A betrayal had occurred. The perpetrators were none other than the Allied Forces’ most reliable allies—the undead legion that had secured countless victories. The shock of seeing the very fangs they had once cheered on suddenly turn to tear into them was indescribable. The 7th Legion’s undead turned their backs and began attacking the Allied Forces, throwing the soldiers into massive chaos.
"D-Don’t panic, attack!" a commander necromancer shouted, stomping down on a corpse spider. "We have the overwhelming advantage in numbers! Surround them...!"
[I cannot believe this.] A vicious voice rang out as several slashes tore through the air. A hand with red manicured nails swiped across the sky. The slashes flashed, and cleanly severed pieces of human flesh scattered in all directions.
[Why! Why in the world?] A female undead dressed in a black uniform crouched down, clutching her face with both hands. Her expression was one of immense shock.
[Master! Master! Maaaaster! Why would you choose a mere priest over me...!]
[Calm yourself, Erzebet.] Ten pairs of coal-black wings spread across the sky with a heavy flap. Akemus, an undead in the form of a middle-aged man similarly dressed in a black uniform, soared upward. His wings were so massive that when fully unfurled, they cast a shadow over the entire battlefield.
[We are the will and the sword of the Legion! A sword has no need for thought. Uphold our liege’s command with pure loyalty!] As his ten pairs of black wings beat like fans, black tornadoes raged from all sides, blowing away the soldiers of the Allied Forces.
[Roooooooooar!] The earth rumbled violently. With a shout that shook the mountains, an undead that had previously seemed as small as a pebble surged upward.
He was so colossal that the Allied soldiers had to crane their necks until they ached just to take him in. It was Big Krum, captain of the Giant Squad.
"W-Why is he so huge?!"
[Orders! I follow!] As he swept his indescribably massive arm across the field, the mountainside collapsed, and hundreds of soldiers were crushed into lumps of meat in an instant.
[Wow, everyone seems super excited!] Prince, captain of the Zombie Squad, giggled. Smashing his fists together in preparation for a charge, he glanced over his shoulder.
[You look like you’re in a good mood, Mur.]
A being enveloped entirely in a red robe—unlike the black uniforms of the other Ancient Undead—flashed his eyes in silence.
[I cannot help but be pleased.] With a mere flick of his hand, the necromancers approaching from behind were slaughtered, their flesh and skin turned inside out and torn apart.
[I will soon be free. The world shall pay the price.]
[Man, you’re gloomy right to the end.]
The entire Legion went into a frenzy, spewing pitch-black smoke and flames as they tore into the enemy. It looked as though a massive, apocalyptic wildfire had broken out.
"W-What the hell is this?!"
"Pull yourselves together!"
The necromancers dragged their summons from their subspaces to retaliate.
"The dark thoughts...!"
However, the summons writhed in confusion. Their gazes turned toward Richard, who was holding Anna. Black waves pulsed outward with Richard at the epicenter. Affected by those waves, all of the Allied Forces’ summons struggled to break free from their masters’ control.
"Damn it! They aren’t listening to orders!"
The Allied Forces, who had densely packed the area, ultimately broke their encirclement and fled under the Legion’s brutal offensive. Even seasoned veterans who had spent their entire lives on the battlefield were helpless against the sudden betrayal. The power of the Legion that Richard had cultivated over the years was just that absolute. He calmly watched the Allied Forces disintegrate at the hands of his army.
"Are you aware that you are doing something irreversible?" Anna asked softly.
"Isn’t that the same for you?" Richard chuckled, gesturing to the side with his chin.
Necromancers were not the only ones present. A group of priests and paladins, who had been hiding within a barrier to rescue Anna, strode forward. Their eyes were bloodshot with betrayal and rage.
"To disgrace the Goddess by falling for a necromancer while holding the title of Saintess!"
"She is no longer a Saintess, but a witch! Kill the witch who insulted Goddess Deva!"
Ignoring the other necromancers nearby, they lunged forward with the sole intent of killing Anna. What she had done was an act that denied the theology and history the Holy Federation had built up until now, shaking its very foundation to the core. To them, she was an even more dangerous existence than the necromancers. She had to be judged right this instant.
Anna’s expression hardened as she watched her former comrades approach to kill her.
"You don’t need to watch," Richard said, covering her eyes with his forearm. A legion-type undead squad surged in like a black wave, sweeping over the attackers. In an instant, the group of priests vanished without a trace.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes." Anna nodded firmly. "Just as you don’t, I do not regret this either."
It was an undeniable truth. From this day forward, the two of them would be shunned by history forever. They would never be understood by anyone. They had no choice but to rely on and find comfort only in each other.
Even so, they had to move forward without regret, trusting in the choice they had made.
"There is still work to be done." Richard held out his hand to her. "Will you come with me, Anna?"
Anna smiled warmly. "Yes, Richard."
The two clasped hands and began to walk. Above them, Pier soared into the air, wielding his Greatsword of Ruin.
[If you value your lives, open a path!] his archaic, booming voice echoed resoundingly. [The Legion cannot be stopped by anything!]
The allied forces of humanity—a coalition of four kingdoms and dozens of factions—were being pushed back and crushed by a single army led by the Legion Commander.
Simon and Lethe watched the situation unfold from a safe distance. It was too dangerous to intervene directly, and more importantly, they had a far more crucial mission. Watching the Legion’s charge as it spewed pitch-black smoke, Simon roughly wiped the corners of his eyes.
"Oh, what is this? Is it possible you are crying?" Lethe asked teasingly, maintaining her crisp, formal tone.
Simon forced a shake of his head and let out a long breath. In the distance, barely visible through the chaos, his father and mother walked together, relying entirely on each other.
Finally, he had witnessed the Legion of Betrayal incident—the defining secret of his lifetime—with his own two eyes. He now understood why he had to endure the trial of hiding his identity as the Legion Commander, and why he had to move forward while bearing that heavy destiny on his shoulders. Simon was finally able to accept it without a single ounce of shame. From now on, he would endure any criticism and fear.
"Those two, walking a path that no one else was willing to take, ultimately created an era of peace," Lethe said, stepping forward. "Of course, it is unforgivable to the victims. It is an act that deserves eternal condemnation. However, in the end, they saved thousands, tens of thousands of times more lives across the continent."
Lethe placed a firm hand on Simon’s shoulder. "So keep your head up."
Simon remained silent.
"You haven’t even been born yet in this era, have you?"
Simon nodded. "Let’s go."
"Understood."
If only for Richard and Anna’s sake. There was still work to be done.
In an unnamed ruin, the quiet swish and tap of a tossing pebble echoed through the air. A man draped in an old, frayed robe sat on a rock, lazily tossing pebbles. Every time a pebble was thrown, its color gradually faded and darkened. Sinister, giggling laughter echoed around him.
The man dropped the pebble he had been playing with. Instantly, a black hand materialized from the empty air and snatched the pebble away.
"Lord Bleta."
At the call, the man raised his head.
"The Legion of Betrayal incident you spoke of has occurred."
"I see."
Dark spirits were gathered around the man called Bleta, giggling softly. The member of the Secret Society bowed his head and spoke. "Forgive my presumption, but may I ask a question?"
Bleta nodded his permission.
"Why did you not prevent this incident? You even leaked information to Supreme Commander Tragon to force the Legion of Betrayal incident to happen sooner. Many of our comrades harbor doubts..."
Bleta slowly looked up at the sky. "It could not be stopped."
"Pardon?"
"No matter how much I know of the future and try to change it, certain events manifest like predetermined destiny."
He rested his chin on his hand. "Of course, the subordinates Nephthys sent interfered, but there were undoubtedly things that would not change no matter what I did."
"And that is,"
"Yona and Anna’s love, I suppose." He closed his eyes. "Can such a phenomenon be defined by a simple word like destiny? I felt a sense of dread that even if I dropped them at the farthest ends of the continent from each other, they would still end up meeting at some point."
"And it’s not like I can defeat Yona and Anna in their prime right now. So I thought... if I cannot stop them—" He clenched and unclenched his fist. The pebble he had dropped to the ground was suddenly back in his hand. "—I might as well accelerate the inevitable and force it to happen earlier than originally planned."
His subordinate remained silent.
"The Legion of Betrayal incident is an unstoppable natural disaster. However, I also know the future that follows. Yona will lose all of his Legion’s forces, and Anna will exhaust almost all her power recovering from her severe injuries. Even so, the two of them will come all the way here and destroy the sealed document with jet-black and divinity."
Bleta gripped the pebble tightly, crushing it in his palm. "We kill Yona and Anna while they are weakened from breaking through the encirclement, and take the sealed document to provide it to either the Federation or the Allied Forces. That is the best course of action."
"But if that is your plan, wouldn’t there be no need to accelerate the event from its original timeline?"
Bleta silently dropped the remains of the pebble and pulled the glove from his hand. His hand had turned transparent. "I do not have much time left."
The subordinate was speechless.
A gloomy light flashed within his robe. "This is my last chance. For the sake of the Secret Society, the war must continue."
"What a joke."
Bleta, his subordinate, and the Secret Society members guarding the perimeter quickly shot to their feet.
A sudden gasp of pain rang out. Simon and Lethe were approaching their location. Lethe was smiling brightly, her grip tight on the collar of a bleeding Secret Society sentry.
"I knew you would be setting an ambush in a place like this. But you are not the only ones who know the future," she said crisply. With a dull thud, Lethe dropped the sentry to the ground and struck his head with her heel, knocking him out cold.
Simon slowly stretched his hands and roused his jet-black.
"Nephthys’s dogs have arrived," Bleta said, trudging forward.
Simon’s eyes sharpened as he took in the dark spirits wavering around the man. "You’re the culprit who attacked the orphanage, aren’t you?"
"I am." Bleta slipped his glove back on, and ominous jet-black surged from his body. "Nothing changes, even if you have made it this far. I simply need to strike you down, then kill Yona and Anna as well."
"Well said." Lethe smirked, unsealing her necklace and rousing her divinity. A blinding light flared. The power of a Saintess.
The authority of the stars began to storm around her, and a distinct star-shaped mark shimmered in her golden eyes. "Including us, and even you—nothing will change no matter who comes," Lethe declared. "Professor Anna and Yona will escape safely, destroy the sealed document, and usher in a new era."
Bleta closed his eyes as if reasoning with them was impossible, then gave his order. "Strike them down."
The Secret Society members charged. Simon and Lethe stood back-to-back.
"I shall leave the small fry to you. I will take the leader," Lethe said.
"No," Simon said, shaking his head. Before he knew it, he was holding Herseva, captain of the Mummy Squad, in his hand. "I’ll leave the small fry to you. I’m taking the leader."
Seeing the fierce, wavering light in Simon’s eyes, Lethe smiled lightly. "Very well, I suppose I must yield here."
She swung her arm down. As the stars in the sky rained down upon the Secret Society, a hidden battle behind the scenes of history began.

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