Betrayal had occurred.
And the ones betraying them were none other than the most reliable allies of the Alliance so far, the Undead Legion who had brought them countless victories.
The shock of watching those fangs, whom they had cheered for as they ripped enemies apart, suddenly turn toward themselves was beyond words.
The 7th Legion’s undead turned their backs and began to attack the Alliance army, plunging the soldiers into chaos.
“D-Don’t panic, strike them down!”
The commanding necromancer crushed a Corpse Spider under his foot and shouted.
“Our numbers are overwhelmingly superior! Surround them and—!”
[Unbelievable.]
A savage voice resounded as numerous slashes tore through the air. A hand painted with crimson nail polish swept the sky.
The slashes flashed, and smooth slices of human flesh were scattered in every direction.
[Why! Why in the world?!]
A female-shaped undead, clad in black uniform, crouched down clutching her face with both hands, her expression struck with immense shock.
[Master! Master! Masteeeeer! Why would you abandon me for a mere priest…?!]
[Calm yourself, Erzebet.]
Flap!
From the skies above, ten pairs of coal-black wings spread wide. An undead in a black uniform, taking the form of a middle-aged man—Akemius—soared upward.
When he spread his wings in full, they cast a shadow so vast it blanketed the entire battlefield.
[We are the will and the sword of the Legion! A sword need not think. Uphold our lord’s command with pure devotion!]
As the ten pairs of black wings swept like a great fan, black whirlwinds surged from all sides, hurling Alliance soldiers away.
[Uoooooohhhhhhhh!]
Ku-ku-kung—!
With a roar that shook the mountain, a once pebble-sized undead suddenly towered upward. His massive frame forced Alliance soldiers to crane their necks painfully high to see him.
It was Viccrum, general of the Giant Troop.
“W-Why is it so huge?!”
[Obey! Command!]
With arms so massive they defied description, he swept the surroundings. Mountains crumbled and hundreds of soldiers were pulverized into meat all at once.
[Wow, everyone’s really fired up!]
The Zombie Troop general, Prince, chuckled as he spoke.
With fists clenched, ready to charge, he turned his head.
[You look pleased, Myurr.]
[…]
Unlike the other Ancient Undead in black uniforms, this one was cloaked head-to-toe in a crimson robe. His eyes gleamed.
[How could I not be pleased?]
With a flick of his hand, approaching necromancers had their flesh and hides ripped inside out, dying gruesomely.
[For I will soon be free. The world shall pay the price.]
[Always brooding until the very end, aren’t you.]
Thus, the entire Legion ran rampant, spewing black smoke and flames as they tore into their foes. It was as though a massive wildfire had engulfed the battlefield.
“W-What in the world is this…?”
“Get a hold of yourselves!”
Necromancers scrambled to summon familiars from subspace.
But—
“Their will…!”
The familiars were thrown into confusion, writhing in agony. Their gazes all shifted toward Richard, who held Anna in his arms.
From Richard’s body, black ripples pulsed outward. Those waves disrupted the Alliance’s summoned creatures, stripping them of their master’s control.
“Damn it! They won’t obey commands!”
The Alliance army, which had once darkened the battlefield in overwhelming numbers, now scattered, their encirclement broken by the Legion’s brutal onslaught. Even seasoned veterans of countless wars were helpless before such sudden betrayal.
The Legion Richard had forged and strengthened over the years was simply that formidable. Richard gazed impassively as the Alliance army unraveled before his own troops.
“Do you realize you’ve done something irreversible?”
Anna asked.
“Isn’t it the same for you?”
Richard smirked faintly and gestured with his chin.
The battlefield was not filled with necromancers alone. From the concealment of a barrier, a group of priests and paladins—who had been hiding to rescue Anna—now strode forth.
Their bloodshot eyes burned with betrayal and fury.
“How dare the Saint defile herself with a necromancer and disgrace the Goddess!”
“She’s no longer a Saint, but a witch! Kill the witch who insulted Goddess Dave!”
Ignoring the other necromancers nearby, they charged only at Anna, intent on her death.
For what she had done was nothing less than a denial of all the theology and history built by the Holy Federation, shaking its very foundations. To them, she was more dangerous than necromancers themselves and had to be judged immediately.
Anna’s expression hardened as they came to kill her.
“Don’t look.”
Richard covered her eyes with his arm. At once, the Legion’s undead surged like a black tide and swept away the priests. They vanished without a trace.
“Are you alright?”
“…Yes.”
Anna nodded resolutely.
“Just as you did, I too have no regrets.”
Perhaps—
From now on, forever, the two of them would be shunned by history. They would never be understood by anyone.
They could only rely on and comfort each other.
Even so, they would not regret it. They would believe in their choice and press forward.
“There’s still something I must do.”
Richard reached his hand out to her.
“Will you come with me, Anna?”
Anna smiled gently.
“Yes, Richard.”
Hand in hand, the two of them moved forward.
Above them, Feer soared into the sky, wielding the colossal Greatsword of Destruction.
[If you value your lives, open the way!]
The booming voice thundered across the battlefield.
[Nothing can stop the Legion!]
The Alliance of four kingdoms and dozens of factions was being driven back and shattered—by a single army led by one Legion Commander.
* * *
Simon and Lete watched the disaster unfold from a distance.
It was too dangerous to intervene directly, and besides, they had a more important mission.
Watching the Legion’s charge, belching thick black smoke, Simon brushed at his eyes.
“Wh—what? Don’t tell me you’re crying, Sim?”
Lete teased. Simon quickly shook his head and exhaled heavily.
In the barely visible distance…
His father and mother walked forward, relying only on each other.
At last, Simon witnessed with his own eyes the fateful event—the betrayal of the Legion—which had always been a mystery of his life.
He finally understood why he had been burdened with the trial of hiding his identity as Legion Commander, and why he had to shoulder such a heavy destiny while moving forward.
Simon could now affirm it with no shame whatsoever.
He would bear any criticism or fear.
“Those two who dared to walk the path no one else would… in the end, they brought about an era of peace.”
Lete stepped forward and spoke.
“Of course, for those who suffered directly, it is unforgivable. They deserve eternal condemnation. But the result was saving lives numbering in the thousands and tens of thousands across the continent.”
She placed a hand on Simon’s shoulder.
“So lift your head.”
“……”
“You weren’t even born yet in this era, were you?”
Simon nodded.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
For the sake of Richard and Anna.
There was still work left to be done.
* * *
Whoosh.
Tap.
Whoosh.
Tap.
An unnamed ruin.
A man draped in an old, tattered robe sat on a rock, idly tossing pebbles.
Each time the pebble left his hand, its color dimmed and darkened.
Heh-heh-heh—
Ki-hi-hi—
Sinister laughter echoed around him. The man dropped the pebble he had been toying with.
At once, a black hand appeared out of the air and snatched it away.
“Lord Bleto.”
At the call, the man raised his head.
“The Betrayal of the Legion incident you spoke of has occurred.”
“I see.”
Around the man—called Bleto—shadows of dark spirits gathered, chuckling eerily.
One of the Executioners’ members bowed low and spoke.
“…Forgive me, but may I ask a question?”
Bleto nodded his permission.
“Why did you not prevent this incident? In fact, you even leaked information to Supreme Commander Tragan so that the Betrayal of the Legion would occur earlier. Many comrades harbor doubts because of this…”
Bleto slowly looked up at the sky.
“I could not stop it.”
“…Pardon?”
“No matter how much I knew of the future, no matter how desperately I tried… some events manifested as if they were fixed fate.”
He rested his chin on his hand.
“Of course, Neftis’ underlings interfered as well, but no matter what I did, there were things that never changed.”
“Like what…?”
“The love between Yona and Anna.”
He closed his eyes.
“Can that phenomenon be explained by the simple word ‘destiny’? Even if I cast them to the farthest ends of the continent, I feared they would still meet. And in their prime, I could never defeat them outright. So I thought… If they cannot be stopped—”
He clenched, then opened his fist.
The pebble he had dropped earlier was suddenly back in his hand.
“—then I should hasten the inevitable.”
“……”
“The Betrayal of the Legion is an unstoppable natural disaster. But I also know what follows. Yona loses all of the Legion’s power, and Anna, wounded, exhausts nearly all her strength in recovery. Even so, they will come here, and with Darkness and Holiness together, they will destroy the Sealed Letter.”
Crack!
Bleto crushed the pebble in his hand.
“When they break through the encirclement, weakened, I will kill Yona and Anna and claim the Sealed Letter. Then I will deliver it to either the Federation or the Alliance. That is the best outcome.”
“But if that is your plan, why hasten the event earlier than fate required?”
Bleto dropped the pebble fragments to the ground and removed his glove.
His hand had become translucent.
“…!”
From within the robe, his eyes glinted ominously.
“I do not have much time left. This is my last chance. For the sake of the Executioners, the war must continue.”
“You seem to be having fun.”
Bleto, the man beside him, and the surrounding Executioners members immediately sprang to their feet.
Guh-huk!
Simon and Lete were approaching.
In Lete’s grasp dangled an Executioner's sentry by the collar, blood streaming down his body, while she smiled sweetly.
“As expected, you were lying in ambush in a place like this. But you’re not the only ones who know the future.”
Thud!
Lete dropped the man and drove her heel into his head, knocking him unconscious.
Simon also slowly loosened his fingers, raising Darkness around him.
“So the dogs Neftis sent have arrived.”
Bleto stepped forward, shadows of dark spirits flickering at his side. Simon’s gaze sharpened.
“You’re the one who attacked the orphanage, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
Bleto slipped his gloves back on, and a sinister Darkness surged from his body.
“Even if you’ve come this far, nothing changes. After I crush you, Yona and Anna will die all the same.”
“Well said.”
Lete smirked, unclasped the seal on her necklace, and unleashed Holiness.
Fwoooosh—!
The Saint’s power.
The authority of the stars surged around her. Golden irises blazed, a star-shaped mark shimmering within.
“Nothing will change, whether it’s us or even you. Teacher Anna and Yona will escape safely, destroy the Sealed Letter, and open the way to a new era.”
Bleto closed his eyes as if words were meaningless, then spoke coldly.
“Kill them.”
The Executioners members charged Simon and Lete. The two stood back to back.
“Leave the small fry to me. I’ll take the leader.”
“No.”
Simon shook his head. In his hand was already gripped Herseba, the general of the Mummy Legion.
“Leaving the small fry to you. The leader is mine.”
Seeing the blaze in Simon’s eyes, Lete smiled lightly.
“Well, I’ll yield this time.”
She slashed her arm downward.
From the heavens, stars rained upon the Executioners and thus began the hidden battle that would never be recorded in history.
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