“Wow, you’re still alive?” A lowly gang boss had managed to survive and make his way to the capital. Considering the distance from Austern City to the capital, it was nothing short of a miracle. Crank scratched his head and forced a laugh. “Yes, yes. Somehow...” His back was drenched with cold sweat. After all, his history with Claude wasn’t a pleasant one. Crank had once tried to frame Claude for fraud and even attempted to cut off his hand. He had kept tabs on Claude’s life, ensuring that he stayed under his thumb. But the tables had turned. The man he once tormented was now a towering figure of authority. Claude could snuff out Crank’s life with nothing more than a flick of his finger. ‘No, I can’t die now! After everything I’ve been through to survive, dying here would be too unfair!’ Claude’s smile was chilling as he spoke. “Do you know what we always do first when we take over a territory?” “Y-yes, I know.” Stabilizing a newly conquered area wasn’t as simple as distributing food. Ghislain’s policies placed heavy emphasis on law and order. In every territory they conquered, the first step was to crush any criminal organizations. It was the same in the Kingdom of Ceyron. Even the smallest troublemakers were swiftly rounded up. Information gathered from citizens and intelligence held by the kingdom helped them identify the most vicious criminals. Those deemed irredeemable were executed on the spot. Crank had managed to avoid the blade by lying low and keeping a low profile. But now, with Claude standing before him, his past crimes were catching up. “S-spare me!” He prostrated himself immediately. Crank was well aware of Claude’s reputation for cutting down both kings and nobles alike. Claude had been infamous at the academy for being vindictive. It was unlikely that he would let a grudge from the past slide. And true to his nature, Claude relished the moment, his voice dripping with pettiness. “No way. I can’t let you off. You really hurt me back then, you know.” “Aaaah! Please, have mercy!” “Nope. Our policy is clear: ‘Build a crime-free, safe society.’” “I-I’ve turned over a new leaf! I’m clean now!” “But you committed plenty of crimes before that. Hey, take this guy away.” The soldiers immediately grabbed Crank, who was now being dragged off when he suddenly shouted. “Anna! I know where Anna went!” “What?” Claude’s head whipped around. Could it be true? After all the dead ends, someone finally knew Anna’s whereabouts! “You better not be lying. If you are, I’ll kill you twice.” “No, no! Please, spare me!” “Where is she?” Crank initially hesitated, thinking he might use the information as leverage. But he quickly abandoned the idea. He knew better than to provoke someone as vindictive as Claude; it would only backfire. “She went to the Kingdom of Byron.” “What? Are you sure?” “I-I think so. I caught a glimpse of her when the refugee groups split up. I swear it’s true.” Claude’s eyes narrowed as he studied Crank’s face. He wasn’t naive enough to trust a criminal at his word. But Crank’s expression was one of genuine fear and desperation. “It’s true! I’m not mistaken, and I’m not lying!” “Explain in detail.” “Well, you see...” Crank explained how the refugees had scattered after the Rift appeared. People from different regions often crossed paths, but there were also disagreements that led groups to head in different directions. Anna’s group had decided to leave for the neighboring kingdom, while Crank’s group had chosen to head for the capital, thinking it was safer. Claude nodded as he processed the explanation. “That makes sense.” He was already aware that some refugees had fled to other kingdoms. If Anna wasn’t in the Kingdom of Ceyron, it was entirely plausible that she had gone elsewhere. Even if it was just a possibility, it was better than assuming she was dead. Crank clasped his hands together, bowing repeatedly. “You’ve risen to such heights now. I’m sure you’ll find her soon. You’ve even avenged your master, so perhaps it’s time to settle down and marry...” Thwack! Claude smacked Crank across the back of his head. “That’s not it, idiot. I’m only looking for her because she’s my master’s daughter, and I’m worried about her.” Claude knew that avenging his master wouldn’t erase the guilt of failing to protect him in the first place. He and Anna had long since gone their separate ways. If the world hadn’t descended into chaos, he would have let her live her life without interference. But with monsters and cults running rampant, he couldn’t rest until he confirmed her safety. It was guilt, nothing more, that drove him. Crank, still bowing and groveling, tried to curry favor. “Of course, of course! You’re a benevolent and merciful governor. So, uh... since I told you where she went, you’ll spare me, right?” “Why didn’t you come to me with this information earlier?” Claude had spent days tearing through the kingdom in search of Anna. Most people wouldn’t have recognized her even if they saw her, but Crank would have known. Crank widened his eyes and replied. “If I came forward, you would’ve either killed me on the spot or sent me to forced labor. You were about to do that just now, weren’t you? So I avoided you as much as I could.” “This bastard... You know me too well.” “Heh, we used to gamble together back in Austern City, didn’t we?” “Fine. I’ll spare you since you told me where she went.” “Oh, thank you! Long live the governor! Long live His Excellency!” Crank collapsed to the ground in relief, only for Claude to throw an arm around his shoulder and say with a grin. “Join the army.” “...What?” “You’re enlisting in the Ceyron Reconstruction Army. Got it?” “....” “If you don’t want to, you can die instead.” Claude was becoming more and more like Ghislain with each passing day. “I’ll enlist...” Crank muttered through tears. It was better than dying. As Crank slumped away, Claude watched him thoughtfully. “The Kingdom of Byron, huh... This works out perfectly.” Ghislain’s next target for liberation after Ceyron was Byron. Claude had plans to head there soon. Finding Anna in Byron would be even more challenging. It was larger than Ceyron and also crawling with Salvation Order forces. Anna might have died there, or she could have moved on to yet another country. But Claude resolved to keep searching until he knew for sure. *** The Kingdom of Byron was already overrun by the Salvation Order and the Rifts, with over half of its territory consumed. As a weaker kingdom, Byron's survival had only been possible thanks to the civil war in the Ruthania Kingdom. Many priests stationed in Byron had been recalled to Ruthania, giving the kingdom a temporary reprieve. Another major factor was the unchecked expansion of the Rifts. Even the nobles who allied with the Salvation Order to stage their rebellion avoided these dangerous zones. “Damn it! This wasn’t what we prepared for! They said it was under control!” Bang! Marquis Brodes, leader of the Byron Kingdom’s rebel forces, slammed his fist on the table, barely containing his fury. The situation was beyond frustrating. Even they had to avoid the Rifts to minimize casualties, which in turn allowed the royal army to fortify their defensive lines. While the royal army only needed to halt the Rift's expansion, the rebels were forced to maneuver around these zones while still waging war—a disadvantage that was beginning to take its toll. But that wasn’t the only thing eating away at him. “When are they sending the superhumans back?!” he shouted, his frustration boiling over. The rebels were currently at a stalemate with the fiercely resistant royal army. Initially, the rebel forces were slightly weaker than the royal army, but with the help of the Salvation Order’s superhumans, they had swept through the kingdom with ease. Then, the civil war in Ruthania erupted, and most of the Salvation Order’s superhumans were redirected there. Without their aid, the rebels were unable to continue their advance. “Contact them again! Beg them to send even one superhuman back!” As he barked orders to his subordinates, devastating news arrived. “Sir, the priests... all the priests have disappeared!” “What?” “All the Salvation Order priests have vanished! It seems they’ve fled!” “This... this can’t be happening...” Marquis Brodes’ face turned ghostly pale. Even without superhumans, the Salvation Order’s priests had been a critical support. They acted as substitutes for mages and served as intermediaries with the Order. But now, overnight, every single priest had vanished. Without them, the rebels would have to face both the Rifts and the royal army alone. “Those bastards ran away when things got tough!” Brodes shouted, feeling an overwhelming sense of betrayal. The Salvation Order had seduced them with promises of victory, only to abandon them at the most critical moment. But the worst news was yet to come. “The civil war in Ruthania has ended! The Delphine Ducal House and the Salvation Order have been defeated!” “The Duke of Fenris is leading an army of 100,000 troops here!” “The vanguard of 20,000 troops is already pushing through our front lines! We need to act now!” Marquis Brodes trembled uncontrollably. No superhumans, no priests, and now an army of 100,000 was bearing down on them? Even if they mustered all the forces at their disposal, they could barely scrape together 10,000 soldiers. And not a single superhuman among them. They were struggling just to hold even against the royal army. With 100,000 additional troops on the enemy side, defeat was inevitable. “Gather all our forces and block the choke points! They’ll have to avoid the Rifts just like us, so we can hold them there! Meanwhile, contact the Salvation Order in another kingdom—” “It’s useless.” Brodes turned to glare at his advisor, his eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. “What do you mean, useless? Explain yourself!” “The Duke of Fenris...” The advisor hesitated, swallowing hard. “The Duke of Fenris is advancing through the Rifts themselves. There’s almost no damage to their forces.” “....” Marquis Brodes felt the world spin. Was such a thing even possible? Could a human army truly march through the Rifts unscathed? If such a military force existed, why had humanity suffered so much at the hands of the Rifts until now? There was only one answer. The army of Fenris had surpassed human limits—it was no ordinary force. “No wonder Ruthania was the first to fall.” Marquis Brodes muttered to himself. From what he knew, the high-ranking priests of the Salvation Order had all gathered in Ruthania for the civil war. But even with such reinforcements, they had been defeated. And now, the victorious Fenris army was advancing to aid another kingdom. “W-we have to flee! Prepare to retreat immediately!” Brodes shouted, making the only logical decision. The problem was that he didn’t retreat quietly. If he had left with just his closest advisors, he might have escaped. After all, the Salvation Order had a network across kingdoms, and he could easily regroup with them elsewhere. But greed overtook him. He tried to take his army and supplies along, hoping to maintain his influence in another kingdom. “Plenty of time,” he thought. The distance was significant, so he assumed he had a head start. That was until the thunder of hooves shattered his delusion. Thud-thud-thud-thud! By the time the 20,000-strong Fenris cavalry caught up, it was too late. “What... what is that? How is that even possible?” Brodes whispered, his voice trembling. Before a messenger could even arrive, the Fenris cavalry was upon them. Boom! “Ahhhh!” There were no declarations, no negotiations. The cavalry simply charged and smashed through the rebel lines like a battering ram. Brodes tried to organize resistance, but it was futile. The gap in power was insurmountable. As he watched his army be annihilated, Brodes fell into a stupor. The world called the Salvation Order the embodiment of evil. But anyone who saw the army of Fenris would know otherwise. This was the true army of demons. Boom! Boom! Boom! At the front of the charge, a warrior with glowing crimson eyes sent soldiers flying with each swing of his weapon. No one could stop him. Those at his side were equally unstoppable, cutting through soldiers as if they were mere straw dummies. Brodes’ body betrayed him, and he wet himself in fear. The "demon" leading the charge was already upon him, grinning savagely. “Y-you’re the Duke of Fenris?” Brodes stammered. “That’s right.” “I-I surrender...” “Not interested.” Slice! Without another word, Ghislain swung his blade, severing Brodes’ head. Thus ended the rebellion in the Kingdom of Byron. A few stragglers remained, but Claude’s forces were already trailing behind to finish the job. Ghislain and his 20,000 cavalry focused on securing key strategic points. Though the victory was swift, Ghislain frowned as he surveyed the aftermath. “The priests are nowhere to be seen.” Since entering the Kingdom of Byron, he had encountered Salvation Order priests only once or twice. Now, they had completely disappeared. It was clear they had fled. It was likely that the high-ranking priests had been called to Ruthania for the civil war. But the absence of even the lower-ranking priests was unusual. “They’re gathering their strength,” Ghislain muttered to himself. If the Salvation Order was regrouping, it could only mean trouble. Like cockroaches, they were most dangerous when allowed to swarm. The other kingdoms needed to mobilize quickly. The Northern Army of Ruthania would have to accelerate their efforts. As Ghislain prepared for the next battle, good news arrived. “The civil war in the Kingdom of Turian has ended! They’ve expressed their desire to join the allied forces!” Turian was the second kingdom to resolve its internal conflict after Ruthania. The announcement left many stunned. Turian had been a kingdom plagued by monsters even before the Rifts and the Salvation Order took hold. Its struggles had kept it from joining the allied forces until now. For such a kingdom to end its civil war so quickly was nothing short of a miracle. But Ghislain wasn’t surprised. He knew the Kingdom of Turian was home to one of the Seven Strongest on the Continent. A smile spread across Ghislain’s face. “So, he’s finally moving.” The man once known as the greatest swordsman of the continent. Ghislain felt a thrill of anticipation. It wouldn’t be long before they met again.