DKFTI 55

“What….”

Sibel’s eyes wavered at Aizen’s sudden action.

In that moment, Aizen opened the bottle of antidote.

He intended to see it through to the end. Whether this is poison or an antidote filled with lies meant to push him away.

Either way, it seemed like there was nothing ahead but a fall, but it was better than giving up his feelings.

Maybe it was reckless bravado. But he wanted to prove it somehow.

Even if you keep running away like that, you can’t escape from my heart.

With that, Aizen downed the antidote. His throat bobbed as he swallowed without hesitation.

Sibel’s eyes widened like lanterns.

Aizen felt relieved.

The turmoil, the confusion, all vanished. He was ready to die with this heart.

Though in that heart… there was the stench of blood.

“Kof!”

Thud!

Aizen vomited blood and collapsed on the spot.

Sibel jumped up from his seat at the sight.

***

What the hell just happened?

Sibel couldn’t make sense of the situation.

Why did he down the so-called antidote he called poison, and why did he vomit blood and collapse after drinking an antidote that wasn’t even poison!

“Hey, hey, Aizen!”

Thud, roll.

The bottle slipped from Aizen’s hand and rolled on the floor. Sibel grabbed his body and shook him.

“Aizen!”

There was no strength in him. Sibel picked up the bottle of antidote.

Could it have been switched with something else? Impossible.

There was no way the antidote he had guarded so carefully had been replaced. But Aizen had vomited blood and collapsed, so something was clearly wrong.

“Shanti! Ruru!”

He needed someone, anyone. Maybe Ramiel would be better.

Sibel’s head was a mess, overwhelmed with shock. His hands shook. He had never wanted to kill Aizen.

He had wanted to save him, to send him away alive from here.

“Shanti!”

Sibel shouted as he supported Aizen’s body. Then Ruru came running.

“What’s going onnn!”

He bounded in cheerfully, then spotted Aizen collapsed.

“Huh?”

Ruru tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, he was suddenly shocked.

“Oh my! What on earth happened! There’s blood his mouth!”

Aizen collapsed, bleeding and Sibel panicked.

“A-Aizen drank poison, no no, antidote, but he collapsed. He was saying strange things about it being poison….”

As Sibel rambled in confusion, Ruru checked the situation.

“Is, is he dead….?”

Just as Ruru cautiously approached Aizen,

Boom–!

An explosion rang out.

“Huhhh?”

Ruru turned hid head from Aizen to the source of the blast. A blinding light lit up the dark Demon King Castle.

“What..”

Sibel also turned at the sudden commotion. There, knights in white and gold armor he had seen somewhere before were charging in.

“Wait….”

A flag with the symbol of the sun could be seen.

“The Holy Kingdom…?”

Now, of all times?

“First, Aizen has to be treated….”

Sibel was desperate. Aizen was dying. But what about them? What was he supposed to do?

“Demon King. Please stay calm.”

Ruru placed his hand over Sibel’s trembling one.

“Our Demon King Castle will be fine. So don’t make a face like the world has ended.”

At Ruru’s words, Sibel pulled himself together.

“Right. First, I’ll leave the treatment to someone….”

“Ask that human for help. Shanti has to block those guys, so calling him will be useless.”

Lightning flashed across the black sky. Shanti had appeared to hold back the Holy Kingdom’s paladins.

“Yeah.”

The more chaotic the situation, the more he had to keep his mind clear.

Even if what Aizen drank really was poison, if he poured the treasures from the Demon King’s castle’s vault into him, it would be fine.

It had to be fine.

***

Supporting Aizen, Sibel descended to the first floor and there faced the paladins.

“Hand over the wicked demon, Apostle Aizen!”

They pointed their swords at Sibel. Seeing Aizen bleeding and collapsed only made their mood more vicious.

“Wait, it’s not what you think! Ugh!”

Sibel’s head spun as he supported Aizen while he dodged the metal weapons flying at them.

Did these bastards really think it was fine to throw spear-like things in the direction of their supposed ally?

Outside, it looked like fire had broken out. Ruru’s flames had indeed started a fire.

“Defeat the evil Demon King and rescue Apostle Aizen!”

Who was putting Aizen in danger right now, if not them?

What would they do if he stopped breathing like this?

Sibel burned with anxiety. His lifespan must have been cut by a hundred years today.

Just like he had in the kingdom, Sibel used his magic to summon beasts that would protect him and Aizen.

Ants swarmed around them.

“Ugh, something’s burrowing into my flesh!”

The ants that slipped through the gaps of their thick armor were Sibel’s beasts.

“Argh! Be careful! There are monsters in the ground!”

Clang.

The paladins writhed in pain, tearing off their armor and rolling on the floor as they tried to shake off the ants gnawing into their flesh. The more they struggled, the more tightly the ants clung to them.

‘Good.’

Sibel used that opportunity to escape.

If he could just get Aizen to the treasure vault and feed him anything….

Boom–!

At that moment, a massive explosion sent both Sibel and Aizen flying.

Even then, Sibel held Aizen tight in his arms.

“Ugh. Cough.”

They slammed into the hallway wall, and blood spurted from Sibel’s mouth. He had suffered internal injuries.

Then, a man in white priest’s robes calmly stepped over the shattered wall and walked toward him.

An older middle-aged man stood surrounded by those radiating golden light, guarding him.

“I am Calypse, Captain of the Apostles who protect the Holy Kingdom. State your identity.”

Calypse’s gaze rested on Aizen and on Sibel, who was holding him.

Sibel felt a heavy pressure from him. He immediately felt this wasn’t a situation he could slip through with some casual excuse. If he tried anything careless, his head would fly.

“…I am the master of this castle.”

“The Demon King.”

At that moment the men around him gripped their swords, but Calypse slowly raised his hand to stop them.

“The one you are holding, that is Apostle Aizen?”

Sibel nodded.

“…He seems to be dying.”

Sibel nodded again.

“Was it your doing?”

Sibel shook his head, but for a moment he wondered if he could truly say it wasn’t. He was confused.

“The truth does not matter. By order of His Holiness, we will take Apostle Aizen.”

His tone was calm, as if Sibel’s answer didn’t matter at all.

“Will you hand him over?”

At Calypse’s words, Sibel released his grip. Men around him rushed forward and hoisted Aizen onto their backs.

When Aizen’s warmth disappeared grom his hands, a chill spread through his body. His fingertips turned cold and stiff.

He didn’t know if it was because of the sense of loss at having Aizen taken away, or the tension of knowing he might die.

Aizen had safely returned to the Holy Kingdom’s hands. Sibel’s eyes still followed him.

Calypse, watching Sibel, nodded to his men and spoke.

“However, our mission is to exterminate demons.”

Suddenly his demeanor shifted.

“You must die.”

Golden light shimmered in Calypse’s hand, and a holy sword appeared.

Could he fight that man and win? He had no certainty, not even an idea.

“Take Apostle Aizen away. I will deal with things here.”

“Yes, sir!”

Aizen was now beyond Sibel’s sight.

Sibel clenched his fist tightly.

“Have you any last words?”

“…So merciful, you even listen to a demon’s dying words.”

Sibel gave a short laugh. Calypse began to walk toward him.

“Even if one is evil, there is no reason to despise life. Your death will be a worthy sacrifice.”

What bullshit. Killing was killing, and he was just attaching nonsense to it.

Anger filled Sibel’s eyes.

“Can you save Aizen?”

But more than his own danger, that was what he wanted to know.

“The greatness of holy power lies in preserving life.”

Was that something to feel relieved about? Compared to forcing down some random drug from the vault, maybe it was better that he ended up in their hands.

Surely they could neutralize poison.

Then the problem now was only one.

‘What about me?’

Sibel’s body tensed with fear as Calypse drew near.

Sibel tried to move his magic, but the holy sword was already aimed at his neck.

Gulp.

If he moved wrong even an inch, he would die.

“…In your next life, be born not as evil.”

At that moment, as Calypse’s arm lifted high,

“What is evil?”

A calm voice came from somewhere. Sibel recognized it.

‘This is… Lord Leviathan?’

The moment the voice was heard, Calypse’s body stiffened. It was a powerful spell. No matter how he tried to move, not even a finger responded. Frozen in place, Calypse rolled his eyes to look at the figure that had suddenly appeared.

He blended in as though he had been there from the beginning, it didn’t look strange. Yet the more his presence was felt, the more a chilling dread spread through his body.