#209

As soon as Kiyen finished speaking, shadows began to fall across the silent sky.

Several Arus, letting out shrieks, flew through the air with their large wings spread. The sudden cries of the Demonic Beasts woke everyone who had been dozing.

The mercenaries, rising with practiced movements, grabbed their weapons and looked up at the sky, while the knights on watch hastily drew their swords. Some of the mercenaries, now accustomed to battle, aimed their crossbows at the Arus.

However, instead of charging towards their group as usual, the Arus flew in a different direction. Ulli, who had rushed out, ran her hand through her hair as she watched the scene.

“What is going on?”

“The Demonic Beasts they spoke of yesterday are crossing the passage. This happened overnight.”

At Kiyen’s words, Ulli looked at him and asked with surprised eyes. Her gaze fell on Kiyen’s robe, stained with brown blood in places.

“You don’t mean you’ve been fighting until now?”

Kiyen looked at Cullen instead of answering.

“What are appearing now are larger and more dangerous than anything we’ve faced before. Humans won’t be of help here. In fact, you might overexert yourself trying to protect them, so it’s best to avoid it.”

Cullen shook his head at Kiyen’s words, which seemed to push him away.

“We should join forces, not send me away.”

He raised his voice, which was uncharacteristic, but Junon, who had come out with Ulli, countered Cullen.

“The Dragon is right. Kai’ken is a molten fireball itself. Anything that gets close will melt. Humans will melt faster than stone, and there are no humans who can face that.”

The Young Dragons, who had arrived at their group’s location, also spread their wings. Black, standing near Kiyen, looked at Cullen and said,

“We’ll go to close the passage. If we can close it somehow in the middle, there might be a chance.”

Junon agreed with Black’s words.

“The size of the space is ultimately linked to the size of the Demonic Beasts that can cross it. If we can close it somehow, it might be resolved.”

“But…!”

Meanwhile, numerous Arus appeared in swarms. Not only that. Other Demonic Beasts, unseen until now, were also moving in groups on the ground towards the direction the Arus were heading.

“This is not the time, Cullen. We have to stop them.”

Ulli pointed in the direction the Demonic Beasts were heading.

“If they go that way, they’ll reach the village. If so many Demonic Beasts go at once, many people will surely die. We have to kill them here before they scatter!”

Ulli gritted her teeth and looked at Cullen and Kiyen alternately.

“As Kiyen-nim said, I will defeat them. Can you do it?”

Kiyen paused briefly, then nodded. He looked at Cullen and said,

“It is possible.”

“Really? Please don’t have any strange ideas.”

Saying this, Ulli tightly grasped Kiyen’s hand. Kiyen winced at the sudden action but didn’t push her away.

“Now that you two have met again, if you do anything to hurt Cullen’s feelings, I’ll follow you to death!”

With that, Ulli also took Cullen’s hand and said,

“Cullen, for now, leave it to Kiyen-nim and the Dragons. We need to retreat and join you immediately once the situation is clear. If Junon is right, none of us can face them.”

Meanwhile, the mercenaries and knights who had finished preparing were mounted on their horses, waiting. Kihelene was also there. She was staring at the center with a grim expression, her face deep in thought.

Ulli grabbed the reins of the horse brought by the knights and adjusted Pantel. As the horse said, there was nothing Cullen could do right now. He had gained strength, thought he could accomplish something, but in this situation, he couldn’t decisively help Kiyen.

“We’re going first!”

Cat shouted urgently and took flight. Black spread his wings behind him, and White, after scanning the people, left one remark.

“Don’t die, everyone.”

With a worried expression, White followed Cat and Black into the air. Watching them fly up into the sky and become small dots, Kiyen also spread his wings.

With wings that created a strong wind, unlike the Young Dragons, Kiyen briefly enveloped Cullen. Then, shielding him from the crowd, he bowed his head. Their gazes met deeply.

“As you wish, I will create a world where your precious people can live well.”

What he had said fleetingly to Lasano and others, Kiyen was now saying here. At the sudden words, Cullen stared intently at Kiyen. Kiyen, gazing up at Cullen, gave a faint smile and bowed his body slightly.

“I didn’t get your permission for this, but please forgive me just this once.”

Before Cullen could ask what he meant, Kiyen’s lips touched his forehead. The soft, warm lips landed, and warmth spread across his forehead.

Leaving a tender kiss, Kiyen gently touched Cullen’s hair with his fingers. His dark purple hair flowed through Kiyen’s fingers.

“I was going crazy wanting to touch you like this.”

Whispering softly, Kiyen slowly withdrew his hand and spread his wings wide.

“Wait a moment…!”

Cullen reached out to grab Kiyen, but he took flight without giving him a chance. He soared into the sky in an instant and flew in the direction the Young Dragons had gone.

“Let’s go, Cullen. Kiyen-nim will be alright. He’s a Dragon who won’t leave you.”

Ulli said, holding Cullen’s hand and persuading him. Looking around, everyone except him was mounted on a horse.

It was time to make a decision. His reason told him to follow Ulli’s words. Hesitating, Cullen finally gritted his teeth and took the reins Ulli offered, mounting the horse.

As if signaling this, everyone began to charge towards the direction the Demonic Beasts were heading. The chilling cry of an Arus, heralding the prelude to battle, echoed long in the sky.

Unlike their aggressive charges before, hunting the fleeing Demonic Beasts was surprisingly easier. Without the Dragons’ help, the expedition dealt with the Arus faster than usual. What was strange was that despite launching attacks like that, the Demonic Beasts, instead of counterattacking, kept trying to flee.

“This is strange.”

Ulli, who had just finished slaughtering a winged beast-like Demonic Beast fleeing with a Pantel, said as he wiped away blood. Junon and Lasano, who had just dealt with an Arus, also came over.

“It’s too easy. They’re not counterattacking, which is strange.”

Lasano’s words were echoed by Ulli.

“They seem too focused on desperately running away. Ah, I’m so hot.”

Ulli pushed back her drenched hair and let out a tired sigh. The battle had lasted less than an hour, yet strangely, her body felt hotter than usual.

Meanwhile, Cullen, who had been observing his surroundings, swiftly pierced a centipede-like Demonic Beast trying to escape as it brushed past them.

The mercenaries and knights, despite being strangers, were cooperating well to deal with the Demonic Beasts. There were no major injuries, but many horses were hurt. However, it was undeniably too easy, just as Ulli and Lasano had said.

Just then, Junon, who had been silent until now, spoke.

“This is a precursor.”

Seeing her questioning look, Junon glanced back with a slightly frightened expression. They followed her gaze. In the empty gray plains, they felt a mirage shimmering.

“Before the Kaiiken appears, the surrounding temperature rises like this.”

As soon as her words ended, the shimmering intensified. The heat, which they had attributed to the aftermath of battle, grew stronger from the moment the mirage appeared. Eventually, a heat so intense it made them dizzy enveloped the surroundings. Others seemed to feel it too, murmuring and looking around.

“If you can feel it this much, it’s already too late. There’s a reason the Demonic Beasts are fleeing. This isn’t the time. We should run too…!”

Junon’s words were cut short. In an instant, the ground beneath her feet gave way.

As if a clump of mud had melted, the hard, dry earth crumbled stickily. Kihelene, who was beside her, managed to grab her as she stumbled. Lasano also quickly reached out and grabbed Junon’s other arm.

Seeing this, Ulli turned her head and shouted to the knights and mercenaries.

“Everyone, run!”

In response to her shout, the mercenaries said,

“We will fight to the end!”

“We are here to help!”

Even the knights joined in, but Ulli gritted her teeth and shouted again.

“This is an order from me, the expedition’s commander. If we stay here, we’ll all die for nothing!”

As if to prove her words true, the ground where the group and knights stood suddenly gave way. The soft, crumbling floor was like a swamp.

The horses struggled, letting out startled cries. The heat rising from below agitated the beasts, causing chaos, so Cullen leaped off his horse. Ulli and Kihelene also quickly dismounted, and the horses immediately bolted in the direction the Demonic Beasts had gone.

“Go, go!”

The ground continued to give way rapidly, as if not allowing them time to hesitate. And at the same time, a roar echoed from afar.

Uuuuwoooooo—.

The low, bizarre sound felt like a roar made by stones colliding. Instinctively, everyone turned their gazes towards the source. It was like some kind of inertia. Slowly turning their heads, they saw a sight they could never have imagined in their lives.

A small, crimson mountain had risen.

It was a red mountain with no eyes, nose, or anything else, and it was flowing down. It had appeared without anyone knowing, slowly growing in size as it rose. As the Demonic Beast, like a clump of molten flame, slid down, black smoke began to rise from the ground.

“It’s the Kaiiken.”

Junon’s face was even more terrified than before. She, who always maintained a poker face and even smiled when she was nearly killed by Kiyen’s attack, froze upon seeing the Kaiiken.

“Junon, are you alright?”

Kihelene quickly pulled her and asked. Junon clenched her fists.

“When that appears, it’s truly… the end. It’s all over. Nothing can defeat it. It’s too late. The Kaiiken is different from other Demonic Beasts. It’s a monster that embodies Akesis’s will, not killing to survive, but purely for destruction.”

Ulli pulled on Junon’s shoulder at her voice, which sounded resigned.

“Snap out of it! You’re not like this. You’re the one who survived and laughed even when you were about to die, aren’t you?”

At Ulli’s words, Junon gritted her teeth and shook her head.

“I’m not confident. That….”

“No, if we combine our strength, we can do something!”

Just then, a ball of crimson fire flew from the Kaiiken, which was still far away. Despite its massive body, the fireball flew towards the group like an arrow.

“Dodge!”

At Junon’s cry, the group hastily retreated. Just barely missing where they had scattered, an unbelievable heat spread, and the ground melted black with a ‘Chiiiiik!’ sound. A scorched pit, leaving only black holes, was revealed.

Ulli, who had narrowly avoided it, stared at the sight with a pale face. Cullen was also speechless.

Though they had no intention of giving up, just as Junon had said, they couldn’t think of any way to deal with this. Other Demonic Beasts had weaknesses, but they couldn’t imagine a way to contend with something so colossal that everything melted upon contact.

As if there was no time to think, the Kaiiken threw another fireball. This time, unlike before, several spread out, targeting each member of the group. They looked around to dodge, but the ground around them had been melting since earlier and was gradually deepening.

And in that brief moment of observation, the fireball struck the group. Junon closed her eyes tightly, as if resigned, and Lasano pulled Ulli.

However, everyone was within the range of the attack. They were within the range where, if they touched the fireball, they would instantly melt.

They could no longer afford to lose those they cherished powerlessly.

The moment that thought crossed their minds, Cullen gritted his teeth and charged towards the first incoming fireball. Seeing Cullen rush to block it with his body, Ulli screamed.

“No—!”

With Ulli’s scream, the fireball flew towards Cullen. But it was strange. Despite thinking he might die, his mind felt unusually calm.

And as if to prove that calmness, a white barrier unfolded between the fireball and Cullen.