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A sudden, overwhelming sense of danger surged through me, and my instincts took over. I threw myself backward just in time to evade a two-meter double-edged blade, glowing with amber light, that sliced through the air where my upper body had just been. The force of the swing tore through not only space but light itself. Was that… Amadeus? It looked different—had he drawn it from that massive translucent blade earlier?

“Meet Versa Amadeus,” he said casually. “What you saw before was just its sheath.”

‘S̲h̲i̲t̲, how did he get behind me?!’ The thought echoed in my head as I spun around in alarm, twisting my body and leaping back to widen the distance. Yet Azure God was just as quick, his foot slamming hard into my side. The impact drove the breath from my lungs in an instant, the crushing force convincing me that several ribs had snapped. With no time to think of a counter, I shot upward into the air, desperate to escape his reach.

But even in flight, his face stayed fixed in my vision. The next instant, something crashed into my head with bone-twisting force, nearly wrenching my neck beyond human limits. The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth and nose. I was certain I hadn’t blinked, yet everything blurred into incomprehensible flashes of light.

“Cou…gh…rrgh…” My voice rasped as I realized I was sprawled on the cold stone floor. Regeneration worked steadily, restoring my HP and MP, but the pain from the brutal impact pressed down on me harder than any wound. Unbidden, tears slid down my cheeks.

His bare feet stepped closer. Fighting to keep my fading focus, I unleashed Holy Light toward his face—at least, I thought I did. But before the beam could land, Azure God vanished from sight and reappeared behind me, driving his foot into my back. I tumbled across the floor, rolling two or three times before coming to rest face-down.

Th-this… it has to be HMS—High Speed Mode! Devta had used it before, but his movements were rigid and predictable, never breaking out of straight lines or showing the reflex to curve mid-strike. Azure God, however, wielded it with terrifying mastery, bending its potential to its fullest.

“Well, bear with my high-handed method. You know, right? A spoiled kid needs proper discipline.” His voice came from my right, followed by the weight of his leg pressing into my shoulder. Before I could react, his hand seized my arm and wrenched it behind my back. A sharp, sickening crack split the air—my bone had snapped.

“Rrrrgh!” The cry tore from my throat, tears spilling freely as agony shot through me. My vision dimmed, but another kick forced my head upward. I tried to push myself up with my left hand, only for his fist to smash into me, followed by his foot crushing down on my chest, driving the air from my lungs.

“Alright, I think that’s enough to savor you.” His voice dripped with sick, lingering malice, making my skin crawl. I struggled to break free, but he sighed. “When will you learn to give up? Fine, I’ll teach you my way. But first… I should show you exactly who you’re dealing with.”

A crazed smile twisted his lips as he gripped my arm and bent it against the joint until it snapped like a twig. “Gaaahhh!” The pain was far worse than before, sending my entire body into violent spasms. Regeneration worked, but the injury was so severe that agony still tore through me. He didn’t stop—next came the snap of my middle finger. My vision went black as my body finally surrendered.

“And that’s the end…?” My shallow breathing echoed in my ears. Then something cold slid against my body, creeping from beneath my skirt up to my chest. I had no time to process what it was before Versa Amadeus tore away my clothes, underwear included. Only a short remained on me, and Azure God ripped it apart with a gleeful grin.

“Aaaahhh…” The cry slipped from my lips when the last scrap of clothing was torn from my body. My hazy mind finally grasped the truth, but far too late. A frail, almost imperceptible whimper—so faint I could hardly believe it was my own—echoed through the empty, isolated room like a ghost of a scream.

◆◇◆◇

The «Gazer» Susa, ranked No. 3 and foremost among the Seven Beasts of Calamity, had scattered countless alter egos near the zenith of the Void Mist, each one watching the shifting patterns of its strange, ever-changing flow. His single eye was fixed on its highest point.

They had already determined that the Void Mist—whether seen as a cloud or a fog—was a sealed, imaginary space. It might be impervious to all direct attacks, but it had to have an origin point from which it emerged. Susa was certain that its zenith was also its weak point.

The problem was that this origin point never remained fixed. As the Void Mist expanded second by second, its zenith shifted as well. Finding it was like searching for a needle in a desert. For three days and nights, Susa’s full attention was locked on its movement until he finally noticed a repeating pattern—at least, he thought he did. Without hesitation, he summoned the greatest firepower at his disposal, the Demon Generals, to bombard a specific location with their full strength.

Naturally, the movements of the top brass drew attention. Before long, the airspace swarmed with every sort of influential figure, their numbers swelling past ten thousand. It would not hinder their efforts, Susa decided, pushing the thought aside. Like a diamond that could shatter when struck at the right spot with enough force, the Void Mist too could be broken. He had already pinpointed the general area; now came the question of how much firepower was needed—wait…! His thoughts froze.

In an instant, every one of Susa’s alter egos locked onto a single point of the Void Mist where its shroud touched the ground.

“I’ve found it! Target that spot!” Susa roared, a crimson beam lancing from his eye to mark the location. The beam itself caused no harm; it was a signal for the others. “Miss Kiri!”

“I know!” Kiri’s voice rang out as she propelled herself through the air with the fluid grace of swimming, hurling her trident toward the marked point. Unlike an ordinary mermaid, she towered in size, her elegant armor and white mask lending her an ethereal beauty that was overpowered by the fierce, commanding aura she radiated.

They had repeated similar strikes countless times before, whether with ordinary weapons or even Hiyuki’s Lv99 sword, yet everything was swallowed without trace. This time was different. The trident lodged itself into the surface of the Void Mist. It tried to consume the weapon as it always had, but lightning flared from the trident in a violent surge, forcing the mist to recoil.

“Everyone, this is make or break!” Kiri’s voice boomed over the battlefield. “I forged this spear to counter the Void Mist, but it can only hold out for so long. Make haste—unleash everything you have!”

She gestured toward the trident—now their rallying banner—crafted under her alias, the Blacksmith King Torkiness, as the herald of their assault. That was all the signal the gathered forces needed. From the elite Round Table members to the rank-and-file monsters, every fighter unleashed their most powerful attack.

“Triple Raguna Spirit Breath!” “Dimensional Slash!” “Gravity Actuator!” “The Limitless Flurry—take it!” “Haaah! Crescent of the Sun!” “Lion’s Mighty Howl of the Sacred Explosion!” The sky and earth shook beneath the combined roar of countless ultimate techniques.

***

Oliana, Revan, and the others were a fair distance away, yet the tremors still reached them. Behind them, the landscape had been swallowed by an apocalyptic scene so overwhelming that they were forced to avert their eyes from the mirror.

Hazumi quickly noticed their distress and hastily put the mirrors away, her shoulders sagging in disappointment. That feeling was abruptly replaced by concern when she caught sight of Mutsu’s strange expression beneath her.

“Hmm… who might you be… ah, so nostalgic… how long has it been since someone… spoke to me through dreams… I don’t know…” Mutsu murmured cryptic words Hazumi could barely make sense of. His dazed eyes betrayed a losing battle against an overpowering drowsiness. “…Princess is in danger…? Th…en… how to save… her?”

“Hey, Mutsu! What’s going on?” Kurashi called out, noticing the strange scene as he moved closer. Mutsu lifted his drowsy gaze to him and spoke weakly. “…I have to sleep right now. A voice… through the dream is telling me… dreams exist beyond the bounds of present, past, and future… and only through this can I save the Princess. Take me… close to the range of the attack…”

As soon as the words left his lips, Mutsu slipped fully into slumber, nearly collapsing to the ground if Kurashi hadn’t caught him with his foreleg and teeth. “To carry you… did he forget he’s already carrying guests?” Kurashi’s eyes drifted toward Oliana and Christoff.

“Please, don’t worry about us! If this can help Her Majesty, we mustn’t delay!” Oliana insisted.

“We should take any chance we have. In the end, nothing matters more than Miss Hiyuki’s safety!” Christoff added, their voices ringing out. Revan and Asmina quickly joined them.

“It’s the same for us. Just tell me if there’s anything we can do!” Revan said firmly.

“And if not directly, we can at least support! We’re in a race against time—I can feel it!” Asmina urged.

The four spoke with unshakable conviction, and Asmina’s words, spoken as a priestess, carried a quiet weight that hinted at the urgency of the situation. Not that anyone in the Imperial Crimson needed convincing when it came to their beloved princess. One by one, the gathered Demon Generals gave solemn, silent nods.

“Understood. And as long as I am here, no harm will befall them,” Divine Cloud declared with calm determination. Oliana and the others nodded in firm agreement.