Joints creaking, he pointed his arm down at the ground. "I INVOKE THE CLAUSE OF REMITTANCE!"

...The what?

Simon went from confused to shocked as he felt an abrupt burst of mana. It seemed to come from nowhere at all, infusing Helmund's body with renewed energy.

The candle of his life, which had been on the verge of sputtering out, suddenly flared like a roaring flame.

Ah.

I see.

There was no time to panic, and no room to indulge in the luxury of despair. Pragmatic clarity sharpened Simon's thinking to a razor-point, paring away extraneous emotions and concerns.

He ignored a barrage of mana-bolts flying towards him. Attacks that could have been deflected by Barrier stabbed into his torso unimpeded. The damage was severe, yet his HP stayed above 0, so it was within acceptable parameters.

Instead, Simon funneled all his remaining MP into a Landmine under Helmund's feet. If they didn't kill him now, their future prospects were dire.

HP: 87 / 540 MP: 0 / 630

The Hurricane followed suit. Spells and arrows fell upon the corpselike tyrant. Marlene threw caution to the wind and dashed forward. Bastian, Cyna, and the other close-range warriors charged right along beside her.

Half a second. In the end, that made the difference. A mere half-second where Helmund started refilling his wellspring of mana. Most of it was still empty, he scarcely had a puddle to work with...

But that was enough.

A mana-shield appeared beneath Helmund, superimposed over the Landmine and shielding him from the blast entirely. Streams of energy cut through the Hurricane, dicing a dozen rebels into red, shrieking pieces. His aura-whirlwind returned, pushing back the weaker members. The stronger members found their attacks thwarted by more shields that formed faster than Simon's Barrier ever had.

Yet the Duke somehow deemed...disappointed. He glanced at his lost arm, which was healing slowly but surely, flesh and bone materializing out of thin air.

"A torpid rejuvenation. Thirty years spent, just for this much." Helmund shook his head. "You have cost me greatly today, peasants. Let that warm your hearts as the coldness of oblivion takes you."

He flicked his wrist. "Perish, Demon."

Simon didn't blink, nor did he drop his guard. He still almost failed to react in time to the destructive mana-orb that barreled straight at him. His instincts screamed a warning – there was no dodging this.

Fell Harvest. Silver claws raised up to meet the orb. He had absorbed maybe a quarter of its energy before the spell detonated, erasing his Demonic hand in a flash.

HP: 23 / 540 MP: 83 / 630

HP for MP wasn't a good tradeoff in this instance, but it was better than death.

"Cockroaches, all of you," Helmund murmured. "It seems that–"

Cyna's greatsword broke through one of his mana-shields, colliding with his forehead and visibly denting his skull. The Duke howled like an enraged banshee, engaging her and the elite members of the Hurricane in a hectic melee.

They wouldn't last long. Seconds at most. Simon dashed over to a rebel mage, avoiding mana-bolts as he scooped her up – difficult, when both arms now ended in a stump. "Heal," he commanded.

His order was obeyed without complaint. Wounds mended and limbs regrew, the magic healing him with remarkable speed; one of the many perks of being a transmigrator.

HP: 540 / 540 MP: 84 / 630

Full HP. Some MP. Resources acquired.

Assess situation.

Pros: 1. Helmund is still horribly injured. While his wounds are beginning to heal, much of his body remains in shambles. 2. Whatever the 'Clause of Remittance' is, he was at the very end of his rope when he invoked it. Doubtful that he has another surprise like that in store. 3. The Clause of Remittance is regenerating his mana at a glacial pace, at least by Helmund standards. As of now, he has only recovered a sliver of his full strength.

Cons: 1. A sliver of his strength is sufficient to annihilate us.

More rebels died as Duke Helmund unleashed a flurry of devastating mana around him. Cyna pulled Bastian to safety in a frantic retreat, the Swordsman barely conscious, blood pouring down his face. Marlene had to be forcibly dragged away by her subordinates, a vicious snarl on her face as she tried to strike at Helmund despite both of her dual-blades having already been melted to slag.

"I've had quite enough of this." The Duke lifted his arms up, energy coalescing into a writhing sphere above. "No more distractions." Mana-shields rose up to defend him from the Hurricane's next volley of projectiles. "One grand spell to cleanse this city of filth."

No one else spoke. Simon aimed his right arm at the sphere, pondering if he should fire a Kill and warp its mana...but he only had 85 MP left, and that wouldn't be enough to penetrate Helmund's protective shields.

What can I–

All of a sudden, he tensed up, feeling truly nervous for the first time since reaching the ruins of Castle Helmund.

The Duke's mouth split into a demented grin. He glared at Simon and the Hurricane, his attention focused on exterminating a swarm of irritating insects. "Oh, but perhaps some rebels yet lurk in the shadows nearby. I should be thorough, shouldn't I? I'll raze this part of the capital to the ground – no, the whole city if need be. The rot must be burnt out completely. I can't wait to hear what excuses Lady Victoria will attempt before I flay the skin from her traitorous flesh."

Still, no one spoke. They had all gone extremely quiet.

"Have you at last accepted your fate?" Duke Helmund laughed and laughed, his mania growing in tandem with the mana-sphere, its destructive energy pulsing like a beating heart. "No more pithy remarks from the Demon? Not going to lecture me on shifts in momentum or some such drivel?"

Simon looked directly at Helmund, and not behind him, trying to act natural. "I stand by what I said before. In a fight, momentum is everything."

The Duke frowned. "Why are you–"

His question morphed into a strangled choke as Katarina stabbed the back of his head.

--

"If you're open to suggestions...I have an idea."

Katarina reached into the pouch tied to her waist, retrieving one of the mana-draining daggers that they'd looted from the Harvester repository. "You've said that Duke Helmund isn't like a normal human, correct? He's more a creature of mana than a flesh-and-blood person. If so, then these Artifacts should be like water to his fire, sapping him of his vigor."

Simon hesitated before responding. "Theoretically, yes. Especially if he's already in a weakened state. However..."

"However?"

The transmigrator chose his words carefully, not wanting to offend. "You aren't really a melee fighter, Kat. It's not that you *can't* get into a scrape if necessary, but your primary form of combat expertise lies with the crossbow."

"Are you trying to say that Helmund would effortlessly crush me if I got in close?" She gave a grim chuckle. "I wholeheartedly agree – which is why I won't let him see me coming. The Duke may be highly sensitive to mana, but he's also admitted that he has difficulty sensing individual humans. We're too far beneath his notice. Less than fireflies, he called us. Remember when a rebel archer managed to catch him unawares the last time we saw him?"

"Different circumstances," Simon argued. "Helmund wasn't on-guard back then. He will be now that I've dealt a severe blow to him."

"Then I'll wait until he's distracted. Sneak up behind him. If he's embroiled in a battle with you and the Hurricane, an opening should present itself eventually."

"Okay, but even then, you're still Level 26 nowadays. That puts you near the top of the Hurricane, and well above the strength of random civilians. I find it hard to believe that he won't sense your mana. It's definitely not a bet I'd be willing to take."

"Then revoke my Boon."

Simon was left speechless for a few seconds. "Are you serious?"

"Would I make such a poor jest?" A tremor of fear crept into her voice, but she pushed through it. "You once explained that if you ever revoked my Boon, I would lose all the strength I have gained, reverting to the powerless vagabond of before. What was my Level when we first met, Simon? Seven? Six?"

"Five." The correction slipped out before he could stop himself. "No, that's not the point. You shouldn't–"

"It doesn't need to be permanent. You can reinstate my Boon after I've ambushed Helmund. But until that moment, I shall no longer be Katarina, Arcane Rogue, insurgent extraordinaire. I will merely be a woman of little renown and even lesser mana. A firefly *well* beneath the Duke's notice."

She laughed, although there was no humor in it. "Don't worry. Stealth used to be what I was best at. Helped me survive for years. It'll be like putting on an old, well-worn pair of boots."

Simon took a moment to process the audacity of what she was suggesting. "You understand how absurdly dangerous it would be to approach Duke Helmund at Level 5, right? Even if he doesn't notice you, his aura might kill you simply from being near him."

"The notion did cross my mind."

"I...can't you just provide crossbow support like usual? You're good at that."

"We have dozens of archers and mages here. One more probably won't make much of a difference. And if Helmund sees any frontline warriors attempting to strike him with jeweled daggers, he'll know what to expect. It has to be an ambush. Has to be from someone with experience skulking about like a rat."

Katarina exhaled, hardening her resolve. "Has to be me."

Simon disagreed, but knew denying her outright would be the height of hypocrisy. He couldn't exactly gamble his life at the drop of a hat then criticize others for doing the same. Nevertheless, he had to ask – "Why?"

"Because I'm somewhat responsible for what's transpired."

She gestured at the ruined streets ahead. "You likely would've proceeded with your plan regardless of my counsel, but I still didn't try to convince you otherwise. The opposite, actually. I let hundreds die to create this chance. And if it was that important...if I was willing to sacrifice people's parents and children, just for one fleeting opportunity..."

Removing her glove, she presented the mark of the Boon emblazoned on her right hand. "What kind of person would I be if I didn't risk myself at least this much?"

--

The instant that Katarina's dagger sank into Helmund's skull, Simon extended his Demonic arm. "Reinstate!"

They'd tested this on the way to Castle Helmund. While rescinding a Boon required ten seconds of full concentration, Reinstating it was much quicker. One or two seconds at most.

One or two seconds where Katarina was stuck at Level 5.

"KILL!" Simon dumped all 85 MP into the spell. Thanks to his Class Advancement, he could multitask more easily, channeling his essence and continuing the Reinstatement both at once.

A bullet of condensed enmity raced towards Duke Helmund. It wasn't strong – it didn't need to be. Another distraction added to the pile. Between the shock of being ambushed, the knife currently sticking out of his head, and Kill impacting one of his shields, Helmund was left stunned for a single solitary second.

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On the field of battle, that was an eternity.

Katarina's posture swelled with confidence as her Boon was Reinstated. She dragged the knife down, gouging out a chunk of Helmund's newly-regenerated flesh. Her enhanced Dexterity kicked in just in time, letting her sidestep a beam of mana that would have cleaved her in twain. Simon activated his daily use of Empower Boon-Bearer, raising her Levels to give her an extra edge.

The Artifact dagger had already started emitting a high-pitched keening sound. The jewels embedded in its hilt glowed with tortured luminescence, so dazzling that they hurt to look at. It could only handle absorbing so much of Duke Helmund's mana.

Kat tossed the overtaxed implement over her shoulder, not looking back as it exploded into a shower of metal fragments.

Helmund's reprieve was short-lived. With one swift motion, the Arcane Rogue reached into her pouch, retrieved a second dagger, and sliced at the Duke's torso. When that dagger exploded too, another took its place just as swiftly, the rare and valuable Artifacts treated with the dignity of disposable plastic kitchenware.

Above them both, the mana-sphere that Helmund had been gathering started to unravel. Its energy spooled out and dissipated into the air like a tire going flat. Some of his protective shields flickered and vanished, disappearing as his flow of mana was disrupted by the very weapons he'd commissioned to harvest the lives of innocent civilians.

Simon was already sprinting forward. Kat couldn't dodge forever. Even if she somehow could, her daggers were in limited supply and almost breaking faster than she could replace them. Once her pouch was emptied, Helmund's mana would recover, and there would be nothing left to stop him.

This was the homestretch. Go big, or go home – in a body bag.

He hissed with frustration as a wall of mana-shields appeared in his path. Many of them wavered and vanished, but enough remained to obstruct him. The Duke had opted for quantity over quality.

Fell Harv–

Simon jerked his arm back in a haste. The shield he'd been about to drain had altered its form, rippling like water, then closing shut like a bear trap. If he'd been a hair slower, it would have reduced his limb to a stump. Again.

The transmigrator's heart skipped a beat as he saw Helmund point his hand at Katarina. A raging maelstrom of energy collected in the tyrant's palm, primed to obliterate all in its path–

And then winked out of existence. The Duke's flow of mana had been disrupted, failing to materialize this time.

Luck. Pure, unadulterated luck. Kat had won a coin flip. If Simon didn't find a way to help her, ASAP, she would need to win countless more.

How? How, how, how? No MP, Dexterity useless, don't have the raw Strength to–

A volley of Hurricane projectiles focus-fired on a shield, shattering it to pieces.

Simon didn't even have time to feel surprised before Cyna came barging in, crushing another shield with one mighty blow. She bellowed a fervent war cry as she played whack-a-mole with Helmund's defenses, slowly gaining ground, relentless in the way that only an Executioner brimming with absolute conviction could be.

Then – it happened. An opening. Kat struck with an Artifact dagger, and the last few shields temporarily vanished.

Cyna reached behind, grabbed Simon by the arm, and hurled him forward.

Huh. Well...

Whatever works.

Simon relished the look of bafflement on Helmund's face as the transmigrator air-tackled him. They were sent sprawling to the ground; a rather ungainly sight considering how much power both of them wielded. Silver claws clamped down hard on the despot's throat, and the Demon spoke his two favorite words in the world.

"Fell Harvest."

Duke Helmund gasped as felt his essence leaving his body. He summoned a desperate aura-whirlwind, hoping to shove his assailant away – but Simon used the mana he'd just pilfered to cast a Barrier directly above them. It served as an anchor, preventing either of them from moving.

"Simon!" Katarina yelled from a distance. "I'm out of daggers!"

"Switch to your crossbow! Shoot at his hea–"

The transmigrator winced as sharp beams pierced through his chest, tearing through his insides like raw meat chucked into a blender. Helmund hadn't given up, and being unable to dodge his attacks...wasn't optimal.

Just as Simon accepted that he would need to disengage the Harvest and pull back, he felt a jolt of relief, his wounds rapidly mending. He spared one quick moment to glance over his shoulder.

Cyna was there, weathering the whirlwind with her indomitable Strength. She'd brought a Hurricane healer – held safely in her arms – who had gotten just close enough to touch Simon's foot.

The manic smile he gave them stretched so wide it hurt.

That's one problem solved. Unfortunately, even with healing support, they couldn't win like this. Duke Helmund's mana regeneration was actually outpacing the rate at which Fell Harvest drained him. Sooner or later, he would launch a storm they couldn't weather.

Simon didn't need to rack his brain for an answer this time. After all, situations like these were precisely why he'd taken his most recent Class Advancement.

Easier multi-casting meant he didn't have to choose between offense and defense.

Despite still maintaining the Barrier, Simon's MP was already back up to half – a sum generously donated by Duke Helmund. The conquering Demon canceled his Harvest, Fell mana gathering in his hand.

"Kill."

Helmund screeched in hideous agony as over 300 MP of Demonic energy seared his throat. "You..." He let out a hacking cough. "You think you've–"

"Fell Harvest."

Simon stared dispassionately as his personal juice box screamed again. He waited until he'd reached about half MP once more, then gripped his claws tighter. "Kill."

"Wait – WAIT! I KNOW THIS MANA!" Duke Helmund squirmed in place, attempting to free himself, his eyes bulging with lunacy. "MONGREL OF KIRKELAS! DID HE SEND YOU?!"

"Fell Harvest."

"OF COURSE! THIS WAS HIS DESIGN!" Helmund tried to strike at the rebel healer. Simon expanded his Barrier to block a smattering of weak, pitiful mana-bolts. "I LOST – I LOST TO HIM! NOT TO UPSTARTS LIKE YOU! I COULD NEVER HAVE–"

Mana regained. "Kill." Mana well-spent.

The Duke's struggling lessened, yet his voice echoed across the ruined street. "HA...HAHA...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! SO BE IT! DO YOU TRULY THINK THIS IS MY DEFEAT, DEMON?!"

"Fell Harvest."

"ALTHOUGH I MAY DIE, MY LEGACY WILL PERSIST FOR AGES!"

"Kill."

"I REIGNED FOR CENTURIES UNOPPOSED! MY WILL WAS LAW! MY WHIMS WERE SACROSANCT!"

"Fell Harvest. Kill."

"I LIVED A FULLER LIFE THAN ANYONE EVER HAS, OR EVER WILL!"

"Fell Harvest. Kill."

"KILLING ME WON'T TURN BACK TIME AND RESTORE THE WORLD I STOLE FROM YOU!"

"FELL HARVEST. KILL."

Simon was panting heavily. Helmund's feeble attacks had ceased long ago.

The Duke's mana was so disrupted by the onslaught of Fell essence that his body had started melting again. At this point, he would succumb to a stiff breeze.

It took every ounce of the transmigrator's willpower not to finish things right then and there. He was at full MP, his skin feeling electrified by Harvested mana, his fingers vibrating with the desire to cast just one more spell. It would be easy.

Instead, Simon leaned closer. "Now that I have your attention," he whispered, like the devil perched on a shoulder, "are you ready to negotiate?"

Cyna and the healer froze, staring at Simon in shock – but Helmund merely chuckled. "No." All strength had fled his voice. "I know better than to accept an offer from Kirkelas or his ilk."

"Can beggars afford to be choosers, here? I have you at a slight disadvantage."

"You intend to seize authority of my domain? Do it properly. Kill your enemies, kill your allies, and consolidate power. You certainly have the stomach for it."

"Don't be unreasonab–"

"It doesn't matter what you offer me. My fate was sealed the moment I invoked the Clause of Remittance. And even if I hadn't...the final curtain was falling anyway."

His body surged with malfunctioning mana, crackling as if about to combust. The ghoulish smile that split across his face could only have been called vindictive.

"I hope you enjoy the encore."

Simon jammed his right hand into Helmund's mouth. "KILL." 650 MP – his strongest yet.

*Pop.*

The end of a dynasty was no louder than a muffled gunshot.

Duke Helmund's head ruptured and decayed at the same time, a crimson bloodspray mingling with the dust of a long-dead corpse.

His arms fell limp. His body went still. The last remnants of mana faded from within his misshapen frame.

Simon activated Fell Harvest, just as a precaution – then stopped when it gave him nothing. You couldn't drink from an empty cup.

The Duke was dead.

All was silence. Not one person dared to speak, as if worried that by doing so, they would awaken from a dream. Simon refused to avert his gaze from Helmund's supposed body.

Until he saw the first system message appear.

Alert: Duke Helmund has been slain!

Your Level and Stats have increased! Level: 42 → 65 Strength: 43 → 51 Dexterity: 78 → 106 Vitality: 54 → 82 Intelligence: 63 → 91

Alert: Level 50 milestone reached! New options for Class Advancement available!

More Class Advancement options will be available at Level ???

Alert: Heroic Valor's bonus has activated.

You have received bonus EXP.

Your Level has increased! Level: 65 → 75

40 stat points added to Unspent Points! Allocate them at will!

One-by-one, the rebels sank to the ground, eyes shimmering with tears. It was like a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders; an intangible presence that had accompanied them their entire lives, as uniform and omnipresent as gravity itself.

Simon slowly rose to his feet. Cognizant of everyone watching, he reached down, picked up Duke Helmund's headless cadaver, and turned to face the crowd.

"Have at it." With a casual toss, he threw Helmund to the piranhas.

The Hurricane's lingering sense of propriety stalled them – for about three seconds. Then someone rushed over to kick the Duke, another person escalated to stabbing, and it was all uphill from there.

Wasn't like they could parade Helmund's head around as proof of his death, so what was the harm in some good ole-fashioned corpse desecration? The rebels were owed their pounds of flesh. With interest. Paid in full.

Simon retained an indifferent facade as he watched the Hurricane tear Duke Helmund to pieces. It wasn't their gruesome method of celebration that bothered him. No, that was very well-deserved. He wished he could share in the overflowing joy, relief, and triumph displayed on all their faces.

He truly wished he could feel the same way as them right now.

"My fate was sealed the moment I invoked the Clause of Remittance. And even if I hadn't...the final curtain was falling anyway."

Unease crept into Simon's thoughts, settling there like a longtime friend.

What did he mean, 'anyway'?

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