“...Forget it. A person like you wouldn’t cry even with a coffin in front of you.” Christine let out a sigh, not even knowing what exactly she was lamenting.

The knight picked up his sword again, his gaze unwavering. Even though his injuries had already severely affected his movements, he still pressed forward without hesitation.

Every breath Fate took carried the metallic stench of blood, along with a sharp pain in his heart and lungs.

He knew he was about to die.

For a moment, fragments of the past surfaced in his mind. From escaping that patch of “purgatory,” to later finding his faith, to the solemn oath before the holy temple, to being knighted. There had been times when he lost his way, but fortunately, he had always managed to find his original purpose and true heart again.

Yes. Just as he had said, he had already received what he deserved.

He felt lucky. Lucky to have lived his whole life without betraying his original resolve. And at the very end, there was even an opponent so strong that, no matter what he did, he could never defeat her, there to send him off.

He was already thirty-five now. He wasn’t young anymore.

If he went any further, his strength would only start to wither, like a sponge slowly shrinking after being taken out of water.

To give everything he had in the final campaign of his life—

that was a knight’s romance.

[Sacred Lune Sword Style Purge Across the Eight Wastes]

Clutching the faith filling his heart in his hands, he rose into the sky, and a soaring beam of light stabbed toward his enemy’s chest.

He was still that same young knight who had once sworn to serve justice forever.

“.........” Christine shook her head. “Idiot.”

Not fool. Idiot.

“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”

A gigantic, bone-white fist suddenly smashed down. Without any suspense, it crushed the dazzling sword light and fell mercilessly toward the knight...

After one dull, heavy impact, everything returned to silence.

“To die only after taking two of my attacks, you’re already quite impressive, human.” Looking at the ruins that had gone still again, Christine’s voice carried a slight trace of admiration.

“After all, in this world, the number of people who can take two of my moves can be counted on one hand.”

“........Thank you... for the praise.”

Just as Christine was about to turn and leave, a weak voice came from the ruins.

Christine abruptly turned back and looked into the wreckage. As the smoke cleared, she saw that figure, kneeling on one knee, both hands braced on his sword.

“.........You’re actually still alive.”

“But this is only a final flash before death.” Christine descended to the ground. Her high heels tapped lightly against the floor, making a crisp sound.

She walked up to Fate, then lightly crouched down in front of him. Silver strands fell beneath the moonlight.

“Well? Any last words? If you do, you can say them now. Though telling me won’t do much. Just think of me as a listener.”

“Sorry... for causing you so much trouble, even at the very end.”

“You know that much, at least.” Christine rolled her eyes at Fate, then glanced back at her palace.

“Thanks to you, my palace now doesn’t look much better than a cake chewed up by rats.”

“........Sorry.”

“Sorry my ass. If you’re sorry, then pay for it. I’m telling you to compensate me—can you even afford it??”

“...........”

“Tch, forget it. Looking at how poor and pathetic you are, you haven’t amounted to anything in over twenty years. You’ve been the Guardian General for so many years and you’re still broke as hell. That’s honestly impressive in its own way,” Christine said with a look of disgust.

“I owe you a favor.”

“You owe me a favor? Please. The value of a favor depends on the person who owes it. What’s the point of a dead man’s favor?” Christine stood up and glanced at the knight. “Just go in peace already. Stop thinking about pointless things.”

“........Thank you.”

“Quit thanking me. If someone like you thanks me, I’ll have nightmares.”

“Mmm........”

“You idiot, you...” Realizing something was off about Fate’s condition, Christine turned back, opened her mouth, then silently closed it again.

The knight remained kneeling in the crater, both hands resting on his sword, his head lightly leaning against the hilt, saying nothing.

He looked as if he was merely tired, as if he had fallen asleep while leaning on his sword...

And so, this knight, who had devoted his entire life to the whole continent, fell into a deep sleep.

No one remembered him when he came into this world.

And it was the same when he left.

The divine sword slipped from his hand, fell to the ground, and turned back into a rusted lump of iron.

“Rest well.” Christine hesitated for a moment, sounding a little helpless. “You’ve worked hard, Mr. Knight.”

“Living in this world, you were lonely too, weren’t you?”

“Now, at least, you’re free.” Christine shook her head. Just as she was about to return to her ruined palace, she suddenly felt something strange.

And the source of that strange sensation was none other than the dead knight behind her.

“This... could it be??”

Christine stared at the dead knight in disbelief, her pupils shrinking.

The so-called Divine Race referred to the six races that had lived on the Alren Continent in ancient times.

Over the long years, those six Divine races had gradually withdrawn from the stage of history for all kinds of reasons.

Among them, aside from natural disasters and man-made calamities, the biggest reason was the suffering of the strong. Put simply, reproduction.

The ancient six races had abysmal reproductive ability. So poor that even after thousands of years, when their lifespans were nearly exhausted, they still might not produce a next generation. Add in prolonged wars and internal strife, and their numbers kept dropping with no way to replenish them. In the end, they came close to total extinction.

By now, three of the ancient six races had already intermarried with humans in order to continue their bloodlines and had established nations.

The price was that their bloodlines became thinner with each generation.

But the benefit was that the blood of the Divine Race endured.

The other three races still upheld their ancestral teachings and refused to intermarry with humans.

Those three were the Bloodkin, the Nine Tailed Fox, and the dragons.

Among them, the dragon race had declined so badly in number that it was nearly on the brink of extinction. The Nine Tailed Fox still endured, but it was no longer as prosperous as it once had been, retreating into the deep mountains and hidden provinces of Jiuzhou.

As for the Bloodkin, because their method of reproduction was special, the next generation could fully inherit the previous generation’s bloodline, so they never had to worry about succession.

But only the queen of each generation of Bloodkin knew that their perfect inheritance had limits... and harsh conditions...

“Could it be... him??” Christine unconsciously walked toward the knight. As that aura grew stronger and stronger, a burning heat finally appeared in her usually still eyes.

There was no mistake.

He was the one she had been searching for all along—the human lineage that shared the same origin as their Lasombra bloodline...

“Crackle!”

Yet just as her hand reached toward the knight, a streak of white-crimson lightning suddenly leaped onto her fingertip.

“Ah.........?” Seeing that pale pink lightning taking the shape of a fox spirit, Christine’s eyes widened.

That aura was one she found both familiar and utterly detestable.

“Damn it... damn that filthy fox bitch, it’s you again!” Rarely had Christine ever cursed out loud. “Why is it always you ruining my plans?!”

Looking at Fate, now wrapped in crimson lightning, Christine could only stare in longing, completely helpless.

Ordinary beings naturally couldn’t obstruct a member of the Divine Race. Only a forbidden spell cast by another Divine Race of the same level could do that.

Why was there a protective forbidden spell cast by a fox spirit on him?

Why had he been targeted by a fox spirit?

Christine’s expression shifted uncertainly. She clapped her hands and summoned her subordinates.

“Your Majesty, what are your orders?”

“You lot, deal with this overestimating human. Throw him out of the Crimson Lands.”

“Oh, and deliberately arrange a few witnesses. Understood?”

“As you command.”

Christine gazed at the knight as her subordinates lifted him onto a frame, a thought slowly taking shape in her heart.

But first, she had to confirm whether that thought was true.