Verden Empire, the empty plain near the capital, Imenia.
Brilliant yellow aura-force filled the plain.
A yellow aura-force resembling a dragon.
The intent of an absolute being, roaring as it surged from the tip of a spear shot forth like light.
—Kkueeeek!
The anomalies screamed.
It was not a cry of rage, but a scream of pain.
There were all manner of anomalies.
No, it would be more accurate to say the anomalies and Abyss monsters were mixed together.
The anomalies of the 70th floor and the Abyss monsters of the previous floors.
They had gathered together, shrieking in a cacophony of varied screams.
Yet even that clamor did not last long, and the plain soon sank into silence.
"······."
Every monster, including nearly a hundred anomalies, had breathed its last.
At the center of it all stood a single human holding a spear.
Regarda Ovier withdrew his aura-force and, with eyes devoid of any particular emotion, looked over the field of corpses he had created.
"Lord Regarda!"
A bright voice rang out from behind him.
It was Freya, lightly descending from the sky on the wind.
"I told the Sword Saint too!"
Unlike Freya, who landed lightly and cheerfully delivered the news—
Thud—
Monster corpses fell in heaps on either side of her.
"And I cleaned up the monsters I saw on the way too! Hehe."
At the sight, Regarda nodded bluntly, as always.
"Well done."
"Hehehe. I thought the Sword Saint wouldn’t believe that Uncle Hio came back alive, but he believed it right away and was really happy!"
"Naturally. He too is a user of intent who has awakened to life and reads truth."
Regarda turned and began to move, and Freya trotted after him.
"Was Isidore well?"
"Yes! He was gathered together with the elder and everyone else! They said they were preparing to march west!"
"I see."
"Are we going straight on like this?"
"We should. This is the fastest way to bring the current situation under control."
"Aha!"
Wind began to blow behind the two as they walked side by side.
"How did the mage seem?"
"Uncle Hio? Mm··· he felt similar to you, Lord Regarda. He used magic, but I could see a flower with it that looked really dangerous!"
"I see. In the end, he must have awakened his intent."
"Ah, so that flower was Uncle Hio’s intent!"
The gently swaying wind soon became a storm, sweeping over the surroundings.
Monster corpses caught in it scattered in every direction, but around Regarda and Freya, all remained peaceful.
"Ah, and the Sword Saint told me something, just in case!"
"Has a variable appeared?"
Wind coiled around Freya’s body.
Her flesh began to transform.
"Yes! They say a witch appeared in the north!"
Her body rose into the air on the wind.
A massive dragon form revealed itself.
Regarda naturally climbed atop her and, unusually, asked again.
"······A witch?"
『Yes! A witch! They say a mad witch is coming down while bewitching people!』
"Is she connected to the Abyss?"
『I’m not sure, but he said it doesn’t seem that way! What should we do? Should we join them there too?』
"···No. If it is not the Abyss, the Sword Saint will handle it himself."
『Yep!』
The dragon and the dragon knight gradually gained altitude, then soon cut across the sky at tremendous speed.
Even amid it all, Regarda remained calm as he stared ahead and spoke to Freya.
"And did I not tell you that when you return to your dragon form, you must possess the dignity befitting dragon speech?"
『Yeees···.』
"Do not use honorifics either."
『······Understood.』
"That is the life of the Wind Lord."
* * *
Vitalianus was frowning, a rare sight.
"A witch. Even after hearing the report, I can scarcely believe it."
It was because of the witch who had appeared amid an already endless pile of troublesome matters.
"If it is a witch, is she not the cursed ability user who appeared two hundred years ago?"
"That is correct."
"Why would such a being appear now, of all times···."
They had somehow managed to stop the collapse of the 70th floor, but that was only in terms of the broader picture.
There were places where the defenses had been breached, and places where fighting still continued.
It simply meant they had poured in their forces and prevented greater damage than expected; the empire was still at war with the anomalies.
And now, a witch.
What bolt from the blue was this?
"After cross-checking multiple testimonies, her abilities are even more grotesque than the witch recorded two hundred years ago."
"To what extent?"
"Simply looking at her form bewilders everyone, regardless of age or gender. Even without seeing her, it seems that entering within a certain distance causes one to be bewitched by the witch."
"Bewitched?"
"Yes. To use a comparison······ they said it felt as though they had fallen in love···."
"Ha, love. It is absurd beyond words."
If there was any consolation, it was that she only bewitched people and had caused no loss of life.
However, the witch’s army had now passed through the northern kingdom of Fieria and was about to reach the empire, so they had no choice but to respond.
"What is their scale?"
"Ancient golems made of snow and ice, estimated at around ten thousand."
"Ten thousand ancient golems······ And the civilians who were said to have been bewitched?"
"They remain bewitched, but they do not appear to be moving with her."
"Once bewitched, they cannot be restored even by a priest’s divine power?"
"It seems to be some special ability. They only repeat the words ‘god of love,’ and their minds do not return."
"······This truly is troublesome."
It was enough to make his expression twist on its own, but they had to move quickly.
Ten thousand ice golems were descending.
There had been no casualties so far, but the empire could not allow such a force to enter its territory without permission.
"What is Sir Regarda doing?"
"He has left Imenia and is moving straight east."
"Then the immediate urgent fires can be put out."
Having finished thinking, Vitalianus quickened his pace even more.
There had been no time to sit somewhere comfortably and talk, so he had been moving since earlier.
"Then gather the troops. I will deal with the witch personally."
Even at a rough estimate, she was not an opponent an ordinary person could face.
Even if they somehow handled the witch, ten thousand golems would force the empire to endure considerable damage.
"It would be best if this could be resolved through dialogue···."
What was the witch’s objective?
No, before that, he would confirm whether the witch was sane, and if the matter could be resolved through dialogue, he intended to comply with her demands as much as possible.
If the witch was not in her right mind.
Or if the witch’s demands were far too unreasonable.
"···Then she must be eliminated as quickly as possible."
Knights began joining one by one behind Vitalianus as he moved swiftly.
Together with them, he would soon go to meet the witch.
* * *
The northeastern border of the empire.
A quiet tension hung over the wall surrounding the border.
The barren northern land.
From far in the distance, clouds of dust—no, clouds of snow—were rising.
A legion plastered in pure white was surging toward them.
Even viewed from this far away, the golems of snow and ice were so enormous that their shapes could be seen clearly.
Why a legend of the mythic age, when dragons, mages, and countless gods were said to have coexisted long ago, was revealing itself now—
No one knew the reason, but one thing was certain: the moment they stood against that, tremendous damage would occur.
Perhaps they might not see tomorrow.
Bodies that, at a glance, looked as though even blades would not properly sink into them.
A strange ability, passed down in tales, that no matter where one cut or stabbed them, they would gather together again and move.
Power capable of crushing a human with ease.
Of course, those were frightening as well, but what was most terrifying was something else.
"······The witch."
At their head.
A being slowly swimming through the air above them, her hair disheveled.
A crimson energy covered the sky and approached along with the snow clouds.
Bright crimson hair.
Seductively curved crimson eyes.
Soft lines and red lips.
A snow-white naked body veiled by a mist of snow······.
"Come to your senses!"
"Kuhup!"
At the powerful shout that shook their bodies and minds, the knights who had barely come back to themselves hurriedly bowed their heads and lowered their gazes.
"Do not look at the witch under any circumstances!"
If not for Vitalianus’s intent, half the knights would have been bewitched by the witch’s mere appearance.
It was an ability stronger than expected, and a dangerous power.
Naturally, strength entered the hand gripping his sword.
For the first time in a long while, a desire to contend surged within him.
Where had such an ability user suddenly sprung from?
What in the world was the source of that crimson power, strong enough to make even Vitalianus himself tense?
If he followed his heart, he would have liked to fight the witch outright then and there, but Vitalianus knew better than anyone that he could not.
The witch he had personally gauged was stronger than expected.
The army of ice she had brought with her was dangerous as well.
Of course, even if war broke out, he did not think they would lose, but it was an undeniable fact that the damage would be severe.
If they suffered that much damage here, the empire’s future would darken rapidly.
So for now, he could only hope.
Hope that the witch was sane.
"Witch."
Vitalianus personally stepped toward the witch as she drew closer.
"For what reason have you come down this far?"
The Lion’s Roar carried his words and delivered them to the crimson witch.
She too would surely recognize the power contained within, so she would stop at an appropriate distance.
Vitalianus expected as much, but—
Grin.
Far from stopping, the crimson witch increased her speed.
Facing that dizzying beauty, Vitalianus felt, for an instant, a certain familiarity.
But soon he steeled his heart and had no choice but to issue a difficult command.
"All forces, prepare for battle."
The witch was already out of her mind.
The empire would have to endure painful losses.
"Absolutely do not look at the witch’s form."
Crimson energy and golden aura collided fiercely toward one another.
* * *
"······Where should I go first?"
Having roughly wrapped up his affairs on Earth, Hio fell into a brief dilemma.
He had put the broad framework in place, so Yoon Seul-a would take care of the remaining details on her own.
He did not have time to concern himself with all that, and there were many things he had to do on the Verden Continent as well.
That was why he was troubled.
"The Magic Tower, or the empire."
There was much to do at the Magic Tower.
He had to check on Furnel, and he had to learn 6th Circle and 7th Circle magic.
Since he had created his sixth ring, he also needed to inspect the other floors of the Magic Tower that would have opened further as a result.
Most importantly, the death squad.
He had to gather information on that death squad represented by Abelar Pavlenko.
After all, there was a high chance that those who had helped Hio in the Abyss Gate until now were not Kreutzwald, but that death squad.
"On the other hand, going back to the empire··· there isn’t much I have to do."
Freya and Claire had confirmed his survival, so they would have passed it along on their own.
He had also heard the situation from Claire, so he knew there was no immediate crisis severe enough to shake the empire.
If he had to point to something, there was returning Theordo to Sylvia and discussing future measures with Vitalianus, but······.
"Well, there’s my answer."
Having finished thinking, Hio immediately activated his skill.
「Transcendent Skill—‘Dimensional Transfer (次元轉移)’ has been activated.」
What result this choice would bring—
If he had truly been a god, would he have known?