Sybil's swordsmanship was still immature. She knew this better than anyone.

She knew that Cohen would target her most vulnerable position.

If she had used 'Petal' from the beginning, the fight would have been much more advantageous.

But Sybil deliberately showed Cohen the immaturity of her swordsmanship.

Sybil didn't believe in fate.

It wasn't that she denied its influence; she simply chose not to dwell on it.

No matter how much fate aided her,

no matter how much it impacted her life in the future,

'That's why Frondier must have said that.'

At this moment,

fate truly lay at Sybil's feet.

At that moment, Cohen realized his defeat before the outcome.

'...Was it me who relied on luck from the beginning?'

Clang─!

Just as the crimson petal ignited the aura,

the white petal shattered it.

"Ugh..."

Cohen's body, pierced by lightning like a lightning rod,

Thud.

collapsed forward as if he had fainted.

Unlike his subordinates, he didn't scream, nor did his body show any fatal wounds.

But his unconsciousness would never be broken.

"...Kha!"

Sybil deactivated 'Petal' and collapsed.

She had pretended to be fine, but the strain on her body was immense.

"...I killed someone."

Sybil wrapped her arms around her shoulders, her hands trembling.

She couldn't yet tell whether the tremors were from the aftereffects of using 'Petal' or from the guilt of taking a life.

"...Is this..."

However, there was one thing Sybil knew for certain.

"Is this war?"

Her eyes looked beyond the barrier.

She had slain the Shepherd of Manggot and his followers, but monsters still surged forward like waves.

Medart, the Zodiac, was either dead or unconscious, but definitely incapacitated. Sybil herself had nearly exhausted her strength in the recent battle.

The knights and soldiers atop the barrier were still desperately defending it.

Sybil's victory was undoubtedly a significant achievement, but the war still cast a dark shadow beneath her feet.

"...Hurry."

Hurry, Frondier.

The countdown is nearing its end.

* * *

While everyone on the Empire's barrier was desperately defending,

"...Finally."

Frondier stood on the hillside.

Going any further would lead to the western edge.

There, one could see the vast horizon. Literally, reaching the sea. Something the people of the Empire within the walls might never see in their lifetime.

Manggot resided in the caves beneath that cliff.

"Mother. What's the situation?"

Frondier asked into his phone.

[...We're barely holding on.]

"Have any Manggot forces breached the barrier yet?"

[It's difficult to keep track of everything with the chaos, but it seems that way. Even if they did breach, I doubt they would use shadow transfer immediately unless they could inflict significant damage.]

The Empire was currently protected by a dual surveillance system.

One was Malia's sensory sharing. She shared the vision of key personnel, and information from all parts of the barrier flowed to her.

Malia instantly relayed the situation to the Imperial Palace and Frondier, allowing the palace to implement detailed strategies.

The other was a rune led by Osprey and other mages. Osprey, having reached the realm of spatial magic, couldn't see everything simultaneously like Malia, but he constantly monitored the area within the rune.

This significantly reduced the barrier's defensive power, but unlike the barrier, where the timing of its collapse could be roughly predicted, Manggot's invasion could happen at any moment. The mages involved in constructing this rune included Lunia Fricell.

"Where is Mei now?"

[Mei? Hmm, I think she's at the northwestern barrier.]

Frondier nodded upon hearing this. Of course, Malia couldn't see him, so it was a gesture of affirmation to himself.

"Understood. I'll contact you again."

[...Frondier. It's hard to say this, but the barrier has reached its limit.]

"Yes, it's surprising it's held up this long."

[You have a plan, right?]

"Yes."

A concise and brief answer.

Seemingly satisfied, Malia ended the call after reminding him to be careful.

Frondier's gaze reached far into the distance.

"This should be within range."

He still needed to walk a bit further to infiltrate Manggot, but

"Menosorpo."

For some reason, Frondier activated a rune from his current location.

His massive rune caused a huge anomaly within its range. Naturally, Manggot would notice it.

That's right.

Frondier had no intention of 'infiltrating' Manggot from the beginning.

Weaving

Rank - Divine

Mjölnir

Weaving

Rank - Legendary

Excalibur

He held a sword and a hammer in each hand.

Contrary to the information known by the Empire, and contrary to Belphegor's expectations,

Frondier knew the 'exact location' of Manggot.

"I have no intention of fighting on enemy territory."

With those words,

Aura Release, Sword Technique

Frondier Original

Nail

Kaaaaang!!

Frondier struck the pommel of Excalibur with Mjölnir.

Excalibur, imbued with Frondier's mana, fired a sword ki that retained the shape of the sword itself.

Kwaaang!!!

Excalibur's sword ki shattered the cliff where Manggot was hiding below, raising a massive cloud of dust.

This single blow wouldn't destroy Manggot, but it was more than enough to shake them up.

"Come out."

Frondier's eyes gleamed menacingly, and he spoke in a low voice, confident that it would be heard clearly.

"I've wanted to kill you for a very long time."