Princess of the Fallen Kingdom (2)
Rischel's guardian, Avalon, was now in a razor-edge crisis.
"Morgan! The left barrier's been breached!"
"Damn it! I know!"
"Sis! Massive mana reaction from the center...!"
"Majo! Deploy every intercept system we've got!"
"But using that will leave us with nothing to hold them back!"
"No choice! Keeping the barrier up is priority now!"
"Hurry! The mana reaction's getting stronger!"
"Ugh...! I don't know!"
Morgan, commanding Avalon, scowled deeply at the earth-shaking roar and glanced up at the screen.
"Status...!"
"Barrier damage at 62%...!"
"Intercept systems are totally wrecked from that last hit!"
"Repair systems...?"
"No good! That attack just made the barrier we barely fixed unsalvageable!"
"Damn...!"
Bam—!
Morgan slammed the table hard, grinding her teeth at the sight beyond the screen.
"Death Devil...! If it weren't for that bastard...!"
The figure floating in the air, its ominous black eyes gleaming, noticed their gaze and stared straight back with a faint smile.
"That fucker...!"
"Calm down! Calm down, Morgan sis!"
Morgan, boiling over, rolled up her sleeves as if ready to charge out, her body twitching.
The sisters, startled, grabbed her all at once—and just then, a leisurely voice echoed from beyond the screen.
"Did you like the gift?"
"...What?"
"Rischel's absolute invincible shield."
It took some doing to crack, but this is how it ends."
"That son of a bitch...!"
"Whoa...!"
"Everyone, hold sis back!"
"P-Please calm down, sis!"
At his words, veins bulged on Morgan's forehead. She thrashed wildly, shaking off the sisters clinging to her.
With a light scoff at their comical struggle, he addressed them beyond the barrier.
"Give up."
"Like hell."
"You know better than anyone that Avalon can't hold out much longer. Dismantle the barrier now. Do that, and I'll let you all go—for a special exception."
His arrogant words left Morgan and even the sisters holding her back staring at him with hardened expressions.
"Bullshit."
"Betray Rischel? There's a limit to jokes."
"Not worth listening to anymore."
"We are the glorious fairies born from the Fountain of Fairies."
"We won't fall for your filthy schemes."
At their resolute gazes, ready even for death, the Death Devil watched silently before murmuring shortly.
"I see."
That was when it happened.
Morgan shook off the sisters with a casual flick and stepped close to the screen.
Summoning a long spear into her hand, she aimed it at him and shouted.
"Try it, demon."
"......"
"We are the nine fairies guarding Avalon. Our lives end with Avalon."
With her words, a mana bolt shot from the spear's tip, vanishing through the screen to appear before the Death Devil.
The sisters, holding their breath at the perfect ambush, grimaced as one as the bolt was casually deflected.
"I get the gist of your resolve."
With a light gesture in the air, he conjured countless magic circles and intoned coldly.
"Pitiful, worthless struggling."
"...! Everyone, duck...!"
Dark crimson sparks erupted from the magic circles, slamming down toward Avalon.
Kaboom—!
Lightning infused with the law of death struck Avalon, etching death into the barrier that had endured for ages.
"And arrogant."
With his words, the agonized barrier finally shattered beyond endurance.
"A-Avalon...!"
"Ah, aaa...!"
The sisters, slumped on the floor from the shock, watched the barrier crumble in stunned silence.
Soon, red emergency lights flooded the control room, accompanied by blaring sirens signaling the barrier's fatal damage.
"...Everyone, get up."
That was the moment.
Morgan staggered to her feet from the impact.
Glancing at the screen, the Death Devil had already vanished.
All that remained was the horde of demons he'd left behind.
"You planning to just sit there?"
"...No way."
"Of course we'll stop them."
At Morgan's words laced with resolve, the sisters began rising one by one.
Once all were up, she swung her spear lightly and declared calmly.
"With Avalon fully down, our only option is to face them head-on."
"......"
"It's high-risk—we'll probably die for sure."
But you'll still come?
The heavy truth in her casual words brought silence among the sisters.
But only briefly.
They spoke in unison.
"I've been ready to die for a while."
"Our duty is to protect the people from external threats to Rischel."
"No Avalon? Then we shield with our bodies."
Morgan nodded gravely at their ironclad resolve.
"Good. From now on, we intercept the demons outside."
"......"
"Don't let those filthy feet touch Rischel's soil."
"Yes...!!"
The sisters' bodies began to glow in unison.
And Morgan was no exception.
As multicolored lights enveloped her, a familiar mechanical tone rang in Morgan's ears.
Rhongomyniad, Stand by ready──!
A golden pillar of light swallowed Morgan and shot skyward.
The radiance was so brilliant—even the knights blocking the invaders paused to look, and the charging demons halted, eyes widening.
"Hoh."
Meanwhile, amid the demons, the Death Devil watched the pillar pierce the clouds with evident admiration.
'So that's the fairies' secret art I've only heard of.'
First time seeing it since the Holy Land.
As the pillar faded, Morgan emerged in white light armor.
The other sisters burst forth too, weaving through the demons relentlessly.
"Graaah...!"
"Grab that bitch...!"
"Enemy commander! Kill her no matter what...!"
Spotting the leader, the demons surged toward them.
"Die...!"
"Begone!"
Rhongomyniad, Destroy Impact──!
Kaboom—!!
The charging demons vanished in a blaze of bright light from Morgan's spear.
As the overwhelming power made the demons falter, Morgan caught her breath and plunged into their midst.
'Take down at least one before I fall!'
In a trance, swinging her spear to slay demons, screams from her sisters echoed everywhere.
They must have been overwhelmed by the endless waves.
The knights holding the line with them had mostly fallen too.
Proving it, more demons swarmed toward her.
Her heart heavy, she closed her eyes briefly, then drew every ounce of energy into her spear.
That's when her eyes locked on the Death Devil.
For some reason, he'd been idly watching from the demons' ranks. Sensing her gaze, he slowly donned his mask.
'Fine, if I'm dying, take that bastard with me.'
Hard to kill him with her skill alone.
She knew that instantly upon seeing him.
His bottomless demonic aura made his strength unfathomable.
Yet that's why she charged him.
Swinging her spear ceaselessly to close in, he shook his hand lightly, gripping maces in both hands.
"Kuh...!"
His maces traced eerie paths, splattering her body red. Biting her lip, she accelerated.
Rhongomyniad Over Drive──!
Her spear glowed red-hot, amplifying her mana.
Trembling in her grip from the sheer power, it swung, red flowers blooming in its wake.
"Brace yourself...!"
Clearing the demons in her path, she raised the spear high, channeling all her mana.
Sensing the threat in her surging power, he began emanating heavy demonic energy.
Discarding his multiple maces, the Death Devil gripped a single pitch-black one.
Confirming it, Morgan focused all her mana into the spear.
Assuming a javelin stance with its terrifying aura, she hurled it with full force.
"Take this...!"
Rhongomyniad Stinger───!!
The red-hot spear hurtled toward the Death Devil, destroying all in its path.
'It'll hit...!'
Her full-powered strike.
Even if not fatal, it'd deal real damage.
As she watched optimistically—
"Hoo..."
He exhaled lightly and slowly raised his hand to slash the air.
"...!?"
Then the unbelievable happened.
Space tore along the tiny mace's path, sucking in the fearsome spear.
With another slash, the powerless spear clattered to the ground.
"Wh-what...?"
Frozen in incomprehension, Morgan stood still as the Death Devil murmured.
"Took all the mana. Guess it caught his fancy more than expected."
With those cryptic words, he slowly approached her.
"Ugh...!"
"Didn't I say?"
Closing in, he grabbed her by the hair.
Despair, injustice, rage, terror—her eyes swirled with negative emotions, fixed on him.
Meeting her gaze, he aimed his mace at her throat.
"Worthless struggling."
His hand swung lightly.
The mace shot toward her neck in an instant—
"Dangerous."
—only to be blocked by a thick hand and deflected.
"...!"
He released Morgan and leaped back reflexively.
"You..."
Finally seeing his foe, the Death Devil's eyes widened.
"Surgical tools are for the operating room, aren't they?"
Using them carelessly out here?
The man, intoning coldly as if guarding Morgan, stood before him.
Observing him, the Death Devil nodded.
"Indeed..."
Black hair like his own.
But golden eyes unlike a demon's.
A crushing pressure from his whole body.
And flawless skill that emitted no aura.
He knew one man with such traits.
"I've heard the tales."
Academy City's Supreme Student Council President, now ranked 1st among heroes.
One of the Huang Empire's Ten Emperors, called 'Martial Emperor', and in the world, 'Martial Apex'.
"Yeon Je-seong."
He had arrived.