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A five-minute timer floated above her vision all of a sudden. When the waves of the furious rampage were blocked by her magical resistance, the pair’s set of eyes instantaneously turned straight towards her. They were amazed at the mighty power that Julia seemed to possess, but they still held her tightly in preparation for the upcoming physical impact.
Shortly thereafter, the glass in the room was shattered to pieces. Just like everything had been swept away by a typhoon, the fearsome pressure of the wind wrecked the whole room while flashes and thunder began striking one after another as if they were trying to blind them all. It was definitely not something that a normal person could endure at all.
Legion then anchored his greatsword deep into the floor before pulling Julia even more strongly into his arms. He was shocked at the mess which even he had never experienced in such close battles.
“Damn, what the hell! What’s with all of this?!”
“Julia, cover your eyes or your eyesight might get hurt.”
“…”
“Julia?”
As she was hedged in between the two of them, Julia started to stare at some place with a blank look. It was due to the fact that she had noticed how someone was somehow trapped inside the tower itself.
It was too far away, but she could still see it clearly. A jet-black shadow with its wings being spread wide and Bael’s body that was being torn apart. The very sight of it had been so terrifying and miserable that Julia couldn’t even open her own mouth.
The magic, which was gushing out like a huge waterfall, eventually faded but only after it had already killed all of the weak beings in that single burst. Just in time, 5 minutes gradually passed before her skill finally came to an end. Julia felt that her physical strength had also been cut in half, which made her stumble.
Nevertheless, all of the vibrations within the castle were still ongoing. Legion then held her by the shoulder while still remaining vigilant.
“What’s wrong? Your complexion has turned so bad. For now, I’ll carry you on my back. Let’s just get out.”
“If you want to escape, then go alone, you human. It’s actually much safer to stay here in the King’s nest right now.”
“Wasn’t the culprit who had really wrecked the whole castle, that King of yours? You coward.”
They glared at each other with sharp eyes, but the quarrel did not last that long. There was a sound of a sudden burst right from the tower as if something had exploded and the surroundings began to flash brightly. The magic stone’s rampage was not over just yet.
“Uh, huh?!”
“…!”
“Julia, get back!”
The two of them reached an agreement in the blink of an eye just like they had never even fought before. They took Julia away and ran straight towards the hallway. The magic that flurried in like the strike of a huge meteor had completely shattered the bars of the window and scraped the ceiling as well as floor before it then stopped moving entirely.
Amidst the middle of all the gray dust, the three of them weren’t able to regain their senses for a while. The purple energy crackled among the long streaks on the floor before it slowly disappeared like a melting vapor.
The trajectory of the second wave was clearly heading towards Julia—only herself.
“What is this…”
“Damn it, what the hell is he up to now?”
The two pairs of eyes which had quickly noticed the situation narrowed in an instant. They whispered softly so that Julia wouldn’t hear it all.
“Hey, demon. I think that we have much more pressing matters now. Why don’t we just take care of our business separately later?”
“I never thought that the day would come when I would actually agree with your offer.”
Unaware of the secret deal that was going on just behind her back, Julia eventually tumbled to her feet. As the dust that was obscuring her view settled down, the appearance of the tower which seemingly appeared dead earlier had come into view.
‘What had actually happened to the Demon King?’
She waited silently, but she couldn’t feel any signs from the tower at all. Julia unconsciously bit her lip in response.
No matter how powerful the magic power he had possessed, he still wouldn’t be unscathed if he were to get hit by such a terrifying magic power directly. She didn’t even know if he was, perhaps, dying inside or even losing his mind. An anxious foreboding began to ripple at large.
“Mister Kimaris.”
“Yes.”
“Is Lord Barbatos nearby?”
“I can feel that his presence is not too far away. Still, may I ask what’s going on?”
“That……”
She heard that amongst all the 72 demons, only those with the highest rank could actually enter and exit the Demon God’s tower without much pressure. Moreover, on the day she had first opened her eyes in the Demon Realm, he was the one who personally followed her to the tower and confirmed her qualifications as the key. If that was so, then he would definitely be able to carry her to the tower right now.
Did Kimaris get a read on Julia’s intentions as she stared out the window? He then stood in front of her all of a sudden.
“No.”
“I have to save him. I’m the only one who can move freely in front of the magic crystal after all.”
“Bael can do that as well.”
“He must have been seriously injured. If he can walk around unharmed, why hasn’t he gotten out yet?”
Her heart was beating fast for no apparent reason at all. Even as his whole body was getting torn apart by the magic, the image of him willingly giving up his own body lingered in her mind like an afterimage.
He shouldn’t be dying like this, so she just had to go. She was overwhelmed with compulsions that even she could not fully understand.
“I need to go to the tower. Please take me to Lord Barbatos.”
“But it’s dangerous. Please think about it again, Julia.”
In fact, Kimaris’s expression as he looked downwards at her was utterly determined. His face appeared like he could never let her go at all.
Julia bit her lips. If Kimaris had rejected it, there was no way that she could make it to the tower. If truth be told, there was no way that a weak human could have even left the castle alone before passing through the wilderness and eventually reached the tower safely.
As she had lost her spirits while fiddling with her fingers, she raised her gaze in hopes that she would try to convince Kimaris once again. Nevertheless, Kimaris was forced to step back for a moment as he had gotten pushed by a strong energy. Legion had shoved Kimaris away while smiling just like an evil villain.
“I’m sorry for changing my words, but I have to break the alliance. Come with me, Julia.”
“Hey, human!”
“What’s wrong? That’s what Julia wants anyway. I want to give Julia her own freedom. I want her to do whatever she has decided to do. That’s what makes me stronger after all.”
After saying so, Legion took a hold of Julia before anyone could even have the time to utter a word. Then, he ran across the devastated bedroom before kicking away the bony window frame—shattering it completely—and leapt over it.
As he was left alone, Kimaris silently stared at the two figures who had already moved away from him. A cold gust of wind blew right in the space where they had just disappeared.
* * *