— — — — — —
A flash of bright green light spiraled around Lynn's fingertips—then with a loud boom, it shot forward like a cannon!
In an instant, it tore through the black flames and surged ahead!
"...!"
Golan's eyes widened, his beast-like pupils immediately swallowed up by a sea of emerald green.
The very next second—
The green beam swallowed him whole.
BOOM—!!
The underground tomb shook violently.
Crack, crack—
Cracks spread rapidly across the icy floor, the sharp sound echoing clearly through the chamber.
A few seconds later, the green light faded.
Golan… along with the entire beastman army behind him—was gone. Just gone.
All that remained in the underground tomb was the sound of cracking ice. Everything else had gone still again.
Liana Caruana stared in stunned silence at the scene before her, her eyes filled with confusion.
It had happened so fast, she hadn't even processed what had just occurred.
The Black Death Emperor's executive…?
He was just—wiped out? Just like that?
She blinked and finally turned to look in the direction of the green user.
That's when she saw him.
A man with messy black hair and deep red eyes.
Liana's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion.
But one thing was clear—
That green beam just now? It came from him.
She focused on Lynn's fingers. Traces of glowing green still danced along them.
Another powerhouse?
No—someone even stronger. Someone who had just wiped out the very person she had absolutely no way of defeating.
That thought made her heart clench uneasily.
Why was this man here? What did he want from the tomb?
There was really only one answer: the Fourth Primogenitor.
And if that was true.
Liana's heart sank. She just wanted to restore her family's honor—why did it have to be this hard?
---
Elsewhere—
"Did... we make it?" Kojou Akatsuki blinked, still unsure.
But no one answered him.
Gajou Akatsuki was completely silent, standing frozen, not daring to move a muscle.
Inside, though, his thoughts were a storm.
He just felt the threat of actual death.
By him—that man.
Gulp.
Since escaping from the Netherworld, he'd seen a lot. Faced his share of monsters. He had even seen the legendary Warlord once.
But even then, he had never felt something like this.
Not even the Warlord gave him this kind of instinctual fear.
That unshakable confidence he'd always carried—it was gone.
Gone the moment this man appeared.
Because his body was screaming at her: this man could kill you.
He swallowed hard. All traces of his usual smugness vanished.
This guy… might be even scarier than the Warlord.
That single thought ran through his mind—and it chilled him to the bone.
Scarier than the Warlord? Was that even possible?
And then, his thoughts shifted back to something Endou had said earlier—"Wait."
Wait... for him?
The realization hit him like a truck.
No wonder...
No wonder Endou and Yukina hadn't seemed the least bit worried.
So that's why.
---
On the other side—
"Lord Lynn!" Yukina quickly bowed as soon as she saw him.
'Lynn...?' Liana frowned. 'They know each other?'
As she was trying to piece it together, the Snowdrift Wolf—previously embedded in the icy ground—suddenly quivered.
Whoosh—
In a flash, it shot toward Lynn and began circling him excitedly, like a loyal pet greeting its master.
Lynn chuckled and gave it a gentle pat like it was a puppy, then turned his eyes toward the icy coffin.
A soft laugh escaped him. "Sleeping beauty, huh...?"
It reminded him of Ingvild—how he'd first met her, sleeping peacefully in a similar coffin of ice.
Maybe I should've brought her to see this...
Liana noticed his gaze shifting toward the Fourth Primogenitor and immediately tensed. Her mouth opened like she wanted to speak—but Gajou shook his head slightly at her.
She understood.
Pressed her lips together—and stayed quiet.
Endou noticed all this and smirked.
"Well," she said, "here's the prince to wake your sleeping beauty."
Liana's eye twitched.
Gee, thanks...
But anyway, if it weren't for this man, she'd be dead by now.
And those two kids... they'd probably be safe now, too.
She still felt a deep sense of guilt for getting Kojou and his sister caught up in all this.
Lynn stepped up to the ice coffin, lifted his hand, and tapped it lightly.
Crack—
Instantly—Bang!
The icy blue shell exploded into powder.
The Fourth Primogenitor's figure became clear.
A golden-haired girl, limp like she had no bones, slowly tilted forward—then thud—collapsed right into Lynn's arms.
As he held her soft form, Lynn gently called her name: "Avrora."
"Mmm..."
It was like she'd heard his voice.
Avrora let out a soft hum, her lashes trembling faintly—as though she were just about to wake up.
Seeing this, Liana's breath caught in her throat. Her hands clenched nervously at her sides.
Seconds passed.
Then finally, Avrora's eyes opened. Deep blue like ancient frost. Empty, unreadable.
Liana rushed forward, kneeling down with respect. "Liana Caruana, sixth head of House Caruana! I pay my respects to Her Majesty, the Fourth Primogenitor!"
"...??"
Avrora tilted her head slightly, peering down at Liana in confusion.
Who?
She blinked.
But rather than answering, she turned her attention to Lynn. Both hands pressed against his chest as she slowly sat upright. Her gaze swept the room as she tilted her head, curious.
"Y-You... Who art thou? Why hast thou woken me?"
(Translation: Y-You… Who are you? Why have you woken me?)
She was clearly trying to sound serious—but her really trembling voice gave her away.
Endou: "..."
The legendary Fourth Primogenitor.
Why did she sound like such a flustered kitten?
Liana paused too—but quickly brushed it off. She just woke up, she reassured herself. It's normal to be disoriented.
Looking at Avrora's cautious, catlike expression, Lynn couldn't help himself. He reached out and ruffled her golden hair.
Her eyes widened in shock, pupils trembling. She squirmed and started to pull away.
"Y-You dare touch me?! I—I'm very powerful! You'll regret this!"
She made an angry little growl.
But then— Grroogl~
"Ugh..."
She froze, hands clutching her stomach.
And in a pitiful voice, she muttered—
"I'm... hungry."
.
.
.