Page 167

In the pitch-black inferno, two men were engulfed in flames.

One had already crumbled into ash.

Clang—

Isabel felt her heart plummet.

Her face turned deathly pale, and her surroundings blurred into chaos.

"You!"

Isabel desperately cried out, reaching toward Hannon, who was still standing amid the blaze.

But someone blocked her path.

"Stop. You mustn’t touch him."

"What—?"

The person standing in her way was none other than Centriol, the former paladin.

His appearance was a wreck after battling the manifested form of the Abomination.

"Let me go! He’s—!"

Isabel struggled against him, but this time, Acrede appeared as well.

"Isabel."

Her face was drawn with exhaustion, her breathing labored from the brutal fight against the Abomination.

"You can’t touch him right now. You’ll be caught up in it too."

Hearing even the saintess Acrede tell her not to, Isabel’s eyes shook violently.

"Caught up in it…?"

"It’s a soul fusion state."

Then, Musika appeared, borrowing Vinesha’s body.

She was battered from her own struggle in the Otherworld, covered in wounds.

"It seems Vulcan was trying to escape. He must’ve been caught while being pursued, and now they’re fused like this."

However, Musika’s expression remained grim.

"I knew the Veil Bandages were gnawing away at his emotions, but I didn’t think he’d go so far as to throw his body away. That’s why I warned him."

"What…?"

Isabel blinked in confusion.

She knew the Veil Bandages caused the loss of three emotions.

But she hadn’t understood the full extent of its influence.

"The Veil Bandages are more insidious than you think. The loss of the three emotions creates a chain reaction. It doesn’t just apply to others—it applies to himself too."

Isabel’s face hardened.

A person who no longer loves themselves.

A person who no longer grows angry at themselves.

A person who no longer grieves for themselves.

What lay at the end of that path?

"The Veil Bandages gradually make you stop valuing yourself. And in the end…"

Musika trailed off, saying no more.

But Isabel knew what that end would be.

Her eyes trembled.

"No…"

She turned to look at Vikamon, engulfed in flames.

Her chest ached as though it were burning too.

At some point, Vikamon had taken up an irreplaceable place in her heart.

That place was now larger than what Lucas or even her brother once occupied.

"No, no, no! No! Absolutely not!"

When she saw Vikamon, she smiled without realizing it.

Their playful exchanges were strangely comforting.

She had replayed his words every night in her mind.

From the first moment she saw him until now, he had filled her entire being.

Ah, I see.

If I lose Vikamon, I won’t be able to stand again.

It was different from Lucas.

Somehow, Vikamon had become more than just a dear friend—he had become something far greater.

She imagined Vikamon turning to look at her.

In his eyes, there was always a gentle warmth directed toward her.

Tears welled in Isabel’s eyes.

Now, she finally realized.

She understood what this feeling meant.

"I… I love him."

She didn’t know when it began.

But from the moment she did, everything about him had become precious.

And now she understood.

She could feel how much Vikamon must have suffered after losing that same love.

She loves him.

She wanted to tell him directly.

No matter what she had to give up, she wanted to tell him.

"How… How can I bring him back?"

Musika had said Vikamon was in a fused soul state.

Isabel’s eyes were filled with unwavering determination.

She was certain Vikamon hadn’t recklessly charged at Vulcan without reason.

He must have been certain of victory.

Though she was angry at him for being so reckless, more than anything, she wanted to save him.

"Vulcan’s body has already disintegrated. It all depends on who wins in the soul world."

Musika’s voice was the heaviest it had ever been.

Who wins…

Only the two of them inside could determine that outcome.

So, Isabel clenched her fists tightly.

She couldn’t help him directly.

But at the very least, she wanted him to know.

That she was here, waiting for him to return.

Flutter!

At that moment, a pair of divine wings spread from Isabel’s back.

The wings were larger than any she had ever summoned before, and everyone held their breath.

Feathers scattered around her, drifting in the light.

"Then the answer is clear, isn’t it?"

Isabel stood amid the brilliant radiance, gazing at the burning figure of Vikamon with steadfast conviction.

"He’ll come back safely."

He always had.

She had no doubt that this time would be no different.

* * *

In the soul world shared by Vulcan and me, I was sprinting like a madman.

For a simple reason.

Fallen flames were raining down from the sky like a meteor shower.

Vulcan, you insane bastard.

Even here, in the soul world, he rampaged as he pleased.

I dodged the falling meteors and glanced upward.

Far in the distance, Vulcan was soaring effortlessly through the air.

‘Honestly, I have to admit it.’

The gap between Vulcan and me was vast.

In the past, he was the mercenary king—the hero who saved the world.

His years of experience far exceeded my own.

Even his inner strength was forged by countless trials worthy of a hero’s name.

In the real world, it might be different.

But here, in the soul world, Vulcan could wield his power without restraint.

I, on the other hand, was barely at the level of a student from Zerion Academy.

There was no comparison.

And Vulcan knew it.

That was why he had set out from the start to steal my body.

"Isn’t it about time you gave up?"

Vulcan’s voice echoed from afar.

Could I defeat Vulcan in the soul world?

Unfortunately, I had already concluded that it was impossible.

There was no way to overcome him here.

I had long since accepted that.

‘What now?’

As I racked my brain for a solution, a thought suddenly struck me.

‘Wait a minute.’

This was Vulcan and my shared soul world.

And then, I recalled something Musika had once told me.

"But your soul’s connection to your body is strangely faint. It’s as if… you’re possessing someone else."

A faint connection to my body.

Possession.

These two words echoed sharply in my mind.

‘If this really is our shared soul world…’

My eyes widened slightly.

I was possessing Vikamon.

But in this place, I stood in my true form.

Vikamon was nowhere to be found.

What did that mean?

"Hah."

A faint chuckle escaped my lips.

Vulcan had claimed he would become the master of this soul world and seize my body.

But he had no idea how foolish that was.

Everything was clear now.

I turned around.

And then, I charged straight through the light of the meteor shower made of the Fallen Flame.

My target was Vulcan.

I had to make him believe he had destroyed my soul.

I began my dash toward him.

Vulcan clicked his tongue when he saw me.

He realized this was my final desperate struggle.

He clenched his hand.

In response, the Fallen Flame flared up all at once, gathering in his grip.

The soul realm warped around him.

The sheer concentration of power around him was unimaginably dangerous.

And yet, I didn’t stop.

I ran toward Vulcan with everything I had.

It didn’t matter if he sensed something suspicious.

I just had to keep running with all my strength.

"How reckless."

The distance between us closed rapidly.

But Vulcan’s flames were completed first.

"Don’t worry."

A black light burst from Vulcan’s grasp.

"I’ll make good use of your body."

Then, the moment he swung his hand, the black light surged and engulfed me.

As it grazed past, I vanished from the spot.

* * *

Vikamon Niflheim.

Disguised as Hannon with the Veil Bandages, he had been burning for an hour.

Moving him carelessly could cause his soul to collapse.

They were aware that Duke of Whitewood was fighting the Earth Dragon outside,

but all they could do was wait in silence.

While everyone held their breath,

Snap!

The Fallen Flame burning Vikamon extinguished.

"Acrede!"

Isabel, who had been watching over Vikamon the entire time, shouted.

Acrede immediately rushed to his side.

His body was covered in burns.

As Acrede worked to heal him, Centriol kept his hand on his sword.

He was ready to strike the moment Vikamon woke up—

in case it was no longer him.

Even Xenia, overcome with anxiety, waited in tense silence.

Then,

"Ugh… ugh…"

A pained groan escaped from Vikamon's lips.

Isabel quietly observed him.

Finally, his eyes slowly opened.

Vikamon blinked as if confused,

as though he had no memory of losing consciousness.

His gaze fell on Isabel.

"Isabel?"

The moment he called her name, Isabel bit her lip hard.

"You're not him."

As soon as she spoke, Centriol was already moving.

His sword slashed forward, cutting a line across Vikamon’s forehead,

revealing the dark interior beneath.

"You should’ve just stayed fooled."

Clang!

Centriol’s sword collided with Vikamon’s hand, sending sparks flying.

Black flames ignited along Vikamon's palm.

"I could tell before—this body of his is really tough."

Vulcan let out a twisted laugh.

Centriol's eyes narrowed sharply.

Vikamon’s body was far more durable and trained than Vulcan's own.

Now infused with the Fallen Flame, he was even more formidable.

‘This won’t be easy.’

Even Centriol, a cardinal, couldn't be certain of victory.

That was how dangerous Vulcan was in Vikamon's body.

"…Give him back."

A chilling voice rang out.

It was Isabel, staggering to her feet.

The divine energy of the Goddess's Wing radiated fiercely,

so powerful that even Centriol’s face hardened.

"Give him back."

Her eyes burned with fury.

Vulcan, watching her blankly, soon tilted his head with a sneer.

"His soul has already been shattered into pieces. How should I give him back?"

The Goddess’s Wing unfurled.

The divine light emanating from it was so blinding it nearly blinded the others.

Isabel leapt into the sky,

her sword clashing violently with Vulcan’s flaming palm.

Driven by rage, Isabel was unstoppable.

Even Vulcan struggled against her ferocity.

But she wasn’t alone.

The others charged in alongside her.

"He must’ve been pretty important to you lot."

Vulcan’s smirk widened from within the Fallen Flame.

"But you seem to have forgotten one thing."

At that moment, Vulcan’s eyes shifted.

"Ancient Dragon Magic!"

"No!"

Xenia shouted.

She realized he was attempting to cast the dragon magic engraved in Vikamon's body.

If he combined the Fallen Flame with ancient dragon magic,

there would be no stopping him.

Everyone hurried to stop him—

but they were already too late.

Vulcan had already activated the spell.

"Zerion, your mistake will be—"

"Grahh!"

Suddenly, Vulcan screamed.

He twisted violently, his body wracked with searing agony.

"What… what is this?!"

Too late, Vulcan realized that something was tearing him apart from within.

He quickly examined his own body—

and saw it.

The remnants of the ancient dragon.

The dragon's remnants were a curse.

Vikamon had forcibly suppressed it all this time.

Now, without Vikamon’s presence, the curse ran wild.

And that wasn’t all.

Boom!

The entire space shook violently,

the tremors indistinguishable from an earthquake.

Vulcan knew exactly what this was.

The Earth Dragon.

An ancient being that had lived from the old era to the present,

now closing in on the Divine Order’s stronghold.

Vulcan's eyes shook with panic.

The remnants of the dragon were a curse born from a dragon.

Naturally, the Earth Dragon could sense it.

And dragons were territorial by nature.

Sensing the presence of another dragon's magic,

there was no way it would leave Vulcan alone.

Spatial magic was still disabled.

Xenia was maintaining her divine magic,

preventing any form of teleportation.

If Vulcan wasn't careful,

he would be torn apart by the very dragon he had awakened.

"This is what happens when you act recklessly."

At that moment, Vulcan's mouth moved against his will.

His eyes widened in shock.

"You…!"

Isabel cried out, her voice trembling with raw emotion.

"…How?"

A bewildered whisper escaped Vulcan’s lips.

"How? What do you mean?"

Vikamon’s voice answered indifferently,

his expression utterly composed.

"The soul realm you stole was never connected to this body to begin with."

"You can keep it—take as much as you want."

Vikamon raised his hand.

The ring on his right hand gleamed with a brilliant light.

"Come on, Vulcan."

A chilling grin spread across Vikamon’s face.

"Let’s see who wins this test of endurance."

They would fight until the Earth Dragon arrived.

Who would hold out longer?

"Come, Lightning Tempest."

A blue flash pierced through Vikamon.