"How's it going?"

"Hahaha! How can they be that stupid?"

On the rooftop of a building in Londan, two men were laughing loudly as they peered through binoculars, watching the knights of Londan gather outside the walls, preparing to face the approaching Candles, who had banded together in an alliance.

"This is why I love the Candles. One rumor about the knight commander being missing, and they form a whole alliance without even checking the facts."

"They probably think they’ve come up with some genius plan."

These two men were cultists—survivors from the group Tanthan and his companions had previously cracked down on.

"This is perfect. With this, our plan is flawless."

"Finally, we’ll get rid of these fools and achieve true salvation."

Behind the two, the room was filled with the same blood-red glow from the candelabra that Tanthan had seen before.

"Wait a moment."

Just then, someone burst through the door—a pretty girl with brown hair, wearing a maid’s uniform.

"Who the hell are you?"

"What’s this?! Who is she?!"

The cultists were startled, but the girl, unbothered by their reactions, calmly lifted her skirt. Confused by the odd behavior, the cultists tilted their heads in curiosity, but when they saw her legs, a wicked grin spread across their faces.

"…Are you one of the Torturer's 'children'?"

"Yes. I’ve inherited my mother's power quite strongly."

As the girl spoke, she pulled out a sword and swung it in the air, releasing a thick, red mist. The cultists, who had never seen someone inherit their 'Mother’s' power so strongly, watched in awe.

"So…"

However, their expressions quickly turned cold.

"Why reveal yourself now?"

"I’m here to tell you that this is not the place where my mother will manifest. You need to head to another city."

The girl spoke firmly, but the cultists exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

As the girl showed signs of confusion at their reaction, one of the cultists approached her from behind.

Thwack!

"Ugh!"

He struck the back of her head with a wooden plank. But the girl didn’t collapse—of course not. If something like that could take her down, she wouldn’t be able to call herself one of the Torturer’s 'children.'

"What do you think you're—"

"Seems like you really are one of her children. Tough, aren't you?"

One of the cultists grabbed the girl by her twin braids, lifting her slightly. She winced from the pain but glared at him defiantly.

"You really thought we’d fall for such nonsense? You think we don’t know? We heard you’ve been playing servant girl to a knight."

"Urgh…!"

"What? Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for that knight? That would be hilarious."

The room filled with laughter as the other cultists joined in, mocking her.

"Yeah, yeah, I can see that. As one of the Torturer’s children, concepts like age don’t really apply, do they? But that knight… poor bastard almost became a pedophile without even knowing it."

"Shut up. My master…"

"Oh, listen to her! She’s not even hiding it anymore—calling him 'Master' now."

Their cruel laughter echoed as the cultist holding her hair hurled her across the room. She hit the ground near the candelabra, where the flames had already turned a deep red—an indication that her mother’s summoning was almost complete.

The rhythmic thud of marching feet echoed in the distance.

Although faint, it was clear that the allied forces of the Candles were approaching in full force.

The morale of the knights had been bolstered by the deputy commander’s rousing speech. Muyeon, White Mask, the deputy commander, and I stood at the front of the formation.

The speech had been moving, filled with passion and a sense of duty.

But I didn’t particularly care for grim realities like this.

In games and novels, when tens of thousands die, yet the protagonist takes one more step forward, gamers and readers cheer. But who mourns for those tens of thousands?

That’s why I looked to White Mask.

Now, with so many eyes on us, it wasn’t the right time to use certain abilities.

White Mask seemed to understand my silent signal and nodded, turning to address the knights.

"Knights! What you are about to witness must never be spoken of. If this story spreads within Londan, I will hold you personally responsible and mete out punishment. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

The knights answered without truly knowing what was about to happen. I wasn’t entirely sure it would work out, but we had to do this. Otherwise, things would be far more difficult.

White Mask and the deputy commander nodded in agreement, granting me permission. I, too, nodded, signaling that I was ready.

I took my place at the front, and murmurs spread through the ranks of the knights.

There was one ally perfectly suited to the current situation.

Recalling that ally, I raised the party whistle to my lips and blew.

Peeeeriiiing.

"Aghhh!"

"My head hurts!"

To me, the sound seemed almost comical, but to those who hadn’t faced an outer god before, like the three standing beside me, it was unbearable.

I felt a light pressure on my shoulder, and then a voice whispered in my ear.

"My husband."

The Dragon Slayer.

If there was any entity skilled at wiping out large groups of enemies, it was her.

"You’ve finally called for me."

Thanks for coming.

"Hmph. Just make sure you treat me better in the future. You’ve been neglecting me for far too long."

Though I found the title "my husband" a bit irritating, I accepted it. After all, I had a part to play in this.

"So, you need my power, huh?"

Yes.

"But the power I offer is that of a dragon. To wield it, I must implant a part of my dragon essence within you."

That sounded… a bit intense.

Is it safe?

"I’ve never done it before, but since it’s you, I think it’ll be fine."

Wait… does that mean I’ll become a dragon? Will my body hold up?

"I once implanted my essence in someone who ambushed me. He didn’t physically die… though I think his mind broke."

Well… that’s comforting.

"With this, you’ll be able to wield the power of a dragon whenever you wish. Isn’t that what you wanted, to become stronger?"

Well, yes. Let’s do it.

Without further hesitation, the Dragon Slayer leaned in closer to my shoulder.

"Chomp."

Ow! That hurts!

"Bear with it! It’s necessary."

Her tone was oddly cheerful, which made me suspicious. But she wasn’t wrong.

Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation in my back, as if something was growing from it.

"Don’t resist. Just accept it."

As her gentle voice soothed me, I let my body relax, and I felt something sprout from my shoulders.

"What… what is that?!"

"An… an outer god?!"

"How is that possible, from a human?!"

The knights’ gasps of shock told me that what I was feeling wasn’t just in my head. Glancing over, I noticed White Mask clenching his jaw.

"…You borrowed the Dragon Slayer’s power."

"Yes."

"It’s a smart choice for wiping out the enemy."

I thought White Mask might be uncomfortable with the situation, but he took it in stride.

So, can I breathe fire too? Like a real dragon?

"You mean the kind that comes from your mouth? I could grant you that, but…"

Wouldn’t that mean you’d have to bite me again?

"Tsk, what a pity."

What the hell is wrong with you?!

In any case, there was no more time for banter.

Using dragon’s breath might be cool, but a human spitting fire would look pretty weird.

By now, the Candles had drawn close enough that I could see them clearly.

The knights stood firm, quietly watching them approach.

The tension was suffocating, like a coiled spring ready to snap at the slightest movement.

And I was the one who broke the silence.

I shot into the air, and all the Candles’ eyes turned toward me.

And with a powerful flap of my wings—just as the Dragon Slayer had done—I sent a wave of force hurtling toward them.

Whoooosh!

"Aaagh!"

"My arm! My arm!"

The Candles screamed, but I couldn’t tell exactly why they were screaming.

Maybe they were clutching their shoulders, or maybe they were pinned to the ground by the sheer force.

But thanks to my "coward mode," none of it really looked that bad to me.

I didn’t stop there. I flapped my wings in all directions, sending sharp gusts of air that tore through the Candles’ front lines, creating gaps in their formation.

"…I can’t let you have all the fun!"

White Mask charged through the gap I’d created, leaping into the air and slicing through the Candles with his sword.

Though I was using the power of an outer god, White Mask was just a human, yet he displayed incredible strength.

I definitely needed to train with him once this was over.

Suddenly, I sensed an arrow flying toward me, and I barely managed to dodge it.

The Candles had an archer?

That must’ve been what triggered Muyeon, who suddenly rushed forward, mirroring White Mask’s charge.

"How dare you attack Sir Tanthan!"

Her eyes were swirling with fury as her body hurled itself into the fray.

But her combat abilities weren’t lacking.

Crash!

Swoosh!

"Stop that axe-wielding maniac!"

"She’ll kill us all at this rate!"

"Dammit! Stop whining and do something about it!"

Muyeon’s spinning axe technique decimated the Candles, leaving them powerless to resist.

Meanwhile, the deputy commander sighed softly and drew her massive plastic sword.

Pointing it at the Candles, she spoke calmly.

"Behold, knights! We shall not lose. Not while we stand here."

With those words, the deputy commander leaped into the air, her large frame and heavy sword moving with surprising agility.

"We have already won!!!"

She came crashing down with a powerful spin, slamming her sword into the ground.

Boom!

As the bright, ringing sound filled the air, a massive crater formed around the deputy commander.

The Candles… were gone. At least, from what I could see, they had been completely vaporized.

For a moment, everything was still.

The deputy commander, undeterred by the silence, raised her sword high and shouted.

"Knights! Charge!"

At her command, the knights surged forward, and the Candles, shaken by the devastation, finally reacted.

The clash of swords rang out, relentless, as both sides refused to give an inch.

The knights were formidable, bolstered by the strength of White Mask, Muyeon, and the deputy commander.

The deputy commander’s strength was astounding.

I knew White Mask and Muyeon had grown accustomed to her power, but each of her strikes was like a bomb going off.

If the deputy commander was this strong, how powerful must the knight commander have been in her prime?

But even with all this power, it wasn’t enough. Numbers still mattered.

No matter how many formations we broke, the Candles kept coming.

"Knights, fall back!"

The deputy commander ordered a retreat, unwilling to see any more of her comrades die.

Because of that, we were eventually pushed back toward the walls.

At this rate, the Candles would breach the city.

We had taken down nearly half of their forces, but if they reached the gates, it would be over.

I began to raise my party whistle, ready to summon another outer god, even though it would likely cause more knights to pass out.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of heavy gunfire rang out.

"Aaargh!"

"Wait… that man…"

The Candles began pointing, trembling in fear.

"It’s… it’s the Hunter!"

"Damn."

The Hunter twirled his revolver effortlessly and glared at the Candles.

"This damn city never runs out of trouble."

He sneered, as if staring down a swarm of insects.