Kaizen slowly turned his attention toward Akaria and began walking in her direction.
Every step he took seemed to distort the very air around him. The pressure of his presence alone made breathing feel difficult, as if the world itself was resisting his existence.
Up close, he looked like a living nightmare.
His skin was deathly pale, almost corpse-like, while dark veins pulsed slowly beneath it like streams of corrupted energy. Where his eyes should have been, there was nothing but two swirling voids—endless black spirals that seemed capable of devouring light itself.
As Kaizen leaned closer to her face, Akaria felt her entire body tremble despite all her efforts to remain composed.
She was a General of a great kingdom, yet standing before him felt like standing before a natural disaster.
Kaizen formed a thin, cold smile.
"So… you are Akaria…?"
His voice was slow and chilling, each word falling like a blade.
"Yes… Great Ruler Kaizen," she replied with visible strain.
"You may call me simply Kaizen," he said mockingly. "I admire your bravery. But you are aware, I presume, that I could end every life standing here in a single heartbeat if I wished."
Akaria bowed deeply, bitterness tightening her voice.
"I am fully aware of your power, Lord Kaizen. That is precisely why I seek negotiation… a solution that could satisfy both sides, if you are willing to consider it."
Kaizen stared at her silently.
The battlefield became suffocatingly quiet.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"Then let us keep this brief."
"The Independent Elven Kingdom will fall under my rule from this moment forward. The other two kingdoms will remain under your control."
"If you refuse… the war begins now."
"And I assure you, it will end in seconds."
"What is your decision?"
Akaria fell silent.
Inside her mind, thoughts clashed violently.
Damn it…
I cannot hand over the Elven Kingdom.
If I do, Supreme Ruler Azreal Sol will be furious.
And Kaizen will be directly on our borders… able to strike whenever he wishes.
But if I refuse…
We all die here.
Every soldier.
Every hero.
Everyone.
There was no path that did not end in disaster.
Taking a slow breath, Akaria lifted her head.
"I accept, Lord Kaizen."
"But I have one condition."
"You must sign a non-aggression treaty."
"You will be dangerously close to our borders from now on."
Kaizen smirked faintly.
"And what exactly would stop me from killing you all right now and taking the remaining kingdoms anyway?"
"You truly pose no obstacle to me."
The tension in the air reached its peak.
Even the soldiers behind Akaria felt their hearts stop.
For a moment, it seemed like the battlefield would explode into chaos.
Then Kaizen suddenly spoke again.
"Hmm…"
"Very well."
"I will sign your treaty."
"My deputy, Ruta, will handle the details."
He paused slightly before continuing.
"But there is one more condition."
"The remaining elves inside that kingdom will stay there."
"However… all other elves must return to the kingdom now under my rule."
His void-like gaze shifted slightly toward the army behind her.
"That includes the two elven girls standing among your forces."
"If they do not appear in my kingdom…"
"You will face the consequences."
"And I assure you… I am not a merciful master."
"Is that understood?"
Akaria clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Every instinct inside her screamed in protest.
But she had no power to refuse.
"...Understood, Lord Kaizen."
Without saying another word, Kaizen suddenly lifted his foot.
Then—
He slammed it onto the ground.
BOOM.
In a single instant, the entire battlefield transformed.
The green plains froze over in an explosion of ice.
Gigantic frozen mountains erupted from the earth in every direction as if the land itself had been rewritten.
A frozen wasteland spread across the horizon.
Before anyone could even react, Kaizen's body turned into a statue of ice.
Then the statue shattered into countless crystalline fragments and dispersed into the wind.
He vanished.
Akaria stood frozen in place.
Did he just…
Turn the entire battlefield into ice…
With a single step?
What kind of monstrous mana is this?
Moments later, Nico Sigmund and the Elite Four rushed toward her.
Akaria lowered her head, tears running down her face.
"I am sorry… heroes."
"I am sorry, Nico."
"I couldn't drag you into a war we were destined to lose."
"That monster's power is beyond anything we can face."
"To protect you… I surrendered the Elven Kingdom."
The group fell silent.
Even the heroes were stunned by the weight of the decision.
Nico Sigmund finally spoke.
His voice carried suppressed anger, yet remained calm.
"Do not blame yourself, Akaria."
"It wasn't your fault."
"I felt his power as well."
"What you did was the only rational decision."
He glanced at the frozen landscape surrounding them.
"I still cannot believe he turned this entire land into ice in a single moment."
Akaria looked toward the two elven girls standing nearby.
"Elara… Natalia…"
"You are part of the agreement."
"You must return to your homeland."
"Under his rule."
Natalia collapsed to her knees.
"Impossible!"
"Are you serious, General Akaria?!"
"You want us to surrender ourselves to that monster?!"
Akaria's voice trembled.
"I promise you…"
"I will bring you back."
"I will not allow him to harm you."
"Even if it costs me my life."
"Please… have patience."
Elara stood silently beside them, tears falling from her eyes.
Nico stepped toward her.
"Do not worry, Elara."
"I will get you back."
"I will never abandon you."
Elara suddenly embraced him tightly.
"Please… Lord Nico…"
"I don't want to fall into that beast's hands."
Nico gently held her face and looked into her eyes.
"Listen to me."
"No more tears."
"I gave you my word."
"I will bring you back soon."
"And I will not allow him to touch you."
"Soon you will be sitting beside me again… reading books like we used to."
"Stay strong."
"Have faith."
At that moment, Commander Ruta stepped forward with a mocking smile.
"What a touching scene…"
"The farewell of loved ones."
She looked at them with clear amusement.
"To be honest, even I am surprised."
"I cannot believe our Great Ruler Kaizen allowed you all to live."
"This is a wonderful opportunity for you."
"Grow stronger."
"Perhaps next time… you will entertain him a little longer."
Her expression suddenly became serious.
"As you know, the Great Ruler Kaizen detests delays."
"So the two elven girls will come with me now."
"It is time to reopen the Elven Kingdom in the name of the Supreme Ruler."
Akaria stepped forward and embraced Elara and Natalia.
It was a painful farewell.
Through tears, she promised again that she would bring them back.
Suddenly, Ruta raised her hand.
Immense frost mana erupted into the sky.
A gigantic vessel made entirely of ice formed above the battlefield.
At the same time, a massive portal opened behind the Demon Rift army.
Most of the troops returned through the portal, leaving only a thousand soldiers behind.
Ruta stepped onto the frozen ship.
"Come."
"The reopening of your kingdom begins today."
"Under our Master… it will soon become the strongest kingdom."
Natalia boarded the ship, her heart burning with anger and grief.
Elara followed shortly after.
Before entering, she turned one last time.
Her eyes met Nico Sigmund's.
A silent farewell passed between them.
Moments later, the ship lifted into the sky.
It flew toward the Independent Elven Kingdom.
The remaining army watched until it disappeared beyond the horizon.
Akaria stood motionless, drowning in guilt.
Nico watched the disappearing ship with a cold expression.
Then he spoke calmly.
"Do not worry, Akaria."
"What happened today was not your fault."
"We will take back the kingdom."
"And we will bring the girls back."
Akaria sighed deeply.
"Thank you for the comfort, Nico."
"But the reality is painful."
"The kingdom… and the girls… are now in the hands of that monster."
"And any move that displeases him could destroy us instantly."
Nico nodded slightly.
"Let us return."
"You are exhausted."
"We will discuss our strategy once we reach headquarters."
"...Yes."
"Let's go."
High in the sky, aboard the ice vessel, Commander Ruta stood at the bow with her arms crossed.
A soldier approached her.
"Commander Ruta."
"We are approaching the borders of the Elven Kingdom."
"There are approximately twenty thousand elven soldiers still stationed there, along with their high-ranking generals."
"How should we proceed?"
Ruta replied calmly.
"I will deal with the generals."
"You handle the soldiers."
"Understood, Commander."
As the clouds passed beneath the ship, Ruta stared at the horizon.
What is my Great Master Kaizen planning?
He had the power to conquer all three kingdoms.
Even the High Light Empire could have fallen under his rule.
Yet he chose only the Elven Kingdom…
The kingdom already destroyed by the Red-Blooded Knight.
Strange.
If only I could understand even a fraction of his intentions.
She remembered the day she first met him.
The day she was defeated effortlessly.
The day he brought her back to life.
Even now, she still did not understand how he did it.
He gave her power beyond her imagination.
He trusted her as a commander.
No matter what I do…
I will never repay this debt.
Great Master Kaizen…
I will fight for you until the last drop of blood leaves my body.
Rely on me.
Soon after, the ice vessel reached its destination.
Below them, in the Elven Kingdom, twenty thousand soldiers stood in full formation.
At the front of the army stood the members of the Silver Axe Trio—
Rezi Miraculous,
Filana Astrot,
and their leader, Alfred Miraculous.
Alfred watched the enormous ice ship descend toward the kingdom.
His hand rested firmly on the hilt of his sword.
His expression was filled with determination.
No matter the danger…
I will fight until my final breath.
This is my duty.
The tragedy caused by the Red-Blooded Knight still burns in my memory.
The day my King was cut in half before my eyes.
This time…
I will not allow history to repeat itself.
Alfred raised his voice.
"Prepare yourselves, soldiers!"
"The enemy is approaching!"
The gigantic ice ship slowly descended.
A thousand soldiers disembarked and lined up in perfect formation.
Alfred frowned.
Something is wrong…
Are they serious?
Do they truly intend to attack us with only a thousand soldiers?
Whatever they are hiding…
I must not lose focus.
As the two armies faced each other…
Commander Ruta stepped forward from the demonic ranks and calmly began walking toward Alfred.
The next moment would decide everything.
[End of Chapter 45]