In the middle of one of the lands near the port stood a massive palace. It was vast, surrounded by a high wall. However, in one section of that wall, there was a large crack. Instead of being guarded by protective walls, the palace was now surrounded by a horde of demons—savage creatures breaking windows and storming the place.
Inside the palace, the soldiers had already prepared themselves, weapons in hand. As the demons entered, the soldiers engaged them, and another battle began—this time within the palace walls. Screams of demons mixed with the clash of weapons filled the air, and from the very first glance, it was clear that the demons would win easily due to their overwhelming numbers.
"Virtuoes!" Kaily suddenly screamed.
At that moment, a glowing green aura surrounded the soldiers, healing their wounds and protecting them from further injury. But soon after, many soldiers started getting wounded again as the demons stabbed them. That's when Kaily remembered Allen's words—some wounds can't be healed.
"It's their weapons—they're surrounded by a red aura! If they hit you with those, magic won't heal you!" shouted one of the knights amidst the battle.
"If that's true... how? How did you manage to invent such a thing, Diablos?! How?! HOW?!" Kaily shouted in shock.
Suddenly, the sound of a dragging chain echoed through the room. It was that male Crossif with the golden chain. He walked forward, dragging it behind him. And he wore that terrifying grin as he approached Kaily and Stephanie. Then he spoke: "These are the Satanic Weapons—made to stop your annoying human magic."
Stephanie quickly translated his words to the stunned priestess. Kaily couldn't make sense of it. Bringing new gear into their second battle was a brilliant tactic, especially since it was effective gear—not only effective but capable of canceling healing magic. The Satanic Weapons—the name carved itself into Kaily's memory. It seemed she'd never forget it.
Suddenly, the demon rushed toward them, but Kaily quickly formed her usual shield. A glowing dome enveloped both Stephanie and herself, causing the demon to halt and stare. Then he began swinging the chain, which soon radiated a crimson aura. It was clearly Nemesis. He pulled the golden chain back and then struck the shield while shouting: "Grealll!!!"
Kaily's magical shield shattered as if it had never existed. She was stunned and realized there was nothing she could do. Apparently, the weapons didn't just negate healing magic—they also nullified defensive spells. It was a shocking realization, and soon, a full-blown disaster.
As the demon advanced, laughing victoriously, chain spinning around him, a male voice suddenly called out: "You motherfucker, picking on girls?"
A slash flew toward the demon.
The demon managed to dodge it, but his elbow was slashed. Then a terrifying sight met the demons: eight heroes stood in the middle of the battle, their auras glowing intensely, radiating fear. But could they actually end this battle? Glancing at the windows, the number of demons was still increasing—an overwhelming tide.
"Crush any demon you see!" John shouted.
Tom stepped forward toward the chain demon, holding his black blade. His eyes were filled with confidence, even though victory hadn't been secured yet. Or maybe it was because he finally had a single opponent to face, instead of a swarm of annoying Nardiss. Either way, Tom charged forward.
The demon tried to strike him with the chain but failed as Tom suddenly leapt. His next move was obvious: come down on the demon and drive his blade into him. But because it was so predictable, the demon easily dodged by stepping forward.
"Not bad. You're good at dodging," Tom muttered as he turned to see the demon now standing some distance away.
Suddenly, a barrage of glowing slashes shot toward the demon—so many that the Crossif could no longer see Tom. And with the opportunity wide open, the best place for Tom to go was right behind the demon. As the demon tried to evade the attack, he felt something pierce through his back. It was the black blade... The Dark Lord's Blade.
The chain demon fell to the ground. Tom moved on to continue the rest of the battle, stepping away from the fallen body. Elsewhere, the other heroes were still fighting, though the number of demons continued to rise. And despite the heroes' arrival, it was clear this battle wouldn't be easy. The demon horde had become a serious problem... and perhaps, victory would not favor Yarum.
"Get rid of any negative thoughts in your heads! If you're soldiers the kingdom depends on, there's only one thing you should focus on—victory!" Linda shouted as she cut down several demons with ease.
"For victory! For the kingdom!!" the soldiers roared in unison.
Linda's short speech had roused the soldiers, who now fought fiercely, pushing past their injuries, focusing only on winning. But that didn't mean the tide had turned. The demons were still fighting with all they had. In the middle of the battle, a group of Nardiss had surrounded Susan, and it looked like no one was nearby to help her.
"Damn it!" Susan muttered as she held her spear and glared at the advancing demons.
She unleashed a storm that knocked away many of them, but more kept closing in. They all leapt at her. Susan fell to the ground. It seemed the demons had overpowered her. She thrashed and tried to push them away, but she began to lose hope as they tried to remove her armor.
Suddenly, the ground exploded, and the demons were thrown away from her. Susan quickly got up and saw John standing there with his greatsword, staring at her pale face, which had been consumed by fear. She must've thought she was going to die.
"We shouldn't separate!" John said.
"Ain't no way—you would've died if I hadn't stepped in," he mumbled.
"Okay, you're right—we shouldn't separate."
They left the spot and headed toward the main battlefield where the other heroes were still fighting. Meanwhile, far off in one of the palace chambers, Stephanie was hiding with Kaily. It was a large hall-like room. The two sat in silence, listening to the sounds of battle and screams of pain, unable to do anything. After all, Diablos had found a way to block healing magic.
"This is so humiliating..." Kaily muttered.
"I'm the supervisor, and I can't do anything..."
It seemed Kaily was waiting for Stephanie to respond, but the green-haired girl stayed silent. Fear had gripped her entirely. Nightmarish thoughts of blood and corpses were crawling into her mind, rendering her mute. That was Stephanie's state—bordering on madness. She couldn't act. She couldn't do anything.
◆ ◆ ◆
Corpses were piled atop one another, broken horns scattered everywhere. Blood stained the floors and walls. Crushed entrails hung from window frames, others smeared across the ground. The stench was revolting, and sweat poured from the soldiers' skin. This was the battlefield within the palace.
Breaths were slowing, while hopes were rising. Each had their goal, their ambition, their desire for victory. There was no other objective in this battle—everyone aspired to bring glory to their country. But amidst all these similar goals, there was one person—just one—who wasn't thinking about victory as much as they were thinking about protecting people. And it seemed that this person was the one obstructing the battle.
Linda, among them all, was the only hero aiming to protect people, not to win. She hoped to shield as many soldiers as possible. Because of that, her attention was focused on the soldiers, causing her to overlook many other things. Her desire to protect others, born after that encounter with the child, made her discover her own kind of happiness in this world—a happiness that became her only goal… not victory.
"Protect the soldiers!" Linda suddenly shouted, and it seemed like everyone was surprised.
"The fuck? What do you mean protect the soldiers? We're in a battle, not playing a game," Sebastian muttered while blasting demon heads with one of his spells.
Linda didn't reply. She seemed to realize she made a mistake by speaking out loud, but even so, she continued trying to protect the people instead of killing demons. This annoyed the others—the strongest hero wasn't helping them defeat their enemies, and of course, that stirred frustration.
"Linda, stop it! We need to kill the demons or we're going to die!!" Malin yelled as he kept firing arrows.
"But..." murmured the long-haired blonde.
"What do you mean 'but'? This is a battle! Come on, Linda, we don't have time—we'll lose!!" Susan shouted.
"Man, how did she even get the Hero class?!" Tom complained irritably
"Because I'm special," Linda replied coldly.
"Special?! Special at avoiding combat, yeah," Sebastian chimed in.
"You're just salty. You can't admit I'm special because you're jealous."
"Can you all stop?! We're in the middle of a battle!" John shouted, struggling to block a horde of attacking demons.
"Runari, can you keep fighting?" Sebastian asked the demi-human fighting beside him.
"Yes..." Runari replied.
Far from the battlefield, inside the room where Kaily and Stephanie were hiding, the place was still safe. They sat quietly, not speaking—just sitting. But amidst the noise of battle, they heard footsteps approaching the room, and more disturbingly, the sound of a chain dragging across the ground. Fear spread in Stephanie's heart, and she started to tremble.
They didn't speak. They remained silent. And in that silence, the footsteps and the dragging chain grew closer. Then a deep stillness fell—only the faint sobbing of Stephanie could be heard, which she tried hard to stop but couldn't. Her heart pounded violently, and all she could do was wait. But nothing happened. Silence continued—a terrifying stillness.
Suddenly, the door broke down. It flew off its hinges, and a very familiar demon appeared. It was the chain Crossif that Tom had stabbed earlier. Kaily didn't understand what was going on, and her face froze in shock. As for Stephanie, it was as if she had just seen the Demon King, not just a spear-ranked Crossif.
He advanced quickly, whipping his chain at Kaily. It wrapped around her, and in a flash, he stepped in and punched her in the face right before Stephanie's eyes. Then he pulled out a dagger and stabbed her violently. And yet, Kaily didn't fall. She stayed on her feet in a heroic stance, clenching her hands together as she bled and said: "I'm sorry, Moon Goddess. This is the end... and the end of your name being spoken in glory across this land... the end... for me. Please receive me in paradise and protect my kingdom from the darkness with your radiant light..."
She was bleeding heavily and could no longer stand. She collapsed to her knees, placing her hand on the ground to try and hold herself up. Suddenly, she coughed up a large amount of blood. In a horrifying sight, the demon placed his foot on Kaily's head and forced her down, grinning with his sharp teeth as he said: "Hah? This is the second strongest priest? That's hilarious."
Then he turned to see Stephanie trembling in front of him. He left Kaily and stepped toward her. When she noticed him coming closer, she suddenly chanted:
"What?!" the demon muttered in shock as he failed to break the shield.
"No way... is this... is this blessed healing magic?!"
Back with the heroes and their battle, it seemed they were doing quite well. The massive number of demons was finally starting to dwindle—and this was without Linda's help. Linda herself began to reconsider her decision. Should she be protecting soldiers, or focusing on killing demons? She had finally found her answer.
A massive golden slash shot out toward the advancing demons. A cloud of dust rose from the impact, and once it cleared, the sight brought some relief—a view of numerous demon corpses lying on the ground in their blood, their guts spilled out, lifeless.
"Finally decided to step in," Kevin murmured as he sat on the ground.
"LINDAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" Stephanie's scream suddenly echoed.
At that moment, Linda rushed toward the room, and the others followed. When they arrived, the first thing they saw was the chain demon trying to break Stephanie's shield. Then, in a flash, his head separated from his body and fell as his neck kept spraying blood. Linda stepped in front of Stephanie and hugged her tightly, and asked: "Are you okay?!"
"Lady Kaily!" Susan suddenly screamed.
That's when they all saw Kaily lying in her own blood on the floor. Everyone froze in shock. They couldn't even enjoy the taste of victory. They tried to wake her up, and after a moment, she opened her eyes to see a group of teenagers staring at her. Then she whispered with her final breath: "I'm sorry… father..."
And with that, Kaily took her last breath. And so, Kaily met her end in the battle of Pascal port. In such a pathetic way, the kingdom of Yarum lost its second strongest priest... Cold expressions spread in the heroes' eyes. No one said a word. They were all stunned, looking in random directions, trying to avert their eyes from their supervisor's body.
"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" Linda suddenly screamed as she fell to her knees.
◆ ◆ ◆
The sun had set, and night was falling. The soldiers had withdrawn from the palace along with the heroes. The battle of Pascal had ended in victory, and all the demons that infiltrated the port had been eliminated. The heroes had secured another win—but their grief prevented them from feeling it. Still, away from their sorrow, some soldiers were happy.
"I can't believe she can use blessed healing magic. She healed wounds that even Kaily couldn't," said one soldier with a smile.
"Thank you, Hero Stephanie!!" the soldiers suddenly shouted in unison.
Stephanie turned to see them all smiling brightly at her. Those smiles made her feel something she'd never felt before. This… was what it meant to bring happiness to others. A unique kind of happiness. A joy not many get to experience. And it seemed that this feeling would become Stephanie's favorite as well. The soldiers kept thanking her as she stared at them, stunned by their reaction—something she'd never seen before.
"This is my duty!" Stephanie replied with an innocent smile.
After that, they continued moving away from the palace, still grieving. Their current objective was to bury the dead, so they had to head for the nearest active zone. But suddenly, they were stopped by a large group of dwarves—thick-bearded, well-built dwarves holding signs that read: "The Mountains Are Ours."
It was clearly a protest. But what did the heroes have to do with this? And why now? It seemed that in the Duchy of Pascal, things were branching into strange directions. Could a civil war really break out just after surviving such a brutal battle? Things kept developing bizarrely. But for now… Yarum had secured yet another victory over Diablos—all thanks to its heroes.
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STATS :
Linda
Lvl: 15
Class: Hero
Weapon: Poleaxe/Spear
Armor: Valkyrie's Gear
Attack: 2744
Defense: 1612
Strength: 700
Magic: 644
Agility: 504
Skills: Valkyria Slash + Golden Caster + Sky Wings
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Sebastian
Lvl: 13
Class: Mage
Weapon: Staff
Armor: Wisdom Cloak
Attack: 2100
Defense: 2200
Strength: 155
Magic: 755
Agility: 229
Skills: Black Wave + Dark Ball + Night Shield + Crows Wave
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Kevin
Lvl: 10
Class: Assassin
Weapon: Two Short Swords
Armor: Light Armor
Attack: 1599
Defense: 718
Strength: 456
Magic: 427
Agility: 798
Skills: Daggers Storm + Dark Nightmare
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Tom
Lvl: 10
Class: Knight
Weapon: Blade
Armor: Silver Armor
Attack: 1451
Defense: 1333
Strength: 422
Magic: 122
Agility: 517
Skills: Slash + Cutter + Blades
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John
Lvl: 10
Class: Warrior
Weapon: Great Sword
Armor: Heavy Armor
Attack: 1388
Defense: 1600
Strength: 700
Magic: 72
Agility: 255
Skills: Crusher + Rage
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Susan
Lvl: 8
Class: Lancer
Weapon: Spear
Armor: Silver Armor
Attack: 1004
Defense: 799
Strength: 402
Magic: 210
Agility: 480
Skills: Fire Stabs + Tornado
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Malin
Lvl: 9
Class: Archer
Weapon: Bow and Arrow
Armor: Leather Armor
Attack: 1010
Defense: 611
Strength: 300
Magic: 25
Agility: 602
Skills: Wind Arrow + Storm
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Stephanie
Lvl: 5
Class: Priest
Weapon: -
Armor: Blessed Robe
Attack: 250
Defense: 243
Strength: 98
Magic: 451
Agility: 99
Skills: Heal + Light Shield