The sword sweeps through the air, leaving a radiant light in its wake.

Such light, so beautiful, that it could evoke admiration in anyone’s mind.

However, those who are witnessing that light up close should have no time to feel such sentiments.

For the place where the light is scattering is the heart of a battlefield where life and death can change in an instant.

It should have been that way, but…

[■■■■■■■!!!]

The members who were unknowingly gazing at the light snapped back to attention with the roar of a lesser demonic beast.

As the light that filled the surroundings faded away, a demonic beast, its body scarred and dented, emerged.

Wounds that would normally indicate imminent death.

Yet, fitting the name of a higher-tier beast, it let out a fierce wail while regenerating its lost parts.

The powerful voice of a fierce entity echoed in the ears.

Though one might shrink back in fear at such sounds, the eyes of the members surrounding the beast reflected no trace of fear.

The beast before them could easily be called a monster.

But nearby, an even greater monster overshadowed it.

“Shut up.”

With someone’s muttering, another flash of brilliant light engulfed the demonic beast.

Now, everyone knows.

That beautiful brilliance harbors a tremendous destructive power beneath its exterior.

And shortly after, when the light that had enveloped the beast calmed down, the members could only wear expressions of disbelief.

Not because the beast was stubbornly surviving and regenerating its wounds after taking such an attack.

But because the high-tier demonic beast, a near-catastrophe in its own right, now trembled and cowered like a puppy with its tail tucked, sensing the disparity in strength.

The members gazed in awe at the young boy who had recently become their captain.

Dressed in a pure white armor, brandishing a radiant sword, the boy stood as a regal hero, forcing the beast to kneel.

As they witnessed the sight, it was only natural for them to think.

Their new captain might very well write a new legend in this era, just like the great heroes of the past.

Yes, what does age matter?

What an assurance it brings when fighting together like this.

Their eyes, filled with admiration and longing, were fixed on Yoon Si-woo.

And in the midst of such gazes, Yoon Si-woo thought.

‘…Having so many eyes on me is quite uncomfortable.’

It was uncomfortable due to the eyes watching him.

He knew it was an impolite thought, considering the efforts of those fighting alongside him, but he couldn’t help but feel that way.

After all, using the radiant holy sword for area attacks to exhaust and take down the beast was a strategy that incurred both stamina and time losses.

If only he could use Lucy’s power, he would have swiftly torn the creature apart, found its vulnerable core, shattered it, and done away with it efficiently.

But with so many eyes on him now, he couldn’t use that method.

It was like having a lighter but still needing to ignite a flame with flint.

Isn’t it natural to feel frustrated in such a situation?

Of course, even while fighting like this, it wouldn’t hinder them from defeating the beast, so he didn’t show his frustration too openly.

Ultimately, there was a significant gap between the beast and himself.

If he continued fighting like this, it was inevitable that the beast would fall before long.

Despite wanting to deny it, he quietly raised his sword towards the trembling beast, which seemed to growl in fear.

At that moment…

[■■■■■■■!!!]

A sound echoing the beast’s roar came from somewhere.

As the beast perked up its ears at the sound, its trembling body started shaking differently.

It began to jiggle.

The way the beast slightly raised its mouth, seeming to mock them, felt peculiar to Yoon Si-woo.

At that moment, he heard a hurried voice.

“Captain…! Just now, Telos has been attacked by the beast…!”

The news that someone who was meant to stop the beast had fallen rang alarm bells in Yoon Si-woo’s mind.

The announcement that a key figure had been taken down was akin to a hole being punched through their plans.

This only meant…

“…The barrier.”

Turning his head in response to the voice, he saw the barrier protecting the city vanish.

As thoughts of Scarlet being in danger filled his mind, he was overwhelmed with the urge to rush to her side.

But what held him back from charging towards the city was the voice of someone important to him.

‘Be a hero for everyone. Not the type of hero who prioritizes one over another, but one who puts more people first.’

That was the request from someone he wanted to protect more than anyone else.

Yoon Si-woo bit his lip.

He understood.

Turning towards the city immediately would put countless others in jeopardy.

If the beast he hadn’t yet taken care of headed to where the other captains were, it could lead to an unimaginable catastrophe.

Moreover, she had promised him.

No matter what happened, she wouldn’t take any risks until he got there.

So it would be alright.

Even if time was delayed a little, Scarlet would be safe.

Forcing himself to calm his racing heart, Yoon Si-woo turned sharply back toward the beast.

He thought about swiftly taking it down so he could protect the city.

However, what he saw as he turned was…

The beast, once cringing, was now leaping away.

Not forward,

But backward.

“Ah, the beast…! The beast is fleeing!!!”

“Quick, catch it!”

They couldn’t believe that such a sizable beast would turn its back and flee, causing panic as they launched their attacks, but they couldn’t keep up with the leap of the beast striving to widen the distance.

Except for one person.

“Let it escape, will you!!”

Yoon Si-woo summoned a massive torrent of radiant light toward the beast leaping into the sky.

To stop the beast’s escape, the attack aimed at its legs engulfed its lower body entirely.

Such losses, even for a high-tier beast, would take time to recover from.

With its mobility crippled, he could catch up.

Knowing it would make another attempt to escape, he decided he wouldn’t let it flee again.

He had to get to the city as soon as possible and wouldn’t allow it to delay him.

With that thought in mind, Yoon Si-woo launched himself toward the plummeting beast.

Yet contrary to his expectations, the beast fell elegantly to the ground, maintaining its balance.

Using only the tentacles growing from its forelegs and body, it landed gracefully.

[■■■■■■■■■!]

The beast’s roar echoed as if mocking him, and like a lizard leaving its tail behind, it started fleeing, using its tentacles as hind legs.

“Damn it!!”

If it were merely scared and fleeing, that would be one thing, but if it was intending to drag out time against him, that was unacceptable.

Yoon Si-woo cursed, leaping after it.

He attempted to chase it with all his strength, but before he could reach it, its lower half had completely regrown.

And with its newly acquired legs, it started running, making it difficult to catch up.

The very stride of the beast was on another level compared to humans.

How could any human leg hope to pursue a creature like that?

Only those as capable as Leon Lionel or himself, enhanced by the witch’s powers, could achieve that feat.

His head began to throb.

In seconds, a multitude of thoughts swirled in his mind.

Even if he were to pursue through all the teleportation gates, it would take a significant amount of time.

But to leave the creature running and go save the city would be a poor decision.

Considering they appeared to communicate through their roars, there was a genuine risk that it might connect with other beasts.

Amidst his thoughts, he started hearing the concerned voices of his teammates asking how to manage the situation.

Feeling the interference of those who prevented him from using his power, Yoon Si-woo frowned.

That was obstructive; perhaps he should just tell them to shut up and use the witch’s power.

But even aside from them, the observation team, monitoring the movement of the beasts, was surely scattered all over the area.

If they discovered he was utilizing such powers, their subsequent situation would become troublesome.

Especially considering how vital Scarlet’s safety was in this matter.

Damn it, at the very least, if he could wield his power freely…

Lost in thought, Yoon Si-woo suddenly realized he had a unique opportunity.

He had just hit upon a way to use his powers without anyone seeing him.

*

[The demonic beast is heading east!]

[5 minutes to the destination!]

“…You really plan to escape, you bastard.”

For a while, the chase with the beast continued.

Every time Yoon Si-woo revealed himself near the beast through the teleportation gates, it would swiftly take off as if determined not to engage.

He was boiling with frustration over how much time this creature wasted.

He needed to reach Scarlet as soon as possible!

But now the game of cat and mouse with this creature was over.

For this reason, he had lured its escape route all the way here.

And in line with that plan, he saw the beast that had been ceaselessly running in the distance suddenly come to a dead stop.

The reason the fleeing beast paused was because it had arrived at a spot with other beasts that looked similar.

[■■■■■?]

[■■■■■■■…!]

Upon unexpectedly encountering its kin, the creature began to roar, communicating with them, and soon all of them turned their gazes toward him, growling in unison.

Perhaps it calculated that together they could overcome him, even if it was outnumbered.

To be honest, in a normal 2v2 scenario, they might have felt they had a chance, but they likely thought that only about this one creature.

After all, the beasts here must not have felt particularly threatened by the person engaging them.

“…I see you’ve arrived, Si-woo.”

“Yeah, teacher.”

It was Eve, who had intended to stall for time against the beasts.

Utilizing her specialty, illusion, she had somehow managed to buy time until now, but she appeared a bit worn out, sweating lightly, as she looked at him, puzzled.

“So, I heard you had a plan, but why did you bring another beast over to me? If you thought to team up and fight, I won’t be of great help…?”

With her expression shot through with mild concern, Yoon Si-woo giggled and replied.

“Don’t worry. Handling this lot is more than enough for me.”

“By yourself…?”

“Yeah, teacher. Just make it look like I’m fighting normally. That’s all I need.”

At his words, Eve nodded as though she had come to a realization.

With that, accompanied by the snap of her fingers, the surroundings began to warp.

This way, no matter what he did, it would appear to be just an ordinary battle to onlookers.

This was the very reason he had lured the beasts here.

Eve could veil the gazes of those directing attention toward him and was the only person, aside from Scarlet, who knew his abilities and chose to turn a blind eye.

All conditions were perfectly aligned for him to unleash his powers without restraint.

[[■■■■■■■!]]

“Good. You have some pride, after all.”

The beast that had been retreating after getting beaten started growling alongside its friend, preparing to charge him, looking as if its bravado had returned.

Seeing that sight, Yoon Si-woo smiled coldly and muttered.

“Holy Sword, reversal.”

To the foolish beings who had belatedly realized they were sealing their own doom.

*

“…Damn it, I’ve wasted too much time.”

Yoon Si-woo, racing through the teleportation gates toward the city, wore a grim expression.

Even though he had successfully defeated the two beasts with Eve’s help.

During the struggle with the beasts, he felt that Scarlet had sustained serious injuries through the Holy Sword of Truth.

He had asked her not to push herself.

What was she thinking in breaking their promise?

However, on reflecting on her nature, he realized that in such an emergency, hoping for her to remain entirely unscathed was perhaps too great a wish.

Yes, it hurt him, but as long as she had injuries, that was more manageable.

After all, she could recover from any losses to her limbs back to normal.

“Please… don’t exert yourself anymore until I get there…”

Praying that Scarlet would take care of herself as he pulled out the Holy Sword of Truth to check on her condition, he suddenly found a disconnect.

“…Huh?”

The signals that had been informing him of Scarlet’s condition through the Holy Sword of Truth abruptly ceased.

“Ah…haha, why is this happening…? Is it broken…?”

Yoon Si-woo, who had halted his steps briefly, tapped on the Holy Sword of Truth, muttering to himself.

“Th-this can’t be happening…? Haha, it must be broken, right?”

But no matter how much he tapped…

“Hey…! Fix yourself! It’s just a small malfunction, right? Hurry up…!”

No matter how hard he struck the sword with his fist…

The severed signal from Scarlet did not return.

Seeing Yoon Si-woo’s actions, the Holy Sword of Truth flickered weakly.

As if to apologize to its owner.

Yoon Si-woo shook his head and murmured.

“…No.”

[…Si-woo.]

The voice of Lucy called out to him with regret as she addressed his name.

It had been a long time since he had received an elaborate explanation of the abilities of the Holy Sword of Truth through her.

But in order to deny that information…

Yoon Si-woo shook his head violently, screaming.

“…No! No! It can’t be! Scarlet…!”

[…Si-woo. Unfortunately, please accept it. The only reason the truth signal gets cut off is one.]

When the connection to someone is lost, the signal from the Holy Sword of Truth will cease.

[…She is dead. That girl is.]

The only reason for the cessation of a connected life signal.

“NOOOOOO!!!!!”

He cried out, insisting that Scarlet couldn’t be dead, that she couldn’t have left just like that.

Yoon Si-woo shouted in anguish, despairing.

Yet, as if to tell him to accept reality, the severed signal no longer relayed information.

In a daze, Yoon Si-woo stared at the strands of the girl’s red hair tied around the hilt of his blade.

“…I need to confirm… I have to see for myself if Scarlet is really dead, or else I won’t believe it…”

He rose from his spot and began to walk unsteadily toward the city, like a marionette with its strings cut.

He couldn’t believe that Scarlet was dead.

After all, she was the girl who had even asked him to kill her if she ever ceased to be Scarlet Evande.

So, he thought, unless he witnessed her death with his own eyes, he would not believe it.

With that thought, he forced himself to take steps towards the city, despite every reluctance.

“…”

With his head lowered, moving in a daze, he felt the air grow humid as if it had just rained moments ago.

Yet, as he walked, that humidity transformed into heat.

Before he realized it, the air had dried up so drastically it felt like his skin was about to crack.

When he looked up blankly, he saw…

“…Flames?”

In the distance, the sight of the streets ablaze in a blood-red inferno caught his attention.

“…Scarlet?”

The color of the flames reminded him of a girl, forcing him to walk toward the place where Scarlet’s signal had last been received.

Amidst his path, in the middle of the street, he spotted a familiar silver-haired girl, leaning against a wall and helplessly slumped down.

As if sensing his footsteps, she slowly raised her head.

“Ugh…”

Upon seeing her expression, Yoon Si-woo couldn’t suppress the gasp that escaped him.

The girl who cherished Scarlet as dearly as he did, Sylvia Astra…

Was crying endlessly, bearing an expression of having lost everything.

He felt a strange instinct that she might know Scarlet’s fate, and he desperately squeezed out his voice through the anxiety.

“…Where’s Scarlet?”

Slowly, Sylvia turned her head.

And following her gaze, Yoon Si-woo looked towards the center of the inferno.

“Ah…”

Upon seeing the figure standing there, he could no longer contain the surge of emotions that twisted his face.

‘If, if I were to no longer be Scarlet Evande…’

A girl who was no longer a girl stood there.

‘Then, you must kill me.’

At long last, the time of their fateful promise had come.

Chapter 214 – The Time of Promise