Meanwhile, in the hall room...
Louis said, "Lucifer, is it just me, or is it getting hot in here?"
Lucifer replied, "My apologies. Maybe this will help cool things down."
Suddenly, the temperature around them began to drop.
Meanwhile, in the Sacred Tree Room...
Astrea said, "What kind of attack was that?"
Anew replied, "The kind of attack that made a monster seem like nothing… was itself nothing in front of him. He's the real monster."
Astrea shouted, "Iris!" then charged at Drake with his broadsword.
Drake, unfazed, used his four-sectioned staff to block every strike.
Drake asked calmly, "Kid, are you one of her siblings or something?"
Astrea, attacking relentlessly, shouted, "No, she isn't! But anyone who hurts someone I care about—I'll make them pay!"
Drake forced him back with a sweep of his staff and said, "If you're not part of the Solace family, I have no business with you. Run and hide. I don't care about you."
Astrea responded, "I can't let you go after what you did!"
Drake turned his eyes toward the ancient tree. "What a beautiful tree... It's grown since the last time I saw it. Yet, it's still just as beautiful."
Astrea screamed, "Quit ignoring me! I'm not done yet!"
Drake sighed. "Quit it, idiot. It's not like you can win."
Astrea roared, "Whether I win or lose—I'll fight until I die!"
Hearing those words, Drake was pulled into a memory of his past.
A Flashback...
He saw himself as a young student at the academy—gifted and hardworking. One day, a teacher asked him, "Drake, you're more talented than any of your peers, yet you train twice as hard. Why?"
Drake answered, "I want to build a future for my people—where everyone lives in equality. And to achieve that, I need strength."
During a school break, he returned home to the House of Solace. But soon, war broke out near their border. He fought valiantly, saving as many as he could—but there were still lives he couldn't save.
During those days, he met a humble charcoal seller—a commoner girl named Rebecca, living in their territory. He didn't know what it was about her, but without her, he felt empty.
Then came a day when he had to go to battle, and the one he loved—Rebecca—had been taken hostage. Though he survived, that moment made him realize how deeply he loved her.
After the war, he was declared a hero. His father was proud, the House of Solace nearly ascended to royalty, and some even whispered of Drake as a deity in human form.
But the war had taken its toll on his younger stepsister's mental health. His mother had died at his birth, but her mother had become the mother he wished for. He prayed his sister would recover—but those were just empty hopes.
Eventually, Drake proposed to Rebecca. They planned to marry. But when he told his father the truth, his father lost heart. Though they still lived under one roof, they became strangers.
Their wedding was no grand event. It was held in a simple, quiet church, with no guests—just the two of them and the priest. Both were saddened that it wasn't what they had dreamed, but when they stepped outside, they were met by crowds of grateful commoners—people Drake had helped during the war.
He cried that day. And in his heart, he vowed to dedicate his life to those people.
When they returned home, his stepmother welcomed them warmly. His sister, however, grew more distant. In time, they received joyful news: Rebecca was pregnant. The child even helped bridge the gap between Drake and his father.
Then, one day, he returned from duty to learn a nobleman had been accused of horrific acts against his wife. In his father's court, even the great Lord of Solace was powerless. Rebecca, despite her condition, received no justice.
When Drake learned the man would walk free, rage consumed him. In front of the court, he executed the man.
His father passed judgment immediately—Drake was to be forever banished from the House of Solace.
Before leaving, Drake knelt and said, "If I am to be relieved of my duty as a knight and be banished forever... then so be it. For the protection of the House of Solace, for its service—I will always be there. Please permit me this, Father."
As he left the courtroom, tears filled the eyes of everyone present. Outside, he was surrounded by the people—his new family.
"I wish... that was how my tale ended."
Back in the Sacred Tree Room...
Iris put on the Mask of Ifrit. Dark, blazing flames engulfed her body.
She slammed her fist into the ground—crystal spikes surged toward Drake.
Drake shattered them instantly and said coldly, "That's nothing."
Meanwhile...
Lucifer and Louis were now surrounded by more than five vampire monsters.
As they lunged to strike Louis down, something shifted in the air.
Iris opened her eyes, fully awakened.
"I am Iris Solace," she declared.
"And I will win. No matter what."
She raised her arm and shouted:
"Mana Domain—The Point Where the Sky and Ocean Meet!"
Suddenly, the surroundings transformed. The battlefield shifted to a surreal landscape—endless ocean below, vast sky above, with no horizon. It was as though they stood at the edge of creation, where sky and sea became one.
Drake only smirked.