My love, my love,

Will you love me when I have nothing, only a soul in agony and a shattered heart?

Will you love me when my youth is gone, my beauty faded, memories starting to blur?

Midnight chants over the great river, morning light piercing through the mountains.

The starry sky shatters, hearts of men corrode.

My beloved Lord,

On the eve of this fiery cataclysmic world's destruction, please, please, please give me a little more time.

I only wish to kiss you, my man, my star of doomsday.

I truly love you, truly adore you.

I try to offer you this bleeding heart of mine, covered in blood, wholeheartedly.

Let it become an alarm clock, placed by your extinguished bedside.

Tick-tock for your next awakening and rebirth.

——————————————————————————

"Kill! Get in there and kill her!"

Someone shouted, and a condensed fireball burst through the gates of Erisburg.

Surging sparks bloomed like flowers in an instant, sending the two gate panels flying.

Merka and Shtan, dressed in black robes, led the charge at the front of the group.

Several maids stood at the castle gate. Their faces ice cold, magical energy surging, they extended flames of terror on their swords and spears, fiercely thrusting them at the first wave of invaders.

Shtan faced the fire snakes darting towards her, her head jerking back, simultaneously sliding into the maidens' sword formation.

"Wind Rope."

Shtan was a ruffian, living off the state welfare, fooling around the streets all day, often harassing young men from decent families.

Because of this, she had been in fights before. In terms of combat experience, most mages might not match her.

With her small stature and agile moves learned from street brawls, she used wind ropes, looping several maidens' ankles together.

"Do not let her pass!"

Some maids panicked instantly, realizing killing the invaders wasn't the main goal—blocking all invaders from seeing the young mistress was their primary task.

To catch the slippery Shtan, they exerted themselves, trying to stab her with spears and slash her with knives.

But this played right into Shtan's hands.

Seizing the opportunity, Shtan tugged on the wind ropes, causing them to tumble to the ground, entangled by the thin lines.

Seeing this, Shtan drew a long knife from her waist, leaped into the air, and ruthlessly stabbed one struggling maid trying to rise, then began to chant.

"Flame Suppression!"

A fierce fireball spewed from Shtan's mouth, heading straight for the maid.

But instead of the maid burning to ashes as expected, a monster slowly rose from the flames.

Tentacles spread across the monster, crimson eyes opening in the blaze, resembling a burning sapling.

Shtan widened her eyes in astonishment, furrowing her brow in disbelief, muttering to herself.

"What kind of creature is this?"

Just as Shtan seemed about to meet her demise, the tentacle stopped three inches away from her skull.

Startled, Shtan turned her head towards the direction of the monster.

It was then she noticed Merka crouched on the monster, using the dagger she gave him to slit its throat.

"Do not pause, keep charging forward."

Merka simply told Shtan, then immediately stood up and dashed towards the castle in the distance.

The garden outside Erisburg's gate, about two to three kilometers away, was unguarded, but it would still take a while to reach it.

Countless mages clashed in this garden, with lives lost in the dark and fiery chaos.

Reality was brutal; the revolutionary army Merka temporarily assembled was nearly defeated by Erisburg's angelic maiden squad.

Yet Merka and Shtan maneuvered through the chaotic battlefield, covering almost half the distance in one breath.

"That creature… do you know what it is after all?"

Observing Merka's figure concealed by the black cloak, Shtan couldn't help but ask.

"...You don't need to worry about that. Just focus on following me."

"Those creatures have strong vitality, almost impossible to kill. You only need to help draw their attention, and I will deliver the fatal blow."

Merka responded in his crisp, youthful voice.

"…Uh."

Shtan didn't know what to say, merely making a soft sound of agreement.

She always felt that Merka in front of her seemed close, yet drifted far away.

He was like the moon in the sky.

Looking close but forever out of reach.