Chapter 696

Alcatraz exploded.

And before anyone in La Mancha could react, a figure flew onto the deck of La Mancha, trailing long streams of smoke behind him.

It was the Emperor of the Empire, Traha 'Peacemaker' Everblack.

"Ah!"

Then Traha immediately raised his right hand, and the back of his hand shone brightly... the control of La Mancha transferred to him.

"Huh?"

Kellibey, who suddenly lost control of the ship, made a confused sound.

The Emperor glared at the front of the airship and shouted.

"Don't lose your way just because there's no light! Our destination was determined from the beginning!"

The rear thruster of La Mancha overloaded in an instant, spewing out a terrifying flame. Accelerating the airship roughly, the Emperor shouted.

"To the darkest place!"

"...!"

Everyone on the bridge snapped back to their senses.

"To the most dreaded and despairing place! That is the direction we must go!"

Various monstrous tentacles and claws followed behind La Mancha.

And the Emperor's piloting skills were so impressive that even Kellibey was tongue-tied. La Mancha evaded all those attacks by a hair's breadth and advanced.

A massive curtain-like darkness appeared in front of the fiercely advancing La Mancha.

"Make way, warriors!"

At the Emperor's shout,

Bang-!

Lucas leaped from the bridge to the deck like a bolt of lightning and swung his twin swords.

In an instant, a large X-shaped hole was made in the giant curtain,

Splash...!

Like a wound in a gigantic creature's body, darkness gushed out like blood through the X-shaped hole.

La Mancha charged into the surging darkness.

The entire airship, and all the heroes who had leapt onto the deck, were dyed black as if dipped in ink.

And then-

***

"Huh?"

Kellibey made a stupid sound.

Suddenly, the surrounding scenery had completely changed. He was no longer on the deck of La Mancha, but in a large, brightly lit passage of a mine.

A puzzled young boy's voice came to his ears as he stood there dazed, not recognizing the change in situation.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

Startled, he looked down beside him and saw a young dwarf boy with large, twinkling eyes.

Kellibey blankly called out the boy's name.

"Kellison?"

Then young Kellison furrowed his brows and lightly hit Kellibey's leg.

"What? Why are you calling me by my name? That's weird."

What did he usually call him?

Slowly, from memories old and faded like those buried in mud, the childhood nickname of his son emerged. Kellibey smiled awkwardly.

"...My pebble."

Kellison giggled and beckoned forward.

"Never mind that, open it up quickly!"

"Huh? Open what..."

Turning his head forward, there was a door leading to a small cave.

When Kellibey looked down at his hand, there was a key in it.

'Ah, right.'

Today was the day he would give his youngest son his first cave.

A very early coming-of-age ceremony where all dwarves began to establish their identity as miners.

Kellison's face was full of anticipation, his eyes sparkling, and Kellibey, with trembling hands, slowly opened the cave door.

Click-

The small door opened, and Kellison ran excitedly into the cave. Hesitating, Kellibey also followed into the cave.

The cave was small and narrow. It was cramped with an adult dwarf and a child dwarf inside.

And it was cozy.

The comforting smell of earth, the warmth of the magical lamps, and the young father and son...

Kellison, with a flushed face, tapped the earthen wall with his hands and asked,

"Dad, are you going to play with me here today?"

"...Yes."

Kellibey's trembling lips slowly curved into a smile.

"For you, as much as you want."

Kellison laughed merrily and ran to the depths of the cave.

Following slowly behind, Kellibey closed the cave door.

Click...

***

"Don't go, sister?"

At the touch of a small hand tugging at her sleeve, Verdandi turned around in surprise.

There stood young Skuld, her eyes brimming with tears. Skuld shook her head.

"I don't need the Holy Grail or anything... I just need my sisters."

"..."

"Don't go, sister Verdandi... Please..."

"...Skuld."

Verdandi tried to emphasize the necessity of the Holy Grail.

She wanted to explain that this was the only way to save the Fairy Kingdom, which was already clearly losing in the racial war.

But for some reason, no voice came out.

As if she already knew that this Holy Grail quest would have no effect on the outcome of the war.

And as if she already knew that she would deeply regret today's farewell.

"...Alright."

After some thought, Verdandi nodded. Skuld blinked.

"What?"

"I won't go. I'll stop this Holy Grail quest. Instead, I'll stay here."

Skuld's face brightened in an instant, and she hugged Verdandi tightly.

"I love you, Verdandi sister! Thank you!"

"Oh, you..."

Verdandi, feeling awkward, looked up.

Behind Skuld stood the Elven Queen, their eldest sister Urd, looking at her with a complicated expression. Verdandi spoke in a trembling voice.

"Your Majesty."

"..."

Silent, Urd finally smiled slightly.

"Yes. Our three sisters should never be separated. We should always be together."

"Your Majesty...!"

"No matter what turmoil rages in the outside world... let's not worry about it."

Urd, approaching, gently embraced Verdandi and Skuld's shoulders.

"Let's be happy here, Verdandi."

With a face filled with tears, Verdandi smiled brightly.

"Yes...!"

Verdandi reached back.

The open door of the oak palace slowly closed.

***

"Torkel!"

Torkel, who had been sweeping the front entrance of the temple, snapped to attention.

"Torkel, can't you hear me? Torkel!"

A voice he thought he would never hear again was calling him. Torkel slowly looked inside the temple.

"...Saintess?"

Margarita was walking towards him with her usual expressionless face.

Seeing Torkel's complexion, Margarita raised her eyebrows in puzzlement.

"What's wrong? Your face looks scary."

"Do you... can you see my face?"

"Of course I can. Look in the mirror over there. Did you not sleep well?"

There was a mirror installed at the temple entrance. It was intended to allow one to straighten their appearance before praying to the Goddess.

And in that mirror, instead of a face scarred by a helmet... there was the face of a normal man without a helmet.

Torkel couldn't believe it. He touched his face and body.

It was gone.

The accursed leprosy that had tormented him all his life had disappeared without a trace.

Just as he had prayed and wished thousands, tens of thousands of times, he was an ordinary human being.

Not someone who was scorned just for breathing and walking, but someone no one cared about, someone no one despised or hated for no reason...

An ordinary human.

"This... how..."

"Did you stay up late organizing the storage yesterday? Are you tired? Or are you feeling sick?"

Margarita, who had approached, calmly reached out and touched Torkel's forehead. At the rough yet warm touch, Torkel felt his heart drop.

"You don't have a fever. Don't pretend to be sick, now, come on, let's go."

"Go... where?"

"Isn't it obvious? The next task after morning cleaning is always the same."

Leading the way, Margarita smiled faintly.

"Prayer."

"..."

"Come, I'll pray with you. Just like we do every morning."

The saintess, walking inside the temple, beckoned him to follow.

Torkel, staring blankly, slowly put down his broom.

And he closed the front door of the cleaned temple.

***

"Professor! I don't understand this formula!"

"Grandpa! I don't get this!"

"I don't understand the basic principle!"

Young wizards, chattering like chicks, crowded around and chirped.

Dearmudin, who was covering his ears in the crowded dean's office of the Ivory Tower, shouted.

"Hey! Do I look that free to you? Study by yourselves!"

"But~ Grandpa explains it the easiest."

"You're the one who said to ask about anything, no matter how trivial!"

"Grandpa, can I eat this cookie?"

"Grandpa, can I lie on this sofa?"

"Grandpa, can I braid your beard?"

Surrounded by the young wizards, Dearmudin was distressed.

"Aaargh! My precious research time...!"

Despite his words, the old wizard had a slight smile on his lips.

The young wizards he met and taught at Crossroad.

And the disciples of the Ivory Tower he had parted with long ago.

The seekers of truth, dispatched to various conflicts around the world, had died and never returned.

All of them were alive, breathing right next to him, having not died in place of his old self.

"You are too young to go out into the world. Too stupid. Too... immature."

Dearmudin declared sternly, shaking his artistically braided beard.

"You cannot leave until you've learned everything I have to teach you here!"

"Aww~"

The children booed and laughed gleefully.

Taking out cookies from the cupboard next to the dean's office door, Dearmudin slammed the door shut.

At the same time, the marble door of the Ivory Tower also closed.

***

"...."

Young Lucas stood in front of the palace of the Second Empress where he had spent his childhood.

In the sunlit summer garden of his youth, Serenade in a beautiful dress and Ash in a cute tuxedo blushed as they danced.

Empress Dustia clapped and laughed, and Albetro, the head attendant, cried until his beard was wet.

It was the beautiful scene of the engagement ceremony.

"..."

Lucas turned around.

Inside the garden, it was midday in summer, but outside, it was pitch-black night with winter snowstorms raging.

And outside the closed back gate of the garden, assassins with black masks and weapons were waiting.

They were an assassination squad dispatched to kill Ash.

Lucas's eyes met those of the leader of the assassination squad standing at the forefront.

'Open it.'

The leader of the assassination squad mouthed the words.

"..."

Lucas slowly turned his head back to look at the center of the garden again.

"Lucas!"

Ash, who had lost his balance and fallen after stepping on Serenade's skirt while dancing, was seen.

Ash, tangled with Serenade and holding his stomach in laughter, waved his hand.

"Come here, play with us!"

Everyone smiled brightly at Lucas.

Serenade, Dustia, Albetro.

And, his young lord...

"..."

Lucas closed his eyes tightly and then opened them.

There was no reason to hesitate.

He took a step forward.

***

"Why are these humans suddenly spacing out and zoning out?!"

On the deck of the airship La Mancha.

After breaking through one layer of the barrier, the attacks from the tentacles, claws, and talons pouring in from all sides became more intense.

And all the heroes who were supposed to withstand these attacks were unconscious and collapsed.

From the elite heroes led by Lucas to the reserve heroes of the Special Forces, almost all were lying on the deck.

The only ones maintaining their sanity were the Emperor piloting the airship, Nobody, and finally, Lunared. Just the three of them.

"Shaking them and slapping their cheeks won't wake them up, tentacles are getting stronger from all sides, I'm going to go crazy...!"

Nobody groaned, swinging his sword continuously.

Perhaps it was because he was born blind, or because he was skilled at living with blocked senses, he did not lose consciousness even after being directly hit by the darkness.

The Emperor endured with superhuman willpower, and Lunared...

"Does this nightmare affect you? To me, it's like water."

Perhaps because he was the shadow of the Nightmare Legion's commander, he endured without any problem.

"You grew up without hardships, that's why... After going through many hardships, this feels like a sweet drink to me."

Immediately, darkness scattered around like ink.

And Lunared, hit by all this, curled up on the floor and began to cry sadly.

"Huwoooah, I don't want to be exterminated..."

"Someone get rid of this useless wolf-!"

Of course, there was no 'someone' to answer that call. Now, the only ones maintaining their sanity were Nobody and Traha.

Emperor Traha piloted the airship with god-like skill, using the airship's machine guns and guided missiles to fend off the tentacles. But the limits quickly approached.

"Hehehe... Let's go home, let's go home..."

"No more killing is needed. Just jump off and be at ease..."

The reserve heroes of the Special Forces, one by one, fell into mental corruption, unable to hold out.

Those who had been unconscious suddenly staggered to their feet, then either ran off the deck and fell in a strange, creaking posture or offered themselves to the approaching tentacles.

Both the heroes who fell and those who offered themselves were gladly snatched up by the tentacles, claws, and hands. And then.

Crunch! Crunch! Splat...!

The reserve heroes died horribly.

One was torn limb from limb in midair, another was crushed between giant palms until they were completely flattened. One was sequentially dismembered by claws.

Blood spattered in all directions. The reserve heroes were annihilated in vain.

'Damn, damn, damn! At this rate...!'

Nobody swung his sword desperately, but his black blade couldn't properly cut through the tentacles of darkness.

Like cutting through a stream of water, the darkness maintained its form perfectly.

Squish, squish...

The tentacles, making the sound of ink splattering, landed on the deck.

And they extended their long, grotesque appendages toward the still-unconscious Special Forces heroes.

"No-!"

Nobody screamed.

Ssshhhrip!

The next moment, the tentacles rained down on all those still breathing.