Unbelievable.
Christopher stood frozen, staring at the battle unfolding before him.
The man in the black cloak—the one who had pushed him to the brink—
A moment ago, he had been an overwhelming threat.
And then—
In the next instant, he vanished.
Erased by a single strike from Zeke, as if he had never existed at all.
Christopher saw the sword swing.
But he couldn’t tell when it moved…
where it struck…
or how it cut.
By the time he realized what had happened, the man’s body was already collapsing.
(…What?)
His mind couldn’t keep up.
But there was no time to stand in shock.
Zeke and the Demon King were already moving on to the next enemy.
—Fast.
No… “fast” wasn’t enough to describe it.
They were there—clearly within sight—
And yet, in the next instant, they were somewhere else.
Afterimages overlapped, making it seem as if multiple versions of them existed at once.
Every swing of the blade tore through the air.
Every spell twisted the space itself.
The clash of metal rang sharply—
Followed by delayed bursts, like explosions.
No—
Those weren’t just sounds.
They were the echoes of raw impact.
The Dragonkin soldiers were not weak.
On the contrary, each one was clearly a seasoned warrior.
But—
All of them were being handled like children.
Cut down before they could swing.
Shot down before they could cast.
Dropped without even the chance to react.
This wasn’t a battle.
It was a massacre.
A one-sided annihilation.
(…What is this power?)
Christopher swallowed hard.
Then—
Five enemies appeared.
Each one clearly stronger than the black-cloaked man who had nearly killed him.
They moved at the same time, surrounding Zeke.
Perfect coordination.
No escape.
—or so it seemed.
The next moment—
Zeke disappeared.
No—
He hadn’t vanished.
Christopher simply couldn’t see him anymore.
When his eyes finally caught up—
Zeke had already finished his swing.
One strike.
That was all.
A gust of wind followed, delayed—
And then—
All five bodies collapsed at once.
(…What just happened?)
He hadn’t seen the slash.
Not even the instant Zeke moved.
Only the result remained.
Five fallen figures on the ground.
It took several seconds for his mind to accept it as reality.
Impossible.
And then—
Something changed on the Demon King’s side.
A roar shook the earth.
Christopher turned.
A massive dragon loomed over the city.
Its sheer size could crush buildings with ease.
Even its scales alone would deflect ordinary blades.
It wasn’t a creature.
It was a disaster.
But—
The Demon King simply raised her hand.
Calmly.
Silently.
The sky split apart.
A deafening crash—
A bolt of pure white lightning struck straight down.
Light swallowed his vision.
A moment later, the shockwave slammed into his body.
Christopher shut his eyes instinctively.
And when he opened them—
The dragon was no longer moving.
Its massive body lay charred, smoke rising from its corpse.
One strike.
Just one.
(…You’ve got to be kidding me.)
No words came.
No understanding.
No acceptance.
Their strength—
Was on an entirely different level.
Christopher could do nothing but stand there.
Not even allowed to fight.
This was a battle beyond him.
And yet—
He couldn’t look away.
Overwhelming power.
Unreasonable strength.
It should have been terrifying—
And yet, it drew him in.
Christopher could only watch.
Mesmerized by those who stood at the peak.
“Well… looks like that’s most of them taken care of.”
Before he realized it, nearly all two hundred enemies had been defeated—by just those two.
And neither of them was even breathing hard.
Are they monsters…?
Zeke glanced at the Demon King and chuckled.
“Never thought I’d see the day I’d be teaming up with a Demon King—even temporarily.”
“Likewise,” she replied coldly, not even looking at him. “The thought of working with you makes me sick. But for today… it can’t be helped. I owe this kingdom for treating me.”
Then her gaze shifted toward the city gate.
“If they sent this many troops, there must be someone commanding them.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“They’re probably near the entrance.”
“Yeah,” Zeke nodded. “Anyone leading fighters this strong must be something else.”
The two of them began walking toward the gate.
“Wait! Please—take me with you!”
Christopher called out.
The Demon King turned.
“Boy. If you lack the strength, following us is dangerous. Go home. I’ll clean this up for you today.”
Her voice was cold.
But—
“I know I’m not strong enough,” Christopher said firmly. “Watching you two made that painfully clear. Even so—I am a knight commander of this kingdom. Please… let me see this battle through to the end.”
She turned again, her gaze sharp.
“I don’t need dead weight. If you get captured… I won’t hesitate to cut you down along with them.”
“I understand.”
Christopher met her eyes without flinching.
“If that happens—then cut me down.”
Silence.
Then—
“Don’t be stupid,” she said. “You’re a commander, aren’t you? There are people waiting for your orders. Go back.”
Her words—
They weren’t cold.
They were warm.
She had said it before—
She was a ruler, responsible for her people.
And now… she was saying the same to him.
She didn’t want him to die.
Not just powerful—
But compassionate.
Still—
As a knight…
He wanted to witness this battle.
To see what true strength looked like.
“Please… let me come with you.”
Zeke stepped up beside him.
“I like that spirit. I’ll take him.”
He glanced at the Demon King.
“Hey—no problem, right? If anything happens, I’ll protect him.”
The Demon King let out a long sigh.
“…Fine.”
Without another word, she turned—
and walked toward the gate once more.
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