At the border of the Kingdom of Darwitz, a huge battle was raging.
The sky looked like it was on fire. Magic circles glowed brightly, appearing one after another, clashing in mid-air with loud explosions. Spells and arrows flew from both sides, filling the sky like a deadly storm.
Unlike the kingdom of Gwarga, which was weak and almost falling apart, Darwitz was still strong. Their defenses were solid, their soldiers well-trained, and they had enough magic support to fight back. The demon king Noir had sent one of his strongest commanders to lead the attack—everyone except Seraphina, who stayed behind in his castle.
Meanwhile, inside the royal palace of Darwitz, a tense meeting was going on in the throne room.
The king of Darwitz sat on his large throne, a heavy and serious expression on his face. Around him, many nobles and officials were seated. No one dared to speak too loudly.
Suddenly, an old woman with shiny jewelry and a fancy gown stepped forward. Her voice was calm and soft.
"We received a reply… The Holy Knights are on their way. We just need to hold on a little longer."
The room gave a quiet sigh of relief. But the king didn't look any less worried. He leaned forward slightly, his voice low and grim.
"Defense is not the problem. We can hold out for days—maybe even months. But that's not what I'm worried about." He paused, then looked around the room. "What if something like last time happens again?"
Everyone went quiet.
They remembered.
Last time, Seraphina had suddenly appeared inside the royal palace. No warning. No sound. She passed through their barriers like they were made of paper. She stood in front of the king, announced the start of the war, and disappeared again—without anyone being able to stop her.
That moment had left everyone shaken, especially the king.
He looked at George, the royal mage who had created the palace's protective shields.
George sat lower than the others. His face was pale and sweaty. He didn't dare to lift his head. His voice was quiet and full of guilt.
"We've made new barriers, Your Majesty… Stronger than before. Multiple layers. And the heroes are here now, so… the same mistake won't happen again."
The king gave him a sharp look but didn't say anything for a moment. Then, with a sigh, he leaned back on his throne.
"Still… tell the heroes to come here now. I don't want to risk it. If someone attacks suddenly again… and they're not nearby… we'll be finished before they even arrive."
Everyone in the throne room agreed with the king's words. A few minutes later, the large doors opened, and two figures walked into the hall—Aoto and Chiyoko Hiiro.
Aoto was wearing light armor. It looked fancy and shiny, and clearly hadn't seen much battle. He wore it on purpose, hoping it would break during the fight so people could see his muscles and think he fought really hard. His sword was strapped to his waist, perfectly clean, without even a scratch.
Chiyoko, on the other hand, looked more serious. He was wearing full golden armor that glowed faintly with magic. It was reinforced with spells that could resist both physical and magical attacks. He looked ready for war.
Both of them walked forward and knelt before the king.
"We are in your service, Your Majesty!" they said at the same time, their voices loud and full of confidence.
The king gave a small nod. "Stand up and be ready. Keep your guard up at all times," he said firmly. After a short pause, he added with a sly smile, "I'm also thinking of postponing my daughter's marriage. Maybe… the brave warrior who drives away the demon king's army will be the right one to marry her."
Aoto's lips twitched. A dark mark appeared on his forehead, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. He knew very well what the king meant.
He was supposed to marry Princess Ingrassia after finishing his studies at the academy. He was already known as her fiancé. But now… the king was clearly saying, 'Whoever does the best in this battle might become the new groom.'
"This old man… If I get the chance, I'll throw him off a cliff," Aoto cursed silently in his mind, but on the outside, he kept a calm and neutral expression.
"I'll do my best, Your Majesty!" Chiyoko's eyes sparkled with motivation. He stood straight, full of energy and pride.
Aoto glanced at him from the side. "You're way too excited about this,huh…" he mumbled under his breath but didn't say anything out loud.
Before the room could settle down again, a messenger suddenly entered and gave a loud report.
"Lady Scarlett has come! She wishes to propose an alliance!"
The whole throne room stirred in shock.
"She's here?" Aoto raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling this would happen, but hearing it made his heart skip a beat. He didn't show it, but deep down, he was smiling.
All the nobles stood up at once, clearly shocked.
"Wait, what if this is a trick?! What if she's working with the demons?!"
"She's too dangerous to trust!"
But before the room could turn into chaos, the king raised his hand.
"Silence," he said strongly. "If it were really her with bad intentions… she would've already barged in by now and destroyed half the palace." He turned to George. "Go. Check if it's truly Scarlett Nova… or someone just pretending to be her for an assassination."
George, the royal mage, quickly stood up and nodded. Without wasting a second, he left the throne room.
Moments later, the doors opened again—and this time, George returned… with Scarlett walking beside him.
The moment she stepped inside, the room went silent. Her presence was heavy, powerful, and full of command. Everyone could feel it in their bones.
She didn't waste any time and went straight to the point.
"I just saved Gwarga from the fifth demon king's attack," she said with a confident smirk. "And right after that, I hear Darwitz is under attack too."
She paused, then tilted her head slightly. "So I thought… why not help you out as well? Let's take care of the fifth demon king together."
Everyone stared at her in disbelief. Even the king blinked.
"You want to kill the demon king for us?" he asked, genuinely surprised. "Why would you help us?"
Scarlett chuckled lightly, as if it were obvious.
"Did you forget?" she said. "I'm the Avatar of the very goddess you worship. The one you all pray to every day. Of course, I'll side with humans."
But a noble from the side, a bald man with a thick beard and arrogant face, crossed his arms and spoke with a mocking tone.
"How do we know you're telling the truth? Everyone knows you were summoned here by mistake along with Hero Aoto!"
Scarlett's lips twitched slightly. Her fingers clenched a little, and deep down, she really wanted to smack the man into a puddle of blood—but she kept herself calm.
With a composed and icy tone, she replied sharply, "And the only person responsible for that 'mistake' is none other than your precious hero—Aoto."
All the eyes in the throne room quickly turned to Aoto.
"M-Me?" Aoto almost shouted, but he held back and only muttered in a low voice, trying to act calm.
But the next moment, he understood exactly what Scarlett meant.
In her lie about being a "goddess," there was one big hole in the story—she had been summoned at the same time as Aoto. And even worse, Aoto had once called her his "slave," saying she was a royal succubus.
"So she wants me to deal with the mess I made…?" Aoto sighed in his mind, feeling the pressure. "She's gotten really cold lately… but I guess I do have some responsibility in this," he thought, noticing the suspicious gazes locked onto him.
Wanting to shift the focus, Aoto quickly stepped forward and raised his voice.
"There's no time to talk about everything! The longer we stand here, the more lives we'll lose!" he said firmly, trying to change the topic.
Scarlett turned slightly and spoke with a casual tone, "Well then, I'm taking Aoto and heading straight for the fifth demon king's territory."
At that moment, a strong voice echoed across the hall.
"I'll go too!" shouted Chiyoko Hiiro, standing tall with a determined face.
"I want to help fight the demon king and protect the world!" he added, clenching his fists tightly, full of motivation.
Scarlett glanced at him, clearly unamused. "This clingy guy again?" she thought, feeling a small wave of irritation. "And 'save the world'? It's just a kingdom-level battle, not the end of the world." But she didn't say it out loud.
Then Aoto added with a shrug, "Yeah, who knows… maybe he will be useful."
Scarlett looked at both of them for a moment. After a short sigh, she finally nodded.
"Fine."
Then she turned to the king and nobles.
"Do you know anything about the fifth demon king, Noir? My main concern is whether he has any ultimate skill."
Everyone in the hall looked confused at her words. Even Chiyoko scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Ultimate skill? What's that?" many nobles murmured to each other in confusion.
But the king's face turned serious as he leaned forward in his throne.
"We don't know much. Noir became the fifth demon king about 150 years ago. And the last 200 years have been peaceful, So no one really looked into him deeply."
He took a breath and continued, "The only thing we know… is that he was once a direct subordinate of the third demon king, Asmodeus."
Scarlett's eyes narrowed, and something lit up inside her heart.
"Third demon king?… Now I have another reason to crush him," she thought with burning anger.
The king finished his report.
"As for your question… No, he doesn't have an ultimate skill, Unless our information is incorrect!",
Scarlett almost burst out laughing.
"He doesn't even have one? Even Lunatic has an ultimate skill! Fufufu… what a joke."
She took a deep breath and turned to Aoto and Chiyoko.
"Well then… ready for an adventure?"
Aoto looked at her and asked, "Are we teleporting there?"
"Nope," Scarlett answered calmly. "I can't teleport to places I haven't been to or seen before."
"Then how…?" Chiyoko asked, a little confused.
Scarlett didn't answer with words. Instead, she smiled, walked up to them, and placed a hand on each of their backs. Then, without warning—
She lifted both of them off the ground with ease.
"We're flying," she said with a grin.
And before they could protest, six large wings burst out from her back with a loud whoosh. With one powerful flap, she shot into the sky—breaking through the palace ceiling and tearing apart the magic barrier that George had carefully created.
Inside the throne room, George watched his ruined ceiling with a blank, defeated expression.
"…Not Again!" he muttered weakly.