The darkness that encroached her consciousness gradually overwhelmed her, as if wanting to erode her mind and corrupt her. Reina’s eyes grew wide in shock as her mind shook from the darkness, which was something that she had kept in precarious balance, gradually staining her mind.

‘No. Get yourself together. I can’t be devoured by this again. I’m just doing what I can. Let’s not forget the reason why I waited for this moment.’

This was a moment of weakness, one that she would never have thought of normally.

‘The one that creates miracles. The one that will rule. Accepting his will…’

Essylt, whose eyes were shining white, staggered as she continued to mumble to herself. In the end, she collapsed on her feet with ragged breaths.

“Haaa… Haaa…”

“Essylt? Essylt?!” Roina shouted in surprise after seeing Essylt collapse. She rushed towards Essylt to support her.

When the dazed and absent-minded priestess blinked her eyes open, she muttered, “Ro-Roina? Why…am I here?”

“Get a grip of yourself! You just…”

“Yes? What did I…?”

Seeing how clueless Essylt was, Roina immediately turned to Reina with a doubtful expression. The priestess appeared to have no recollection of what had just happened.

“Reina, just now…”

Reina, who was lost in her own thoughts, walked by Essylt as she looked at the baptism of light that appeared from a distance away. She said, “Who knows? However, there’s one thing that I’m sure of. This place is obviously…the Island of Tranquility.”

“Island of Tranquility? Don’t tell me this place is…”

“Yes. This is the place that we were supposed to go to in the first place… The place where the Demon Lord’s close confidant, Nyx, is sealed. I can feel the bastard’s familiar energy nearby.”

“…”

Only then did their entire party grasp the situation that they were in.

“We can’t miss this opportunity. Let’s go,” Reina said in a slightly hushed voice from behind her mask.

***

“Mercil… That thing that we just experienced…”

“Yes?”

“Wasn’t that…spatial movement?”

“Ah…”

“To be honest, I didn’t know that something like that was possible without a mana gate.”

“I don’t have the answer for you either.”

“Can you do it? Or is it impossible for you?”

“As far as I know, there is only one person in the world who can move people from one place to another without the use of a huge magical structure.”

And that person was none other than the Red Tower’s Great Sage.

“Spatial movement is magic that can only be cast by someone at the 7th Circle.”

“Then… Does that mean Prince Davey is also a mage at the 7th Circle? I have never heard of any spatial magic among all of the holy magic in existence.”

Roina was a crusader, so her words regarding this topic certainly bore some weight. She might be the party’s fool, but Roina was a very talented intermediate-level Holy Knight who had been selected by the Holy Empire.

However, after hearing Roina’s question, Mercil could only shake his head in response. “That’s impossible. It’s impossible to combine holy mana and mana. Illyna de Pallan, Pallan Empire’s Sword Princess, can use holy mana because of the divine sword in her possession. However, she can only use the mana in her body.”

“Then, how do you explain that?”

“Be quiet. We’re in an enemy camp. Our location will be exposed if you keep on talking like that.”

Vendique, the male beastfolk, suddenly appeared in front of the two who were conversing.

“Kyaaack! Vendique! I told you not to appear in front of me so silently!”

“You’re putting all of us in danger.”

“…”

“Vendique is right. We are in the enemy’s camp. We can’t drop our guards here. However…I did not hear Prince Davey chant any spell when he cast that spatial transfer magic. Perhaps…it’s a special privilege that Saints have?”

“Really? To be honest, the rumors surrounding Prince Davey are so out of this world. I think there’s quite a lot of exaggeration added to that,” Roina said.

Reina, who was walking ahead of them, raised one hand and stopped everyone. “Shh.”

The moment she raised her hand, everyone’s expression turned stiff from nervousness. They looked around vigilantly while holding their weapons tightly.

“There are enemies ahead. Looking at their energy… They are lower-rank undead mages…vampires…and controlled monsters,” Reina said as she hid her figure in the shadows.

Everyone was greeted by the sight of several black-robed figures and monsters loitering around. There were not many of them, but the energy flowing from their bodies was so cold and dark that it could make one’s body tingle.

“What should we do? Do we fight them?” Roina asked, raring to jump up and fight.

However, Vendique immediately dissuaded Roina and said, “I’ll draw their attention. Go while I distract them.”

“…Please.”

Reina would usually dissuade them from such a choice, but not this time. Everyone looked at her suspiciously, but Vendique just nodded quietly and disappeared from sight.

“What’s wrong with you, Reina?”

“Quiet… From this point on, you cannot talk. You have to walk as silently as possible. Do you intend to put Vendique’s efforts to waste?”

“Reina…” Roina called out as she looked at Reina in astonishment.

However, Reina just held the polymorphed Caldeiras, her greatsword, tightly.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!!!

Not long after, Vendique caused a commotion. He dashed around quickly to draw the enemies’ aggro to him. He moved without drawing suspicion, appearing as if he had come here and accidentally got caught. It was as if he was trying to settle everything once and for all.

Mercil was a very ingenious mage. He used his own magic to detect the enemies in the area, contributing greatly to their decision to infiltrate rather than fight.

Bang!!!

It did not take too long for Vendique to escalate the entire situation. The moment the sounds grew louder, Reina immediately dashed forward.

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

‘This time… I will make sure to succeed… I won’t fail. I’m going to kill them and protect myself… To fulfill my promise with Caldeiras.’

Caldeiras was the divine sword that reminded Reina of who she had been when she had lost her reason to the point of sacrificing its ego and completely collapsing.

Reina had never forgotten Caldeiras’ sacrifice and she would never ever forget. That was why she was not going to waste her second chance.

Reina gritted her teeth as she moved as quickly as she could. She had come to this place more than once or twice. This was also the enemies’ hideout, so she had no need to hesitate. She urgently traversed the path to the bastard who she wanted to kill.

“Grand Duchess Kathryn…!” Reina shouted in surprise after noticing a familiar scent.

There was a woman cutting the neck of the monster who was just overpowering her a moment ago. After that was done, she approached Reina and said, “Warrior?”

“How did you get here…?”

“That rogue prince recklessly threw me here… Ah, wait… He told me that the Warrior will be here.”

Simply put, Davey had told Grand Duchess Kathryn to help them.

“However, he’s alone… No. That sounds ridiculous. If he’s using holy magic, then he can block the entry of additional monsters…”

“Huh? What are you saying?”

“Yes?”

“No. It’s nothing.”

Reina turned speechless at Grand Duchess Kathryn’s absurd and incomprehensible words.

Grand Duchess Kathryn had truly outstanding power. It was very shocking for the entire party to witness how she could use her bare hands to rip apart a very dangerous monster. She did not even need to use her sword to deal with these monsters.

‘As expected. She’s truly strong, even in the past,’ Reina thought.

However, she immediately shook away the useless thoughts in her head. She proceeded to step inside a dark canyon and said, “It’s here. It’s because of this that the monsters have invaded… On the contrary, it’s a phenomenon that has weakened the barrier. It doesn’t sound good, but we can say that this is an opportunity for us.”

“Warrior, did you get a revelation? How did you find this place so easily?”

“…A divine revelation. Well, you can call it that. What are you going to do? The danger that we will encounter inside will definitely be out of the ordinary.”

“I have received orders from His Majesty. He said that I should help the Warrior. Help. That’s all. I am given the orders to protect my life. If you die there, then that’s just your fate,” said Grand Duchess Kathryn calmly.

Reina looked at Roina, the young boy, and the young girl who came with her. The three nodded quietly at her.

“Don’t make fun of me just because I’m young. I already risked my life coming here. Besides, I have already made the decision to follow through and follow you no matter what happens.”

“Me… Me too!”

“The meaning of my existence is dependent on the Goddess’ will.”

Hearing the three slightly cheesy and corny answers, Reina quietly drew her sword and cut down the huge rock that was next to the canyon.

Slash! Crack, crack, crack, crack! Thud!!!

Although Grand Duchess Kathryn looked surprised by how neatly she had cut the rock, Reina ignored her and pointed to the stone cave hidden behind the broken rock. She said, “We’re entering.”

***

After passing through the rock that had been cut apart, they entered a strangely silent passage. Most of the monsters that lingered here had disappeared and no one came to stop them. However, their smooth entry soon came to an end when they stepped foot in a huge clearing within the cave.

Standing in front of them was a bizarre knight wearing black armor over a white cloth and a woman wearing a robe.

“Hmm…”

While Mercil and Essylt trembled at the pair’s shockingly horrifying aura, Reina immediately raised her arm to protect the two.

“Go on ahead. The Warrior must have asked for my help because of them, am I right?” Grand Duchess Kathryn said.

After a moment of silence, Reina said, “Sorry…”

“Anyway, I have great interest in such battles. Hmm… My body has turned rusty since peace came to this continent,” Grand Duchess Kathryn said as her eyes and tail glowed a bright red.

She no longer had a playful air around her. Her eyes and tail were the very source of her power, the very same power that gave her the moniker of Fire Fox.

“Let’s warm up.”

Just as Grand Duchess Kathryn spoke up, Reina immediately dashed forward and ran inside the passage that led to the deepest part of the cave.

Bang!!!

Of course, the knight at the entrance was not stationed there to simply watch them do whatever they wanted. He swiftly drew his sword at a speed rendered invisible by the human eye, then slashed it toward Reina.

However, the knight’s attack was blocked by Grand Duchess Kathryn’s sword.

“…”

“Don’t look away from me,” threatened Grand Duchess Kathryn.

She implied, ‘If you don’t want this sword to go through you.’

The knight immediately pulled his sword away. He also widened the distance between him and Grand Duchess Kathryn as a strong and powerful aura burst out of the Grand Duchess’ body.

A sense of guilt overtook Reina, who wondered how many sacrifices had to be made for the mission to succeed. Her grip on the hilt of Caldeiras grew ever so tight.

“Rei… Reina! Is it okay to leave her alone to deal with those monsters?!” Roina cried urgently.

Reina said quietly, “She’s the Grand Duchess, she will be able to survive that.”

At the very least, Reina was sure that Grand Duchess Kathryn would not be beaten easily.

Reina tried to console herself as she sped up, eventually reaching a huge open space. What greeted her was a huge cliff covered by never-ending darkness. There was a narrow path leading to the center where a huge and circular space floated in the air, which released a heavy and overwhelming magical aura.

“Goodness.”

“Impossible…”

Reina’s entire party went stiff and silent at the situation before them.

“Haaa… It seems like there are intruders.”

After a single short breath, a gloomy but clear voice spoke up.

“I didn’t think you’d reach this step, especially after that monster had left to get a meal. Hmmm. I’ll spare your life if you give me something in return.”

“You better cut that ridiculous and fake magnanimity that you’re trying to show.”

After that short conversation, the huge being stood up. He was three meters in height and was entirely made up of black-colored bones. However, even if the being was all bones, the danger that he exuded was enough to make anyone faint. This being was the Demon Lord’s confidant, the First Lich Nyx.

Unlike his awe-inspiring name, the party could not feel anything from him. They could only fail to feel anything from their opponents in one scenario, and that was when there was an extreme difference in their power.

In fact, this was something that Reina had already experienced beforehand. So, she raised her sword and quietly said, “Nyx. You will die a complete death here.”

“Hooo… A struggling prey. Well, that’s good too. I also need to experience and adjust this body to the power that flows in me,” said the giant skeleton bluntly as he raised both of his hands toward the ceiling.

“I don’t think you’ll be that strong since your seal has just been released.”

“It’s called the Abyss. And just like you said, I have lost almost all of my powers,” Nyx said as the surrounding area started to shake. As the wide and empty floor began twisting and turning, he added, “According to the contract signed under the power of origin. In the name of Nyx, I order you.”

Reina could tell by the frightening and overwhelming danger that flashed in Nyx’s blue eyes that his seal had already been completely unsealed. At the same time, a huge amount of dark mana, something that they had never felt before, began to engulf the entire area and force it to vibrate.

“Heed my command.”

“Urk?!”

“Heup?!”

What happened after was fatal to any mage.

Reina was thrown back as she could not understand what was happening. It did not make sense that Nyx was already this strong. From what she could recall, it took years for Nyx to recover this much power after being released from his seal. Only years after Reina had staged a desperate escape from the enemies who captured her did Nyx regain most of his powers.

If that was the case, then what the hell was this? Was the First Lich hiding his power in the first place? Those questions flashed in Reina’s mind.

“Mercil! Get it together!”

Mercil’s gaze trembled as his mind collapsed. Then, he raised one of his hands to his lips and said, “This…is impossible. How can such a monster…?”

The display of power that Mercil had witnessed made him certain that it had transcended the limits of humans.

As a mage, Mercil could directly feel and see the huge torrent of mana in the air. Meanwhile, his mana circle flowed backward and collapsed under the onslaught of higher power. This was beyond feeling nauseous or dizzy. This was an entire backward flow of mana.

Both powers of Mercil and Essylt were very important. Roina was important as well, being here to protect them both. However, from the very start, Mercil, who should have been one of the main pillars of this attack, was already rendered useless.

“…” Reina immediately took a stance, hiding her confused and dazed party members behind her. She released a black and white flame all over her body as she muttered, “Are you throwing me in another world of pain? Are you trying to make me suffer again?”

‘Then, please eat shit. You heartless Goddess. I have already lost once. I will never lose again even if I die twice. I have already lost that innocent and just heart that I had back then.’

Tremendous killing intent burst out of Reina, whose power remained the same. However, her killing intent was so dark and intense that it was hard to see her as a Warrior. Right now, Reina looked just like one of the demons.

“Hahahahahahahaha!!! Your race has become so twisted! You have reached the point where you cannot be considered a human at all. Haha! There is no better contradiction than this!” Nyx guffawed as he raised a finger.

Just as a heavy pressure weighed down the entire area, he said, “Come. I have acquired power that is far stronger than the power I had before I was sealed. As my first victim, I will present you with death as a form of my respect.”

[To all those that are chained to me, heed my command. Answer the call of death.]

[9th Circle Dark Magic]

[Death Sentence]

The 9th Circle of power was leagues beyond the 8th Circle of power. And as soon as Nyx gave that command, a huge clock appeared behind him and began to tick away.

“Once that minute hand finishes a turn, you will meet your death.”