Kung!?The ground went out as another vibration occurred.

Rubid looked at the thick ashes with an anxious face.

Standing at the entrance to the audience room, Rubid could not tell what was happening in front of the throne.

As Rena approached Hiems, flames suddenly erupted, and thunder-like sound rang endlessly as if they were fighting inside.

Then the lights went out again and black ashes flew out, and now the floor continues to vibrate as if the palace is about to collapse.

‘What is happening?!’

Rubid looked for Rena with an anxious feeling. But at some point, his vision shifted strangely. From bottom to top, it got higher and higher.

His eye level changed, and his baggy clothes were clinging to his body. Rubid felt the change and looked down at his palm.

‘Am I back to normal?’

His shrunken hands grew long again. The clothes fit snugly to the body.

It wasn’t just his feeling. He really came back to his original state.

Why all of a sudden?

Rubid, who was examining the condition, immediately recalled Rena’s words.

Rena said, if Hiems Gracia died, he would return to his original state.

‘Then..’

Was it over?

Rubid endured the ashes and smoke blowing in his eyes and tried to look around.

Then someone came out through the black ashes.

It was Rena Ruber.

“You..”

Rena was covered in black ashes all over her body, and staggered as if she was enduring something.

Unable to tell whether she was fine or injured, Rena came down the stairs.

Rena stumbled as if she were about to collapse and held something out to Rubid.

“Keep..”

It was none other than a crown. Rena pushed it to Rubid’s chest and muttered.

“..your promise.”

Rena collapsed after saying that.

When Rena fell towards him, Rubid reflexively avoided her.

Kwadang!?As Rena collapsed with a loud noise, the ashes that were flying gradually scattered. Soon the throne, which was revealed again, was empty.

Rubid looked at the empty throne, the fallen Rena Ruber, and the crown she had just given him in order.

Just before coming in here, Rena promised. She would hand over the heart of Hiems Gracia if he kept the things about her a secret.

‘Then this is..’

As Rubid looked down at the crown, there was a thud and the castle vibrated.

The castle that lost its owner began to crumble.

Rubid clenched his teeth as he looked at the falling columns and the ceiling.

He looked for a way out and saw Rena again.

Rena Ruber, covered in ashes, was completely unconscious as if she were dead.

.

.

.

An intangible power spread through the crumbling walls.

The remains of the wall splashed in all directions, creating a wide gap, and two people rolled out between them.

It was Rena, who had lost consciousness, and Rubid, who made a way by using slash.

‘This is so messed up. Why would I—!’

Rubid breathed heavily and threw Rena, whom he had been carrying around, on the ground.

He was deeply annoyed by the situation of having to take care of Rena who fainted.

The road was blocked along the way, so they were almost buried together.?Rubid, who had wanted to throw Rena away, finally came out together, muttering bluntly as he looked at the figure.

“I paid off my debt.”

After Rubid said that and was shaking the ashes off his clothes.

Kreuuuuu..

As he was about to catch his breath, he heard the low breathing sound of the beast.

“What else..!”

Rubid groaned and raised his head angrily. Then, his expression became uglier in an instant.

He was already surrounded.

Bizarre beasts with human faces and sharp horns were standing on the wall, looking down at Rena and Rubid.

‘When did these guys appear?’

Those horns, and a human face. These were the hands of the king who conquered the west, The King Who Imprisoned the Lion.

Hiems Gracia judged that there was no chance of winning as long as Rena Ruber acted as the emperor’s foreman.

So he chose. A half cannot defeat one, so he borrowed the power of another half.

Attracting Rena Ruber to feed her his ashes, and leaving the rest to The King Who Imprisoned the Lion.

This was also the arrangement of Hiems Gracia, but Rubid did not know about it.

After the shock, Rubid quickly grabbed Rena’s whip and counted the number of the dead.

“Darn it.”

All he could do was to curse.

The determined dead blocked every way out and drooled as they stared at their prey.

Among them, Rubid struggled to think. Fighting back was suicide. He had to hit a few and pull himself out.

But to do that..

Rubid looked at Rena, who had fallen at his feet, with a distorted expression.

Looking back, what the dead were looking for was Rena Ruber. Rubid did not matter to them. In addition, he had fully paid off what he owed her out of the castle. He had no intention of dying together.

But..

“Damn it all..!”

However, if he abandoned her, this strong woman might come to seek revenge.

Rubid thought so and stood in front of the fallen Rena.

The dead rushed in.

Rubid used his slash with the whip. The leg of the man who was running in front was cut off. Then the dead behind it trampled on the fallen man and rushed more fiercely.

One guy attacked Rubid.

Crack!?Rubid barely blocked the dead’s teeth with the handle of the whip. It felt dirtier when the face that owned the teeth was still human.

Rubid struggled for a while, then swung the whip that stretched on the ground with all his might. The whip fluctuated and a needle-like slash came out from the tightly engraved piece of iron.

Pababakk!?The dead collapsed in a hive, but as soon as one was removed, another came rushing in. Rubid smashed the guy in the face with the whip’s handle, turned around, and kicked it away. Then he blocked another claw with his arm.

“Hey! Wake up!”

Rubid stopped the dead and kicked the ground. Dirt splashed on Rena’s face, but Rena didn’t even budge.

“This is seriously making me crazy!”

As soon as Rubid shouted, another dead jumped and casted a shadow.

Thinking it was suddenly dark, Rubid looked up and then froze.

One of the dead with horns erected like a crown, was falling down from above, causing a huge shadow on the ground.

Rubid was already using his arms and there was no way to block another. There was no time to avoid or to escape.

Rubid thought of death without realizing it.

Ping!

At that moment, a very small sound crossed his ear. At the same time, a light breeze blew, gently shaking his sweat-drenched hair.

And then there was the sound of rain showers.

Tuk. Tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk, tuk.

It was the carcasses of the shattered dead that were pouring out with a sound.

All the dead that surrounded Rubid were cut off and fell.

Rubid stared blankly at the dead who had been swept away at once, then turned around.

Then he saw a scene where he couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality.

Eura Plenus in red. Lignan Aetherner in black. And countless knights wearing the same clothes as them.

‘Why are these bastards..’

..together?

‘Damn it.’

Rubid clicked his tongue briefly.

It’s a dream. It’s definitely a dream. Otherwise, they wouldn’t appear side by side.

While Rubid denied reality, the dead came again. And the Eastern and Northern Knights ran to face them.

The knights and the dead clashed violently.

A fierce battle had begun, but Rubid still couldn’t believe the situation in front of him.

It was the same when his exhausted body collapsed and someone supported him by the shoulder.

‘Is this real?’

Rubid looked at Eura with confused eyes.

Eura’s face was as hard as ever.

Rubid couldn’t tell if it was a look of contempt or a look of concern.

“Bastard..”

At the end of those words, Rubid collapsed.

When Eura was taking care of his spoiled little brother until the end, Lynn was running towards his fiancee.

“Rena!”

Lynn raised the fallen Rena and held her in his arms. He then checked her condition, brushing the ashes and dirt off her face.

“Rena, Rena.”

There were no injuries, but no matter how many times he called, she did not wake up.

“Retreat!”

Eura ordered the Northern Knights.

The dead wept. Blood and flesh splattered.

In the midst of that chaos, Lynn desperately embraced Rena, who was not waking up.

***

At that time, Uni and Angie were waiting for the knights who had entered the rift in the Doom Palace.

Uni was protected by the East by Lynn’s command, and by chance Angie was there.

So the two children sat next to each other, hoping that the people would return safely.

“Someone’s coming out!”

At the same time as a knight shouted, a horse broke through the rift and ran out. It was Lynn and Rena.

“My lady!”

As soon as Uni saw Rena, who was held by Lynn, she turned pale and ran away.

Angie tried to follow Uni, but stopped in the end.

‘No.’

I can’t go.

Judging the situation with his instinct, Angie struggled to stop walking. Then he looked at the fainted Rena Ruber, who was carried with the support of the knights.

It was confusing. Too much happened so suddenly. As if someone had planned it.

Angie secretly looked at the hypothesis he didn’t want to believe.

At Marquis Ruber, his father, who was standing over there.

.

.

.

About an hour ago, it was right after Rubid destroyed the Doom Palace.

Watching Rena and Rubid go into the rift, Angie secretly grabbed his aching chest.

He didn’t even imagine. He didn’t know that the dead would suddenly come pouring out, that Doom Palace would collapse like this.

‘But why did Father..’

..care so much today? As if I knew this was going to happen.

Angie pressed his pounding chest down and secretly glanced at his father. He didn’t want to believe it. But everything was telling him the facts.

His father, Marquis Ruber, created this situation.

At the same time, his father was giving orders to the knights. Several knights rode on horseback to deliver the news to the Northern Duke.

And some other knights, who were asked to do something separately, nodded and walked out of Doom Palace.

‘Is it an errand?’

Angie looked curiously at the knight as he was walking, remembering who had escaped there earlier and gasped.

‘The maid!’

Earlier, Rena Ruber’s maid ran outside. No way. Did he go to find her?

Angie’s heart pounded again.

‘No way. Why would he..’

Angie, who was trying to think positively, bit his lip again.

Uni was Rena Ruber’s only maid. She was the closest person to her.

So she was worth using. Whether to retrieve information, or taken as a hostage.

Angie quietly clenched his fists as his thoughts went so far. He then avoided his father’s eyes and ran out of the palace.

After a while, Angie came out and ran while holding back his cough.

A wheezing sound came from his throat as his breathing became tighter, but Angie endured the pain and looked for Uni.

Halfway through the garden, Angie found Uni straight away.

“Hey, let go of me! Hey, you bastard..!”

The first curse he had ever heard came from the inside of the garden.

Angie gasped for breath and ran in that direction. As he passed through the iron bars of the wall and through the bushes, he saw men carrying Uni on their shoulders.

‘Huh?’

But, unexpectedly, they were wearing blue uniforms.

Angie looked at the Southern Knights and hesitated, then Uni, who was struggling, found Angie.

“Hey!”

At Uni’s cry, the knights also looked back. Thanks to this, Angie flinched, and was forced out of the bushes.

‘Why are the Southern Knights..’

He thought there would be the Northern Knights. What happened here?

Angie hesitated, not knowing whether he was in a position to intervene. Then Uni shouted loudly.

“They’re your dad’s people!”

And Uni’s shout made Angie more embarrassed than the knights. Angie had never revealed his name or identity to Uni.

“Hurry up and stop these guys!”

Uni shouted again, and Angie, who was a little embarrassed, suddenly came to his senses.

“I am Angie Ruber. Please let her go.”

When Angie revealed his name, the knights hesitated. They looked at each other with puzzled eyes as to whether anyone recognized Angie. Then he lowered his voice and answered.

“It’s my father’s order.”

“Right, look at this! You’re all dead. I’m going to tell on you!”

Uni shouted while still being carried by one of the knights. The knights’ faces contorted at Uni’s cry, and Angie’s heart sank.

‘That fool..!’

If you threaten them like that, there is no way the knights will let you go.?Perhaps they had already decided to keep Uni’s mouth shut forever.

Moreover, now that it has come to this, it was unlikely that the knights would listen to him.

Angie, who became frustrated, was forced to venture..

“Ah, Father!”

Angie opened his eyes wide and muttered.

The knights were startled and turned their eyes to that direction, and in the gap, Angie kicked the knight’s knee with all his might and picked up Uni.