MTM 210

“Watch out!”

As a barrage of lightning rained down toward Ruinbelt, Zed grabbed the hem of the prophet’s cloak and dove for cover. Ear-splitting explosions erupted all across the island. Countless charred black marks scarred the ground where the bolts struck. With lightning flashing and crashing down everywhere, parts of the island were engulfed in red flames.

A smile blossomed on Lukaela’s lips as she watched the dragons unleash their indiscriminate assault. Even Zed thought that with firepower of this magnitude, stopping the Demon King’s resurrection might actually be possible.

But that momentum was short-lived.

Whoosh.

A single gust of wind grazed the flying dragons. Immediately afterward, the dragons began to plummet to the ground like falling leaves.

Thud! Thump! Crash!

The earth shook each time the dragon carcasses slammed into the ground. Even though the Demon King’s body was in a incomplete state, not even the combined assault of dozens of dragons could stand against him.

“I had anticipated this, but…”

Faced with such an overwhelming disparity in power, Lukaela’s previously calm expression twisted. She quickly turned around and shouted:

“Release him at once!”

No sooner had the order been given than three demons, who had been concealing their presence, appeared. They held their hands together and began chanting an incantation in an unknown tongue. Then, amidst the ruins of the fallen castle, Walter’s body– still bound by red chains –was dragged out and brought before Lukaela.

Clang…

As Lukaela raised her hand and emitted a blue glow, the seals on the chains binding Walter’s entire body were released. Yet, before the chains could fully fall away, one of the demons stepped forward and drove a glowing red magic stone deep into the center of Walter’s chest.

“What is that?”

When Zed asked with a look of suspicion, Lukaela spoke in a reassuring tone.

“It is a control mechanism implanted to guard against any unforeseen contingencies. As long as that stone remains embedded, he cannot move of his own volition; he will obey only the commands of the demon race.”

Creak, crunch…!

Finally free from the chains, Walter unfurled the wings that had been folded against his back. With every flap of those wings– covered in white bone and a mysterious, unidentifiable substance –a heavy aura of demonic energy surged forth, heavy enough to take one’s breath away.

“Tear the Demon King’s body to shreds again before he fully awakens!”

Lukaela issued the command. Just as the monstrosity prepared to take flight and stomped its sharp claws against the ground…

“What are you doing! Get away from there at once!”

Lukaela suddenly screamed. Somehow, Rozain had appeared and was standing directly in front of Walter. One of her arms had transformed into a long, hideous tentacle.

“Rozain…?”

Upon seeing Rozain gaze at Walter with sorrowful eyes, Zed called out her name. Slowly, she turned her head toward him.

“Zed, I simply… I cannot bring myself to abandon Walter, even if this world is coming to an end.”

“What…?”

Zed asked what she meant, his eyes filled with confusion, but Rozain simply continued speaking in a calm voice.

“Walter was so fond of the two of us….”

A feeble smile appeared on her face as she reminisced about the past, but her expression soon hardened with resolve.

“But… Zed, as you must have guessed, all he ever wanted was to become strong. So, just as he helped us achieve what we desired, I want to ensure that he achieves what he desires.”

Only then did Zed realize why Rozain had followed Walter to Ruinbelt, even at the cost of her own arm. She simply could not turn her back on a comrade left all alone. He recalled her compassionate nature, always looking out for her fellow members.

Zed shook his head.

“No, Rozain! You don’t have to do this. This is Walter’s choice. You don’t need to shoulder all the responsibility…!”

His words were filled with sincerity. He felt a pang of guilt for having been so consumed by thoughts of Harto that he had failed to truly consider her perspective or engage in a proper conversation.

He did not want to lose Rozain to such a futile and tragic end.

“…I’m sorry, Zed.”

That was her last farewell. Rozain swung her long tentacle and swatted away the demons attempting to close in on her; with her free hand, she unhesitatingly tore out the red stone that had been embedded deep within Walter’s chest.

“No! It’s going to explode!”

One of the demons screamed. As the stone controlling Walter shattered, the potent energy trapped within triggered a massive explosion.

“Rozain!!”

Zed reached out toward her, but Rozain’s body had already been pulverized within the storm of demonic energy.

“No!!”

At the same moment, Lukaela screamed in despair. Her face ​Read on​drained of all color as she clutched her hair and shouted at Zed.

“Without that stone, he can’t be controlled! He’ll break free from our command!”

“What? That’s not what you said before!”

There was no time for shock. As Zed immediately challenged her, Lukaela spoke urgently, her face a mask of shock and fear.

“That stone’s power was the only thing forcibly binding his shattered will! He could communicate perfectly at first, but as time passed, he couldn’t keep up with the speed at which the elixir was proliferating inside his body and he was completely consumed!”

“Consumed…?”

Could it be? Did Magnus’s flesh corrupt even Walter’s mind? Zed clenched his jaw.

“If you knew that he’d been consumed, why did you believe he could stand against the Demon King? Why on earth did you do something so reckless…!”

When Zed demanded an explanation– unable to fathom how the demons’ plan could be so sloppy and ill-conceived –Lukaela turned to him with a pale face.

“It may not have been perfect, but we believed we could do it. After all, didn’t you believe you could save him, someone who was otherwise destined to die?”

“…….”

Zed was momentarily speechless. Lukaela was trying to equate his actions with the demons’ scheme, but to Read on him, they were worlds apart. The Walter he knew had long since vanished, and even Rozain– who had tried to save him –had disappeared right before his eyes. In the end, both of them had simply been used by the demons.

“Stop him! Embed the stone! Bind him again, whatever it takes!”

Veins bulged in her neck as she shouted.

At her command, the surviving demons unleashed a chain-based seal against Walter. Yet one of the demons was gruesomely torn apart by a single kick in the blink of an eye.

“Aaaargh!”

Before the scream could even fade, another demon cast an offensive spell, but it proved useless. He also lost his life in an instant without managing a single proper counterattack.

“Impossible… This… this makes no sense…”

Lukaela froze in place. Her face turned deathly pale with unfamiliar terror.

When Walter had first come to Ruinbelt of his own accord, he had been nothing more than a vessel they could control. Yet, the demonic energy and destructive power he radiated– unrestrained by any control mechanism –were already beyond imagination.

The last hope they had painstakingly built up over the last three hundred years to prepare for the Demon King’s resurrection, was turning into a disaster that threatened to strangle them all.

“Lukaela! Just hand the stone over to me!”

Aware that the situation was taking a dire [unauthorized copy]turn, Zed shouted at the stunned Lukaela and was just about to reach out his hand.

Rumble…

But the entire island began to quake, and deep blue demonic energy spewed forth from the fissures in the earth. It was a concentration of demonic energy more overwhelming than anything they had ever experienced. As the toxic aura touched his body, mottled spots appeared on the back of Zed’s hand– the very same symptoms Gerard had shown after being exposed to demonic energy.

“Damn it…”

While such exposure wouldn’t deal a critical blow to Zed– whose body overflowed with holy power –it was a different story for Harto, who had only just received a new heart. Shielding Harto from the demonic energy, Zed adjusted his grip on his body and moved to find a place of safety.

Thud!

However, Walter, who had broken free from the stone’s control and was slaughtering the demons, landed right in front of Zed with his wings spread wide.

“…!”

With his escape route suddenly cut off, Zed held Harto tight and hurriedly erected a defensive barrier. Engaging in a battle while protecting the unconscious Harto would be no easy task, but there was nowhere left to run. Zed braced himself for Walter’s impending attack.

“…?”

Yet, for some reason, Walter did not immediately launch an attack. Instead, his clear gaze landed on Zed from within the protective barrier.

Soon after, the monster exhaled a long, ragged breath and produced a guttural sound.

“A… res….”

“……!”

The voice struck Zed’s ears. The name Walter had called out was none other than Zed’s real name.