Back in the Dusk Realm, Silvara had received her own alliance tournament invitation. The envoy hadn't expected the Dusk Realm to have taken such a devastating blow. The war was over, but the Fire Kingdom's reinforcements still hadn't arrived.
Silvara was covered in wounds herself, but still expressed her gratitude for the Fire Kingdom's support.
"Please rest and recover, your highness. Do reply with your representatives for this year's tournament as soon as possible. It is the grandest event in all of the demon world."
The Dusk Realm was in the middle of rebuilding after the war. Everyone everywhere was working at full speed. Even five-year-olds were pitching in. If you could do something, you did it. The passion for rebuilding their home shone from every one of them.
By now, the child was completely out of breath.
"Elvis, take a break. The general is here to see you."
Maro had somehow survived. He was wrapped up like a mummy. The thought of children this small being needed to rebuild the Dusk Realm weighed on him.
Elvis gave a small bow.
"It was the least I could do."
"Thank you for giving your other heart to my mother."
"That heart had already stopped beating inside me after the explosion anyway. It happened to be a match for your mother. And besides, this was a debt my worthless brother owed you. Among humans, there are good and bad. Among demons, it is no different. Those who do evil will always face their reckoning. Take Ragnar, for example."
"Please let me go. I swear I'll never come near the demon race again."
He had probably been scared out of his mind, still dreaming of a future. Then several demon beasts moved toward him, and he stumbled backward in terror.
"No, no, please."
He was gone not long after.
"Only those who do good meet a good end. That is my clan's creed. My brother lived in violation of it. His death is no great loss."
"That's not how it was."
Maro was caught off guard.
"Your brother was frightening before. Yes. But when the humans suddenly broke into the city, he ignored the fact that he had just come out of surgery."
"Move it, kid. Get your mother and run. This heart of mine is not going to waste."
But he ran into Roland.
"Kid, take care of that heart. Get your mother out of here. I'll hold this one off."
"Your brother died protecting me and my mother. He saved our lives."
Maro was shaken all over again. "Is that so? That was him. He really did grow up. It was me who never understood you."
Then his tears broke free. You're still just like you were as a kid.
Gail stood on top of Jeta's head, gazing into the distance.
"The energy core has been the Dusk Realm's most vital source of protective energy for two hundred years. And you are the strongest demon among us right now. The hope of the demon race."
It was Weston.
"The three of us generals and your highness are unanimous. This can only go to General Gail. It has the power to advance you to S tier, and can grant you extraordinarily powerful skills, and even save your life."
"Wouldn't that kind of energy be better used to rebuild the Dusk Realm?"
Gail turned it down outright. "I'm leaving the Dusk Realm."
Weston nearly leapt off his feet. "What? You— you can't be serious. After everything that just—"
Gail was equally frustrated. If things kept going this way, there would truly be no one left capable of killing him.
"I have to find a way back to being human. After everything that happened among the humans, I don't know what condition Hana is in, whether she's safe."
I'm human. They're demons.
Looking at all their faces, Gail still felt he couldn't let himself get entangled with them, let alone develop feelings for them. And this matter of needing to be killed to return to being human. These demons would never understand, and never help him.
Don't worry. Hana is safe for now, and I'll be with you.
Gail let out a quiet smile. "Good thing I have you."
So, have you figured out where you're going?
Jeta was about to take off. Weston panicked. "General Gail, where are you going?"
The scene shifted. Wynn sat on the edge of his bed, a distant sadness in his eyes. "Did they say when the other prosthetic is coming?"
Hawk lay quietly in his hospital bed. "That's the third time you've asked me that today. Something on your mind?"
"It has to do with him."
A father always knows his son.
Wynn didn't answer. He got up and pulled on his cloak. "Rest well, Dad."
From the very first time he saw him at court to everything he did inside the Ancestor's Abyss, he should have realized it sooner. He wasn't a demon at all. He was a—
Wynn's jaw tightened. He felt like an idiot. A human. A hateful one, who had been chasing death all along.
Gail sat in a daze on a boulder deep in the forest.
You can only return to being human if you're killed. Suicide doesn't count. There is no other way.
"See, no matter how many times I ask, it's the same answer. And with my regeneration, I can barely even manage to die by my own hand. If I could find an S tier demon king or above, maybe their special skills could finish me off in one hit. But that kind of opponent, I've only ever run into in that one tower. Haven't seen one since. Help me think. Is there any other way I can get myself killed quickly?"
That's all true, but I am your contracted beast. Helping you find ways to die just feels deeply wrong.
Just then, the boulder above Gail's head shifted loose. As it was about to come crashing down, a small flame of hope lit up inside him. But the next second, Jeta's tail smashed it to pieces.
Gail went completely numb. Jeta looked genuinely apologetic.
Sorry. Danger just triggers me automatically.
"You have to control that. Stop protecting me. Put me in danger."
Noted. You're out there looking to die.
Just then, a monster lunged at Gail. But the next second, a beam of energy pierced straight through it.
Sorry.
"It's fine. Just take your time."
Jeta had done it again.
Night came quickly. Gail roasted a leg of meat. He ate himself completely full and let out a satisfied belch. He glanced over at Jeta.
"Go recharge."
Ua's dimensional space. A crack split open in the sky above.
"When it gets light, we head west. See if we can find the tower. There might be others out there."
The plan was pretty vague. After Jeta went in, the rift began to close and Ua broke down into a small cube.
"Forget whether there's even a tower in the west. Even if there is, no guarantee there's an S tier demon king inside. Then what?"
Gail threw up his hands. "The humans are in the west, too. It's the only direction that makes sense."
Just then, he sensed someone approaching.
"Slipping off without a word. Pretty rude. The Dusk Realm is throwing a victory banquet right now. How does the man who did the most just leave first?"
As Wynn said it, he had his weapon pressed against Gail's throat.