final opportunity, then things will undoubtedly come to a head once more. After all, humanity has shown they cannot be trusted." "Ah, I get it. You're worried that someday, humanity will decide to exclude the other two races." Kaito nodded. The first imperial princess threw concealed knives at him and leveled countless thrusts his way, all the while confirming his assessment. "They will. It may not happen for decades, or even centuries, but what kind of ruler would I be if I didn't consider the future of my people? Humanity is fundamentally xenophobic, and they consider themselves special, whether they realize it or not. They will bring about another tragedy, mark my words." Kaito repelled her sword again and again. Clear, ringing noises filled the air, and he came to realize a certain fact. The first imperial princess hadn't been appointed by mistake. The Three Kings of the Forest, the ones who'd appointed the imperial family, had known exactly what they were doing. Unlike the second imperial princess, Vyade the Wise Wolf, she was belligerent, but she, too, had the makings of a ruler. In order for the beastfolk to survive, they needed both moderates and extremists. The only problem was that if they followed her lead and acted against humanity while they could, then the world would be destroyed. Is she just misjudging her own strength? No...if anything, it's that her imagination is lacking. Realizing that, Kaito frowned. After all, the beastfolk had never seen what Diablo and the demons were capable of. Some of their people had been massacred by paladins who'd consumed demon meat, but they'd managed to avoid ever being attacked by a full-fledged demon. And the hellscapes that demons created were beyond what any normal person could imagine. As a result, the first imperial princess had no way of knowing the horrors that awaited them. However, Kaito couldn't bring himself to blame her for her ignorance. For one thing, not even the Church, the people who'd caused their predicament, fully grasped the true situation. It was nigh impossible for the living to comprehend just what it meant for the world to be approaching its demise. But right now, Kaito needed to impress that impossibility on everyone present. Every living being needed to know. For their own sakes. Nobody's gonna come save us. He couldn't leave them with any leeway to consider what would come afterward. "If things go on like this, we'll all die." Kaito's declaration was simple and to the point. The first imperial princess opened her mouth, then closed it again. The sharp certainty of his words must have sparked something in her. Her sword was pressing against his Nameless, and she put her strength into it, then leaped backward. After putting some distance between herself and Kaito, she shot another piercing gaze his way. Kaito looked straight back into her golden eyes. He opened his mouth once more. But the moment he did, it came without warning. *** It came with a thump. Kaito's heart pounded violently, and he vomited up a large amount of blood. The pure-white round table was painted a vivid shade of red. A stir spread through the present dignitaries. However, nobody made to stand up. The sole person who was quick to react was Hina. "Master Kaito!" When she dashed across the table this time, she didn't stop. The hem of her maid outfit fluttered as she rushed to Kaito's side. She knelt in the pool of blood without hesitation. "...Hi...na..." "My dear Master Kaito, are you all right? Oh, how it pains my heart to see you so. If only I could take your place... Here, try to calm your breathing." Hina's clothes and feet were stained wet and red. But she rubbed Kaito's back, paying that fact little heed. The dignitaries remained in their seats. The rebel was coughing up blood. Now was their chance, yet nobody moved. To the contrary, their faces were all frozen. Even the people with no magical training were stiffening up. As he looked out over them, Kaito's thoughts took a self-deprecating turn. Am I...really that abnormal? At the same time, though, he understood. His mana was both causing the very air to shake ominously and also exploding in volume. Anyone watching his bizarre development would find it warped. "Hmm. I take it the second bugle has blown, then?" "The garbage has been released, like a swarm of locusts." An unpleasant grin spread across Vlad's face as he propped his chin up with his finger. The Kaiser's tone was curt and displeased. La Christoph was facing straight ahead, and he spoke with a calmness rarely found in saints. "Is it here?" "Yeah. It is." The question was concise, and Kaito replied in kind. He pressed his cheek softly against Hina's and rose to his feet. The first imperial princess cocked her head in confusion. Before her eyes, Kaito thrust out his hand. Then he ran mana through the pool of blood that had accumulated in the table's depression. "La (reflect)." With a whoosh, the crimson surface began glowing. Light knit together in the air, forming an image. Even using one of the Church's communication devices, projecting a clear picture of events that were taking place far away was difficult. As he was now, though, Kaito could do it like it was second nature. The image expanded out over the round table, revealing what was happening at the World's End in real time. Several people let out cries of terror. The sky in the image was stained jet-black. Normally, the sky at the World's End was empty, with nothing there but oily, rainbow-colored lights drifting amid a smooth, gray backdrop. Now, though, it was sullied by an endless night. And to make things even more unbelievable, the blackness was growing endlessly blacker. Its true identity was a massive swarm of freshly released underlings. The tiny shadows had gathered together and, in doing so, had dyed the sky black. It was like looking at ruin incarnate. The throng was communicating a single malevolent will. The world shall end. For that is what decided. "The second wave." Upon hearing Kaito's declaration, the first imperial princess gazed at the image in wonderment, wordlessly glaring at the countless figures. Then suddenly, she closed her eyes. Her voice sounded parched, yet it came across clear and crisp. "You say there will be even more?" "The third wave will come tomorrow at sunset, and the fourth wave should be released the day after, at around noon." Kaito's reply was dispassionate. Because he'd received Elisabeth's heart, he was connected to her and Diablo's pillar as a result. Thanks to that, he had a clear grasp on how the doomsday needle was moving. He spoke with complete confidence, something that lent additional persuasion to an already powerful proclamation. The first imperial princess nodded, then clicked her tongue again. Kaito could easily tell what was going through her mind. The beastfolk excel at single combat, I bet. They don't have any saints at their disposal, and they're not great at magic. There's no way they can show off their true strength against that insane number of underlings. From the beastfolk's perspective, humanity had ceased to be their friendly neighbors and were now nothing more than a fearsome threat. But without their help, it was unlikely they'd be able to wipe out all the underlings. At the same time, Kaito saw something in the first imperial princess's expression. Good. She realizes it, too. Kaito had already known. Once the second wave hit, even humanity's help wouldn't be enough to mount a complete defense. After all, the whole reason the Church had entrusted the subjugation of the fourteen demons to the Torture Princess, a peerless sinner, was because they themselves lacked the power to do so. Their supply of saints was limited, and even then, not only did the saints lack mobility, but they also suffered considerable exhaustion from each shot they fired. Furthermore, thanks to the repeated demon battles and the hasty actions of the reconstruction sect, the Church had lost many of their best paladins. In short, the tools they could fight Diablo with were extremely lacking. At the end of the day, whether the beastfolk chose to fight against humanity or alongside them, the result would be the same. Every living creature would die. However, even so, there remained one way to fight back against the end. For a monster existed in this world. The first imperial princess cast a stern gaze toward Kaito. As she appraised him with her eyes, she asked him a question. "...Can you kill them?" "Damn right I can." Kaito wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth as he gave his answer. There was one thing that he was confident of. The Torture Princess isn't around for humanity to rely on anymore. Which means... At the moment, there existed no one more suited to subjugate demons than Kaito Sena. The truth was, his mana was increasing violently because of the pain the underlings were causing. That perverse fact, combined with his immortal body, meant wiping out the underlings was no mere pipe dream. The first imperial princess took stock of the ominous trembling in the air. Then she clicked her tongue a third time. "Tch." Clink. After that she mixed in a sharper noise. Of all things, she'd sheathed her sword. Her subordinates let out agitated cries. Her back turned to them, she proudly introduced herself. "My name is Valisisa Ula Forstlast." Kaito nodded. In that moment, by him learning her nameâ€”one other than the first imperial princess, that isâ€”she'd become more familiar to him. Valisisa accompanied her self-introduction with a graceful bow. "I'll admit I acted somewhat hastily. The world after this will be ours, but for now, it seems we must leave it in your hands. We beastfolk value results. Show us who you are, Mad King." The assembled congregation gasped. Somebody tried to raise an objection, but Vyade Ula Forstlast rose from her seat and silently cut them off. Following her sister's lead, she, too, gave a courteous bow. Upon seeing that, the first imperial prince of the beastfolk twitched the tip of his panther nose. He hurriedly corrected his posture. At that very moment, a mere human had earned the backing of both Valisisa Ula Forstlast, the first imperial princess, and Vyade Ula Forstlast, the second imperial princess. Given the first imperial princess's statement, it was only natural that the beastfolk came under Kaito's command. The demi-humans nodded and gave their assent. In contrast to her obedient words, though, Valisisa's next remark was tinged with naked bloodlust. "However, if you fail, I will personally take your head." "Oh yeah. If that happens, then I don't deserve to live. No complaints here." When Kaito returned her threat, there was no fervor in his voice. He meant every word he'd said. The two of them stared at each other a moment longer. Valisisa took a few steps forward. Then she wordlessly drew her weapon. Kaito naturally followed her lead and brandished Nameless in kind. A loud, sharp ringing sound filled the air as they struck their swords against each other. In place of a handshake, the Mad King and the first imperial princess of the beastfolk had crossed their blades. And on that note, with the boy from another world at its centerâ€” â€”the unified three-race defensive front began to move. 2 On the Northernmost Shore Off in the distance, crows were cawing. Their voices, tinged with melancholy, stirred up a certain nostalgia. The owners of these voices circled about the gray sky with their black wings spread wide. In truth, they weren't actually crows. They weren't even birds at all. Their cries, beaks, and black wings did resemble those of crows, but the creatures turning through the sky did not have craniums. Their soft brain matter was fully exposed, some of it having even broken down. And their bodies