Leke Aileyin arrived at a location approximately 300 kilometers north of the Sacred Mountain and 50 kilometers from the coast.

The battleship spewed out black smoke, and almost every part of its outer wall was missing, as it continued to sail towards the sea in the north.

After a while, Miledi and others also moved to the deck in front of the bridge.

Meredith clasped her hands tightly across her chest.

She was deeply resentful of not having been able to reach God. She was grieved by the loss of so many of her companions. She was worried about the continued retreat of her companions. A cascade of emotions filled her mind, and a look of unresolved sorrow appeared on her face.

"...I think you could be happier."

The plan was almost entirely successful. Not only did it save the people, but it also revealed the truth about God to the public. It dispelled the church's myth of absolutes and expressed the ideas of the liberators.

But I guess only an old man like me can be so open-minded—Sarus thought so and smiled bitterly.

Everyone was lost in their own feelings, and the silence lasted for a long time. However, the moment they could catch their breath didn't last long. Meredith suddenly turned around and shouted:

"Grandpa Saroo! Those guys are coming!"

In an instant, the atmosphere on the entire bridge became tense again.

"Prepare to move!" Even though Sarus gave such instructions, he received a sad answer: "Not enough magic power, unable to move!"

"Escape Plan 2 Part 2!"

"Did you hear that?! Get ready!"

Lek Airen began to creak, as if wailing. "Hold on a little longer," Sarus muttered, touching the armrest of the chair and staring outside with a serious look.

Because, like a shower of meteors, a large number of silver flashes chased the battleship from behind. It was a large group of apostles numbering thousands.

"Are these guys targeting Lek Aileyin!?" Oscar shouted excitedly.

He was right. The apostles' movements seemed more like they wanted to destroy Lek Aileyin or its crew members rather than hunting down Miledi and others.

"God is so cruel!"

Bandu immediately transformed, using his huge body and dragon scales as an ice dragon to resist, while at the same time spitting out dragon breath to fight back.

Nizu activated spatial expansion and a barrier, while Meir activated a delay field to block the attack. Meredith and Oscar countered with gravity magic and decomposition bombardment, respectively. Roth also sent out clones to counter the attack. Lutilis provided support from behind.

However, everyone only then realized that they were more tired than they had imagined.

They couldn't display the same strength they had during the decisive battle. This must have been because they had previously expended considerable energy in breaking the "Sanctuary's Barrier."

If they let their guard down for even a moment, their defenses would be breached instantly, leaving them no time to repair their warships.

"Everyone, hold on a little longer! We're almost at sea!"

Meredi's cry boosted everyone's morale, and they were determined not to let their companions on the battleship be sacrificed.

Tens of minutes stretched on, seeming like an eternity. The damage from the bombardment, which hadn't been completely stopped, finally left the ship unable to maintain its buoyancy, and it began to fly lower and lower.

"Coordinator! We've entered the effective range!"

The long-awaited sea finally appeared before their eyes. Sarus broadcast the order "Escape!" to the entire ship.

This meant an urgent escape from Lek Airein through the Black Gate. Their destination was another ship hidden among the coastal rocks—the Melkinne. Following Oscar's extensive modifications based on Lek Airein, the Melkinne had been transformed into a second magical submarine.

It was only one-third the size of Lek Airein. If everyone moved there, it would be a massive crowd, but there was no other choice. In this escape plan, Lek Airein was used as bait in a critical moment, deliberately allowing the enemy to shoot him down.

"Miledi, we're going out too!"

After hearing Sarus's words over the comms, Meredy glanced at Rouse. After confirming through telepathy that everyone in Lek Ayrein had left, Rouse nodded.

"Escape!" Miledi shouted loudly, and Oscar and others gathered around Niz at the same time, disappearing from the scene in an instant by teleporting.

Afterwards, the magic submarine Gongleke Ailin was penetrated by a large amount of silver light, marking the end of its long history.

Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Magical Armored Melkine, Sarus, Meredy, and the others hid, daring not to make a sound. The Melkine had completely transformed, becoming a miniature, metallic version of the Luke Airein.

The area within a hundred kilometers beyond the northern coast is all shallow, making it impossible to dive deep. One must hide in the sea and wait until the apostles leave.

In the distance, he could see Lek Airein crashing, under intense bombardment. Seeing the place where he had spent half his life completely destroyed, Sarus was deeply saddened.

Finally, the rays of light from the decomposition bombardment vanished one by one...

The crew prayed, hoping the apostles would leave as soon as possible. However, Michaela's expression became tense.

"Here they come! We've been discovered!"

"Grandpa Saroo, run away as fast as you can! Once we're out of the shallows, we can dive into the deep sea!"

"Mileddy..."

"Don't you dare say that, Grandpa Saroo!"

Meredy's roar echoed throughout the bridge, for she knew what Sarus was about to say.

The apostles have been persistently pursuing Lek Aileyin. Given that, it's natural to think that the next targets should be Sarus and the others, perhaps giving Meredith and the others a chance to escape.

Everyone on the bridge seemed to be thinking the same thing, a look of preparedness on their faces that frightened Meredith immensely. She wanted to plead with them to put away their expressions.

But, in fact, there seems to be no other way.

"We can't lose in a place like this!"

Meredi glared at the approaching group of apostles with burning eyes.

Although Oscar and the others were still gasping for breath, they were ready for battle, determined to fight to the end.

Right at this moment.

『『『『『Roar! 』』』』』

As a tremendous roar sounded, thousands of flashes of light shot towards the apostles.

Everyone was stunned. Then Michaela shouted.

"This is... a swarm of dragons! A large number of dragons are coming from the east!"

Meredi and the others looked towards the eastern sky at the same time and saw a large group of brave and strong dragons, which seemed to number at least five thousand.

“No, that’s not right. That’s…!”

Perhaps because Bandu shared half of the same bloodline, he could tell at a glance. Those weren't just any ordinary dragons; all five thousand of them had transformed into dragons. In other words, they were all—

"We are here to rescue you on the orders of His Majesty the Dragon King. I am Grace Schnee, the Dragon General of the Astron Dragon Kingdom Army."

It was a dragon-man. As a massive dragon's breath formed a barrier blocking the apostles, an ice dragon with beautiful blue scales flew down to the battleship and announced its identity in a majestic voice.

"Shone?" Meredi asked. Everyone, not just her, looked at Bandu in bewilderment.

Bandu froze. Grace's dragon eyes fixed on him, narrowing gently.

"We can't let our precious grandson die. Retreat quickly."

Although my mind is full of questions and confusion, I now understand at least one thing.

That is—no more companions will be sacrificed.

Prequel 6 Chapter 2 Dragon Kingdom and Ancient Legends

Inside the chapel after the liberators retreated.

"Lord Lelaye, please hold on! I will treat you immediately!"

A White Light Knight desperately cast magic to heal Division Commander Lelaye, the sole surviving captain-level knight. Gravely wounded, Lelaye coughed up blood, his vision blurring. Even so, she still had to ask.

"What's the situation?"

"Please rejoice! God has not abandoned us! The apostles, as numerous as the limitless, have descended, and those guys have finally been defeated and are retreating with their tails between their legs!"

"Where are the captains?"

"...She must have been kidnapped. Anyway, please stop talking and focus on healing."

The White Light Knights had suffered heavy losses, having lost many of their commanding members. Therefore, losing Lelaye was even more crucial. The knights were filled with anxiety, fearing they would lose their command.

Leleye understood her subordinate's feelings and decided to do as they said. She closed her eyes, calmed herself, and then...

“Hmm?… Uh, ah, what, who is it!? No…!”

"Lord Lelaye! What's wrong with you?!"

Lelaye suddenly rolled on the ground, clutching his head. Chaos ensued, and the other surviving knights rushed over to offer their help. However, Lelaye's struggles soon ceased.

"Uh... Lord Lelaye?"

The knight asked timidly. After a beat, Lelaye gently opened his eyes.

"It's okay. Get treated quickly."

Her tone was flat, and her icy gaze seemed familiar. Her tone conveyed an unwavering sense of oppression. Although the knight was confused, he immediately treated her.

Five minutes later, the more serious injuries had healed. Le Laye said, "That's enough," and stood up. He ordered a quick search for survivors and headed towards the collapsed wall.

She gazed towards the Divine Capital. The clamor of the Divine Capital could be heard from here as well. Five apostles were dismantling the giant tree wall.

At this moment, she sensed someone approaching from behind. It was a familiar, terrifying presence.

"Master Esther, I see you're alright."

"...We apostles, one is all. We are immortal beings, incapable of being harmed."

The one who came to Lelaye was Esther, who had been sealed by Mei's restoration of the Sealing Rock. The wounds caused by the "Bad Engraving" were gone.

"You are too modest. You are God's first apostle, beloved by the Lord."

Esther didn't answer. Perhaps because she felt bad about having to trouble her master twice, she asked the same question in return.

"As for you, isn't it okay? After all, you lost everything."

"It's truly a headache. I never expected such a complete annihilation. As time passes, the number of people with powerful innate magic decreases. Perhaps we'll never be able to assemble a team of the same quality again."

"That's not what I'm asking about. It's about your soul."

Le Laye said "Oh", put his hands on his chest and said with his head slightly tilted.

"Although there are some defects, the integration went smoothly, there are no problems. No matter what, I will not die before I retrieve the holy sword... She is mine."

At the end of her speech, her expression was filled with persistence and madness, which was creepy. "Is that so?" Esther simply responded with this, and then said what she wanted to convey.

"Let's leave the Liberator alone for now. We'll prepare the final entertainment. You'll just clean up the mess."

"As commanded."

Esther flapped her silver wings and flew away.

"Um, please tell me... Lord Lelaye?"

While Lelaye was talking, the knights were waiting behind him, awaiting instructions. After hearing the conversation, the knights looked confused. Lelaye turned around and spoke to them.

"I don't want that name anymore. From now on, you must call me Darion Katz."

Needless to say, the knights looked even more confused.

Ten days had passed since the day of the decisive battle. After noon on that day—

Inside a stately two-story wooden house, Meredith sat on the porch, barefoot and swinging her feet.

She wasn't wearing her usual attire, but a light green, single-layered garment cinched with a belt. In this country, this kind of attire is called a yukata. She had let her hair down and stared blankly out at the courtyard.

However, her mood did not seem to be one of appreciating the beautiful landscape garden.

He looked like he was thinking hard, but also like he was not thinking about anything.

He looks calm, yet seems anxious.

Regardless, Meredith was completely devoid of her usual innocent and irritating demeanor, and the aura she exuded made it difficult to speak to her.

"Brother Oscar, go and knock her down and kiss her."

"Do you want me to die?"

"It's called shock therapy."

In the corner of the corridor some distance away from Meredith, Mel pulled at Oscar's thin ink-colored bathrobe.

"She seems much calmer now."

"That's true... but I still can't bear it."

Mei crossed her arms, looking glum. Her sky-blue yukata barely covered her bust, making it appear quite alluring. Although she wore it, she always refused to wear it properly, loosening the collar, removing the sleeves, and sometimes even shortening the hem without permission, causing various annoyances to the residents of the mansion.

"I think Meredith needs some time to do nothing right now. No, maybe we do too."

"That's right. Anyway, we can only wait..."

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