And in that moment, it became clear:
This was not a being who fought for justice…
This was a being who enjoyed the reckoning.
As the demons began to enter the palace, the king started putting on his armor.
The queen held his helmet and gently placed it on his head.
Both of them were filled with fear and sorrow.
At that moment, the princess regained her consciousness.
She slowly opened her eyes and whispered,
"Dad… Mom…?"
Both the king and queen turned toward her at once.
The princess burst into tears, her voice trembling.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
The guilt of what she had done crushed her heart.
The king and queen rushed to her side and embraced her tightly.
"It's okay," they said softly.
Tears filled the king's eyes, and the queen cried while forcing a gentle smile.
Then the king spoke.
"Eliz… you have to go. Prepare to leave."
Princess Elizabeth looked at him in shock and confusion.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"It's dangerous to stay here," the king replied.
"Then what about you two?" Elizabeth asked weakly.
"I will stay," the king said firmly.
"I am the king. I cannot abandon my people or my knights."
Elizabeth's voice was barely audible.
"Mom… please say something to Dad."
The queen hugged her tightly.
"It's okay, my lovely baby. Everything is going to be alright."
"Mom…?" Elizabeth whispered desperately.
"You must leave now," the queen said softly.
"What about you?" Elizabeth asked, her voice breaking.
"I will stay," the queen replied.
"I'm staying with your father."
Elizabeth stared at them in disbelief.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the palace as the demons broke inside.
The king shouted in desperation,
"Hurry! Go now! There's no time!"
Elizabeth shook her head, insisting she would not leave without them.
Then her mother slapped her.
Tears streamed down the queen's face as she cried out,
"Even if we die… we want you to live."
As knights and maids dragged Elizabeth by force toward the secret path, she struggled helplessly.
While being pulled away, she turned her head one last time.
She saw her parents.
Both of them were smiling at her—
tears shining in their eyes.
Her chest tightened.
With all the strength she had left, Elizabeth shouted, her voice breaking,
"WE MADE A DEAL!
PLEASE SAVE US!"
High above, atop the palace, the sealed man heard her voice.
A faint smile formed on his lips.
"Oh… poor child," he said softly.
As the demons were about to reach the main palace, the sealed man stood up.
He stretched his arms slowly, as if waking from a long sleep.
Then he stepped forward.
And jumped.
He descended from the peak of the palace—
and landed.
The demons stopped in their tracks.
They froze, sensing something far beyond their power.
Even the most foolish of demons could feel it—
the terrifying aura of the being they should never have faced.
Then, without hesitation, the sealed man rushed toward them.
He began to slaughter everything in his path.
Even the knights who tried to stop him fell before his hands.
As the king reached the palace doors, horror struck him.
The scene before him was unimaginable.
Bodies were torn apart, strewn everywhere, and blood painted the castle walls.
It was nearly impossible to tell which remains belonged to demons… and which to humans.
The sealed man continued his relentless slaughter.
He leaped onto a rooftop of a nearby house, scanning the direction from which more demons were approaching.
His eyes fell on one of them—a demon unlike any other.
A General of demons.
The General locked eyes with the sealed man and immediately felt pure horror.
A faint smile curved the sealed man's lips.
He raised his hand, palm open, and black magic began to gather, swirling violently.
With a single, devastating blast, half of the kingdom's capital was wiped out.
Every living being in its path—humans and demons alike—was obliterated.
The shock of the blast was felt for kilometers.
The palace shook violently.
Elizabeth, being dragged along the secret path, stumbled as the ground collapsed beneath her.
Seizing the opportunity, she broke free and ran back toward the main palace, desperate to reach her parents.
Above the chaos, the sealed man stood on a rooftop, surveying the destruction he had wrought.
A faint smile crossed his face as he spoke aloud,
"I guess… I need to get my power back."
As she ran toward her parents, Elizabeth glanced out a palace window.
She froze.
Before her eyes lay pure destruction—flames, rubble, and devastation as far as she could see.
Shaking herself, she started running again.
When she reached a corridor, she came face to face with her mother.
The queen shouted, her voice full of fear and frustration,
"Why did you come back?"
Elizabeth dropped to her knees and hugged her mother tightly.
"I'm sorry, Mom… I couldn't just leave.
I can't live without you… without Dad," she whispered.
The queen hugged her back, sighing, a mix of worry and love in her voice.
"What should we do with you?"