The neatly split mist lost its form and flowed downward.

It looked as though blood were gushing from a magical beast cut clean in half.

"So that’s where you were hiding."

Tesetan spoke quietly as his sword energy began to pulse once more.

His gaze was fixed on Astie, who had emerged through the mist.

He shifted his grip on the sword and took his stance again.

Valentis tensed his legs, preparing to dash forward.

Interfering in someone else’s duel was forbidden.

But he could not allow Tesetan to harm Astie.

KAGAGAN—!

However, before Valentis could move—

Tesetan’s gathered strike in midair scattered into nothing.

Something entered Valentis’s field of vision.

Above Astie’s head.

A summoned being hovered there, having neutralized Tesetan’s attack.

[Now!]

The moment Lucarion shouted, a sharp vortex swept across the barrier surrounding Tie.

Her cloak flapped wildly, covering and revealing the child’s face in turns.

At Astie’s feet, black energy began to stir.

It instantly spread across the ruins, then in a single moment seeped into the ground.

KUGUGUGUGU—

The earth trembled, chunks of soil rising into the air.

An army appeared—one only the King of the Dead could summon: the dead.

But their appearance differed from what the rumors described.

A flicker of tension passed through Tesetan’s eyes.

'Is it because we’re in ruins?'

The first skeleton that entered his view held a strange object in one hand.

Likely an artifact that had lain buried in the ruins for a thousand years.

A staff—a magical tool that activated ancient spells.

BANG! BANG—!

The moment the skeleton swung the staff, a mass of mana shot toward Tesetan.

At the same time, the entire skeleton army rushed at him.

Tesetan continued to swing his sword.

His strikes stretched into blade-like arcs, and dozens of skeletons shattered.

But it was useless.

KUGUGUGUGU—

The skeletons that sank into the ground reformed and rose again.

BANG! KWAGWAN—!

From the sky, massive fireballs rained down without pause.

Among the skeletons, those holding staffs were mages.

Moreover, their magic was quite advanced.

Most were elemental spells, but their execution was so refined that finding an opening was extremely difficult.

Meanwhile—

Tie, suppressing the roaring mana coursing through her entire body, clasped her hands.

Breathing was difficult, as if she were standing in boiling water, enduring it by force.

But it still wasn’t enough.

Standing inside Lucarion’s barrier, Tie watched her papa moving at incredible speed.

It was true—he was the strongest in this world.

Papa was truly strong.

Stronger than Uncle Basto. Stronger than Brother Bale.

No—stronger than all of them combined.

Tie increased her mana even further.

And let the surging power move as it pleased.

As if it had been waiting for that, the mana poured downward like a waterfall.

It felt as though she were standing above the drain of a massive, overflowing bath.

The ground trembled as it absorbed the mana overflowing from Tie.

Ghosts began to gather in the sky.

[Enemy.]

[Protect the master.]

[Execute the order.]

Their murmuring rang in her ears.

Their coldness spread rapidly, freezing everything around them.

'Papa...'

Tie trembled, her body tensed as she prayed.

Her eyes were fixed on Tesetan, not wanting to miss even a single movement.

But there was not a trace of confusion on Tesetan’s face.

"More interesting than the rumors."

With a single strike, he swept away a skeleton charging at him and swung his sword in a wide arc.

Golden holy energy gathered into the shape of a ring, then exploded in the next instant.

KWAG—!

Fragments shot outward like spikes, striking several skeletons in front of Tie.

Bones shattered into pieces and crashed to the ground.

The staffs they held met the same fate.

Tie felt the number of voices from beneath the ground decrease.

That strike had been serious.

It meant the bone companions likely wouldn’t be able to restore their bodies.

[This won’t do.]

Pupu muttered beside her.

In human form, he stared at Tesetan with displeasure.

He rose into the air and addressed Lucarion, who was maintaining the barrier.

[Lizard. Did you see his strikes? There’s a gap.]

Crimson mist coiled around his tall figure, fluttering like a cloak.

[The problem is that the sword energy is stronger than the blade itself.]

Pupu extended both hands forward.

Above his palms, a crimson sphere gathered, forming into a massive vortex.

[After every strike, his sword enters a brief state of silence. Probably to recover.]

Pupu’s gaze sharpened.

[I’ll seal him in subspace again.]

He looked at Lucarion with arrogance.

[And you—when he comes out of my subspace and his sword enters that state, strike immediately.]

After a moment’s thought, Lucarion nodded.

Pupu did not delay.

He immediately unfolded subspace in the form of a net and cast it over Tesetan.

Seeing the massive vortex descending on him, Tesetan flinched for a moment.

But only for a moment.

He focused and opened his inner perception again.

Then he swung his sword fluidly and, without much difficulty, split the subspace apart.

But he missed one thing.

"...!"

Beyond the subspace, now cut in two—

something appeared that he had not noticed.

Strange clusters of light, like arrows on a battlefield, rained down.

"Squad Leader—! Dodge!"

Tesetan’s eyes widened.

Behind the attack, he saw the source of the light—a dark figure.

A creature resembling a legendary young dragon—it was a summoned being of the King of the Dead.

The very one that had been deflecting all his attacks since the beginning of the duel.

'And this is the power of a summoned creature?'

A laugh escaped him.

Even he could not deny it—the King of the Dead was strong.

And his summoned beings possessed destructive power far beyond expectations.

Those mysterious beams of light could tear Tesetan apart.

Most likely, they would deal a fatal blow.

Tesetan twisted his body, narrowly evading the barrage.

But it wasn’t enough.

The final beam struck his shoulder.

"Ugh...!"

Suppressing a groan, Tesetan rolled heavily across the ground.

Blood poured from the shoulder he clutched.

The pain felt as though his arm had been severed.

His vision darkened.

He bit the inside of his cheek and lifted his head.

Then, with a crooked smile, he forced out:

"This... is nothing."

Enduring pain was second nature to him.

So familiar that it had become as natural as breathing.

The problem was elsewhere.

Even after such an attack, the King of the Dead’s summoned creature still had strength left—it was preparing a second strike.

Tesetan gathered holy energy into his shoulder to stop the bleeding and thought:

'I can dodge it again this time.'

At least partially.

But the rest would still hit him.

'...Not ideal.'

He was already injured.

If he took more damage, the bleeding would worsen.

On top of that, he had already used more strength ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) than planned.

In the end, there was only one path left.

Tesetan’s jaw tightened.

'A frontal breakthrough again.'

A battle on the edge of survival, where everything depended on how much his will could endure.

In his sight stood the lone King of the Dead. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

From the beginning of the battle, he had not moved from his spot.

Even for the strongest necromancer, casting such magic was a burden—he stood with his eyes tightly closed.

Tesetan decided.

'There’s no helping it.'

He would avoid the summoned creature’s attack as much as possible.

The rest he would take in non-vital areas.

Even if his left arm became useless, as long as he preserved his right—

he could still hold his sword.

And then, even a monster like the King of the Dead would eventually reach his limit.

There was no retreat in this duel.

If the King of the Dead was left alive, Tregava would fall.

And he would not allow Tregava to fall—even at the cost of his own life.

The summoned creature’s attack launched.

At the same moment, the King of the Dead opened his eyes.

Tesetan did not look away.

He wanted to show him—

how he had survived until now.

How stubborn and relentless he could be.

What he was willing to do to live—even the dirtiest and most pathetic things.

But then something happened that he had never expected.

"...No!"

The King of the Dead cried out in panic, seeing his own summoned creature’s attack.

"Lucarion! Stop!"

And in that very moment, the attack flying toward Tesetan froze midair.