THE VILLAIN'S POV

Chapter 349: Maekar Valerion vs Beatrice (2)

”Stand up, Emperor. Your battle is not over yet.”

Yurasha spoke calmly, standing behind him.

The Church and the Imperial family had never been allies—in fact, they had once plotted to annihilate his bloodline.

But now, with upper demons rising one after another, everyone knew where their blades needed to point.

At the same moment, the high bishops appeared beside Yurasha—along with Ivar Valerion and Luc Valerion, Maekar’s brothers.

”Sorry we’re late...”

It seemed Luc, the mage, had been the one responsible for teleporting Yurasha to the battlefield—barely saving them all in time.

Elsewhere, the Hollow and Gvardiole regrouped with Beatrice.

The only one who did not retreat was Pontiff Sulyvahn, still locked in fierce combat with the Sunlight brothers.

Now standing face-to-face, Yurasha empowered everyone around her, infusing them with her holy energy, boosting them beyond their limits—up to 120% of their power.

”Listen closely, gentlemen...”

”My role as a Saintess... is support.”

Yurasha continued speaking as she relentlessly launched waves of sacred power at Beatrice.

”I may not contribute much in direct combat, but I can save every one of you, no matter your condition—even if you’re dead. And my power counters that wretched demoness.”

Forming a massive field of light, Yurasha encompassed everyone within it, empowering them all.

”So don’t hesitate—strike with everything you have!”

No one responded with words. Instead, Maekar stepped forward first, gripping his spear, now burning anew.

”This is more than enough.”

With the Saint’s support and the others at his side, the tide of battle turned once more.

Despite finding herself surrounded by a multitude of new enemies, Beatrice kept smiling, even though she was now at a numbers disadvantage.

”Hmm, killing all of you is going to be a bit harder now.”

Everyone braced themselves for the fight, ignoring the witch’s taunts.

Maekar surged forward, wielding the Sunfire Spear, followed by his brothers and the bishop. All of them drew power from Yurasha’s divine field as they charged at Beatrice and the remaining Hollows.

”Our situation’s completely fucked, guys,” Gavardiol laughed, summoning his shadows.

”We’ll have to fight to survive.”

Smough reinforced his body while Evelyn groaned behind them.

All were ready to give it everything they had in this final clash—until Beatrice suddenly clapped her hands with a cheerful smile and closed her eyes.

”Oh, sorry! But this battle... is already over.”

No one understood what she meant.

Opening her violet eyes, Beatrice smirked wickedly, twirling her staff once more.

”You’ve already lost!!”

With those words, a sudden tremor rocked the ground beneath them. The sea split apart as strange black walls rose, trapping Maekar and everyone around him within a colossal cube that engulfed a massive portion of the Shezclar Bay.

They tried to break through immediately, but the cube unleashed overwhelming waves of destructive aura and an oppressive gravity field that immobilized them all.

The cube had sealed them in—and it began to shrink slowly.

”Resistance is futile. This is a spell crafted by my great teacher, Izalith herself! Eternal Seal!!”

Maekar and his forces vanished within the obsidian cube, swallowed without warning.

The cube continued to compress at an alarming speed, shrinking from a towering barrier that once blanketed most of the bay to a small object Beatrice held in one hand.

”I set this spell up while the Emperor was distracted fighting Astaroth”

”It takes a very long time to prepare due to its complexity, but with all of you so busy fighting and unaware of what was happening around you, trapping you in it turned out to be laughably easy! . Then I waited... hoping to catch a big fish. But I caught a whale instead! Kihihihi!”

Beatrice cackled maniacally, flicking her staff to part the sea. Then she tossed the cube deep into the ocean and sealed it beneath the waves.

”The downside to this spell is that I can’t affect or touch those trapped inside—but they won’t be coming out anytime soon anyway, kihihihi.”

With a wave of her hand, Beatrice summoned the raging Pontiff, who had been trapped with the rest of the Imperial forces, and flung him among the other Hollows.

”Calm this rabid dog down for me, would you, guys?”

Wearing her playful smile, she left Gavardiol and the others to fend off the enraged Pontiff as she slowly hovered above, savoring the chaos she had unleashed.

”There... now no one can interrupt my little game. Kihihihi~”

With the Emperor, the Saint, and most of the Imperial forces sealed deep beneath the sea, Beatrice had successfully repelled the Empire’s assault .. accomplishing what Astaroth had failed to do, even as he struggled to recover.

She approached him at once, not wanting to miss the chance to mock the defeated demon.

”Heeey? Would you look at this? Isn’t this the mighty, arrogant Astaroth himself?”

She burst into laughter while Astaroth grit his teeth, too weak to respond as his body struggled to regenerate.

”What would Lord Wesker say if he saw you like this? I bet he’d call you pathetic, kihihihi!”

”You damn witch! Arrgh...”

Astaroth groaned in agony, spitting up black blood as he lost control of his temper.

”You’re a fool, Astaroth. No wonder the Great Lord hasn’t bothered to appear before a useless wretch like you.”

Beatrice shook her head, then touched Astaroth and instantly teleported him back to his fortress.

”Drag your defeat back with you and bury yourself in shame.”

She muttered before vanishing, satisfied with what she had accomplished.

”Now then, shall we continue our game?”

And just like that, the rescue force that had once carried a glimmer of hope for Frey and his companions was wiped out.

...

...

...

This world was far too small.

News of the catastrophe reached the Empire almost immediately.

After a thunderous battle in the Bay of Shezclar, the Emperor—along with the church and family fleets—had succeeded in destroying the Ultras forces and defeating the Rank 19 Greater Demon, Astaroth.

But a sudden intervention from another demon, who had remained hidden until now, caused the Empire to lose a massive portion of its military strength...

Missing Figures:

Emperor Maekar Valerion

Saint Yurasha

Two bishops—Lord Iris of House Sunlight and his brother

The entire royal family

The Claymore Bearer—Melina Maiden

The current head of House Moonlight—Frost Moonlight

Thousands of warriors from every noble house

The report was catastrophic.

Although their deaths weren’t officially confirmed .. reports indicated that a strange barrier had swallowed them whole .. the loss of the Empire’s most powerful figures was treated as an undeniable truth.

Inside the royal hall, Oliver Khan stood beside an elderly servant as they received the news—just as the entire Empire did.

”This is a disaster...”

Having been forced to stay behind, Oliver Khan could now fully grasp the weight of the calamity that had struck them.

As for the citizens of the Empire, widespread panic broke out once the truth could no longer be hidden by their leaders.

”Never in the Empire’s four-hundred-year history has there been such disgrace. What a shame... How will we ever face our ancestors now?”

The old servant muttered, shaking his head in bitter regret.

”Sir Gas...”

Oliver spoke the old man’s name with respect—how could he not, when Gas was the longest-serving attendant in the palace and a formidable SS rank?

Expressionless, Gas moved forward slowly, signaling for Oliver to follow him.

”What are we going to do now?”

”This Empire cannot stand without a leader.”

With his hands clasped behind his back, Gas led Oliver through the sprawling royal palace toward a hidden destination.

”The Fourth Emperor, Maekar Valerion, is now missing.”

Following closely, Oliver soon found himself in a place he had never entered before—deep within the heart of the imperial palace.

”The next generation cannot inherit the throne either. Prince Aegon Valerion and Princess Sansa Valerion are also missing.”

There were no remaining royal heirs within the palace.

Standing before an enormous golden door, Gas pressed his hands against it and pushed with all his might. As the doors creaked open, he spoke:

”It’s time for the old era to return.”

Once the massive golden doors opened, Oliver was stunned by what lay within—an enormous library, its floors draped in rich crimson carpets and walls glimmering with noble gold.

Gas stepped inside and knelt. Oliver followed, dropping to his knees under the crushing weight of a terrifying aura that filled the chamber.

”This aura...!”

Oliver gasped as Gas began to speak.

”This humble servant, Gascoigne, offers his sincerest apologies...”

His words were directed at the man seated above them, holding a book in his hands, his golden eyes burning with a light so fierce it threatened to consume them.

”I beg you... return, and save your people once more !”

As those words echoed through the chamber, the old man rose, stepping into the light—finally allowing Oliver to see him clearly.

”The Third Emperor... Sir Alon Valerion!!”

In that moment, fury and disdain twisted Ser Alon’s face, shaking the chamber with a violent tremor.

This was Oliver’s first encounter with the former emperor—the father of Maekar Valerion, and the grandson of the First Hero, Kazes Valerion.

Sir Alon had returned.