The moment the two new arrivals stepped onto the battlefield, Stephen’s gaze turned several shades colder.

He let out a derisive laugh. “Well, well… Archbishop Daniel. Emperor Denken. You finally lost your patience, huh? You’ve decided to interfere in the matter between Lioncrest and Sirius Academy?”

He narrowed his eyes, voice laced with venom.

“Let me make this clear—Alan must die today. Even if the two of you stand in my way, you won’t save him!”

Daniel’s brow furrowed deeply. He glanced coldly at Stephen, then turned to Alan and said in a calm but urgent voice,

“Alan, leave this man to us. You and your companions must find a way to escape.”

He spoke faster now, more serious than ever.

“Our Church’s informants have confirmed that many magi arrived in Plantagenet Kingdom today with one mission—to kill you. Among them, six have already reached the Legendary tier.”

“These six powerhouses remain hidden in the shadows for now, but know this—they are all watching you, waiting for their moment to strike.”

Daniel paused for a moment, his expression tightening. A flicker of hesitation passed through his eyes.

“And… the Dark Magi seem to be here too. You know how skilled they are at masking their presence. We… we haven’t located them yet.”

But before Daniel could finish, Alan interrupted him with a calm and resolute voice.

“Archbishop, that’s enough. I know how dangerous today is. Honestly, it might even be a battle we can’t survive.”

“That’s why… I’ve already sent out a distress signal. She should be on her way as we speak.”

Daniel blinked, momentarily caught off guard. Then, slowly, the corners of his lips curled upward, unable to hide his relief.

As Stephen and Denken continued their verbal sparring, Daniel casually strolled toward them, a glint of mischief in his eyes and a smile of schadenfreude on his face.

“Heh… Stephen, oh Stephen… you fool. You picked the one person in the world you should never have provoked.”

His smile vanished. His tone turned cutting, filled with righteous anger.

“For your arrogance, your cruelty, and your blatant abuse of power, you’ve earned the contempt of the Church of Steam and Magic.”

He then turned toward Denken and gave a nod of respect.

“Today, under the witness of Emperor Denken, I—Daniel, Archbishop of the Church—will enforce the laws of this kingdom and deliver justice. We shall strike down this man who has no regard for the lives of others!”

Without further delay, Daniel began to gather his mana. His aura surged, and in the blink of an eye, he charged straight toward Stephen.

Stephen reeled in disbelief. In his memory, Daniel was a man who avoided conflict, who rarely involved himself in worldly strife. For him to descend personally into battle—and in the name of justice, no less—was shocking.

The Church had always been strong, yes, but they were more interested in wealth than war. They’d never made open enemies unless forced to.

So what the hell had gotten into Daniel today?

Before Stephen could puzzle it out, Daniel arrived in front of him like a holy tempest. From his sleeve, the Archbishop drew a sacred spiked mace, gleaming with divine runes. Without hesitation, he brought it crashing down on Stephen’s position, unleashing a powerful burst of holy mana.

Stephen barely managed to divert the blow by rewriting the fabric of reality, redirecting the attack to a nearby stretch of land. He landed hard and shouted,

“You bastard! So you’ve finally dropped the act?”

“You think your church is clean?! You’ve committed your fair share of filthy deeds! What gives you the right to play judge and executioner?!”

Daniel snorted and spat at his feet.

“Exactly because we have sinned—that’s why we know how precious justice is. If you can’t understand that, then perhaps I’ll have to teach you a few lessons—with my fists!”

And with that, Daniel once again gathered mana and launched into a new offensive.

The battlefield erupted with holy light. Craters formed wherever Daniel’s spiked mace struck. The surrounding light-elemental mana grew so dense, it became blinding.

“You damned lunatic! You’ve lost it completely! Fine then—you want to fight? I’ll fight you!”

Stephen roared, his own mana flaring as he met Daniel’s blows with his full strength.

Violent mana tremors shook the entire area, as if an earthquake had been set loose across the land.

The ground cracked. The grass shriveled and died. Trees splintered and fell.

This was the terrifying collateral damage of a clash between high-tier magi. Even the shockwaves of their battle could bend space and lay waste to nature itself.

But while their side of the battlefield was consumed by chaos, things were different on the other side.

Denken, the former Emperor of Plantagenet Kingdom, and the mysterious white-robed woman who had always followed Stephen, stood locked in silence.

They hadn’t exchanged a single blow, but the air between them was thick with tension—so taut, it felt like even a falling leaf or a single speck of dust might shatter the balance and trigger an eruption of violence.

Denken’s fists were clenched tightly at his sides. He felt nervous.

The final battle was upon them. And as the former Emperor of the Kingdom, he could no longer afford to hide behind the curtain, plotting from the shadows.

His son was busy with the affairs of state. The students of the Royal Academy were still too young. The few remaining veteran fighters had all been dispatched to the front lines to guard against foreign powers and wild spellbeast invasions.

Right now, the only one left who could act freely on the Kingdom’s behalf… was Denken himself.

And so, he had placed all his hopes—all his chips—on one person: Alan.

The time for harvest hadn’t yet come. He couldn’t just stand by and watch Alan die here.

Especially not now. After the events of the Jacob Ruins, the royal family and Lioncrest Academy had thoroughly burned their bridges.

If something happened to Alan, the Church and the royal house would become Lioncrest’s next targets of retaliation.

“…Heh.”

The white-robed woman across from him suddenly raised a hand to her lips and let out a gentle laugh.

She seemed to have read Denken’s thoughts, and her voice carried amusement.

“So this is the boy who even you—the former Emperor who once expanded Charlie’s borders—are now placing your hopes on?”

“Tell me, do you understand what will happen if he dies? Your Plantagenet Kingdom may not last much longer either.”

Denken crossed his arms, his voice calm but resolute.

“I understand perfectly well.”

“But what I cannot tolerate is Lioncrest’s abuse of power, their disregard for life, and their tendency to crush the weak beneath their heel. Charlie is a peaceful nation—but it is not a weak one.”

“Those who harbor malice and threaten others must be rooted out. Even if that lion bares its fangs and turns on me…”

His fists tightened.

“The Kingdom does not fear the lion. Nor shall the royal family ever bow before it!”

The white-robed woman laughed again.

Then, without warning, she raised her hand and released a burst of mana—slicing open the space behind her.

Denken’s expression darkened.

He mirrored her movements, splitting the space behind him with gathered mana.

The two figures, in perfect synchronicity, stepped into the dimensional rifts—

—a battle was about to erupt.