"Graaaah!"

The black dragon sank its teeth into Malekh’s shoulder. Irwin leaped from the giant dragon’s back, lunging at Malekh with his sword raised high.

"Irwin, don’t!" Ard and Eva shouted in unison.

Malekh, already reaching his limit, grabbed the black dragon’s snout and tore it apart with his six arms, sending the beast crashing to the ground, motionless. He turned his gaze to Irwin, who was still charging at him with his blade raised. Malekh lunged forward, thrusting all six swords through Irwin’s body until they protruded from his back. "Cough!" Irwin spat out fresh blood, yet he smiled. He looked past Malekh toward Ard and Eva.

"Ard... Eva... now... strike him!" Irwin screamed.

Irwin let go of his sword and clamped down on Malekh’s six massive arms, locking them tight against his own body.

"Huh... what?" Malekh gasped.

"Yaaaaaaah!"

Ard and Eva lunged forward, driving Exgrandal and Exelion through Malekh’s back until the blades burst through his chest. "Aaaargh!" Malekh shrieked in agony. Ard and Eva twisted their blades and slashed outward to the left and right, then spun once more to completely sever the upper half of Malekh’s body.

"Haha... take that," Irwin said with a smile.

"Damn it... damn it... you miserable human!" Malekh screamed.

"Oh... you’re wrong. I’m half-demon... my mother was a demon, and I have a great older sister... rot in hell, Demon God," Irwin said as he fell, still clinging to the upper half of Malekh’s body.

Because Irwin’s grip had weakened, Malekh managed to wrench his six arms free before falling. Eventually, both of them slammed into the ground and rolled across the dirt. Irwin finally came to a stop, lying face down.

"Irwin!"

Ard and Eva immediately ran to his side. Ard rolled Irwin over while Eva cradled his head.

"Cough," Irwin spat out fresh blood again, his mouth staining red. He turned his gaze to Ard at his side and looked up at Eva behind him. A smile touched his lips. His hand rose slowly, and Ard immediately caught it. Tears streamed down Ard’s face, and Eva was weeping just as hard. Irwin looked up at her slowly.

"Princess... Eva... I finally managed to save you," Irwin said with a smile.

"Don’t talk, Irwin. You’re going to be okay," Eva replied through her sobs.

Then Irwin turned his head slowly toward Ard. He smiled and squeezed Ard’s hand tight.

"Ard... please... take care of Princess Eva... for me. There’s something I have to admit... I really did love Princess Eva with all my heart... but I... I knew our status was different. So... I’m leaving her in your hands... my friend... until... we meet... another time," Irwin said slowly.

"What are you talking about... you’re fine... we’re going to look after Eva together," Ard shouted, his voice breaking.

"No, my friend... it’s time for me to go. I don’t want to be alone anymore. This way... I can catch up to Irina... my sister whom I love and admire so much. Thank you, my friend. Our journey... was so much fun," Irwin said. He looked up again at Eva above him. "Thank you, Princess Eva... if you hadn’t found me back then... there’s no way I’d be this happy now. Thank you for giving me an experience that money could never buy. I... I love you... like my own family," Irwin whispered.

"Yes... I love you too, Irwin... like my own brother. You’ve been by my side since I was a child," Eva cried.

"Goodbye... be happy... and... long... live... Libert..."

Before Irwin could finish his sentence, his expression went still, though his eyes remained open. His grip on Ard’s hand loosened, but Ard caught it and held on tight. Irwin’s sword vanished, along with his black dragon familiar. Slowly, Ard closed the eyes of the friend who had passed away. He sobbed uncontrollably, pulling Eva into an embrace as she wept, paralyzed by grief, her lap still cradling Irwin’s head.

Ard turned his head once more to look at Irwin’s peaceful face. He placed Irwin’s hand over his chest.

"Rest now... my friend," Ard said, forcing himself to smile.

"You are the true hero... my brother," Eva said, stroking Irwin’s head and forcing herself to smile.

A short while later, Alicia, Milia, Beatrice, Rosalind, Pyria, Mirea, Claudia, Ainsley, Geoffrey, and Adeline arrived. They gasped in shock. Alicia, Milia, and Beatrice immediately threw their arms around Mirea. Claudia, Pyria, and Rosalind stood frozen where they were. Ainsley fell to his knees beside Irwin and Ard, taking off his glasses, while Geoffrey could only stand there, speechless. Tears wet all of their faces. A classmate from the academy, a travel companion, and a brother-in-arms was gone.

Alicia, Milia, and Beatrice immediately embraced Eva, who was covered in scratches and still cradling Irwin’s head; they wept together. Meanwhile, Geoffrey knelt on one knee on the other side of Irwin, stroking his head with a face full of pride and sorrow. Ainsley cried silently, yet his tears flooded his entire face. Claudia, Pyria, and Rosalind—who held both of Adeline’s shoulders—wept as they stood staring at Irwin’s body, which was now stiff but looked entirely at peace.

A short time later, Baalbel, Abel, and Durgat approached Ard, Eva, and the others who were still weeping. Seeing Irwin’s body lying stiff in the midst of the group, they immediately lowered their heads, feeling a deep sense of grief because they, too, knew who Irwin was.

"Alright, let’s take him home," Ard said.

"Yeah... let’s go, bro," Geoffrey replied, gently lifting Irwin’s head from the lap of the paralyzed Eva.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

Hearing Malekh’s voice behind them, Ard, Eva, and the others naturally spun around. They were shocked to see that Malekh, despite being cut in half, was somehow still alive. Ard and Eva stood up, telling the others to wait and watch over Irwin. Then, fueled by rage, they walked toward the upper half of Malekh’s body, which lay flat on its back, staring at the sky. Malekh’s face looked like he was on the brink of death—his mouth was filled with blood, and his limbs had reverted back to just two arms. When he saw Ard and Eva’s tear-streaked faces, a cynical smile spread across his lips.

"Hey... hey... don’t look at me with such vengeance. Your friend attacked me first; I was only defending myself," Malekh said.

"Shut up! Why are you still alive?" Ard asked, his voice thick with irritation.

"Sigh... you really underestimate me, don’t you? After all, I am a god... well, though I finally understand what Ophelia meant now. I shouldn’t have done as I pleased 3,000 years ago... so... forgive me," Malekh answered.

"You’re apologizing? Are you serious? I don’t believe for a second that you’re actually sorry," Eva said.

"Hmm... I do regret it. Because you locked me away for 3,000 years, I was alone, separated from my lover and consumed by rage... that is why I regret it," Malekh said.

Ard and Eva looked at one another, then unsheathed Exgrandal and Exelion, ready to impale Malekh’s body. But before they could drive their blades home, he raised his hand.

"Wait... before you truly kill me, please look up. You’ve noticed that everything has gone dark, haven’t you?" Malekh asked with a cynical smile.

Ard and Eva immediately looked up, their eyes widening at the sight of a black energy sphere already blanketing the sky, ready to fall at any moment and destroy the world. The two of them only just realized that ever since they began mourning Irwin, everything around them had turned dark, even though it was still midday or late afternoon. Ard turned back toward Malekh, his face twisted in fury.

"You!" Ard screamed.

"Like I said, I’m sorry for not destroying this world 3,000 years ago, and I also regret losing my lover and being separated from her... now, let us all go together... to where my lover... is... hahahahaha."

Suddenly, Malekh’s face went stiff and he stopped moving. A moment later, without Ard or Eva realizing it, Malekh’s body was enveloped in light as his soul emerged and was absorbed into their bodies. After that, his physical form crumbled into ash. Ard and Eva kept staring up at the black sphere covering the sky as it slowly, relentlessly descended.

"What do we do now," Eva whispered, her eyes fixed on the sky.

"I don’t know... this is truly beyond the pale... what are we supposed to do now," Ard said, looking up as well.

"There is no need to worry."

Ard and Eva turned around. They saw Bedryt walking toward them alongside Luca, who now took the form of a mature woman, and Gigi, who also appeared as a grown woman. Behind them stood an elven man with silver hair and closed eyes, dressed in a gown made of leaves. Beside him was a man with a burly build, a thick beard, ashen skin, and red eyes; he wore barbarian-style clothing with black furs and a cloak. The five of them walked toward Ard and Eva with calm expressions and smiles on their faces.

"They are... Bedryt, Lucathan, Githiess, Qoaldrioq, and Zorax," Ard said.