The setting sun.

A sight that had always brought special memories to the Boy King.

Such a phenomenon still held true even now, despite him having seen through more scenes than any person would ever experience.

Family. Siblings. Friends. Acquaintances.

He recalled the memories of everyone gathering while laughing loudly together, raising their glasses in celebration under the setting sun and the emerging moon.

That was the Armada Kingdom’s final day.

A memory of a time when everyone smiled and accepted the impending ‘destruction’.

Even after thousands of years, it still rooted itself firmly in his mind.

It could be said that this memory was the only thing left between him and death.

“...”

He closed his eyes and let out a shallow sigh.

A venomous aura that could even crumble a sturdy stone building was emitted from inside him..

“I don’t have much time left.”

The origin of that venom was ‘something’ within his chest, which was bubbling and stirring even at this very moment.

“Soon…”

He muttered while clutching his chest.

There really wasn’t much time left.

Until he could fulfill the ‘promise’.

“...”

Suddenly, his gaze lingered at a distant place.

A pair of a man and a woman was visible.

Among them, the man was the one who seemed to capture Valkasus’ attention.

“...”

Suddenly, a smile crept onto his face.

If what the Prophet had said was true, that man already knew his reasons for doing this.

That man probably knew what he was capable of. The identity of the ‘thing’ that he was entangled with to end up like this.

And yet…

-I will save you, Valkasus. You and your kingdom.

He made such an audacious statement.

That bold proclamation.

“...If you really can pull it off…”

-Please become my subordinate. For life.

Even if it was an outrageous request such as that...

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do.”

With those words, Valkasus looked up at the sky.

The sun would set soon.

Simultaneously, it also meant there wasn’t much time left until the ‘end’.

“...Don’t keep me waiting for too long.”

And…

“I’ve already waited long enough.”

Such bitter murmurs faded away into the empty sky.

“So, what is the plan?”

Eleanor brought up such a question while carrying me like a piece of luggage.

Honestly, this method of transportation made me feel like my dignity as a human had been thrown away, but whatever. I’d do this all day if it meant we could move quickly.

“Our opponents will be extremely difficult to handle, especially the ones around the Clock Tower.”

From the Arrays that Valkasus had summoned, all sorts of Ruined were pouring out. However, as Eleanor had pointed out, the most powerful ones were concentrated around the Clock Tower, where their ‘real body’ was.

To safely deal with a medium-grade monster, it would take three or four official knights.

And there were dozens of such creatures surrounding a single location. Even someone like Eleanor said that the difficulty of this operation was ‘beyond normal.’

“Currently, we can’t possibly take them all down one by one.”

The time given to us was a measly thirty minutes. However, considering the time needed to deal with Valkasus and the boss battle, we were left with only five to ten minutes.

It was impossible for us to break through that horde within that timespan.

“We need to delegate that responsibility to others.”

“But looking at the current situation, I don’t think there are any more manpowers available.”

Like she said, most of the official knights that resided within the academy were already engaged in repelling the Ruined that attacked other areas.

There was no way in hell we could ask them for assistance in breaking through that horde.

However…

“No, there are still some.”

The Prophet had definitely believed that I wouldn’t have any of my measures properly prepared if she caused this disturbance a day early.

However, I still had one card available.

And they were people who were basically specialists when it came to the undead.

“Eleanor, I need you to find someone.”

The landscape rushed past us at a terrifying speed as I issued my command.

“For now, we need to get to higher ground.”

“Understood.”

With that, Eleanor kicked against the ground a few times.

‘What the fuck? Is she actually human? Isn’t she just a monster?’

Because the landscape changed drastically with each kick of her feet, I couldn’t help but feel that it was utterly nonsensical. It was even more so when I saw the ground shattered into pieces with every step.

If only one fragment already did this, how strong would she be if she gathered all three?

“Is this enough?”

While I was contemplating such thoughts, Eleanor had reached a high vantage point where the surroundings were clearly visible.

“Yes, it’s enough.”

With that, I described the characteristics of the people I was looking for.

“Blue hair, slightly taller than the average citizen of the Empire. Males in their twenties to mid-thirties. At least three or more of them are together. Their characteristic is… ‘Incredibly’ ordinary-looking.”

“...What?”

My strange description prompted Eleanor’s puzzled voice, but this was honestly the best way to describe them.

This was because they were people in a profession that intentionally puts in effort to have a forgettable appearance. As such, describing their characteristics were a bit…difficult.

“And, most importantly…”

This would be the part that only Eleanor could detect.

And that was precisely the reason why I needed her.

“As soon as you see them, you’ll feel a great discomfort.”

Even if they hid their characteristics…

The traces of ‘exorcism rituals’ they had honed to the extreme could not be concealed. To the extent where a Devil's Vessel couldn't help but be extremely sensitive to it.

And even among them, the elites would exude a far more uncomfortable presence.

“Please find them. They are definitely nearby.”

Considering the contents of their mission, they were unlikely to move far away from me.

In fact, Eleanor, who looked around doubtfully while hesitating to follow my instructions, soon let out a frown.

“...What a nonsensically accurate description. They’re not far from here. All the conditions match them perfectly.”

As expected.

“Can you get closer?”

“I can.”

Once again, the scenery changed.

After jumping around and smashing a few building floors, Eleanor landed in front of several men.

“Hieek–!”

“What the…?!”

The men were so startled by this sight that they took a few steps back. However, as someone who knew what their identity really was, their acting seemed so despicable that I couldn’t help but let out an incredulous snort.

“Enough with the theatrics. We don’t have time, so let’s get down to business.”

“W-What do you—!”

“I know that the Pope’s order from the Holy Land was to help me without getting caught only applies when I’m in extreme danger, but…”

All the men’s movements came to a halt at once.

“Let’s negotiate. The situation is a bit urgent after all.”

“...”

These people weren’t supposed to be here.

After all, they were highly regarded talents even within the Holy Land. There was no reason for them to be sent on an assignment to a foreign academy far away.

However, if I recalled my memories correctly…

During my previous audience with the Pope, I had manipulated the situation in my favor.

As such, considering that bastard’s disposition and his current situation, it was highly likely that he deployed people to ‘prevent me from dying’ no matter what.

Because…

“If I die, the blame will fall on you. Right?”

The men’s expressions stiffened.

“If you don’t help now, I’m seriously going to be in big trouble, you know?”

“...”

“I could die, you know?”

It seemed that my continuous outpour of words succeeded in making them realize that their current ‘act’ was pointless.

There you have it. This was practically an OK sign from them.

In other words, they’d cooperate with me.

‘...Good.’

In a way, this was also caused by the butterfly effect.

People who weren't supposed to be here had come to this place, all because of my actions.

“...”

However…

As the saying goes, light and shadow always went hand in hand.

If everything in the scenario had been thrown into chaos by me, there were certainly positive things that I could ‘utilize’ from such disorder.

So…

This time, let’s get hard carried for once.

The negotiation terms were simple.

If they helped me right here and now, I would provide them with a piece of information that they desire.

“This doesn’t sound fair.”

The man who seemed to be the leader spoke as if the conditions to our deal were absurd.

It was probably a pseudonym, but I knew his name. It was something like Vizsla?

“How are the four of us supposed to break through those Ruined?”

I chuckled when I heard those words.

“No, just three of you will.”

“...”

“One person has to go somewhere else to find some people.”

Iliya, Yuria, and Lucia.

I could only proceed with the boss battle if I had these three.

After all, I had to send them to the top of the Clock Tower in order to meet the minimum requirements necessary for clearing this quest.

“After you find them, please pass a separate message to the orange-haired woman. Tell her to take command and lead the rest of them properly since she’s an expert.”

Of course, I had a way for them to get to the top.

In the quickest way possible.

“...”

Vizsla frowned as if he didn’t know how to even start replying to my nonsense, so I just continued speaking with a faint smile.

“You’re exorcists, aren’t you? Shouldn’t this be easy for you?”

Even among users of Special Powers, exorcists were particularly specialized in rebuffing ‘blasphemous existences’.

Whether they were Devils, Undeads or Vampires, exorcists were individuals who possessed top-notch skills when it came to dealing with all sorts of ‘impurities’. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were one-man armies against hordes of Ruined that were virtually synonymous to the Undead.

“...”

The man's expression stiffened upon hearing these words.

He was probably wrestling with the thought of how I could possibly have such highly confidential information.

‘Dude. In the first place, there’s no one else besides you guys who could come all the way here.’

The only people a shady bastard like the Pope would deploy to this mission were the forces of ‘that woman’.

After all, the only people he trusted were the ones bred in that snake farm.

“...Can’t we hear what kind of information we would receive in advance? Since you’re going to ask us to do something this dangerous, shouldn’t there be some kind of collateral?”

In the end, He seemed to have given up trying to guess where I got such confidential information from. At least, that was how his voice sounded.

What a coward. It wasn’t even remotely dangerous for you.

But still, it didn’t matter even if I conceded a bit.

“Tell this to Seras.”

The information I possessed was something they would never give up on after all.

“That I know the whereabouts of the material of the object she’s looking for.”

Seras Evatrice. In terms of position, she was practically the right hand of the Pope.

She was a world-class assassin, someone who single handedly oversaw three ‘Hidden Forces’ that these guys were included in.

Despite these brilliant titles, those who know her true identity were only a tiny minority in this entire world.

“...You, just now… How…?”

Vizsla, who had shown no intense emotions until now, had a voice filled with shock as soon as he heard the name I nonchalantly said.

Instead of giving a response, I just shrugged my shoulders. After all, there was no need to reveal the source of my knowledge and tricks.

As I was thinking this way…

“...If you even mention the name of the Grand Maître, we cannot back down from this deal.”

Vizsla, who had been maintaining a stiff expression since earlier, finally spoke.

“We’ll hear about how you know such things at a later date. For now…”

As he continued, several Arrays emerged around him one by one.

“...Shall we return to our main job?”

Subsequently, various Special Powers started to surge simultaneously within Vizsla’s body.

-!

-!!

As soon as they sensed the new hostile presence, medium-sized demonic creatures turned their gazes towards us and began to converge from all directions.

With a horde like this, at least a whole company of Knights would be needed to suppress them easily; basically the manpower that could carry out a war.

However…

“Ascend.”

Law, magic, and divine power mixed together, instantly manifesting in the form of a ‘rosary’ from Vizsla’s body.

Then, flames shot up.

They were the ‘Flames of Reincarnation’, created to exclusively target the undead.

In terms of the system, it was an insane counter that completely ignored defense and dealt true damage when facing the undead.

And of course, in reality, its power was as formidable as in the game.

---!!!!

------!!!!!

The smell of burning flesh, horrifying screams and cries filled with pain and suffering enveloped the space.

Despite the overwhelming numbers of Ruined charging at us, when a few more exorcists with the same abilities as Vizsla joined, the monsters couldn’t even attempt to approach us.

Of course, as beings born from Sorcery, they continued to approach us tenaciously no matter how much they burned. It was as if they were using the fire on their bodies as fuel for their attack; there was no sign of their hostility fading away.

However…

The distance between us never shortened.

The rate at which they were dying couldn't keep up with their regeneration rate.

In game terms, these beings had such insane regenerative abilities that they could go from 0% health to 100% in just ten seconds.

However, their regenerative capabilities wouldn’t matter if it only took three seconds for their opponents to burn away all that regenerated health.

According to the game lore, once some conditions are met, that flame could even completely ‘annihilate’ some high-ranking existences in Pandemonium. While these monsters were born from Forbidden Sorcery, their measly medium-grade was not a match for the flames that could eradicate high-grade monsters.

‘As expected.’

This was the terrifying thing about the members of Seras’ Hidden Forces.

While they were unremarkable in most aspects, they were incomprehensibly powerful in their ‘specialized’ fields.

In the first place, they had trained and meticulously measured the amount of law power, magic power, and divine power ‘needed’ for this single purpose since childhood. Basically, they were raised under extreme OCD.

‘...It would’ve been so nice if they weren’t neutral NPCs though.”

Because Seras herself was a character closely tied to the Pope from the very beginning, the original work didn’t have any possible function to recruit these guys as my comrades.

It would’ve been nice if I could somehow establish a friendly relationship with them. How unfortunate indeed.

As I was thinking along those lines…

System Message

[ Checking the current conditions of the target ‘Seras’. ]

[ Your overall demeanor matches Seras’s ideal type perfectly! ]

[ If she meets you in person, the probability of her falling in love at first sight is extremely high! ]

[ ‘Skill: Fatal Charm’ preemptively activated! ]

“...”

Uhhhhh… The fuck was this?

This skill… It actually worked on people I haven’t even seen yet?

I stared at the window incredulously as sentences started to appear one after another.

System Message

[ Pioneering a new branching route! ]

[ The likelihood of gaining the favorability of target ‘Seras Evatrice’ has skyrocketed! ]

[ Upon a successfully established relationship with the target, conditions for a Special Quest will be met! ]

Special Quest: The Ultimate Dark Secret!

[ A quest related to ‘Seras Evatrice’ is now available! ]

[ Upon completion, the target will submit to you! ]

[ Upon completion, you will receive significant benefits in the main scenario! ]

[ Upon completion, you will become the owner of the ‘Oath of the Crescent Moon’ ]

“...”

A laugh of disbelief escaped my lips.

No. I mean, sure, the item I mentioned was somewhat important to Seras…

But ‘submitting’ to me and even handing over the ‘Oath of the Crescent Moon’?

‘...Isn’t this fucking insane?”

The Oath of the Crescent Moon referred to all the Hidden Forces under her sole control.

In other words…

Once this special quest was completed…

She would bring not only herself, but also the entire organization she had been managing to me.

Didn’t that mean the exorcists here would also become my ‘subordinates’?

“...”

What the fuck?

There was definitely some kind of catch here.

So scary...

Why would she go that far…?

“...This is an unbelievable display of power.”

As my sanity was fading away, Eleanor suddenly appeared by my side, speaking in an incredulous voice.

“I can’t believe just three of them are able to push back such a large number of middle-grade demonic creatures. I would have believed it if you said you had brought back the Guardians who disappeared in the annals of history.”

“...”

Yeah, you’re right. And right now, I had a quest that could swallow all those guys whole and make them my bitches.

Honestly though, it felt like I was being spoon fed to the extent where I was actually getting dizzy but…

“...Then, we…!”

Right now, it was not the time to focus on that.

System Notification

[ A moment of danger has been detected.]

[ Determined the situation as life-threatening. ]

[ Skill: Desperation raised to EX Grade. ]

Uh, you know… Since, a gigantic club made of flesh slammed down in front of me.

-!

-!!

As Eleanor and I rolled in different directions, a monstrous giant with revolting flesh and tangled sinews let out an ear-piercing scream.

‘Here it comes’

I took a deep breath and faced the opponent.

This was a mini-boss battle, just like how it was in the original game. It was the battle against the Flesh Tearer.

“...It doesn’t look easy.”

Eleanor slowly drew her sword.

“If it’s a special-grade monster… Even our full combat power may not be enough. Dowd, what’s the plan?”

Taking a deep breath, I started racking my brain.

Elapsed time: 5 minutes. Remaining time: 25 minutes. After calculating the estimated time to get to the boss battle, the time limit to break through this was…

“We have to finish this in under a minute.”

WIthin that time frame, we had to get past this creature.

A creature that had the power to single-handedly fuck up a city and come back to life no matter how many times we kill it.

“...”

Yes, those words sounded absurd, I know.

Also, Eleanor’s gaze, who was looking at me as if I belonged in a mental asylum, all but reaffirmed how truly ridiculous it was. However…

“To be honest, even a minute was a generous estimate.”

“...”

Yep.

In reality, it wasn’t that big of a deal.

I was worried about those fuckers that would latch onto us while we were dealing with the Flesh Tearer, but thanks to the exorcists, they were gone, yeah?

“...Dowd.”

“Yes?”

“I actually think lunatics aren’t so bad, in their own way. Actually, I think I could possibly like them.”

“...”

“As such, I won’t chase you away or rebuke the fact that you’re a madman, so do not worry too much.”

Thank you.

Among the recent disses against me, this was the softest one yet. Truly. Thank you.

Just as I was questioning the whereabouts of my standards…

-!

The gigantic abomination made of flesh charged towards us.