The newspaper companies were moving busily.
As the Holy War began, they continuously received wireless transmissions in real time, closely monitoring how the situation was unfolding.
Whenever something newsworthy happened, they wrote the article immediately and published that day’s paper.
“Keep checking for updates!”
“Don’t miss a single report! Every one of them is a scoop!”
With the Holy War beginning and the entire continent’s attention converging on Bretus, it was an unprecedented situation.
Newspapers sold faster than ever before.
Everyone wanted to know what was happening between the Demon King’s army and the Holy Crusaders in Bretus.
And the only ones capable of gathering that attention were the newspaper companies receiving reports from their war correspondents in real time.
Even though prices had gone up, the newspapers still sold like wildfire.
Normally printed once a day, they were now being issued almost every hour due to the special wartime circumstances.
Because of that, the newspaper companies entered an unprecedented boom, rowing hard to keep up with the momentum.
“They say Bretus is filled with dark clouds.”
“A storm is raging in the sky—but surprisingly, the sea is calm.”
“They say the island is crawling with black beasts.”
“And a tidal wave struck, entangling the battleships together in chaos.”
People listened intently to the ongoing reports coming in real time.
Flora was no exception.
Sitting in the seat reserved only for the head of House Lumos, she tossed aside the newspaper she had just finished reading.
A pile of past editions was already stacked beside her.
Having effectively become the new head of House Lumos, Flora had brought everyone in the mansion under her control with her skill and charisma.
Once the servants realized that Cayden had tried to start a rebellion, they had no choice but to pledge loyalty to Flora.
Aileen’s assistance also played some part in this.
However, she had not yet completely secured control over the family, so she was unable to return to Seorn and had to remain in the estate.
Thus, she could only learn about the outside world through indirect reports.
For instance, that Ludger had become the Demon King and started a Holy War.
“Phew.”
Flora pressed her throbbing forehead with her index finger and stood up.
Her steps led her to the room where the former head, Cayden, was being held.
“What, have you come to beg for forgiveness now?”
Cayden, his face gaunt and weary, glared at her as he spoke.
He should have been locked in a proper prison, but for the sake of the dignity of a former head, he was confined in this room instead.
Of course, the guards were not lax.
No matter what Cayden did, there was no escaping this place.
If he tried to flee, it would give them justification for immediate execution.
“Forgiveness? You still haven’t grasped the situation, have you? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your own position.”
“I still have ears, you know. It may be your world for now, but once Bretus wins the Holy War, His Holiness will reinstate me as the head of the house.”
“You dream boldly, don’t you?”
Flora shot back, clicking her tongue inwardly.
The fact that Cayden, locked inside this room, had still heard the news meant that there were rats left in the mansion—ones she hadn’t yet rooted out.
No matter how many she caught, it seemed impossible to cleanly purge them in such a short time.
Perhaps reading her irritation, Cayden let out a low chuckle.
“Confess your sins to His Holiness and surrender while you still can. If you do, perhaps he’ll show you a bit of mercy in the end.”
Cayden had no doubt that the Holy War would end in Salesin’s victory.
He believed wholeheartedly in the power of Salesin’s divine authority.
Yet despite his threats and attempts at persuasion, Flora did not even blink.
“That remains to be seen.”
“The Empire joined the war too. Even if the other noble houses are hesitating, how long do you think the Imperial Palace will tolerate their indecision?”
“You mean the Second Prince, Ivelon.”
Flora recalled Ivelon and let out a small, amused smile.
Cayden found her reaction puzzling.
If she had any sense, she should have realized the situation was turning against her.
And yet, her demeanor carried the air of someone who had something solid to rely on.
“Don’t tell me you actually believe in the Demon King?”
“I won’t deny it. But what I believe in isn’t the Demon King—it’s my teacher.”
“He’ll die. His head will be displayed before the entire world.”
“That’s what you’re desperately hoping for. Unfortunately, things aren’t going to unfold the way you wish.”
“What?”
Cayden demanded, but Flora didn’t answer. She merely smiled faintly.
Because she saw and heard more than Cayden ever could.
Her gaze drifted toward the window.
Though her eyes couldn’t see that far, she was looking toward the distant Holy Theocracy of Bretus.
‘Teacher, please win. If you die, I’ll never forgive you.’
* * *
The beasts rampaging under Hans’s frenzy no longer distinguished friend from foe.
The cryptids spread far and wide, plunging the battlefield into chaos.
Knights who had been pressing Phantos in the First Gate City turned pale at the sight of wolves charging them from behind.
“Cryptids?!”
In a battle filled with Masters and elite knights, one might think a few cryptids wouldn’t matter.
But when their numbers swelled to fill the entire field of vision, the story changed.
Veronica de Ville recalled the chimeras that had burst out from beneath the capital.
She had thought there were a lot back then, but compared to this flood of cryptids, those had been child’s play.
Already, Stella Siren and the Coldsteel Knights were forming ranks to face the monsters.
Even so, they couldn’t handle the overwhelming wave of wolves, and some managed to flank behind Reinhardt and Johan.
“Of all times—now?!”
Johan cursed.
They were already being pushed back by Phantos; now with wolves attacking as well, defeat seemed inevitable.
They couldn’t ignore the cryptids—but if they turned their attention away from Phantos, they couldn’t predict what that monster would do next.
Johan’s thoughts were cut short.
He spotted a cryptid stealthily approaching Vice-Commander Doria from behind.
‘An irregular!’
Most cryptids moved by instinct and savagery—roaring, snarling, making no effort to hide themselves.
But the irregulars were different.
They were cunning, capable of concealing themselves and reading human weaknesses.
Even though Doria was a high-ranking knight, in her current unstable state after battling Phantos, she wouldn’t notice that ambush in time.
‘Damn it!’
Johan broke formation and slashed down the cryptid aiming for Doria’s back.
“Commander?!”
Doria widened her eyes—uncharacteristically alarmed—as she stared at Johan and the slain cryptid.
She understood.
Johan had deliberately risked himself to save her.
And with the formation broken, Phantos would now target their exposed flank.
Both Doria and Johan tensed up.
They were ready to sacrifice at least an arm if needed—yet contrary to their grim resolve, Phantos remained still.
‘...He’s not attacking?’
Johan had expected him to pounce the moment they exposed a gap, yet Phantos didn’t move.
The grin that had filled his face during battle was gone, replaced by an icy calm.
‘Why...?’
Doria couldn’t understand it.
Probably no one here could guess what Phantos was thinking.
Why he was angry.
‘My hunt was interrupted.’
Phantos’s irritation surged as the sudden chaos ruined his excitement.
Grrr—!
A black wolf charged through the waist-deep water toward him.
Without even glancing, Phantos grabbed it by the nape and snapped its neck with one hand.
He had been exhilarated moments ago, but now his fury boiled over.
Sensing the killing aura radiating from him, Johan and Reinhardt instinctively flared their auras in response.
But Phantos’s attention had already shifted away from them.
“I’d love to crush everything in sight,” he muttered, “but...”
Phantos knew.
He couldn’t afford to act purely on emotion.
He was no simple brute—he was a born hunter, one who could think and endure.
To succeed, a hunter must know his prey.
And Phantos’s prey were no ordinary beasts—they were extraordinary beings.
Some were monsters, others were humans of exceptional power.
Ludger Cherish was one of them.
While serving under Ludger for so long, Phantos had also been studying him.
He analyzed how Ludger thought, acted, and decided. He accumulated data, piece by piece.
Through that observation, Phantos had learned many things—chief among ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) them, that one must assess situations coolly instead of raging blindly.
‘These cryptids belong to Hans. But if they’re attacking me, something must’ve gone wrong with him.’
Unexpected incidents were common in war.
But for there to be even more cryptids than before—this wasn’t defeat.
It meant Hans was rampaging out of control.
‘He always said it was hard to suppress his beastly instincts. Looks like he finally snapped.’
As if confirming Phantos’s deduction, a massive roar echoed from afar.
Even Reinhardt and Johan, who had been on guard against him, flinched and trembled.
The lower-ranked knights reacted even worse—the howl itself carried a strange power that eroded their bodies and forcefully awakened the fear they had tried to suppress.
Phantos’s lips twisted into a grin.
“My hunt got interrupted, but now I’ve found an even tastier prey.”
Perhaps this was what they called fortune in misfortune.
Phantos withdrew his killing intent directed at the knights.
“You... withdrew it?” Johan muttered.
Everyone was confused by how quickly his aura had shifted.
“Out of my way,” Phantos said coldly. “I’ve lost interest in you.”
Lost interest?
For someone facing two Masters, it was an unbearably arrogant remark.
Yet Johan and Reinhardt couldn’t argue.
Their pride as Masters aside, they felt genuine relief that they no longer had to face him.
In their hearts, they had already acknowledged that Phantos was stronger than they were.
To stop that monster, they would at least need Commander Lutus—and even then, they weren’t sure he could win.
Regardless, Phantos had already chosen his next prey.
“Yes... I’ve wanted to face him for a long time.”
Phantos had seen the Beast of Jévaudan—Hans’s monstrous form—before.
Once at the Kunst Auction House.
And once more in Dreamland.
The first time, Ludger had nearly captured him before an injection was used to knock him down, ending the fight before it even began.
The second time, they had fought side by side against the Goddess, leaving no chance for a true battle.
But now, things were different.
For a hunter like Phantos, there was no prey more alluring than the Beast of Jévaudan.
And with Hans rampaging, he had all the justification he needed.
Who could stop him from intervening before Hans caused even greater harm?
Not the floating fortress in the sky.
Not the golden rays pursuing it.
Not even the massive iceberg that pierced the fortress in the next moment.
None of it mattered to Phantos now.
His instincts locked onto his prey’s position, and he fixed his gaze in that direction.
Boom!
He stomped once, and his body shot forward like a cannon.
Reinhardt, Johan, Doria, and Veronica could only watch in stunned silence.
* * *
Phantos leapt high into the air, landing on a building before launching himself again.
Rumble!
The structure crumbled beneath the impact, but he didn’t care.
As he passed through the First Gate City, he caught a glimpse of Alex fighting his enemies—but made no move to help.
Phantos acknowledged Alex as an equal in strength.
Someone like Alex wouldn’t lose to such small fry.
‘If he does, then that’s just the limit of his skill.’
Either way, it wasn’t Phantos’s concern.
His focus was solely on one thing—the presence of Hans far away.
‘Found him.’
Beyond the city, the landscape was engulfed in a black tide.
From his vantage point, Phantos saw the enormous figure standing at its center.
Hans was there—or rather, the Beast of Jévaudan, for Hans had completely lost his sanity.
As Phantos spotted the Beast, the Beast likewise noticed him in midair.
Its skull-like face gleamed with red pupils that burned like the flames of hell.
The Beast of Jévaudan instinctively recognized Phantos as a terrifying threat.
Grrrrrrr—!
The sluggish black tide froze in an instant.
Countless crimson eyes rose from the dark waves, all staring up at the airborne Phantos.
It was a sight that would drive any ordinary person insane.
But Phantos only laughed.
“Let’s see what you’ve got.”
A massive anchor spun like a windmill, gathering centrifugal force before being hurled straight toward the Beast of Jévaudan.
