We sprinted down the cobblestone path leading to the dormitory, guided by the Tria Petal drifting before us.
Behind us, the sky above the Academy was being torn asunder in flashes of white and purple. Intermittent thunder shook the earth, making our footing treacherous.
It was a battle of unbelievable scale.
Was Luna all right? What about Leon and Serafina?
The worry gnawed at me, but we had to focus on the task at hand.
The Tria Petal came to a halt near the spot where I had parted ways with Aristia the previous day.
—Akkun. It’s here.
Florina’s voice echoed in my mind.
The petals swirled with the elegance of a dancer, tracing a graceful arc through the air. Immediately after, the space itself distorted. A door just large enough for a person to pass through materialized out of thin air.
—Verdict and Aristia are beyond this door.
With those words, the Tria Petal emitted a faint light and vanished.
I stared at the door. Fighting spirit and a surge of adrenaline burned in my chest like a physical fire.
Finally. I’ve finally made it this far, Verdict. I won’t let you have your way any longer. Today, I’m going to end this rotten bond between us.
"Everyone, are you ready?"
When I turned to look at my companions, they answered with gazes brimming with tension and resolve. No words were necessary.
"—Let's go."
I threw the door open and leaped inside.
For a moment, I couldn't believe my eyes. The scene inside was one I knew all too well—a sight I had seen more times than I could count.
It was a majestic audience chamber.
We had emerged right in the center of a long, grand hall. Stately pillars lined the walls, and a red carpet stretched toward a flight of steps. Beyond those steps stood the throne.
I recognized it instantly. This was the landscape of Verdict’s world. This was the training ground where I had challenged Verdict countless times, only to be slaughtered over and over again.
The only difference was the giant crystal shining brilliantly behind the throne.
Inside it was a figure.
A petite girl.
Clad in nothing at all, she remained motionless with her eyes closed. Her long black hair shimmered as it defied gravity, and her face, illuminated by a pale blue light, was one I knew by heart.
"Aristia!"
The friend I had come to save was right there.
At the sound of my shout, the sonorous chanting that had been filling the room abruptly ceased.
"—So you’ve come, lowlife."
The voice rang out clearly.
A figure stood in front of the crystal. It was Klaus—and yet, it wasn't him. His eyes and hair were the color of fresh blood. Furthermore, he wore a haughty, mocking sneer that the real Klaus would never permit.
How many times had I looked up at that smile? Every time I had sunk into a sea of blood, that expression was the last thing I saw before my consciousness faded into the dark.
—Verdict.
The man who had trampled over my life, and the enemy I was destined to defeat. It was time to settle the score.
"You really are a convenient man. To think you would offer your own death as a decoration for my victory!"
"I'm taking Aristia back."
"An impossible request."
"...Why? Is causing the Vessel of the Demon King to run wild really your only goal?"
"No, I couldn't care less about that. That is merely a byproduct."
With a twisted smile, Verdict continued.
"The Essence of Ancient Magic resides in the mind. I told you that I would create a second ancient magic upon my resurrection, didn't I? With this girl’s soul, I can create a third as well."
He broke into a fit of crazed laughter.
"I shall obtain three fundamental powers! Oh, the sheer pleasure of it! The joy of drowning in an investigation I never wish to end! A lowlife like you couldn't possibly understand!"
Anger made my blood boil. I clenched my right hand, my knuckles turning white.
He did all this—he destroyed Aristia’s wishes and her life—for something so trivial?
There was nothing left to say. He was an evil entity who moved solely for his own whims. Worse, he possessed the power to bring about a global catastrophe. His very existence was a threat to the world.
I would kill him here and end it all.
Verdict's crimson eyes locked onto mine.
"Heh heh... In other words, I shall shatter the world twice in rapid succession. I wonder, will the world even be able to recover?"
He spoke of world destruction as if it were a mere delicacy to enjoy with wine. To this man, the end of everything was just another form of entertainment.
"—I won't let you."
I took a firm step forward.
"I am the one who's going to kill you."
"You, kill me?! How many times have you been drowned in a sea of blood in my palace? How many times have you met a death smeared in pain and humiliation? How many times have I looked down on you like a piece of refuse? I hammered fear into your very marrow. Do you really think you can take another step, you pathetic loser?!"
"I can."
There was no hesitation in my voice.
I wasn't the person I used to be. I had the Final Extreme Blade granted to me by Aristia, and I had mastered Luxerion's Iron Wall Defense. I had the sword and the armor necessary to face him.
More importantly, I had three reliable comrades by my side. Until now, I had always fought alone, burdened by the weight of my secrets.
Today was different.
I had prepared everything needed to kill him. Today, right here, I would run my blade through his heart.
"This ends today, Blood Star King."
"Fu-ha-ha-ha-ha! Then show me, lowlife! Show me how your foolish pride shatters into dust!"
An elegantly shaped blood sword materialized in Verdict’s right hand.
The space itself seemed to groan under the pressure. No, it was Verdict’s overwhelming presence that created the illusion. I felt a primal dread, an instinctual shudder as if a thousand insects were crawling under my skin. This pressure was equal to, if not greater than, the manifestation of the Vessel.
It was an aura unlike anything I had ever felt before.
"You talk a big game, lowlife. You're going to show me a side I don't know, are you? Then I, too, shall welcome you with a full power you have never witnessed."
His eyes, burning with lethal intent, bore into me.
"Do not underestimate the Demon King Who Destroyed the World!"
I grit my teeth, refusing to back down. I couldn't afford to lose here. I had to keep my heart strong; if my will broke, the fight was over. I would bet everything on this one encounter and come out on top.
I could win. I had built up too much to fail now.
I manifested my own blood sword in my hand.
"I'm not underestimating you. I'm going to kill you with all the respect you deserve!"
"Amusing. I'm counting on it, lowlife. I told you, didn't I? Your only value is in entertaining the King. Become the flower that adorns my great ambition—just don't bore me with a pathetic death."
Our gazes, thick with murderous intent, clashed in the air.
The curtain finally rose on the final battle.