empire wouldn’t have been able to unite with one heart like this.”
Claire naturally knew this as well.
She hadn’t known before, but she knew now.
‘Why Hio had chosen Sylvia.’
What kind of future he had looked toward when he chose and achieved the most difficult path.
“Then do you know this as well?”
Finally, Vitalianus asked his last question.
This time, too, she couldn’t answer.
“That there is one more person besides those two.”
A tremor rose in her heart, which had been as still as if it had dried up.
She was too busy trying to suppress the sudden surge of emotion.
“That there is one last person he asked me to look after, right until the moment he died.”
Only now did she understand.
Memories from not so long ago moved quickly through her mind, pieces of a puzzle falling into place.
Why Hio had stayed in a rural place like Delphir Village for two years.
Why he had sent a country girl who knew nothing of the world to the Academy.
The many things that had happened during the two years they lived together.
The numerous events she experienced after going to the Academy.
After those memories flashed by in sequence, the last thing that came to mind was…
“Claire. It’s you.”
The desperate image of Hio collapsing while coughing up blood.
“You are Hio Pavlenko’s final arrangement. You are his hope.”
Because it was a struggle to keep her eyes open, Claire tightly closed them.
Tears finally welled up in her eyes, which she thought had dried out, and flowed endlessly down her hollow cheeks.
‘Did she really have to accept it now?’
‘Did she have to admit that she would never see him again?’
“So please, cherish your life.”
Claire turned away without being able to answer until the very end.
That was the one thing she couldn’t guarantee.