Vault watched as his prey escaped, his eyes turning red with rage. His breathing grew heavy as anger consumed him. Grabbing the mage by the collar, he shouted:
"You bastard! Why didn't you stop them?!"
Kin responded immediately, keeping his composure.
"My lord, it all happened too fast. I couldn't stop them."
Although he said that aloud, inside he was cursing.
'Of course I tried… But the moment I was about to act, that man looked at me…'
That gaze.
It had frozen him.
It felt suffocating… like standing before a true predator.
"Damn it! Attack him! Tear that bastard apart and then go after them! They couldn't have gone far!" Vault roared, spitting as he yelled.
"YES!"
The army charged without hesitation. Despite Reik's overwhelming display of strength, they still believed their numbers guaranteed victory.
"…Damn it… how did it come to this…"
Vault muttered from afar, his expression shaken.
The battlefield was covered in corpses—humans and monsters alike.
BOOM!
Fists crashed against bodies at lightning speed.
Reik tore through ogres and armored soldiers alike, his body drenched in blood—so much that it was impossible to tell whether it belonged to him or his enemies.
Suddenly, an ogre screamed, clutching its mangled forearm.
Reik spat a piece of flesh onto the ground and said casually:
"Sorry, big guy… bad habit. Still working on not biting my enemies."
Before the ogre could react—
CRACK!
A devastating punch crushed its face.
Even though he was heavily outnumbered, and despite the wounds accumulating across his body—small, but adding up—Reik still wore a sadistic grin.
But if one looked closely…
He was starting to tire.
His breathing had grown heavier.
'If this keeps going, I'll get surrounded… I need to end this quickly.'
Reik's mind raced as he assessed the battlefield.
Then—
His eyes locked onto Kin and Vault.
'If I kill the leader… this whole army will collapse.'
Reik adjusted his breathing, lowering his stance slightly.
He prepared to strike.
A single, decisive attack.
Just as he was about to move—
Kin's instincts screamed.
Danger.
Death.
Even from afar, he could feel it.
Without hesitation, he bowed toward Vault and spoke urgently:
"Vault-sama, we need to leave. Now!"
"What? We're about to finish him—" Vault protested angrily.
"THERE'S NO TIME!"
Kin interrupted, already chanting.
Before Vault could argue further, a spell enveloped both of them—
And in the next instant…
They vanished.
Reik froze for a brief moment.
Then cursed.
"Damn it… slippery bastard."
He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"I lost my chance to kill them… and end this stupid 'kingdom of lust' nonsense for good."
With their leaders gone, the situation changed.
There was no reason to stay.
Continuing the fight would only result in unnecessary injuries.
Reik glanced once more at the spot where they had disappeared—
Then turned.
With explosive speed, he broke through the surrounding enemies, crushing those in his way as he made his escape.
Amid a cluster of ruined structures, far from the castle, two figures stood, exhausted and battered.
"My lady… that man… was he summoned by your spell?" Chloe asked, curiosity in her voice.
Olga opened her mouth.
For a moment, she considered explaining the truth about the chat group…
But decided against it.
It was too complicated.
She simply nodded.
Chloe accepted the answer, though she remained cautious.
Although she was grateful that the human had saved them, she couldn't let her guard down. She wouldn't risk her queen's safety again.
Still… if it was truly a summoning…
Then perhaps she could trust him.
"…I hope he's alright," Olga murmured absentmindedly, thinking of Reik.
Just as she was about to check the chat—
"I'm glad such a beautiful lady is worried about me."
A voice came from the shadows.
"YOU!" Olga shouted, startled—and slightly embarrassed.
Reik stepped forward with a grin.
"Hey, don't make that face. It's cute seeing you worry about me."
"I-I…!" Olga stammered, flustered.
Reik then turned his gaze toward Chloe, who was still watching him cautiously.
"Haha, Miss Chloe, no need to look at me like that. As you know, I was summoned by your beautiful Queen Olga. So naturally, I'll help you defeat that bastard Vault."
Olga quickly supported the lie:
"It's true. When I cast the spell… he responded. You don't need to be wary of him."
Chloe hesitated…
But upon hearing her queen's words, her guard lowered slightly. A faint blush appeared on her face, embarrassed for doubting both her queen and their savior.
"Good thing you didn't go far. I managed to track you down by scent," Reik added casually.
'Ugh… after escaping the castle, I searched everywhere for them…'
'Good thing my sense of smell came through.'
'Now I just want to sleep… Even with my endurance, I feel like I might pass out at any moment.'
Reik exhaled slowly.