While they hadn't been running for that long—approximately 5 or so minutes—they could see a city in the distance when they came to a stop, finally convinced they escaped the danger.
Whitage city's vibrant city lights illuminated the landscape, producing a lively mood even in the dead of night. Villagers were coming and going and knights were scattered throughout the land. Normally cities would close their gates at night but that wasn't the case here as the city gates were wide open as if they did not fear any threats at all.
Judging from the wooden walls being built in the outside settlements, the city was expanding for the sake of new residents.
"I-Is everyone okay?" out of breath, Sylphy asked the girls who were collapsed on the ground from exhaustion.
"Yes… thank you…" one of the elves, a mature woman judging by her dreary eyes and few wrinkles around her cheeks, approached Sylphy, "Are you and that man working together…?"
"Yes, he's my companion." She replied honestly as she hugged her little sister.
They looked at each other, as if all of them were wondering the same thing:
"Does that mean… That Rosalyn person was in on your plan? She left right before any of this happened…"
"She left because she's a very busy woman or maybe she despised sharing a carriage when the rest were too full."
"Ah… Right, you can't expect a horrible woman like that to be kind towards people like us…"
"Eghem…" a throaty voice came from the shadows. Despite being a long way from the scene of the battlefield, they were still jumpy so all of them gathered behind Sylphy, "M-Master Vetis has a-arranged a gateway to bring you all to the city." it said as it held up a finger that had a ring around it.
What appeared from the shadows of the trees was a flying creature that had the body of a toddler but the head of a demon-like monster.
An Imp that could speak the human tongue? No, what's more important to question is why it's not attacking them. In any case, this Vetis person was mentioned by Arnold in the carriage earlier.
"I-Is that one of your companions too!?" Tessiah's grip on her sister tightened. Maybe she doesn't know what kind of monster it is but the fact that it looks scary should be enough to convince her it's a threat to her.
"You can trust it." Arnold appeared before them in a blink of an eye.
"Our savior!" seeing him, the girls rushed over to him, including Tessiah.
Arnold ignored their praises and gratitude and approached the Imp.
"Did anything happen while I was away? No monster sightings?" he asked the Imp.
"Nay, Milord. The Homunculi have been able to deal with any threats so far so there is nothing to report."
"Hm, that's good. Sylphy," this time he focused on her, "You'll need to say goodbye to your sister for today as your task awaits you."
"…Yes, I know."
"Sister?" Tessiah looked up at her in confusion, the realization that she's going to have to part ways with her sister yet again, "No, I want to go with you!"
Tessiah ran into her arms, interlocking her hand around her arm so as to not let Sylphy escape.
"E-Eh?"
She didn't expect her little sister to give this kind of reaction. In fact, she was expecting Tessiah to be uncomfortable around her since it's been years since Sylphy was exiled so they don't know much about each other.
"L-Listen, Tessiah—" she was about to comfort her sister, but Arnold grabbed her sister by the collar and lifted her out of Sylphy's embrace, her arms going right through.
"Wawawawa!?" confused by what just happened, Tessiah could only make dumb sounds.
"Enough. The fate of the world rests in your sister's hands so if she doesn't come with me soon, there won't be a future left for you. Enjoy your reunion later."
The girls looked at Sylphy, after hearing something that should be absurd.
"D-Don't just blurt out things like that!" she said in a fluster.
"—Quite the audience you have here, Lord Arnold." A portal appeared in front of them and what came out of it was a tall gentleman with slicked back black hair in a fancy suit. His ears were long like an Elf's but his skin was paler and ashier than one.
"You didn't have to come here to escort them personally, Vetis." Arnold said to the man.
'So this is Vetis…' she looked at the gentleman up and down.
From his sharp teeth and ominous presence, he wasn't human.
Surely, he isn't a demon…? How can he survive in this world filled with the World Tree's blessing if so?
"No, I have come to inform you that there is a matter I must attend to."
"Selia calling you back? But you just got here."
"…No, it is another matter." Saying so, he glanced somewhere distant, "The knights were taken to the palace, on your order. I had assumed that since this is my only task, I can take my leave for the time being."
"Sure, the knights were all I needed."
"Understood, if you need my services again, don't hesitate to call." The man bowed gracefully, "My familiar will lead the girls to the city with one of Lady Selia's artifacts so you need not fret about their safety."
The imp nodded repeatedly at being addressed.
"I shall take my leave now."
"Alright. I think it's best to introduce myself first." After Vetis left, Arnold faced the girls again, "My name is Arnold, a student from the Ardark Academy, former heir of the Berkley House and the city lord of Whitage city and Sroln City."
"The Golden City has a new lord…?" one of the women wondered out loud, "And he's so young too…"
"You will be going to Whitage City, which lies southwest of the Eulia Empire. If you want to want to return home, I will assign shadow demons to each of you so you can leave to go back home even tonight."
They looked at each other, murmuring and asking if anyone knew what a shadow demon is.
"But if you have nowhere else to return to, there will be facilities and charities available to you to get you back on your feet. You can even become a permanent resident if you wish."
"Uhm," one of the girls stepped forward, "I come from a very poor family so… they had to sell me to repay a debt. I have nothing left to my name, not even one silver…"
"That's fine. Like I said, there are charities that will care for you. I get lots of donations from neighboring lords which my warehouses can't keep up with so I give most of it to shelters and food programs that my citizens started. You will never go to bed hungry," he looked down at his feet—at the same time, a shadowy figure rose from the ground, spooking the girls, "or have to worry about your safety."
"…Sir, is your city the one with the Red Giants in armor?" one of the Elf girls asked, unsure of herself.
"Yes."
"Is it true no monster can defeat your knights, even individually?"
"My strongest knights are as strong as SS-rank adventurers. On average, each of them would be close to S-rank." His bold claim made Sylphy widen her eyes a bit.
…Mere knights as strong as humanity's strongest adventurers?
"…Does slavery exist there… in Whitage city?" this time it was Tessiah who asked, while holding Sylphy's hand.
"Yes," as if their hopes were crushed, all of them looked sad, "But, slavery in my city is only meant for those who choose to borrow money from loan sharks and didn't pay back in time and war criminals who choose to attack my city. Any other forms of slavery are not permitted, even voluntary slavery as that violates your rights, which I can't allow."
"A city where poverty doesn't exist, people can keep their doors unlocked, stay outside late at night, never have to worry about barbarians raiding you…" eyes sparkling, the girl declared, "I-I want to live in that kind of place…"
"And no unethical slavery… at least not against citizens who follow the law." Another said.
"I can raise my unborn child in this city without worrying about their future…"
"My family has been staying in a village in the middle of nowhere for generations and we kept getting attacked and lost many of our loved ones—maybe now we can finally know peace."
"I was captured while hiking to my job in another city. I-I hope Whitage city has magic stores where I can apply!"
Slowly the color in their faces returned and they all smiled at each other, all hopeful of a bright future.
Sylphy noticed a small smile appear on Arnold's face before it vanished and he cleared his throat, "Remember what I said. You are free to leave the city. Ask for a horse at one of the stables. You don't have to worry about returning it yourself as the shadow, I will assign to you, will return it back anyway. And yes, you may bring your family with you if you choose to live here."
"T-Thank you, sir! For saving us!" Tessiah said what everyone else wanted to say. They nodded along with smiles.
He wordlessly put a hand on her head and patted her. She seemed to enjoy it as she closed her eyes and smiled.
…
After the girls were escorted to the city through the teleportation gate, Sylphy and Arnold boarded a wagon… being controlled by shadows—not just the coachman but even the horse was a shadow. It was a shock to Sylphy seeing a human using monsters. Maybe he's associated with demons? If so, his reputation as a city lord would be in danger...
"What?" noticing Sylphy stare at him, he tilted his head.
"Is Nova really just a persona or is this version of you the persona?"
"I don't get what you mean, Miss Sylphy." He feigned ignorance.
"Oh, come on, the heir of Berkley House is what you said earlier, right? They said you are a tyrant bastard who mistreats everyone around you unless they are family. You're also a known sex pest so I don't understand why you didn't just push down one of those girls or made a move on me, to take advantage of the situation." Speaking of that, the girls seemed very into him back there despite knowing he's associated with a demon (the imp).
She didn't expect him to pitch his city to them, as if he wanted citizens. Or maybe it was a way of reassuring them they will always have a place in his city if they have nowhere to return to.
"Is that really important to you?"
"Yes! I'm going to be your Rune Master from now on so I need to know what kind of person you are or else there will be lots of conflict between us."
"Let's get to know each other when things have calmed down, Miss Sylphy."
She pouted at him basically telling her to screw off. There's no denying that she's really interested in what kind of person Arnold really is…
◊◊
The golden swords fell.
They struck him from every direction—through the skull, the ribs, the spine—pinning what little remained of his body in midair like an offering to the heavens. Each impact erased him, tore him apart, scattered him into lightless fragments.
The attack was like a rejection of his regeneration, meant to keep him chunks of flesh for all eternity.
But a change happened.
A pressure spread outward, slow at first, like the world drawing breath.
The shattered remains did not regenerate, instead they converged into a single, giant mass.
Blood ran backward through the air. Bone twisted, thickened, fused. A pillar of black fire surrounded it, like the hug of a mother shielding her child. What reformed was a mass built to endure the weight of gods or challenge them.
Valtraak's laughter returned, vibrating through the sky itself.
The golden swords pierced again—
—and stopped.
They did not shatter nor were they reflected.
They simply failed to sink deeper no matter how much they pushed.
From the wound-riddled core, black flesh surged outward in violent expansion. Muscle layered upon muscle, each contraction detonating the ground below. His spine lengthened like a rising tower, vertebrae locking together with thunderous force. Limbs grew grotesquely thick, arms widening into pillars, hands large enough to crush fortresses into rubble.
Horns tore from his skull, curving upward and outward, splitting the clouds as they grew. His chest expanded, ribs forced apart to make room for a heart that beat once—
—and the sound flattened the battlefield with a powerful wind.
Valtraak, now a titanic demon from hell, opened his mouth, revealing his sharp teeth.
Then his roar shook the entire world, like the world itself was screaming.
Emperor Jurnick, who was laying on the floor of his bedroom, heard that roar and trembled. This wasn't just any roar, it struck the world like an evil god declaring its thirst for destruction and the extinction of everything in this world.
Shakily getting up from the floor, he looked out the window, seeing a titan in the distance of the night, not as large as a mountain but as big as a palace.
A silhouette against the night—larger than any palace, broader than the city's outer wall. Not a mountain, but something worse: a thing that could move.
Jurnick felt his mouth open, but no sound came.
If that thing reached the empire's borders, there would be no siege. No negotiations. No heroic last stand.
There would only be an after.
**
In the lower districts, people woke screaming.
Some thought it was an earthquake. Others believed the gods were fighting in the sky. A mother clutched her child so tightly the girl couldn't breathe, whispering apologies for sins she could not name. A man tried to run—tripped, crawled, then stayed where he fell, staring at the sky as if waiting for it to fall.
In taverns, cups shattered in trembling hands.
No one spoke, merely shivering at the prospect of what kind of danger will befell them.
**
In noble estates, candles were hastily lit.
Lords and ladies gathered in nightclothes and half-fastened armor, faces pale, voices low. Maps were dragged onto tables, routes discussed—but every conversation ended the same way.
"What if it comes here?"
No one answered.
One count quietly ordered his family jewels buried. Another burned letters he had once believed incriminating, as if moral debt still mattered when a creature—that could end the world—was right on their doorstep. A third sent servants to fetch a priest—not for absolution, but for confirmation that the gods still existed.
But what if, even in times of danger, the gods don't answer?
**
In the barracks, veteran soldiers sat up in their beds.
No panic. No shouting.
Just long, hollow stares.
One man tightened the straps on his armor out of habit, then stopped, hands shaking, realizing how pointless the gesture was. What use is a breastplate if the fist the size of a mountain will turn him into paste? Despite being in no danger whatsoever, he thought death would be a more peaceful reality as he wouldn't need to face whatever lurks out there.
Another laughed once—short and sharp—then covered his mouth as if ashamed of the sound.
They had fought monsters before.
This was not a monster.
A monster doesn't make the world itself tremble.
**
And across the empire, in places of learning and prayer, a single thought began to spread, a shared but unspoken thought:
If hell had produced something like that—
—then perhaps it was not the enemy of heaven.
Perhaps it was the consequence of its existence.
**
Ekterina, who was standing on a tall tower, looked at the Kaiju in the distance with slight surprise, immediately recognizing it.
"How did Lord Valtraak break out of the Layers of Hell…?" she wondered, as Zephyros sealed him away thousands of years ago. Arsnoria had to take up the crown immediately after birth due to this.
That said, her loyalty lies with Arsnoria even if the former Demon King came back.
One thing she can say for certain—Oriel was nowhere near Valtraak's level in his prime. Imagine how much stronger he's become now that he's out of that dimension?
Ekterina looked around that battlefield with her [Far Sight] skill, noticing Arnold floating above that monster. On the ground was the ancient dragon Tyrgavion, a man glowing with divine power and another woman with long red hair.
It's no exaggeration to say that all four of them are humanity's strongest protectors.
If the current "hero" were to join that battle, he would be crushed within seconds.
"Hm?" she noticed soldiers rallying in the streets, all ready for battle, "Fools. It doesn't matter how many of you there are, the true King of Hell's flame will burn you all to ashes."
Question now is, how will his daughter respond to him destroying the world she is meant to rule?
**
Into the snowy mountains of Zrek's lands was a castle, dragons flying around it like guards on their patrols.
Gathered inside were the dragon lords, not in their draconic forms but in human form, sitting around a glowing blue magic circle in the center of a room.
Nyrathrom Stormscale (Ice Dragon Lord), a woman with skyblue hair, dressed in dark blue dress that reminded one of the night sky and stars, opened her eyes when she sensed a disturbing signature. She could not monitor the events around the world so it should speak volumes of the threat judging by how far this ominous signature can go.
It seems neither of her siblings could sense it as well as she could.
It is her duty to protect the humans, however, what if this threat is so strong that even the Dragon Lords can't take it on? Well, if Plesiduxius, said to possess the potential of their mother, were here, then they can surely win against even the "Beast that moves amongst the stars" together.
As such, she must have faith in humanity's strongest and… hopefully, they can finish the ritual to awaken their brother.
◊◊
It felt as though Arnold were standing inside a living volcano, the kind whose fury could not be escaped simply by distance as even the heated gas can burn you to ashes. Heat rolled off Valtraak's colossal body in oppressive waves, thick enough to warp the air and turn every breath into an act of endurance. Stone beneath the demon's feet did not merely crack or shatter; it softened, sagged, and collapsed into glowing pools of molten earth that spread outward with each slow, deliberate step he took forward.
The only way to extinguish a burning flame is with water, right?
Arnold unsheathed his sword before anyone could do anything else, pointing it straight at the demon looking up at him.
"[Sword of the Water Dragon]" The response was immediate and overwhelming as a pressure built around his sword and it became heavier by the second.
--Attention: A state of Equilibrium has allowed for a skill evolution – [Storm of the Water Dragon] > [Leviathan Storm]
The sky itself seemed to rupture as a colossal mass of water erupted from the sword's tip, spiraling upward before coalescing into the shape of a vast, serpentine dragon. Its roar drowned out the battlefield, releasing such an immense volume of water that the air itself collapsed beneath the weight, rain hammering the land with the force of artillery fire.
The Leviathan surged forward, an ocean given shape and purpose, its jaws wide enough to swallow entire fortifications as it crashed into Valtraak's massive frame.
The collision detonated with the force of a natural disaster. The ground beneath the demon collapsed entirely, swallowed by a newly formed abyss. Water crushed down with such pressure that the bedrock screamed as the dragon dragged him downward.
Even with this colossal body of his, the demon was forced to brace.
Valtraak's feet dug deep into the collapsing earth, molten rock exploding outward as he resisted the crushing weight. His massive frame was driven several meters into the ground, the pressure deforming the land around him into a vast crater filled with churning water and steam. Even his infernal heat faltered, the torrent smothering flames and forcing them inward.
But then the temperature spiked violently as he regained his cinder.
Superheated steam tore the Leviathan's body apart from within. The dragon screamed as its form destabilized, coils bursting into expanding clouds that shredded the surrounding terrain even further.
There was an unnerving silence left on the battlefield.
A skill that could tear a moon in half barely managed to move Valtraak a few hundred meters.
Valtraak straightened.
Steam rolled off him in suffocating waves, his body glowing brighter than before, molten fissures spreading across his frame like veins of living fire.
Just when he opened his mouth, a chain made from pure divinity wrapped around his arm. Then another around his neck. Then hundreds more shot towards him.
Arnold glanced back, noticing the divine avatar Guinevere had summoned was focusing all its energy on Valtraak, recognizing him as the biggest threat.
"—That is Valtraak," Guinevere floated next to him before he noticed, "the former Demon King who led an assault to the Divine Realm."
"The Demon King, huh? That explains how he can just shrug off one of my strongest skills."
"…We will need to work together to take him down… But before that," Guinevere faced him, "I placed my faith in you, without even knowing if you had the means—so please tell me: will this nightmare end now that you are here?"
He silently pointed to the eastern wall of the town.
"A carriage?" Guinevere could spot what he was pointing at instantly, "And… an Elf? Is that the Rune Master you spoke of?"
"Yeah."
"We must defend her at once! My barrier won't be able to hold with this many monsters focusing on breaking it down in a single point as it spreads energy evenly throughout the dome—" he pulled her arm when she was about to fly towards Sylphy, who was breaking the lock of the Eastern gate.
"If Valtraak notices you, one of the biggest obstacles on this battlefield preventing him from destroying this world, he will know something is up and investigate. If he focuses on Sylphy, we lose." He's not looking forward to fighting this horde for eternity.
"…"
"I know that's not easy to allow but she's much safer without your protection. As you can see, all the threats are inside this dome."
Speaking of the dome, it seems to be a "Thousand Year Barrier", a weaker version of the barrier that separates this world from the demon realm. Guinevere is doing three things at once and still isn't exhausted—this woman is a monster but he's glad he kept her alive to make her an ally.
He glanced at Sylphy again, noticing that she had managed to make it past the gate. Her shadow was abnormally large for such a frail small Elf woman—this is because Arnold made the shadow demons go into her shadow to protect her. The red knights would be too obvious.
Besides that, he also left a few clones in the town as extra bodyguards.
Guinevere sighed, "Yes, it would be unwise to go there now…"
"Can this barrier of yours hold with that many monsters attacking it? I'm starting to see it deteriorate at the top."
"The concentration of energy is weaker at the top as I am focusing on the ground monsters." She looked up at the small holes that were slowly getting wider, "Hopefully nothing has gone outside yet. It's too high up for the monsters to notice but I'm still a little worried…"
'The dragons will have to take to the skies then to avoid something like that.'
"Guinevere, give me your honest opinion—do we have a chance against that thing?"
"I am afraid not. Even Prime All-Father Zephyros struggled against Valtraak in his Kaiju form. Mainly because he had artifacts to boost his divine energy resistance, making even divine spells useless against him. The God who was responsible for producing these artifacts was jailed soon after their fight ended in Zephyros' victory so Valtraak should not have that protection. That said, he is still a colossal threat."
"Strength isn't always everything so there must be a way to deal with him."
"I am not saying it's impossible to kill him but the risk is too big to fight him head-on. Not only that, going all out will put lives at risk and this barrier will collapse."
"Right… our fight split a moon in half so a clash on that level will destroy the town and surrounding villages."
If Arnold had his ring, he would probably be able to teleport Valtraak away. That's only a theory since he doesn't how the Curse of Dante binds itself to these monsters. It might even cancel out the teleportation. If the Gods could create such a powerful curse, there's a possibility they thought of how to counter methods of escaping its range.
Valtraak was busy breaking the chains that wrapped around his body but more and more kept ensnaring him. They left behind permanent glowing scars on his body and—after looking at his HP through the system—Arnold confirmed that the chains drain the lifeforce of whoever they ensnare, but the result is quite minuscule.
"When I was a young girl, my mother had me hunt down an Owlbear, a magic beast that becomes an invincible force of nature in snowy terrain. Even the elders would avoid fighting one since it can pose a threat to even half a dozen Valkyries alone. Physical attacks were useless against its toughened hide. That's when I was told to not think of fighting it as a warrior but with my brain—I burned down the forest, which melted all the ice and snow. Then I used every method of fire attacks at my disposal—arrows, torches, a blade doused in oil, tamed a phoenix."
"The owlbear is weak to fire and we know Valtraak is weak to divinity—what do you suggest we do?"
Simply attacking him with divine spells won't change much.
What they need to do is find a way to make Valtraak vulnerable.
Divinity isn't the only way to do that.
Arnold held his hand over his right eye.
"Do you know what happens to those afflicted with the Curse of Dante when the curse wears off while they are regenerating?" trying to confirm something, he inquired.
"That's theoretically impossible as the curse doesn't wear off but I think that if the portal closes the pathway to Limbo, cutting off the energy, they will remain chunks of flesh for eternity while still conscious."
"The curse of immortality still lives even when the energy from the realm is cut off, huh. It makes sense. I don't know why I thought they would become killable."
That said, erasing them from existence won't be that hard. Also there seem to be quite a lot of humanoid monsters so all you really need to do to kill them is cut their heads off.
As such, it's best to focus on Valtraak while leaving the rest up to the dragons.
"I have a plan. But we'll have to take a risk." It won't kill Valtraak, but it will immobilize him until the portal is closed. Or hopefully it will be the decisive blow, not to win the fight but end it entirely.
"If you have a plan B then I am all ears," Guinevere said as if she placed her full trust in him—the man she tried to kill not so long ago, "Plan A will put too many lives in danger."
"—How may I assist, My King?" A large shadow floated over the two of them at that moment.
"—I'll join in." Lancelot, hair golden and waving like a divine fire, floated up towards them.
Arnold's eyes slowly turned red as Aether surrounded his body. Then Gergois donned his body in a flash. "First, give Valtraak everything you've got while minimizing the damage you do to the terrain."