I quickly closed the space.

Neril hurried over to me.

“Mide, are you alright?”

“As you can see, perfectly fine.”

“Here, drink this. It’s a special potion made by Serein.”

“I literally just said I’m fine.”

“Just drink it. It’s good for your body anyway. Go on.”

I had no choice but to accept the potion she was practically shoving at me.

Trail chuckled.

[Now I can totally picture Neril making you a morning health drink every day.]

‘Shut up.’

While I was drinking it, Neril took out her communication orb.

“Should I call everyone now?”

“Yeah.”

“Hold on.”

Once she activated it, the line immediately filled with noise and chatter.

–Neril, did you finish him off?

–Wow, Serein, no improvement as always.

–Why does it matter whether he is dead or not?

–Everyone be quiet. Try to stay calm like me.

–Mister, could you stop shaking your leg?

Neril laughed softly.

“It’s over. Come back, everyone.”

–Ah, what a relief. That explosion earlier was enormous! We were so worried.

“That was me.”

–Whoa. Figures.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

–Hahaha, see you soon!

Not even “soon.”

With Mime attached to Agril, their speed was the fastest on the continent.

They were back in less than a few minutes.

“Hot, hot!”

“It’s like stepping on lava.”

“Come here, everyone.”

Neril cast a quick spell on them too.

They looked around with visible relief.

“It’s even worse up close. There’s nothing left.”

“That was Beyond’s magic.”

“But even Beyond himself couldn’t pull off this kind of power. You’re incredible, Neril.”

“Ahem.”

Neril, weak to compliments, just turned her head away.

Offense asked,

“What about Kaeld?”

“He is securely locked away.”

“Good. Then we won’t have to worry about getting backstabbed when fighting Velosian.”

“Right.”

“So, what now?”

I thought for a moment before answering.

“We need to find the final battleground against Idria. That fight is going to be huge, so we should pick a place as uninhabited as possible.”

“Then we will need somewhere remote, like the starting point or the Sacred Forest. Do you have anywhere in mind?”

“I do. Let’s move out, I will explain on the way.”

“Got it.”

Kaeld was sealed away, and because of that, everyone including me finally let our guard down.

Then it happened.

Crash!

Something shattered.

What the…?

We all turned toward the sound.

“Gasp!”

Lisel inhaled sharply in shock.

A hole had opened in midair.

It was one of my spatial portals.

“Wh.. What is that?”

“Mide, why would you make something like that?”

“I didn’t.”

Cold sweat ran down my face.

I knew Kaeld was stronger than Idria now.

That’s why I had poured everything into the last spatial rift I made.

He broke through that?

“It’s Kaeld.”

“What? No way.”

“Damn it. I didn’t think he had gotten this strong. Everyone, fall back.”

No sooner had I said that than…

Crack!

Another hole opened nearby.

Two rifts in midair.

Kaeld’s hands reached out through them.

He began pulling, as if trying to rip apart an invisible fabric.

Neril spoke.

“No matter how tough that cockroach got, this doesn’t make sense. He was a wreck just moments ago.”

“…”

“Even if he could tear open your space, shouldn’t recovering his body come first?”

Exactly my thought.

I had no answer, but Kaeld did.

From beyond the space, his voice slithered out with a grotesque laugh.

“Nhuhu. Yeah, I’m surprised too.”

“Kaeld.”

“I didn’t think Velosian’s power would be this strong.”

“What are you talking about? Don’t tell me you were still hiding more power, even while I was beating you.”

“No. I used everything I had. But it came back. That’s all.”

It came back?

I remembered the Kaeld who had collapsed under Neril’s spell.

At first glance, he had looked utterly dead.

But he had gotten back up almost instantly, maybe not in perfect condition, but enough to fight me head-on again.

Offense spoke nervously.

“So his recovery speed is… insanely fast?”

“Yeah. I only just realized it myself, but even when I use up all of Velosian’s power, it fills back up quickly. Like water rising in a well.”

“…!”

“These pathetic tricks of yours? I will tear them apart in no time. You would better wash your necks and wait!”

Which meant… he had already returned to the state he was in the first time we met.

This was bad, really bad.

‘Beating Kaeld again won’t be hard. But…’

[Right. You won’t be able to contain him anymore.]

‘Exactly.’

I sighed.

“It’s impossible to imprison that guy now. Fundamentally.”

“Mide.”

“Even if we beat him half to death and toss him into another dimension, he will recover in no time. And if he is in full condition, he can tear my space apart.”

“…”

“Let’s retreat.”

When I said that, the bitterness in my voice surprised even me.

Maybe that’s why Serein, normally so upbeat, spoke in an unusually subdued tone.

“Don’t be discouraged. It’s not your fault, Mide.”

“Thanks. But it’s not just because we couldn’t stop Kaeld.”

“What do you mean?”

“He said he was only using one-tenth of Velosian’s power. If we can’t even contain that much…”

I caught myself too late.

That wasn’t something I should have said, it would only crush everyone’s morale.

“Sorry. Forget… hm?”

But to my surprise, no one looked discouraged.

If anything, their expressions were firmer than before, full of resolve.

“Don’t say that.”

“Yes. Mr. Mide, you’re always the one who shows us the way.”

“I’m sure even Velosian can be defeated.”

“Honestly, your growth so far has already been beyond human.”

“More than that, can’t we just smash that bastard one more time before leaving? If we can’t imprison him, we might as well enjoy watching his face twist.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Even after such a bitter result, they were this composed.

Truly, these were heroes worthy of the title.

Tap.

At that moment, Xenia tapped Adwin on the shoulder.

She must have been bothered that he was the only one staying quiet.

“Why so silent? This is when you’re supposed to say something embarrassingly earnest to liven up the mood.”

“I don’t say that kind of thing to change the mood. I always mean it.”

“That makes it even worse.”

“Anyway, I was just thinking.”

He fidgeted with his fingers, then continued.

“Mide hyung. It’s best to keep Kaeld sealed away, right?”

“Well, that goes without saying.”

“Phew. Alright. I have decided.”

“Decided what?”

“This.”

Adwin took something out from his robe.

It was the Branch of Corruption I had handed out last time.

All of us widened our eyes.

“Adwin, don’t tell me…”

“I’m going to meddle with that guy’s soul.”

“T-then you could just do that as you are now! You don’t need to give anything up for it!”

“Up until now, the only things I could do with souls were summoning from the underworld, improving focus, putting people to sleep, or blurring my presence.”

“……”

“What I’m trying to do this time is very different.”

Adwin swallowed hard.

“I’m going to erase his soul.”

The first to react was Kaeld.

He suddenly shouted like a madman.

“Y-you mean what that Velosian bastard did to Pirensha?!”

“So you know about that? Well, you must have seen it up close.”

“Stop it. Serein suffered the same thing! Your comrade was the victim of that very atrocity!”

“……”

“And now you’re trying to do that to me? Is that something a hero would do?!”

We were all so dumbfounded we couldn’t even speak.

Adwin ignored him cleanly and spoke to me.

“Simply putting the soul to sleep won’t work. Unlike Ophelia, his soul vessel is enormous. I guess it’s because he was once called a hero for quite some time.”

“So even if you put it to sleep, he would wake right back up? That’s why you plan to erase it?”

“Yes. I will go as far as I can. Once the soul is erased, his body will collapse just like with Serein. Then he won’t be able to tear your space apart.”

I wanted to stop Adwin.

Not because of the one-month limitation, but because I didn’t want him to sacrifice something precious just to fix what my lack of power caused.

But before I could say anything, Neril spoke up.

“I think it’s fine.”

“Neril.”

“Mide, you’re too soft on us. Using the Branch of Corruption doesn’t even mean a real sacrifice. Don’t feel guilty for letting someone choose that on their own.”

“……”

“Besides, we don’t have a better idea than Adwin’s anyway.”

That was true.

I looked quietly at Adwin, the boy who, at such a young age, somehow ended up on a journey to save the world.

A kid who should have been running around with friends in his village or busy learning necromancy from Mariana.

But now, he had grown enough to make a decision like this on his own.

I sighed.

“Thank you, Adwin.”

“Heh. Don’t mention it. And, really, how can you thank me, hyung?”

“Huh?”

“I owe you way too much already.”

He took the branch in both hands.

“My wish isn’t just to save my father.”

“……”

“My mother said that once we defeat the Demon King and return, the three of us would have dinner together. My father, my mother, and me sitting side by side at the table. That’s my true wish. So…”

Crack.

He broke the branch without hesitation and said,

“I’m ready for that seat to be empty if it means we can make it happen.”

And then.

Adwin’s body began to glow.

Invisible inscriptions covered his skin, each one blazing with light.

The light was so bright we had to close our eyes for a moment.

When I opened them again, Adwin was murmuring blankly.

“Ah… so that’s how it is.”

“What do you mean?”

“I had been wondering how turning fame into power would work for a necromancer like me. It seems to function by letting me fully understand the true meaning of the spells etched into my body.”

“The true meaning?”

“Hmm, understanding the spells is part of it… but more precisely, it means I have completely grasped the essence of the soul itself. Necromancy is, after all, the art of manipulating souls.”

He looked toward the space again.

Kaeld was still straining, arms stretched out, trying to tear the space apart.

Adwin spoke with a chilling tone.

“Now that I understand souls, I should be able to erase one.”

“Y-yeah. Do your best.”

“Should I erase him completely?”

“No. Even I can’t ask you to go that far.”

“Don’t worry. His vessel is too large anyway, so I couldn’t do that even if I tried. Just open the space a little wider.”

“Huh?”

“I want to see his soul.”

I chuckled and expanded the space slightly.

Kaeld must have heard us because he quickly hid himself.

It looked exactly like a prisoner curling up from the light when the cell door opens.

“Pathetic. Really pathetic.”

“S-shut up.”

“Adwin? Can you see him?”

Adwin peered intently into the small, face-sized gap.

Instead of answering, he slowly reached out his hand toward it.

And then.

“Huh? Ugh!”

He suddenly gasped.

“Ughh… stop, it hurts. It hurts so much!”

“……”

“Cough..! I’m going to die! Please, stop! Save me, Adwin! Mide!”

Serein clicked her tongue.

“I have been through it myself, and yeah, it really does feel like dying.”

“For someone who says that, you sure were dreaming about swimming in gold coins.”

“W-what?! How did you know that?”

“You talk in your sleep.”

“Those gold coins were symbolic! They represented my dreams and hopes.”

I ignored their chatter and looked at Adwin.

Sweat was forming on his forehead.

Wiping it away, he said,

“I thought I could erase about half of it, but I only managed around thirty percent.”

“Will that be enough?”

“Unless he has an insane willpower, it should be. With that much pain, Kaeld won’t be able to focus on tearing space.”

“I see.”

Relieved, I closed the space.

Seeing the shrinking hole, Kaeld shouted desperately,

“Mide! Don’t do this!”

“This is the only way.”

Shhh.

The space vanished completely.

We folded our arms and waited to see if he would throw another fit.

But after several minutes, it stayed quiet.

Neril smiled brightly.

“Ah. So peaceful.”

TL: Where do you guys think Mide scales in terms of power level? Prolly at city level? Last time I did the math, an average territory was about the size of a small country in their world, so yeah. And prolly at country level by the time he defeats Velosian.

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