Time froze.
Melheis' body, suspended mid-air, hung lifeless—yet untouched by death's finality. His form remained pristine, captured within the stasis of halted time.
"Melheis stopped time one second after his death," Zeik declared, his voice devoid of concern as he turned toward Anos. "He can still be revived… so long as that suspended moment is maintained."
Zeik's lips curled into a mockery of a smile.
"But are you prepared to stake that magical power as your bargaining chip?"
Anos met Zeik's gaze with an unbothered calm.
"You sure it's just my magic power I'm putting on the line?" Anos replied coolly. "Not my life itself?"
Zeik narrowed his eyes, trying to read between the lines of Anos' confidence.
"If you think that's a trivial chip," Anos continued, a hint of condescension in his tone, "then you're already tangled in my spell."
Zeik's grin widened, but there was a flicker of unease in his eyes.
"Interesting. I'm going to strip you bare," Anos added with quiet assurance.
---
Zeik spread his arms and began to speak formally.
"Now then. Let me lay out the rules of our little game."
He raised one finger.
"You will tell me who you believe to be the Child of God."
A second finger joined the first.
"I will confirm whether you're right or wrong."
"And," Zeik said with emphasis, raising a third, "I'm allowed to lie to you—but only once."
Anos remained silent, carefully absorbing every word.
"You get eighteen guesses," Zeik continued. "Guess correctly, and I lose. My magic power will be sealed for five seconds."
A glimmer of power sparked in Zeik's eyes as he laid down the counter-condition.
"But if I win, then your magical power will be sealed for five seconds instead."
"And of course," he added nonchalantly, "the usual restrictions apply. One: You may not repeat a guess. Two: Neither of us may attack the other during the game. Three: If you forfeit, you lose."
He smirked. "So, what do you say, Demon King Anos?"
Before answering, Anos heard a familiar voice echo within his mind.
"Does the mask suit your preference?"
It was Ri-hyun, speaking telepathically.
"Yes. Thank you," Anos responded, feeling the subtle presence of the enchanted mask now enhancing his perception. Ri-hyun cut the connection.
Anos finally answered aloud, "Let me change one of the rules."
Zeik arched an eyebrow. "Change it how?"
"I only need nine guesses."
Zeik stared at Anos, clearly puzzled. "But that would only increase your risk. Why the handicap?"
Anos smiled faintly. "I thought I'd make this fair."
In truth, he already possessed an advantage—the mask of Ri-hyun, one that only its wearer could perceive. Combined with his formidable intellect, the Demon King didn't need eighteen guesses.
Anos raised a hand and snapped his fingers, then pointed toward Melheis' still form, suspended in frozen time.
"No amount of artificial advantage can prepare you," he said smoothly. "After all, it's me you're dealing with."
Zeik chuckled. "Very well. Zecht, if you would."
A golden magic circle flared between them, a contract spell. Its glyphs etched the air with sacred authority.
"Zecht," Anos repeated, sealing the pact.
"Then let the game begin!" Zeik declared as the magic circle beneath them glowed and settled.
---
Elsewhere, in a chamber shadowed in tense silence...
"My lord commanded me to seize your source," Gerad declared coldly, withdrawing his blade from Misa's chest.
To his surprise, the blade had been cleanly severed—its tip missing—and there was no wound where it had entered.
"What trickery is this?" Gerad asked.
Lay stepped forward protectively, his sword drawn and gleaming.
"Why do you need her source?" Lay asked, every muscle tense.
A magic circle spun into existence beneath Gerad, materializing a dark brown shield embedded with three glowing red orbs.
"Because she is the child borne by the Great Spirit Leno," Gerad replied.
"Her source holds the power to control all spirits."
Misa blinked in confusion. "The Great Spirit... Leno?"
Lay's eyes sharpened. "Then tell me—how did you come to possess half of that sacred sword?"
---
Far away, in another battle-torn chamber…
Zabro floated mid-air, arms spread wide, his grin twisted with malice.
"What do you think of this magic?" he asked Eleanore smugly, as her three poisoned companions rose, zombie-like, with a pink aura enveloping their bodies.
"I studied spells resembling Aske and Jerga. Impressive, no?"
Eleanore didn't answer right away. Instead, four magic circles—blue, green, yellow, and reddish pink—blossomed around her.
Without warning, they shattered like fragile glass.
Her companions collapsed, released from control.
"I really hate that magic," she said quietly.
Zabro narrowed his eyes. "Are you aware the gods played a role in your creation?"
"You mean the gods who helped Jerga?" she asked sharply.
"Exactly. They needed a vessel strong enough to contain divine power… and guess who they picked?"
His gaze slid to Zeshia, the young girl beside Eleanore.
"How fascinating. I can't wait to dissect you," he sneered, reaching forward like a child grabbing a toy.
Eleanore stepped in front of Zeshia, her face grave.
"I see now. You're someone I can never forgive."
---
Meanwhile, in the valley where Misha, Sasha, and Rinka stood near the unconscious Ms. Menou...
"What do you want with us?" Misha asked calmly.
"You were created under divine design," Rinka replied.
"What does that mean?" Sasha demanded.
"When your source split in two, a personality was born—one that should never have existed."
Misha responded, "That personality is me. But there was no divine will in that."
"You think that was mere chance?" Rinka scoffed. "The gods rewrote the magic circle."
She summoned a pink magic circle beside her. A dagger formed in her hand.
"There's no need for divine interference in the Infernal Realm," Rinka continued. "When you awaken... I'll end you."
Misha said nothing. Sasha, however, smiled faintly.
"You're wrong."
The two sisters locked eyes.
"The one who gave us life…" Misha began.
"…wasn't any god," Sasha finished, her Eyes of Destruction igniting with crimson light.
---
Back in Melheis' chamber…
A stone table rose from the ground. Four cards floated before Anos, each depicting one of his female subordinates: Misha, Sasha, Misa, and Zeshia.
"Among these four lies the Child of God," Anos muttered.
"I'll base my guesses on them."
He placed the first card.
"My first guess—the Child of God is one of my subordinates."
Zeik nodded. "Correct."
Anos smirked. "Expected. But you could be lying."
He set down Misha's card.
"The Child of God is Misha."
"Wrong." A blue magic cross appeared over the card.
Next: Sasha.
"Wrong."
Then: Zeshia.
"Wrong."
Finally: Misa.
"Correct," Zeik said as a red circle flared on the card.
"How strange," Anos mused aloud. "You gave the truth on the fifth guess."
Zeik grinned. "It wouldn't be a battle of wits if it were predictable, Demon King."
---
Sparks flew as Lay clashed with Gerad once more.
Gerad raised his enormous shield, fully blocking Lay's strike. Then, quick as lightning, he thrust a dagger toward Lay—but struck only an afterimage.
"I'm behind you," Lay whispered—and slashed.
But the moment his sword touched Gerad's back, a blue light flared.
Lay cried out as the same wound appeared across his back, blood spraying.
"Lay!" Misa screamed.
"Magic Shield Gennias," Gerad explained coldly. "It curses those who strike its wielder. You feel twice the pain."
Lay gritted his teeth. "Then I'll destroy it."
"Don't—" Ri-hyun's voice echoed in Lay's mind. "The orbs are laced with condition magic. They'll shatter your source if triggered."
Lay slashed one of the orbs.
Gerad's eyes widened. Then he grinned.
"I lied."
Lay's body convulsed. His source shattered. He collapsed, unconscious.
"You fool," Ri-hyun muttered from afar.
---
A glowing magic circle appeared in the sky above Eleanore and Zeshia.
Zabro cackled.
"They're ghouls, enhanced by the Scarlet Monument King's modifications! I've taken Anos' Igrams and made them worse!"
Her three friends, now reanimated abominations, charged.
Zeshia raised her sword—but Eleanore grabbed her hand.
"No," she whispered. "We'll save them."
They turned and fled, the undead on their heels.
"I'm sorry," Eleanore said softly, her voice breaking.
"I'll come back for you all. I swear it."
They vanished into the hallways of the ruined estate, chasing hope.
Eleanore muttered, disheartened, as she made the painful decision to flee with Zeshia—leaving her friends behind, now twisted into undead ghouls.
Together, Eleanore and Zeshia sprinted down the crumbling estate's hallway, their footsteps echoing off shattered stone and broken memories. They searched desperately.
"It has to be here—somewhere!" she whispered, scanning the shadows with frantic eyes.
Then, they emerged into the estate's ruined courtyard. At its center stood a massive violet crystal, glowing ominously with dark energy.
"There!" Eleanore gasped. "If we destroy that, no more ghouls will be born!"
But the crystal was guarded.
Around it stood several ghouls—twisted abominations of the estate's people. Behind them, more figures slowly emerged from the shadows.
"Heine… Laos…" Zeshia murmured, her voice trembling as the two approached like specters.
"…Ledriano…" Eleanore added, her heart heavy as she recognized the final friend stepping forth, eyes blank and hollow.
Then, laughter echoed through the courtyard.
Perched atop the crystal like a raven on a throne, Zabro appeared with a gleeful smile.
"Don't waste your thoughts on them," he chuckled. "I'll make sure you never feel grief again."
His eyes gleamed dark purple as he raised his arms high.
"Jino Gleanus."
The violet crystal pulsed violently. Lightning—purple and crackling—erupted from it, striking the four ancient pillars surrounding the courtyard. A massive, glowing magic circle bloomed in the sky—pink-violet, like a summoning from a forgotten realm.
Eleanore and Zeshia cried out as their magic surged against their will, drawn upward into the circle like dust into a vortex.
"Once I drain your magical power," Zabro said, grinning wide, "you'll be nothing but empty shells."
---
Meanwhile, in the Valley—
Sasha and Misha faced off against Rinka. She moved with unsettling grace, slicing falling droplets in midair with her dagger.
"What is that?" Sasha asked, startled.
Misha's eyes glowed faintly with a deep blue light as she activated her demonic gaze, attempting to discern the weapon's nature. But it resisted.
"She's using Najira—a technique to conceal its magical presence."
Rinka raised her blade to the sky, then slashed downward in a swift motion.
"Jump!" Misha cried.
An unseen force tore through the air, slicing Sasha's chest. Her phoenix robe ignited in a protective blaze.
"All the way from there? How!?" Sasha shouted, midair.
"The Boundless Sword, Garmest," Rinka said coldly. "It does whatever I will it to do."
The dagger shimmered, its blade extending and reshaping into a full-length sword made of raw magical force.
Misha's hands moved fast. "Ice Castle!"
Two massive structures of enchanted ice rose from the earth, flanking them. From behind each, black mortars emerged. Sasha's magic circle glowed at her palm.
"Take this! Jio Graze!"
Four miniature black suns—dense with demonic flame—shot from the mortars and crashed into Rinka's icy prison.
An explosion followed.
But as the smoke cleared, Rinka stood untouched. Her sword pierced through the destruction as if it were air.
She dashed toward Sasha, aiming to finish her. In desperation, Sasha activated her Eyes of Destruction, repelling the strike with a pulse of force.
"Stop!" Misha cried.
Too late.
Invisible blades materialized inside Sasha's body, slicing from within.
"Garmest can take any form I choose," Rinka said calmly. "I placed them in you earlier—just in case."
Sasha gasped, pain contorting her face.
Rinka struck again, driving her blade deep into Sasha's chest. The force sent her crashing to the ground below, blood staining her lips as she struggled to breathe.
"K-keuk…"
She looked up weakly, her Eyes of Destruction flickering out as she slipped into unconsciousness.
"Now those annoying eyes are sealed," Rinka said flatly.
Suddenly, icy chains erupted from the ground, binding her limbs—Misha's magic circle glowing behind her.
But Rinka turned and broke free with a single motion. She lunged.
Steel pierced Misha's chest.
She collapsed far in front of Sasha, eyes wide with pain. Blood soaked her white uniform as she whispered:
"…Sasha…"
Rinka looked down with a cold smile. "Still worried about your sister? How noble."
---
Elsewhere…
High above the chaos, on the roof of the Academy, Ri-hyun stood beneath the stars, his white uniform billowing in the night wind.
"They're finally ready."
In his open palm, several masks spun in a slow, glowing orbit—each one tied to Anos' companions.
He raised his hand skyward.
The masks scattered, streaking across the sky like comets—each flying toward its destined bearer.