As Eldrick and the other soldiers buried the bodies, they started walking toward the kingdom.
But there was a problem—the kingdom was surrounded by the Nyxglow River, which covered the entire area, making it difficult to enter without a boat.
One of the men, feeling uncomfortable, started sighing.
"We're not really going to swim all the way to the kingdom, right? I mean, by the time we get there, we'll probably be so exhausted they could kill us with ease!"
Another man responded, "Stop complaining. We know you hate swimming… but how will you swim all the way to shore, Elrick? Especially with just one hand."
Elrick smirked. "Nah, don't worry. None of us have to swim. Apparently, they dug a tunnel that connects the kingdom to this side."
"Wow, that's actually a smart idea," said one of the men. "I don't know how I didn't think of that earlier. By the way, how do you know this, boss? Did Aurelius tell you?"
"Yes, he did," said Elrick as they started walking toward the hidden entrance.
The man hesitated before speaking again. "Shouldn't we have begged him a bit more to join our forces instead of trying to kill him right away, boss? After all, he definitely would have helped in killing Darian, the king."
"From what I've heard, the king is insanely powerful—apparently, he has bonded with a strong demon," another man added. "And not just the king—two more members of the royal family possess 'Creation' in the castle! Do we really plan to kill them all? Plus, even though the soldiers may not have Creations, there are a lot of them."
Elrick looked both angry and bored with all the talking before suddenly screaming.
"ENOUGH!" he shouted, then mocked the man with a slow, mocking tone. "That and that and the king and that… He changed his mind!" Elrick shook his head. "The moment he appeared before us, I knew Aurelius had changed his mind. And there was nobody who could have convinced him to help us out!"
"As for the king… well, the king is sick, and his demonic powers will be sealed. But I'm sure he won't go down without a fight…" he grinned, "but neither will I."
They found the entrance, and Elrick gathered the men to give them a final speech.
"Listen up!" said Elrick. "We're about to enter the tunnel. We have no idea where the tunnel's exit will be. For all we know, we could be walking straight into an ambush. That's why we must begin the seal right now!"
One by one, they entered the tunnel and started creating an Infinity Lock Seal—a powerful seal that took a long time to complete, but the rewards were worth it.
In the castle, the queen had woken up.
Just by looking at her face, it was clear she was exhausted. Her messy hair clung to her pale skin, her eyes barely open. Her body, once strong, had weakened—she had lost weight in just a short time.
She looked at the wound where they had cut her. It was covered in bandages…
As she was about to get up, one of the maids entered the room.
"Where are you going, my queen?" The maid hurried over, gently taking her hand.
"I must go!" the queen said. "Has the ceremony started?"
The maid nodded. "Yes, it started fifteen minutes ago. The king thought you wouldn't wake up."
"Yeah, I figured…" the queen muttered, struggling to stand. "But I must go. I want to see which powerful demon he will extract. I wouldn't be surprised if he manages to get the Demon King himself."
The maid's eyes widened. "Hopefully, he will, my queen. If that happens, the entire world will bow to our kingdom!"
With the maid's help, the queen slowly made her way toward the garden, where the king and the newborn prince were.
Meanwhile, in the tunnel, after several minutes of running, they finally reached the end.
Elrick's eyes gleamed as he saw daylight.
"MEN!" he screamed. "Do your worst!"
One by one, they jumped out, the last remaining being Elrick. He scratched his bald head, cracked his neck, and with a simple swoosh, leaped out.
They expected resistance the moment they emerged—yet no one was there.
"Huh? Where are they?" one of the men muttered in confusion.
Elrick smirked. "Oh well. This actually works in our favor. Ready the final seal!"
Just as they were about to activate it, a man came running down the street. His face was pale with fear, his breathing heavy as he panted, sweat dripping down his forehead.
When he saw Elrick and the men, he mistook them for kingdom soldiers.
The man hesitated for a moment—something about them looked different. But in his desperation, he ignored the feeling and ran straight to Elrick.
"P-please!" the man stammered, his voice trembling.
Elrick frowned. "What's wrong?"
The man grabbed Elrick's arm, his grip weak and desperate.
"Help me please "
Elrick's expression changed . "Yeah I'll help you don't worry ."
The man's eyes widened as Elrick's grip tightened around his throat. He struggled, his hands clawing at Elrick's arm, his legs kicking as he gasped for breath.
SNAP!
His body went limp. Elrick dropped him like trash.
"Set the seal!" he ordered as the man's corpse hit the ground.
SEAL CREATION: INFINITY LOCK!
All of their Creations surged upward, forming a massive glowing circle that enclosed the entire kingdom.
Inside the castle, the people of the kingdom were celebrating, going about their daily activities—until they noticed the red lights forming in the sky.
In the demonic fountain, where rituals were performed, one of the priests approached the king.
"Your Majesty, we are ready for the ceremony."
The king extended his hands, preparing to give the baby to the priest.
At that moment, the queen arrived.
"Wait, my love," she said softly. "Let me see him first."
The king gently placed the baby in her arms. Tears welled in her eyes as she gazed at her beautiful boy, overcome with joy.
Then, together with her husband, she handed the child to the priest.
And the priest began the ritual!