“How do you think Berna is doing right now?”
Syria asked as if watching a burning castle from across the river.
‘That woman? She’s probably losing her mind right about now.’
“What else? Look at this mess. She can’t control her troops.”
That’s proof Berna is in chaos.
Just as expected.
Right now, Berna must be losing it, trying to defend and repair the castle.
“The demons are scattered. Now’s the time. Go, Syria.”
“Hehe. Let me show you the might of my 300 bear knights.”
Syria’s adorable army of bear knights was summoned.
Hundreds of them.
Some held swords, others spears, and many wore heavy armor.
These powerful bear knights appeared in perfect formation, exuding an overwhelming presence.
“What is this? Why are there so many?”
“Did you forget? My potential!”
“Ah, that’s right. Outside the Empire, wasn’t it?”
With this many, they could easily devour the crumbling forces of Crad.
“I can handle this area alone. Lady Olivia, you should go straight inside the castle.”
“Yeah. That sounds better.”
The bear knights were each as strong as a hundred soldiers.
I could vouch for that—I’d seen them in battle myself.
Even so, Syria’s participation in battles had always been limited because of her affiliation with the Mage Tower.
The Mage Tower, while technically located within the Empire, is an independent institution.
Unless humanity faces an extreme crisis, the Mage Tower has little reason to send their future Tower Master to the battlefield.
But now, Syria’s influence must have grown enough for her to step forward like this.
We divided roles here.
I would head for the castle while Syria faced Crad’s forces outside.
Syria’s bear army began their assault on the confused demons.
The sight was laughable.
The demons were still in disarray, unable to comprehend who their enemy was.
“What… What’s happening? Huge rocks are suddenly falling on the castle!”
Those lowly fools didn’t even know what meteor strikes were.
Well, of course, they wouldn’t.
That’s normal.
They’re just the Demon King’s army, after all.
And Berna’s army, corrupted as it was, was mostly made up of ordinary soldiers turned into demons.
They’re as strong as low-tier demons, sure, but their intelligence is lacking.
‘What kind of leader would such soldiers have?’
That’s why I always wonder—’why do humans rely solely on heroes?’
“Enemy attack!”
Maybe Berna had regained control of her forces because the demons were now looking toward us.
The bear knights, who had been charging at the demons, tightened their grips on their weapons in unison.
“Bear Knight March!”
At Syria’s command, the eyes of the bear knights gleamed.
Then, at a speed that caught even the Demon King’s army off guard, they charged.
The bear knights clashed with the demons.
At first glance, it seemed like the Demon King’s army had the advantage in numbers.
Even with the meteor spell, most of the damage had been focused on the castle.
This was the main base, so it was natural for their forces to be numerous.
However, the bear knights had the upper hand in combat power.
Think about it.
‘These were teddy bears—stuffed animals adored by children.’
‘The kind that little girls want to hold tightly at night.’
‘Now imagine those teddy bears wielding swords and charging at you.’
‘The soldiers in Berna’s army, mostly former humans, couldn’t help but panic.’
‘How terrifying must it be to see stuffed animals charging with weapons?’
“What… What are those things?!”
“Why are the bears so strong?!”
While the demons held their ground to some extent, the human soldiers, utterly bewildered, were struck down by the bears and killed.
“This should be enough.”
As expected of the future Tower Master’s bears.
Coated with Syria’s mana, the bear knights mercilessly tore through the demons.
At this rate, entering the castle would be easy.
“We’re heading for the castle.”
“Understood.”
The nuns and I sprinted toward the castle.
Crash. Crack.
The castle gate was already in ruins.
This was originally a fortress, not a civilian area.
Even if there were residents, they would either be demons or human traitors who deserved death.
We entered through the shattered gate.
“Humans have invaded! Kill them!”
Ridiculous.
‘Have they forgotten they were once humans too?’
For those who forget their roots—
“Death shall be their salvation.”
Before I could finish speaking, the nuns began slaughtering the corrupted soldiers within the castle.
The fallen army crumbled easily under the assault of only a few dozen nuns.
Yes, this is how it is.
When humans resolve to grow stronger, they can fight.
There are plenty of stories about adventurers and militia fending off Demon King invasions.
Besides, With a single flick of my telekinesis, the corrupted soldiers were reduced to bloody chunks of meat.
***
“How dare you! Do you know where you are?! This is where Lady Berna resides!”
From within the corrupted army, a massive figure emerged.
Looking closer, he had no head.
“A headless knight, huh?”
A headless knight—an advanced version of a skeleton knight.
Unlike when they moved purely on murderous instinct, they now possessed a consciousness despite lacking a head.
This meant they had killed countless people to reach this point.
And—
I clenched my fist tightly.
“Die, you bastard.”
Crash!
The headless knight’s entire body was shattered and crumpled on the spot.
The massive black knight wearing a mask was crushed in an instant.
The effects of the magic tome were certainly impressive.
It made controlling mana significantly easier.
“Humans! Kill them!”
This time, black orcs appeared.
They were likely highly skilled among their kind.
“Protect the Saintess! Kill the Saintess’ enemies!”
The nuns, armed with swords, spears, maces, and other weapons, began slaughtering the demons.
Even the black orcs were no match for them.
‘Now then, what will Berna do?’
‘If that foolish woman had abandoned Crad Castle earlier, she might have stood a chance.’
‘But in the end, she stayed.’
‘Will she try to fight me?’
‘Or will she attempt to flee, even if it’s too late?’
As I pondered what Berna might be doing, I suddenly sensed an unusual energy.
“So, it’s you.”
“Huh?”
Something appeared in mid-air.
A woman with black wings spread wide.
Her cloudy eyes radiated a distinctive hatred for humanity.
She wore an old priest’s robe I had once seen at the Mausoleum.
Yes, it was her—the Fallen Saintess Berna, who had tried to kill us at the Mausoleum.
“How dare you invade the Mausoleum and interfere between me and my lord!”
Unbelievable.
She already considered Eldakrad to be a fake.
‘Does she draw lines between real and fake based on convenience?’
‘Or is it a mental issue?’
‘Probably the latter.’
“What?”
“It was you. You’re that Noah who killed the Demon King!”
‘Hmm, she’s quick to notice.’
It took her two meteor strikes to figure it out, though.
“And you, who betrayed the lord you once served, dare accuse me of anything?”
“This castle belongs to your grandfather! How could you destroy it!?”
‘What is she trying to say?’
“Why would this be my grandfather’s castle? It’s your castle. You built it.”
“The castle Eldakrad built—I destroyed it.”
“Then you built this one.”
“So this is your castle.”
“Shut up! As if you didn’t destroy it before!”
‘At this point, it didn’t matter whether I was Noah or Olivia to her.’
‘In her mind, it’s all just, “You destroyed it, so you’re bad!”’
‘I didn’t know I’d end up becoming Olivia, but destroying Crad Castle was still preferable to letting her take it.’
“You should’ve been more careful.”
“I won’t let you go. I’ll kill you. I’ll make sure to kill the descendant of the fake lord!”
This woman is beyond saving.
“That’s my line, you garbage. Because of people like you, I can’t live in peace.”
“Die!”
Whoosh!
A black spear flew toward me.
It was a spear of darkness forged from demonic energy, capable of instantly corroding and killing anyone it struck.
Of course, it wouldn’t work on me.
Instead, I grabbed the spear.
“You’ve got something wrong.”
Crack!
I broke the spear while glaring at her.
“Back then, I wasn’t in great shape, and it was your stage. But now, it’s different. By the way, how much mana do you have left?”
‘Or is it demonic energy? Either way, it’s the same thing.’
‘For her, converting mana into demonic energy was child’s play.’
“Crazy woman. Even if you underestimate me, there’s a limit. Do you really think some mere magician can handle me? Just because you can use meteor magic, do you think you’re something special? Don’t you dare act tough! I can tell the blood at your mouth is from using that meteor spell!”
‘Oh, she’s sharp.’
‘Yes, sharp but only that.’
‘Does she not realize I’m using mana fusion?’
“Take care of the lowly soldiers in the castle. I’ll handle her myself.”
[Yes, Saintess.]
Casey and the nun squad wouldn’t stand a chance against her.
After all, she’s one of the Four Heavenly Kings and very powerful.
It’s only right that I handle her alone.
The nuns scattered, leaving just Berna and me in the castle’s central area, each waiting for the other to make a move.
“You’re right. The blood at my mouth is from using meteor magic.”
She smirked as if she’d figured something out.
“Think I’ve underestimated you? Do you have any idea how much demonic energy this land overflows with? I can squeeze it out of the humans in the underground dungeon!”
She laughed maniacally, almost mockingly.
‘Wow, and this woman was once a saintess?’
‘A saintess who has completely fallen from grace.’
“What?”
‘Does that make her angry?’
“Do you lose all reason when you fall? I’m not some fool like you who can’t fight without sacrifices.”
She should’ve realized my body was in a state of mana fusion.
I had already recovered a good amount of mana.
It might not compare to the demonic energy she was absorbing, but it was better than her limited reserves.
“Mana fusion?”
“Yes, you fool.”
“I am the Great Mage Olivia.”
‘Now, should I have some fun with her?’
“Ah, how about this? Let me say it dramatically. ‘Berna, the Wicked Woman! I’ve come to avenge my grandfather!’”
As I said that, I used sword magic.
The Power of Despair.
‘Or perhaps it was no longer Eldakrad’s despair.’
‘Maybe it was Olivia’s Power of Justice.’
“Such arrogance!”
“If you think it’s arrogance, why don’t you try countering this?”
What I unleashed was a magic bullet.
The same kind I used to strike her at the Mausoleum, only bigger this time.
Boom!
One of the buildings Berna had created collapsed from the magic bullet I fired.
“What’s this? You’re completely different from before.”
“Why so surprised?”
“To face a Great Mage, you need at least this much power.”
“I told you, didn’t I? Ah, you never fought me properly when I was Noah.”
Back then, our clashes were mostly on the battlefield.
So honestly, even I wasn’t sure of her strength—whether she was strong or weak, or if she could kill me.
But against someone who defeated the Demon King, what could she possibly achieve?
“Damn you, Ashtar! I won’t let this slide!”
That’s my line.
“So, dark magic versus my magic—let’s see which is stronger.”
“Care to find out?”