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Arrows of light rained down from the sky. The magical arrows shot by the Valkyries descended at high speed to annihilate everything on the ground.

“Ha! How pathetic!”

Lukaela twisted her lips and swung her arm toward the sky. It was a simple action, but the effect was tremendous. From the ground where she stood, white pillars erupted. They were bones as massive as thick logs.

The arms of the dead, reaching out from Hell, deflected the arrows shot by the Valkyries. Not only that, they grabbed the Valkyries hovering in the air and crushed them to death.

Lukaela didn’t stop there.

“Rise, my children… my deaths.”

At her words, grotesque beings emerged from the holes in the ground.

-!!

They were bizarre-looking demons. Creatures so vile and ugly, as if they had crawled out of a nightmare, roared as they glared at the Valkyries. They immediately spread bat-like wings from their backs and took to the air. The sight of the black shadows soaring into the sky made it seem as if the ground itself was rising.

The demons and Valkyries clashed in the sky. The sound of explosions echoed as demons fell one after another. As expected, since they were low to mid-level demons, their abilities were inferior to the Valkyries. It seemed like it took about 5 to 10 demons to take down a single Valkyrie. It was like bees fighting wasps.

Even though they weren’t Grand Magicians, each Valkyrie possessed abilities comparable to a high-level magician. With so many of them, even the Sage Myohail had no choice but to retreat. However, Lukaela’s army was steadily taking over the skies of Paradise.

“My, my. So much for the guardians of Paradise. What’s going on, little sister?”

“…What do you expect? You’re pushing with such overwhelming numbers, what can I do?”

As Michaela said, the number of demons Lukaela had summoned was far greater. Even as the Valkyries kept defeating demons, the demons’ momentum didn’t wane. Watching the Valkyries disappear into fragments of light among the demons, I couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

‘This is the power of the Lord of Hell…’

Lukaela’s power, commanding the demons and the dead of Hell, was beyond imagination. When I asked Michaela for help and sought her assistance, I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t sure if Lukaela would help me, and even if she did, whether she could stop the Valkyries’ onslaught… I wasn’t confident about any of it.

But Lukaela helped me. Just as a hero receives divine support, a Demon Lord is entitled to the support of the gods and demons of Hell. However, it’s only a qualification for receiving help, not an obligation. Like a true demon, she doesn’t just give freely; she often helps after careful calculation and consideration of benefits. Of course, there are times when she helps on a whim… But Lukaela didn’t seem like the type to help so readily. Unlike Michaela, who is capricious, Lukaela was the opposite.

So when Lukaela said she would help me, I asked her why. Was it because I, Tristan, was a descendant of demons, or because I was the brother of Jeong So-ra, the creator of this world…?

But the answer I got from Lukaela was different from what I expected.

-Because I want to meet Jeong So-ra.

-…My sister?

-Yes. I want to meet her and ask why she created us… why she created us sisters.

-……

I was speechless. It’s not uncommon for creations to ask their creator why they were made. However, it wasn’t my sister who created her, but CEO Park Joon-hyuk. Michaela and Lukaela were AI programs modeled after CEO Park Joon-hyuk’s daughters.

What would they think when they eventually found out? Would they despair? Would they feel empty? Either way, it would be a shocking truth for them. In the end, all I could do was…

-…Alright. Once everything is over, I’ll let you meet my sister.

For now, that was the best I could do.

The skies of Paradise quickly turned into chaos. The sight of demons and Valkyries entangled in battle was terrifying, and Wendy flinched. Even though her body had grown with the Hero’s Power, she was still a timid girl.

“Don’t push yourself.”

“I-I’m okay…!”

Though a bit nervous, Wendy seemed prepared for this, gripping her sword tightly. It was admirable how she tried to act brave so as not to worry me.

Meanwhile, Bella was watching the battle with a bewildered expression.

“Tristan. What exactly is going on? Why are angels and demons…?”

“They’re not angels. They’re the guardians of Paradise.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

I couldn’t completely deny it. The power the Valkyries used, like Bella’s, was imbued with the magic of light. Originally, the magic of light was a power granted by Michaela. So it’s no wonder that the Valkyries, empowered by Michaela, attacking us seemed strange.

The Valkyries are neither Michaela’s minions nor under her control. They are merely guardians of the space called Paradise. They are not divine messengers like angels, which is why they are called guardians.

And the magic of light is the purest of all magics. Its high purity originates from Paradise, the land of the gods, not from Michaela. Michaela is merely a being who can grant humans the right to use the magic of light.

Looking at it this way, Michaela is quite pitiful. Despite being an absolute god, she has no minions like Lukaela and can’t use her power outside of Paradise. If it weren’t for her connection with Bella and the Izakhel Family, her life would have been quite lonely.

Thinking this, I looked at Michaela, and she noticed my gaze.

“What? Do you have something to say?”

“…No. Nothing.”

“Michaela. Is it really okay to fight these… guardians?”

“…It doesn’t matter. They don’t listen to me or revere me anyway.”

“If Michaela says it’s okay…”

Bella looked at the skies of Paradise. Beyond the battling Valkyries and demons, where dark clouds loomed.

“But Tristan. How do we get there? It’s too high for flight magic…”

“That’s…”

“Hey! Come over here quickly!”

Just in time, Nial called us. Where she stood, skeletal dragons made of bare bones were waiting. It seemed she had prepared them amidst the chaos of fighting Valkyries. They would now be our wings.

“Come on! While Lukaela and I fight, let’s go!”

“You’re not saying we should ride these, are you?”

“Yes, I am.”

“…Tristan?”

“Yes.”

“No way! How can these fly with just bones?!”

As if understanding her words, the dragons flapped their wings slightly. Crimson flames wrapped around the bone wings, creating a gust of wind. Upon closer inspection, the flames connected the joints like ligaments. Touching them, they were warm but not hot. It seemed we could ride them comfortably.

But Bella thought differently.

“Still, I can’t ride something so weird!”

“It’s not weird.”

“It is! Hey, isn’t there anything else?”

“How about a zombie dragon?”

“Even worse!”

“Why? Aside from the rotting smell, they’re great mounts!”

“Not at all! The rotting smell alone is a huge problem!”

“Then how about this?”

Nial pointed to a winged demon. It had a human-like head, arms, and legs, but its grotesque skin and twisted face were repulsive. Could that even be considered a mount…? If you really wanted to, you could ride it, but…

Bella shook her head firmly.

“Absolutely not…”

“Wow, you’re so picky…”

“Oh~ Princess, are you scared?”

“What did you say?”

Helga approached the skeletal dragon with a confident attitude.

“Even though it’s a demon’s minion, it’s kind of cute, isn’t it?”

“Where exactly…?”

“Look. Despite being a skeleton, it even has a tongue.”

The dragon’s crimson tongue licked Helga’s hand. Seeing this, Bella seemed to relax a bit. But Nial tilted her head, looking at Helga, who was playfully touching the skeleton’s tongue.

“Um… that’s not a tongue. It’s a reproductive organ.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? It’s in the mouth, so it’s a tongue.”

“They don’t have tongues, so they have reproductive organs in their mouths instead.”

“……”

Only then did Helga look at the skeleton’s tongue, which was eagerly licking her hand. Like a demon, it was hard to distinguish from a tongue, but the sticky white fluid on her hand was clearly not saliva.

“Gross!!”

Helga smashed the dragon’s head. She must have hit it with all her strength, as the head shattered into pieces. The headless dragon turned to ash and scattered on the ground. Helga threw her gloves to the ground and burned them with lightning magic.

“Why does a skeleton have a reproductive organ?!”

“Maybe it has its uses?”

“It doesn’t! Eww!!”

Watching Helga scream in frustration, Bella shook her head.

“Ugh… So we have no choice but to ride these things, right?”

“Right.”

I was already on the dragon. Aside from the tongue being a reproductive organ, it was a decent mount. It seemed to have been tamed like a horse.

“Miss, ride behind me.”

“Blanshe?”

“I’ll take you up.”

Blanshe was also skillfully mounted on the dragon. Realizing there was no other choice, Bella reluctantly took Blanshe’s hand and climbed onto the dragon.

Seeing this, Helga, who had been keeping her distance from the dragons, made a pitiful face.

“Wait! What about me?!”

“Hmm… Maybe you can stay here and watch our backs?”

“Ugh! I don’t want to ride that disgusting thing alone! Ah! Right. Then I’ll ride behind the Count…!”

“Dragons are single-seat for men. Women can ride two at a time.”

“…That’s right.”

“Count…!”

It seemed we were barely within capacity.

“…In that case, could you wait until I finish my diet? If I slim down, I can ride with the Count…”

“Stay.”

“Count!!”

Helga looked at me with a desperate expression. But there was no other way. She would have to ride alone. However, help came from an unexpected place.

“Um… Helga.”

“Huh?”

“Would you like to ride behind me…?”

It was Wendy. Wendy had somehow already mounted the dragon. Perhaps because she had grown into an adult with the Hero’s Power, she was sitting quite steadily on the dragon.

“Ugh… Isn’t it gross?”

“Huh? I-I don’t know… It’s just like a pony…”

Wendy tapped the dragon’s neck, and it shook its body happily, like a horse. Despite its dragon-like appearance, it was no different from a pony.

“Helga. Take a cue from Wendy. She’s just a child, but look how brave she is.”

“Excuse me? Who was the one whining about not being able to ride just a moment ago?”

“Ahem…”

Somehow, we managed to share the dragons and prepared to take off. Suddenly, I realized I wasn’t nervous. I didn’t know what would happen in the skies we were heading to, but… how should I put it? Listening to their bickering conversations made it feel like just another day, not a battle ahead.

Even so, wasn’t it too lacking in tension? When I thought that, I realized it was a foolish thought as soon as I saw their faces.

‘Of course…’

I could tell just by their eyes. They were trying hard to hide their tension. Yet, they kept up their usual banter, probably to ease my nerves.

I had been tense since the moment we entered Paradise. I didn’t show it, but… not showing my emotions only proved how tense I was.

This is making me emotional…

“…Tristan. Are you touched?”

“Huh?! Really?”

The sharp-eyed Bella and Helga seemed to read my mind and giggled. Blanshe and Wendy looked at me curiously. How embarrassing…

I tried to act calm and held the reins. What could I do for them? How could I repay them? Thinking this, I opened my mouth.

“Once this is over… I’ll grant each of you one wish.”

“A wish?”

“A wish, you say?”

“Ohoho?”

“R-Really?!”

“Yes.”

Seeing their eyes sparkle, I chuckled.

“So, don’t get hurt… and make sure everyone here returns safely.”

With those final words, I soared into the sky where the fierce battle was raging.

 

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