Frenzied Flame burned.
In the forbidden valley, within the ruins of a collapsing manor, two suns of Frenzied Flame faced one another.
Then, they collided.
BOOM—
A violent shockwave erupted. The unleashed Frenzied Flame tore through the mansion's roof, surging skyward like a raging dragon, its claws of fire painting everything in a maddened yellow glow.
Outside the manor, on the scorched earth scorched by the Frenzied Flame, countless infected creatures had gathered. Their oozing, yellow eyes—burning with the same feverish madness—looked up toward the blazing twin suns that rose above. Their gazes were filled with awe and longing, as if subjects were witnessing the birth of a king, or believers praying for the descent of their god.
But before long, the suns faded.
And the reason...
[Acquired Weapon: Eternal Punishment Claymore]
"Wait—bro, wasn't that a little too fast?"
Lloyd looked down at Midra sprawled lifelessly on the ground, his expression caught somewhere between confusion and disappointment.
At first, when he'd embedded Nanaya's soul into Midra and watched him rise, ablaze with power, Lloyd had expected an epic battle. He'd even assumed a proper stance, ready to savor the fight.
But the result? Despite attaining the full form of the Frenzied Flame—and with a witch aiding him—Midra hadn't grown stronger at all. If anything, he seemed even weaker.
Even after Lloyd held back his strength to give him a fair chance, it barely lasted over a minute before Midra hit the ground again. For a moment, Lloyd genuinely wondered if the guy was faking it.
But he wasn't.
If anything, Midra had already done better than expected.
After all, as mentioned before, Midra never had the potential to become a true king. He was a scholar, not a warrior. His combat ability was questionable to begin with—especially by the absurd standards of the monsters and demigods who followed Lloyd.
As a sage, Midra's expertise lay in magic and prayer, not swordsmanship. But now he only had a Claymore in hand, without any spellcasting medium. Even if he'd had one, centuries of torment had ravaged his intellect and will. His current state was a shadow of what it once was.
A poor fighter in poor condition—though he had briefly burned his pain and despair to attain King-level power, it was that of a Weak King, and fleeting at best.
And as for Nanaya?
The Frenzied Flame Witch.
The title sounded impressive—like someone who could burn the Lands Between to ash.
But in truth, the Frenzied Flame Witch was more akin to a counterpart of the Finger Maiden. Her strength could be compared to a certain Therolina—the one who, during the Battle of Starscourge, did nothing but stand behind the front lines casting Heal Incantations, her only "attack" being the occasional holy water bottle toss.
So, despite their dramatic entrance, neither of them could actually fight. Their clumsy movements were so pitiful that Lloyd eventually lost the will to continue.
"Forget it," he muttered. "We'll call it here."
Satisfied with the outcome, Lloyd didn't prolong their suffering. He drew his weapon and gave each of them a swift, merciful end.
Then, just as the two believed they could finally die together—hands intertwined, eyes closed in peace—
Flames burst forth.
A heartbeat later, both of them opened their eyes again, their bodies fully restored.
"Relax," Lloyd said evenly. "Just gave you a little reincarnation."
After completing the rebirth and briefly explaining their situation—leaving the dazed pair to process what had happened—Lloyd turned toward Chaos, who stood silently nearby.
Though Midra's fight had ended, Lloyd knew this wasn't over.
He'd known Chaos for a long time; their bond ran deep. But he hadn't forgotten who—or what—Chaos truly was. For him to appear here, and stay this long, couldn't simply be to watch a fight with Midra. No, there was something more.
"We're going to have to fight too, aren't we?"
Chaos gave a slight nod.
But the battle didn't begin.
Not yet.
For now, Chaos was still incomplete. The Frenzied Flame remained sealed, and the form before Lloyd—this manifestation—wasn't suited for combat.
Forget Lloyd—right now, even facing Melina outside the realm of the Frenzied Flame would be a struggle for her. So…
"I need your help."
After planting a light kiss on Lloyd's lips, Chaos lifted her head, smiling softly.
"Help me break the seals… make me whole again… and then..."
"Let us devour each other."
"My dearest kin."
As her words fell, the entire valley trembled, echoing with the wet, bursting sounds of thick grapes splitting open.
Lloyd didn't so much as flinch. Watching Chaos smile as she spoke those words, he wasn't surprised in the slightest. He knew full well he could refuse.
When he had first infected her with the Frenzied Flame, Chaos had been clear—if he ever chose to reject her request, she had no way to force him. She wouldn't resist.
If he wished, he could even lock her away forever, keep her as his witch in a dungeon, and she would gladly accept that fate.
Even Melina—who despised the Frenzied Flame above all—hadn't doubted the sincerity in that vow.
Because the more one dealt with the Frenzied Flame, the clearer it became: every one of its bearers was a hopeless romantic.
First there was Vyke, who accepted the Flame for his maiden's sake. Then Yura, who fell into despair after love denied him, nearly losing himself to possession. And now, even Midra and Nanaya—two far greater figures—had joined that tragic chorus.
Only pure love can give birth to pure pain. And only through that pain can true despair take form.
That has always been the belief of the Frenzied Flame—and it has always followed that path.
...
After a long silence, Lloyd raised his hand and gently loosened Chaos's blindfold.
When the cloth slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground, the beautiful face before him slowly opened its eyes.
But unlike most, when she regained her sight, she didn't glance around in wonder. Her gaze never left him. It was as though nothing else in the world existed but the two of them.
Because, as she once said, these eyes were only ever meant to see him.
But...
"This'll make it hard to get any work done, won't it?" Lloyd remarked.
After all, while he had undone the seal, she still needed to absorb the Frenzied Flame—and deal with the parts of the process only she could manage. She couldn't just stand there, staring at him endlessly.
She seemed to agree. After a brief pause, Chaos lifted a hand to her face—then calmly dug both eyes from their sockets.
The sound of torn nerves filled the silence. She wiped the eyeballs clean with deliberate care, then offered them to Lloyd.
[Obtained Item: "Eyes of Chaos"]
"That should do."
Lloyd stared at her empty sockets, then at the two soft, glass-like orbs in his hand—still turned toward him, still "looking" at him.
He wanted to say something… but no words came.
"...Forget it."
He sighed, tucking the eyes away, then looked back at her.
"So. How exactly do you want me to help? Warm-up fight to awaken the dormant power here? Or just smash the seal open by brute force?"
Chaos shook her head.
"You saw what happened with Midra, didn't you?"
Her hollow sockets faced him as her voice turned calm, deliberate.
"So you must realize it by now—the Frenzied Flame that exists in the Lands Between is still incomplete."
"In truth, its essence isn't pure despair. If it were, then every race that has ever known despair would already be consumed, and the Lands Between would have burned to nothing long ago."
"The Frenzied Flame has always had two faces. It's just that despair is easier to see—and over the ages, the other side has been forgotten. But the truth is, what lies behind that despair… the thing born from pain and hopelessness… is what makes it all the more rare, and all the more beautiful."
Duality, huh, Lloyd thought dryly.
"Just tell me what you need me to do."
Used to his bluntness, Chaos only smiled.
"It's simple."
"Fill me—with your 'love.'"
Lloyd: "…"
Lloyd: "…What?"