Tap, tap.
The crisp sound of hard heels striking the stone pavement echoed through the empty alleys.
The only response was the wind blowing between the buildings, rustling the waist-high grass—swish, swish—as if something living was hidden within.
The ruins leveled by magic were the best hiding spots. Those occasional gaps, half-collapsed upper floors, and shattered-window towers were all haunts for the Demon King’s army.
The slightest carelessness would mean utter doom.
That was what made exploring these ruins so difficult. The lack of information, hidden enemies, unfamiliar terrain… countless negative factors had buried who knew how many adventurers in Scarborough, the once-prosperous trading city, during these years since its fall.
Everywhere, you could see the unfortunate souls who had turned to skeletons or were still rotting.
Whiz.
An ice spike sliced through the air, exploding at the gap of a nearby house. With a shrill scream, a minotaur-like monster fell from the crumbling wall. The ice melted into the warm blood, seeping into the cracks of the stone, painting fresh crimson patterns.
This was already who-knows-how-many ambushers Anna and her companions had eliminated on their way here.
Having traversed Scarborough before, Anna was especially cautious.
A bloody battle had once broken out here, with the Demon King’s army and the Hero’s expeditionary force fighting back and forth in these ruins. In every room, every window, every shadowy alley, countless lives were lost.
Three years had passed. Those corpses had long since been gathered and buried, and the blood splattered on the stones had dried up and vanished.
Yet with every step Anna took, those tragic scenes replayed in her mind. Like a nightmare—unshakable, returning again and again.
Anna’s nerves were stretched taut.
The window on the left.
Anna keenly caught a fleeting glint. She slashed fiercely, her sword’s light tearing the air, slicing off the already broken house’s roof.
Sunlight poured in through the exposed rooftop, illuminating a hidden figure. Ophelia saw clearly—ice gathered in her hand, and an ice spike shot forth before Anna could act.
A layer of bright yellow Protectionshell instantly shrouded the ruined house, and Ophelia’s ice spike struck it with a sharp shattering sound.
The ice spike turned to powder, but the Protectionshell remained unmoved.
Anna and Lydia exchanged glances and immediately charged at the ruined house from left and right, closing in to fill the gap after Ophelia’s attack.
Lydia was faster. She crouched low, quickly closing in on the door. Her dagger swept in a short arc at the Protectionshell, but it sliced through empty air as if nothing was there.
Stumbling with the momentum, she fell into the ruined house. Anna reacted quickly, grabbing Lydia’s wrist and pulling her back, leaping inside in Lydia’s stead. Inside the house was a pale-skinned Vampire. It tried to fight back, but Anna decapitated it with a single stroke.
As the head hit the ground, the Protectionshell faded away. Lydia staggered in to see Anna stab the fallen head through with her sword.
Bang!
The head exploded before Lydia like a melon crushed underfoot.
Lydia stared at Anna, stunned.
“That was a Vampire—a higher monster skilled in magic. To deal with them, you must destroy their heads like this.”
Anna flicked the blood from her sword, the blue and purple gems on the blade glinting in the sunlight.
“What if… you don’t do that?”
Lydia tilted her head, asking Anna with the curiosity of a diligent student encountering new knowledge.
“They’ll revive. As long as the head isn’t destroyed, they’ll just keep coming back.”
Anna sheathed her sword, her gaze sweeping down the empty, level street, all the way to the three-story manor at the far end.
That was Scarborough’s City Hall, which Anna suspected was where the Demon King was.
The Demon King was one who indulged in luxury and pleasure—his residence would never be some shabby ruin. In all of Scarborough, there were probably only three places that would suit his tastes.
City Hall, the Earl’s mansion, and the division tower of the Magic Tower.
The girls captured by minotaurs had likely been sent to these places as well, waiting for the Demon King’s selection.
Anna vaguely felt City Hall was the correct answer.
Vampires—the Blood Clan—were the Demon King’s Retainers and the magic corps directly under him. If they were appearing here, could the Demon King be far?
The road ahead would only get harder.
That Vampire’s Protectionshell was too eye-catching; it had likely already alerted the ambushers ahead.
Anna and her companions’ movements were surely no longer a secret.
To ensure safety and keep their retreat open, they would have to check every room and alleyway, not letting a single potential risk slip by.
A fierce battle was about to begin. With just the few of them… could they really defeat the Demon King?
Impossible.
Before, even the five Heroes joined forces with many powerful allies, yet still couldn’t overcome the Demon King alone.
That Demon King was someone who stood above all others.
Even with the mysterious power dwelling in this holy sword, Anna knew—they had no chance of victory.
So… their objective would focus solely on “rescuing the captured girls.”
But they were critically short on people.
She herself would have to hold back the Demon King, leaving the rest of the Demon King’s army to Ophelia, so together they could buy Lydia enough time to escape with the girls.
At least half an hour… maybe even an hour.
Could she really last that long against the Demon King? Anna wasn’t sure.
She suddenly felt she was overestimating herself. Reason told her—it was still not too late to turn back; but emotion warned her, again and again, there were still people waiting for rescue.
They were people mired in the swamp, reaching for the shore where she and her companions stood.
Since she had spoken such big words—”We must save them”—from the start… then she couldn’t back down halfway.
Anna silently encouraged herself, firming her wavering resolve.
After three years, she was finally facing that terrifyingly powerful Demon King again—the source of all her suffering.
Three years ago, after the disastrous defeat and chaotic retreat, she alone went against the tide, sword in hand, charging at the Demon King.
Her sword was broken, her life cut in half.
But times had changed. This time, she wasn’t alone. She had her beloved, her companions. They would catch her if she fell, and she would create opportunities for them.
Once again, Anna took up this heavy burden.
“Anna.”
Ophelia seemed to see through her forced composure.
“Don’t carry it alone—we’re all here.”
She took Anna’s hand, their palms meeting.
“I know… Ophelia.”
Anna’s gaze snapped back from City Hall.
“Up ahead is City Hall. Those girls, and the Demon King, might all be there.”
Anna’s voice was quiet, but it rang with resolve.
Ophelia’s gentle air vanished, and Lydia straightened up. Both waited for Anna’s declaration and command.
“I’ll hold the Demon King—at least half an hour. Ophelia, the rest of the Demon King’s army is yours.”
“Alright.”
Ophelia’s answer was crisp and clear.
“Lydia, the girls are your responsibility. Find them, protect them, get them out. We’ll buy you time.”
“Y-yes, sister!”
Lydia raised her right hand, giving a salute like a soldier.
Anna said no more, only gazing once more into the shadows of City Hall. No one spoke again. They all knew what awaited them would be an unprecedented challenge.