Chapter 3: Please Don’t Lose

Fejite Patrol Agency.

At the Special Investigation Headquarters for the City Hall Bombing Terror Incident.

“The suspect vanished!? What!? What in the world is going on!?”

With the situation spiraling unpredictably, the investigation meeting had descended into utter chaos, teetering on the brink of collapse.

The high-ranking officials of the Patrol Agency, gathered in this large conference room, clutched documents in their hands, engaging in heated exchanges that could hardly be called discussions—more like outright quarrels, ceaseless and unrelenting. The bells of the numerous desk telephones installed around the room rang incessantly, making it nearly impossible to even hear the person right next to them.

“Enough! Where’s Ewan Byleth, the Patrol Chief in charge of field command!? Get Ewan here! What, no contact!? …Missing!? Search harder, damn it!”

Ronald Maxwell, the Fejite Patrol Agency Director and Chief Inspector, slammed the receiver back onto the desk telephone with a loud clatter.

“I’ll never forgive you, Glenn Radars…! I won’t let a deranged terrorist like you harm even a single citizen of Fejite…!”

As Ronald burned with fierce righteous indignation,

Bam! The door to the investigation headquarters’ conference room was flung open with reckless force…

“That’s enough.”

With a cold, dismissive voice, a young woman strode into the room, cutting through the air with her presence.

Her overwhelming aura and intimidating presence were so commanding that the chaotic conference room fell silent in an instant.

“Honestly… I can’t bear to watch this. Well, I suppose it’s only natural for a bunch of amateurs like the Patrol Agency to flounder like this.”

Her boots clicked sharply as she advanced into the room, the hem of her Imperial Court Mage Corps ceremonial robe fluttering with a crisp sound.

Every officer in the conference room was captivated, unable to tear their eyes away from her striking appearance and commanding demeanor.

She was a young woman, barely twenty, if that.

Her vibrant crimson hair swayed with each step, shimmering as if scattering embers. Her features were exquisitely refined and breathtakingly beautiful—yet, in stark contrast to the fiery impression of her hair, she exuded an icy coldness, like a frost spirit.

Those who met her piercing gaze, with its dark, aggressively burning violet irises, couldn’t help but feel a primal chill run down their spines.

A beautiful flame of ice that burned away chaos—such a description fit her perfectly.

“Oh, well. From now on, you’ll all work as my pawns, so do your best to keep up, incompetent as you may be.”

“Who the hell are you!?”

Ronald, veins bulging with anger, confronted the brazen and arrogant young woman.

“I am Eve Ignite, Head of the Special Missions Annex of the Imperial Court Mage Corps, Executive Officer Number 1,《The Magician》. …I assume this has already been communicated to you?”

The young woman—Eve—let out a scoff tinged with exasperation, casting a disdainful glance at Ronald as if he were a hopeless fool.

“Ridiculous! Why is the military getting involved in this case!?”

“Ugh, this is why incompetents are so… This case has grown far beyond what amateurs like you can handle.”

“What did you say…?”

“This incident isn’t just a simple bombing in Fejite. A conspiracy is quietly unfolding here. It’s no longer just a terrorist attack. From now on, I’m taking charge. All you need to do is follow my orders… Surely even someone as incompetent as you can manage that, right?”

“Don’t mock me, you little girl! Do you really think such high-handed behavior will be tolerated, even from a high-ranking military official!? This is our jurisdiction! By what authority—!”

“Shut up and look at this.”

Eve thrust a single imperial decree in front of Ronald’s face.

The contents of the order, the signature, and the seal belonged to—

“Impossible… This is directly from His Excellency Azel Le Ignite, a member of the Empire’s highest decision-making body,《The Round Table》…!?”

“Got it now? You’re all under my command, and you’ll follow my orders… like obedient dogs. …Understood? Or is human language too complex for dogs like you?”

“Tch…”

Ronald’s fists trembled with frustration as Eve strode past him confidently.

Taking the highest seat at the conference table, she crossed her elegant legs atop it, casually flipping through the scattered investigation documents.

Amidst the mix of cold and hostile glares directed at her, Eve smirked slyly, muttering to no one in particular.

“Alright, shall we get started? This incident… the key is you, Glenn.”

Her words carried a mocking tone, as if looking down on others, yet they held a faint heat, like that of a maiden in love speaking of her beloved.

“…I’m looking forward to your performance. Dance for me, Glenn—a passionate, captivating dance that’ll make me fall for you…”

Eve’s gaze drifted to a lone butterfly fluttering outside the conference room window.

With a faint, provocative smile, she snapped her fingers at it.

Poof! The butterfly was incinerated in an instant by Eve’s flame—

 

At the same time—somewhere in Fejite.

“…Hmm. It seems Eve Ignite has intervened in Fejite.”

“Wha—!?”

At Lazare’s murmur, a thuggish-looking man let out a startled groan.

“…She even noticed my butterfly familiar in an instant… Truly, an impressive woman.”

“Hold on, hold on! Eve-chan, you mean that Eve? The head of the Special Missions Annex, right? Come on, Lazare-san, didn’t you say you’d taken steps to keep the Imperial Court Mage Corps out of this!?”

“Of course, I did.”

Lazare responded calmly.

“The Imperial Army only caught wind of our plan at the last moment and dispatched a single squad from the Imperial Court Mage Corps to Fejite. But right now, they’re far from here, engaged in combat with the combat units of our Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom. They’ll likely be overwhelmed eventually, but it should buy us enough time to complete this plan—or so it was supposed to.”

“…But Eve Ignite surpassed our expectations. Using her comrades as decoys, she slipped into Fejite alone and stepped onto this chessboard.”

A man in a dark suit, who had been silent until now, spoke gravely.

“Hmph. As expected of Eve Ignite, Head of the Special Missions Annex, Executive Officer Number 1,《The Magician》—she’s no ordinary opponent.”

“Hey, hey, is this gonna be okay? Eve-chan’s, like, the strongest in close-range magical combat, the

“It’s not a problem.”

Lazare responded solemnly to the thuggish man’s playful words.

“Indeed, Eve Ignite’s involvement at this stage is unexpected—but our plan is proceeding without delay. For now, we can observe quietly. …However.”

“…There are even more troublesome flies buzzing around on this chessboard, aren’t there?”

Lazare nodded quietly at the perceptive dark-suited man’s words and continued.

“It’s of no particular significance, but the pieces are neatly arranged on this board. And then there’s the blatant disruptor, the irregularity… Glenn Radars, and… someone pulling the strings behind him. For the plan to succeed, we can’t let things proceed as they are… Can I count on you both?”

“Of course. That’s precisely why I returned.”

The dark-suited man flipped the hem of his suit and turned on his heel.

“Let’s go. I’ll handle Glenn Radars. You take care of the one pulling the strings.”

He issued the order to the thuggish man… but.

“…Huh? You… don’t you dare order me around like that.”

The thuggish man spat irritably at the dark-suited man.

“Stay out of it… I can handle those guys on my own…”

“Don’t underestimate them. …We were once killed because of our arrogance.”

“Hah!? Killed!? …Don’t you dare say that! I’ll kill you, you bastard!”

The thuggish man grabbed the dark-suited man’s collar, shouting menacingly.

An overwhelming wave of killing intent slammed into the dark-suited man, threatening to crush him…

“…You want to do this?”

But with a single, coolly murmured phrase,

“Right here, right now? With me? …I don’t mind.”

The thuggish man’s fiery killing intent was snuffed out like a candle, overwhelmed by an absolute, icy pressure.

The air felt as if it had plunged below freezing, dominating the area—

In an instant, beads of cold sweat poured down the thuggish man’s forehead—

“…Tch… S-sorry for mouthing off…”

Reluctantly, he released the dark-suited man’s collar.

“Let’s go. Don’t mess this up.”

“…Tch! Damn it…”

The dark-suited man walked away, tossing out a curt command, while the thuggish man followed, clicking his tongue in frustration…

The two most dangerous men had finally made their move.

 

In the darkness, Glenn walked alone, guided only by the faint magical light flickering at his fingertips.

The air was dry, and the passage was coated in layers of dust, completely empty.

It resembled a sewer tunnel, but the drainage ditches on either side were bone-dry, not a single drop of wastewater flowing through.

Glenn silently navigated this strange space until he reached a dead end, where he found a ladder. Climbing it, he pushed open the manhole above… and emerged onto the surface.

His eyes, accustomed to the dark, squinted slightly at the daylight.

Stepping onto the surface, Glenn let out a relieved sigh and leaned against the wall of a nearby building, sliding down to sit.

“See? If you look hard enough, you’ll find a way out.”

Grinning, he spoke to Sistine through the communication magic device.

‘I can’t believe it… An old sewer that’s no longer in use… not even on the maps… I had no idea something like that existed in Fejite…’

Sistine’s stunned murmur came through.

Back when Glenn was completely surrounded by patrol officers, he and Sistine had exchanged a series of seemingly nonsensical questions. Then, out of nowhere, Glenn had used magic to blast away the cobblestones at the base of a streetlamp. Sistine had thought he’d lost his mind.

But—there it was. Beneath the shattered cobblestones, an ancient manhole, which shouldn’t have existed, appeared abruptly on the bare earth.

“Fejite was born and grew alongside the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy.”

Glenn boasted with a smug grin.

“Originally just a small rural town, it underwent multiple rounds of urban planning and sewer system upgrades as times changed… Sometimes, old sewers like that get left behind, not fully filled in.”

‘So those questions were to find traces of that old infrastructure…’

“Exactly. While escaping, I was observing the surrounding city layout and figured there might be an old sewer around that area. I kept it in mind as a last resort.”

‘You were thinking that far ahead…? That’s incredible…’

Sistine was floored. She’d been stretched to her limit just observing their surroundings and relaying information to Glenn. Thinking two or three steps ahead? That hadn’t even crossed her mind.

Yet Glenn… while escaping from the patrol officers—a task undoubtedly far more challenging than hers—had been considering such possibilities.

And to think, she, who had a better grasp of their surroundings than Glenn, had half-given up, believing it was all over.

‘…If you don’t give up… if you keep fighting… there’s always a way forward…’

Sistine felt dejected. She’d been so determined to help Glenn, but at the critical moment, her own weakness had been laid bare.

“Don’t sweat it. I only made it out because of your support.”

Grinning, Glenn stood up.

“Alright, break’s over. I hid the manhole entrance with Black Magic [Illusion Image], but they’ll probably figure it out and come after me soon. We need to move—”

At that moment,

Clap, clap, clap… The sound of applause suddenly came through another communication magic device.

‘Wow, well done, well done! Glenn, you really pulled through that situation!’

Jatice’s grating voice poured into Glenn’s ears.

‘Thanks to you, our work here is progressing nicely. I’m truly grateful.’

“Tch… I don’t have time to deal with you right now—”

‘Oh? No need to worry about that anymore. After all—the patrol officers aren’t chasing you anymore. In other words—you’ve cleared the second task!’

“Huh? They’re not chasing me? Why not?”

Glenn frowned suspiciously.

‘H-he’s telling the truth, Sensei!’

Sistine’s shocked voice reached Glenn’s ears.

‘The patrol officers in the city… for some reason, they’ve all gone into standby mode… What’s going on…?’

‘Because she arrived. …Well, I saw it coming.’

“…She arrived?”

Glenn parroted the cryptic words back, puzzled…

‘Now, Glenn, I’d love to keep chatting with you like this, but we can’t linger… The time for the next task is fast approaching.’

“Tch… Do whatever you want.”

‘Hurry to the location I’m about to specify. …Please. There’s no time. This… it’s a matter of life and death. The location is—’

Glenn sensed an unusual gravity in Jatice’s words.

As much as it infuriated him, he had no choice but to play along with Jatice for now.

While biding his time for a chance to strike back, he silently complied.

The area where Glenn had emerged from the old sewer was the southern district—specifically, a warehouse district far from the lively commercial streets, out toward the suburbs.

Warehouses leased to various trading companies operating in Fejite lined the area in neat rows.

It was a restricted zone, off-limits to the general public, and completely deserted.

Looking up, Glenn saw the sun slightly tilted overhead. It was just past noon.

Eventually, Glenn reached the warehouse Jatice had specified and placed his hand on the heavy double doors. …They weren’t locked.

The doors creaked open with the groan of iron, and sunlight streamed into the dimly lit warehouse.

In the spacious interior, stacks of old wooden crates lined the walls and deeper recesses… and in the center of the warehouse, a single bag sat conspicuously, its presence starkly out of place.

‘Open that bag. …It contains what you’ll need for the next task.’

“…”

‘It’s fine, don’t worry. It’s not a trap… I prepared it for you out of goodwill. Trust me.’

Of course, Glenn didn’t trust him, but with Rumia held hostage, he had no choice but to obey.

Cautiously preparing magical countermeasures against potential bombs or poison gas, Glenn steeled himself and opened the bag.

Inside was—

“What… is this…?”

Glenn’s eyes narrowed sharply as he took in the contents.

Throwing needles, enchanted throwing knives, a set of steel threads, amulets, scrolls, various magic crystals, specialized pistol rounds, magical explosives, and even the ceremonial robe of the Special Missions Annex with powerful defensive enchantments—

It was a complete set of the weapons and armor Glenn had favored during his time as a member of the Imperial Court Mage Corps.

‘I get it! I totally get why you’re angry, Glenn!’

Sensing Glenn’s fury, Jatice spoke soothingly.

‘After all—that’s the symbol of your dark past… For you, who’s started walking in the light, it’s a bloody, death-scented legacy you’d rather turn away from. It’s only natural you’d be furious at having it thrust in your face like this… I’m sorry, Glenn. I knew. But—’

At that moment,

Thump. Glenn’s heart skipped a beat.

Shudder. A chill ran down his spine.

‘—You understand, don’t you? Now’s not the time for that.’

The air grew heavy as lead, cold as ice—

The sense of impending doom grew stronger with every passing moment, without limit.

Glenn thought with certainty.

Something was coming.

Something immense, beyond human comprehension—was coming here.

The overwhelming presence of that something, swelling without end, forcibly reawakened Glenn’s dulled mage instincts, sending electric shivers across his skin.

“Tch!?”

Stunned for only a moment, Glenn began frantically equipping himself with the provided gear. He donned the ceremonial robe, slipped on the steel-thread gloves, and stuffed magical tools into his belt…

‘That’s right, Glenn. Honestly, even I didn’t want to force this on you now… But the one you’re about to face isn’t someone you can afford to confront half-heartedly.’

“…I don’t need you to tell me that, you bastard! Shut up for a second!”

‘Even in the Imperial Court Mage Corps, there are few who could defeat him head-on now… Maybe《The Star》Albert, at best? Even I’d hesitate to face him directly… Be careful, Glenn.’

And then…

He’s—strong. The only reason you managed to defeat him before was a fluke—a perfect storm of your surprise tactics, sheer luck, and his lack of preparation aligning miraculously.

…Just as Glenn finished preparing and turned toward the entrance,

The warehouse doors were flung open with a loud creak.

…On the other side, silhouetted against the backlight, stood a man, calm and imposing.

The man in the dark suit—Glenn could never forget him.

Back when Glenn was a part-time instructor, during the attempted bombing attack on the academy,

He had faced this man—a figure who commanded countless dragon-tooth soldiers like extensions of himself and wielded extraordinary magical techniques. A man who instilled terror.

After the incident, Glenn had been told his name—

“Reik Fohenheim… Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom,《Adeptus Order》—《The Dragon Emperor》Reik! You… you’re still alive…!?”

“…”

Reik, the man in the dark suit, said nothing in response to Glenn’s desperate words. He merely fixed Glenn with a piercing, icy stare, devoid of emotion.

That gaze alone made Glenn’s heart scream as if it were being crushed.

Now, Glenn. The third task—

And Jatice’s voice, coming through his ear—

—Survive. By any means necessary.

Before Reik, whose towering presence seemed to have no limit, like a demon king,

Glenn’s mind could no longer form coherent thoughts—

 

“W-What!? Why!?”

Far from the southern warehouse district, atop the roof of the Imperial Opera House in the central district,

Sistine, who had been watching Glenn through far-seeing magic, could only panic at the sight of Reik appearing before him.

“Why is that man alive and in a place like that—!?”

Forgotten fears resurfaced. Sistine had once faced that man alongside Glenn, but even now, she couldn’t fathom how they’d managed to win.

Reik had been wary of Glenn’s Original Magic [The Fool’s World], probing its nature and holding back, which allowed them to finish him off—a miraculous stroke of luck.

But Reik had surely died in that battle—Glenn had pierced his chest with a sword.

So why—?

“I can’t stay here—!”

Sistine cut off the far-seeing magic and shoved the communication magic device into her pocket.

Just as she began to activate Black Magic [Rapid Stream] to rush to Glenn’s aid—

“Yoohoo!”

Behind Sistine, with a loud thud!, a frivolous voice echoed through the air.

“…Huh?”

Sistine, turning around in an instant, froze in place.

“Whaaat? I thought it was around here somewhere… The guy pulling the strings behind Glenn-sensei… Wait, seriously? Is it actually you? No way! …Eh, whatever, let’s go with that. It sounds way more interesting that way, doesn’t it?”

A thuggish man who appeared out of nowhere flashed Sistine a sleazy grin.

“…Ah… A-ah… N-no way…!?”

 

In that moment, Sistine’s knees and shoulders began trembling so violently it seemed they might shatter.

“How… Why…!?”

She could never forget. There was no way she could ever forget.

The man who had nearly violated her, the one who etched the terrifying darkness of magic into the pure, innocent child that Sistine once was—he alone had left an indelible mark.

“Hya ha! Yo! Long time no see, White Cat-chan! Been doing alright?”

Jin Ganis.

A cruel reality. The embodiment of Sistine’s nightmares stood right there before her.

 

“Why…!? Why the hell are you still alive…!? You were supposed to be dead…! I saw it with my own eyes! There’s no way I could’ve been mistaken!”

Glenn aimed the barrel of his pistol at Reik, his voice trembling with rage.

Cold sweat poured down his face like a waterfall, stinging his eyes. The shaking of the gun in his hand refused to stop.

“Such trivial details don’t matter, do they? I’ve returned from the underworld. And now, I’m here to kill you. That’s the reality you need to face.”

“Tch… Thanks for the straight talk, you damn bastard!”

Being lectured by his enemy, Glenn couldn’t help but spit venom.

(Damn it… Lately, between Jatice and now Reik, too many dead people are coming back to life… What the hell is going on!?)

But if the dead could return—Glenn knew of one possibility.

([Project: Revive Life]… But that spell requires—)

Either Sion’s Original Magic or Rumia’s unique ability was absolutely essential.

That ability—Rumia’s mysterious [Sympathetic Amplifier].

And with that came a single, gnawing concern—

Burks Blaumohn, the director of the Platinum Magic Research Institute. What had he been researching?

At the time, Glenn had felt he’d overlooked something… Could it be?

If that were true, Reik aside, Jatice was supposed to be a former member of the Empire’s forces.

The [Astral Code] required for revival—who could have prepared it?

The Heavens’ Cross—an organization rumored to be a secretive government agency tied to The Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom—flashed through Glenn’s mind unbidden.

(Tch… Forget that! Right now, it’s Reik I’ve gotta deal with…!)

Shaking his head, he refocused.

He rapidly recalled the report on Reik he’d read after that incident, flipping through it in his mind.

The terrifying facts about Reik made him break out in a cold sweat as he skimmed through them—

Apparently, Reik’s Fohenheim family was a prestigious lineage of mages traditionally devoted to dragon research. Their use of Dragon Fang Soldiers was likely just a byproduct of their expertise.

The Fohenheim family had succeeded in infusing their bloodline with the blood of an ancient dragon through forbidden rituals, granting them the dragon’s superhuman power—at the cost of an inescapable curse from that same ancient dragon.

That curse was the [Dragonized Curse]. In exchange for the dragon’s power, they would eventually lose their human form and reason, becoming savage dragons in both body and soul.

The last of this mad lineage and its perfected culmination, was this man, Reik.

(But… the Reik I faced before… he was still human. His abilities were exceptional, sure, but they were still within human limits…!)

Yet now, the alien mana radiating from the man before Glenn, along with his overwhelming presence, clearly transgressed the boundaries of humanity in a blasphemous way.

(If I recall, the Fohenheim family’s magic, unlike the Ignite family’s, had almost no combat-oriented spells… Most of their secret arts revolved around [Sealing]…)

Which meant—

“I get it. You… you’ve undone the [Seal], haven’t you? The [Dragonized Curse]…”

“…You’re sharp, magic instructor.”

Despite having a gun pointed at him, Reik didn’t flinch, responding calmly.

“To prevent the progression of the [Dragonized Curse], our clan applies the [Dragon Chain Seal Ritual], from Seal One to Seal Three, to our bodies from the moment we’re born. As a result, we’re not much different from ordinary humans in our daily lives. But once those seals are undone… the dragon’s power manifests.”

Reik’s piercing gaze locked onto Glenn, unwavering.

“This time, I’ve dispelled Seal One—to fight you.”

“Just Seal One, and you’ve got that kind of mana? You’ve still got two more seals left? Are you kidding me?”

The sheer terror and shock gave way to dumbfounded exasperation.

“Don’t worry. Undoing the remaining two seals requires considerable effort, time, and catalysts. During this battle, no further dragon power will be unleashed.”

“Hah… You sure about that? If you keep carelessly dispelling and resealing the [Dragon Chain Seal Ritual], the curse’s progression will accelerate, won’t it? It’ll take a toll on your mental lifespan.”

“I don’t care. You’re worth it.”

Reik’s answer was immediate.

“The last time we faced each other, I hesitated to dispel the [Dragon Chain Seal Ritual]. Back then, I didn’t think someone as insignificant as you was worth risking my life for… Foolishly, I underestimated you.”

“…Would’ve been nice if you underestimated me this time too. Getting serious against a small fry like me? Kinda pathetic, don’t you think?”

“The Fohenheim family… truly was a foolish clan.”

Ignoring Glenn’s jab, Reik spoke coolly.

“For generations, we sought forbidden power, indulged in it, and abandoned our humanity to obtain it… A mad power useful only for combat. Utterly meaningless. Our extinction was deserved.”

“…”

“But precisely because of that, I, the so-called perfected form of this clan, will dedicate myself to it. The culmination of my clan’s pursuit, abandoning humanity… If my destruction is already a predetermined fate, I want to know what lies at the end of this path of combat. Was there any meaning to it? That’s what I seek.”

Raising his left hand toward Glenn—

“Last time, I fell to you midway through that path… But thankfully, I now have another chance to reach that end.”

“…You’re way too stuck in your edgy teenage phase, man. Live a little more carefree, would ya?”

“Prepare yourself, Glenn Radars. What will this battle with you show me?”

“Tch—!”

Glenn’s left hand moved like a gale, fanning the hammer of his pistol—

“《──■■■》”

Reik muttered an otherworldly language, like the growl of a beast—

And with a blinding explosion of light, the warehouse was blown skyward.

 

While Glenn and Reik clashed in the warehouse district of the southern sector—

Far away, atop the roof of the Imperial Opera House in the central district.

“Haa… Haa… Haa…!”

Sistine, on the verge of hyperventilating, stared at Jin with a pale face.

“Hyahahaha! Man, am I lucky or what? To think I’d catch the White Cat-chan I missed out on back then in a place like this…?”

Jin, licking his lips, looked at her as if he’d stumbled upon an unexpected feast.

“Tonight’s gonna be a full-course cat feast! I’ll toy with you, violate you, kill you, make you cry, scream, and wail! Hya ha ha ha ha ha—!”

“…Hic!?”

Fear overwhelmed her. Tears welled up involuntarily. Her body wouldn’t stop trembling.

Why was such a terrifying guy here, in front of her?

What was she even doing in a place like this? She should’ve just stayed out of it—

Such weakness threatened to consume Sistine.

But with a deep breath, she wiped her tears with the back of her hand and glared at Jin.

Forcing her racing heart under control, she detached her fear from her emotions, striving for calm, for clarity—

(It’s okay… It’s okay, Sistine… Stay strong…! My body… can move…! My mind… is clear…! I can chant spells…!)

That’s right. She wasn’t the same as she used to be—she’d grown stronger.

(Yes, I can fight…! I’ve grown so much since those days…!)

Besides, if she observed calmly, this Jin… compared to the top-tier enemies like Reik, Jatice, or Al-Khan… didn’t exude that much of an oppressive aura.

Maybe… just maybe, an enemy of this level was someone she could handle on her own?

(That’s right… I’ve been training relentlessly with Sensei for moments like this… My strength now is nothing like the crying, helpless girl I was back then…!)

In fact, during her short-term study abroad at Saint Lily Magic Girls’ Academy, she’d completely overwhelmed Francine and Colette, the top students there.

She was strong now.

That confidence and pride… naturally steadied the trembling in her hands and knees.

“…Hoh? What’s this? Unexpected~.”

Noticing that Sistine’s spirit refused to break, and that her eyes now burned with resolute determination, Jin tilted his head with an amused smirk.

“Hmph… A third-rate punk like you, with no shred of professionalism? I’m not scared of you…!”

Sistine boldly provoked Jin, her voice brimming with defiance.

“Heh? Getting cocky, huh? Thing is, I hate arrogant brats. They piss me off. Guess I’ll need to do a little prep work before I dig into this tasty meal.”

Jin raised his left hand, pointing his fingers at Sistine.

Sistine calmly focused on his fingertips.

(…I remember. This guy’s specialty… is an unbelievably condensed chant for [Lightning Pierce], activated at insane speed—but!)

While keeping her eyes on Jin’s fingers, Sistine quietly began channeling her mana.

(If it’s just fast—and I know it’s coming from the start—)

“Let’s see what you’ve got… 《Zudo—》”

Jin began his chant.

A spark of lightning crackled at his fingertips—

(—it’s not impossible to counter!)

In that instant, Sistine sprang into action.

“—《Dissipate》!”

With the instincts honed through her boxing training, she chanted Black Magic [Tri-Banish].

The counter-spell, designed to neutralize fire, lightning, and ice assault spells, activated with perfect timing—

Paan! Jin’s high-speed lightning bolt exploded into nothingness in the void.

(—I did it!)

And with that, a golden opportunity presented itself to Sistine.

Black Magic [Tri-Banish] was a relatively “light” spell, causing minimal disruption to her Mana Biorhythm. Compared to “heavy” spells like [Lightning Pierce], it allowed her to return to a low biorhythm state far more quickly.

In other words, in this fleeting moment, Jin was unable to cast, but Sistine could.

This was her chance—if she counterattacked now, she could win—

Or so she thought.

“《—Dodododododododon》”

“Huh?”

Even though she had definitely neutralized Jin’s spell—countless lightning bolts now shot from his fingertips in rapid succession, swarming toward Sistine.

Every single one of those bolts grazed her body, narrowly missing as they streaked past.

“…Huh?”

She had intended to chant a counterattack spell… but she’d long forgotten it.

For a moment, Sistine could only stand there, frozen in shock…

“…W-what… was that just now…? No way… ten consecutive shots…!?”

Eventually, she muttered, her voice trembling.

Jin smirked wickedly at her stunned expression.

“Man, it’s been a while, huh? Missed every single one… Failure, failure…”

Lies. That was obviously a lie.

This man, Jin—he had deliberately missed every shot.

To flaunt the insurmountable gap between himself and Sistine—or perhaps just for his own amusement.

If he’d whimsically chosen to hit even one, Sistine would be dead.

To neutralize ten consecutive shots would naturally require ten consecutive counter-spells.

With Sistine’s current skill, she couldn’t possibly manage that, no matter how hard she tried.

“Still, gotta say, you’ve improved, huh? Clap clap clap! I’ll give you a gold star.”

“A-ah…!?”

She could feel her fighting spirit crumbling to pieces.

The mask of bravado was ripped away in an instant, exposing the raw terror that now gnawed mercilessly at her heart.

“Now then—next up.”

As Jin casually readied his fingers again—

“—O-《O Gale》!”

Sistine instinctively chanted Black Magic [Rapid Stream] with a scream-like cry.

Enveloped in a fierce wind, she fled the scene like a startled rabbit.

 

A gust of wind tore through the streets of Fejite, wild and swift.

It was Sistine, merged with the wind through her [Gale Kick].

She dashed across rooftops, kicked off walls to climb higher, and vaulted off towers—forward, forward, forward.

The city’s scenery flowed past beneath her like a raging torrent.

(No… No, no, no! I worked so hard…! I tried so much… and there’s still such a huge gap…!? It’s still so far away…!?)

Not as intimidating as her previous formidable foes? Someone she could handle alone?

What arrogance. Her meager strength was utterly useless against a “real” opponent.

Now she understood—she hadn’t felt Jin’s oppressive aura because her own overconfidence had dulled her senses.

(I have to escape! There’s no way I can win! No way I can beat a guy like that—!)

Landing on the street, she whipped up a whirlwind and slipped into a narrow alley.

To an ordinary bystander, it would look like a shadow fleetingly passing with the city breeze.

(Haa…! Haa…! If… if I escape this far…)

Sistine cautiously peered out from the alley, checking the main street.

No sign of pursuit… She’d probably lost him.

Confirming this, Sistine let out a sigh of relief… but in that very moment—

“Whew! Not bad with the [Gale Kick], huh? I’ll give you props for that.”

A familiar, casual voice accompanied a light tap on her shoulder from behind…

It felt like her heart might leap out of her mouth.

“W-when…!? H-how…!?”

Frozen like a statue, unable to move, Sistine questioned Jin behind her.

“Huh? How? My magic combat style is all about using [Gale Kick]’s high-speed movement to disorient and riddle my opponent with holes. What, you thought that level of [Gale Kick] was your exclusive trick? Gya ha ha! That’s a riot!”

She couldn’t move. He’d gotten behind her. She was cornered. There was no escape—only death awaited.

No, worse than death—a fate far more agonizing and humiliating loomed. Her dignity as a woman would be thoroughly trampled, defiled… a cruel, pitiful end.

“Ah, aah… uwaa… Sensei… h-help…”

As Sistine trembled, tears streaming down her face—

“Don’t cry so much… I’ll give you another chance, alright?”

A serpent-like voice slithered into her ears, accompanied by a hand patting her head as if to encourage her.

“I’ll wait. Go ahead and cast every counter-spell you know, as many as you want, until you’re satisfied. Then try escaping again.”

“…Huh…?”

“I’ll hold back on the power, too. With your level of mana, if you go all-in on defense, you won’t die that easily. Let’s keep this game of tag going a bit longer, yeah?”

In an instant, Sistine understood his vile intent.

“You’re… going to toy with me…?”

“Exactly. Once you can’t move anymore, it’s time for the real fun.”

That… was far worse than simply being violated and killed. It was a torment far more excruciating.

“Ah, ugh… sob… That’s so cruel… How could you…”

“Hya ha ha! Totally feels like a third-rate punk with no professionalism, right!? Hah… What’s so fun about being first-rate? This is fun! If this is what I enjoy, I don’t need to be first-rate… Third-rate’s good enough for me, yeah?”

A grave miscalculation. Jin wasn’t a third-rate nobody who couldn’t become first-rate.

He was a third-rate scum who rejected becoming first-rate for his own pleasure and amusement. That was all.

There was no way she could win.

“C’mon, what’s it gonna be, White Cat-chan? If you’re gonna do something, hurry up.”

“…Ugh… sob…”

There was no choice. She knew the end would be pitiful and wretched, yet even so…

Weeping in despair, Sistine had no option but to cast every counter-spell she could muster on herself.

Black Magic [Tri-Resist], Black Magic [Air Screen], White Magic [Body Up]… She layered spell after spell with all her mana, again and again.

Even knowing that each spell only prolonged her torment… she had no other choice.

“All set?”

“P-please… Just let me go…”

Ignoring Sistine’s tearful plea—

“Alright then, let’s kick this off with a bang! 《Zdon》!”

Struck in the back, Sistine’s body was flung forward by the impact, tumbling clumsily across the main street.

 

“Ooooooo—!”

Glenn runs. He runs. He runs.

There’s no room for holding back. No time to think about consequences.

With the White Magic [Physical Boost] pushed to its limits, he charges at ferocious speed—

The ground is gouged, his afterimage left behind as he surpasses the limits of his body, circling to Reik’s left—rapid fanning, his left hand a blur.

Gunshots, gunshots, gunshots, gunshots, gunshots, gunshots—an instantaneous barrage of bullets rains down on Reik.

These are explosive high-powered rounds, loaded with special magical gunpowder, Ash Powder.

Against an ordinary human, their torso would be torn apart, limbs blown off by the sheer force.

The recoil is so intense that Glenn is thrown backward, tumbling spectacularly across the ground.

But—

“—Too slow.”

With a flicker, Reik’s right hand moves in a blur—up, down, left, right, diagonally, countless times in an instant.

Then, Reik thrusts his clenched fist toward Glenn—and opens his hand.

Clatter, clatter, clatter…

Six bullet heads, caught in his grip, spill from his hand. Naturally, his palm is unscathed.

(A monster, huh!?)

Glenn kicks off the ground, regaining his stance, leaping back, then back again, putting distance between them.

Reik turns his left hand toward Glenn—and begins chanting a spell.

“《——■■■》!”

To human ears, the incantation sounds like the guttural roar of a beast, but its true nature is the ancient language of dragons, spoken directly to the forces of nature—Dragonic Magic. This language is the reason ancient dragons, seasoned by time, reign as lords of nature, commanding natural phenomena and cataclysms across their domains.

In response to Reik’s dragonic words, nature itself bares its fangs at Glenn.

Suddenly, clouds blanket the sky, and a ferocious storm swirls around them. Torrential rain hammers down as if striking with a mallet, lightning dances wildly, striking, striking, striking—

As warehouses are obliterated and blown apart in the chaos, a bolt of lightning targets Glenn—

“Don’t mess with me! This ain’t funny!”

Glenn shouts the incantation for Black Magic [Force Shield], unfurling scrolls inscribed with defensive spells and tossing protective amulets in a frenzy.

The multilayered magical defenses are shredded like paper, barely preserving Glenn’s life—

“Gyaaahhh!? This is on a whole other level!? I wanna cry!”

Fleeing the raging thunderstorm, he ducks into an alley, circling behind a warehouse—

“《——■■■■》”

Suddenly, a tornado spirals upward, sucking the warehouse Glenn was hiding behind into the sky.

“…Are you kidding me?”

Glenn can only stare in stunned disbelief as the warehouse spins and is swallowed into the heavens.

Then, just as abruptly, the storm, wind, lightning, and rain cease—

Boom! The surrounding warehouse district erupts in flames, burning fiercely.

The warehouses collapse into ashes before his eyes—

“…Now a wildfire, huh, damn it!”

With the warehouses as kindling, a thick, magma-like blaze writhes like a dragon’s tail, surging toward Glenn from all directions.

“Tch—!”

He unfurls multiple defensive scrolls, barely holding back the flames.

One by one, the scrolls, their magical effects spent, char and crumble before Glenn’s eyes—

“《——■■》”

As Glenn struggles to fend off the fiery storm, Reik begins chanting another dragonic spell—

“Enough already!”

Left with no choice, Glenn draws The Fool’s Arcane Tarot.

He activates his Original Magic [Fool’s World].

Even Dragonic Magic, at its core, is magic that intervenes in the laws of the world. Unlike standard runic magic, which alters the caster’s subconscious, it speaks directly to the world itself—but it remains magic nonetheless.

Thus, [Fool’s World] can seal even Dragonic Magic.

“…As expected, you’d resort to that.”

For a fleeting moment, Reik narrows his eyes in irritation, his Dragonic Magic sealed.

He likely recalls being thwarted by this tactic before.

“Heh! What’s that about dragon language, you idiot!? From here on, I’ll settle this with the language of fists!”

Glenn raises his fists boldly and charges at Reik.

“Very well… Shall we cross blades?”

Reik draws his sword.

Forged from dragon scales—a material said to rival mithril and orichalcum—the blade is a dragonic sword of unparalleled strength.

As Glenn closes in with the force of a gale, Reik calmly readies himself—

With a piercing spirit, he slashes through the air, thrusting his sword with deadly precision.

“Oooooooohhhhhhh—!”

In response, Glenn appears to unleash a full-force punch—only to—

“…Just kidding!”

He deftly dodges, leaping past Reik’s side.

Reik’s sword, robbed of its target, strikes the ground. A shockwave erupts from the blade which seemed to travel a thousand miles, powerful enough to split the warehouse district—literally—in two.

“Who the hell fights that head-on!? I’d be pulverized, you moron!”

Amid the swirling sword pressure, Glenn flees from Reik like a startled hare, running, running—

“This is the [Dragonized Curse] of the Fohenheim family, huh, damn it!? So when I beat him before, it was just a lucky first-strike fluke, wasn’t it!?”

A foolish clan, possessed by the immense power of dragons, gained unparalleled strength at the cost of their humanity.

A titanic body, immense magical power, and words that command and dominate nature itself—

This was the man known as Reik Fohenheim.

The Reik of now was, in every sense, the embodiment of a dragon.

(Damn… what do I do…? How do I fight someone this overwhelmingly strong…?)

Feeling the crushing pressure chasing him from behind, Glenn keeps running, his mind racing—

 

Meanwhile,

At the Fejite Patrol Agency’s Special Investigation Headquarters,

“What the hell are you thinking, Eve Ignite!?”

Chief Ronald slams both hands on the desk, confronting Eve.

“The mysterious cataclysms in the southern warehouse district! The incident in the central district where a girl is being hunted and assaulted by a rogue mage!? Why aren’t you acting!? Why aren’t you evacuating nearby residents!? Why aren’t you saving the girl!? Why are you keeping the city’s guards stationed in completely irrelevant areas!? Issue the order to move out, now!”

“A bunch of small fry rushing in would just pile up corpses. Leave it be.”

Ignoring Ronald, Eve scribbles countless runes with her finger on a black stone tablet—a compact magical computer. Its dark surface is flooded with glowing runic text, and her eyes have been frantically following the stream since earlier.

“Then you should act, shouldn’t you!? Eve Ignite, head of the Special Missions Annex!”

“Why should I have to move? Besides, behind this incident—”

“Shut up! I don’t care about your excuses! At the very least, save the girl in the central district—”

“No. The order is to stand by. No guard leaves their assigned post. That’s absolute.”

 

“I’m done with this!”

Ronald turns on his heel, addressing the gathered officers in the meeting room.

“I’m going! What kind of guard stands idle while an innocent girl is attacked by a villain!? Even if it’s a dog’s death, I’ll protect the citizens! Those who believe themselves the guardians of Fejite’s law and justice, follow me!”

“Chief! I’m with you! Let me go!”

“Me too! We can’t let this tyranny continue in Fejite!”

The officers in the room raise their fists, rallying behind Ronald—

“—《Be silent》!”

Suddenly, the four walls of the meeting room blaze with crimson flames, completely sealing off all exits.

“My secret spell [Seventh Garden] already dominates this agency! Defy me, and I’ll reduce you to ashes! I won’t even let you small-time fools die a dog’s death!”

“Grrr… You heartless demon!”

Ronald and the others, faces red with fury, can only tremble.

“Hmph! Dogs should obediently follow their master’s orders…”

Eve snorts, smirking arrogantly, but…

(That’s right… I must take down not only the Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom but, above all, that man—Jatice—lurking behind this incident! That is the mission of the Ignite family… my mission!)

Beads of sweat form on her brow as she mentally reaffirms her resolve—

 

—Father, why!? This is the board where we should send 《The Star》 Albert to support 《The Fool》 Glenn and 《The Empress》 Sera! Please, if this continues—!?

—No. Those fools are nothing but pawns for us Ignites.

—Your only concern is to eliminate the traitor 《The Justice》 Jatice and maximize our gains with utmost efficiency. That is the Ignite family’s cause. Defy me, and—

(Yes… a year ago, everything was already decided! I can’t turn back now… For the honor of the Ignite family… for the Ignites!)

Suppressing her rising emotions with a deep breath, Eve continues her calculations calmly.

(Jatice is cunning. Ordinary methods won’t catch him… But he’ll inevitably make contact with Glenn somewhere—he has no choice. That’s why I’ve stationed guards in the areas most likely for that encounter. I can’t spare a single one for the central district!)

The badges that the guards across the empire, under the Patrol Ministry’s jurisdiction, are required to wear during duty, hold a certain secret.

These badges are magical devices called the ‘Flame’s Eye,’ allowing Ignite family mages to freely collect various surrounding data.

Though each badge’s power is weak, with enough guards, their collective information-gathering surpasses any mage’s detection barrier by far.

This is a glimpse of the Ignite family’s unmatched intelligence-gathering prowess, a key factor in their consistent, overwhelming victories across generations. A closely guarded secret unknown to the empire’s government, the Round Table, or even Her Majesty the Queen, it’s a ‘privilege’ only the Ignites, who dominate the Special Missions Annex and have deep ties to the Patrol Ministry, could achieve.

Being granted permission by her father to use the ‘Flame’s Eye’ this time means failure is not an option. Eve must absolutely, without fail, fulfill her mission.

Thus—everything unrelated to the mission is to be discarded. That is Eve’s resolve.

(Besides… after I made the call to abandon Sera back then, how could I now—)

Though she mocks herself, though she tries to let go…

For some reason, she can’t help but be concerned…

While operating the black stone tablet, Eve activates a far-seeing spell—

First, she sends her magical vision to the warehouse district.

(Glenn… well… he’ll be fine for now…)

As Eve confirms, the battle between Glenn and Reik is, unsurprisingly, one-sided, with Glenn entirely on the defensive.

But Glenn is the disciple of Bernard Jester, the most cunning member of the Imperial Court Mage Corps.

He may not win, but he can fight without losing. Perhaps it’s the culmination of an ordinary man’s grueling training, but while Glenn isn’t strong in combat, he’s exceptionally skilled.

(If Glenn falls into a dire situation, Jatice might move to save him… And if Glenn dies, Jatice will have no choice but to act openly… That would create an opening to exploit… Either way, it poses no hindrance to my mission…)

And yet.

Why… does knowing Glenn is still safe bring her relief?

(…Ridiculous. …Next.)

Next, Eve sends her magical vision to the central district.

(Hmph… Probably some rogue mage from the Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom fighting someone cooperating with Glenn… Foolish… This is what happens when naive amateurs dip their toes into our world half-heartedly… Hmph, they reap what they sow…)

Muttering this, the moment Eve’s magical vision catches sight of the silver-haired girl—

“Huh?”

For a rare moment, Eve’s eyes widen in shock… and she mutters in a daze.

“…Sa… ra…?”

 

“Haa…! Haa…! Sniff… Hic… O fierce Thunder Emperor, with the spear of aurora, pierce—《Pierce》! 《Pierce》!”

Sistine, crying, chants Black Magic [Lightning Pierce] three times in succession.

Three bolts of lightning arc from her fingertips.

“Hmm, so close! Aim better, okay?”

But they don’t even graze Jin, who darts at high speed between buildings.

“《Zudododon》!”

Soaring high, Jin playfully chants a spell three times in succession.

Three bolts of lightning from his fingertips mercilessly strike Sistine’s shoulder and stomach.

“Kyaa!? Agh—!?”

The impact sends Sistine flying like a kicked ball.

Bouncing repeatedly, her delicate frame tumbles across the main street.

How many times has this happened? Sistine’s body is already battered beyond recognition—

“Hmm, was that a bit too strong? Sorry, holding back is kinda tricky!”

“Cough, cough! H-Hiii… H-Help…”

The pain feels like her body is shattering into pieces. The lightning, slithering like a serpent, clings to Sistine’s body, crawling and ravaging her with malicious intent.

“It hurts… It hurts so much… This is… too cruel…!”

Sistine, sobbing uncontrollably, can only crawl pitifully across the ground.

“Oh? Ready for the main course, are we?”

Then, landing lightly beside Sistine, Jin grabs her by the back of her collar, lifting her as if handling a small animal.

“…Ah… ugh…”

Sistine’s limp body dangles from Jin’s hand.

“Alrighty then, time for the fun dinner party, yeah? Hmm?”

A death sentence whispered in her ear. The revolting sensation of a hand slipping under her skirt.

“Nooo—!”

Her entire body bristling, Sistine thrashes reflexively, breaking free from Jin’s grasp—

“《O Tempest》!”

Activating Black Magic [Rapid Stream] once more, she cloaks herself in swirling gales and flees the scene at breakneck speed.

“Hahaha… What’s that? You can still move, huh?”

For a moment, Jin seems taken aback, but seeing Sistine’s back as she vanishes over a nearby building, he grins wickedly.

“Heh heh… You’re seriously the best! Grade-A gourmet material!”

With a leisurely expression, Jin begins to pursue Sistine at a relaxed pace.

And then—

 

“Someone help, someone help, someone help…”

In the dim, narrow depths of an alley, behind a dumpster, Sistine sits with her knees drawn up, trembling and crying.

This hiding spot is barely that. That man will find her soon.

And when he does—that will surely be the end of Sistine, the girl.

“I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die… Sensei… Rumia… Re=L…”

Clutching her head, she repeats the same words over and over, like a broken phonograph.

Sistine’s spirit had long since shattered.

Her fragile confidence, crushed. The overwhelming gap in strength, laid bare.

And—the paralyzing terror. For a fifteen-year-old girl, this cruel, despairing reality was far too much, enough to break her mind long ago.

So, at the very least, clinging to her last shred of hope…

With trembling hands, she pulls a direct communication magical device linked to Glenn from her pocket…

“Sensei… help… please… help… me…”

She presses it to her ear, muttering a spell to activate its function.

In that instant, the sound that blares from it—

 

“Uoooooooohhhhhhhhh—!”

It’s a frozen hell, far below zero.

A beautiful, silvery world dominated by biting cold and raging blizzards.

In this deadly realm, where stopping means instant freezing of lungs and blood—Glenn roars as he runs.

He runs, runs, and keeps running.

As if by running, he might carve out some path to survival—

“Die!”

When Reik swings his arm, massive ice boulders hurtle toward Glenn.

“Daaaaaaahhhhhhh—!”

The ice boulders explode one after another, chasing Glenn as he runs, shattering like glass and demolishing the surrounding warehouses in their momentum.

But the final one catches Glenn—

“Not on my watch! 《O Crimson Lion—》”

Glenn leaps, spinning midair to sharply swing his left arm.

From his left hand, countless steel threads slice through the air—

They crisscross freely over the ice boulder—

“《—Roar in your fury》!”

The searing heat of the spell Black Magic [Blaze Burst] races along the steel threads at breakneck speed.

In an instant—the massive ice boulder is sliced apart by the extreme heat, scattering in all directions.

“Oh?”

“Heh! Even with my measly mana, if I use it like this, the power’s on a whole different level! Sure, the steel thread’s done for now, though!”

Tossing aside the gloves embedded with steel thread, Glenn breaks into a sprint—

“You really do manage to scrape by with every trick in the book… but so what? Not a single one of your attacks will work on me!”

A ferocious blizzard swirls, and countless ice shards surge toward Glenn.

“Yikes!?”

Glenn instinctively dives behind a warehouse for cover.

The warehouse is steadily chipped away by the relentless barrage of ice—

“Haha, this is one hell of a hopeless situation… What am I even supposed to do here…?”

Unlike his earlier confident stance before Reik, Glenn’s words now carry a tinge of despair…

“Tch… Damn it all. Facing a stronger enemy in a hopeless fight is just business as usual… Forget that—think, damn it, think! Find a way to break through this—”

Biting his freezing hand to jolt himself with pain, Glenn swaps out the magazine in his gun.

“…Right. He’s a dragon. That means I should treat him as if I’m facing an Ancient Dragon itself… The dragon’s weakness might just be his weakness… If that’s the case…”

Finishing the magazine swap while deep in thought, he grips the pistol tightly again.

He churns through his knowledge at full speed, cross-referencing it with his skills to figure out what’s possible.

“Alright—let’s give it a shot… Time to bluff and see what happens…!”

With resolve—

“Oooooooohhhhhhhhhhh—!”

Unfurling a defensive barrier scroll and using it as a shield, Glenn leaps out from behind the warehouse.

The barrier rapidly deteriorates under the onslaught. Ice shards that slip through graze and cut into Glenn.

“Suicide? You should’ve just stayed hidden—”

Amid the raging blizzard, Reik calmly moves his hand.

Blades of vacuum—Kamaitachi—swirl into the storm—

[T/N: Kamaitachi is a Japanese yōkai from the oral tradition of the Kōshin’etsu region. They appear riding on dust devils and cut people using their sickle-like front claws, delivering sharp, painless wounds.]

(…I’ll take it with [Physical Boost]! Let the flesh be cut—)

His body is slashed and torn, blood spurting and freezing into red ice crystals that scatter in the wind.

Ignoring the pain, Glenn fires his gun.

But his target isn’t Reik. It’s an entirely different direction.

“What—!?”

The bullet isn’t a high-powered Ash Powder round but a standard Black Powder one. It ricochets off the ice blocks and pillars surrounding Reik, striking at him from behind.

Yet, as if anticipating it, Reik dodges without even looking.

“What good is that pathetic popgun now?”

“Heh… You dodged, huh? I saw that.”

Glenn flashes a bold, confident smirk and declares,

“Reik-san, with skin as invincible as dragon scales? Why’d you bother dodging that little popgun?”

“…”

“I know it, don’t I? You’ve got one too, huh? The one and only weak spot of the mightiest magical beast, the dragon, standing at the pinnacle of all creation—its [Reverse Scale]! You dodged that blindside attack because you were afraid it might hit it!”

With a click, Glenn cocks the hammer and aims the gun at Reik.

“If I can land a clean shot on that, it’s game over! One hit, and I turn this around for the win! So, what do you say? The real fight’s just getting started… Don’t you think?”

…It’s a complete bluff.

Sure, the dragon, the ultimate species, does have a single weak point known as the [Reverse Scale].

But whether Reik, even cursed with dragonification, has one? Glenn has no clue.

So, it’s a bluff. He’s making Reik think he’s certain it exists.

Normally, anyone would dodge an attack from a blind spot, weak point or not, but Glenn’s seizing on that to make a point.

If Reik really does have a [Reverse Scale]—

In that moment, Glenn focuses every nerve on his vision, locking onto Reik’s expression.

And then—just faintly. For the briefest instant as Glenn calls it out—

Reik’s expression, standing beyond the swirling blizzard, sharpens.

(—Oh? Interesting…)

Catching that subtle shift, Glenn smirks with newfound certainty.

What luck. If Reik reacts like that—there’s a chance to seize victory.

Yes—that move is now in play.

Still smirking, Glenn spins around, turning his back on Reik, and bolts.

“《…・──・~~ 》”

As he runs, he whispers a certain incantation into the spare cylinder gripped in his hand—then stuffs it into his pocket—

“You won’t escape—《■■》!”

Once more, Reik calmly speaks in the dragon tongue, commanding nature itself to bare its fangs at Glenn.

Suddenly, the area is engulfed in a massive flood.

Before the deluge swallows him, Glenn kicks off a nearby warehouse wall, scrambling onto its roof. Turning his back on Reik again, he flees across the rooftops, muttering to himself,

“Tch, what a damn unfair power gap… But… like hell I’m gonna give uppppp!!”

 

That soul-shattering cry from Glenn—

Reaches Sistine’s ears and her wilted spirit, from far beyond the warehouse district.

“…S-Sensei…”

She murmurs, dazed. Slowly… light begins to return to her lifeless eyes.

She doesn’t know the details of Glenn’s situation. She can only piece it together from the sounds transmitted through the communication device.

But—the searing heat of his soul, refusing to yield even in the face of a hell and despair far worse than her own, burns through to her like a brand.

And that… gives Sistine strength once more.

(…That’s right. All I’ve been doing is wallowing in regret… Wasn’t I supposed to save Rumia…? Didn’t I want to help Sensei…!?)

The person she’d been about to beg for help is fighting an opponent so overwhelmingly, despairingly powerful that challenging them feels almost arrogant.

Yet, he’s battling with everything he has, grasping at the slimmest threads of victory.

Thinking back, the Glenn Sistine admires has always been like this.

Before, just now, and even at this moment—he’s never once backed down from the most painful choice, the hardest path: to stand and fight.

Giving up, accepting defeat, or dying would be so much easier—

“Have I… really been fighting…? Truly standing my ground…?”

Did she really give it her all? Did she truly strive?

After her spirit broke initially, hadn’t she been fighting half-heartedly, already half-resigned?

Was everything Glenn taught her with such dedication so trivial that it crumbled the moment she faced real despair?

Absolutely—not.

Without a word to Glenn, Sistine cuts the magical communication device.

“At the very least… Sensei didn’t teach me all that just so I’d cry and wail pathetically like this…!”

Clinging to the alley wall, she scolds her trembling knees and staggers to her feet.

Her eyes are still wet with tears… but they’re no longer lifeless.

“Think… Think, Sistine…! Is there really no way to beat him? Not even a chance to strike back? Think hard…!”

At last, her usual sharp intellect begins to return.

First, she needs to calmly assess the facts and analyze the situation.

(If I want to outsmart him… I need a weapon he doesn’t have, something I do…)

As a Mage, what does she have that surpasses Jin?

The answer—nothing.

No matter how optimistically she looks at it, there’s nothing.

In terms of skill as a Mage, she doesn’t have a single advantage over him.

That’s the unyielding reality—

—In normal circumstances.

(But… right now… there is something! None other than what that man gave me!)

It’s artificial, yes… but in this moment, she does have something that surpasses Jin.

That strength of hers, combined with a certain spell Glenn taught her during their recent morning training sessions.

If she uses them, then maybe—

That’s when it happens.

“Oh, my? Hiding in a place like this, huh?”

Twenty meters behind Sistine, Jin descends from the sky, stirring the air with wind.

Instantly, Sistine’s heart leaps into her throat.

“Kukuku… Is it finally over? Ready to throw in the towel?”

She can imagine Jin approaching from behind, licking his lips.

His light, carefree steps carry none of the caution he initially showed.

(He’s… completely off guard right now…? He thinks I’m totally broken…?)

If so—there’s one chance. Just one. No second tries.

(…I might die… No… the odds of dying are… higher…)

But even so… she has to do it. Like Glenn—without retreating, without fear.

“Right, huh? I’m getting pretty bored of this game of tag. Time for the fun part—dinner time, yeah?”

Sistine—steels her resolve—

“《O wind wolf of the downs・carry me upon your back・race swiftly and fiercely》—!”

In one breath, Sistine shouts the incantation for Black Magic [Rapid Stream]—

In an instant, cloaked in swirling gales, she charges at Jin, tearing up the ground with ferocious speed.

“Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh—!”

“What!?”

Jin, who’d judged Sistine as already broken and devoid of fighting spirit, is completely caught off guard.

But—there’s no panic in him.

After all, they’re in a narrow, straight alley.

A straightforward charge like this? He could hit Sistine with a spell blindfolded.

Jin leisurely raises his fingers…

“Tch, still going, huh… What a pain… 《Zudon》”

He chants the spell halfheartedly.

A high-speed bolt of lightning shoots straight at Sistine.

This time, it’ll surely shatter her spirit completely…

What kind of pathetic begging will she do now? …Jin smirks to himself.

“Kuh—!”

At the moment of impact, Sistine’s body shifts ever so slightly to the side—

Jin’s lightning grazes her cheek sharply—and passes by.

“What!?”

At that moment, Jin had underestimated Sistine too much.

In their first magical duel, Jin had indeed showcased his overwhelming skill with a ten-shot barrage of [Lightning Pierce]—

But he’d completely forgotten that the first shot of that barrage was nullified—perfectly read and countered by Sistine.

If he’d seen Sistine not as easy prey but as an enemy to be defeated,

If he hadn’t let his guard down and had fired the ten-shot barrage here to ensure the kill—

—The outcome might have been different.

“Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh—!”

Maintaining her charging momentum, Sistine slams into Jin, clinging to him—both tumbling and bouncing wildly across the ground.

“Gah—!?”

The impact of Sistine’s tackle forces all the air from Jin’s lungs, leaving him gasping for breath for a split second.

And—in that fleeting gap, without hesitation—

“《Rage, wind god・wield a thousand blades・dance fiercely》—!”

Clinging to Jin, Sistine shouts a newly learned incantation.

In that instant,

With a roar, the air begins to swirl violently around Sistine and Jin.

“What—!?”

The spinning air turns into a storm, tightening around the two at its center like a vise—

“Tch… [Shred Tempest], huh…!?”

Black Magic [Shred Tempest]. A C-rank military assault spell of the wind element.

The storm it conjures in a designated area spins with countless vacuum blades, shredding anything trapped inside—the closer to the center, the greater the power.

It’s often considered low-powered for military magic—

“In the middle of such a fierce storm, can you accurately chant a complex spell with precise intonation and pitch!? That’s impossible!”

Exactly. With winds swirling so fiercely and irregularly, sound is inevitably distorted.

A spell chanted with disrupted sound could misfire unpredictably.

“You—can’t escape this storm of blades anymore!”

“You idiot—! Are you insane!?”

For the first time, panic flickers across Jin’s face, which had never lost its composure until now.

“That spell’s supposed to be cast from a distance, fired at the enemy from afar, isn’t it!? Using it at point-blank range like this—you’ll get caught in it too—!”

“I know that perfectly well! Sensei taught me, after all!”

“Then why the hell—!?”

That’s when Jin realizes.

A mutual takedown—he thought that’s what this was, but no. That’s not it.

(She… she’s layered herself with heavy magical defenses right now. And I made her do it…!)

And him?

(Against a weakling like her, I thought I didn’t need it… I barely put up any magical defenses…!)

He feels the blood drain from his body.

A nearly defenseless human versus one fortified with robust magical defenses.

When both are caught in the same storm of blades, who falls first?

The answer—is obvious.

“That’s right… With my skills, no assault spell could ever hit you… You’d dodge or escape…! So, this was my only option!”

“That’s your plan!?! Gah, let go! Damn it, let me go—!”

“Agh!? Gah!? Shut up… I’m not… letting go—!”

In his panic, Jin slams his elbow repeatedly into Sistine’s back as she clings to him, but her spirit overrides her body—she doesn’t loosen her grip, instead tightening it further, pouring every ounce of her remaining Mana into [Shred Tempest].

And—finally, the storm, now a whirlwind of sharp blades, begins to mercilessly carve into them both—

“Gyaaaaaahhhhhhhhh—!?”

“Aaaaaaahhhhh—!?”

Two screams overlap, fading into the howling wind.

Blood sprays, dancing in the storm.

The vacuum blades tear into every inch of their bodies, slashing recklessly.

Countless wounds rip their forms to shreds—

—But.

As expected, the cuts on Sistine are shallow, while Jin’s are far deeper.

The difference in their layered magical defenses is glaringly apparent here.

“Agh!? It hurts—!? Damn it—!? Me, to a weakling like this—!? Gaaaaahhhhh—!?”

Eventually—

When the spell’s duration runs out and the winds die down, silence falls over the scene.

And there…

“Guh! Cough! Gah… Haa… Haa… Damn it…!”

Jin lies sprawled, bloodied and tattered, pathetically licking the ground…

“…Haa… Haa… Ngh…! Ow…”

Sistine, equally battered and bloodied, staggers but stands firm on both feet, looking down at Jin.

Her clothes are torn to shreds, her wounded skin exposed, nearly bare—but even so, Sistine stands tall.

“Haa…! Haa…! See…? I… I did it…!”

The victor and the vanquished—are unmistakable.

That said, it was a razor-thin victory. Without those initial magical defenses, or if Jin hadn’t let his guard down… Sistine would be dead. Even with his carelessness, whether he’d hold back from a multi-shot barrage at the final charge was nothing short of a gamble.

(But… I played every card I had and gave it my all… That’s enough, right? Sensei…)

As Sistine murmurs proudly to herself in her heart,

“Damn it! Damn, damn, damn—! My body won’t move…! Me… Me—!? To a weakling like this—!?”

Jin writhes like a half-crushed cockroach, thrashing in agony…

And then,

“Tch… Just kill me…! You damn cat…”

He said it with a ferocious laugh.

“!?”

“Whatever, I can’t come back anyway… gotta save again, huh… hya, hahaha…”

(…Save? …Come back?)

The meaning was unclear. She didn’t understand, but…

“Come on… kill me… go ahead and blast me away…! You won…! Ain’t that the victor’s privilege…!?”

Killing a person.

Even if the opponent was an irredeemable villain… such a thing…

“~~~~ !”

It was something Sistine could never bring herself to do.

Fighting meant facing that reality… and now, confronted with it anew, Sistine broke out in a cold sweat, frozen like a statue, unable to move.

“Heh… soft… too damn soft, huh… but that’s gonna be your downfall.”

Suddenly, Jin’s arm, which should have been immobile, twitched…

And his fingertip’s aim locked onto Sistine.

“If you’d just finished me off clean, it would’ve been your perfect victory…!”

“—!?”

A chilling sensation, like ice water cascading through her, gripped Sistine’s entire body.

“Thought I couldn’t move anymore, huh? Too bad… my self-healing ability’s been enhanced… give it a little time, and I can manage this much…!”

“N-no… that’s…”

From the brink of victory to plummeting in the abyss of despair, Sistine stood dazed…

“Die, you damn cat!《Zudo—》”

A lethal spark of lightning began to flicker at Jin’s fingertip—when, at that moment.

Boom!

Suddenly, a blazing crimson flame, radiating intense heat, engulfed Jin, piercing the heavens.

“Gyaaaaaaa—!”

The raging inferno seemed to consume even his dying screams.

In the blink of an eye—Jin vanished from this world, leaving not even ashes behind.

“…What? What just…”

As Sistine blinked in shock…

“Sloppy finish. …Well, I suppose it’s pointless to say that to a child like you…”

A cold, clear voice, tinged with a dismissive edge, rang in her ears.

At the edge of Sistine’s vision, she thought she glimpsed hair as radiant as blazing flames…

“But… you did well enough. …I’ll give you that much praise.”

As Sistine tried to locate the source of the voice, scanning her surroundings.

Suddenly, her vision swayed.

(W-what…? Something’s… wrong with me…?)

Strength drained rapidly from Sistine’s body, the world spun, and darkness began to close in.

Unable to hold herself up, she crumpled to her knees…

A slender arm caught her brusquely, supporting her fall.

“Relax. It’s just the battle high wearing off… rest now.”

The voice was still cold, but it carried a gentle cadence, like a lullaby.

With those words as the last she heard—

Sistine’s consciousness sank completely into the dark abyss—

 

That battle, akin to facing the raw fury of nature itself,

Had finally reached its climax.

“Haa…! Haa…! Haa…!”

On one side, Glenn, battered and bruised, utterly exhausted, barely able to stand.

“……”

On the other, Reik, exuding an overwhelming presence, seemingly unscathed.

At this point, the victor and the vanquished were all but set in stone.

“Impressive, Glenn Radars.”

Reik spoke with genuine admiration.

“With various tactics and tools, you’ve managed to bridge an insurmountable gap in power. But, unfortunately… it seems I was one step ahead.”

“…What’s that?”

Glenn’s brow furrowed as Reik delivered his words like a death sentence.

“You assumed I had a dragon’s weak point, the ‘reverse scale,’ and desperately sought it out… but such a thing doesn’t exist in me.”

“…!?”

Glenn’s eyes widened slightly at Reik’s words.

“The ‘reverse scale’ is a weakness born of a dragon’s physical structure. It’s irrelevant to a human. You misread me. I saw through your plan from the start and used it against you. You wasted precious resources searching for a nonexistent weakness.”

But to Reik, who spoke so confidently…

“Still… I respect you. You’ve glimpsed a fragment of the world I aim for…”

“…I knew.”

Suddenly, Glenn’s lips curled into a sly grin.

“…What?”

Now it was Reik’s eyes that narrowed sharply.

“Huh? No [Reverse Scale]? I knew that from the start… just think about where your curse comes from, and it’s obvious…”

Chuckling, Glenn’s shoulders shook with laughter.

“Project: Revive Life… hard to believe, but that’s how you came back, right? I mean, what else could it be?”

“……”

“Body, mind, and soul… each component crafted separately and layered to create a perfect copy of the original human… meaning, while you have the same abilities and personality, you’re fundamentally a different person from the Reik I fought before.”

“…So what? That’s obvious, and it won’t shake—”

“Here’s the thing. Where does your [Dragonized Curse] come from?”

Reik’s glare sharpened as Glenn’s words cut to the core.

“Isn’t it strange? Your body and soul were remade from scratch. If the curse was tied to them, it should’ve vanished upon revival…”

“……”

“But the [Dragonized Curse] remains… which means the answer is simple. The curse is rooted in the mind… a virus written into your mental code. So, when your Astral Code—your mind’s copy—was fully inherited, the curse came with it.”

“……”

“You know, in the East, they talk about ‘oni’—terrifying monsters that were originally human. A human’s warped psyche, consumed by wrath, distorts their body into something monstrous. Sounds a lot like your ‘Dragonized Curse,’ doesn’t it?”

“…What’s your point? It’s impressive that you deduced the nature of the [Dragonized Curse]—Fohenheim’s deepest secret—with so little information, but so what?”

“Well, basically… if it’s a curse rooted in the mind, eating away at your psyche—”

In that instant, Reik’s eyes widened.

Glenn drew The Fool’s Arcane Tarot—and raised it high.

His Original Magic [Fool’s World] activated once more—sealing all magic in the surrounding area.

“There’s more than one way to play this…”

“At this stage, [Fool’s World]…? No way, you—!?”

“Come on. Let’s see who’s faster.”

With that bold declaration from Glenn—in that moment.

“Rooooooar—!”

Realizing everything, Reik roared and charged at Glenn.

His dragon-enhanced physical prowess made his form blur with godlike speed.

In his hand, the [Dragon Scale Sword], capable of rending anything.

Its tip, propelled by inhuman velocity, tore through the air, closing in on Glenn.

“—!”

Glenn swiftly spun in place, his hand whipping through the air like a mirage.

In his grip, the [Magun Penetrator].

Its muzzle locked onto the approaching Reik—

In that fleeting moment, a crescent slash of light rent the space.

In that fleeting moment, an explosive gunshot tore through the air.

In that single instant, Reik and Glenn—crossed paths.

“……”

“……”

Silence and stillness reigned between them.

They stood back-to-back, a few meters apart, wordless—

Until, at last.

Splatter! Blood sprayed violently from Glenn’s left side, and he staggered to his knees…

Alas, it was decided… anyone watching would think so…

But then.

With a clatter, the [Dragon Scale Sword] spun wildly from the sky, embedding itself in the ground—

And a trickle of blood ran from the corner of Reik’s mouth.

“You win… Glenn Radars.”

Looking closely… Reik’s left chest was gouged by a bullet.

The dragon’s body, with its absolute resilience—his heart—had been pierced by a mere lead slug.

An impossible reality—unfolded there.

“…White Magic [Mind Up]… a bullet enchanted with a spell to enhance mental strength…”

Reik discerned the nature of what ended him, exhaling in awe.

“You shot that into me to boost my mental fortitude…”

“Yeah… if the curse is rooted in the mind, strengthening your mind weakens the curse… and softens that proud dragon-scale hide of yours… simple logic, right?”

“…Ridiculous.”

Glenn called it simple, but it was anything but.

The [Dragonized Curse] was an immensely powerful curse.

An impromptu enchantment of White Magic [Mind Up] could only weaken it for a fraction of a second—a fleeting moment. Hitting that window should’ve been impossible… normally.

But Glenn made it possible with his superhuman marksmanship.

Triple Shot.

One shot with the right thumb cocking the hammer. Two more with the left hand fanning, using the left thumb and ring finger to cock the hammer—a high-level technique firing three rounds in an instant.

With a skill so precise the three shots sounded as one, Glenn used the first two to pierce the fleeting moment when the curse weakened, then knocked away the sword aimed to cleave him with the final shot—

Flexible thinking to deduce the enemy’s ability, the creativity to outwit it, and the skill and nerve to execute it—

“You’re the only one in this world who could pull that off.”

“Thanks.”

“So… all this time, you pretended to search for the reverse scale… while testing how effective a bullet enchanted with White Magic [Mind Up] would be against me.”

“…Sorry for being so sneaky.”

And then.

Reik—collapsed to his knees, spitting blood, and spoke.

“…Bring [Eve Kaiser’s Elixir], Glenn Radars…”

“—!?”

“Imperial Court Mage Corps Special Missions, Executive Number 0,《The Fool》… if we’re speaking of that man… then besides your Original Magic [Fool’s World], [Eve Kaiser’s Elixir]… should be your ultimate trump card…”

At Reik’s words, Glenn’s expression visibly darkened.

“Guh… Let’s be clear… you’re strong, Glenn Radars.”

“Hah… a third-rate mage like me? What’re you on about, caught like this?”

“…Physically, I was superior. In mana capacity, I was superior. In magical skill, I was superior. As a mage, I outclassed you in every way, and you had no edge over me. Yet—you still beat me.”

“……”

“If that’s not a ‘strong man,’ then what is?”

Glenn remained silent.

His face, devoid of emotion, carried a bitter, complex weight.

“Bring [Eve Kaiser’s Elixir], Glenn Radars. Get serious. This me is done… but the next me… show them an even greater world…!”

With those final words… Reik collapsed, lifeless.

Sinking into a pool of blood, Reik was completely gone.

For a while, Glenn stood motionless, like a statue…

Until, at last, he muttered to no one in particular.

“Bring [Eve Kaiser’s Elixir], huh… don’t just say whatever you want, damn it…”

It wasn’t so much a rebuke of Reik as a self-deprecating murmur.

But he couldn’t linger in sentiment forever.

Staggering to his feet, Glenn shoved a hand into his pocket, pulling out the direct communication device linked to Sistine.

“…Hey, White Cat… I managed to pull through.”

He called out repeatedly…

“White Cat…?”

…But there was no response from Sistine.

“Hey, White Cat. White Cat, you hearing me…? White Cat…”

Then, a chilling realization hit him, sending a shiver down his spine.

(Why… did I assume I was the only one being attacked…!?)

If he was being targeted by enemies,

It wouldn’t be strange at all for Sistine to be attacked too.

Overwhelmed by the sheer power of the enemy before him, Glenn had been too focused to consider that possibility.

“Hey, White Cat! Answer me! Respond! White Cat—damn it!”

Wishful thinking was dangerous. Something had definitely happened to Sistine.

Glenn was certain of it.

“I knew it… I shouldn’t have dragged her into this! I knew it, and yet…!”

The memory of losing the woman he loved right before his eyes resurfaced unbidden.

Gripped by the worst premonition, Glenn, half-panicking, started to sprint toward the central district where Sistine should be.

“Damn it… please… be safe, Sistine—!”

And… at that moment.

“…Relax, Glenn.”

Suddenly, a familiar, grating voice cut into Glenn’s ears.

It wasn’t through the communication device this time.

“You’re a bit too overprotective… If it’s Sistine, she’ll overcome a trial like that… I ‘read’ it that way…”

“Wha…”

From the gap between half-destroyed warehouses, a man approached, his footsteps echoing.

“Still, the outcome was a bit ‘unreadable.’ I didn’t expect her to show up. Well, thanks to that, it saved me the trouble of protecting Sistine at the end, so it’s fine…”

And beside the man spouting such words…

“S-sensei…”

Rumia—supposedly kidnapped—stood with a tearful expression.

“…Thank goodness… you’re safe… really…”

Seeing Rumia, Glenn moved on instinct.

“Jatiiiice—!”

Pushing his battered body beyond its limits, Glenn lunged at Jatice with lightning speed.

“Whoops.”

Jatice nimbly dodged, soaring through the air and landing atop a half-ruined warehouse.

“S-sensei!?”

“Stay back, Rumia!”

Shielding Rumia behind him, Glenn faced Jatice above, poised and alert.

“Hahaha, quite the warm greeting, Glenn…”

Jatice laughed, trembling with a warped glee, his voice broken.

The sight of him made Glenn’s skin crawl.

“For a creep who loves skulking in the shadows, you sure showed up quick, huh…?”

“Yeah… originally, I didn’t plan to confront you here… but there’s a very troublesome she keeping a close eye on things.”

“…She…?”

“But… something ‘unreadable’ happened with her… so I figured it’s a good opportunity. I’ll make full use of it. You should thank her, Glenn… the challenges are over.”

“Tch… I don’t get a damn thing you’re saying, and I don’t care!”

Glenn swung his arm, bristling with fury.

“You… you targeting me again for some incomprehensible reason? Trying to wear me down with your weird ‘challenges’? …Fine. Let’s settle this right here!”

Jatice is strong. Possessing a strength that follows an entirely different vector from Celica, Albert, or Reik, he is, without a doubt, a mage of the world’s highest caliber.

 

But sparks that fall upon you—must be brushed aside.

As Glenn steeled himself, his body burning with righteous fury,

“…Don’t underestimate me, Glenn.”

Jatice spoke with a faintly displeased expression.

“Do you honestly think that I, of all people, would take advantage of your weakened state and stoop to something as cowardly as a sneak attack? …Oh, how sad.”

“…Huh?”

And then, a one-man performance unfolded above Glenn’s head.

With exaggerated gestures and flourishes, Jatice began to speak passionately.

“To begin with! The resolution between you and me was never meant to be settled on the stage of some trivial farce like this! There must surely be a situation, a grand stage, far more fitting for us to decide who is superior! Isn’t that right!?”

“Isn’t that right?” he asked, but Glenn couldn’t comprehend a single thing.

“I get it, I get it. Your justice and my justice… you want to settle which one reigns supreme as soon as possible, and I completely understand. Well, mine’s obviously superior… but don’t rush, Glenn. It’s not time yet… Soon enough, I’ll prepare a magnificent stage, crafted with care, perfectly suited for this ultimate showdown… So please, wait until then.”

The only thing Glenn could grasp was that Jatice had no intention of fighting him here and now.

“Then what’s your goal? …Taking Rumia hostage, using me… just what the hell are you scheming!?”

“Naturally—‘the execution of justice.’”

Jatice answered cleanly and confidently, puffing out his chest with pride, his presence commanding and majestic.

…As always, an unwavering man.

“Glenn, this is the truth. Listen carefully. Right now, Fejite is on the brink of annihilation.”

“…What? Annihilation…?”

“Someone has to stop it… If no one does, this city of Fejite will vanish from the map, and every single person will perish… We’re at that critical juncture right now.”

Jatice smirked at the dumbfounded Glenn.

“Glenn… As the ‘Executor of Justice,’ I want to stop this… Heh heh… Will you lend me your strength?”

From those abyss-colored eyes, not a hint of Jatice’s true intentions could be discerned.