A crimson tempest blows fiercely toward everyone.
Startled by its intensity, the Primordial Transcendents hastily retreated, putting distance between themselves and Arandel.
No matter how formidable the Primordial Transcendents were, they lacked the confidence to confront Arandel Helmut head-on.
"How absurd."
Strength, speed, endurance—
In every aspect, he held the advantage.
No matter how powerful Helmut was, he was still human. Compared to them, who had reached the pinnacle of transcendence, his physical abilities were bound to fall short.
And yet, Arandel was like a wounded beast.
Despite his weakened state, the crimson energy he exuded seemed endless, and when their swords clashed, they saw no possibility of victory.
"Lord, allow us to assist you!"
"Knights of Helmut! Raise your swords—!"
Naturally, Helmut's knights prepared to join the battle, standing ready to protect Arandel.
"Step aside."
But Arandel rejected them outright.
"You'll only get in the way."
At his words, the knights hesitated, their steps faltering.
For knights, it was a disgraceful situation.
To be told that their mere presence was a hindrance to their own lord's strength.
"As you command."
Yet, the knights of Helmut withdrew without hesitation.
If their lord had deemed it necessary, then so be it.
They were neither in a position nor at a level to question his judgment. They could only follow blindly.
And so, there was only one thing left for them to do.
"Move out! Escort the non-combatants and direct descendants to safety!"
A middle-aged knight raised his greatsword high, pointing toward the exit.
The screams, the chaos, and the smoke rising into the sky told them all they needed to know.
The nearby villages had been attacked.
The retreating Transcendents only spared a brief glance at the escaping Helmut knights.
They made no move to stop them, nor did they give chase.
Because their priority was clear—Arandel was the only target that mattered.
"Father—!"
"Young Master, we must go!"
Edel, the youngest, reached out toward Arandel with teary eyes, but Jonathan scooped him up and ran toward the exit.
Outside the mansion, the situation was no better.
The lesser Transcendents, deemed unfit to aid in Arandel's subjugation, along with the beasts they commanded, had begun a massacre in the nearby villages.
The knights of Helmut immediately drew their greatswords and engaged them in battle.
"Khk! Kek!"
"...?"
Amidst the carnage, Jonathan let out an involuntary chuckle.
He bit his lip hard in an attempt to suppress it.
But in the end, he couldn't contain it.
He pulled out a handkerchief and tied it around his mouth like a gag.
"W-What are you doing?"
Edel looked at him in shock.
"Mmmph."
Jonathan, already with the handkerchief secured, couldn't answer.
He simply gestured for Edel to stay close behind him.
***
The Royal Palace's guest chamber.
Seated within, under the guise of both protection and surveillance, was the Grand Master.
She remained silent as she watched the chaos unfold in Evergard from her window.
Despite the princess's trust, she was still under watch.
If she acted carelessly, she might give rise to unnecessary misunderstandings.
"They're there anyway. It should be fine."
Not only were Isaac and Silverna present, but even Helmut's direct descendants were in Evergard.
There was no need for concern. She simply had to wait patiently until the chaos settled.
Creak.
The locked door opens smoothly. The man who enters wears a light smile, almost like a thief, but it's a technique the Grand Master herself taught him to induce the opponent's carelessness.
"Damien? I told you to wait at the Stone Mountain, did I not?"
Damien.
Her disciple, who had remained with her at the Stone Mountain.
Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, he smiled.
"Master, you were gone for too long. I got worried. I didn't expect to find you in the royal palace."
"Hmm, how did you know I was here?"
The Grand Master crossed her arms.
Sensing the displeasure in her tone, Damien carefully answered.
"Our benefactors informed me. They said I should go see you."
"...."
Just then, a blue mana ripple flickered beside Damien.
At that moment, blue mana begins to shimmer beside Damien. It takes on a human form—a method they use to communicate.
Consciousness Form
The consciousness was here, but the body was somewhere outside, its location unknown.
It was a highly unique yet independent means of communication.
- I'm surprised.
The faceless man, who had appeared as a consciousness form, let out a chuckle, but the atmosphere was far from pleasant.
If anything, it was closer to ridicule.
- We asked you to persuade the man who broke Helmut's sword, but instead, you've become the princess's dog.
"You should be careful with your words."
The Grandmaster, arms crossed, bared her teeth.
"I am in a very foul mood—"
- ...
"This is partly your fault."
- Are you saying you betrayed us for a reason?
"Your tone is irritating. I simply sought help from someone else because you were too slow in fulfilling your promise to help me find my friends, despite our agreement."
- …We're searching for them too.
"Then, did you know that the man you speak of, the one who defeated Helmut's sword, is a disciple of my fellow comrade?"
The faceless man remained silent.
In response, the Grandmaster let out a mocking laugh.
"Incompetent."
- So, is this how you're cutting ties with us?
"Well, do I really need you anymore?"
The Grand Master shrugged.
The faceless man smiled and spoke.
- Very well, it's for the best. We've also changed our patron.
"Hmm?"
- From today onward, the world will belong to the Transcendents. Our 'patrons' have decided to support them.
"You speak of betrayal, yet you are the ones betraying your own kind."
- It's for survival. Shouldn't we preserve the human race?
"By becoming livestock? An interesting perspective."
- You've already experienced it, haven't you? How was it? Care to give some advice?
The Grandmaster fell silent.
However, the raw, unfiltered killing intent radiating from her entire being was unlike anything ever seen before.
- You'll see. Today, the kingdom's sword will be broken. And before long, the Transcendents will begin their full-scale operation.
The kingdom's sword?
Arandel Helmut?
The Grandmaster's eyes widened slightly.
The mention of targeting Arandel caused a moment of hesitation, but she quickly regained her composure and issued a warning to the fading consciousness of the faceless man.
"Never appear before me again. If you do, you will die."
- I'll keep that in mind.
With that, the faceless man disappeared.
As the Grandmaster let out a sigh and shook her head, her disciple, Damien, cautiously asked.
"M-Master… If Arandel dies, won't that immediately start a war?"
After all, Arandel was the one the Transcendents feared.
However, the Grandmaster shook her head.
"I have already crossed blades with Arandel. He is not someone who will die so easily."
"I-Is that so?"
"I have never seen a warrior of his caliber before."
Feeling the urge to smoke, the Grandmaster smacked her lips before turning her gaze back to the window.
"The decision between life and death rests solely in Arandel's hands."
***
As the sun slowly began to set, the sound of galloping hooves echoed near Helmut.
The villagers trembled in fear, but upon seeing the riders, they let out sighs of relief.
"Ah! Lady Liana!"
"O-Oh, you've returned!"
"Lady Liana has come back!"
Two days had passed since the Everguard terror incident.
Due to the damage to the royal carriage and Pegasus, they had no choice but to ride horses to reach this place.
The horses, having been pushed to their limits, looked visibly exhausted.
But in the end, they had arrived.
Following Liana, Isaac and Silverna entered.
Behind them, Princess Clarice and her guards followed.
Their expressions, of course, were grim.
The number of knights in Helmut had noticeably dwindled.
The townspeople, wandering through the ruins like desperate scavengers, looked to be in poor condition.
Even after two days, the corpses had not yet been fully cleared, a testament to how fierce the Transcendents' assault had been.
"Y-You're here, my lady!"
"Sister!"
Edel, who had been leading the village's restoration efforts, ran up to them in tears.
After dismounting from her horse, Liana hugged the youngest and cautiously asked,
"What happened?"
"T-Two days ago… the Transcendents came."
Two days ago.
It coincided exactly with the Evergard terror attack.
As expected, their true objective had been Helmut all along.
"There were five of them, the primal Transcendents. But Father faced them alone—"
What Edel recounted next was astonishing.
A battle that lasted for an entire day and a half.
Thunderous explosions, like lightning strikes, had continued ceaselessly, only stopping a few hours before their arrival.
"…The sky is still red."
Isaac, who had been listening from behind, muttered under his breath.
The sky beyond the dark clouds was tinged with red, a testament to how much crimson aura had been unleashed.
The mana in the air was thick.
It was proof of the brutal, relentless battle that had taken place.
There was no sign of Armin, the second son.
Liana wanted to know what had happened to him, but for now, Arandel took priority.
Without delay, they passed through the village and headed straight for the mansion.
"Please, Arandel… Please…"
Behind them, Princess Clarice's face had turned deathly pale.
Her desperate muttering resembled a prayer, filled with earnest hope.
"The kingdom still needs you."
The moment Arandel was gone, the Transcendents would undoubtedly launch a full-scale assault.
Yet, there was no successor prepared to take his place.
Praying for Arandel's victory, the reinforcements finally arrived at the mansion's entrance.
In truth—
Hadn't the outcome already been decided?
That was what Isaac thought as they approached the mansion.
'If the Transcendents had won…'
Then the village below would not have remained unscathed.
It would have been reduced to ruins, and they would have been greeted by corpses instead.
That was why Isaac was convinced of Arandel's victory.
It was hard to believe that he had single-handedly killed five of the Primordial Transcendents.
However—
The moment they reached the ruins that could no longer be called a mansion, Isaac had no choice but to believe it.
Helmut's pride, the Rose Garden, was gone.
The roses in the garden had all been uprooted by the battle's aftermath, leaving only fallen petals covering the ground.
And among those petals—
The Transcendents lay buried.
Countless Transcendents were sprawled lifelessly on the ground, all of them having met gruesome ends.
And—
Underneath the dark clouds that loomed like a veil over the sky,
A man awaited them all.
Atop the ruins.
Arandel Helmut, who had been sitting silently, slowly turned his eyes toward those who had come.
"Lord Arandel! You're safe!"
Clarice's face lit up with joy as she called out, but Isaac raised an arm to stop her.
"Isaac?"
"…"
He didn't want to believe it.
No, it was more accurate to say he couldn't believe it.
"F-father?"
Liana also sensed the ominous atmosphere and voiced her confusion.
But Arandel gave no response.
He had not died.
He had not crumbled.
He had neither broken nor been defeated.
He simply sat there.
As if waiting for the next battlefield.
Seated among the scattered rose petals, his presence exuded a terror that went beyond mere intimidation.
"I've been waiting."
Murmuring in a low voice, Arandel reached for his greatsword once more.
"I-Isaac… that's—"
Silverna's pupils trembled as she recognized something eerily familiar.
Isaac, too, had no idea how things had come to this.
But he feared they were witnessing the worst possible outcome.
But it had already happened.
"Get ready."
Clenching his lips, he placed his hands on the twin blades at his waist.
Arandel's blood-red eyes had turned pitch black.
It was the mark of subjugation.