Noah created a sword with his magic while his opponent could not counterattack. A sword emanating a brilliant black darkness.

Noah Diaz wielded that sword towards Leopold.

That fleeting moment magnified in Ariel’s eyes. She accelerated, almost teleporting, to intervene.

Clang-!

The black magic and golden mana clashed with a deafening roar.

Leopold, clutching his aching arm, looked at Ariel who had blocked Noah.

“El……”

Noah put more strength into his sword. Ariel braced her feet against the ground to withstand the weight.

“Listen carefully. Noah Diaz is not in his right mind. The Demon King’s magic is so strong that it’s consuming his sanity.”

Upon hearing Ariel’s words, Leopold noticed that Noah Diaz’s pupils were already void of life. His black eyes, filled only with murderous intent, stared at Ariel.

“Ugh……. If he goes berserk, his body won’t be able to withstand the dark power and will disintegrate. I will handle this, Your Majesty, please evacuate the people.”

As the force on the sword increased, Ariel’s feet dug into the ground.

“If you do that, you’ll bear the full impact of the rampaging dark power-!”

“Are you underestimating me? If I were to die so easily, I wouldn’t have aspired to become a Swordmaster. And even if that happens, you can just bring Liese and come running.”

Leopold’s heart pounded wildly.

Once again, he was gripped by a sense of helplessness.

Why am I weaker than you?

‘Although I try to console myself by thinking that the Demon King poured all his abilities into you before summoning you here……. It’s not much comfort.’

Leopold bit his lip harshly.

Are you really accustomed to risking your life in such situations?

With a heart that felt like it was being torn apart, he closed his eyes tightly.

“Don’t say such things……. You dying? Do you think I could stand to see that? How could I leave you alone! I’d rather die than lose you.”

“What are you talking about, Leopold! Be thankful the people of Atlan didn’t hear that. Go now! I can’t hold on much longer.”

Her stern reprimand snapped Leopold back to his senses. He noticed the sweat trickling down her neck from beneath her tied-up hair.

What kind of resolve does Ariel have to face Noah Diaz, and what on earth was I saying?

Helpless and pathetic. Leopold shook his head.

“Understood. Ariel. Ariel-! You must survive. Don’t leave my side. Promise me.”

Leopold, with a heart full of anguish, looked at Ariel’s back.

Beyond her trembling shoulders, he saw a sword enveloped in golden mana. Her sword carried a resolute determination never to lose.

Leaving Ariel, who didn’t respond as she bore Noah’s power, Leopold turned and ran towards the barrier.

‘Ah. Now I can let it go.’

Confirming that Leopold had left, Ariel infused her sword with mana and pushed back hard to hold Noah off.

Noah Diaz slid backward, slipping. Ariel pointed her sword at him again.

First, I need to confirm if my guess is correct. If Noah Diaz is being consumed by the Demon King’s power, his consciousness will be faint.

If his consciousness is indeed faint, I plan to induce him to completely lose his sanity.

Ariel approached him with her sword.

“Noah Diaz. Are you in your right mind?”

Ariel asked with a puzzled expression.

“A…, riel…… Diaz……! I can’t, forgive, you……!”

He mumbled. His eyes, consumed by darkness, were filled with murderous intent. He deflected Ariel’s sword and infused his own with magic.

Noah’s sword swelled, seemingly expanding from the magic.

He couldn’t control his body properly. Staggering, he thrust his sword forward. The dark magic in the sword flew towards Ariel like an arrow.

Ariel lightly leapt into the air like a butterfly taking off.

‘His consciousness has really become faint. His speech is slurred, and his movements are creaky as if he can’t control his body. In that case, I’ll give it a try.’

Once the Demon King’s power completely consumes Noah Diaz, his body, the host, will vanish from this world.

If the dark power isn’t sealed, it will seek another host. No one can guarantee what will happen during this process.

Perhaps, as Leopold said, it might require risking one’s life. But this is the only method with any chance of success.

Noah Diaz, following her, soared into the sky. He glared at Ariel with murderous eyes. However, it wasn’t human emotion but pure malice.

“Screeeech-!”

He made a strange noise, emitting black energy from his entire body. The energy spread rapidly in a circular form.

Ariel easily dodged it and infused her sword with mana stored in her mana core. She then raised her sword high.

“You said you poured all your power into me. How does it feel-?! To be killed by the hands you summoned here! You’re not the Demon King Aristo. You’re just a mere human with a body! You can’t fully handle the Demon King’s power, Noah Diaz! You can’t defeat me!”

Ariel shouted loudly and charged at him with her sword. At that moment, the liquid in the star embedded in her sword revealed Noah’s weakness.

The heart. Noah Diaz’s greatest weakness was indeed his heart.

“Die-!”

The tip of the blade touched Noah’s left chest.

“How dare you, how dare you!”

However, malice surged from his heart, repelling Ariel’s sword, and her body was thrown to the ground by inertia.

‘If it weren’t for the mana, my neck and back would have been shattered.’

She surrounded her body with a mana shield at the moment of impact, preventing her bones and muscles from being damaged.

Ariel immediately stood up and looked at Noah Diaz, still floating in the sky. He was consumed by extreme rage due to her words.

Noah had completely lost his consciousness. He ultimately failed to control the Demon King’s power.

The vessel meant to contain the power was broken.

“Argh-!”

Noah Diaz’s scream echoed through the sky. It was a desperate cry. Though a faint desire to live was felt within the scream, it was soon swallowed by malice.

Thud-!

He fell to the ground like he was being slammed down. His body dug deep into the earth due to the falling speed and weight. He still groaned in pain.

‘It must be excruciating.’

Ariel, still on guard, watched Noah Diaz’s downfall. The sight of pure malice engulfing Noah’s human desire to live.

She quietly reflected from above the deep pit.

Regardless. There were certainly things to be grateful for as a human being to Noah Diaz, and there were times they spent together, so she couldn’t help but feel bitter.

However, she could not forgive the massacre of the White territory residents and the attempt to kill the innocent people of Atlan.

Noah Diaz’s agonizing scream suddenly stopped. His trembling shoulders and wings, which had been flapping in pain, lost strength and drooped.

“Is he dead?”

Ariel spoke in a low voice. He didn’t die when he was desperately trying to kill him, but now he can die so easily.

Not believing it, she bent down to check if he was really dead.

But then.

The malice that Noah had absorbed into his body trickled out from his heart like a thin thread. It rippled around his body like shallow waves.

‘What is this?’

Her jade-colored pupils shook violently.