A fierce battle raged within the inner sanctum.
Louis's harmless-looking hand-chops sliced through stone, steel, and magic barriers alike. Each swing carried an invisible shockwave that chased Laplace as he fled, twisting and rolling with dramatic flair. Yet Laplace kept his trademark grin, dodging everything with ease as if dancing.
"Right, right. You're Roy's big bro, eh? Twin brothers? Then just quit! You ain't beating me!"
Louis ignored the teasing. His face was blank, emotionless—just cold precision. He kept swinging, each attack sharper than the last.
At some point, their battle drifted out of the tomb. Laplace's constant evasions forced Louis to chase him into the open hall outside.
"As you said, I am Roy's twin," Louis finally spoke in his flat tone. "We shared the same power and appearance. Roy carried more emotion; I did not. That was our only difference. But in one aspect, I far surpass him."
"Oh? And what's that?"
"My eyes."
Laplace blinked. "The hell is 'good eyes' supposed to mean?"
"I can read my opponent's stance, instincts, rhythm… even the direction of their thoughts. You've been waiting for an opening since the moment we started."
Laplace scratched his cheek. "…Tch. So ya are better than yer bro. But good eyes alone ain't beating me."
"Do not call me his brother. My name is Louis. I was never close to Roy."
"Yeah, yeah. Not my problem."
But as Laplace dodged lazily, smiling as usual, his eyes were analyzing Louis just as intensely.
"Are you not getting tired?" Louis said. "Time for you to sleep."
His pace suddenly increased.
Laplace clicked his tongue. "Told ya it's useless."
"Is that so? Then allow me to show you more."
Laplace's instincts screamed. Something was wrong—very wrong.
He leapt aside in an exaggerated motion.
A heartbeat later—
BOOOOM!!!
The ground where he'd stood was obliterated.
Laplace's face tightened. "—The hell!? That power…?"
Louis exhaled. "Good. You dodged. I'm finally getting used to this body. I underestimated you."
"So ya wanted me to relax so ya could end me, huh?"
"I may have tried that. But even without tricks, I can still win."
Laplace's smile vanished.
Louis continued. "That was an enhanced version of Blood Raine. Hidden magic aura. Impossible to evade if you don't expect it."
Laplace's heart dropped.
He's stalling…
What's this bastard planning!?
Then Louis roared:
"—And this is why you will die here!"
The entire area exploded.
Shockwaves converged on Laplace, trapping him. Blood Raine missiles homed in, sealing every escape path.
Anyone watching would say the victor was clear.
Flames crashed down. Smoke filled the battlefield. A figure collapsed.
Louis approached calmly.
"What a pity. Roy and I were one being—split by Luminas-sama. With his death, my power returned to me."
Louis, the old "Bloody Lord," was whole again—far stronger than Roy had ever been.
He was certain victory was his.
Until—
A voice rose from the flames.
"Terrifying… That was close."
Laplace stood back up, battered but alive.
Louis's eyes widened.
Footman appeared beside him, limping and covered in cuts from Gunther's brutal fists.
Gunther, the strongest of Luminas's Archdukes, had pushed Footman to the brink.
Laplace evaluated everything in an instant.
If he stayed, Footman would die. Even if he went all-out, he couldn't take Louis and Gunther together.
He clicked his tongue.
"Run, Footman! We're done here!"
Footman gritted his teeth. "I—I hate this, but… you're right."
Louis tensed.
Laplace grinned.
"Later!"
In a coordinated burst, Laplace and Footman vanished.
Louis did not chase. His orders were to secure the tomb.
Only Luminas and Maria Rosso—her resurrected false self—remained inside.
Luminas held back her strength. Even so, the battle was fast enough to split the air apart. Though Maria was strong—too strong to be normal—Luminas could tell instantly:
This Maria was fake.
A puppet. A corpse given motion.
Granbell… what have you done…?
The gentle aura Maria once held still lingered faintly, making Luminas's chest ache.
Then Luminas felt the truth.
This wasn't a golem.
It was Raise Undead. Forbidden necromancy. Someone had turned Maria's preserved body into a familiar.
Luminas felt her stomach twist.
Granbell… you loved her that much?
Maria was once the Saintess who supported Hero Gran. The two were inseparable—so close Luminas once envied them.
He had broken a sacred taboo, all for the woman he lost.
But Maria now fought using several stolen Unique Skills at once—likely stacked through other dark spells. Even Luminas felt pressured.
Still…
This puppet can't defeat me.
Which means…
She froze.
Something was wrong.
Something important was missing.
Gunther rushed in.
"Luminas-sama, the intruder has escaped. Louis is pursuing them. I shall—"
He stopped.
Luminas and Gunther's eyes snapped to the same corner of the chamber.
The sealed coffin of holy particles—
The Ark of Holy Power—was gone.
Luminas's breath caught.
No. No. NO.
Her mind screamed in disbelief.
Her vision blurred.
Maria struck her with a heavy blow, snapping her back to reality.
"Luminas-sama!!" Gunther shouted.
Pain steadied her.
Her thoughts cleared.
The truth hit like a spear.
Granbell had stolen the Ark.
Rage—pure, lethal rage—erupted inside her.
Her magic surged like a storm.
The tomb shattered. Walls vaporized. Mana howled like a violent tempest of death.
Luminas roared:
"GRANBELL!! HAVE YOU SUNKEN SO LOW?! YOU DARE—YOU DARE TEST MY LIMITS?!"
She pierced Maria's chest and shattered the puppet.
"Gunther!!"
"At your command!"
"Find them. Bring everyone. Flush out the intruders at all costs!"
"Understood!"
Gunther bolted. He knew one thing:
If they failed—
Luminas would erase Lubelius herself.
Even sealed light can be stolen… and even a goddess of night can tremble.
Luminas was now alone in the ruined chamber, standing amidst swirling embers and drifting dust. Her anger was a storm threatening to break free, yet she forced herself to hold it down. Losing control now would only create more chaos. She needed clarity, not emotion-driven destruction. And for Luminas—who had walked centuries without allowing her heart to sway—this kind of restraint was natural.
Still, the reality in front of her struck her harder than any physical blow.
The Holy Ark… gone.
This can't be happening. If that relic isn't kept completely sealed until the right moment… this world could collapse under its own fate. Even I—no, even Atem—may not be able to undo the damage if it awakens prematurely…
The object stolen from her, the Holy Ark of Dawn, wasn't just a relic. It held a sealed being capable of rewriting destinies and toppling the balance of the world. It had been entrusted to her long ago by a certain "friend"—one whose trust Luminas refused to betray.
If she failed to protect it… the consequences would be irreversible.
She centered herself, forcing her thoughts to move with precision.
Only she could remove the Ark's divine seal. The holy particles woven into its barrier were so pure they burned even her body when she tested them long ago. They were absolute. Unforgiving. A perfect seal.
And yet… it was stolen.
How? Who has the ability to bypass something even Solarys—Atem's divine Sovereign of Wisdom—acknowledged as impenetrable?
Only a being equal to Luminas—or stronger—could manage such a feat.
Which means… the thief is a monster of demon lord class or higher.
Granbell's chaos at the Grand Cathedral suddenly made perfect sense. The battles, the staged golem attack, the resurrected Maria—all distractions. Painful, clever, cruel distractions.
Granbell had been the bait.
The one who stole the Ark was someone else—someone Granbell trusted enough to stake everything on.
In this gamble, Granbell had achieved exactly what he wanted.
Luminas clenched her fist.
Her aura trembled like a tempest straining against glass.
No… I can't afford despair. There's still time. I cannot—must not—show weakness. Someone aimed for the Ark with purpose, so I must understand that purpose first.
What did Granbell truly want with the Holy Ark?
He didn't know the truth behind it—Luminas had never shared such sensitive information with him.
Not even Gunther or Louis knew the full secret. They only knew the Ark held a sleeping girl inside and that its loss meant danger.
Granbell had thrown away every pawn, every ally, every advantage.
His resolve was beyond desperation—it had turned into obsession.
Luminas sensed it clearly now.
As long as he reaches his goal, he cares nothing for who dies… or what burns.
She whispered to herself, voice turning icy and sharp:
"…Very well, Granbell. If you insist on dragging the world into ruin… I will uncover your true intent myself."
Her heterochromatic eyes narrowed.
Then she turned toward the shattered entrance—toward the cathedral where all of this madness began.
Her aura flickered like a blood-red moon behind storm clouds.
And with that, the Queen of Twilight moved.