When Shan returned to command, Liv did not utter a single word of resentment toward him. He did not even question him. He only smiled playfully and said:
“The lady has returned! Now all that remains is to win.”
He sat down next to Shan and waited for orders. Shan answered absentmindedly as he mounted his steed.
“Targayel will win without fail.”
Because she wanted it. The words whispered low behind the firm oath were quietly scattered in the noisy battlefield. The clear purple eyes held a deep light and sparkled.
Shan began to command the battlefield again. Then Targayel showed amazing movements that were incomparable to when Liv was in command. The soldiers who were like grains of sand were tangled together like sticky mud. They moved as if they were one body, following orders.
The battlefield, which had been in turmoil since the appearance of Ilwooz and Ryeo's army, completely turned around the moment Shan took command.
Now it was Targayel who was launching the offensive. Heglatan was unable to adapt to the changed atmosphere of the battlefield and was faltering miserably. The Chimera they had trusted was of little use, so Heglatan soldiers broke away from the command structure and began to flee.
“Don’t miss it. Push on!”
Shan began to relentlessly pressure the Heglatan camp. Elze and Shan ran rampant across the battlefield together.
Elze was the best knight. She carried out whatever Shan gave her better than anyone else.
She broke through the blockage and plugged the breach. Even though she was covered in blood, Elze's appearance flying around the battlefield was more beautiful than anyone else's. Shan couldn't help but smile at Elze's appearance.
When the front line had been pushed back to a certain extent, a report came in to Shan.
“Lord Cirxus! Heglatan has been ordered to retreat! Blahar is on the run!!”
Blahar did not flee straight to the rear, but fled around the side of the camp with only some of his knights.
If he ran away among the soldiers, he would be slow and would be exposed, which would be dangerous, so he chose a fast and secret escape route. And that was the route Elze had taken while sneaking into the rear of Heglatan.
“Form a pursuit team.”
At Shan's words, Elze shouted that she knew the way.
“I’ll go! You take command...”
“You can’t do this alone.”
Shan cut off Elze's words like a knife and thought for a moment. If he were to chase after them without guidance, there was a high risk of losing Blahar, who had already been captured. However, he would never let Elze go alone.
The front line has been pushed back considerably, and Heglatan is retreating. Chimera is being dealt with well by Ilwooz and Ryeo, so they can leave it to them.
There were no more difficult matters to command. Shan decided that he and Elze would pursue Blahar.
“Erzenes and I will lead the pursuit. Lord Cullens will resume command of the battlefield.”
Elze and Shan led a group of knights and immediately began to pursue Blahar.
Blahar fled quickly, but thanks to Elze's guidance, the pursuers were able to catch up with him quickly. The knights of Heglatan were clearly surprised to see Targayel. They had not expected to be pursued so quickly.
The end of the war was in sight. To catch Blahar, Elze and Shan spurred their horses even harder.
It was then that the Heglatan knights, including Blahar, suddenly stopped talking.
“!!”
Targayel also slowed down and stopped first. The distance between them and Targayel's pursuers was now only a few meters.
The two groups faced each other. Amid the tense atmosphere, Blahar rode forward. He looked at Elze and Shan with a stiff face. He looked very tired, but his eyes were still sharp.
Blahar waved his hand at his staff officer, Serev, who was standing next to him. Serev then handed him something. Blahar took it and held it up in the air. He spoke in a cold voice.
“Stop the chase.”
“...!”
Shan and Elze immediately recognized its identity. What Blahar was holding in his hand was a solid bomb.
"How..."
Elze muttered in a daze. She had no idea how he had the solid bomb Ivanna had made. Elze was thinking that it might be a fake that only looked like it, and then she blurted out a word that suddenly came to her mind.
“Surely not, Mapel...?”
Serev said he found something in the Mapel territory. And the former Count Mapel had used solid explosives. Serev had retrieved the bombs that the former Count Mapel had left behind.
She didn't expect a solid bomb to come out here. Elze felt like she'd been hit in the back of the head. Shan whispered to Elze.
“Is it real?”
Elze nodded slowly. Shan frowned. The situation was becoming a headache. But Blahar's demands did not end there. He continued expressionlessly.
“I want a hostage.”
Blahar's red eyes turned to Elze. Locking eyes with Elze, he spoke slowly.
“Send Elze.”
“Blahar!!”
Shan screamed and tried to run out right away.
“Shan, no!”
Elze barely managed to grab his arm. Targayel's pursuers were all frozen in place, unable to even let out a gasp of shock.
Although she had caught Shan, Elze felt like her vision was fading away. Elze shook her head to regain her senses, then carefully calculated the situation.
There was some distance between Targayel and Heglatan. However, Elze knew the explosion range of the solid bomb. If Blahar detonated the bomb, the entire area should be completely blown away.
And Blahar was a man who could really light a bomb fuse if he got caught. For now, it was best to just do as Blahar wanted. Elze, who had finished thinking, took a big step forward and answered.
"Great."
Shan roughly grabbed Elze's wrist and growled softly.
“What are you talking about, Elze?”
He glared at Elze with angry eyes. Elze whispered to Shan.
“Shan, calm down.”
Elze pressed her hand firmly against Shan's forearm and spoke softly.
“Even so, they are just a bunch of defeated soldiers. We can easily subdue them. If we just remove the variable, the solid bomb.”
Shan gradually regained his composure at Elze's words. However, his eyes were still fierce.
“Pretend to be captured for now, and I’ll take Blahar’s bomb when I get the chance.”
Elze continued her explanation calmly and ended her speech with a quiet smile.
“Attack at that moment. Got it?”
Then she smiled faintly and lightly kissed his lips. With the last touch of her lips, Elze turned around. And before Shan could catch her, she strode towards Blahar.
She felt Shan's gaze stuck to her back. She wanted to look back, but she held back and kept walking.
The Heglatan knights looked embarrassed when Elze obediently surrendered as a prisoner. Blahar spoke quietly to Elze, who was looking at him calmly.
“Elze, I’m sorry.”
Then, the knights handed her handcuffs. Elze silently held out both hands. Blahar handcuffed Elze. His touch was gentle and affectionate. It felt more like he was holding on to and restraining a beloved lover than a prisoner.
She felt the cool touch of iron on her wrist. Elze lowered her eyes. But it didn't end with her hands.
“...!”
Her feet were shackled. They were shackles with short iron chains that restricted her stride. They were afraid of Elze's skills, which were too weak to just tie her hands. Blahar, who had completely blocked Elze, mounted his horse again.
Elsa was a little flustered, not knowing that her feet would be tied up. However, being locked up with her hands and feet did not mean it was the end. Elsa calmly waited for her chance.
But things started to go in a completely unexpected direction. The real variable that suddenly appeared was not a bomb.
It was a direct backlash against Blahar.
“Your Majesty! Why are you letting that woman live!!”
One of Heglatan's knights shouted at Blahar. Blahar, Serev, and the other knights looked at him in surprise at the knight's shout.
“That woman is the enemy who killed my comrade! But why!! In a situation like this, after a crushing defeat in battle, you are being so affectionate to a woman whose head you would not feel satisfied with even if you cut her off...”
The knight paused for a moment, gritting his teeth. He glared and spoke in a suppressed voice.
“So you started a war because of that bitch? A war with tens of thousands of lives at stake?”
He finished his speech, glaring at Blahar with burning eyes.
“I can no longer understand Your Majesty’s antics.”
When the knight finished speaking, the crowd became quiet. The knights of Heglatan did not criticize him. Instead, they showed silent agreement.
“...”
The exchange of glances in silence was calm. Their gazes at each other contained a similar thought: resentment toward Blahar.
If they had won, what would have been the problem? But now that they was sure to lose, theg wanted to hold someone accountable and hold them accountable.
And now the targets were Blahar and Elze.
“What on earth is that woman saying... Because of that woman, my comrades died and my country was trampled on...”
The knight muttered incoherently and shook with rage. He glared at Elze with murderous eyes.
“You’re the cause of all the problems. If only you weren’t here...!”
The knight's eyes were filled with increasingly intense anger. The emotions that were on the verge of overflowing soon burst out like a volcano. He suddenly drew his sword and shouted loudly.
“If only you hadn’t been there four years ago!!”
It happened in an instant. The sword cut through the air in an instant. Shan was far away, Blahar was immobilized, and Elze was tied up with her hands and feet.
Elze moved her body reflexively, but her nimble movements were entangled in the taut chains.
Elze couldn't dodge the sword.
“!!”
In an instant, everything flowed quickly and slowly.
The knight's sword dug deep into Elze's chest. The sharpened tip of the sword pierced Elze with ease. The sight of the blade sticking out from behind her was unrealistic.
“...!”
Elze opened her eyes wide and vomited blood. Her body staggered, and the sound of chains clinking from her tightly bound hands and feet could be heard.
The staggering body collapsed helplessly. Her fluttering ivory hair fluttered, and she fell to the ground.
The sound of a crash rang in her ears like thunder.
The smell of blood on the battlefield was disgusting. Ilwooz's face was pale. It was because of the killings taking place everywhere.
Up until now, he had only been treating the wounded with the priests after the battle. He had never directly participated in a battle like this. The negative energy emitted by those who were groaning and dying was too much for Ilwooz to handle.
The priests who assisted Ilwooz also suffered, but they endured it because they were dealing with chimeras, not humans.
Now was the last step. If they could win this battle today, the war would be over.
For the peace that was to come, Ilwooz tried to be of some help. It was at a time when he was drawing on his divine power to the utmost.
“...!”
Ilwooz's rainbow-colored eyes suddenly became clouded. His divine power, which had been spreading out in many directions, shook greatly. The knights of Ryeo, who were fighting the chimera, were confused by the sudden shaking of their divine power, and their attacks became entangled.
Hyeon, who was commanding the battlefield, looked back at Ilwooz. He was staring into space with hazy eyes like someone dreaming. He was seeing something that Hyeon couldn't see.
Hyeon tried to call out to Ilwooz, but stopped in her tracks.
“!!”
Tears flowed down from Ilwooz's eyes. The eyes that had been shedding tears sadly slowly regained focus. Ilwooz slowly looked back at Hyeon. With tears flowing endlessly, he spoke in a voice that was breaking up.
“Elze... why, why is Lady Elze... so late...”
But Ilwooz soon closed his eyes tightly and wiped away his tears. There was no time to be sad now. He raised his head resolutely and said.
“...I have to go, right now!”
"What?"
Ilwooz shouted again at the flustered Hyeon.
“I must go to Elze right now... to Shan Cirxus!!”
Shan couldn't believe what was happening before his eyes. Even though he was seeing it clearly, it all seemed like an illusion.
Blood gushed from her small body. The red blood that spurted out like a fountain was vivid.
The color contrasted so starkly with the white skin that it was so cruel, it was painful, as if his eyes were being gouged out.
Everything flowed slowly. One by one, the blood streams rose, and the drops of blood scattered.
Elze's body slowly tilted and fell to the floor. The moment he heard the sound of hitting the ground, his heart sank. His throat was blocked. He couldn't make a sound. It was as if he had forgotten how to speak.
It was only after a while that he realized that his whole body was shaking. Shan barely, very barely, opened his mouth. And he called her name.
“El...ze...”
Shan was frozen in a daze, then came to his senses as if struck by lightning, and ran to Elze. No one could hold Shan back or call out to him. They just watched.
This development was something no one had expected. Even the knight who had drawn his sword had done so. He had stabbed her intending to kill her, but when Elze fell bleeding, he was so surprised that he dropped his sword and sat down on the ground.
Everyone secretly thought that Elijah's Elsa was immortal. So they had a vague idea that she wouldn't die even if they swung their sword.
But Elze has been struck by a sword, her chest pierced, and...she may now die.
Blahar also tried to run towards Elze, who had fallen, shouting. However, he could only look at her with trembling eyes and could not move. He was pushed back by Shan’s momentum, but there was another reason.
He hesitated. In a moment of life or death, Blahar could not choose Elze. What he chose was his own safety.
When the knight retorted, he had tied up Elze and was turning back to his horse. And just as the knight swung his sword, Blahar drew his Flamberge and tried to run.
But a moment of hesitation caught his hand. It was too late to draw his Flamberge and strike the knight's sword. There was no time to draw. He had to throw himself straight ahead and block Elze's path.
But Blahar couldn't do that.
In war, a serious injury meant immediate death. Even if Heglatan were defeated immediately, Blahar, the leader, had to survive to make a comeback.
Blahar loved himself and could not sacrifice himself for Elze. His love was a love that Elze existed because he existed. And while Blahar hesitated, everything was already over.
He never dreamed that the situation would become this serious. He just thought that Elze would get hurt a little, and it would end lightly.
But it was absurd to think that Elze, exhausted from fighting all day and with her hands and feet tied, would avoid a sudden attack.
Countless excuses came to mind, but in the end, it was all the same. No matter what excuses he made, the fact remained that Elze was fatally injured because of Blahar.
“...”
Blahar closed his eyes tightly against the complex emotions that were welling up within him. In the end, he was unable to approach Elze.
Everyone froze at the unexpected turn of events. A trembling silence descended upon the people. Dozens of people were present, but it was quiet. No one moved, not even a single breath was heard.
Only Shan ran towards Elze, shouting her name.
“Elze, Elze!!”
Shan knelt down in front of Elze, who had fallen to the ground. Blood and dirt soaked through his clothes and armor, but he didn't care. To be exact, he didn't have time to care about such things.
Elze gasped for breath. Shan's head turned white at the sight of her suffering.
Shan bit the flesh in his mouth until it bled. He came to his senses a little. Shan tore the cloth off and stopped the bleeding from the wound.
But the wound was too big to stop the bleeding. No matter how hard he tried, the bleeding wouldn't stop. The piece of cloth was soaked in red blood and hung limply. A chill ran down his spine.
“No, no... No...”
Shan kept muttering with blank eyes.
What should I do? What should I do...
Shan, who was in a panic, suddenly noticed his own arm. His muscular arm was full of blue veins.
Shan regenerated immediately, even when wounded. Perhaps his own blood could heal Elze. Whether it was a vain thought or not, it was time to hold on to even the slightest possibility. Shan drew his sword without hesitation. And he cut off his own arm.
Pitter-patter, blood fell. Shan felt pain, but he didn't care. But before even a few drops of blood fell, the wound had healed.
Shan cut his arm with his sword again. Once again, red lines were drawn across his copper-colored skin. He cut deep enough to reach the bone, but it also healed quickly.
Shan did the same thing again, again, and again. Shan's blood dripped down onto Elze's wounds little by little. But unlike Shan, who healed instantly, Elze did not. Elze died little by little, bleeding bright red.
Her blue eyes were gradually losing their vitality. No matter how hard he tried, the dying embers could not be revived. Despair engulfed his entire body. His hands were shaking. Shan touched Elze with his trembling hands.
“Elze, Elze... No, Elze...”
Shan called her name frantically. Not even aware of what he was saying, he only called Elze's name, not knowing what to do.
Then, a very faint and small voice was heard.
“Shan... Stop...”
“Elze!”
Shan spoke urgently to Elze.
“Don’t talk, the blood...!”
But Elze shook her head quietly. She spoke in a voice that seemed as if it would break.
“I’ve been thinking about this since the first time I met you...”
Every word was hard. Blood gushed out from the wound with every spit. Shan begged Elze not to say anything.
“Elze, shh, don’t talk... Yes? Elze, please...”
But Elze stubbornly continued speaking.
“Your eyes are so pretty... like violets...”
Her words made his head spin. Elze was saying her final goodbyes to Shan. She gasped for breath and let out a painful groan as Shan froze stiffly. But she didn’t stop talking.
"Therefore..."
Elze smiled. A faint voice flowed from her lips that curved gently.
"Don't cry..."
The words that were uttered were uselessly scattered into the air. Shan wanted to listen to the words that were disappearing in vain and chew on them a little more. However, he couldn’t hold on to the disappearing voice, so he had to let it go without strength.
Elze's eyes closed. Her blue pupils lost their light and disappeared into her eyelids.
Shan looked at her leaving him. His heart, which had been beating like crazy with extreme excitement, suddenly stopped and tightened.
“...”
Shan looked at her blankly. Then he called out to her in a very small voice.
“Elze.”
There was no answer. The eyelids, which had fallen limply, were tightly shut and would never open.
Shan carefully placed his hand on Elze's neck. He felt no pulse. He could only feel her cooling body temperature.
Elze, Erzenes Targayel... is dead.
Shan looked down at Elze for a long time. Her blood-soaked hair was stuck to her pale face.
Is this really real? Or is it a dream?
It seemed as if at any moment she would open her eyes and call out, “Shan!” in a cheerful voice. So Shan waited. For Elze to open her eyes again and call him.
But no matter how long he waited, Elze didn't move. She just quietly closed her eyes. As if she were dead...
“...”
Shan looked at his own arm. He had been cut several times earlier, but it was completely healed, with only a scar left, not a single drop of blood. It was a stark contrast to Elsie, whose wound was still soaked with blood.
Shan took up his sword again. And with the utmost calmness, he lowered his wrist. Bright red blood spurted out.
But it was the same. If it were someone else, his wrist would have been cut, but Shan's healed in an instant.
Shan looked at Elze, looking at his wrist where a long scar remained. He looked back and forth between Elze's wound and his own scar several times.
And Shan realized that he couldn't follow Elze to death...
He was not even permitted to die.
The realization was futile, empty, and hollow. Shan was now left to live alone in a world without meaning.
Why did God put a lifeline on me? What is this worthless life for?
If God's purpose was to inflict suffering, he chose a truly horrifyingly perfect means.
There can be no despair more complete than this.
Shan lowered his head. A hollow laugh escaped his lips.
"...Ha."
Shan lowered his head and let out a slow laugh. His laughter echoed eerily in the silence of his surroundings.
"Ha ha ha..."
Shan, who had been laughing like that for a long time, slowly tilted his head back. With his half-drooped eyelids, his black hair was languidly disheveled. A jet-black aura flowed down Shan’s body to the floor.
Both Targayel and Heglatan felt an instinctive fear at the unidentified phenomenon.
They thought they had to run away, but they couldn't move. Their bodies were crushed by extreme fear, and they couldn't move.
Shan slowly opened his eyes. His pupils dilated widely, then slit open.
Ding, an unknown vibration echoed all around. At the same time, the black energy that had been moving slowly began to shake violently. The energy that had once stirred began to spread out in all directions.
In the middle of the waves, Shan smiled with his purple eyes sparkling beautifully.
Shan Cirxus was completely destroyed.
He originally thought he was something inhuman. However, there was a big difference between the words 'inhuman' and 'not human.'
And now Shan Cirxus was not human.
Blahar doubted his eyes. This was beyond the realm of common sense.
“Ahhhhhhh!!”
A scream rang out. A person was torn alive before his eyes. It was the knight who stabbed Elze with his sword.
Shan Cirxus was cutting down the knight with the same sword he had used to stab Elze, bit by bit, like a child tearing off the legs of an insect.
They wanted to run away at the sight of the cruelty, but they couldn't move. Targayel and Heglatan were both unable to move and had to watch the knight's miserable end.
They saw people dying on the battlefield several times a day. But now it was a little different. Everyone was frozen in place, unable to do anything, and could only watch helplessly.
The knight suffered in agony for a long time and finally died after being mangled beyond recognition.
Only after the knight died did Cirxus stop his hand. The air that had been frozen until just a moment ago began to melt slightly.
Everyone there instinctively realized that they had to run away now.
The knights of Targayel moved quickly as soon as they came to their senses. It was a wise choice indeed. They were able to escape from Cirxus.
But Heglatan was different. It was not easy to choose between attack, defense, and retreat. There was no guarantee that Cirxus would let them go in the first place.
And in the brief hesitation, the last chance was gone. Cirxus slowly turned his head. His gaze turned to Blahar.
The moment their eyes met, a chill ran through his body. Fear and dread gripped Blahar's feet.
"...No."
A murmur escaped his lips without his knowledge. Blahar fumbled for his sword with his hands. He felt the hilt of the Flamberge under his palm.
“My end, no... it won’t be this vain...”
The shadow of death gradually loomed. Blahar gasped for breath as the black darkness covered his entire body.
“I... can’t die here...!”
But his body was shaking terribly. Blahar pulled out the Flamberge with trembling hands.
He forced himself to take a deep breath and tried to fight him, but it was truly useless. The gorgeous Flamberge was cut in two by Cirxus's worn-out longsword.
Beyond the half-cut Flamberge, a long, torn pupil was visible. The purple eyes were no different from those of a monster. Cirxus's eyes rounded. He slowly reached out his hand.
“Ah, no...!”
Blahar's scream echoed across the plains.
“The lady has returned! Now all that remains is to win.”
He sat down next to Shan and waited for orders. Shan answered absentmindedly as he mounted his steed.
“Targayel will win without fail.”
Because she wanted it. The words whispered low behind the firm oath were quietly scattered in the noisy battlefield. The clear purple eyes held a deep light and sparkled.
Shan began to command the battlefield again. Then Targayel showed amazing movements that were incomparable to when Liv was in command. The soldiers who were like grains of sand were tangled together like sticky mud. They moved as if they were one body, following orders.
The battlefield, which had been in turmoil since the appearance of Ilwooz and Ryeo's army, completely turned around the moment Shan took command.
Now it was Targayel who was launching the offensive. Heglatan was unable to adapt to the changed atmosphere of the battlefield and was faltering miserably. The Chimera they had trusted was of little use, so Heglatan soldiers broke away from the command structure and began to flee.
“Don’t miss it. Push on!”
Shan began to relentlessly pressure the Heglatan camp. Elze and Shan ran rampant across the battlefield together.
Elze was the best knight. She carried out whatever Shan gave her better than anyone else.
She broke through the blockage and plugged the breach. Even though she was covered in blood, Elze's appearance flying around the battlefield was more beautiful than anyone else's. Shan couldn't help but smile at Elze's appearance.
When the front line had been pushed back to a certain extent, a report came in to Shan.
“Lord Cirxus! Heglatan has been ordered to retreat! Blahar is on the run!!”
Blahar did not flee straight to the rear, but fled around the side of the camp with only some of his knights.
If he ran away among the soldiers, he would be slow and would be exposed, which would be dangerous, so he chose a fast and secret escape route. And that was the route Elze had taken while sneaking into the rear of Heglatan.
“Form a pursuit team.”
At Shan's words, Elze shouted that she knew the way.
“I’ll go! You take command...”
“You can’t do this alone.”
Shan cut off Elze's words like a knife and thought for a moment. If he were to chase after them without guidance, there was a high risk of losing Blahar, who had already been captured. However, he would never let Elze go alone.
The front line has been pushed back considerably, and Heglatan is retreating. Chimera is being dealt with well by Ilwooz and Ryeo, so they can leave it to them.
There were no more difficult matters to command. Shan decided that he and Elze would pursue Blahar.
“Erzenes and I will lead the pursuit. Lord Cullens will resume command of the battlefield.”
Elze and Shan led a group of knights and immediately began to pursue Blahar.
Blahar fled quickly, but thanks to Elze's guidance, the pursuers were able to catch up with him quickly. The knights of Heglatan were clearly surprised to see Targayel. They had not expected to be pursued so quickly.
The end of the war was in sight. To catch Blahar, Elze and Shan spurred their horses even harder.
It was then that the Heglatan knights, including Blahar, suddenly stopped talking.
“!!”
Targayel also slowed down and stopped first. The distance between them and Targayel's pursuers was now only a few meters.
The two groups faced each other. Amid the tense atmosphere, Blahar rode forward. He looked at Elze and Shan with a stiff face. He looked very tired, but his eyes were still sharp.
Blahar waved his hand at his staff officer, Serev, who was standing next to him. Serev then handed him something. Blahar took it and held it up in the air. He spoke in a cold voice.
“Stop the chase.”
“...!”
Shan and Elze immediately recognized its identity. What Blahar was holding in his hand was a solid bomb.
"How..."
Elze muttered in a daze. She had no idea how he had the solid bomb Ivanna had made. Elze was thinking that it might be a fake that only looked like it, and then she blurted out a word that suddenly came to her mind.
“Surely not, Mapel...?”
Serev said he found something in the Mapel territory. And the former Count Mapel had used solid explosives. Serev had retrieved the bombs that the former Count Mapel had left behind.
She didn't expect a solid bomb to come out here. Elze felt like she'd been hit in the back of the head. Shan whispered to Elze.
“Is it real?”
Elze nodded slowly. Shan frowned. The situation was becoming a headache. But Blahar's demands did not end there. He continued expressionlessly.
“I want a hostage.”
Blahar's red eyes turned to Elze. Locking eyes with Elze, he spoke slowly.
“Send Elze.”
“Blahar!!”
Shan screamed and tried to run out right away.
“Shan, no!”
Elze barely managed to grab his arm. Targayel's pursuers were all frozen in place, unable to even let out a gasp of shock.
Although she had caught Shan, Elze felt like her vision was fading away. Elze shook her head to regain her senses, then carefully calculated the situation.
There was some distance between Targayel and Heglatan. However, Elze knew the explosion range of the solid bomb. If Blahar detonated the bomb, the entire area should be completely blown away.
And Blahar was a man who could really light a bomb fuse if he got caught. For now, it was best to just do as Blahar wanted. Elze, who had finished thinking, took a big step forward and answered.
"Great."
Shan roughly grabbed Elze's wrist and growled softly.
“What are you talking about, Elze?”
He glared at Elze with angry eyes. Elze whispered to Shan.
“Shan, calm down.”
Elze pressed her hand firmly against Shan's forearm and spoke softly.
“Even so, they are just a bunch of defeated soldiers. We can easily subdue them. If we just remove the variable, the solid bomb.”
Shan gradually regained his composure at Elze's words. However, his eyes were still fierce.
“Pretend to be captured for now, and I’ll take Blahar’s bomb when I get the chance.”
Elze continued her explanation calmly and ended her speech with a quiet smile.
“Attack at that moment. Got it?”
Then she smiled faintly and lightly kissed his lips. With the last touch of her lips, Elze turned around. And before Shan could catch her, she strode towards Blahar.
She felt Shan's gaze stuck to her back. She wanted to look back, but she held back and kept walking.
The Heglatan knights looked embarrassed when Elze obediently surrendered as a prisoner. Blahar spoke quietly to Elze, who was looking at him calmly.
“Elze, I’m sorry.”
Then, the knights handed her handcuffs. Elze silently held out both hands. Blahar handcuffed Elze. His touch was gentle and affectionate. It felt more like he was holding on to and restraining a beloved lover than a prisoner.
She felt the cool touch of iron on her wrist. Elze lowered her eyes. But it didn't end with her hands.
“...!”
Her feet were shackled. They were shackles with short iron chains that restricted her stride. They were afraid of Elze's skills, which were too weak to just tie her hands. Blahar, who had completely blocked Elze, mounted his horse again.
Elsa was a little flustered, not knowing that her feet would be tied up. However, being locked up with her hands and feet did not mean it was the end. Elsa calmly waited for her chance.
But things started to go in a completely unexpected direction. The real variable that suddenly appeared was not a bomb.
It was a direct backlash against Blahar.
“Your Majesty! Why are you letting that woman live!!”
One of Heglatan's knights shouted at Blahar. Blahar, Serev, and the other knights looked at him in surprise at the knight's shout.
“That woman is the enemy who killed my comrade! But why!! In a situation like this, after a crushing defeat in battle, you are being so affectionate to a woman whose head you would not feel satisfied with even if you cut her off...”
The knight paused for a moment, gritting his teeth. He glared and spoke in a suppressed voice.
“So you started a war because of that bitch? A war with tens of thousands of lives at stake?”
He finished his speech, glaring at Blahar with burning eyes.
“I can no longer understand Your Majesty’s antics.”
When the knight finished speaking, the crowd became quiet. The knights of Heglatan did not criticize him. Instead, they showed silent agreement.
“...”
The exchange of glances in silence was calm. Their gazes at each other contained a similar thought: resentment toward Blahar.
If they had won, what would have been the problem? But now that they was sure to lose, theg wanted to hold someone accountable and hold them accountable.
And now the targets were Blahar and Elze.
“What on earth is that woman saying... Because of that woman, my comrades died and my country was trampled on...”
The knight muttered incoherently and shook with rage. He glared at Elze with murderous eyes.
“You’re the cause of all the problems. If only you weren’t here...!”
The knight's eyes were filled with increasingly intense anger. The emotions that were on the verge of overflowing soon burst out like a volcano. He suddenly drew his sword and shouted loudly.
“If only you hadn’t been there four years ago!!”
It happened in an instant. The sword cut through the air in an instant. Shan was far away, Blahar was immobilized, and Elze was tied up with her hands and feet.
Elze moved her body reflexively, but her nimble movements were entangled in the taut chains.
Elze couldn't dodge the sword.
“!!”
In an instant, everything flowed quickly and slowly.
The knight's sword dug deep into Elze's chest. The sharpened tip of the sword pierced Elze with ease. The sight of the blade sticking out from behind her was unrealistic.
“...!”
Elze opened her eyes wide and vomited blood. Her body staggered, and the sound of chains clinking from her tightly bound hands and feet could be heard.
The staggering body collapsed helplessly. Her fluttering ivory hair fluttered, and she fell to the ground.
The sound of a crash rang in her ears like thunder.
***
The smell of blood on the battlefield was disgusting. Ilwooz's face was pale. It was because of the killings taking place everywhere.
Up until now, he had only been treating the wounded with the priests after the battle. He had never directly participated in a battle like this. The negative energy emitted by those who were groaning and dying was too much for Ilwooz to handle.
The priests who assisted Ilwooz also suffered, but they endured it because they were dealing with chimeras, not humans.
Now was the last step. If they could win this battle today, the war would be over.
For the peace that was to come, Ilwooz tried to be of some help. It was at a time when he was drawing on his divine power to the utmost.
“...!”
Ilwooz's rainbow-colored eyes suddenly became clouded. His divine power, which had been spreading out in many directions, shook greatly. The knights of Ryeo, who were fighting the chimera, were confused by the sudden shaking of their divine power, and their attacks became entangled.
Hyeon, who was commanding the battlefield, looked back at Ilwooz. He was staring into space with hazy eyes like someone dreaming. He was seeing something that Hyeon couldn't see.
Hyeon tried to call out to Ilwooz, but stopped in her tracks.
“!!”
Tears flowed down from Ilwooz's eyes. The eyes that had been shedding tears sadly slowly regained focus. Ilwooz slowly looked back at Hyeon. With tears flowing endlessly, he spoke in a voice that was breaking up.
“Elze... why, why is Lady Elze... so late...”
But Ilwooz soon closed his eyes tightly and wiped away his tears. There was no time to be sad now. He raised his head resolutely and said.
“...I have to go, right now!”
"What?"
Ilwooz shouted again at the flustered Hyeon.
“I must go to Elze right now... to Shan Cirxus!!”
***
Shan couldn't believe what was happening before his eyes. Even though he was seeing it clearly, it all seemed like an illusion.
Blood gushed from her small body. The red blood that spurted out like a fountain was vivid.
The color contrasted so starkly with the white skin that it was so cruel, it was painful, as if his eyes were being gouged out.
Everything flowed slowly. One by one, the blood streams rose, and the drops of blood scattered.
Elze's body slowly tilted and fell to the floor. The moment he heard the sound of hitting the ground, his heart sank. His throat was blocked. He couldn't make a sound. It was as if he had forgotten how to speak.
It was only after a while that he realized that his whole body was shaking. Shan barely, very barely, opened his mouth. And he called her name.
“El...ze...”
Shan was frozen in a daze, then came to his senses as if struck by lightning, and ran to Elze. No one could hold Shan back or call out to him. They just watched.
This development was something no one had expected. Even the knight who had drawn his sword had done so. He had stabbed her intending to kill her, but when Elze fell bleeding, he was so surprised that he dropped his sword and sat down on the ground.
Everyone secretly thought that Elijah's Elsa was immortal. So they had a vague idea that she wouldn't die even if they swung their sword.
But Elze has been struck by a sword, her chest pierced, and...she may now die.
Blahar also tried to run towards Elze, who had fallen, shouting. However, he could only look at her with trembling eyes and could not move. He was pushed back by Shan’s momentum, but there was another reason.
He hesitated. In a moment of life or death, Blahar could not choose Elze. What he chose was his own safety.
When the knight retorted, he had tied up Elze and was turning back to his horse. And just as the knight swung his sword, Blahar drew his Flamberge and tried to run.
But a moment of hesitation caught his hand. It was too late to draw his Flamberge and strike the knight's sword. There was no time to draw. He had to throw himself straight ahead and block Elze's path.
But Blahar couldn't do that.
In war, a serious injury meant immediate death. Even if Heglatan were defeated immediately, Blahar, the leader, had to survive to make a comeback.
Blahar loved himself and could not sacrifice himself for Elze. His love was a love that Elze existed because he existed. And while Blahar hesitated, everything was already over.
He never dreamed that the situation would become this serious. He just thought that Elze would get hurt a little, and it would end lightly.
But it was absurd to think that Elze, exhausted from fighting all day and with her hands and feet tied, would avoid a sudden attack.
Countless excuses came to mind, but in the end, it was all the same. No matter what excuses he made, the fact remained that Elze was fatally injured because of Blahar.
“...”
Blahar closed his eyes tightly against the complex emotions that were welling up within him. In the end, he was unable to approach Elze.
Everyone froze at the unexpected turn of events. A trembling silence descended upon the people. Dozens of people were present, but it was quiet. No one moved, not even a single breath was heard.
Only Shan ran towards Elze, shouting her name.
“Elze, Elze!!”
Shan knelt down in front of Elze, who had fallen to the ground. Blood and dirt soaked through his clothes and armor, but he didn't care. To be exact, he didn't have time to care about such things.
Elze gasped for breath. Shan's head turned white at the sight of her suffering.
Shan bit the flesh in his mouth until it bled. He came to his senses a little. Shan tore the cloth off and stopped the bleeding from the wound.
But the wound was too big to stop the bleeding. No matter how hard he tried, the bleeding wouldn't stop. The piece of cloth was soaked in red blood and hung limply. A chill ran down his spine.
“No, no... No...”
Shan kept muttering with blank eyes.
What should I do? What should I do...
Shan, who was in a panic, suddenly noticed his own arm. His muscular arm was full of blue veins.
Shan regenerated immediately, even when wounded. Perhaps his own blood could heal Elze. Whether it was a vain thought or not, it was time to hold on to even the slightest possibility. Shan drew his sword without hesitation. And he cut off his own arm.
Pitter-patter, blood fell. Shan felt pain, but he didn't care. But before even a few drops of blood fell, the wound had healed.
Shan cut his arm with his sword again. Once again, red lines were drawn across his copper-colored skin. He cut deep enough to reach the bone, but it also healed quickly.
Shan did the same thing again, again, and again. Shan's blood dripped down onto Elze's wounds little by little. But unlike Shan, who healed instantly, Elze did not. Elze died little by little, bleeding bright red.
Her blue eyes were gradually losing their vitality. No matter how hard he tried, the dying embers could not be revived. Despair engulfed his entire body. His hands were shaking. Shan touched Elze with his trembling hands.
“Elze, Elze... No, Elze...”
Shan called her name frantically. Not even aware of what he was saying, he only called Elze's name, not knowing what to do.
Then, a very faint and small voice was heard.
“Shan... Stop...”
“Elze!”
Shan spoke urgently to Elze.
“Don’t talk, the blood...!”
But Elze shook her head quietly. She spoke in a voice that seemed as if it would break.
“I’ve been thinking about this since the first time I met you...”
Every word was hard. Blood gushed out from the wound with every spit. Shan begged Elze not to say anything.
“Elze, shh, don’t talk... Yes? Elze, please...”
But Elze stubbornly continued speaking.
“Your eyes are so pretty... like violets...”
Her words made his head spin. Elze was saying her final goodbyes to Shan. She gasped for breath and let out a painful groan as Shan froze stiffly. But she didn’t stop talking.
"Therefore..."
Elze smiled. A faint voice flowed from her lips that curved gently.
"Don't cry..."
The words that were uttered were uselessly scattered into the air. Shan wanted to listen to the words that were disappearing in vain and chew on them a little more. However, he couldn’t hold on to the disappearing voice, so he had to let it go without strength.
Elze's eyes closed. Her blue pupils lost their light and disappeared into her eyelids.
Shan looked at her leaving him. His heart, which had been beating like crazy with extreme excitement, suddenly stopped and tightened.
“...”
Shan looked at her blankly. Then he called out to her in a very small voice.
“Elze.”
There was no answer. The eyelids, which had fallen limply, were tightly shut and would never open.
Shan carefully placed his hand on Elze's neck. He felt no pulse. He could only feel her cooling body temperature.
Elze, Erzenes Targayel... is dead.
Shan looked down at Elze for a long time. Her blood-soaked hair was stuck to her pale face.
Is this really real? Or is it a dream?
It seemed as if at any moment she would open her eyes and call out, “Shan!” in a cheerful voice. So Shan waited. For Elze to open her eyes again and call him.
But no matter how long he waited, Elze didn't move. She just quietly closed her eyes. As if she were dead...
“...”
Shan looked at his own arm. He had been cut several times earlier, but it was completely healed, with only a scar left, not a single drop of blood. It was a stark contrast to Elsie, whose wound was still soaked with blood.
Shan took up his sword again. And with the utmost calmness, he lowered his wrist. Bright red blood spurted out.
But it was the same. If it were someone else, his wrist would have been cut, but Shan's healed in an instant.
Shan looked at Elze, looking at his wrist where a long scar remained. He looked back and forth between Elze's wound and his own scar several times.
And Shan realized that he couldn't follow Elze to death...
He was not even permitted to die.
The realization was futile, empty, and hollow. Shan was now left to live alone in a world without meaning.
Why did God put a lifeline on me? What is this worthless life for?
If God's purpose was to inflict suffering, he chose a truly horrifyingly perfect means.
There can be no despair more complete than this.
Shan lowered his head. A hollow laugh escaped his lips.
"...Ha."
Shan lowered his head and let out a slow laugh. His laughter echoed eerily in the silence of his surroundings.
"Ha ha ha..."
Shan, who had been laughing like that for a long time, slowly tilted his head back. With his half-drooped eyelids, his black hair was languidly disheveled. A jet-black aura flowed down Shan’s body to the floor.
Both Targayel and Heglatan felt an instinctive fear at the unidentified phenomenon.
They thought they had to run away, but they couldn't move. Their bodies were crushed by extreme fear, and they couldn't move.
Shan slowly opened his eyes. His pupils dilated widely, then slit open.
Ding, an unknown vibration echoed all around. At the same time, the black energy that had been moving slowly began to shake violently. The energy that had once stirred began to spread out in all directions.
In the middle of the waves, Shan smiled with his purple eyes sparkling beautifully.
Shan Cirxus was completely destroyed.
***
He originally thought he was something inhuman. However, there was a big difference between the words 'inhuman' and 'not human.'
And now Shan Cirxus was not human.
Blahar doubted his eyes. This was beyond the realm of common sense.
“Ahhhhhhh!!”
A scream rang out. A person was torn alive before his eyes. It was the knight who stabbed Elze with his sword.
Shan Cirxus was cutting down the knight with the same sword he had used to stab Elze, bit by bit, like a child tearing off the legs of an insect.
They wanted to run away at the sight of the cruelty, but they couldn't move. Targayel and Heglatan were both unable to move and had to watch the knight's miserable end.
They saw people dying on the battlefield several times a day. But now it was a little different. Everyone was frozen in place, unable to do anything, and could only watch helplessly.
The knight suffered in agony for a long time and finally died after being mangled beyond recognition.
Only after the knight died did Cirxus stop his hand. The air that had been frozen until just a moment ago began to melt slightly.
Everyone there instinctively realized that they had to run away now.
The knights of Targayel moved quickly as soon as they came to their senses. It was a wise choice indeed. They were able to escape from Cirxus.
But Heglatan was different. It was not easy to choose between attack, defense, and retreat. There was no guarantee that Cirxus would let them go in the first place.
And in the brief hesitation, the last chance was gone. Cirxus slowly turned his head. His gaze turned to Blahar.
The moment their eyes met, a chill ran through his body. Fear and dread gripped Blahar's feet.
"...No."
A murmur escaped his lips without his knowledge. Blahar fumbled for his sword with his hands. He felt the hilt of the Flamberge under his palm.
“My end, no... it won’t be this vain...”
The shadow of death gradually loomed. Blahar gasped for breath as the black darkness covered his entire body.
“I... can’t die here...!”
But his body was shaking terribly. Blahar pulled out the Flamberge with trembling hands.
He forced himself to take a deep breath and tried to fight him, but it was truly useless. The gorgeous Flamberge was cut in two by Cirxus's worn-out longsword.
Beyond the half-cut Flamberge, a long, torn pupil was visible. The purple eyes were no different from those of a monster. Cirxus's eyes rounded. He slowly reached out his hand.
“Ah, no...!”
Blahar's scream echoed across the plains.
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