The day before Jace issued his summons, Drako had secretly informed Jericho of everything he had witnessed upon his return to Menssai—Jace's unstable behavior, the sudden shift in plans, and the decision to personally lead the assault on Warmark, with King Leohart as his target.
That single revelation changed everything.
After hearing it, Jericho made a crucial decision. He altered the information Drako was meant to pass along. The truth—that he was alive—would remain hidden for now.
Drako executed the deception flawlessly.
⸻
"So… what's the plan now, Jericho?"
William's voice trembled slightly as he spoke, panic clearly written across his face.
"Jace going there himself changes everything. The threat level didn't just increase tenfold—if he leads the attack personally, the army of shadow creatures he brings with him will be unimaginable."
William wasn't exaggerating.
Erica crossed her arms, her expression grim.
"William's right. This has escalated into a national-level threat. Avoiding casualties will be nearly impossible now. We need more help."
She paused, then continued firmly.
"We should inform my father immediately. Cancel the audience. Get King Leohart out of Warmark before Jace arrives."
Silence followed.
Jericho said nothing at first.
Inside, his thoughts churned violently.
{"So he knows…
Jace must have discovered the truth about Warmark. About that day. About our deaths."}
His teeth clenched.
{"That vile god… manipulating my brother like a piece on a board.
I swear I will make him pay."}
Erica's suggestion was sound—but it was already too late.
Jericho hadn't yet told them the most important detail Drako had brought back.
{"There's no avoiding it now."}
{"I'll have to face Jace myself."}
He exhaled slowly and raised his head.
"Listen, all of you."
Their attention snapped to him instantly.
"Erica's suggestion is logical—but it's no longer possible. Jace shortened the timeline."
Their faces paled.
"He won't wait two weeks anymore. He'll be at Warmark in a week… maybe even sooner."
Fear rippled through the group.
"No… that's impossible."
"It's too late to evacuate everyone."
"What do we do now?"
Jericho's gaze hardened.
"I'll handle it."
They stared at him.
"I'll intercept Jace and his Grand General before they reach the heart of Warmark. He'll likely send the shadow creatures ahead of him—marching through cities, destroying everything in their path as they advance toward the royal capital."
His voice remained steady, but the weight behind it was crushing.
"I'll stop them before they get that far."
Erica's eyes widened.
"I'll face Jace and the General alone."
"What?!"
"You, Erica—along with Alice and William—you'll lead the knights and Warmark's forces. Evacuate the civilians. Get them to safety."
Jericho clenched his fist.
"I'll do everything I can to stop Jace before he reaches the capital."
"That's insane!"
Erica stepped forward sharply.
"You can't face Jace and a Grand General alone! You may be strong, but Jace has had years more experience with his powers. Fighting him alone is reckless—fighting both of them is suicidal!"
Jericho didn't deny it.
"I know," he said quietly. "But I'm the only one who can."
His eyes softened as he looked at them.
"No one else stands a chance against Jace. And if that General is anywhere near Drako's level… I can't let anyone else face him."
He inhaled slowly.
"If even one of them gets past me, you'll be the ones in danger."
Erica's fists trembled.
"I know the risks," Jericho continued. "And I know if I fall, the consequences will be devastating. But I promise—I will protect you. I will protect this world."
Silence fell.
Then—
"You really think that's why I'm worried?"
Erica's voice cracked—not with fear, but fury.
"You think I'm worried because the world depends on you?"
Jericho froze.
"Is that really what you think we feel?"
She stepped closer, her eyes blazing.
"Let me remind you of something, Jericho. I didn't become Commander of the Holy Knights because I'm a princess."
Her voice shook with restrained emotion.
"I bled for that title. No one trusted me. No one believed in me. I fought—harder than anyone—to earn it."
She straightened.
"So don't stand there and tell me you need to protect me."
Her gaze burned.
"I can protect myself. And thanks to you, I can protect my people even better now."
She turned away.
"So I don't care what you think. I will fight Jace too."
She stopped mid-step, not turning back.
"And stop pretending the burden belongs to you alone. Saving this world is our responsibility."
Then she walked off, leaving stunned silence behind her.
Jericho stared after her, speechless.
"…What was that about?" he asked quietly. "Did I say something wrong?"
William sighed deeply.
"Honestly… Jericho."
Jericho looked at him.
"For someone so kind, you can be incredibly inconsiderate."
Jericho blinked.
"You're not a tool," William continued gently. "Not a weapon. Not a burden-bearer."
He placed a hand on Jericho's back.
"To us, you're a friend. A comrade. If we lost you, it wouldn't just hurt the world—it would hurt us."
Jericho's chest tightened.
"Learn to trust us," William said softly. "Rely on us."
Jericho swallowed.
"…Thank you, William."
He turned toward Erica.
"Hey—are you sure you're okay talking to her now?" Alice asked cautiously. "Do you really understand why she's upset?"
Jericho smiled faintly.
"I might be an idiot, Alice… but am not that far gone."
She smiled back.
William watched them go and sighed.
"Honestly," he muttered. "I feel like a babysitter."
⸻
"Hey… Erica. Are you alright?"
Jericho's voice was gentle as he approached her.
She hesitated before answering, her back still turned.
"Yes. If you'll excuse me, I'm trying to perfect something. I'd like to be alone so I can concentrate."
Jericho smiled softly.
"Oh, come on. I'm sure whatever you're working on, I can help—even if it's just a little."
Erica sighed, her shoulders relaxing as she finally gave in.
"…Do as you please."
"Great." He let out a relieved breath. "So—what's the fearless commander working on this time?"
She glanced at her sword, then away.
"I'm trying to regulate my soul energy output," she admitted. "I want my blade to withstand at least four consecutive uses."
Her fingers tightened around the hilt.
"So far, even when I restrain myself to only twenty-five percent of my power, I can only manage three techniques before the sword shatters from the pressure."
Her voice faltered.
"And the strikes I produce like that are nowhere near as strong as what I used during our mock battle."
Her gaze dropped to the ground.
"At this rate… it's useless."
Tears welled in her eyes.
"No wonder you don't trust me to watch your back," she whispered. "I'm sorry, Jericho."
Jericho froze.
"Hey—no. That's not true."
She looked up at him, startled.
"I trust you more than I can put into words."
Her breath hitched.
"I'm the one who's sorry," Jericho continued quietly. "For the plan I came up with… and for misunderstanding how you felt."
He exhaled shakily.
"It's just—when I think back to four years ago… to the day I died…"
Erica's grip on her sword loosened.
"How powerless I was. I couldn't protect my father. I couldn't even protect myself."
His voice lowered.
"I left my people behind. I left Jace alone."
His jaw tightened.
"And he was vulnerable. That god took advantage of that."
Jericho clenched his fists.
"Thinking about it… about losing everything once already… I let my past decide my actions."
He met her eyes.
"Erica, please believe me. It's not that I don't trust you."
He swallowed.
"I trust you completely."
She listened silently.
"I'm just terrified," he admitted. "Terrified of making one wrong decision and losing everyone I care about… all over again."
His voice softened.
"William. Alice. You."
Her expression trembled.
"I don't want to feel that pain again," Jericho continued. "I don't want to be alone."
He let out a shaky breath.
"So I convinced myself that keeping you all out of danger was the right thing to do. Maybe… maybe it was my way of atoning for my past weakness."
His gaze steadied.
"This time, I wanted to protect what's precious to me."
Erica stared at him, tears pooling in her eyes—not from sadness, but understanding.
"Oh, Jericho…"
She reached out and took his hands.
He flinched slightly, then smiled.
"You're right," he said softly. "You're not someone I should keep out of danger."
Her grip tightened.
"As a knight, that would be an insult to your pride."
She blinked.
"And as a future ruler…" he added quietly, "…I'm truly sorry."
She wiped her tears with her sleeve, smiling through them.
Jericho straightened.
"And with that… I have a request."
She looked at him, eyes shining.
"Commander of the Holy Knights. And founder of The Soul Punchers."
He extended his hand.
"Erica von Righteous—please do me the honor of fighting by my side."
For a moment, she simply stared at him. Then she burst out laughing.
"What?…. Soul punchers?— what in the world is that." She asked still incredibly amused.
"That's the name am picking for the knights that can manipulate soul energy, as a different unit you know." He said looking proud of it. "Fitting right?"
"God, Jericho please stay away from naming things."
Then she laughed again— Jericho sighed — but then she took his hand.
"With that awful name aside— of course," she said. "I'll fight by your side."
"Thank you," Jericho replied, smiling back.
——
From a distance, William watched the two of them with a soft grin.
"Well," he muttered, "looks like they made up."
Alice nodded, smiling warmly.
"Honestly…" William sighed. "They're just like children."
Alice laughed.
——
"I need to work harder and figure this out," Erica muttered to herself as she stared at her blade. "If I can't stabilize a weapon capable of handling soul energy, I won't be much help to you."
She let out a frustrated sigh.
"A blessing like soul energy becomes a curse if the weapon can't endure it. We really need to secure that material soon."
Her shoulders slumped.
"Sometimes I wish I had been born into the next generation… so I could manipulate it as naturally as you do."
She paused.
No—wait.
Her eyes widened as she shook her head vigorously.
{"If I were, I wouldn't have met Jericho."}
A faint smile tugged at her lips as warmth spread across her cheeks.
{"I'll always be grateful I was born into his generation."}
Before she could turn away, Jericho spoke.
"Don't say that."
She froze.
"If you had been," he continued softly, "then I wouldn't have met someone as incredible as you—at least not until much later."
He smiled.
"And honestly? I wouldn't have had the patience to wait that long."
Erica's entire body locked up.
Her face flushed so deeply it was impossible to miss.
"Erica?" Jericho asked, concern creeping into his voice. "Are you alright?"
"Y—yes! I'm fine!" she replied quickly, laughing nervously.
She suddenly started hitting his back—lightly, but repeatedly.
"There you go again, Mr. Smooth-Tongue!" she snapped, still laughing. "Girls really need to be careful around you. You're dangerous. You Exhibitionist you."
Jericho winced.
"I… genuinely don't understand how that makes sense," he groaned. "But at this point, I don't care. I just want the hitting to stop."
He sighed heavily.
"And I thought we already cleared up the 'exhibitionist' accusation."
——
From a short distance away, Alice observed the scene with a knowing smile.
"Looks like Jericho said something too embarrassing for the commander," she said.
"He definitely did," William replied.
"She's hitting him to cover up her embarrassment."
William sighed, rubbing his temple.
"She sure is."
——
Jericho rubbed his sore back and looked at Erica again.
"Anyway… don't you think you might be approaching this the wrong way?"
She blinked. "What do you mean?"
"You're focusing too much on your inferno ability," he explained. "Yes, it's powerful. And with proper mastery, it could let you stand toe-to-toe with even Jace himself."
He met her eyes.
"But that's not everything you are."
She listened intently.
"Before soul energy ever existed, you were already the strongest knight—not just in Righteous, but on the entire human continent."
She inhaled quietly.
"You still are."
Jericho continued.
"Your swordsmanship is unmatched. Even without a blade, your martial arts are at a master's level."
He smiled.
"You became a commander without soul energy. Don't forget that."
Erica's grip tightened slightly.
"Don't rush yourself," he said gently. "Use what you already have. Let soul energy be your trump card, not your foundation."
She lifted her gaze.
"You don't need to hold back just to make your sword last longer. Go all out when victory is certain—or when you need to create an opening."
His expression softened.
"You're strong, Erica. Don't lose the confidence that brought you this far."
She stared at him for a long moment, something unreadable shining in her eyes.
Then she smiled—and turned away slightly.
Jericho blinked, confused by her reaction.
"…Honestly," she muttered under her breath with a faint smirk, "I'm the commander here."
"What was that?" Jericho asked. "I didn't quite catch it."
"I didn't say anything," she replied innocently, smiling. "And it's not very knightly to be so curious."
She stepped past him, heading toward Alice and William.
"Let's regroup and come up with a better plan this time. And hopefully a better name for our unit than the disaster you came up with."
Jericho watched her go, then sighed.
"Well excuse me for trying to make us sound elite."
He shook his head.
"Though I'm not a knight," he muttered to himself, "and I'm not even sure that rule is real."
Still, he followed just behind her.