“Damn it, damn it, damn it! Everyone just does whatever they want…”
Misa spat curses at the sudden turn of events as the sanctum barrier protecting the palace was easily breached.
Princess Nel, the main perpetrator of breaking the barrier, was about to launch an invasion into the palace. However, standing in her way were the Holy Chapel Knights who had unexpectedly deployed. Following Nel, a familiar witch joined the fray, and the Holy Chapel Knights were starting a fierce battle against the two figures deemed executives of the Demon King’s Army.
On the other side, Queen Lily, who had flown in from Shangri-La, was also being intercepted by the Holy Chapel Knights. It seemed they had trapped Lily within the advanced composite magic barrier known as “The Light Prison of the Cathedral,” which was deployed on the rear deck of the palace, sealing off her terrifying aerial mobility.
As expected, Peaceful Heart could not visualize what was happening inside the brilliantly shining and solid barrier, so it was impossible to know what kind of battle was unfolding inside. However, a fierce struggle was certain. Even if they succeeded in taking down Lily, the Holy Chapel Knights would not come out unscathed.
Meanwhile, fierce aerial battles were unfolding around them between the Pegasus Knights and Dragon Knights, and occupation forces were beginning to show up, finally boarding Peaceful Heart from Shangri-La.
As if ignoring Misa’s will entirely, the battle situation in her own castle, now the battlefield, continued to escalate.
“Ugh, whatever, I’ll just destroy that damned ship called Shangri-La for now.”
After thinking about who to attack and which battlefield to intervene in, the conclusion she arrived at was to destroy the most prominent enemy ship.
Though it was a simplistic thought, it was by no means a poor move.
In the absence of Chrono and Sariel from the Demon King’s army, Lily, Fiona, and Nel were the strongest forces. They could easily scatter regular soldiers, but against the Holy Chapel Knights, there was a chance of victory, and even if they were defeated, they could buy enough time.
As the strongest apostle in the Crusaders, if she could take down the aerial battleship that served as the enemy’s main base, the opponent would be cut off from retreat and reinforcements.
“Until I take down that ship, you better hang in there, Johannes’ dogs.”
With that, Misa finally left the palace and began her advance.
In front of the palace, a chaotic battle was centered around the fierce combat between Nel and Fiona’s duo and the Holy Chapel Knights, with the defense force somehow stabilizing while the enemy occupation forces charged in with roars.
Misa quickly headed towards Shangri-La, cutting down only the obstacles standing in her way while surrounded by blood-soaked hand-to-hand combat.
“An apostle!”
“The apostle is here, fall back!”
“It’s pointless to fight her! Don’t approach!!”
As she cut down about a dozen enemies, the shouts around her indicated that the threat of the Eleventh Apostle Misa had been communicated even to the low-ranking soldiers.
Normally, she would be hunting down every last demon without letting a single one escape, but now she had priorities. There was no time to waste on weaklings.
The cowards who only watched her from a distance, relieved that they didn’t have to engage, opened a path for her to sprint through.
Just as Misa was about to charge into Shangri-La, a shadow boldly stood in her way.
“Chrono— no, who the hell are you?”
The silhouette of a large man clad in black armor reminded her of her nemesis, but Misa quickly realized he was someone else.
Though they might share a similar silhouette, the beautifully designed black armor adorned with glimmering golden decorations was nothing like that cursed ancient armor. Above all, she had no recollection of the face exposed.
Gone were the cursed black hair and eyes, replaced by flowing flaxen hair and a well-groomed face. The strikingly handsome man released a sharp gaze that pierced directly through Misa.
“My name is Zenongart Xanadu. I am the fifth of the ‘Anti-Cross’ tasked with eradicating you apostles.”
“Eradicate? The apostles? Are you insane?”
The overly confident self-introduction calmed Misa’s agitated heart and made her want to laugh.
She always enjoyed facing off against those who underestimated their abilities. The thought of crushing their confidence, pride, and dignity until they were left in tatters brought her a deep sense of satisfaction. Especially if they were strong, beautiful men, her satisfaction would only grow.
“But that’s fine; you have a face that I quite like. I, the Eleventh Apostle Misa, will entertain you.”
Changing her target from destructively punching Shangri-La to the man in front of her, Zenongart seemed like he would be much more fun to deal with.
“Hah, as conceited as advertised, huh? But if you’re willing to engage me, that’s convenient. It’s the worst if you run away with your tail between your legs.”
“Really, men just love one-on-one duels, don’t they? Come on, attack me from anywhere!”
Misa responded with a relaxed smile to Zenongart’s provocative words. She simply held her armed holy scripture, “Binomial Love,” in her right hand, defensively spreading her hands wide in an open stance to let him take the first move.
“Very well, if I am to face an apostle, I won’t hold back. I will give it my all from the start.”
Zenongart, in contrast to Misa’s defensive stance, slowly drew the great sword “Conquest Seeker” from his back and uttered the name of the deity he served.
“A single flower blooming in the desolate land— ‘High Priestess Atlas.'”
Blessing activated.
A golden aura radiated from Zenongart’s entire body. However, it was a light unlike that of the golden demon god Karamala.
It was not a fierce glare of unquenchable desire but a brilliance akin to sunlight pouring down endlessly onto the earth. This was truly the majestic presence of the desert goddess Atlas, the rightful ruler of the Atlas Desert.
“Be lost in the infinite desert— ‘Golden Dunes.'”
The brilliant golden light surged through the air like a flash, spreading to envelop the entire battle happening on the deck.
“Hah, what, where is this…?”
The next moment, what Misa saw was a vast desert stretching to the horizon.
With not a cloud in the sky, fine sand formed gentle hills. In the void of scenery, comprised only of sky and sand, Misa found herself standing there without having realized it.
“Why is it a desert?! Where the hell did my Peaceful Heart go?!”
“What’s this, it’s your first experience with ‘Dimensional Magic’?”
Turning around at the incredulous voice, Zenongart stood there.
He held his great sword but was not in a combat stance, just standing there defensively. Misa, suddenly angry, pointed her scythe shaped like wings at him.
“Dimensional magic, is this…?”
“You’re not smart even for someone experiencing it for the first time. Good grief, it’s amazing that you’ve survived against Chrono, acting like that.”
“Hah? Don’t underestimate me, Misa!!”
A casual swipe of his weapon. Yet, the immense power of an apostle, infused with anger, allowed her great blade to cleave Zenongart, who remained standing, in two—
“Don’t take it personally. I was just like you.”
Neither evasion nor defense was needed.
Zenongart’s slashed body twisted and disappeared beautifully like an apparition. It was as if he had vanished like a mirage in the desert.
“Dimensional magic is a special divine magic that cannot be used without immense blessings. There’s hardly a practitioner in a nation… Normally, you’d rarely, if ever, encounter one.”
“Tch, what the hell is this, an illusion? What a bothersome trick.”
The new Zenongart revealed himself to resume the discourse. Two figures appeared on either side of him, clearly fake, making it easy for even Misa to glean that the real body was concealed elsewhere.
“You’re lucky to have me as the first Dimensional Magic user you face. You won’t have to endure an embarrassing defeat here. Your pride will be preserved.”
“Where are you hiding?! Get out here, you coward!!”
Cut, slash, hack.
However, every image of Zenongart she encountered was merely an empty illusion. No matter how much she used the immense power of her strikes to cut down, everything was ultimately pointless venting of frustration.
With the aftershock of an angry blow, the desert earth cracked, splintered, and clouds of sand whirled up to demonstrate the destructive force, but in this infinitely stretching desert, it was akin to a small bug floundering in an antlion pit.
“Damn it, where is the real one?!”
She scanned the surroundings with bloodshot eyes but found nothing amiss. Only the sky, the sand, and the illusionary enemies continued to stand.
Even Misa realized that simply endlessly slashing through illusions wouldn’t yield results, but then—
“—Ugh?!”
An explosion and shock suddenly assaulted her back, causing Misa to tumble forward.
For an ordinary human, such power could easily obliterate their upper body; however, it was not enough to harm the apostle’s body, shielded by a silver aura.
Still, it was more than enough to surprise Misa, who had her beautiful face shoved into the sandy ground.
“Wha… what is this? A mere attack like this…”
Starting in alarm, she leapt up and instinctively dodged, but more explosions continued to erupt on the ground.
It wasn’t much of an attack. It was a mere basic defense that wouldn’t even be remotely enough to touch her life.
However, what surprised Misa was not the power of the attack itself but the sheer magnitude of the shock that coursed through her body from just one direct hit.
Indeed, with the considerable aura she possessed, such destructive power shouldn’t even shake her.
“What’s wrong? Why are you surprised?”
As if reading Misa’s heart, Zenongart called out.
“This is the domain of the goddess Atlas. It’s only natural for your blessings to weaken.”
Misa had already suspected it without being told.
Though it was her first time experiencing Dimensional Magic, she had heard the tales. Back when she was still under the care of the Fourth Apostle Michael, apostles had been warned about the existence of Dimensional Magic users, who could seal blessings, as the most dangerous foes.
Moreover, just recently, the Twelfth Apostle Mariabel had suffered a de facto defeat at the hands of an enemy witch’s Dimensional Magic in the battle in the Atlas Desert.
However, Misa was not a genius of warfare. She was merely a fool who could only learn through experience, not a wise man who could learn from history. It wasn’t until she experienced it herself that she had never considered strategies against Dimensional Magic.
“There, you should pray more. You apostles are merely beggars who cling to the mercy of the gods for power.”
“Shut up!!”
With a broad horizontal slash, Misa wiped out Zenongart’s illusions and turned her gaze toward the enemy presumed to be ahead.
“Is this where you are?!”
As the flying attack from her opponent gave her an approximate idea of his actual location, she finally moved to counterattack.
With her “Binomial Love” taking on a dazzling white light, she swung it down, and it transformed into many shining slashes that carved markings into the desert as they flew away.
The blades of light soared to the distant sand dunes where her opponent was positioned, delivering a fierce strike beyond those hills.
“Tch, what now, coming from behind again!?”
Once again, a chilling burst of cold came from behind. Misa found herself entangled in frost from an ice-elemental area attack spell she couldn’t evade, but before her movements were hindered, her aura shattered the ice with a crack.
As shards of ice scattered, a rain of radiant arrows fell upon Misa.
“Tch, what’s happening? There’s more than one enemy!”
Reluctantly deploying a defensive magic she wasn’t particularly good at, she counterattacked in the direction of the incoming strikes.
Exposed to the long-range attacks flying in from all around, Misa finally realized she was being surrounded. She had assumed that Zenongart’s imposing demeanor indicated a one-on-one duel, but it seemed that he had no such intentions.
“That’s right. You wouldn’t dare call it cowardly, would you?”
“You sneaky bastard, hiding like that!!”
As she slashed through Zenongart’s mockery, Misa took off in the direction from which the bombardment was coming.
No matter how many enemies there were, it didn’t matter. If she killed them all, that would resolve the matter. As always, the power of the apostle made that easily achievable.
“—Hah, you fool. It’s not like I’ll stay in the same place forever.”
“Damn it!!”
Kicking up a storm of sand, she accelerated over the dunes at superhuman speed, but standing there, waiting for her, was once again the unchanged illusion of Zenongart.
Fueled by her fury, she slashed at the illusion, only to be met with a new wave of various attack spells raining down from behind.
“—Come out already! Face me in a duel!!”
Rolling out from the explosion of flames, Misa shouted.
However, the Zenongart standing ahead merely laughed mockingly.
“Ha ha ha, I apologize.”
“—Hey, Zenon, I have a favor to ask.”
This was after the “Anti-Cross” meeting had decided on a significant strategic shift from the Atlas Strategy to the Varna Strategy.
Waiting for Chrono to leave, Simon voiced this to Zenongart.
“Hmm, since it’s your favor, I shall listen.”
While the request’s specifics were unclear, the fact that he specifically came to him at this moment suggested it was not a trivial matter. He presumed it was something he didn’t want Chrono to hear.
Glancing around, there was no one else around, but while they were in the Fifth Layer, every action and word was surely audible to the Fairy Queen of Terror.
“Let’s change locations. I know a good place.”
Being considerate, Zenongart took Simon to the most secure establishment that he had used since his days as an adventurer. At that time, it was trusted to be capable of preventing monitoring or eavesdropping from all manners of forces, but under Lily’s rule, it was uncertain how effective it would still be.
However, the reality remained that it was still the most trustworthy location. If they were to have a private conversation, this would be the place.
“Wow, this place must be expensive.”
“You don’t need to worry about the price of food and drink; it’s not like you’re in a position to care.”
“I actually don’t know how much I’m earning right now. I’ve left it all to Sheik since it’s too much of a hassle.”
“It’s probably more reassuring to have Your Majesty the Queen managing your wallet than to let someone else handle it.”
Zenongart knew that Simon’s secretary was a female homunculus he had been affiliated with since his days at Spada. He would definitely prefer not to have someone so closely connected to Lily around, but her reliability was unparalleled as long as she was on Chrono’s side.
Setting aside the conversation of finances, stating he would treat this time, he decided to get to the main topic.
“So, what do you want?”
“I want you to let me fight alongside Misa.”
Simon looked straight at Zenongart as he stated it, devoid of any hesitation.
It was obvious he had resolved himself to this, but it was still a dangerous discussion to agree to on a whim.
“Why, asking that would be rude… with the way you’re contributing now, you’re already more than compensated.”
“Yeah, I understand that finishing Shangri-La is the biggest job I can do right now.”
Simon’s role in the climactic battle against Misa was indispensable. There was no one else who could conduct it. He could greatly contribute to the final battle without directly engaging the apostles. The Demon King himself had acknowledged Simon as a member of the “Anti-Cross.”
“But you know, I have my pride too.”
“I see, then others feel the same way about that apostle, not just Chrono.”
There was enough insight to guess the situation.
The battle of Alsace. Zenongart had also heard about its conclusion. The ferocity of the Crusaders and, above all, the frightening nature of the apostles were etched deeply into Chrono’s record of his most humiliating defeat. Because he had suffered the worst defeat, it was laden with value as a lesson for war.
And the grief and despair of losing a precious comrade.
“At the very least, if I don’t land a hit, I won’t be able to face Sue.”
“Hmph, with such a cute face, you sure say manly things.”
“Even so, I am a man of Spada. I can’t afford to say anything weak.”
Seeing Simon say such things with a serious face, Zenongart chuckled softly while downing the drink he had ordered.
It was just as a man to respond to another who had resolved himself. Moreover, he was a man who once seriously aimed to become the Demon King.
Lacking in natural physical strength and magical talent, this boy had placed himself at the table of “Anti-Cross” purely by intelligence; Zenongart genuinely wanted to help him.
“If you wish to fight alongside me, then show your strength. I will gladly answer your wish if I deem you worthy.”
“Thank you. I have no intention of dragging you down or relying on your protection. I will definitely show you the power worthy of facing an apostle.”
Thus, a promise was exchanged between the two men.
Simon was aware that this was merely his pride speaking. Personal feelings should not disrupt the Varna strategy.
He would perfectly execute his role, and at the same time, take revenge against Misa. Even if he did not achieve that goal, he at least wanted to aim for one last battle against the Eleventh Apostle Misa.
Depending on the expected battlefield situation, there was a possibility that not just Simon but even Zenongart might be sidelined. In an ideal scenario, they might completely seal Misa in “Purgatory Barrier” with the members of the “Element Masters” led by Chrono.
But Fate seemed to deliver opportunities.
Lily and others were being held up by the Holy Chapel Knights, while Misa completely left the palace and charged toward Shangri-La alone.
And standing in her way was Zenongart, the adept user of Dimensional Magic, second only to Fiona.
To ensure the Eleventh Apostle Misa was defeated, it was Zenongart’s role to buy time until the forces of “Anti-Cross” could gather.
Thus, both the mission and the promise would be fulfilled.
He would focus solely on maintaining the “Golden Dunes” that weakened the powers of apostles, leaving the offensive against Misa to his comrades.
He did not intend to defeat her outright. Even reducing Misa’s powers just a little would be enough. Given that Misa’s basic battle style relied on close-range combat, he would solely engage in long-range attacks and never approach her directly.
His basic tactics against Misa were functioning remarkably well under the current circumstances.
“Now, there’s still time. It’s time to settle the scores of past grievances, Simon.”