“You got caught too, Senior?”
“If you had been a little late, it would’ve been bad. I owe you one, Junior.”
Nex flashed a fox-like grin, showing his relief. The violet flames around his phoenix trembled with anger, chirping furiously, as it glared at the succubus in front of us.
“This… this can’t be happening…! In the hero’s prophecy, Nex Aureus was supposed to…”
“Hero? More like Demon King.”
“Exactly, Licht.”
The Apostle of Lust, Servi, was in disbelief, her expression darkening as she realized Nex had woken up. On top of that, my sword had wounded her, which only added to her confusion.
“W-what? Why is there blood on my clothes?”
“Succubus? You’re not the hero…”
“Weren’t you supposed to save people? What am I doing here…? Was it all just a dream?”
Even the cultists, who appeared to believe in the Heroic Cult, began to grow confused.
It seemed not everyone here had been a true believer from the start. Unlike the Demon King, an apostle couldn’t display the full extent of their powers, so it made sense that her control was fragile.
“Everyone, calm down! This is a trick! There’s a heretic right there!”
Servi’s pink eyes flashed as she commanded the cultists once more. Despite healing herself with divine power, her body had sustained enough damage that the enchantment had worn off. Still, some of the white-robed men turned toward Nex and me, weapons in hand.
“Capture them immediately! No, kill the Dark Knight! Kill him now!”
Servi pointed at me, her face contorting into a twisted grin. She must have thought she had me cornered.
“Understood!”
“Strike down the false hero!”
“The Dark Knight is the target! Kill the heretic!!”
“Glory to the Heroic Cult!”
The cultists screamed like fanatics, charging at us with all manner of weapons.
“Junior, I’ll handle this.”
“Understood, Violet Phoenix.”
Nex stepped forward, blocking my path, his stance and words reminding me of a scene I had seen in *Knight Heart*.
This almost felt like a line from a companion route. Was Nex no longer a rival?
“Haha… turning against a descendant of the Ten Great Heroes, now that’s just pathetic.”
“Chirp.”
His expression was unusually serious. With a focused look in his violet eyes, Nex called upon his phoenix spirit. The flames around him flared up.
「Helios Midnight.」
In an instant, the small bird turned into a massive ball of fire, like a blazing sun, radiating intense heat.
“Anyone who wants to burn, step forward. Heroic Cultists.”
He spoke as he moved, the swirling violet flames parting the path toward the succubus.
“Ugh… It’s too hot…”
“My weapon… it melted?”
“I can’t summon the magic circle!!”
The maces the cultists carried had melted into molten lumps, and the spells they had been casting fizzled out into nothing.
Spirits really are overpowered.
Even in their smallest form, they were immensely powerful. Seeing what that tiny bird could do with my own eyes was awe-inspiring.
“What are you all doing?! Use ice magic or anything else!”
Servi screamed desperately as she watched her cultists scatter in retreat. But it was too late for them.
“It’s useless, Apostle of Lust.”
“…What?”
“The flames of the phoenix can burn through anything—magic, swords, divine power. It doesn’t matter.”
“Yeah, Junior’s right about that.”
The wounds on her body, which had been healing, began to reopen.
“Kuh… No… this can’t be…”
“Our Junior here has a real temper!”
“Is that so.”
Nex, throwing an arm around my shoulder again, laughed as we stood right in front of Servi. I pointed my sword at her throat and asked,
“Where is the saintess, Charitines? Answer me, succubus.”
“Kyaahahah… No way!”
Servi lowered her head and started laughing maniacally. If she didn’t want to answer, fine. I turned my back on her and walked toward the dais.
“Uh… Junior?”
Nex looked puzzled by my sudden move. But time was of the essence. I had hoped to get the information from Servi, but now I had no choice but to act.
“Don’t play games with people’s lives.”
I mumbled to myself as I moved. I had memorized this part because, in the original game, clearing this puzzle rewarded you with a valuable item.
“This spot here, at the corner… There are two empty bricks. Suspiciously so.”
I placed my hand on the wall, feeling the indentation of the square tiles. It was a good thing Nex’s flames lit up the area. I wouldn’t have seen this otherwise.
“W-what? What are you…?”
“And then… you solve it like a sliding puzzle.”
As I shifted the tiles, they lit up, responding to my touch.
Strange symbols appeared on the wall of the dais, forming what looked like an elaborate magic circle. Servi probably would’ve stopped me if she could.
Thud.
With Servi’s enchantments broken and the Apostle herself blocked by Nex’s spirit, she couldn’t get close enough to interfere. In the game, this part had been simple—just solve the puzzle and you were done.
My hands trembled as I worked through the steps. This had to be right.
*Click. Clack.*
A sharp sound echoed, confirming my actions had worked.
“It’s just like I thought. This dungeon was made by the Omniscient Demon King.”
“No way… That wall… it’s…”
I never expected to see his name here.
In the original, there had been no mention of this, but the fact that this was the past kept tripping me up. I frowned slightly.
As the puzzle was completed, a massive magic circle appeared, rotating as the wall slid inward like a vault opening. The sound of gears turning echoed through the chamber.
─*Kugugugung!*
“Head Ache.”
Ugh, terrible name.
A series of glowing letters appeared as the hidden room was revealed.
“Char!”
“Nex… Is that you?”
Inside, the vampire saintess, Charitines, was tied up with ropes. It didn’t seem like she had been harmed. After all, a hostage that was hurt or mistreated would be difficult to manipulate.
…If Nex had come alone, things might’ve gone differently.
Nex didn’t even glance at the puzzle I had solved. As soon as the door opened, he rushed inside to her side.