"Phoenix?"
Anastasia stared in disbelief as Raven flew through the air, emitting a phoenix cry.
It was Raven, after all, who had even devoured the barrier created by the Great Sage.
There was no reason it couldn't have consumed a barrier from the Demon Realm as well.
After devouring the barrier to its heart's content, Raven was in high spirits and let out phoenix cries all around.
Anastasia's face hardened as she spotted the gap in the barrier that the suddenly appearing divine beast had created.
"This is ridiculous..."
Ever since she had gotten entangled with Zeke Draker, absurd events had piled up one after another.
This incident was particularly shocking, and the binding curse that had weighed on Zeke began to weaken.
Seizing the opportunity, Zeke shook off the curse and removed the breathing apparatus he had fashioned from shadows. He addressed Anastasia.
"The situation has changed. If you surrender now, Iʼll treat you as a prisoner of war." Anastasia gnashed her teeth and shouted in response.
"Shut your mouth! I am a princess of the Demon Realm...!"
Before she could finish, Nigel's hand moved.
Shiiiing!
A powerful sword strike grazed past Anastasia's neck, nearly severing it.
Nigel clicked her tongue.
"Tch, itʼs harder to hold back."
In this place, revealing her full power could have led to ascension due to the Law of Karma, so Nigel had to restrain herself as much as possible.
She let out a sigh and glanced down, finally noticing the dress she wore. She shot Anastasia a glare.
"...You damn demon bitch, what the hell did you do to me while I was out?" Clenching her fists, Nigel stepped toward Anastasia.
"You donʼt seem to handle demonic energy well. And that so-called authority of yours looks pretty much tapped out. Come on, letʼs see how you take a real hit." Crack!
Even though she held back, Nigel's killing intent was formidable. And with Zeke present, her only concern was ascension.
Anastasia recoiled in panic and stepped back without realizing it.
"Damn it..."
Not only had her main base been ravaged by a lowly human knight, but if she abandoned the invasion fortress and fled, she couldn't even imagine the ridicule from her sisters. "Itʼs not just ridicule—if Father finds out..."
Thinking of the Demon Archduke, Anastasia shuddered.
Pulling herself together, she turned to Zeke and said.
"...Zeke Draker, I acknowledge my defeat. Leave this place with Nigel. Weʼll withdraw cleanly as well."
Only now that the situation had turned against her did Anastasia offer to honor the agreement.
Nigel snorted in derision.
"You damn demon bitch. You think you can pull that crap on me and just slink away quietly...?" Rumble...
Before Nigel could finish, the entire invasion fortress suddenly shook.
The buildings of the invasion fortress began to crumble and sink into the ground.
Nigel, who had lunged to grab Anastasia, staggered as the floor cracked and gave way beneath her, throwing off her balance.
"Ugh!"
Unable to use her full strength, Nigel hesitated for a split second on how to move. Zeke leaped up, stepping on the debris of the collapsing floor.
Whoosh!
Soaring with his dragon wings, Zeke caught the falling Nigel in his arms.
Suddenly cradled in Zeke's embrace, Nigel wore a complicated expression.
"Damn it! What a mess this is."
"Why, Master? The dress suits you well."
Still held in Zeke's arms, Nigel elbowed his solar plexus and gnashed her teeth.
"You damn demon bitch! Iʼm going to kill you!"
Zeke, still carrying Nigel, gazed at the crumbling invasion fortress.
The erosion-type invasion fortress was a strategic weapon that could be summoned based on existing structures in the Phenomenal World.
It seemed Anastasia had released the summon when the tide turned.
Zeke locked eyes with Anastasia, who glared at him from amid the collapsing ruins.
She shouted at him.
"Zeke Draker! I wonʼt forget this humiliation! I, Princess Anastasia of the Demon Realm, will tear you apart!"
With the invasion fortress vanishing, Anastasia seemed poised to return to the Demon Realm as well.
But Anastasia had overlooked one crucial fact.
Zeke was not the type to let an enemy slip away easily.
Clang!
As the invasion fortress began to fade, Chains of Solomon burst forth around Anastasia.
Seeing the dozens of chains, Anastasia tried to block them with her dollification ability in a panic, but it was futile.
Hummm!
The Chains of Solomon, infused with radiant light energy, remained unaffected by her dollification.
"Eek!"
The Chains of Solomon relentlessly pursued Anastasia.
Unable to use the Demon Archduke's authority after releasing the invasion fortress, Anastasia couldn't evade them and was eventually ensnared.
Rumble...
The invasion fortress sank into the Demon Realm, leaving Anastasia bound by the chains of light.
"No!"
Ssssh...
As the fortress and all its demons dissolved like sand and returned to the Demon Realm, only Anastasia remained.
Rumble...
In the spot where the invasion fortress had vanished, only the ruins of a shattered castle remained.
Anastasia, tightly bound by the Chains of Solomon, plummeted into the castle ruins.
Boom!
The princess of the Demon Realm crashed to the ground, rolling in the dirt and dust.
"Ugh!"
Captured by the enemy in such a humiliating way, she thrashed desperately to escape the chains.
But there was no way to break free from the Chains of Solomon, which bound the soul itself.
Zeke descended slowly into the castle ruins, still holding Nigel.
He set her down and looked down at Anastasia, sprawled on the ground in her chains.
Anastasia glared up at Zeke, gnashing her teeth.
"You insolent human...! Release me at once! If you donʼt, my father will...!" Crackle!
Zeke gripped the Chains of Solomon and channeled lightning infused with Holy Spirit Qi.
"Gaaah!"
Even a top-tier demon like her couldn't endure the agony of divine lightning in her defenseless state.
Moreover, Anastasia, who had never truly felt such pain before, nearly fainted from the electricity surging through her body.
"Guh..."
Zeke looked at Anastasia and said.
"Iʼll give you two choices. One is to die under torture like this. The other is eternal sealing in the Ring of Solomon."
Hearing Zeke's options, Anastasia's face paled.
Death or sealing.
Neither was what she wanted.
She blurted out in haste.
"W-Wait! Calm down, human. I-Iʼm a princess of the Demon Realm. If I tell my father, heʼll pay my ransom. You could get more wealth than you can imagine!" Zeke shook his head.
"Iʼm not foolish enough to take payment from a demon. Choose one of the two." Anastasia realized Zeke wasn't someone she could reason with.
"Is he serious? This human would totally do it."
Options she had never even considered—annihilation or sealing—left her eyes darting frantically, unable to respond properly.
Seeing this, Zeke nodded.
"Looks like you canʼt choose. Then Iʼll decide for you." Zeke pulled a coin from his pocket.
"Heads means death, tails means sealing."
Without waiting for her answer, he flicked the coin into the air with his thumb.
It spun with a clear ring, rising high before landing in his palm.
Zeke slowly opened his hand to check heads or tails.
At that moment, Anastasia cried out.
"Iʼll do anything!"
Zeke, hand half-open, looked up at her words.
"Anything?"
"Y-You must want something! Iʼll grant it all."
"I donʼt particularly want anything."
"That canʼt be. Everyone has desires. Just say it, and Iʼll make anything you want come true."
"How could you possibly do that while captured?"
"With my abilities, itʼs possible! A woman you desire? Iʼll turn her into your slave. Power? I can make a king lick your feet!"
Anastasia desperately boasted of her abilities.
Zeke stared at her intently, then slowly approached.
"Youʼll really do whatever I say?"
"Y-Yes... I swear." Zeke nodded.
"Fine, then Iʼll give you a third choice." He looked down at her and spoke.
"Anastasia, offer your soul to me."
*
Swoosh!
The vampires of Red Eye, led by Bacchus, swept away the remnants of the monster horde.
Once the cleanup was done, Vampire Queen Carmilla descended slowly from the sky.
In her hand dangled the head of the demon that had commanded the monster legion.
Landing before Bacchus, Carmilla said.
"This side seems sorted out."
Thanks to Zeke, Carmilla had fully awakened her progenitor's power and gained abilities that surpassed those of a royal vampire.
She could now face a high-rank demon single-handedly.
Moreover, the Red Eye vampires, who had inherited forgotten blood magic, were far stronger than before.
Bacchus too had awakened his latent vampire abilities; his eyes had turned into gem-like eyes, and he had grown tremendously.
Having eradicated the monster legion, Red Eye headed toward the front of the Forest of the Forgotten.
But others had already gathered there.
It was the Western Alliance Army, formed by the beastman gang Crostel, the Zoin revolutionary corps, and the centaurs of the western plains.
The head of the Western Alliance Army, Song of the Crouched Flame, also had the head of a slain demon hanging from his belt.
Having long been at odds, Crostel and Red Eye glared at each other from a distance.
Tension hung between the two groups.
Then, something plummeted from the sky at high speed.
Boom!
It was Zeke, arriving on the scene.
"Our king!"
Carmilla and Bacchus were the first to kneel before Zeke.
The other vampires followed suit, adopting respectful postures toward him.
From the Western Alliance, Song of the Crouched Flame, Crostel's action leader, and the centaur tribe chieftain approached Zeke.
They too showed reverence toward him.
"Long time no see, everyone."
At Zeke's words, Carmilla lifted her head and spoke.
"We have purged the profane monster horde in service to our kingʼs command." Then, from the opposite side, Song of the Crouched Flame added.
"The same here. We wiped out those monster bastards root and branch."
Thanks to Red Eye and Crostel, dealing with the monster legion and the gate had been straightforward, so Zeke nodded in satisfaction.
"Youʼve all done well. Iʼll provide separate rewards for this."
He first led them to the central camp established by the Highlanders.
However, the superstitious centaurs refused to enter the forbidden zone of the Forest of the Forgotten, so they waited nearby.
With the monster legion collapsed and the invasion fortress returned to the Demon Realm, the Highlanders stationed at the central camp prepared to return to their respective outposts.
Zeke entered the central command tent and briefly communicated with Nabu, who guarded the seal.
"Howʼs Master doing?"
—"Sheʼs asleep now. Seems the dress was a big shock."
"I wonder if itʼs that shocking... Anyway, itʼs a relief we protected the Black Star from them."
—"Mm, about that, we need to talk. Once Nigel wakes up, weʼll discuss it together, so come here once your side is sorted."
"Understood."
Right after ending the call with Nabu, Bacchus entered the tent.
"Our king."
Zeke waved off Bacchus's deferential attitude.
"Long time no see, Bacchus. No need for that here. Relax."
"Itʼs instinct, I suppose. Seeing you fills me with uncontrollable awe."
"Probably because of the Blood Kingʼs power I absorbed. Anyway, come sit and have some tea."
At Zeke's words, Bacchus nodded and took a seat.
Soon, warm tea prepared by Zeke was placed before him, and Bacchus lifted the cup with elegant poise.
After sipping, he set it down and looked at Zeke.
"Our king, as a subordinate—no, as kin, I have something to convey."
"What is it? Speak."
Though he had come with something to say, it seemed difficult, as Bacchus fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
"Our father... Arthur Draker is dead."