The once crimson sky began to regain its original hue.
The voices eagerly wishing for salvation changed into expressions of gratitude and cheers.

‘Looks like the situation’s come to an end… I think.’

Johan’s last-ditch effort!
Phase 2 is starting now!

I intended to double-check everything meticulously to prevent a repeat of previous events, but honestly, there’s no need for such confirmations.
If there are no traces left, how on earth can I confirm anything? How do you even kill someone who’s already burnt away without a trace?

I sighed in relief and checked on my comrades. And as soon as I locked eyes with them, I realized something.

What I really needed to be worried about wasn’t Johan’s resurrection but what was happening here.

“……”

Shining golden hair.
Our gazes locked.

The second prince of the Empire was glaring at me with fierce intensity. If it weren’t for that, it would’ve been unusual.

– “The Commander of the Black Fangs, Ian Valderich, has come to rescue you all.”

Using a name that’s easy for people to trust. He even borrowed a noble house name, softening the nobles’ resistance.
For something thrown together on the spot, I thought it was a decent plan. But then I considered a glaring weakness.

“Did you just say…?”

As expected, Renya opened his mouth with a significant expression. It was only natural given the sudden mention of the Black Fangs in front of the Empire’s prince.

I pondered how to handle this, and it hit me —

“Impressive. You turned their plot against them. To think you’d use the Black Fangs in such a moment.”

My face went slightly blank.

“To impersonate the Black Fangs of all people in front of the real ones? You’ve got some guts. Though with bravery like that, I could call you my right-hand man.”

Well, maybe I got that part a bit wrong, but it was a close enough deduction.
I suddenly referring to him as “Commander” must have surprised him, but he quickly regained his composure and reasoned logically.

“Wow, to see through my thoughts in such a short time. You truly are amazing, my lord.”

Those words, spilling out naturally, weren’t just flattery. I was sincerely impressed. You need that kind of cold-headed reasoning to handle a prince.

“Impressive? Hardly. Didn’t you swear yourself to mana? I’m not the Commander of the Black Fangs. I merely remembered that.”

Renya humbly accepted my compliment.
Who would’ve thought last time’s incident would actually help here? Seems this issue might resolve itself rather simply.

“……Hmm?”

For some reason, the more we talked, the more horrified expressions I noticed on Lien, Lucy, and even Siel.
But I decided to ask about that later and moved on. I had urgent matters to deal with.

‘But overall, it’s better than expected.’

I was solely focused on incinerating Johan. Seems I was so aware of that intention, the underground warehouse didn’t collapse and bury anyone.

Most importantly, the previous body was intact.
Sure, they’d already messed with it, but at least the form remained, so a funeral could still be performed.

I stood with reverence, placed my hand on the deceased, and released the gathered mana.
I felt a disconnect forming.
Now nothing holds the God of Light captive.

Well, it’s not like a divine voice spoke, or that a god appeared before me or anything.

– [I will repay this debt someday.]

A mysterious voice I heard a few months ago when we solved the issues of the Holy Church and returned to Lady Rubia’s mansion.
What on earth was that? It was perplexing, but I couldn’t just pick up the phone and negotiate with a god.

I shook off the lingering thoughts and got back on my feet.
There was still much to do.
I had to persuade Renya to hand over the body for a proper funeral, inform Yuri of everything, and organize a delayed family reunion.

…But my step felt lighter than expected.

It’s only natural, isn’t it?
Knowing nothing of the future and being in a hopeless situation where only doom awaited us.
In those dire conditions, I actually succeeded in preventing destruction.

Finally, the problem that had been nagging at me was completely resolved. But as I started to move, an odd unease crept in.

Did I really manage to avoid the bad ending? Really?
Sure, I took care of what seemed like the villain and directly stopped the impending doom, but…

– “Sometimes it’s better not to know. Keep your eyes shut until the day fate has you realize everything.”

So, what was that prophecy from the Gospel I saw?
I figured out Heinrich’s plan but calling that full realization seems a bit of a stretch.
I felt like I was missing something.

Moreover, even brushing it off as just a feeling, there was one thing that clearly bothered me.
“Blood and Bone 2”. Even if that game became reality, the foundation would ultimately be a game. The basic narrative would surely follow the game’s grammar.

And usually, don’t hidden bosses show up at times like this? The hidden masterminds behind all events.
In other words, the ‘Hidden Boss’.

Naturally, my expression twisted. I relayed my ominous feeling to everyone, urging them to leave quickly. However, my voice barely reached them.

…Sounds were echoing.
The sky trembled and the earth quaked.

“Is this an earthquake?!”

Lien exclaimed in panic. It was indeed a logical deduction, but my instincts told me otherwise. This tremor was not natural.

A phenomenon that could only be described as a natural disaster… was being caused by… one person.

The Emperor.
The ruler of all, the undisputed lord of the Empire.

《A bothersome swarm of bugs has gathered in one place.》

The emperor of the Empire stood before me.

A power that overflowed bizarrely, far beyond common sense—my expression twisted naturally, and I gritted my teeth.
‘Was he waiting for this moment?’

It had been nagging at me that he didn’t show himself even when the palace was destroyed. Clearly, he noticed my return by some means and tried to conceal his hand.

The power used to take care of Johan. With the belief that the crisis was resolved, the voices and faith of the people dwindled.
If he’s going to strike, now is the time.

I quickly scanned the surroundings.
My other comrades, who were vulnerable to curses and mental attacks, were desperately resisting, but their condition didn’t look good.

It was impossible to escape allies through Siel’s shadow pathways. There’s no way space-traveling magic would be allowed in the secret vault he personally designed.

‘This is… unavoidable.’

I’ll have to use the trump card I was saving.
It pains me to think I’ll have to deal with Johan again, but it’s better than continuing this drawn-out fight. I signaled Yuri.

Yuri, catching my nod, quickly gathered her hands and started to pray….

Nothing happened.
Yuri’s face turned to one of panic. A dazed sound escaped her lips. But time wasn’t reversing at all.

‘What the hell?!’
Though I consumed a considerable amount of divine marks, I still had the power to turn back enough time for about a day. I saw it with my own eyes!

Moreover, I just unbound the shackles that restrained the God of Light. The powers granted by the gods must have also increased at this rate, but this kind of result occurred…

‘Could he have suppressed the gods’ powers with his own strength?’

There’s no way that could be possible! I desperately wanted to think otherwise, but no other possible explanation made sense.

He absorbed beasts and became one with domination. As the Emperor of the Empire, he had lived a lifetime garnering fear and reverence from all.
If he had also exploited fear like Johan did to induce destruction, accumulating power that way…

‘This is driving me crazy.’

I couldn’t think of a way to counter this.
If I used illusion magic to again paint the sky red and repeated the role of the savior to draw forth that previous power, maybe I could fight back, but…
There’s no way he’d allow me that much leeway.

《Disperse from my sight.》
As expected, the Emperor immediately raised his hand and shouted that. Simultaneously, an odd sense enveloped me. Something was approaching.

A being that was only allowed to be looked up to.
A divine light unreachable by any human power. A star in the night sky being drawn down by a mere will.

A falling star.
A planet was plummeting toward us.

‘……Crap.’

There was no time to think.
With that scale, it wouldn’t end with the death of a few. The Empire… No, everyone living here would be in danger.

I concentrated all my mana into my legs.
I jumped into the air with all my might.

Just smashing it wouldn’t solve the problem. To perfectly obliterate it, leaving not a single shard behind, I swung my sword filled with divine power.

A brilliant light shot forth.
And then what appeared before my eyes was…

‘Not just one?!’
Five meteorites of equal size loomed, and they were double the size of the first ones. There was no way I could handle them all.

But I gritted my teeth.
Whether it’s possible or not isn’t the issue. Even if it seems impossible, I must make it possible.

With all my remaining power pushed to its limit, I poured every last bit of strength into the holy sword.
『Holy Sword… Draw!』

The light that burst forth enveloped everything again. The massive stars that were about to fall vanished as if they never existed.

But consciousness began to fade.
Even an emperor couldn’t perform something like this without consequence. He must have used up a considerable amount of strength. That’s why I must attack now.

I knew that, yet my body wouldn’t comply.
My body continued its fall toward the ground.
My head kept getting dizzy. Even biting my tongue wouldn’t bring me back to my senses as my eyes slowly closed.

Eventually, as my vision turned pitch black…

[It’s time to fulfill our promise.]

A voice resonated.
A familiar voice I had heard before.

A warm feeling wrapped around me as if something was embracing me. And when I opened my eyes again…

I found myself standing in the center of a pure white room.