In the underworld, at the Zero Gate.
Zaloria and Florahil stood before it.
Zaloria stepped into the gate, followed closely by Florahil. As soon as they entered, the gate shut behind them.
There was no place inside. No sky, no ground—only an endless white void.
Zaloria extended her hand, and a gate began to form. It looked like a dimensional portal, but in truth, she was creating a place within the void itself. She was shaping a realm at the edge of the Zero Gate.
Through the dimensional gate, a vast forest and a massive, majestic mountain appeared. The world beyond was locked in eternal twilight—there was no morning, only evening.
At the mountain's peak stood a black castle, its walls bleeding red as if it were alive, and behind it hung a crimson moon.
Zaloria (moving toward the gate, glancing back at Florahil):
"I'll go now."
Florahil:
"Yes, I can see that. I do have eyes."
Zaloria ignored him and entered the gate.
It closed the moment she stepped through.
In another place, within the forest, Zaloria stood staring at the castle.
She began walking toward the mountain.
The mountain was immense—so large that for an ordinary human, climbing even halfway would take more than a week.
But Zaloria crossed the distance in the blink of an eye.
She stood before the castle's gates, which opened automatically for her.
Inside, the castle was both beautiful and terrifying. Its design resembled a vampire's mansion and a noble palace combined.
Zaloria (thinking):
"Now… where did I put my weapons?"
She wandered through the castle, checking every corner.
"Damn it, where did I leave them?"
After a long search, she finally found them.
The first was a blood-red eye.
The second was a black smoke-like entity.
Zaloria placed her hand on her right eye—and pulled it out.
Then she replaced it with the blood-red eye.
Afterward, she took the black smoke and placed it into her mouth.
At first, her new eye remained closed. Then, slowly, Zaloria opened it—releasing a crimson aura that flooded the hall. The eye glowed with a scarlet light.
As she spoke, every word carried black smoke with it.
These were Zaloria's Weapons of Destruction.
The first: The Eye of Destruction, Sangriven.
The second: The Voice of Death.
Zaloria decided to test them.
She left the castle and went to an empty field.
There, using earth magic, she created more than a hundred mountains—each towering over 10,000 meters high.
Zaloria smiled at them.
"Die."
At her command, the mountains crumbled into nothingness. Not destroyed, not shattered—simply erased from existence, as if they had never been.
Zaloria smiled wider, then burst into laughter.
"Who can stand against me now? I am the strongest!"
As for her new eye, Zaloria wrapped it in bandages, hiding its presence. She covered her right eye completely.
She then created another gate.
Stepping through it, she found Florahil waiting.
He was holding a massive black scythe, its edge impossibly sharp, while wearing a long dark cloak.
Florahil:
"Did you find your weapons?"
Zaloria:
"Yes."
They returned to the Zero Gate.
Florahil (hopelessly):
"Ah… again! It'll take us twenty years to open it."
Zaloria stepped forward confidently.
"No need. I'll open it myself."
She removed the bandages, revealing her right eye.
The moment she looked at the Zero Gate, it opened instantly.
Florahil (shocked):
"What…?! What kind of power does that eye possess?"
Zaloria (smiling as she walked forward):
"You'll find out soon enough."
She exited, and Florahil followed.
Outside.
Zaloria:
"Florahil, where are the other Ancestors? I haven't seen any of them. Why was the gate empty?"
Florahil:
"As far as I know, all of the Ancestors went on a mission."
Zaloria (frowning):
"A mission? Why didn't you go with them? And why wasn't I informed?"
Florahil:
"The truth is… I refused. The mission was far too dangerous, so I chose not to go. As for you, the reason you weren't told is because the mission is secret and extremely perilous. We knew that if you were informed, you would stop us from carrying it out."
Zaloria (eyes widening in worry):
"Don't tell me… they've already gone to execute that mission!"
Florahil:
"They already have."
Zaloria (furious):
"Those fools! Why do they always push their limits so recklessly?! It must have been the First Ancestor who pushed them into this!"
Florahil:
"In truth… it wasn't the First Ancestor. It was someone else. You'll be shocked when you hear who."
Zaloria:
"Who do you mean?"
Florahil:
"It was the Tenth Ancestor who ordered them to take on the mission."
Zaloria (angrily):
"What?! That's impossible! I know him well! Has he been deceiving me all this time? Manipulating me? That cunning bastard—I trusted him. When he returns, I'll crush his face myself!"
Florahil:
"Yes…"
Elsewhere, on Earth in the human world.
Rio stood firm.
Infernus:
"Have you completed your training?"
Rio (calm and cold, his aura dark and terrifying, his presence overwhelming):
"Yes. I will defeat her… without fail."
To be continued…