CHAPTER 99

In the city of magic, Merlin, who could no longer bear to stand idle, decided to initiate a mental link with his master, pleading for the seal on him to be lifted. One of his master's sons had already lost his life, and the other was on the brink of meeting the same fate.

Each time he attempted contact, he was rejected. But as the minutes passed and he realized that his power was surging, his gaze fell upon another figure on the battlefield—someone whose strength was also skyrocketing. The intelligence commander of the empire and the empire's strongest wizard both broke through their limits, reaching legendary status, while King Arthur, the ruler of the empire, remained hidden in his tent at the peak of his epic power, surrounded by high-ranking heroes.

"Merlin and the Archduke's power is soaring!!!""So we don't need to retreat anymore?!""Of course not, you idiot! Now that we have three legends, we should be able to kill him!""When that legend died, I was really worried! But now, victory is in our hands!"

While the heroes near King Arthur were speaking, Arthur himself was still trembling from his near-death experience. Unlike the real King Arthur, he did not have mastery over his own skills, and Excalibur refused to grant him its power. He had been a step away from death, and his sudden retreat had resulted in the death of Archduke Lionel—a move that triggered a chain reaction, putting Archduke Boris on the brink of death as well. Even as he withdrew, he couldn't forget the look Archduke Pellas had given him—the man who had realized his secret from the first day he entered King Arthur's body and had warned him to be careful with his actions, ensuring that he did not disrupt the empire. With so many noble houses, the only unifying symbol holding the empire together was Arthur, the wielder of Excalibur.

"Am I not the king?! Then why…?"

Determined to eliminate his enemies through strategy, he realized that he needed to take action on the battlefield—something he, as someone who deeply feared death, could not bear.

"I hope he kills Pellas."

He truly did not want to face Pellas and wished for his death instead. His gaze then fell upon his servants—beautiful attendants whose company he had indulged in so often over the past year and a half that he had lost count.

"All of you, leave the tent!"

He gestured to the heroes while heading toward his bed, pulling his attendants into his embrace.

"If I am to die, at least for one last time…"

What happened in the tent was not written in the text, but outside, on the battlefield of the royal central camp, countless men and women were losing their lives to defend the empire. The second legend had also fallen.

At the gate of Kaya's teleportation zone, a place frequented by demon kings and many forces, a new figure emerged. His arrival alone was enough to put all nearby demon kings on high alert.

The Abyssal Spirit Demon King, Lucas, had accepted a contract with Kaya and stepped onto this continent. But to the astonishment of all the demon kings, none of them felt any contractual bond with Lucas.

"Kaya?"

The Flower Queen of Demons shifted her gaze between Kaya and Lucas. It was only when two hundred Abyssal Spirits poured through the gate and swiftly scattered that she understood their intent.

"You sold us out?"

She couldn't believe it—because she refused to believe it. They had stood together until the very end, never surrendering to either Cabel or Hazard, and now Kaya had bartered all their lives to save her own?

The answer became clear as soon as the two hundred legendary Abyssal Spirits began their slaughter within the hundred-million-strong army.

"No!"

Her words were cut short as her body was torn into pieces, green blood splattering everywhere. Lucas stood before Kaya, wiping his bloody claws on her clothes.

"How's it going, Q.U.E.E.N.?"

Kaya trembled. Such power was on an entirely different level. The pressure she felt and the sheer killing intent radiating from Lucas were beyond belief.

"Remember what you promised!"

Lucas laughed.

"What promise?!"

Kaya jumped back, only to find herself instantly teleported back to the same spot.

"What?!"

"Why are you surprised? Don't you know that…?"

With a flick of his claws, he sent her hand flying.

"Aaaahhh!!!!"

Lucas began dragging his claws across Kaya's face. Despite using only minimal force, his claws were sharp enough to slice through her flesh—flesh that belonged to a legendary being.

"You gave me more battle and blood, so maybe I'll consider adding you to my harem!!"

Kaya was terrified. She had signed a contract that guaranteed her life would be spared.

"Oh no!!"

She finally realized her mistake—how, due to stress and pressure, she had overlooked the contract's details, leaving many loopholes for Lucas to exploit. As someone both highly intelligent and sadistic, Lucas could not possibly ignore such loopholes.

Hours passed. Kaya, after witnessing the deaths of all the demon kings and her forces, turned to her altar—now shattered. With her fall, she could access only one function: the system's chat. Even without full access to her status, she decided to inform the remaining demon kings of what had happened, hoping that someone would save her.

But as soon as she entered the chat and saw the messages, she realized that her actions had already been exposed by those she had betrayed. The others were ridiculing her for her arrogance and treachery. Seeing these messages—messages directed at the very first legendary figure of this server, the one they had once called their queen—shattered her spirit.

"Why…?"

A question she could not answer, given her own mentality. But anyone else could.

Lucas approached her and looked westward.

"You really are an idiot!"

Then, he grabbed Kaya, whose powers revolved around mental attacks, temptation, and minor fire magic, and dragged her toward the teleportation gate.

As an army advanced from the west, drawing closer and closer, Lucas—despite his usual thirst for war—chose to avoid battle. Something about this fight gave him a bad feeling.

"We will meet again. When that time comes, I will challenge you to battle."

This was the mental message he sent to the entity leading the approaching army—an entity imbued with divine chaos. Seeing the two hundred abyssal beings, one of the most reviled races, even it had no desire to fight them.