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The situation at the third defensive line was far from favorable. With the enemy’s all-out offensive now enveloping the north and south beyond the east, holding the line was no easy task.

Even if the cannons spat flames and spears soaked in blood tirelessly, the enemy’s morale remained unbroken. As we struggled against their assaults and were forced to retreat to the last defensive line, a new wind began to blow across the battlefield.

An explosion erupted from beyond, and soon enough, what I thought would yield to the enemy’s incursions – the third defensive line – was not merely engaged in defense anymore. It began to switch to an offensive posture and counterattack against the enemy.

“Just as I thought.”

Just as I was doing, the pixie-like creatures also became exponentially stronger the moment the constraints placed upon them by the spirits were lifted.

Especially the forest guardians, trained primarily for combat, were wreaking havoc in the enemy ranks, taking down much larger and more threatening foes than regular soldiers one after another.

Particularly the spirits that Edelin commanded were pushing the enemies back with an astounding force, rampaging to reclaim the breached defensive line.

‘The spirit realm is only descended for about 30 minutes.’

However, thirty minutes is hardly a long time in a chaotic situation like this.

Dodging enemy attacks and trying to retaliate, thirty minutes would pass in the blink of an eye.

If the time we had to mount any counterattack was only thirty minutes—

‘It’s impossible to break the will of those forces and seize the momentum in such a short time.’

Ignoring the assaults of countless spirits, the poisonous demon was inching closer to the World Tree along with its elite guard.

As long as those damned demons remained, the fiendish cultists and their remnants would continue to hurl themselves at us, recklessly throwing their lives away.

Even if we managed to hold off the World Tree and were left with nothing but wounds, it was clear that lifting any semblance of victory was impossible.

If there was something to consider—

“Is it because there are no monsters flying in from the skies?”

For some reason, unlike those I faced in the past dungeons, the absence of winged demons or monsters made this defense slightly easier.

“Why is that?”

As I pondered with a scrunched face, Shione gently nodded her head and spoke.

“It’s because demons and their ilk aren’t permitted wings.”

“Excuse me?”

“It was a passage I saw when I was merely reading books in the family library. Demons are not granted wings; only those demons who have mastered magic can walk in the skies.”

…What does it even mean that they are not granted wings?

Then what were those winged pests I encountered earlier that plagued us so much?

Noticing my expression remained troubled, Edelin resumed with a slight smile, having fully regained her color, thanks to the restorative effect of her medicinal herbs.

“The reason those who come from hell cannot have wings… Precisely, they’ve already lost to the angels worshipped by the church in a significant battle.”

“A war against angels?”

“Yes, it was an ancient tale only passed down to children, far removed from our times… The people of this era likely won’t understand the reasons behind it.”

“So if the demons want to reclaim their wings, it’s possible?”

“Indeed, that ‘possible’ is accurate. If there comes a day when they reclaim their wings—”

Edelin’s eyes shone sharply.

“That day will likely be when the demons ultimately conquer our Great Forest and finally prevail in the war against the angels.”

…Ah, I see.

If what this High Elf said was true, then the winged demons I saw in the dungeon were likely the ones opposing us after the world’s end, following their victory in the war against the angels.

Although I grasped the reason behind hell’s denizens losing their wings due to a single defeat, there was no time to delve deeper into this topic now.

“However, they will never reclaim their wings.”

Edelin half-turned to glance at the fierce fighting in the east.

“Because today we shall stop those vile invaders.”

Edelin summoned half of the spirits that had been wreaking havoc on the battlefield, taking up a new combat formation. Now, not by the World Tree, but charging outward, ready to trample any foes at any moment.

Just then, a nearby guardsman rushed out and reported.

“The demon that looks to be the leader is crossing the third defensive line and heading for the fourth! We tried to stop it, but the resistance from nearby elite demons is too fierce!”

The unfortunate truth was that the damned first demon had already breached the third defensive line.

It seemed he had brought his guard with him, seamlessly approaching while spilling poison uncontested.

“I’ll handle the elite guard somehow; heroes, prepare for the final stand.”

The voice slipped through the air lightly, yet its weight felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Edelin made her way to the fifth defensive line set right in front of the World Tree. Perhaps she intended to stop the elite guard from getting further.

Why was she not personally slaying the demons when she had the power to halt the elite guard? I had tried to explain this with the absolute flow of fate, but as we neared the crisis, my frustrations only grew.

“…The magic is making my skin tingle. Ray, get ready.”

“Is Your Highness feeling unwell?”

“Yeah… to say it’s not a lie would be an understatement.”

Shione forced a smile.

Still, that smile wasn’t born of despair.

“Just in case, you’ll be carrying me away if it comes to that, right?”

“If we have to flee, it might be a bit embarrassing; are you okay with that?”

“Hmm?”

“Princess… I mean, if you’re going to be a prince, I’ll have to carry you all the way.”

“…Can’t you just carry me instead?”

“I’ll consider it.”

Carrying a princess… or a prince, as this situation demanded, ultimately had Shione letting out a small chuckle before her stiff expression relaxed yet again.

I held her gaze and let out a small laugh while gripping the spear I had brought tightly.

“Now, I’ll prepare.”

Before long, that damned poisonous demon had come right in front of us. The last defensive line was turning into chaos, and the aftermath of the war began to seep into our senses.

The sounds of magical explosions, screams, and the roars of monsters filled the tumultuous moment, as even the last defensive line crumbled.

‘Edelin must be busy stopping those elite guards and controlling the first demon.’

Given the movements of the hundreds of spirits, it was conceivable. Edelin was fulfilling every role she could possibly manage.

Even though the aftermath had allowed monsters to surge through the breached defensive line.

I called upon my spirits.

“Tania, Elvis. Clear out every single thing that crosses over from that working defensive line. Can you do that?”

“Of course. Sinwoo, do you have any idea how we operate in the spirit realm?”

Tania spoke confidently.

“Even cowardly Elvis sometimes tries to act tough around me!”

“Oh, sis!”

“Hey, who are you calling ‘sis’ in the first place? Want to get in trouble?”

“Seriously…!”

I shook my head, smiling at their antics.

“Please do.”

“Trust us, it’s easy for us!”

“I don’t want to get hurt… But if Dad wants it, I’ll do my best.”

The two spirits took off.

They charged toward the monsters that were madly dashing for the World Tree.

Amidst that scene, fierce flames and winds began to swirl.

Whoosh—!!!

The tempest that tore through the enemies bore them down, while the miraculous flames of the spirits selectively scorched the flesh and bone of the foes.

The spirits, possessing a wealth of combat experience, trampled over the enemies effortlessly once their constraints were lifted.

As I was gathering mana while holding my spear—

Boom—!!!

With a deafening roar, the familiar face of someone emerged through the last defensive line.

‘Edelin…?’

Edelin, who had been flung out and tumbled over multiple times on the ground, was rising again with blood on her lips.

And from the breached defensive line, the demon that had long harbored revenge finally revealed itself.

“…You’ve arrived.”

How could I possibly forget the face of that first demon, that damned being?

A grotesquely melted face resembling that of a black goat. Its muscular human body, perfectly sculpted like a statue, and yet covered in the skin and fur of animals.

The demon, boasting enormous horns larger than any other, immediately caught my eye.

I readied my spear, pulling out an item from a small leather pouch I had strapped to my waist.

“I’m glad I didn’t use this.”

What I had taken was the ultimate spirit stone, which Edelin had secure to help Elvis meet me again.

Would it contribute to a permanent enhancement of my physical capabilities? Or would it grant me a surge of immense mana akin to a momentary doping substance?

As I stood at the crossroads of this choice, I chose to save the spirit stone.

The method to absorb the spirit stone was to crush it in my mouth, using my willpower. This solid gem would crumble to yield its power.

Without hesitation, I bit into the spirit stone.

“……!”

The surge of mana—soon, massive mana began converging into my heart.

With a potent rush, I started to channel mana into the spear.

“Guh…!”

As the spear continued to soak up mana like a monster, I could feel an overwhelming pressure akin to a weight of an elephant pressing down upon me.

The presence emitted from the spear oppressed everything around it. Truly, it could be called a legendary spear without any question.

“Ugh…!”

It became so hard to utter even a single word as tremendous power was concentrated on the spear.

—Orna, help me refine my energy.

“Myaang!”

Communicating with the spirit, I pushed myself to the limit and solely aimed for one moment when that demon would lower its guard against the mad presence of my spear.

Since Edelin had risen, blood spilling as she cast spells to bind the demon’s movement at that moment.

“……!”

I hurled the spear.

Radiant white, the spear shimmered and sliced through the air like a snowstorm.

Everything in its trajectory turned to dust and vanished, as the spear, imbued with monstrous force, was shot straight toward the demon’s heart.

No matter how commanding the demon was, even one of their kind, it wouldn’t be easy to withstand such an attack.

The fierce assault flew straight and soon drew incredibly close to the demon, whose eyes were opened wide, now stained with blood as a result of Edelin’s binding spells.

“Phaah—!”

Only then did it close its bleary eyes, releasing breath it couldn’t before even under the crushing pressure.

At last, I caught a glimpse of the demon’s figure spinning wildly in my hazy vision.

“Ah.”

It was laughing.

Gripping the shaft of the spear I had thrown.

 

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