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A trail as thick as a human torso had been carved into the ground from his undignified fall. He lay there, gazing up at the night sky, while the white knight, bearing a heavy burden, looked down at his foe with an unwavering gaze.

As a vampire count boasting top-tier skills even among demons, Tzepesh took pride in his abilities. The notion of failing to perceive an enemy\'s movement was beneath contempt.

Then why?

The moment he calmly questioned himself, he realized the answer.

Ah, he had mistaken shock for contemplation. Admitting he\'d rather not think about it, he raised his guard to unprecedented levels against the foe before him.

Tzepesh whirled around. Behind him, the mindless masses still scrambled about, desperately searching for the black-haired, black-eyed boy and the gray-haired girl.

With a cold, calculating mind, he devised his best course of action.

Whoosh!

Tzepesh took flight, his cloak billowing like wings. There was no time to aim for a specific target. He could only unleash a barrage of wide-ranging attacks to effectively pin down his opponent.

"Behold, holy knight!"

From his outstretched, dark wings emerged the form of a monstrous bird.

The vampiric beast, the Death Bat. It was an apex predator among the demon realm\'s monsters, known to travel in swarms.

"If you don\'t stop them, they\'ll slaughter everyone!"

Flap!

Screech, screech!

As eerie cries filled the air, the horde of monsters was unleashed upon the human world. Without hesitation, Harte leapt in front of the crowd seeking escape.

In that moment.

Harte\'s emotionless eyes flashed with deadly intent. His ashen longsword reflected that gaze as it sliced through the moonlight.

Slash! Swoosh!

Pure swordsmanship, devoid of divine power or magic. The fruits of his training blossomed like a thousand cherry blossoms scattered in the wind, tearing the beasts to shreds with countless, dazzling sword strikes.

"Say that again."

Harte kicked off the ground. In a flash, he closed the distance to a straight line. Tzepesh found himself at the convergence point of Harte\'s strikes.

"Who\'s going to be slaughtered?"

"Kugh!"

Tzepesh desperately thrust out his sharp talons.

But it was a foolish move. A fatal mistake born of underestimating his opponent\'s capabilities.

Harte instantly altered the trajectory of his downward-plunging sword, cleaving off Tzepesh\'s forearm at the root of his talons.

"Gahk...! You...?!"

Tzepesh was indeed an experienced demon. He blocked his opponent\'s hand with his remaining arm, then threatened Harte, who had him mounted, with both wings.

Cra-cra-crack!

"If you won\'t let go... I\'ll at least take you with me!"

An assault from a subspace requiring no preparation.

Jet-black needles, as if carved from shadows themselves, rained down in droves. Each was a potentially fatal long-range attack. Yet Harte, ignoring all damage, clenched his fist with his free hand.

"So what?"

The moment that emotionless question echoed emptily, Harte\'s fist exploded into action.

Wham!

The ground around them cratered and warped from the impact. For the first time, Harte had struck at a living being with his full strength and conviction. The shockwave was so immense that it drew the attention of those searching for Glen and Echo to the battlefield.

"Impossible..."

Tzepesh muttered, his jaw shattered and twisted.

The jet-black needles embedded in Harte\'s body began to extract themselves. Then, as if time were rewinding, new flesh sprouted over his wounds. Harte\'s body was regenerating perfectly.

Tzepesh\'s onslaught never stopped for a moment. The merciless hail of needles continued even now. But Harte\'s self-healing ability far outpaced Tzepesh\'s concentrated fire.

"You... You...! You used divine power, how dare you...!!!"

"... Ah."

Harte deduced something amusing from Tzepesh\'s words.

"So the demon realm isn\'t much different from here. Even the Demon King\'s closest aides haven\'t truly witnessed divine power."

"... What?"

Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam!

The barrage continued even as Tzepesh spoke. Harte, stoically enduring the concentrated fire, explained nonchalantly.

"This is merely a characteristic of those who possess a baptismal name. It\'s not divine power, but a biological function. Just as we naturally walk upright..."

"You... monster...!"

Swoosh!

His cloak moved as if it had gained sentience. It melted into the ground, spreading around Tzepesh like a shadow.

Shoop!

Tzepesh\'s body sank into the floor. It was as if a deep pond had suddenly appeared in the solid ground.

The shadow moved of its own accord, creating a short distance before Tzepesh emerged from it once more, taking flight.

"Cough!"

Tzepesh coughed up blood painfully.

There was no time for pride. He had lost this fight from the moment he failed to recognize the gap between them.

If the monster\'s terrifying healing ability was a mere biological function, then he had his own biological functions too. Something he had that the other lacked. That was the mobility to freely glide through the air.

No matter how monstrous the other might be, he wouldn\'t be able to follow once Tzepesh reached a sufficient altitude.

"The Fragment and Baskhill\'s bloodline were right before me...!"

That was more regrettable than losing an arm.

But losing his life would end everything. As he coldly calculated his priorities, Harte\'s death sentence reached his ears.

"In the name of the Lord God and the Holy Spirit—"

"What...?!"

For a split second, Tzepesh hesitated. He desperately strained his ears towards the ground, his eyes wide open to their limits. As Harte\'s holy words were completed, Tzepesh\'s face turned deathly pale.

"...... Chains of light!!!"

"You, you bastard...!!! You\'re really crossing the line!!!"

Tzepesh roared in fury.

With no other way to capture his prey, he resorted to divine power? How could one be so ignorant? Unless he truly wished for the world\'s annihilation...!

Tzepesh lost his will to fight.

He only realized something was wrong after slowly lowering his head.

\'... Huh?\'

Nothing... was happening.

Not only was there no manifestation of divine power, but even the chains of light implied by the incantation showed no signs of appearing.

Only then did Tzepesh understand.

"You tricked me, you bastard...!?"

"I told you, didn\'t I?"

Harte, having gathered sufficient strength to leap during the bought time, signaled the end of the battle as he brandished his ashen blade.

"That I\'d expose your ugly nature."

The Demon King\'s closest aide.

A vampire count had chosen a disgraceful escape. He had abandoned all his advantageous positions and set foot on the path of decline by his own choice.

"Uwaaaaaaaah!"

Harte\'s sword cleaved through Tzepesh\'s death throes. It was a clean, straight slash from shoulder to waist.

Slash!

Harte\'s face was reflected in Tzepesh\'s vacant eyes.

It was the final memory etched into the mind of a man marking the end of a long era.

Until his corpse turned to dust and scattered, Tzepesh\'s mouth continued to move.

\'Ah... My Lord... You must wait...\'

Until this human withers and returns to the earth... the mission... for now...

...

......

Harte coldly gazed at the spot where Tzepesh had vanished without a trace. Though Tzepesh\'s night had ended, the capital\'s night had yet to reach its conclusion.

\'Glen and that child called the Fragment...\'

At least they hadn\'t been caught by anyone. Because Glen was now capable enough to move his feet properly.

Harte shifted his feet, trusting his family.

---

---

Living up to that trust, Glen was showcasing the fruits of his training while carrying Echo on his back.

Though still a young boy, Glen had long since surpassed the level where an ordinary person with no martial arts training could catch him. Yet Glen\'s feet showed no signs of stopping.

"Haa... Haa..."

"Gahk..."

Behind Glen, who was breathing heavily, a vampire who had been Tzepesh\'s subordinate gave chase.

The vampire was also panting heavily. He was already near death from Harte\'s single strike. Yet somehow, he clung to consciousness enough to pursue a child.

Objectively speaking, he was in such poor condition that he had to chase after children he\'d once called brats with all his might.

"Glen, are you alright?!"

"Haa... Huff... Of course...! We\'re almost at the Duke\'s mansion. If the Duke is there, he\'ll take care of a demon like that in an instant...!"

Glen spoke hopefully to reassure Echo. And to some extent, it was an undeniable truth.

But reality trampled Glen\'s hopes in two ways.

First, Cardi Luminel was currently closer to the Imperial Palace than his mansion, overseeing the capital\'s defenses. Second, Glen\'s depleted concentration, separate from his physical stamina, finally caused a mishap.

Thump!

Just as the Duke\'s mansion\'s entrance came into view, Glen\'s foot caught on a particularly prominent bump in the ground.

His body was already at its limit. He lacked the strength to maintain his balance and the energy to correct his posture.

Thus, Echo\'s shrill cry was inevitable.

"Ugh!"

"Kyaa!"

Echo\'s mind raced, her nerves on edge. It wasn\'t difficult to grasp Glen\'s situation.

So Echo groped along the ground, searching for Glen\'s location.

"Huff... Huff... Finally caught you, you brats. At least I can save some face before the late master."

"Ah...!"

Glen squeezed his eyes shut.

He felt pathetic for ending up in this state despite Harte buying them as much time as he could. It was time to abandon all hope.

Just as that sense of despair was about to envelop Glen, it happened.

\'Director...!\'

Despair fled from Glen\'s mind. The words he had shyly left with Harte suddenly invaded his thoughts.

[Everything the Duke can do, you\'ll be able to do too.]

[If that happens... will I be able to help others like you do, Director? Just like how you saved me.]

He instinctively realized.

This was the moment to become the person he had longed to be.

This was the pivotal moment that would determine whether he could fulfill that vague desire from back then...!

"Echo!"

Slam!

Glen pushed off the ground, wringing out every last ounce of his strength. He ran with all his might over the short distance, his face contorted and ugly.

It felt as if time had stopped.

Feeling a modest sense of omnipotence, Glen embraced Echo. Then, sensing his muscles tearing, he moved his legs incessantly.

"Where do you think you\'re going!"

The pursuer shouted.

The vampire\'s cloak, which had almost lost all function, transformed from a plane into a line, extending its length. Reshaping itself like a whip, the cloak finally caught Glen\'s ankle.

"Ah...!"

For an instant, Echo gasped at a strange sense of floating.

Glen, sensing the future, had thrown Echo with all his might towards the main gate of the Duke\'s mansion.

"I\'m sorry... Echo."

He bid farewell in the slowly flowing time.

This would do.

At least he had managed to protect one person with the tricks he\'d learned from the Duke.

Perhaps even the Director he admired would praise him for this.

Just as Glen tightly closed his eyes, it happened.

In the sluggish world, the sound of clicking footsteps rang out.

Those footsteps, noble and haughty.

Yet somehow familiar.

Glen\'s back, about to fall. The sensation of his clothes being roughly crumpled at that spot overwhelmed him.

"If you\'re going to save someone, take responsibility and do it perfectly."

Clang-! Snap.

What he heard was the sound of metal scraping the ground, and the cloak snapping helplessly.

But what truly captured Glen\'s consciousness was...

"Vice Director!?"

It was none other than Elphisia\'s voice.

"Hmph."

Whoosh!

Elphisia, gripping the back of Glen\'s crumpled clothes, mercilessly threw him with one hand.

Naturally, the place she threw him was the main gate of the Duke\'s mansion.

The spot just before Echo was about to hit the ground.

Amidst the chaotic situation, Glen reorganized his thoughts and established what he needed to do.

"Echo!"

He stretched out both arms.

Somehow, he had to catch Echo, who had already fallen to knee height.

Bending his knees, lowering his posture, he took responsibility for his choice.

The result of that responsibility was...

Thud!

"Ow!"

"Ugh..."

Clumsily... but successfully achieved.

In the end, Glen managed to protect Echo by using his own body as a cushion. Thanks to this, the two who now had zero distance between them exchanged body heat.

One was hot, the other cold.

But Glen and Echo had no time to feel embarrassed about it.

"Echo... you...?"

Echo opened her eyes. The impact of the collision hadn\'t completely disappeared, so her eyelids flew open in surprise.

"Glen...!"

Her golden eyes, shimmering brilliantly, fully captured Glen. To Glen, it seemed as if bright full moons were nestled in Echo\'s eyes.

Certainly, Glen was astonished by Echo\'s eyes, which he was seeing for the first time, but it was nothing compared to the wonder Echo felt.

"Beautiful..."

Echo murmured unconsciously.

She had never seen such a beautiful form of a heart before. Echo\'s consciousness was captivated by this exquisite sight she was witnessing for the first time in her life.

The cool night breeze at midnight. The gentleness emanating from his voice. The warmth of his body from carrying her. All of these elements, intricately woven together, formed the beautifully sculpted work that was his heart in Echo\'s perception.

She had always assumed life was like a barren wasteland. Like parched, cracked earth, withering away and languishing. That\'s how Echo had predicted her fate.

But now, a small, precious sprout had grown in that wasteland.

From a life that had been like a barren land, greenery had sprouted, and she gave it a name.

It was her first love.