Chapter 280: Wedding (2) (2/2)

While Jude and Joanna opened the way, Cordelia and the other members finished the rest, so all the troops left in the branch were being swept away like autumn leaves.

And around thirty minutes later.

Having reached the lowest level, Jude caught his breath as he stretched out his arms.

Behind Jude’s back was the gatekeeper, a giant gargoyle who lied frozen on the floor.

A demon with a power equivalent to that of a mid-ranking demonic human.

It was the strongest enemy Jude had fought since the battle began, and the reason why Jude was roughly breathing.

But his intuition told him that this battle would not achieve its goal.

‘They ran away.’

Most of the enemies he encountered on the way here were demonic humans.

Due to the various events that occurred in the Sälen Kingdom over the year, the number of low-ranking demonic humans had decreased, but there were still many of them.

Moreover, the figure of Koros, leader of the branch and a high-ranking demonic human, was invisible.

‘Did he notice?’

It wasn’t impossible. He couldn’t help but be careful since six generals that were scattered all over the continent had gathered in one place.

The demon followers would most certainly notice it.

Furthermore, there was also a demonic human with a prophetic ability, though imperfect, among Saluzia’s subordinates.

‘Still, we achieved a lot.’

Only Koros and some demonic humans had escaped.

The central branch of the Devil’s Hand was annihilated in this battle.

The demon followers throughout the Sälen Kingdom were wiped out.

A large number of troops were needed to cause a huge-scale turmoil, such as the events in the wild lands and the royal capital. Even if some demonic humans survived, there was a clear limit to what they could do if they didn’t have enough troops to support them.

‘They’ll most likely run to the empire.’

Since all the things they had planned for the Sälen Kingdom had failed, it was possible that they would rather strengthen the empire.

‘Anyway… we resolved one thing.’

Cordelia planted a flag, but it ended without any problems so he was satisfied.

With a small smile, Jude touched the small object in his pocket. He specially ordered it from Cassius.

“Count August Bayer.”

At Joanna’s call, Jude turned around as he held the object.

“It looks like the high-ranking demonic humans have escaped.”

Joanna frowned at Jude’s words, but soon corrected her expression and said.

“But just in case, I’ll order a search.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

After thanking her, Jude looked around the room on the lowest floor again.

It was a place he had seen several times in the game, but there was a slight difference from reality.

‘The Devil’s Hand.’

A group of demon followers who worshipped Asmodeus, the overlord of lust.

When they entered what appeared to be the room of the branch leader, Koros, the crest of Asmodeus that was painted on the wall immediately caught his gaze.

The overlord of lust and Hell’s best swordmaster too.

In the game, she was an overlord who directly descended on earth the day of the Great Summons to announce the beginning of Armageddon.

‘He really escaped.’

There were no objects left in Koros’ room. He took what he had to take, and the rest seemed to have been discarded so that it would not fall into the hands of the Guardians of the Holy Cross.

“Jude! Did you find anything?”

Hearing Cordelia’s call from afar, Jude turned around. After hiding into his pocket the object he was holding, which was a ring, he shouted back.

“No! I found nothing! I’ll be going there now!”

“Hurry!”

“Okay!”

Their conversation was a bit silly, but it made him smile even more.

‘The next part.’

After Gaël and Adelia’s wedding.

The next event that would happen.

Jude touched the ring on his chest pocket again before he hurriedly took a step forward.

***

A rain of fire poured down the sky.

Keynes and Sarah were dead.

Adelaide informed them of Kamael’s critical condition, and Joanna wept as she reported the death of Eltharion, the eldest general and spiritual pillar of the Guardians of the Holy Cross.

Things didn’t go well.

Malekith’s Dragonflights that had devastated the southern region had begun to head north, and the barbarians who took control of the northern region were now heading south.

It was no exaggeration to say that the destruction of the Sälen Kingdom was eminent because the central region that lost its royalty had no power to stop the attacks from the north and south.

Jude sat in the middle of the battlefield.

His whole body was covered in blood.

Some were shed by Jude himself, and some were shed by others.

Some must have been the blood of Keynes and Sarah.

Jude let out a long breath. He tried to forget everything for a while by shutting off the magic communicator device that continuously delivered the news.

But he couldn’t.

It was impossible to find serenity in this place where the corpses of the Guardians of the Holy Cross, the demon followers, and many innocent civilians were piled up on each other.

‘Father.’

The Sword of Wind he inherited from his father.

Count Bayer no longer existed.

Or rather, the Bayer family itself was gone.

The battle in the north killed Count Bayer and his heir, Gaël who was Jude’s only brother.

The Bayer county was destroyed by fire, and Jude could only save Maja.

“Thank goodness, young master.”

Maja was in tears as she looked at his face.

Despite losing her legs due to her lower body being crushed, she smiled at the fact that Jude was safe.

A month after the disappearance of the Bayer county, Maja died.

It was the result of accumulated injuries and the curses left by the demons.

Jude clenched his teeth.

He felt like tears would come out again when he thought of Maja’s face.

But it was useless.

A single tear streamed down Jude’s sweat and bloodstained cheeks.

His father, brother, and Maja.

The entire Bayer county.

He lost everything.

The demon followers took them all.

All that remained was the incomplete Sword of Wind that he learned from his father.

However, Jude could not throw away the Sword of Wind. He practiced the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors and also learned the Twelve Snowflake Sword Art from Kamael, but he still used the Sword of Wind as his foundation despite being incomplete.

Because he was the only one left.

Jude continued to cry.

He was only eighteen now.

He was not even twenty years old.

In the end, Jude began to cry like a child.

And the sound of footsteps was heard.

Jude heard a gentle call.

“Jude.”

A soft whisper.

Jude turned his head.

A red-haired girl appeared beyond his vision blurred with tears.

“Cordelia.”

Instead of answering him, Cordelia sat down to look at Jude before smiling. She simply spread out her arms and hugged Jude. She buried Jude’s face on her chest as she shared her warmth.

Cordelia also lost a lot.

Count Chase was killed along with Count Bayer, and her older sister, Adelia, was engulfed in the royal capital rebellion and lost her life. Her older brother, Edward, was still alive, but he lost his mind and became a madman.

But Cordelia did not lose her smile.

She became the only light in Jude’s gray-filled world.

And time passed.

When the sky dyed red by the sun had turned dark, and the sea of stars spread out.

Jude sniffled as he gently pushed Cordelia away. And at that small gesture, Cordelia smiled again.

“Are you okay now?”

Jude nodded as he blushed.

They had already slept together several times, but embarrassing things were still embarrassing.

“Oh my. You’re so cute.”

Cordelia pinched Jude’s cheek and sat down next to him. She held Jude’s hand once again.

The desolate battlefield.

The desperate news that came one after another.

But it wasn’t completely gray. So Jude held Cordelia’s hand and spoke impulsively.

“Cordelia.”

“Yes?”

She looked his way.

He became an adult too quickly, but gazed at her with his blue eyes.

The place was not good.

It was hard to say that the atmosphere was good too.

But Jude couldn’t resist the urge as held out the object he had been hiding in his pocket.

A small ring.

It was not fancy, but a beautiful keepsake from his mother.

They were already engaged.

They already had engagement rings.

But still, Jude gave it to Cordelia, his beloved, and Cordelia smiled again. She accepted the ring with tears in her eyes.

“Pretty.”

Cordelia said as she looked at the ring Jude put on her finger, and Jude’s cheeks reddened again.

He whispered to Cordelia who was the only light in his gray world.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Cordelia shyly smiled and so did Jude.

For a brief time, the two smiled together, forgetting the despair that enveloped the world.

They looked up at the dark sky that was devoid of stars.