“That’s not possible,” Kalia firmly replied.

Damon’s face crumpled at her resolute answer.

She trembled as if she hadn’t expected it, her lips quivering.

Staring intently at her, Kalia calmly voiced her inner thoughts.

The reasons why she couldn’t release Damon, why she couldn’t show mercy.

“Just because you surrender, do you think those who died at your hands will come back to life? Do you think that your past atrocities can be justified because you’ve helped us a few times?”

Living in the present and moving toward the future didn’t erase the past.

What had happened could never become something that had never happened.

“No. That’s not how it works. Just because you repeatedly repent doesn’t mean you can repeat your wrongdoings as if they’re permissible.”

Damon shouted, as if cornered, in response to Kalia’s composed words:

“But, but didn’t we help you so that you could have an advantage, so that you could win? It’s not about forgiving everything. It’s about showing mercy! It’s not like if we all die, they will come back to life!”

“That’s right. Those who have died won’t come back. That’s precisely why forgiveness is even more out of the question. Furthermore…”

Kalia readjusted her grip on the sword.

The sharp end of the yellow-glowing blade remained steady as it pointed directly at Damon.

“The fact that they won’t come back isn’t a reason for you to live.”

As Kalia spoke, the resonance of Amuntia’s sword, Gaia, echoed within the palm of her hand.

Staring at the crimson tip of the blade, Damon gritted her teeth.

‘Damn it…!’

This was her final move.

If this didn’t work, she would perish without a trace.

Perhaps Buford would be the same.

That man couldn’t live without her anymore.

That wretched Lirik was determined to die, so there was no way he would help her survive.

‘No, it can’t be. That’s not possible.’

She couldn’t bear to lose him.

As much as Damon wanted to live, she also wanted to save Buford.

No matter how arrogant and foolish that prince might be, no matter what mad deeds he committed, she couldn’t live without him.

She wanted to save him.

She had to find a way.

By any means necessary.

“So… Are you telling me to fight with all my might? Until the very end?”

“I’d rather you do that. Fight fiercely until the end.”

At Kalia’s words, Damon took a deep breath.

Kalia Tacskate, that woman was a monster.

Due to Lirik’s mistake and the determination of that fairy woman, an immense monster had been born, and that monster saw her as nothing but a perfect enemy.

If Damon had known it would come to this, she should have found a way to kill that woman from the start…

She wasted her time with useless cooperation.

She focused her dark magic within her body.

Luckily, she had cast auxiliary magic just in case.

Countless corpses buried in this land and the souls of the dead were stirring, awakening.

For them to fully awaken… a little more time was needed.

“Instead of killing me, how about defeating that damn demon first? If he doesn’t die, this war won’t end.”

“That’s something we’ll handle.”

“…How can good be so cruel compared to evil? To betray those who have cooperated with you so mercilessly and even say you’ll kill them willingly? Wasn’t goodness supposed to embrace and forgive the enemies who defect?”

Kalia laughed bitterly at Damon’s words.

“When did I ever say such things myself?”

“This is the Holy Demon War. Don’t you understand what that means?”

“Holy Demon War, or whatever. Honestly, I don’t know much about that… What’s important is simply rescuing those I need to save and eliminating those who cause them pain.”

Clank.

“So don’t playact repentance and just come at me.”Kalia stared at Damon with unwavering determination, standing tall like an unbreakable sword.

There was no hint of hesitation in her eyes.

Mercy towards evil.

Where could one find such foolish and arrogant words?

If she had to embrace and forgive them just because they claimed to be good, she would give up on being good.

In this world, there are things that can’t be judged solely as good or evil because they overflow.

“Ugh.”

The sound of Damon gnashing her teeth could be heard.

And at the same time, Damon’s dark magic exploded behind her like wings.

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

Something was rising from the ground.

It was an ominous power.

Instead of waiting for it, Kalia swung her sword and attacked Damon.

Swish!

As she swiftly turned her body and swung her sword diagonally, a blue aura cut through the air, seemingly leaving a wound in empty space, attacking the demon.

“Haa!”

“Ugh!”

Clang! Thud!

The swords clashed, and the earth was disturbed.

Kalia didn’t give Damon any chance, and Damon exerted all her strength.

It was at that moment.

As the surroundings around Kalia trembled, something rapidly shot up and charged at her.

“…!”

There were too many to fend off.

The legion of corpses, rising in multiple layers, surged towards Kalia as if they intended to overwhelm her.

It was as if a giant tomb of corpses was engulfing her.

At that moment, as if prepared to sacrifice one shoulder, she crouched low to the ground, intending to shift the axis of her power.

-Kyuu!!-

A small mole, raising her two arms high, sprang up in front of her as she bent her knees.

-Kyung-ung!-

When she opened her small mouth wide and let out a fierce roar, a wall of dirt formed around Kalia, protecting her.

The things charging at Kalia were unable to enter due to the barrier of the earthen wall.

In the darkness, the small mole-like creature that emitted its own light waved its plump tail in excitement towards Kalia, fluttering its hands.

-Hu-uhng! Kyuung!-

Kalia, slightly surprised, chuckled and gently stroked the mole’s head.

“Thank you. Are you my partner for today?”

-Kyung!-

In response to Kalia’s words, the mole wagged her tail happily.

“Then, can you push them back a little? Is that possible?”

-Kyung! Kuywyyy! Kyuwoo!-

The mole answered energetically, once again spreading her arms wide and exerting her strength.

As something crumbled with a rumble, Kalia broke through the wall of dirt and jumped out.

“…!”

Damon, who didn’t expect Kalia to emerge unscathed, was greatly surprised and staggered backward.

Kalia didn’t miss that moment and leaped towards Damon, swinging her sword.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Her sword clashed with Damon’s crescent moon blade, but Damon’s wrist, already partially severed and healed, lacked strength.

Being pushed back, Damon’s hand was cut off by Kalia’s sword.

“Argh! Catch her!”

Damon, gripping the maimed wrist, shouted as hundreds of corpse legions swarmed towards Kalia.Thanks to the help of the small mole, who fought quite well, Kalia easily dealt with them and launched a counterattack.

Damon attacked Kalia with all her might.

In this fight, Damon couldn’t possibly defeat Kalia alone.

Nevertheless, giving his all for one final attack was solely for the purpose of retreat.

Just one attack.

It had to succeed.

Damon’s shadow, torn into twelve strands, barely grabbed hold of Kalia’s arm.

The charging mole was hindered by the legion of corpses.

‘Now’s the time!’

Before all twelve shadows dissipated under Kalia’s power, Damon managed to cut Kalia’s side with great difficulty.

“…Huff.”

Despite being deeply wounded, Kalia endured the pain with a single groan and tightened her grip on the sword, aiming for Damon’s shoulder.

“Argh!”

Damon screamed loudly and retreated, and the blood she shed formed a monstrous creature.

Their labored breathing filled the darkness.

Just as the blood monster, replacing Damon, charged at Kalia, Damon exerted all her strength to create a portal.

“Stay there.”

‘Damn it!’

Though it was Damon who used dark magic, Kalia, drenched in blood, relentlessly pursuing her to the end, felt more like a demon to Damon.

To rely on mercy from a woman like her.

Damon felt like a fool herself.

Her teeth clenched, and her anger erupted.

Having shed too much blood and with the vision blurred, Damon glared at Kalia as if cursing her.

The severed wrist hurt, but the fear surpassed the pain.

Damon ran towards the long torn gate of darkness as if rushing to her death.

A chilling cold brushed the back of her head, and at the same time, her body was sucked into the darkness.

With a slicing sound, the gate closed completely.

“Haah, haah!”

Kalia, who had launched her final attack with all her might, opened her eyes slightly and stared at the empty space where Damon had disappeared.

Even if they were to meet again, there would be no mercy.

She muttered as if making a vow and turned around.

The remnants left behind by Damon were abundant.

“Phew.”

She grasped the sword of Amuntia once again.

And she swung it, concentrating the power of purification, towards the approaching creatures.

With each swing of the sword, the wound on her side widened little by little.

Blood dripped from the wound.

By the time Kalia had eliminated all the remaining creatures with the small mole, a dust storm was already rising.

And after the blood that spilled from her wound drenched her clothes halfway, it was over.

* * *

Kalia’s injuries were not fatal, but they didn’t heal easily.

The magic that had permeated her body like poison tried to consume her.

Fortunately, her own purifying power emitted was so strong that the wound did not grow larger, but it did not heal easily.

Simon, who was expected to be furious, simply hugged her tightly as if he himself was in more pain.

At the same time, the venom that appeared in his eyes was even more intense and viscous than the cut on Kalia’s side.

Of course, the damage to Damon caused by Kalia was incomparably greater than what she received.

Just like Kalia, the wounds caused by extreme purification power weren’t easily healed.

Due to the battle with Kalia, Damon had become much weaker than she had anticipated. To the extent that she had no strength left to maintain the magic hiding her hideout.

She had also become too weak to protect Buford, who had become rags, in order to summon the Chimera.

During the remaining time, Damon focused on regaining her magical power.

In that state, the battle outside continued.

Another week passed.

The supply of Chimeras through Buford rapidly decreased, and the alliance with Akan was brutally crushed by the Rojas Union.

And once again, two more days passed.

Around that time, news reached Kalia that the fairy army had occupied the Akan palace.