The Castle in the middle of nowhere.

"You’re not surprised." Urbil sounded offended and a little bit disappointed.

I shrugged. "As far as I know, we’re dealing with a classic setup where the Gods of Order compete with the Ruinous Powers. If the Gods of Order can summon Heroes to fight in their name, it's only logical that the Ruinous Powers can do the same."

"Kinda..." He laughed. "Before you were summoned, they weren't allowed to do that."

"And why is that?" I asked, while mentally instructing Stella to seal off his escape and ensure my Queens stayed clear. I wasn’t about to endanger them needlessly.

"To be honest, I was flabbergasted when I heard the reason," he teased before letting out a burst of genuine laughter. Then, he continued, "Imagine how the Chaos and Void Gods were outraged because it was the Gods of Order who dared to cheat! I think they were just annoyed they didn’t come up with the idea first. But you... well, you're quite a nasty piece of work. I’m actually impressed the Gods of Order had the balls to summon someone like you. Honestly, I wouldn’t have batted an eye if you were working for the Gods of Void... I won’t say you’d serve them, though, because you’re not that type of guy."

"Do you really see me trying to destroy this world?" I asked with a grim smile.

"Maybe..." He shook his head with a shrug. "But I see you’re not about to let us just walk away."

"Correct."

"And you won't try to convince me to repent and stop serving my Gods?"

"Not really. You are not the kind of guy who could be convinced." I replied indifferently with another shrug. "I will save both of our time and resolve this in the classic manner."

"But you’re supposed to be a good guy!" He laughed, though his expression gradually turned grim. "I'm kidding. You don’t believe in that shit, do you? You know there’s no real good or evil, no black and white. You've been there, just like I have. You’ve seen what I’ve seen..."

"Maybe. I’ve seen a lot. But I’ll disagree with you—good and evil definitely exist. Or black and white, if you prefer. But in between? There are also infinitely more shades of grey." I watched as a dissatisfied grimace crossed his face. "So, how many Heroes have your masters summoned?"

"It’s... complicated."

"Just admit you don’t know. You can’t lie to me."

"You're such a killjoy..."

Stella screamed through our link, and a thick dome of light covered the portal. However, as soon as the barrier solidified, something erupted from within, filling it with a tar-like substance that began shattering the spell. Hearing Stella's signal, I sprang into action. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Morrigan and Galahad attacking Sârtuuh and Kažhûn, leaving me entirely free to focus on Urbil. I struck swiftly, my swords cutting toward him. He managed to block Galatine with his shield, but my second sword left only a shallow scratch on his arm, deflected by the pauldron of his armor. He shifted his balance and delivered a punch that knocked me back. We both grinned as we briefly disengaged, only to clash once again. However, this time, he brought his sword into play.

"Damn, you are quick," he laughed and slowly stepped back.

I ignored him, preparing to unleash my skill that could trap him, but I still needed more time. Normally, I would have already unleashed the Scene of Massacre, but the skill required more time to activate in the Shadow Realm. Sârtuuh and Kažhûn were fighting for their lives, pushed hard by the Scions. While the Demon Lord was able to hold his own against Galahad, the General was overwhelmed by Morrigan, and his wounds were deep and ugly. Urbil grimaced at the sight, and after delivering a well-placed Shield Bash, he knocked me back a few steps. I managed to stay on my feet, but the force of his skill was strong enough to make me slide back across the ground. The Hero of Void backstepped, gaining even more distance, just as the barrier covering the Void portal shattered.

"I must inform my Masters that their plans are... unrealistic. I can't beat you like this." Urbil blinked behind Sârtuuh and then toward the portal, taking the Demon Lord with him. "You won this time. I'll be much better prepared when we meet again..."

They both vanished, and the last thing I saw was the look of terror on Sârtuuh's face. Kažhûn roared in fury, feeling utterly betrayed, but his masters bestowed him one final gift. Apprehensive magic swirled around him like a thick fog as he began to change into a hideous abomination. Before he could complete the transformation, Morrigan drove her sword into his chest. With a soft whimper, Kažhûn dropped to his knees and then collapsed.

I growled angrily, my eyes fixed on the empty space where the Void Portal had been just moments before.

"They can't open it from their side," Luna said, her voice tight with anger as she teleported beside me.

"I'm glad to hear that," I sighed. "But I’m furious he managed to flee. I was hoping to settle this here and now."

"I don’t think you could’ve stopped him..." Luna replied. "But why did you order Stella to stop us from interfering?"

"When we crossed swords, I got the feeling he didn’t know about your power. As long as he doesn’t know what you’re capable of, we can defeat him." I glanced around as the battle slowly died down. "Let’s head home..."

•••

The after-battle reports were mostly optimistic. Civilian losses had been avoided, and the infrastructure suffered only minor damage. Unfortunately, we lost some Guardsmen before reinforcements could reach the besieged cities. I left Galahad and Morrigan in charge of imprisoning the Devilkins, and after issuing a few simple orders, I revoked the country’s emergency status.

Hestia and Cahrona worked tirelessly to convince as many Devilkins as possible to surrender, but it wasn’t going well. Most resisted, and even those who surrendered were often just pretending. Due to my current state of mind, Amber and Irene insisted I take a day off to cool down. They were right, of course. The more time passed, the angrier I became at myself.

"I should have just killed them all the moment they set foot in Avalon!" I roared, furiously cutting a target dummy clean in half.

"You couldn't have predicted something like this," Luna said soothingly.

"I should have!" I shouted. Thankfully, Luna knew I was angry with myself, and she let me vent. I turned to meet her gaze, finding comfort in her calm, supportive eyes and soft expression. But anger still burned inside me. "That's the basics of any supervillain! They show up, make a mess, and disappear because the so-called superhero has moral reservations or some half-assed excuse to let them go! I got overconfident, Luna. It’s my fault."

"I don’t think you should blame yourself so much," Luna said softly. "I never imagined the Enemies would be allowed to summon a Hero. I don’t understand how it’s even possible..." Her ears twitched nervously, but she managed a small smile after a deep breath. "But he revealed himself to us, so he lost the element of surprise. I’ve already ordered the Inquisition to dig up everything they can on Darik Ethil—or his new name, Urbil. It’s currently our top priority."

"Thank you, my Darling." I exhaled heavily. "You are right. The knowledge about his existence is important."

"No problem. Now tell me, what are you going to do next?"

"I plan to set up an overlapping system of wards in the Shadow Realm across Arcadia. Nothing is going to take as much as a breath without alerting us. Warding stones are cheap and easy to build. I expect to find a few more Leyline nodules during the installation process, so we will also unlock them."

"It's a good plan." Luna slowly nodded. "What should we do about Urbil?"

"Hmmm... I don't believe that he will try another direct confrontation. He already knows that fighting me is not an easy task. For the time being, I think he will stay put, or at least he will try to gather more supporters elsewhere." I sat on a nearby blanket with a sigh.

"Aoi thinks the same..." Luna sighed and sat next to me. "She ordered all our spies everywhere to inform us immediately if they find any trace of him."

I hummed something that sounded like a general confirmation and stared unseeing into the horizon. I was still angry at myself when I heard Jasper's voice.

"My King..."

"Yes, Jasper?" I looked at the Warehouse Master and raised my brow, seeing the Legate of the Second Legion beside him.

"That man, Urbil… We believe that we have met him before." As Jasper spoke, the Legate nodded in agreement.

"Elaborate." I looked at them curiously.

"During the pacification of the Squirrel Dungeon, we encountered a mad, blind old man who had crossed the Void portal we discovered. Despite the obvious age difference, there were some striking similarities between him and Urbil. But rejuvenation is possible. We’re fairly certain this person is the same Human we met in that Dungeon."

"Hmmm..." I nodded slightly.

The Legate lowered his head in shame. "My Lord, I took the blame for that man escaping the last time and tried to secure all information we could gather from the Squirrel Dungeon."

"We already established that guy has a talent for running away. What did you find out?" Luna asked.

"Darik Ethil was born in Cridia, my Lady. But besides that, there is no trace that such a man ever existed, which makes me believe that he was expunged from the records."

I nodded. "Thank you, Legate. I think your assumption is correct."

"So do I." Luna sighed and grimly smiled. "It seems that Amber has been proven wise once more. I might pay a visit to Josla Cridia and see if she has any answers to my questions."

"Be careful, Luna." I stood up from the ground, clenching my fists. "I don't know what to expect, but I must assume he will target you and the others. From now on, a scion will accompany you all during your trips outside Avalon."

"I think that's reasonable." Luna nodded. "I'm going to prepare for the trip. I will be taking Victory's battlegroup with me."

"I already asked Stella to run some tests and check if your teleportation spell could be sealed. If the answer is yes, she must devise countermeasures." I looked at Jasper and the Legate.

"Thank you both for telling me this. The faster we learn more about him, the quicker we can come up with a way of defeating him. It's always better to investigate the smallest clues than miss something important. You may return to your duties."

"Sir, yes, Sir!" The Legate saluted with a happy smile while Jasper silently lowered his head in acknowledgement.

"To be honest, Urbil's existence changes nothing, my Darling. Each one of the Voidborns is a dangerous enemy." I sighed. "I just wonder if he has a Kitsune himself..."

"I don't think so." Luna shook her head and trembled a little in disgust. "However... I can't say that with all certainty. What if one of us was captured and dragged through that portal? Such a Kitsune would be tormented and corrupted until they swear their allegiance to the Ruinous Powers."

"We need to consider this possibility… Oh, and Luna, please be careful. I would rather bring Josla here than risk you confronting Urbil alone."

She smiled faintly. "I'll think about it..."

•••

"Is everything fine now?" Amber looked at Luna, who had quietly entered the room.

"Yes. He calmed down." The Kitsune sighed and released her hair in one sweeping gesture.

"That's good because he will have another headache." Amber huffed and ruffled her hair. "Hestia and Cahrona are about to give up. Not a single captured Devilkin passed the Inquisition's questioning."

"That's disappointing..." Luna sadly nodded and looked around the empty room. "Where are the others?"

"Aoi and Lavender went to Triskelion to make sure everything was fine. Freya went with them to see how we were dealing with things there. Irene's presence was required in the Grand Temple, but I don't know why," Amber said, putting away her fountain pen. After taking a deep breath, she tiredly rubbed her face with her hands.

Luna slowly nodded and took off her heavy gown and the royal mantle. Amber looked at her with heavy-lidded eyes, and she started undressing.

"We deserve a nice, long bath..." Amber smiled softly, but before they could make their way into the bathroom, Irene teleported next to them.

"Mia and Tia Francesca just crossed the border. They are coming to Avalon."