Inside the military restaurant of the Lumerious Kingdom's main barracks, the group of five were finally gathered together.
Mira suddenly slammed her hands on the table, startling everyone as she announced something serious.
"I heard… the 'one' the High Demon kept mentioning… is actually the demon named Zephyros."
Everyone froze. No one wanted to believe it.
Lyra frowned, speaking slowly.
"So… the 'grand feast' he talked about was actually a sacrifice offered to Lord Zephyros, a name among the Seven Primordial Demon Lords, the embodiment of arrogance."
A shiver ran down Aria's spine.
"The Seven Primordial Demon Lords… that's power recorded only in ancient holy scriptures, from when the world was still newly born. How could a being like that even appear…"
Soren slammed the table, anger rising in his voice.
"If the High Demon was only a subordinate, then just how terrifying is the being above him? What are we supposed to do now?"
Kyran fell silent for a moment.
"There's only one thing we can do: get stronger. No matter what it takes… we have to be able to destroy it."
Soren sighed heavily.
"But… even someone at the Saint Rank like Master Killan couldn't kill the High Demon. How are novices like us supposed to fight a Primordial Demon Lord?"
The air turned heavy with anxiety.
Until Mira suddenly smiled, her voice bright enough to sweep away the gloom.
"Come on now, don't be sad. Whatever it is, we'll figure it out eventually. Let's stay positive, okay?"
Then she tilted her head curiously.
"Oh, right. Kyran, what missions were you all assigned? Tell me!"
Kyran and Soren were assigned to escort the emissary who would bring tribute to the Kumeroa Empire. Lyra was tasked with assisting the medics and healing the victims from the recent attack. Aria, meanwhile, was assigned as a guard for the same emissary group.
Mira clapped her hands.
"So that means Aria, Kyran, and Soren will be traveling together!"
The three glanced at each other, then burst out laughing.
"Oh yeah! Hahaha!"
Their conversation ended on a light note, and everyone returned to their duties.
Night fell.
The sky was swallowed by a dried-blood red.
In the deepest, darkest corner of the barracks, a thick metallic stench filled the air humid, warm, and suffocating.
The sound of dripping echoed clearly in the silence.
Drip… drip… drip…
That dreadful rhythm blended with someone's ragged breathing.
Under the crimson moonlight, a body lay collapsed on the ground, blood spreading into a wide pool. What remained were nothing but scraps of flesh, gnawed apart until only bone remained.
Next to the corpse stood a tall, thin shadow. His shoulders trembled with pleasure. Long fangs gleamed under the red moon, dripping with blood.
A guard standing atop a monument turned back, and froze as he witnessed the horrifying scene.
His face drained of color, and he screamed, voice shattering the night.
"S-someone! There's… there's a monster here!!"
The creature stained with blood at the mouth twisted into a crooked grin.
"A new prey for me…"
Then it began to laugh, its voice echoing through the stillness.
"How wonderful… how perfect… hahahaha… let me taste your flesh next."
And then the night sank back into silence.
By morning, the tragic news spread through the entire barracks.
A soldier had been found torn cleanly in half, his flesh eaten down to the bone.
"This is terrible… it's that thing again, isn't it?"
The rumor spread quickly beyond the Kumeroa border, shaking even the surrounding nations. Among them…
"What!? Is that true? After sixteen years, the demon has appeared again?"
"No… how long are we supposed to suffer like this?"
"Calm down. That happened in Kumeroa, not in our kingdom."
"What are you saying, Goronto? The High Demon's forces appeared here in Lumerious just two weeks ago. A young warrior dealt with it back then, and we were lucky nothing serious happened. All of that was thanks to Lord Lucien descending to shield us."
The moment the name Lucien was spoken, the entire Lumerious high council folded their hands in prayer.
To them, Lumerious was a holy land protected by the greatest of the Twelve Guardian Deities.
He was the Archangel Guardian of Salvation….
Lucien Valtherion, the embodiment of divine light and the savior of souls.
A high priest spoke solemnly,
"We must construct a powerful barrier to prevent the demon from crossing into our land. But to achieve this… we must perform a special ritual."
Silence fell.
Rituals of divine protection always carried heavy prices, sometimes catastrophic ones.
At the Lumerious capital, inside the main base of Division Two…
Camesis Angolas, Count Angolas, the Fourth Holy Knight of the national order of the Seven Great Holy Knights stood tall before his assembled troops.
His voice rang out, powerful and commanding after twenty years of battle experience.
"Warriors! Today, we escort the emissary to the Kumeroa Empire. You have surely heard of the soldier who was devoured by a demon. I understand fear is creeping into your hearts… but never forget.
We are warriors of Lumerious! And a warrior… never bows before fear. Is that clear!?"
"Yes, COMMANDER!!"
Their chorus roared with fiery energy.
Moments later, the convoy set off.
The journey from Lumerious to the Kumeroa border stretched over a hundred kilometers, taking anywhere from three to six days. Mountains, steep ridges, forests thick with demonic beasts, they had to cross them all.
Three days passed.
The soldiers made camp, lit fires, and formed small groups. The emissary and high-ranking figures rested separately, while the younger soldiers gathered together.
Kyran and Soren sat in a duo. Nearby, a red-haired female warrior stood alone, not part of any group.
Kyran noticed and approached her.
"Good evening, Sharian. Would you like to join us? I just thought... "
"All right."
Her quick reply made Kyran blink.
"Huh?"
"What? Didn't you just invite me?"
"Ah, yes, right. Yes."
And so the three formed a small group. They shared rations around the campfire, chatting casually.
Soren opened the conversation.
"I watched you fight during the selection trials, Sharian. You were impressive. But being stuck with those other weaklings… must've been irritating, right?"
"Irritating? They drove me insane. I still don't know why I agreed to join that pathetic team."
Kyran laughed awkwardly, trying to ease the tension.
"Come on now, don't be upset. What matters is that you're strong enough to be here. That's all that counts."
Sharian let out a reluctant nod, though annoyance still lingered in her eyes.
After a moment, her expression shifted to something more serious. She seized the opportunity to ask the question that had bothered her for so long.
"Kyran, let me ask you something. During the fight with the High Demon… I saw a bright golden radiance engulfing that demon completely. Was that… your magic?"
Kyran stiffened.
He clenched his fists, about to speak, but Soren cut in.
"Of course that was Kyran's! He was the only one fighting it head-on. Even though Everen and Master Killan were nearby, but…"
Soren paused.
A distant look flickered across his eyes.
"Wait… I was protecting Mira at the time, so I saw something else. Someone was standing far away at the top of a tower. Someone with wide, radiant wings… shining with blinding light."
Both Kyran and Sharian turned towards him in shock.
"What did you say!? Did you see their face?"
"Soren, are you sure?"
Soren nodded, voice trembling.
"I saw it clearly… he looked happy when Kyran attacked, but furious when Kyran collapsed. I saw… I saw... ahhhh!!"
A brutal, piercing pain crashed through his skull.
Soren screamed, clutching his head as if an invisible force was punishing him for revealing forbidden knowledge.
He was dragged to the healers and barely stabilized.
Panting, trembling, he whispered,
"Kyran… I don't think I'm allowed to talk about it. Every time I try, the pain tears my head apart."
The three fell silent.
Sharian spoke quietly, deep in thought.
"If that's the case… then his memories were likely sealed by that individual. But from what you described, I can make a guess. In ancient Holy Scripture… golden radiance is the symbol of Lucien Valtherion."
Soren's eyes widened.
"Valtherion… are you saying the Archangel Guardian Lucien was the one who saved us?"