Leo ran through the streets, Elna slung over his shoulder. All around him, officers and paladins were ushering civilians toward the churches, their movements swift and purposeful. Then, without warning, a crushing wave of mana surged through the city and everything stopped.
The overwhelming pressure drove Leo to one knee, his breath caught in his throat. He knew—the source was above, high in the sky. He tried to lift his head, to see, but his body refused to obey. His limbs felt like they were locked in place, trapped under an unseen force.
Ahead, the people who had been running for their lives collapsed, their bodies trembling, their screams fading into choked gasps. Under this suffocating power, they were dying. And Leo… he couldn't do a thing.
…
All eyes turned skyward, drawn as if by an unseen force, unable to look away.
Above them, the Icethrone Empress loomed over the city, her presence an unshakable weight upon the people below. Her piercing gaze swept across the battlefield, taking in the chaos with cold indifference.
After a few long seconds, she finally spoke.
"Let's end this quickly."
She raised both hands, and the tremors beneath the city intensified. The ground split open as five towering pillars of ice erupted from different locations beyond the city walls. Within moments, the pillars surged upward, stretching skyward until they stood over a hundred meters tall, casting long, eerie shadows across the cityscape.
A bitter chill followed.
The freezing air surged forward like a creeping tide, sweeping over the city. The stone walls groaned as frost spread across their surface, ice forming in jagged veins that crawled toward the gates.
Then, her eyes locked onto Ryan and the others.
With a single, deliberate gesture, she pointed at them.
Above, the air twisted, freezing into the shape of a dragon's head—an enormous beast of ice, its jagged maw gaping open. It had no limbs, only a serpentine body that coiled like a monstrous wyrm. The moment it fully formed, it surged toward them at terrifying speed, its icy breath chilling the very air.
Ryan spun around to warn the others, but the words died in his throat.
The B rankers—warriors who had faced countless battles—were paralyzed. Not by fear, but by the sheer crushing weight of the Empress's mana. They trembled, frozen in place, unable to even lift a weapon.
Ryan turned to Edgarth, hoping for an answer, but his expression held the same helpless uncertainty.
Then, just as the ice dragon was about to consume them—
A blazing arc of fire slashed through the air, slicing the dragon in two.
The frozen beast shattered instantly, ice shards raining down like crystal daggers.
Ryan and Edgarth whipped around toward the source of the attack.
Standing behind them, bathed in blinding light, was Edmond. But he was different now. His usual radiant wings had changed—no longer made of light, but of fire, burning with an intense, otherworldly glow.
In his hand, he gripped a strange sword. Its hilt bore the twisted visage of a face, frozen in an eternal, silent scream.
Edmond's voice, now deep and distorted, carried an unnatural resonance.
"Ryan. Edgarth." His gaze burned with purpose. "Buy me some time."
Before either of them could respond, Edmond exploded forward, moving faster than ever before, a streak of fire rushing toward the cathedral.
"He must be stopped!" Oryu roared.
With a flick of her finger, a wall of ice materialized, sealing off the cathedral's entrance. It was thick, reinforced with layered enchantments—impassable by normal means.
Den also stood in front of the gate, trying to stop him, but Edmond never slowed.
With a single, devastating slash, he carved straight through Den and the ice as if they were paper and vanished inside. Blood started to pour from Den's entire body as he collapsed to the ground.
The Empress narrowed her eyes. "That sword…" she murmured.
Oryu's frown deepened. "The Godshackle Blade," he said, his voice tinged with unease. "He's heading for the city's defensive spell."
Their conversation was cut short as Ryan and Edgarth shot into the air, positioning themselves between the Empress and the cathedral.
She glared at them. "Then I'll destroy you and that church together."
A massive cube of ice formed in the sky, easily dwarfing the cathedral in size. With an ominous hum, it began its descent, a colossal force of destruction bearing down upon the structure.
At that moment, the ground trembled again—not from ice, but from life.
Trees erupted from the earth, their roots twisting unnaturally, their branches reaching skyward like grasping hands. Vines thick as steel coiled around the cathedral, forming a living barrier. As the ice cube crashed down, the trees surged upward, guiding its weight. The impact shattered half the church, but the twisting mass of roots redirected the rest—sending the frozen destruction spiraling to the side.
And then, as the dust settled, the half-ruined cathedral flickered—vanished—revealing the real church standing a few meters away, untouched.
Ryan allowed himself a smirk.
If he was an illusionist who could make nature obey his will, then Edgarth was an illusionist who could reshape reality itself, bending perception so flawlessly that even an S rank opponent was deceived.
The trick would only work once.
But once was all Edmond needed.
…
Edmond reached the grand chamber, where a towering statue of the God of Light, different from the one in the main hall, stood at its center, bathed in the dim glow of flickering torches. His footsteps echoed as he moved around the statue, heading toward an empty platform at the back of the room.
Etched into the stone was a massive, intricate magic circle—an ancient spell woven into the city's foundations. It was a safeguard, a last resort, and one that could only be activated by the Bishop of the city.
Edmond stepped onto the circle and dropped to one knee, gripping his sword tightly. He lowered its tip to the ground, the cold steel pressing against the ancient inscriptions.
The spell would not respond to just anyone. To activate it, he had to be deemed worthy—worthy of standing in the Bishop's place.
A flicker of flame erupted from the blade, snaking down into the magic circle like a living thing. The fire seeped into the engravings, spreading along the intricate lines of the spell. For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then, the runes pulsed—once, twice—before surging to life, golden light radiating outward as raw energy awakened beneath him.
…
Outside, Ryan and Edgarth braced themselves for the Empress's next attack when a massive wave of energy rippled through the battlefield. It passed over them, rushing toward the city walls. The moment it made contact, the freezing air emanating from the ice pillars halted, and the crushing pressure that had immobilized the weaker fighters vanished.
Across the battlefield, warriors gasped in relief as their bodies surged with newfound strength. The B rankers and even the two A rankers now glowed with a faint orange light—the blessing of the spell. Not only had the city's fortifications been enhanced, but the spell itself automatically identified its protectors and bolstered their powers even further.
The Icethrone Empress narrowed her eyes, unimpressed. Raising her hand once more, she let her mana surge.
"No matter," she said coldly. "The result will still be the same."
From behind her, a massive ice spear shot forward, aimed directly at Ryan. It tore through him—only to pass harmlessly through, as if he were nothing but an illusion.
Ryan straightened, a smirk on his face.
"It matters a lot." His voice then deepened, taking on an authoritative weight.
"Come forth."
Reality itself seemed to warp.
Buildings emerged from nothingness, materializing at impossible angles—one stretching from the sky downward, another forming sideways, as if gravity had no hold. A city without direction surrounded them, a twisted maze of architecture that defied the laws of nature.
The transformation was only half complete when Edgarth's voice rang out, mirroring Ryan's.
"Come forth."
All around, doors materialized in the floating cityscape. They were scattered across every surface—walls, ceilings, even midair—as if the very concept of space had become fluid.
The Icethrone Empress observed the unfolding spectacle with intrigue.
"I see," she mused. "So this is your Domain."
A wave of icy wind lashed out toward Ryan, but before it could reach him, a house in the distance suddenly froze solid instead.
Ryan chuckled. "In my city, there are no directions. No matter where you attack, the outcome is always uncertain."
Without warning, a thick branch, shrouded in eerie shadows, lashed toward the Empress. An ice wall instantly formed in front of her to block it—but the branch strike from behind.
"And that applies to my attacks as well."
Above her, a door materialized in midair. Its frame trembled, then burst open.
From inside, Edgarth stepped out, his hand gripping a flask of searing fire.
…
Oryu raised his staff to stop Edgarth, but a massive wall of light materialized between him and the Empress.
He looked down and saw Cirnath smirking at him.
"I thought you were smarter than this, Cirnath. You know you can't stop me."
"Who said I'm alone?"
"Chain of Hell!"
Gerhard's voice echoed across the battlefield. Two flaming chains erupted from thin air, twisting around Oryu's hands and binding them tightly.
"Your chains cannot hold me."
Oryu's body began glowing with divine light, but to his surprise, the chains didn't break.
"Did you forget?" Gerhard's voice was laced with fury. "We're under the city's spell enhancement—our power is far greater than normal."
"Either way…"
Oryu was about to cast another spell when Cristina suddenly appeared in front of him. She was wearing Edmond's glove.
She raised her hand. "Lock."
A parchment with a complex enchantment circle pulsed with magic, and instantly, Oryu's body grew heavy—his mana sluggish and difficult to control.
Behind Cristina, Emma radiated golden light, already activating her limit break. She surged forward, delivering a relentless barrage of punches.
Oryu, though under assault, summoned a shimmering golden sphere around himself. It pulsed with raw power before detonating in a blinding explosion. Emma and Cristina leaped back, while Gerhard and Cirnath stood on guard.
"Now… let us begin," Oryu declared as a massive ring of light appeared above his head.
They all knew—this time, he was serious.
"Salamander!" Gerhard shouted.
A winged lizard burst from the sky, landing beside him.
Cirnath quickly chanted every enchantment spell he knew, reinforcing all four of them.
Then, he glanced around.
"Where the hell is Nora?"
…
At the same time, inside the cathedral—
The sound of footsteps echoed through the grand halls. After a few more minutes, Nora arrived at the hidden chamber door.
She pushed it open and stepped inside, moving around the statue of the God of Light. On the platform, Edmond knelt with a flaming sword in his hand, fully focused on maintaining the spell. Sweat trickled down his forehead.
A silver dagger materialized in her grasp.
"So, Oryu wasn't completely lying. There really is a traitor," Edmond said, his gaze never leaving the spell.
"Sorry, Edmond, but this needs to be done. This is the god's will."
"I'm sorry too."
Nora's brows furrowed. "For what?"
"For this."
A golden hammer appeared out of nowhere, materializing in a flash of light right in front of her. She barely had time to react, raising her dagger in defense.
The hammer struck with overwhelming force, sending her flying across the room. She crashed into the wall and collapsed onto the ground.
Between her and Edmond, Rorin stepped forward.
"You really thought he had no one to protect him?"
Nora staggered to her feet and spat blood onto the floor. Another dagger shimmered into existence in her other hand.
…
On the Main Street
With golden light now enveloping the city, Leo was able to move again. He resumed his sprint toward the association.
After a few minutes of running, he spotted Liamond and Wina together.
"Liamond!" he shouted.
Liamond turned toward him. "Leo, where the hell were you? And who is that?"
"She's my friend."
Liamond looked in the direction Leo had come from.
"You were at the cathedral? Do you know what the hell is going on?"
Leo nodded. "I think Bishop Oryu has betrayed us."
"What?!" Wina and Liamond said in unison.
"I don't know the details either."
"Okay, we need to—" Liamond started, but a voice cut him off.
"Guys, I need help!"
It was Albert.
"Albert, are you okay?" Wina asked, her voice filled with concern.
"Yes, but there are people trapped in that house, and a paladin got corrupted. We need to help them!"
"Alright, let's go!" Liamond said, and they all followed Albert.
"Frank and Peter are already near the building," Albert added as they ran.
When they reached the location, they found Frank and Peter waiting.
"Frank, did you find anything?" Liamond asked.
"Nothing so far," Frank replied.
"Okay, everyone stay on guard and be ready for anything. Peter, stay outside and protect Leo's friend."
Both Peter and Leo nodded. Leo gently set Elna down and turned to Peter.
"I'm leaving her with you, Mr. Peter."
Peter gave him a reassuring smile.
Leo, drawing his sword, followed the others inside. The moment he stepped into the house, an unsettling feeling crawled through his body—something unnatural, like an illusion. His instincts screamed at him.
'This place… it's not real.'
"Everyone, get out!" he shouted.
But before anyone could react, the door slammed shut behind them, plunging the house into complete darkness.