The creatures had completely surrounded Asmodeus.
His breathing was uneven.
His hands trembled.
Thanks to the training he had undergone with Arthur, he knew how to wield a sword very well.
But the sword… was out of reach.
One more step.
Just one step.
And it would all be over.
Then—
A voice echoed in his mind.
"Hey, kid."
Asmodeus flinched.
He looked around wildly, but there was no one.
"Hey. I'm talking to you."
His gaze dropped.
To the sword.
No.
It wasn't just a sword.
The voice…
was coming from Excalibur.
"Take me. Now."
The voice was sacred.
But it was not warm.
There was no mercy in it.
Only certainty.
There was no time to hesitate.
Asmodeus lunged forward and grabbed the hilt.
The moment he swung—
The air split apart.
A massive force erupted outward.
One of the demonic creatures was cleaved in two.
Blood sprayed across the ground.
But five still remained.
Too many.
Too fast.
Pain exploded through his arm.
A claw tore into his flesh.
Warm blood poured down his side.
And then—
Something answered inside him.
Purple mana burst from his body.
Wild.
Violent.
Uncontrolled.
Blood flooded his vision.
And the strange thing was—
He liked it.
The thought didn't scare him.
It calmed him.
What would Arthur have said if he had seen this?
Or had he always known?
His vision blurred.
Darkness swallowed everything.
---
When he woke up…
The forest was silent.
Too silent.
The creatures were gone.
As if they had never existed.
Asmodeus was completely covered in blood.
He looked at his hands.
They were shaking.
He couldn't remember what he had done.
But Arthur's voice echoed in his mind.
"You are the last heir of the Black Family, Asmodeus."
Those words felt like yesterday.
Asmodeus finally understood.
At least a little.
His first goal was clear.
He would do what Arthur had told him.
He would leave this forest.
He wiped the blood from his body.
Gripped Excalibur tightly.
And walked toward the barrier.
"Arthur never told you this, but…"
The sword spoke again.
"There is a weak point in the barrier."
Hope stirred.
But the voice continued.
"To pass through it… you need the blood of one of the eight rulers of this forest."
His heart tightened.
Even Arthur had struggled to defeat them.
But there was no other choice.
He chose the closest one.
The one whose power was sealed.
Once, its body had wrapped around the entire world…
One of the Demon King's most loyal servants.
Jormungandr.
Its power was sealed.
Its size reduced.
But it was still a calamity.
As they approached—
The ground trembled.
Something enormous moved beneath the earth.
The soil split apart.
Jormungandr emerged.
Its eyes burned like hellfire.
"Tssss…"
"Who is this…"
"this child daring to stand before me?"
The serpent laughed.
"So the presence of that powerful human is gone."
"That means I'll enjoy a delicious human today."
"Once, my body encircled the world," it hissed.
"Now, crushing you will be more than enough."
"I'll give you two choices."
"Become my meal now…"
"Or later."
Asmodeus clenched his teeth.
"I choose to eat you, reptile."
He charged.
Excalibur was shrouded in black mana.
Just as he was about to strike—
The serpent's tail tore through the air.
CRACK!
His body was slammed into the ground.
His bones were on the verge of breaking.
"You have courage," the serpent hissed.
"But courage without power is meaningless."
The tail coiled around him.
He couldn't breathe.
The pressure tightened.
He felt his bones cracking.
Darkness crept into his vision.
As the serpent opened its mouth—
He waited.
Now.
"Excalibur!"
The sword blazed.
Light exploded.
The serpent's eye was pierced.
Blood burst forth.
Asmodeus was drenched head to toe in its blood.
The serpent screamed.
"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS!"
But Asmodeus didn't wait.
He ran.
Straight toward the barrier's weak point.
The serpent was right behind him.
Every step burned.
His legs trembled.
The serpent caught him.
One step…
Just one more step—
At that moment—
A sacred burst of light erupted from Excalibur.
The serpent was thrown back by the holy power.
Asmodeus fell through the barrier.
The serpent's blood and the sword's holy power protected him.
But there was a price.
His bones burned.
It felt as if his soul was being scraped away.
And then—
Light.
For the first time in his life…
He saw the sun.
His clothes were clean.
His wounds were healed.
But the darkness inside him…
had not gone silent.
His eyes burned with pain.
But he smiled.
A caravan appeared in the distance.
The sound of hooves drew closer.
Asmodeus took one final step—
And collapsed.
If anyone from the caravan saw him and reported him to the Church…
execution would be inevitable.
The sound of hooves came closer and closer.
Asmodeus couldn't open his eyes.
He groaned in pain.
And lost consciousness completely.