Chapter 50…
It went without saying, but this hole was not a naturally formed cave.
It looked as though something had been forcibly torn open with overwhelming power.
Most likely, it was an artificial passage created by Nergal—or a monster possessing similar strength.
It must have been through this path that Erebos’s offspring poured into the outside world.
In other words…
“Just like now.”
Arpeon cleaved through the air.
The sword, filled to the brim with mana, cut down the monsters blocking the way in a single strike.
Shraaaash—!
Black blood gushed onto the ground, pooling into a dark swamp.
Splash—!
Akrasion pressed forward, trampling through it.
“The left flank is weak. Focus all power there.”
It was a quiet order from Dante.
Akrasion’s knights, without the slightest hesitation, immediately concentrated their swords to the left.
Crunchhh—!
The sharp blades split through flesh and bone, sending monsters crashing down.
“Endless…”
Erebos wasn’t called the Crimson Mother for nothing.
The tide of monsters truly never stopped.
It was precisely because of this that, given just a little time, enough numbers gathered to be called a legion and invade the Duchy.
“Still…”
They only needed to kill Erebos.
Once she was gone, the abominations that had been swarming for the past three years would cease to move.
Instead, they would remain trapped here in the Murodia Mountains, never again able to even dream of leaving.
“It’s over.”
With slightly roughened breath, Milleon reported.
“Well done.”
The monsters numbered nearly five hundred.
On their side? Just six.
That meant each knight had to cut down nearly a hundred themselves.
And yet, Akrasion cleared them all in less than thirty minutes.
“How’s your stamina?”
“It’s fine for now. But…”
Milleon bit his lip before continuing.
“If we encounter more enemies in groups this size a few more times, it will become difficult.”
“I thought as much.”
Dante had suspected it too.
When they had first entered the hole, Milleon’s breathing had been steady.
Even after the first and second battles, he remained composed.
But as the fighting dragged on, his breathing gradually grew heavier.
The same was true for the other knights.
“Sir Sierra’s condition is also deteriorating.”
Sierra was one of only three female knights in Akrasion.
Gifted with exceptional magical talent, she awakened her stigmata before the age of twenty—a genius.
But her body was frail compared to other knights.
Thus, she excelled in short battles, but in prolonged fights like these, her weakness became apparent.
“Should we call for support?”
“It hasn’t come to that.”
Akrasion took the vanguard not out of childish pride, but for a reason.
The more they suffered, the more the other knights could preserve their strength and mana.
At the end of this passage awaited Erebos.
To face that monstrous being, they needed to preserve as much power as possible.
Akrasion was sacrificing themselves for that moment.
“Three more times. That’s the limit.”
Looking past Milleon, Dante saw Sierra gasping for breath and spoke firmly.
“Understood.”
If Dante said so, it was law.
Three more battles at most—that was Akrasion’s limit.
Milleon simply nodded without a trace of protest.
“Then let’s keep moving.”
At Dante’s order, Akrasion pressed forward again.
“So, 190 remain?”
Among them, 164 knights and 30 mages.
Already, 42 knights had been lost from the fighting force.
Of course, five of those had been pulled back by Lumieregard to guard the injured.
“The losses are worse than I expected.”
Even before facing Erebos, they had already lost so many.
With Isabella present, victory was still possible.
But—
“No more sacrifices. Not one.”
Every life was precious.
It was too tragic for them to be buried in a place like this.
Whether it was truly possible or not, Dante had no intention of letting even a single life slip away.
“Lord Dante!”
Just then—
A vibration shook the ground beneath their feet, followed by Milleon’s cry.
Another wave of monsters was charging toward them.
“Form ranks! Hold the line!”
With weary faces, Akrasion’s knights drew their swords, eyes locked on the rushing horde.
The battle began with Dante’s Arpeon.
Shraaaaa—!
Highly compressed mana shot forth, splitting the approaching monsters clean in half.
“Charge!”
Though without horses, Akrasion sprinted forward at Dante’s command.
The ground cracked beneath their steps, stone dust scattering everywhere.
Shrieeeek—!
And thus, on the second day within the abyss, Akrasion began their seventy-second battle.
“Isn’t it astounding?”
Arthur’s face brimmed with reverence.
“You mean Dante?”
“Who else could I mean?”
“There are plenty—Milleon, Elaine… in fact, all of Akrasion’s children are remarkable.”
Isabella’s eyes shone with pride as she looked ahead.
When Akrasion was first founded, it had not been such an exceptional order.
Of course, it did include knights with great potential.
Not only Dante, but Zionhak and Milleon were all worthy of being called prodigies.
But objectively speaking, they were still novices.
Newly knighted.
Lacking battle experience.
Burdened with flaws.
They had not been a perfect order.
But once the war began, they started to change.
No—“change” wasn’t the right word.
It was nothing less than an earth-shaking transformation.
Even so, Arthur shook his head.
“Wasn’t it because of Lord Dante that they grew at all?”
In his eyes, Akrasion’s growth was Dante’s doing.
A mere ten-year-old commander.
Of course, knights had resisted.
But Dante overcame it all and bent Akrasion to his will.
With nothing but his own strength.
Knights, stunned by the blade of someone half their age, were left with only two choices:
Deny their commander and abandon Akrasion, or strive to surpass him.
Fortunately, every knight chose the latter.
The result was this—
A crimson storm ruling the battlefield.
No one in the allied forces could deny Akrasion as the strongest order.
No—they couldn’t deny it.
At Arthur’s words, Isabella smiled faintly.
“You’re not wrong.”
Her gaze turned toward Dante, who was cleaving monsters at the forefront.
His sword strokes, slicing through flesh without hesitation, carried such overwhelming force that even the rugged mountains seemed meaningless.
“And at just thirteen, he has already unlocked his stigma.”
It was nothing short of miraculous.
“Even so, his journey is far from over.”
Indeed, Dante’s current achievement was extraordinary.
Even Isabella herself, at thirteen, had yet to awaken her stigma.
“But still…”
Her eyes darkened with complex emotions.
“Growing too fast isn’t always good.”
Isabella worried for him.
She knew well that Dante was earnest, not arrogant.
But even so—
“Sometimes, those things become poison.”
Not now.
But someday.
A wall named “limit.”
How many times had she seen soaring talents break when meeting an obstacle they could not overcome?
Even Isabella herself had once tasted such despair.
She prayed Dante would not.
But—
“As long as one walks the path of the sword, that wall will appear eventually.”
With anxious eyes, Isabella watched Dante’s back.
“It looks like it’s ending.”
The last monsters were falling beneath Akrasion’s blades.
And then—
“All units, prepare for battle.”
Isabella drew her sword.
Shing—
“Your Highness?”
Arthur looked at her questioningly.
“They’re coming.”
“Weren’t you planning to leave everything to Lord Dante and Akrasion until we met Erebos?”
“That was the plan.”
“Then why—?”
Confused, Arthur frowned, but Isabella stepped forward.
“They can’t handle this.”
Her senses spread wide, detecting twelve presences.
Not ordinary monsters.
These were Erebos’s children—like the Nergal they had fought before.
Even one was difficult to face.
But twelve?
No matter how strong Dante and Akrasion were, this was beyond them.
“Palantium, all units ready.”
First to step forward was Aizen.
Behind him, Windgale, Bloodyon, Blackbough, Escarion, Belzenor, Lumieregard, Harmion, and Braven lined up.
A total of 158 knights.
Plus 30 from the Third Mage Battalion.
“These won’t be easy foes. Do not let your guard down.”
Isabella warned them, then crouched low.
“You’ve done well.”
Her eyes flicked to Dante.
He, too, seemed to sense it, staring tensely ahead.
“It will be hard, but…”
Boom—!
Isabella shot forward like an arrow, cutting through the air.
“Hold on just a little longer.”
She whispered as she passed Dante.
“Of course.”
Dante, suddenly at her side, answered.
Smirk—
The two knights shared a smile.
“And once again, let me remind you.”
Fwoooosh—!
Blue flames erupted.
“The vanguard belongs to me and Akrasion.”
Arpeon spun furiously, thrusting forward.
Crunchhh—!
A chilling sound of piercing rang through the air.
