The portal burst into a blinding white radiance, and in the next instant, Kurose Akira and Elena vanished from the Silent Realm.
The moment they disappeared, the Medusa Queen shifted, her serpent tail coiling as she rose from her throne.
Tilting her head slightly, she gazed out over the fractured stillness surrounding her. Her right hand rested gently over her heart as she murmured in a low voice,
"…Just a little more time."
…
"Guild Master! Please wake up!"
On the battlefield, Beafry and Beaflo crouched beside Akira, their tiny hands pushing anxiously against his body, desperate to rouse him.
His unconsciousness had left the two little girls on the verge of tears—their bright, watery eyes shimmering red with worry.
Only minutes earlier, both Akira and Elena had suddenly reappeared at the very spot where they had vanished.
Though their bodies had returned from the Silent Realm, their consciousness had not. They remained unconscious, unmoving.
Just as the elves' anxiety reached its peak—
Akira's eyes snapped open.
He sat upright in one sharp motion.
The sudden "resurrection" startled the two girls so badly they nearly screamed.
But in the next second, their fear melted into joy. Dimples appeared on their cheeks as they threw themselves into his arms.
"Guild Master! You're okay! Thank goodness!"
"Sorry for worrying you."
Akira smiled faintly, gently patting the heads of the two sisters to calm them.
"Are you injured, Mr. Akira?"
Ivsha and the others quickly gathered around as well, surrounding him completely.
"I told you—I'd bring him back safely."
At that moment, Elena also regained consciousness. Seeing Akira encircled by his guild members, she couldn't help but mutter under her breath,
"Tch… just like I said."
"What happened in there?"
Since Akira was completely surrounded, Lucia couldn't get close. Instead, she approached Elena and asked about what had occurred in the Silent Realm.
"We…"
Elena started to answer, but her voice faltered. After a brief pause, she continued,
"We encountered the Medusa Queen… and some things happened."
"The Medusa Queen?"
Lucia fell silent for a moment, then asked, "She's still alive?"
"Not exactly alive," Elena replied, standing up and brushing the dust off her armor. "More like… barely clinging to existence."
"But even in that state, her strength is terrifying. Even a demigod might not be her match."
"Did she threaten you?" Lucia pressed, her tone growing slightly more serious.
Elena immediately understood.
Lucia wasn't asking about her.
She was asking about Akira.
If the Pope of Light ever learned that the Medusa Queen had harmed him, she might charge straight into the Silent Realm and self-destruct just to take Medusa down with her.
But…
Elena simply shrugged, a faint smile on her lips.
"Relax. That bastard's more likely to bully others than get bullied himself."
"…True."
Lucia didn't seem surprised.
"Then one last question. Nothing… happened between you two, right?"
"Between us!?"
Elena's body stiffened sharply, as if struck by lightning.
But she quickly composed herself and shot back,
"What do you mean by that? Why would you ask something like that?"
"Because… you seem different."
After a brief hesitation, Lucia spoke her thoughts aloud.
"I don't know why. But if there's anything you want to talk about… I'll listen."
She had noticed it.
When Akira and Elena returned, their hands had been tightly clasped—as though they had gone through something together.
No one else had paid attention.
But Lucia had.
And more importantly…
The way Elena looked at Akira had changed—just slightly, but undeniably.
"You're overthinking it, Your Holiness."
After a moment of silence, Elena smiled and replied,
"There's nothing between me and Akira. You can rest easy."
With that, she turned and called out to the elves led by Yulusi,
"Mission complete! We're returning to the main battlefield. Her Majesty needs our support!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Lucia remained where she stood, watching as Elena led the elves back toward the Elf Queen.
Her thoughts churned quietly.
Only after a long while did she shift her gaze back to Akira.
He was still surrounded by the girls—Mare Rhein had even climbed into his arms, grabbing his collar as she demanded,
"Hey! Human! Did you go see the Medusa Queen? Tell me! Has she been purified!?"
"She's… not dead yet."
Akira stood up and gently lifted Mare Rhein off him, setting her down.
"What!? She's still alive!?"
Mare bit her thumb, lowering her gaze as she began seriously considering how to deal with a still-living Medusa Queen.
Akira simply shrugged at her reaction, then turned his attention to the elven army already shifting formation.
"Let's move out too."
"Yes!"
"That's great! The Guild Master is okay!"
"Let's go help Her Majesty! Our people need us!"
The elf sisters cheered as they followed Akira toward the main battlefield.
Nearby, Lucia and Ivsha exchanged a glance, smiling faintly before following as well.
The tension and worry that had filled the group gradually eased.
Everyone… except Canlutia.
Her expression remained grim, as heavy as the darkened sky above.
"Tis… there's a vampire among us…"
She muttered under her breath.
"Ah~"
"Yes…"
"She's troublesome… but her blood would make an excellent supplement… for him…"
…
"Your Majesty!"
Elena led the elven forces back to the Elf Queen's side.
"It seems you've all returned safely. That's a relief~"
The Elf Queen smiled warmly as she saw them unharmed.
As ruler of the elves, nothing pleased her more than the safe return of her people—especially when none bore even the slightest trace of injury.
"Your Majesty, Rodra has been slain. But the treasure he was guarding…"
Elena paused, then leaned in to whisper into the Elf Queen's ear,
"…was the Medusa Queen's crown. And just now…"
She recounted everything that had happened.
Everything—except the matter of the snake scale.
If the Elf Queen were to learn that her chastity had already been taken by Akira…
That would be a serious problem.
"I never imagined the two of you would go through so much in such a short time…"
After listening, the Elf Queen turned her gentle gaze toward Akira and smiled.
"You've worked hard, Guild Master Akira."
"Ah… it was nothing…"
Akira scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Worked hard?
…Did that really count?
"Cough—"
He cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject.
"Your Majesty, how is the battlefield situation?"
"Very favorable."
The Elf Queen nodded slightly.
"With coordinated efforts, we've gained a decisive advantage. The undead army can no longer hold against us—they're in retreat."
"That's good."
Akira let out a breath of relief, his gaze shifting toward the battlefield.
Just as she had said, the situation was overwhelmingly one-sided.
Even so…
Casualties were inevitable.
That was why the Elf Queen had already taken every precaution—keeping her forces at a distance, relying primarily on magical bombardment, and avoiding close combat whenever possible.
Water elves had been assigned to evacuate the wounded from the center.
Under her command, against an army numbering in the millions, elven casualties had been limited to only a few thousand.
Even so, she did not relax.
Because she knew—
Compared to these mindless undead, the true enemy lay hidden deep within the mountains.
The Death Lord.
For over a thousand years, what had threatened the Elven Kingdom was not the countless undead…
But the unseen master behind them.
Just as everyone focused on the battlefield—
A violent tremor erupted from deep within the mountains.
Then—
The entire mountain range began to quake.
At the same time, a massive green skull appeared in the sky, stretching across the heavens as if heralding the arrival of something dreadful.
"It's coming!?"
The Elf Queen immediately realized—the Undead Lord was about to manifest.
"Order a retreat," she commanded at once.
"Yes!"
The elves swiftly relayed her orders across the battlefield.
A demigod-level existence…
No matter how numerous they were, the elves could not stand against it directly.
Following her command, the elven forces began withdrawing from the mountains.
Meanwhile, the shattered remains of the undead were swallowed by cracks in the earth. Moments later, eerie green pillars of light surged upward—
Shooting into the sky.
As if summoned, they converged toward the massive skull.
Akira watched the scene tensely.
Then suddenly, several private messages appeared.
"…Hm?"
He checked them—it was Liu Xue.
[Canai's Bunny: Akira, Akira! Look at the sky!]
"…Huh? What about it?" Akira replied.
[Canai's Bunny: Wait—you don't see it!? That giant skull! The world chat is going crazy!]
"…?"
Frowning, Akira opened the world channel.
The moment he saw the messages, his brows furrowed.
[Super Handsome Li: Holy shit! Does everyone see that giant skull covering the sky!?]
[Trap Lover's Dog: I'm in the Star Kingdom—I see it!]
[Super Player: Same here in the Sun Church Nation! Clear as day!]
[Goblin Lady: I'm in a goblin nest—I see it too!]
[Liu Feifeifei: Damn, that's awesome! Is this another world-level event!?]
[Calabash Kid No. 3: Isn't that direction where the elves are?]
[Top Scholar: The elves? What about them?]
[Calabash Kid No. 3: Heard they found the Undead Lord and launched a final holy war! Even the Elf Queen joined personally! If it wasn't so dangerous, I'd go watch!]
[Pig Who Eats Grape Skins: Some B-rank guilds already went! They might send updates!]
[Super Player: A demigod battle!? That's gotta be insane! Damn it, let me see! Stupid devs!]
…
Akira pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
Clearly, news of the elven war had already spread.
Before long, other players would come to spectate.
It might complicate things—but even A-rank guilds wouldn't dare interfere in a demigod-level battle.
Not to mention…
The Elf Queen was one of the strongest demigods on the continent.
No guild would willingly make an enemy of her.
"Is something wrong?"
Noticing his expression, the Elf Queen asked gently.
"Nothing."
Akira shook his head with a faint smile.
"Stay here and observe," she said. "I will handle everything."
"…Understood, Your Majesty."
He nodded, though inwardly, he was already preparing himself for the final battle.
At that moment, Canlutia silently appeared beside him.
"Human," she said softly, "I need to take care of something."
"What is it?"
"Don't ask. I'll be back soon."
With that, she spread her wings and flew toward a fissure, diving straight into the depths below.
Akira's gaze sharpened slightly.
Something felt off.
"Loserine, Ivsha—follow her. If anything happens, notify me immediately."
"Understood."
"Alright."
The two moved at once, chasing after Canlutia into the underground.
As they disappeared, a chilling wind howled up from the cracks in the earth.
"Hiss—so cold…"
Akira shivered.
The cold seemed to seep into his very soul.
Strangely…
He was the only one affected.
"Are you okay, Guild Master?" Fulo asked with concern.
"I'm fine."
He shook his head, reassuring her, then fixed his gaze once more on the massive skull in the sky.
At the same time, he noticed—
The Elf Queen had already risen into the air, lifted by an unseen force.
In her hand appeared a radiant, multicolored crystal sphere.
A weapon he had never seen before.
As he was still pondering it, Elena walked up beside him and muttered,
"Hey. Done staring yet? Is Her Majesty really that beautiful?"
"Cough—I have no idea what you're talking about."
He cleared his throat, then asked,
"She can defeat the Undead Lord, right?"
"…Yes."
Elena nodded firmly, her gaze resolute.
"Paslow's side is ready as well. This time…"
Her eyes sharpened with determination.
"We're going to make sure the Undead Lord truly falls—and finally end this thousand-year war."