As the end of the world loomed, nobody could remain calmly at home, waiting to see what would happen.
The Nature Faction had already arrived, mounted on strange and majestic divine beasts of the wilds.
The mighty dragons hurled themselves into the fray, clearing obstacles as they hunted for prey.
The sea gods and sea beasts had finally left their personal territories, riding colossal magical creatures and mollusks as they advanced slowly yet relentlessly.
Elemental creatures appeared in the skies as well. Wind elemental lords and earth elemental lords—beings who would normally clash the moment they met—now stood side by side in uneasy harmony.
As for the human and demi-human species, led by the Holy Church—they were now furiously summoning all their forces to battle.
War angels were driven into this death zone as if they were chips in a reckless gamble, thrown away like the wealth accumulated over millennia on a fight where no hope could be seen. This was the will and fury of the strongest faction in the world.
Once Korolan, the Holy Pope of Light, personally descended onto the battlefield, his sheer presence compelled the entire Holy Church Faction to unleash their full strength. No one had been able to stop him. Again and again, he tore through the chaos faction's defenses.
It was pure power-level suppression.
His glorious command drove the war angels to burn their very life force when pushed to the brink. Yet, the they themselves called it a glorious sacrifice, not an act of despair. Once the gears of war were fully set into motion, the allied kingdoms shattered the demons' defenses.
Meanwhile, the demon faction unleashed an endless tide of lesser demons. Each one fought until the last of their strength was gone, before mercilessly exploding into bombs of flesh and blood—offering their final loyalty to the demon king. Even the will of the Demon King forced both demons lords and newly risen demon nobles onto the battlefield.
The demon king Shupnus himself did not appear on the battlefield, for he knew that the instant he revealed himself, the Pope would unhesitatingly strike with full force, no matter the cost. Still, Shupnus remained the mastermind behind everything, pulling the strings from the shadows.
"DIE FOR ME!"
From atop his radiant pegasus, the child of prophecy, the hero—charged forward. His fighting style was… well, very simple and direct.
Straight punches. Powerful punches. Hook punches. Nothing more. His strikes were brutally straightforward, yet not a trace of wind accompanied them. Still, nobody could doubt the terrifying power contained within those fists.
Wherever his blows passed, space itself warped, and the very fabric of it trembled. His sheer physical might seemed enough to tear apart the laws of reality through brute force alone. Unlike most who relied on technique or elaborate strategies, Thalen combined both martial skill and magic seamlessly. Against lesser demons, he didn't even bother to draw his holy sword.
Just like Pope Korolan and the Lich Karwenz, Thalen had his own distinct way of fighting—simple, overwhelming, and absolute
"VRRROOOOAAAARRRHHH!"
A demon general threw back its head and roared as it spotted Thalen. Just as it was about to strike, a shadow blurred across the battlefield.
Twin daggers gleamed for an instant before vanishing into darkness. Ash-colored flames licked along the blades, devouring the demon's body without leaving even a scream.
High above, standing atop a broken wall, an elf drew his silver bow. His arrows sang as they flew—one piercing through the wings of a flying fiend, another pinning a beast's throat to the earth.
"Come at me, you ugly bastards!" a barbarian bellowed, swinging his runed axe with a wide grin.
Sparks showered as his weapon cleaved through demon armor with thunderous force. Behind him, a woman with blue hair raised her hand. Circles of blue flame spun around her, and with a flick of her wrist, demon claws turned to brittle glass; with another, a charging beast melted into formless sludge.
"By flame and steel, by blood and will! Rise, O warriors, stronger still!"
Finally, a chant—and shimmering light enveloped the human and demi-human warriors alike, flooding their bodies. Magic surged through them, enhancing their physical forms and increasing their speed and strength to unimaginable levels. That was the specialty of the Saintess.
"That's the Saintess! And the child of prophecy is here!"
Yes, in fact, it was the hero and his party. The moment they arrived, the battlefield changed. Every living being that did not carry the blood of demons felt it instantly. The wind changed direction as if bowing to destiny.
Three days later~
"Thalen, there isn't much time left. The door is opening."
Everyone could see it—the plain, primitive door, forged from crude iron and bronze, was not weakening but instead growing more active.
It had been activated two days ago, and now it was slowly opening. On each side stood statues of the goddess of darkness and the goddess of light, serving as its pillars. The door only grew stronger, fueled by the endless sacrifices of all living beings who had perished here.
And before it, he finally appeared—the Demon King, Shupnus.
Finally~
He had short black hair, and his glowing pupils were red while his sclera were black, giving him a rather frightening appearance. His ancient, classical armor protected only his weakest points, while he held a long red spear, making it seem as if he desired battle.
But he could not—yet.
"The two of you should go. We will hold the line here!" Pope Korolan declared to Thalen and Karwenz.
For Thalen, it was obvious—he was the child of prophecy. As for the Lich, Karwenz... his role was to support Thalen in preventing whatever was behind that door from entering the plane—or to stop the Demon King's army. After all, he was probably the one who knew the most about the Demon King.
In front of the large door, Demon King Shupnus merely smiled, as if delighted to see everything before him. He seemed thoroughly satisfied with the abundant sacrifices. He had stopped resting as he prepared to face what he called a "bug."
The fact that the door was about to open was something that was swiftly being transmitted throughout the mortal plane. He displayed an excited expression rather than any hesitation or worry. It seemed as though he had been expecting this day for a long time.
"Let me say first that, finally, the god has spoken to me. Now, let us welcome the arrival of hope—"
"As if!"
Pope Korolan's roar drowned out the Demon King's voice. With a surge of divine power, he leapt into the sky.
"Go back to HELL!!!"
With a single swing, he struck. It was like the fist of god crashing down.
The sky tore open. Blinding radiance exploded outward, engulfing the battlefield in a storm of holy might. The ground quaked and split apart. Demons were erased in an instant—no screams, no resistance, only ash swept away by divine wrath.
Entire legions crumbled as though they had never existed.
BOOM!
After the punch landed, Pope Korolan staggered—not from the impact itself, but because cracks had spiderwebbed across the ground, throwing him off balance, making everyone who saw him think he had just forced out every ounce of strength left in his body.
"Grandpa!"
The Saintess's voice trembled as she rushed to her grandfather's side, her eyes wide with worry. But before that, she turned toward Thalen and his party.
An assassin, an elf, a barbarian, and a mage—each of them was the very best in their respective fields, masters of their own craft.
"There's no time to waste," she urged, her voice firm despite the fear in her heart. "Go!"
"Saintess, I—"
Hearing Thalen's words, Karwenz—who had been watching the battlefield—couldn't help but complain.
"Ha! You little brat! You finally ask for help, and now you're about to waste it?! Unbelievable!"
Just as the saintess had said, there was no time to waste.
'Especially with that little mage's eyes… ah, jealousy is such a dangerous thing!' Karwenz groaned internally.
With a flick of his hand, he appeared beside Thalen in an instant, placing his cold, bony fingers on the hero's shoulder.
"Alright," he muttered as the magic circle flared beneath them, "I'm borrowing him for a bit."
Then, without hesitation, Karwenz teleported them both away, leaving everything—and everyone—behind.