Arriving underground following the heart, I found that monsters were constantly jumping out of the ‘Black Fountain’.
It was only then that I realized why the Imperial Palace was covered with low-level demons.
“Eos.”
Dun—
Immediately I uttered a spell and put a thick ice barrier around the Black Fountain.
Badump, badump.
Then, the heartbeat grew even stronger.
‘Where is it? Where are you hiding, Johann’s heart piece.’
I focused all my attention on my hearing.
However, it was difficult to find the exact location because it was ringing through the entire basement.
‘You’re resonating with Johann.’
Because it was his only remaining humanity, a part of his fragile body…
Badump, badump, badump.
The sound of my heart pounded in my ear, as if seducing.
My pulse was beating equally wildly as if assimilating with it.
I struggled to catch my breath… With a sharp gaze, I looked for a place to hide underground.
Right then.
“!”
The earth’s axis shook violently, and the whole underground vibrated as if it was about to collapse. My body wobbled like a piece of boat on the waves.
Tutu-tuk-! Broken stones fell from the ceiling, and a marble statue was torn in half.
‘…I don’t have much time.’
I intuitively realized.
That a monster that couldn’t be handled had appeared on earth right now.
I nervously squeezed my trembling hands.
At this moment, the fate of too many people was in my hands.
I felt weighed down by that enormous responsibility.
My chest was burning, my heart was shriveling, and I was choking on my breath.
At that moment, Rixus’s voice rang in my ear.
“I’m not dying.”
Recalling that confident voice, I slowly opened my eyes.
No… Rixus, no.
‘It’s not that you won’t die.’
‘I will never, ever, let you die.’
The strong will burned like a flame, holding onto my shaking heart and supporting me.
Then I felt the black magic flowing like a wave from my hand.
“!”
The power of Toulouse.
‘Ah, this is…!’
This was the power of Johann that I intuitively noticed right before he emitted the black light from the battlefield.
It was clear that the power was flowing through my body, even slightly.
Tutu-tuk, tu-tuk—
I slowly closed my eyes as the temple began to crumble.
Like someone who sat in the ‘eye of the storm’ and meditated in silence amid a raging storm.
I focused all my attention on this power.
Badump, badump… kung, kung kung!
As if in response to that power, the heart beat even more intensely.
Bang, one part of the basement collapsed and there was a roar.
I crushed my lips so hard that blood gushed out of it.
I could feel the power of Toulouse flowing through my body and resonating with my heart.
After a while…
Something from the ‘Black Fountain’ came to mind.
“!”
I widened my eyes and looked at it.
Among the monsters trapped in the ice, half of a glowing-red heart caught my eye clearly.
There was no room for hesitation or excitement.
I explodingly unleashed my powers and shot powerful icy spikes at the heart.
Badump, badump, badump.
Puk…!
The heart spurted out red blood like crazy.
* * *
Johann was facing a terrible crisis.
He was on the verge of being pierced like a skewer by Rixus’ sword.
He barely blocked the intense purple sword with his hands, but… He could see the strength in his hand slowly loosening.
He exchanged fatal blows with Rixus several times. But even though the monster in front of him was covered in blood, his fighting spirit was not broken.
Even a monster was not enough to stop Rixus from running wild.
“Ha… Ugh.”
Toulouse’s power rushed to heal the fatal wound, but he couldn’t handle the speed at which his body collapsed.
“Shit.”
Cries and hot blood flowed nonstop from his mouth… It was hard to even straighten his head, so Johann looked up at the sky.
In the intense noon sun, the wings of Phenicalus were slowly falling like dark clouds.
Soon the sun… It was completely eaten by its wings.
《Tomorrow at noon, the sun in the sky will disappear.》
At that moment, hot-red anger and ferocious power erupted from the corners of Rixus’ eyes.
His strong heart and deep fighting spirit, which could not be stopped even with black magic spells, swelled in his heart and blood vessels with high will.
A furious purple aura slowly began to condense from his body.
That moment…
Just as explosive growth occured from a single seed, golden light poured from the condensed aura and filled the earth in a dazzling brilliance.
Beyond the Sword Master…
A new level.
It was the birth of ‘Bizen’.
“…Ah….”
Before the blinding light, Johann felt he had to run away.
But he couldn’t.
Pak- Jiiiiiik—
Ice rose from his chest and bound his whole body.
The cold, explosive power of Berylia was felt all over his body.
“Ah, ah ah ah ahhhhhhh!”
With a chilling sensation in his heart, Johann let out a painful scream like a demon being sucked into hell.
Severing that breath completely, Rixus delivered the final blow.
Dun!
In an instant, the earth shook and an intense blinding golden light lit up the world like the sun.
《A new sun will rise on the earth.》
“!”
At the edge of death, Johann finally realized the true meaning of the oracle, and slowly oxidized.
And for a while…
The whole world stopped.
The monsters that touched the golden color slowly shattered and oxidized into black fragments, just like their master did.
The monsters that exposed their teeth to bite off the necks of the elite soldiers, the monsters that raised their huge feet to trample the ghost army,
And, even the huge Phenicalus that drove everyone into fear.
When everything disappeared into ashes and the noon sun warmed the earth again.
Someone then shouted.
“…We won. We won.”
Suddenly, a loud cheer with enough force to shake the earth erupted.
Everyone was so overwhelmed that they cried, laughed, and hugged each other in disbelief.
The deer hiding behind a large rock to avoid the black light raised its head with its eyes shining.
In the village, the people who hid from the monsters burst into tears of relief and embraced their precious family.
“……”
Rixus looked up at the noonday sun, bloodied.
There was only one face he wanted to see at this moment.
It was then.
“…Rixus.”
The voice of his sweet lover was heard riding on the wind.
Rixus looked up, and there she stood, smiling in the bright sunlight.
Berylia jumped up at once and put herself in Rixus’ arms.
Feeling the precious body temperature in his arms, Rixus exhaled as if he had finally come to life.
“Berylia…”
He hugged her like he would never let her go.
Berylia closed her eyes as she was held in his arms. Tears welled up in her eyes.
It felt like his heart was melting with relief.
“It’s all over, now it’s all…”
Rixus cupped Berylia’s cheek, smiled together and whispered.