After taking a direct hit from the enemy, both Gagan and Tina had already fallen in battle. At this moment, Lakyus was fully focused on casting "Resurrection", trying to bring them back to life, leaving her with no room to pay attention to anything else.
Tia, meanwhile, was doing everything she could to protect Evileye, whose mana was nearly depleted. As for the only two still capable of fighting—Brain and Gazef—they had just been casually swatted away like flies.
"Why…?! In terms of raw strength, that demon is only slightly stronger than us…! And yet we've been fighting for this long—he's used plenty of magic—but his mana hasn't dropped at all!"
Using her Mana Perception, Evileye stared at the Wrath Demon's remaining reserves—and what she saw filled her with utter despair.
It made no sense.
After such a prolonged battle, his mana should have been significantly depleted. And yet, it was barely diminished.
Unless…
From the very beginning, he had never taken them seriously at all.
"W-We can't win… we're all going to die! That thing is a complete monster! From the start, he's just been toying with us!That demon… he's not just some ordinary subordinate—he might not even be weaker than that 'Adabao' or the vampire progenitor…!"
Evileye collapsed onto the ground, her voice trembling. Never before had she felt such overwhelming despair.
"Oh? You can actually sense my mana?"
The Wrath Demon tilted his head slightly, sounding almost impressed.
"Then your Mana Perception must be quite refined. In that case… you're the most troublesome one here. I'll eliminate you first."
As he spoke, he slowly raised a single finger.
Flames gathered at its tip, condensing into a blazing point of destruction—before erupting forward as a searing beam of fire, tearing through the air straight toward Evileye.
It was too fast.
Even Tia, who stood guard in front of her, couldn't react in time.
By the time she felt the scorching heat in the air, the beam was already inches away from Evileye's face.
Evileye tried to raise her hand, to cast a defensive spell—but after the relentless battle, her mana was all but gone.
She was completely helpless.
And just as death closed in—
A massive greatsword suddenly crashed down from above.
It slammed into the ground right in front of her, splitting the incoming beam in two as the flames scattered harmlessly to either side.
A tall figure stepped into her view.
Cloaked in crimson, broad-shouldered, and imposing—he stood like a hero straight out of legend.
A perfect, storybook entrance.
And in that instant, Evileye's heart began to race uncontrollably.
At the same time, the demon Adabao and the jet-black adventurer known as "Feifei" appeared together on the battlefield.
From the wounds covering both of them, it was clear—they had just come from an intense battle elsewhere.
As for the outcome…
It seemed to be a draw.
Even though "Feifei" had not defeated Adabao, the mere fact that he had fought him to a standstill was enough to leave everyone present utterly stunned.
Before this, they had no real grasp of just how powerful Adabao was.
But after facing the Wrath Demon…
Only now did the members of Blue Rose, along with Gazef and the others, truly understand what "overwhelming" meant.
They had nearly been wiped out by the Wrath Demon alone.
And that monster was merely a subordinate.
Which meant—
Adabao was at least as strong as that demon.
Perhaps even stronger.
And yet, this black-armored warrior had fought him alone, for that long.
It was nothing short of absurd.
"Your strength is truly admirable," Adabao said, offering a refined, almost gentlemanly bow toward Feifei."But surely you understand—you have no chance of victory. We came to this kingdom for a single purpose. If you hand over what we seek… we may yet choose to leave peacefully."
Before Feifei could respond, Gazef stepped forward, his voice resolute.
"You dare attack the royal capital itself—trampling upon the kingdom's dignity. And now you ask us to hand over what you want? That would be no different from surrendering our honor entirely!"
He knew exactly what they were after.
Ren Kuroda had already warned them.
And the systematic looting of noble estates had only confirmed it.
But to comply?
That would mean the kingdom had already lost.
"You have no right to refuse," Adabao replied coldly."Not only do we hold the advantage… even if you were to win, would you abandon the lives of the civilians trapped within the capital? Or the nobles we've taken captive?"
At those words, fury spread across the battlefield.
Now they understood.
The barrier trapping the capital.
The targeted abductions.
It had all been part of this.
A calculated threat.
"No… there is a third option."
Feifei's voice cut through the tension, firm and unwavering.
"That is—to kill all of you here. That way, we protect the citizens… and rescue the captured nobles."
His declaration rang with absolute conviction.
This was the image he needed to embody—
A hero of justice.
And he played the role perfectly.
"BOOM—!!!"
Before anyone could respond, a figure suddenly plummeted from the sky like a meteor, crashing violently into the ground between the two sides and carving out a massive crater.
As the dust slowly settled…
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
Lying at the bottom of the crater—his body battered and covered in wounds—
Was the adamantite-ranked adventurer…
Ren Kuroda.
And descending gracefully from the sky, clad in deep crimson armor and holding a blood-red spear like a valkyrie—
Was the vampire progenitor.
Shalltear.
"Well?" Adabao's voice echoed from behind his mask, brimming with confidence."Do you still believe you can defeat all of us?"
Seeing Ren lying motionless in the crater, Feifei's tone grew noticeably darker.
"That's impossible…! Ren Kuroda defeated you before—how could he lose now?!He's the strongest man I've ever seen!"
Brain rushed forward, helping Ren to his feet, his expression filled with disbelief as he glared at Shalltear.
"Ha? Defeated me?" Shalltear scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain."That was only because I got bored and left. And back then, he wasn't even alone—he had that lump of iron fighting beside him."
She glanced down at Ren's "unconscious" form, her lips curling slightly.
"Well… I'll admit this much. Out of all the opponents I've faced, he's fairly strong.Still… not strong enough to beat me."
Behind her arrogant tone, however, Shalltear's heart wavered.
Did I hit him too hard…?
Even as worry flickered through her mind, she maintained the proud, untouchable demeanor of a true vampire progenitor—cold, elegant, and utterly merciless.