Temiran McClair’s blood-red eyes cautiously observed the radiant Holy Sword aimed at him.
Meanwhile, his mind was racing to find the best way to resolve the current situation.
‘Okay, I’ve bought some time… but what now?’
Suddenly appeared the champion of the Holy Church Order, the knight of light, Heinrich Saint Landgard.
His presence, having burst into Temiran’s inner world, “Beyond Twilight,” was an immense variable.
Just his mere appearance made it impossible for Temiran to extricate himself entirely from this situation.
‘Ugh, this is annoying. Everything was going so well…’
Caught by Heinrich’s piercing gaze that seemed about to pierce him, Temiran’s eyes twitched.
The opponent’s momentum was relentless, testing for any openings.
In response, Temiran twisted the flow around him, threatening the girl collapsed behind him.
As a result, the approaching intensity dwindled and retreated slightly, but soon began to circle around again, looking for opportunities.
“Hoo— persistent, aren’t you?”
“Tsk, I should be the one saying that.”
Right now, the presence of the girl knocked out behind him was preventing the opponent from recklessly rushing in, but prolonging this standoff would not benefit him at all.
Being a divine apostle banished to the Abyss, he was essentially in enemy territory.
‘I managed to reclaim this inner world somehow… but the situation inside has likely been revealed to the outside. There’s no guarantee that something that’s been broken once can’t be broken again.’
If that old Great Mage hadn’t been in the way from the start, or if the High Elf’s intervention had just been a tad later, he would have secured his goal and left without a hitch.
A series of coincidences had ensnared him, and before he knew it, the situation was spiraling into disaster.
…No, he already knew.
The current predicament was not merely a result of chance; it was a catastrophe brought about by his god completely losing control over the causality they had maintained until now.
‘Every scheme I’ve initiated has failed, so it’s natural for me to suffer consequences.’
From the Undead King’s emergence, the surge of madness, to the machinations of the revolutionaries.
There was no way such large-scale calamities wouldn’t come at a cost.
Not to mention, he had to conspire while trapped in the Abyss, which only exacerbated his burden.
And yet, most of the aggressive bets he placed had failed spectacularly.
It was like pouring every last cent he had into a business plan, only to see it all go up in smoke.
The fact that the still-unprepared Temiran had gone into action earlier than scheduled was all due to that.
He had been trying to ensure the remaining arrangements would succeed and find a way to reverse his fortunes, but…
Looking at the current situation, it seemed that too was doomed.
“…Thinking about it just makes me mad, doesn’t it? In the end, I’m being left to clean up the mess while someone else reaps the benefits? Ugh, what the heck am I doing slogging through this for glory and wealth?”
“That sounds like an agreement, Temiran McClair. Wouldn’t it be easier and better for both of us if we just surrendered here?”
“Tsk, I’d like to, but…”
The youthful boy, mouth watering at Heinrich’s words.
But unfortunately, he wasn’t in a position to act freely.
He was, after all, bound by a slave contract, forced to stick with a sinking ship he knew was going down.
Temiran scratched his head and grumbled.
“What’s to be done? If you ask, I’ll do. In truth, you and I are in a similar plight…”
But he couldn’t finish his sentence, stopping short.
His gaze fell to his feet.
‘Wait, a shadow…?’
He noticed that slight unease purely by chance.
From a glance, it didn’t seem particularly out of place, just a subtly off angle.
However, following his instinct, he immediately moved his body.
And just then.
———!
An explosion beyond audible range erupted.
A sudden event that came without any preparation time, as if it had cut straight to the chase.
Kugugung—!
Then came the sound of air being torn apart, followed by a raging gale.
“…Such a waste. You have good instincts.”
And from the epicenter of that storm.
A chillingly calm voice emerged.
Ttubuk ttubuk—
Amidst the chaos, the clear sound of shoes echoed as a man, who didn’t seem to belong there, walked slowly, his long coat fluttering in the wind.
With an expression that suggested he was completely unbothered, he wiped the blood from the tips of his fingers.
His crimson eyes shifted to a corner where dust rose.
In the opposite arm, he lightly cradled the unconscious girl.
“Uncle—!”
Aaron, who had tightly embraced his grandmother and Rafi, clenched his eyes shut against the sudden gust, but upon seeing the man, his face lit up as he shouted.
The long-anticipated savior had appeared to rescue his sister, how could he not be overjoyed?
Certainly, he was grateful to the saint who had helped him in a moment of crisis, but from the boy’s standpoint, it was even more exciting that Heinz had arrived.
“…What the hell? When did you get in here?”
At that moment, a low growl resonated where Heinz’s gaze focused.
As the dust began to settle, the small-framed Temiran revealed himself, covered in dirt.
Blood dripped steadily from one of his arms.
“I didn’t sense anyone’s intrusion. But how… and this…”
His eyes landed on the wound on his arm.
It wasn’t a serious injury, but what mattered was that he had suffered unexpectedly from a surprise attack.
And curiously, the wound was not regenerating at all.
No, it was as if some sort of venom had infiltrated him, causing the cells around the wound to slowly start necrosing.
Puhaak—!
Temiran tore at the injury with his own hands, trying to incinerate it, and furrowed his brow.
‘…This isn’t poison. It’s a struggle for dominance between different bloodsuckers.’
Blood containing hostile thoughts had infiltrated his body.
Yet, even though he had grasped the situation, it was still inexplicable.
That battlefield was supposed to be his home turf, and his defenders were by no means weak.
How could he be reduced to such a state, unable to do anything against just a few drops of the enemy’s blood injected into him?
“What the hell did you do?!”
He didn’t understand, but this phenomenon wasn’t so strange.
The blood of Heinz II had undergone immense mutation over time, making it the ultimate evolution in efficiency.
It was only natural that, against a typical immune system reliant solely on the individual’s level, he would become an overwhelming monster.
“Who knows?”
Of course, Heinz II had no intention of answering.
He merely smirked arrogantly while cleaning his hands, now free of blood, and lightly swept back his shining black hair.
“Right now, that isn’t really important, is it?”
With the provocation came a hint of mockery.
Temiran, who had been frowning, flinched at those words.
Then, hurriedly, he reached out towards the side and once again leaped away.
Kwaaaang—!
A dazzling beam of light suddenly unfurled, swelling like a beautiful platinum wave.
At long last, freed from all constraints, the radiant pulses devoured space without hesitation, like a beast unleashed.
Temiran gritted his teeth, barely managing to block the attack, his one hand charred black.
“Cough! A sneak attack! This saint is incredibly petty…!”
“Hmm? What a surprisingly new reaction. That’s an oddly comfortable thing for a hostage-taker to say.”
But Heinrich merely chuckled in response.
While both were keenly aware of each other, someone making careless moves during this standoff was clearly at fault.
…Though, to be fair, he was the one who had induced such a situation in the first place.
“More importantly, haven’t we talked enough so far, Temiran McClair? If you still have something to say, I’ll be more than happy to listen.”
With wings of light unfurled and draped in a sacred aura, the silver-haired beauty wore a gentle smile.
“Of course, there will be some necessary procedures first. Let’s cooperate so that we can talk in a more comfortable and safe environment. Can you do that?”
“…Ha, haha, damn it.”
The flow had completely flipped.
Temiran desperately searched for a way out, but the two left him with no openings whatsoever.
‘Taking hostages again…’
It was impossible to capture the originally targeted girl.
Because that ‘Bloodsucker King’ was protecting her directly.
He could feel that the rumors were not exaggerated thanks to his recent encounters.
He could also tell that he was facing an opponent with whom he was practically incompatible.
If the saint Heinrich was the natural nemesis of spearmen, Heinz was a peer and an apex predator of the same ilk.
Having been thrust into the world before fully completing his role as an apostle, he had no choice but to exist within the bounds of his race; thus, Heinz, being pureblood and the supreme of all “bloods,” was an uncomfortable opponent.
‘Other humans… Tch, I can’t do anything because of that High Elf.’
Lydia had long since gathered the injured Great Mage and the civilians caught in the fray, mobilizing the spirits to set up tight defenses.
Instead of joining forces to face the enemy with the saint, she devoted all her energy to minimizing civilian casualties, trusting him completely.
In such a situation, if he rashly charged in, he would likely find himself in even more peril.
‘There’s no choice. At this rate, it’s hopeless. Even accounting for losses, I must prioritize making my escape.’
If he had known, he would have acted immediately when the saint appeared!
If he had acted sooner, he could have gotten out even faster, but he had been greedy! Now was the time to act.
Kurururung—
With his resolve, the inner world “Beyond Twilight” began to tremble noisily.
This space was just a small world shaped and constructed by his thoughts and existence.
It wasn’t merely a barrier to block space; it had other uses as well.
‘Of course, using it like this is more detrimental than beneficial. But at this point, I can’t worry about that.’
Kwaukwang! Bang!
The world began to draw its weapons against those within, as if aiming to eliminate them in accordance with his will.
The ground quaked violently and fissures opened up, with lava spewing forth.
The air became toxic, lightning flowed like a waterfall, and deadly radiation erupted from the earth.
An extreme environment that a normal person wouldn’t last in even for a split second.
“Stop this nonsense!”
With Heinrich’s shout, his wings spread wide.
In an instant, the sacred sanctuary expanded outward to protect those inside.
Although the space itself had begun to collapse as energy surged uncontrollably, it was still possible to endure under such protection.
And that was all Temiran had hoped for.
‘Now I’ve tied up the saint’s movements. What’s left…’
He probably wouldn’t last long.
Eventually, when all the energy was depleted, this space, burning with its last light, would crumble.
But at that moment, he couldn’t afford to lament about such things.
“I can hear your scheming up to here.”
“Ha, what can I say? That’s what I learned from watching you!”
The Bloodsucker King Heinz blocked his advance.
As a vampire, he sensed it instinctively.
His opponent was literally his nemesis— there was no way to win directly against such an opponent.
‘But in this situation where the entire inner world is going berserk, avoiding the fight and focusing solely on escaping…’
That was not entirely impossible.
Moreover, if his opponent was burdened with a load…
“Farewell! Let’s hope we never meet again!”
In that fleeting moment, he took a chance and managed to slip out of the inner world.
He quickly locked the door behind him, so they wouldn’t catch up easily.
That brief interval was enough for him to completely evade his enemies through the Abyssal rifts.
‘But it wasn’t all for nothing. Now that I’ve seen the child with the fragments, tracking them won’t be as difficult as before. This time the situation has changed, but they can’t keep her under wraps forever.’
Having lifted the veil of causality once, there would be plenty of opportunities to create more chances.
Temiran hastily rationalized himself and moved to change his position the moment he stepped away.
Guwwuuung—
An unidentified pressure enveloped him, causing his body to freeze momentarily.
“…What the hell is this?”
His gaze was drawn upward, following the flow of energy.
There, he was greeted by a massive magic circle enveloping the sky over Tarak.
“Finally, it’s out.”
In the center of that magic circle— looking up at Temiran was Isea, who had been waiting for the signal and was now gazing down with a faint smile.
While any magician could display miracles that exceeded their abilities if given enough time and resources, she was a special case in that regard.
“It’s been so long since I prepared magic so leisurely and comfortably.”
Her Unique Skill, “Infinite Power,” allowed her to multiply the energy she could wield to near infinity.
But that ‘energy’ didn’t merely consist of mana, the fuel for spell casting.
Guugugung—
It was also a resource needed to construct magic circles, including mental strength that could not be precisely quantified, as well as cognitive and computational abilities.
As long as she became aware of and acknowledged those, they could all be excellent ‘energy sources’ for her use.
‘Well, I only recently became able to do so myself.’
It wasn’t easy to perceive such abstract concepts in clear metrics.
Yet she had grown through all the trials she had faced.
The fact that she had gained strength just before facing the Undead King was tremendous news.
Isea gazed down with eyes sparkling at the imminent threat anticipated by the saint.
She could not afford to miss such variables here.
Guugugung—
The vast magic circle she had carefully constructed spun intricately like a clock’s mechanism.
And then—.
[“Stop.”]
At the incantation of the newly transcended mage, time within that spot froze.
It was just a fleeting moment, but it was enough time for the predator who had hurriedly escaped the inner world to seize the scapegoat by the neck.
