In the distance, Deidara watched from among the trees, a barely perceptible gesture of satisfaction in his eyes. He knew the separation had worked as planned. The soldiers, focused on the evacuation, did not suspect the danger lurking in the shadows.
But it was not only the cult that was moving the board.
Among the imperial formation, the Empire's heroes began to disperse.
It was not a sudden movement. It was coordination.
Eidran lifted his gaze toward the left flank.
—Route blocked —he murmured, almost without emotion.
At that moment, a reinforcement unit from the Kingdom attempted to advance toward Elizabeth's position.
They did not get far.
An invisible current swept across the terrain.
The soldiers lost their sense of direction for a critical second, as if the wind had changed the direction of the world.
Eidran did not smile.
He had only done what was necessary.
Figures wrapped in shadows emerged from among the trees, moving with silent precision toward Elizabeth's column. There were no roars or alarms: only a chill that ran down the soldiers' backs.
Before the soldiers understood what had happened, the cult was already moving.
Valkaria stepped forward.
The tip of her spear struck the ground with a sharp sound.
—The eastern flank is giving way —she said without changing her tone.
She did not wait for orders.
She advanced directly toward the battle line, and the metal of the terrain responded to her presence. Fragments of broken weapons, destroyed armor, and even maná-charged earth began to deform under her steps.
Improvised walls rose among the troops.
Metal spikes pierced the field.
The routes of advance changed in seconds.
At first glance, it seemed Valkaria was reinforcing the defense.
In reality, she was slowly pushing the Kingdom's troops out of position.
The soldiers began to regroup instinctively, searching for safer routes to advance.
Kara frowned as she saw the formation beginning to deform.
—What are you doing? —she growled, moving through the soldiers—. You're breaking the defensive line.
Valkaria did not even look at her.
Another metal wall emerged from the ground, separating the Kingdom's troops even further from the rear guard.
—I am preventing it from collapsing —she replied with absolute calm.
But Kara had already noticed the problem.
The corridor protecting Elizabeth's position was beginning to open.
Kara cursed and rushed forward, pushing soldiers aside and destroying several metal spikes with a single blow to reconnect the line.
But the chaos had already begun.
And while the troops tried to reorganize...
The corridor protecting Elizabeth's rear began to open.
The princess sensed the danger immediately.
She raised her hand and a lightning bolt cut through the battlefield, destroying several monsters advancing toward the caravan.
She did not see the shadow behind her.
Elizabeth turned on instinct, reacting before understanding what was happening.
Too late.
Deidara appeared for only an instant behind her.
Two fingers wrapped in dark mana touched the back of the princess's neck.
The lightning was diverted into the sky.
Elizabeth's body tensed instantly.
Her sword fell into the snow.
And she fell after it.
In the midst of the chaos of battle, Elizabeth's fall went unnoticed by most.
—Elizabeth! —Emily shouted, rushing forward immediately.
But the attack had been too coordinated.
Monsters and soldiers clashed at the same time against the defensive line, forcing her to stop before she could reach her.
A flash of dark mana illuminated the edge of the road, and before Lusian could react, the attackers closed the circle. Deidara appeared among them, his daggers shining as if they absorbed the very light itself.
Lethos watched the battlefield without taking his eyes off the defensive lines.
Then he felt it.
A presence moving through the chaos at absurd speed.
His eyes immediately shifted toward the snow-covered forest.
—He's coming —he murmured.
The next impact shook the ground.
Lusian broke through the outer line like a black shadow, covered in blood and remnants of demonic mana. He did not even look at the soldiers.
His attention was fixed on a single point.
Elizabeth.
Lethos moved instantly.
The mental pressure exploded in front of Lusian like an invisible wall. The air became heavy, and the ground beneath his feet distorted under the interference.
For an instant, his body slowed down.
That was all Lethos needed.
Or it would have been against anyone else.
Lusian raised his gaze.
And kept moving anyway.
The mental barrier shattered violently.
Lethos barely had time to react before the kick hit his torso directly and sent him flying several meters through the debris.
Lusian continued forward without looking back.
The pressure in his chest increased with every second.
Umber and Thunder tore through everything in their path to open the way, but the ambush had already sealed the terrain. Soldiers, monsters, and mana explosions blocked the most direct routes, forcing him to waste time circling the chaos.
And time was exactly what he did not have.
He knew from the beginning who the real target was.
Then he saw her.
Elizabeth was unconscious, held by a member of the cult.
Demonic symbols spread beneath the princess's feet, forming a dark seal that closed around her like a silent prison.
Umber lunged forward and Thunder unleashed his charge, but the ambush was not designed to stop them… only to buy the single necessary second.
The seal activated. A spatial distortion dragged her toward a point outside the field.
And before Lusian could close the distance…
the princess disappeared.
The main column of soldiers stood frozen in confusion. Orders overlapped with shouts and explosions as monsters continued pressing from all sides.
The heroes tried to regroup.
It was useless.
Every advance met a different blockade. Metal barriers. Shadows moving through the lines. Attacks that seemed to arrive exactly where they were about to reorganize.
The cult's retreat had been calculated from the start.
They were not trying to win the battle.
They only needed to take Elizabeth.
Lusian finally reached the edge of the clearing, breathing heavily. His eyes locked onto the deep marks the carriage had left in the snow.
They were already far away.
His heart tightened.
For the first time since he arrived in this world, he felt the fear of losing someone again without being able to do anything.
His hand clenched Dainslein tightly as darkness slowly began to spread beneath his feet.
—Damn it… —he whispered, his breath trembling—. I won't let them turn her into that.
In the distance, the cult had teleported Elizabeth to one of their hidden bases, where the demonic ritual already awaited them.
Lusian felt a knot in his stomach, but forced himself to breathe deeply. With the map from the game engraved in his memory, he recalled the nearest cult base. His plan began to form: calculated, precise, relentless.
The sun was beginning to rise, but the morning light brought no relief.
Because there was no time: the ritual of summoning would begin.
Deidara, beside Kara, tried not to smile, but the satisfaction in her gaze was impossible to hide.
The first move had been completed.
And the fate of Elizabeth… and of every