In the Great Fire Kingdom.
Yui had awakened early and was already training with Infernus.
"Come on! Put your back into it!!"
Yui was relentlessly attacking Infernus, but he dodged her strikes effortlessly.
The purpose of the training was to teach Yui how to fight using only the sword—no skills or magic. The goal: land a single hit on Infernus.
Suddenly, someone rushed into the training arena, calling out urgently.
"Lord Infernus! The army of the Great Fire Kingdom has arrived at the Ice Kingdom!"
Infernus turned sharply. "Yui, training is over. We must go. It's time to join the army on the battlefield."
He then looked at the messenger. "Has the Karujin Empire's army arrived as well?"
The messenger shook his head. "It seems they're on the way, but have encountered some problems and will be delayed."
"I see..." Infernus replied.
Yui seized the moment of distraction.
"You should never look away from the battlefield!" she shouted, lunging at him.
Infernus dodged and casually tossed her back.
"Training is over. You're ready. There's no need for more."
Yui sighed. "As you wish."
She left the training ground and returned to her room.
Ren was already waiting inside.
"Oh, Yui! You're finally back!"
Yui collapsed on the bed, exhausted.
"What do you want, Ren? I'm tired. Can we talk later?"
Ren smiled. "As you wish."
He exited the room silently.
---
Meanwhile, in the Great Ice Kingdom.
The kingdom lay in ruins. Zalauria had ravaged everything.
Though she had claimed the throne, she was no queen anyone would wish for.
A demon. A nightmare. She spread corruption, imprisoned or executed all who opposed her, and ruled not for justice—but for destruction.
Zalauria sneered.
"You all deserved this."
Suddenly, a guard rushed into the royal hall, trembling.
"Your Majesty! The army of the Great Fire Kingdom has arrived!"
"Finally," she grinned. "Something fun. I'm bored of sitting around."
"Where are they? At the kingdom's gates? Is Lord Infernus among them?"
"Yes, Your Majesty! He's leading them himself! And... there are others you may know with him!"
Zalauria didn't leave for the battlefield just yet.
The moon hadn't risen.
From the shadows, a voice emerged.
"Oh? Facing trouble already, Zalauria?"
It was Yamamoto, leaning casually against the wall.
"What do you want, Yamamoto?"
"Nothing much. The boss sent me—asked if you needed any help."
Zalauria scowled.
"I can't fight until the moon is up! My magic won't work until then!"
"You still have your sword techniques, right? You're an expert. Do you really need magic?"
"My shadow army isn't ready either! And the kingdom's soldiers… they don't follow me!"
"You're going to fight them all alone?"
"Do you think some fireflies could stand against me?"
"As you wish. Oh, and congratulations."
"…For what?"
"For becoming a true Demon Lady. The boss is proud."
Zalauria smirked.
"Tell him not to interfere. I'll handle this myself. By the way, how many of them are there?"
"Roughly three million in total. But only around 100,000 have reached the gates. The rest are somewhere else... Thanis is dealing with them."
Zalauria flared.
"Didn't I tell you not to interfere?!"
"Sorry, those were the boss's orders."
She took a deep breath.
"Fine."
---
Elsewhere – the outskirts of the Ice Kingdom.
Thanis stood silently.
"So many... how wonderful."
He grinned.
"But no matter. I'll finish them in five minutes."
A clone of Thanis spoke, "Approximately 2.9 million soldiers remain."
"Let's start the festival then."
He emerged from the trees, a guard spotted him.
"H-Hey—"
Before he could finish his words, Thanis sliced him in half.
"Shh... I don't want them all coming at once."
And with that, Thanis began his massacre.
In less than four minutes, he had killed them all.
"Done early. Four minutes. Not bad."
He returned to the organization without a scratch.
---
Back at the Ice Kingdom's gates.
The armies of the Great Fire Kingdom were lined up.
Infernus raised his hand, signaling the attack as soon as he saw Zalauria.
She unsheathed her sword and charged alone.
She clashed with the army—100,000 soldiers.
They were annihilated in an instant.
Infernus was stunned, but stepped forward.
Their battle began.
The clash of their blades echoed like colliding planets, energy waves bursting, tearing mountains apart behind them.
Infernus's sword began to grow—massive, 40 meters long.
He swung down at Zalauria, who dodged.
The blade split the earth and sky.
Zalauria countered, swinging from behind, but Infernus dodged.
They collided again, neither able to overpower the other.
"Sword Technique – Eighth Verse: Blade of Blood!" Zalauria shouted.
Her sword transformed into a liquid, blood-like whip—sharp and deadly.
She spun, forming a vortex of slashes.
Infernus couldn't counterattack, only dodge.
One of her missed strikes split an entire planet in half.
Infernus had an idea—his body erupted into molten magma, becoming pure volcanic fire.
Zalauria's blade began to melt from the heat. She couldn't even touch it anymore.
Infernus burst forward at supersonic speed, leaving a shockwave and tearing through the sky.
He punched Zalauria in the gut, launching her into the moon.
She began to suffocate in space, but kicked off the moon and flew back.
She descended rapidly and kicked Infernus toward the ground, but he caught her leg and slammed her down.
Infernus regained his balance instantly and struck her face—sending her crashing again.
Zalauria was in trouble. She couldn't even touch him.
She stood up and growled.
"Ice Skill: Frozen Prison!"
A massive ice sphere trapped Infernus.
His lava form disappeared. He returned to normal.
Zalauria pierced through the sphere and stabbed him, the blade emerging from his back.
The ice exploded.
Infernus smiled. His wound began to heal instantly.
Zalauria gasped. "How…?"
"Did you really think I'd die that easily?"
They clashed again, blow after blow.
In the end…
No victor.
They were evenly matched.
To be continued...
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