Chiyoko and his team packed up their gear and prepared to leave for their mission — to defeat the newly self-proclaimed Seventh Demon King. Since the demon's territory was extremely far, they had to rely on multiple teleports followed by several hours of travel by carriage to even get close.
It would've been much easier if the Seventh Demon King's domain had been near another active kingdom, but unfortunately, it bordered the Kingdom of Armament — a land that had shut its borders years ago and completely cut off contact with the outside world. Because of that, they had to take the long route, teleporting to other nearby kingdoms first, then traveling by carriage and crossing dangerous borders. It was estimated to take at least two to three days to finally reach their destination.
While Chiyoko's team set out on their dangerous journey, Aoto was still in his private inn near the academy. His room was quiet, filled with the soft orange glow of the evening sun slipping through the window. He wasn't in any rush to go anywhere.
He tried contacting Scarlett through telepathy, but she answered that she was busy with her training and couldn't talk.
So, Aoto sat at his wooden desk, pen in hand, writing a letter to her instead. He wanted to make sure it would be sent out by night so that he'd receive her reply by morning without having to wait too long.
He sighed as he wrote, shaking his head. "What days have come… I need to write letters just to talk with my friend," he muttered to himself, half amused, half annoyed.
But just as he folded the letter neatly, his instincts suddenly screamed in alarm. A strange, heavy feeling of danger rushed through his body. His heart thumped hard.
"What's that feeling…?" he thought, quickly glancing out of the window. The street outside looked normal. There was no siren, no sound of alarm. "A monster attack? From where? Why isn't anyone warning us?"
He barely had time to think when—
BAM!
A blinding flash sliced through the room. A powerful sword wave split the floor in half, sending splinters flying. Aoto reacted purely on instinct, throwing himself sideways just in time. The blade of energy passed right through where he'd been standing, cutting deep into the floor and wall.
Before he could even catch his breath—
Wooshhh!
The shockwave from the attack blasted through the room like a storm. The force was so strong that it sent Aoto crashing out of the window. He fell hard, rolling across the dirt road and slamming into a pile of wooden crates outside another house.
He coughed, his whole body aching, and pushed himself up on trembling legs. "What the hell was that!?" he shouted in disbelief.
Around him, people were panicking and running in every direction. Chaos filled the street.
And then he saw her.
A young girl slowly floated down from the sky, her long pink twin tails bouncing lightly with each step she took in the air. Her skin was smooth and fair, but her expression was twisted — almost ecstatic, like she was enjoying every second of what she was doing.
In her hand gleamed a sword — a dark crimson blade pulsing with power.
Aoto's eyes widened in shock. "That's… the Sword of Lust…" he whispered.
The girl smirked, licking her lips slightly as if savoring the moment. It was none other than Orihime, one of the Holy Knights.
But she didn't look holy at all right now.
Without saying a word, she raised the sword high and slashed at the air.
Swoosh!
A blinding sword wave shot straight toward Aoto, tearing through the ground like lightning.
"Fuck!" he cursed, spinning on his heel and running as fast as he could. He didn't even think about fighting back — that sword wave could slice through a house in one hit.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Orihime chased after him relentlessly, sending one wave after another. Each attack smashed through walls, shattered stone, and tore the earth apart. Dust filled the air, and Aoto barely dodged every blow, sometimes by just a few inches.
"What the hell is happening!? Is she under some kind of demon spell? Or is she an imposter?" he thought frantically, his heart pounding like a drum.
But the sword… that was his. The Sword of Lust that he had lost to vesilisa. It only proved that this Orihime was real.
"Why would a Holy Knight attack me!? What's going on!?" he thought as he ran, confused.
He leapt over a fallen cart and barely avoided another explosion behind him. The shockwave burned against his back, and his ears rang from the noise.
He could feel her power — it was overwhelming. The Sword of Lust felt far more terrifying in her hands than it ever had in his.
"What did she do to it? It's way stronger than before… what kind of modification could she have done in such a short time?"
Orihime landed gracefully on a rooftop behind him, her eyes glowing faintly red.
"Let's see how long you can keep running, my dear hero."
---------
Inside the royal palace of Almeida, the grand throne room was filled with a calm, proud atmosphere. The golden walls reflected the glow of torches, and the air carried a faint scent of expensive perfume and burning incense.
The king sat lazily on his throne, dressed in a robe of deep red and gold. A small, satisfied smile curled on his lips. "The academy is finally over," he said with a pleased tone. "Hero Chiyoko will soon return, and with his deeds, our kingdom's name will shine brighter than ever."
Standing beside the throne, his eldest son, Valen Windsor, nodded firmly. "Yes, Father. I was worried that the King of Darwitz might try to marry his daughter to Chiyoko, just to pull him to their side. But thankfully, that didn't happen."
The king chuckled softly. "He might have thought about it, but even if he tried, there's no way to know if Chiyoko would ever stay loyal to him. It would've been too risky to gamble on that—especially since Darwitz already has their own summoned hero."
"Indeed," Valen agreed with a polite smile.
Just then, the large doors of the throne room opened, and a group of royal guards entered. Behind them walked a man and a woman, both dressed in white and silver armor.
The man's sharp eyes and calm posture made the guards bow their heads instantly. He was none other than Arthur, the Vice Captain of the Holy Knights. The woman beside him, Terrisa, was from one of the side branches of the same order.
After escorting them inside, the guards respectfully bowed and left the room, closing the doors behind them.
The king stood up with a welcoming smile. "Lord Arthur himself! What an honor. Did you perhaps miss your homeland and come here to take a short vacation?" he asked warmly.
Arthur didn't smile back. His tone was calm and emotionless as he replied, "No. I came to kill you both."
The room fell silent for a second.
The king's smile vanished instantly, and Valen's eyes widened in disbelief. "What—" he tried to say, but before he could even move, Arthur raised his hand.
He unsheathed his sword slowly, the blade shining faintly in the air. Then, with a single, smooth swing through empty space—
Swoosh!
In that very instant, both the king and Valen froze. Their heads slipped cleanly from their necks and fell to the floor, rolling across the red carpet as their bodies collapsed lifelessly.
Blood spread slowly across the marble tiles.
Arthur didn't even step closer. He simply watched with his usual calm face. His power to control space made it unnecessary to move at all—distance meant nothing to him. If he could see a target, he could strike it down as if standing right in front of it.
Terrisa, the female knight, stood beside him without flinching. She spoke softly, "Sir, the others have also begun their missions."
Arthur turned his cold eyes toward her. "Report."
"Miss Orihime has gone to kill the King of Darwitz and hero Aoto," she said. "Sir Thomas is heading to the King of Armament. Mr. Igris has gone to kill Queen Scarlett Nova, and Mr. Adam is dealing with the King of Gwarga."
She took a small breath before adding, "As for Queen Victoria, two members from the sub-branch have gone to handle her. They aren't from the main group, but… they should be enough."
Arthur was silent for a few seconds, his expression unreadable. Then, with a small gesture of his hand, a glowing blue portal appeared beside him, twisting the air around it.
"Good," he said quietly. "Let's go back."
Without another glance at the fallen king and prince, Arthur stepped into the portal, followed closely by Terrisa.
-----------
That same night, in the royal palace of Gwarga, the atmosphere inside the king's private chamber was filled with soft music, laughter, and the smell of wine and perfume. King Leonidas lay in his large silk-covered bed, surrounded by several beautiful women. Their giggles echoed in the golden room as the king enjoyed himself, completely lost in pleasure and pride.
But suddenly—
*Click.*
The large double doors opened slowly without a sound. A tall man with blonde hair and calm, deep blue eyes stepped inside. He wore a long white priest robe with a golden cross hanging from his neck. His presence alone made the air around him feel heavier and colder.
Leonidas stopped moving and sat up quickly, wrapping a sheet around his waist. "M-Mr. Adam? What's the meaning of this? Is there some emergency that you entered without knocking?" he asked, trying to sound confident but clearly startled.
Adam looked at him with a calm, almost gentle smile. "Yes," he said softly. "I came to deliver your punishment—for all the sins you've committed."
The king blinked, confused and nervous. "W-What are you talking about?" he stammered, his heart pounding fast. A drop of sweat rolled down his temple as he looked at Adam's expressionless face.
Adam took a few slow steps forward. "Don't worry, Your Majesty," he said in a calm voice. "If you truly haven't done anything wrong, then what's there to fear?"
As he finished speaking, a glowing symbol appeared in front of him. In his hand, a small golden scale materialized—two trays perfectly balanced, shining like divine light.
The next moment—
*BOOM!*
Leonidas's head exploded like a balloon, spraying blood across the silk sheets and golden walls.
The women around him screamed in pure terror. "Ahhhhhh!" They ran from the bed, stumbling over each other, crying, and pushing open the doors to escape the room as fast as they could.
Adam watched them leave with the same calm smile. Then he quietly said, "It seems you weren't so", innocent
---
Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Armament, the night's chaos had already reached its end.
Inside a white chamber filled with the glow of several large monitors, a man sat calmly in a high chair. The walls around him were spotless and cold, giving the room an eerie, sterile feeling.
Behind him stood several guards dressed in white futuristic armor, holding long energy weapons pointed straight at a kneeling man in the center of the room.
The man on the floor was Thomas—one of the last members of the Holy Knights. His condition was terrible. His face was bruised and swollen, his armor shattered and burned. Half of his body was scorched, the result of being electrocuted repeatedly. Despite all this, his eyes still showed a trace of pride and defiance.
The man sitting in the chair slowly turned to face him. His sharp silver eyes gleamed under the light. He looked to be around thirty-five or thirty-six, with a strong jawline and big white hair that fell neatly over his shoulders.
This man was Auren—the King of Armament.
He stood up slowly, drawing his sword from its sheath. The silver blade made a faint humming sound as it pointed directly at Thomas's neck.
"Do you know why I'm going to kill you?" Auren asked calmly, his voice deep and cold.
Thomas coughed weakly, smirking even as blood dripped from his lips. "Because I came to kill you?" he muttered.
Auren shook his head slightly, his expression emotionless. "No," he said. "I just hate the name 'Thomas.'"
Without hesitation, he drove the sword straight through Thomas's throat.
Blood sprayed across the floor as Thomas's eyes widened for a brief second before turning lifeless.