The pitch-black dark clouds completely blocked out the sun. Even though it was daytime, it was darker than night.
"Leviathan obtained power from somewhere unknown and became extremely strong—several times stronger than before. It is no longer an ordinary Threnodian."
At the port of Ragunna, Imperator, whose entire body radiated a translucent glow, had an ugly expression.
"Even I, who used Jué's Time Authority to recover to my peak state, was defeated in a single blow in front of It. Such powerful strength is something the previous It could never achieve."
"Shh."
Noah made a silencing gesture and looked down at Cartethyia in his arms, his expression tight.
The once sweet and delicate face was now pale and completely without color. A ferocious hole had been torn open in her chest, and the frequency inside her body was terrifyingly weak.
He had already switched to the character Encore. In theory, saving Cartethyia should have been an easy task. But—it was not.
The pitch-black waves violently slammed against the shore. Imperator remained silent for a moment before carefully asking,
"Can she be saved?"
Noah shook his head with a dark expression.
"Her chest was pierced by a kind of pitch-black Fusion energy. The moment my resonance energy is poured in, more than half of it is absorbed. What remains is only enough to barely keep her alive."
Hearing this, Imperator released its Separation Authority and tried to separate the pitch-black energy from Cartethyia's chest. After several attempts, it still failed. It was both shocked and anxious.
"Assimilation Authority of this level has already far exceeded the range of my ability."
Even Its Separation Authority had failed, so naturally the Time Authority also could not affect it.
Imperator frowned tightly.
"I can sense that this power is closely related to Leviathan. I'm afraid only by defeating Leviathan can the influence It caused be eliminated."
Boom!
The distant storm connected the water and the sky. Dazzling lightning wrapped in thunder exploded. The hurricane carried moisture and scraped across Noah's cheek like a knife.
Above the storm on the sea surface, the size of that Dark Tide cloud had already surpassed the scale he had seen back in the Hunt Plains of Septimont.
No one knew what kind of scheme Leviathan was currently accumulating.
But if he continued using Encore to keep Cartethyia alive, Noah would be unable to stop Leviathan. Yet the moment he gave up on Cartethyia, she would die immediately.
The two-sided struggle tightly gripped his heart. Noah deeply furrowed his brows.
Why… why had Leviathan become so powerful? Where exactly did It get this power from?
"There is no more time."
He lifted Cartethyia into his arms, took a deep look at the distant pitch-black storm and the huge Dark Tide cloud, and made his decision.
...
The edge of Rinascita.
Wild winds carried dark clouds and covered this small town in gloom.
Trees, flowers and grass, even tiny bricks and stones, had all broken free from the pull of gravity and were dancing wildly in the fierce wind.
Another clap of thunder exploded, frightening Tris, who had still been peeking at the coming storm by the window. She stumbled backward and threw herself into the arms of a woman wearing a white dress.
"Sister Phrolova, I'm so scared."
"There's no need to be afraid."
Phrolova gently patted Tris's back. Her eyes silently looked out at the turbid world beyond the window.
"Even if the sky collapses, there is that person holding it up."
"Which person, sister? Is it the big brother who brought us back to life?"
"…Mm."
Receiving a definite answer, Tris's attention was immediately drawn. She asked curiously,
"When can sister invite that big brother over? Tris really wants to meet this mysterious big brother."
"..."
Phrolova fell silent and shook her head.
"He won't come..."
The final word "come" was stuck in her throat and could not be spoken any further.
Tris followed Phrolova's trembling eyes and looked out the window. Against the pitch-black background of the world, she saw a young man standing tall like a pine tree walking through the fierce wind. In his arms he was holding an unconscious young girl with golden long hair.
The howling strong wind made his clothes flap loudly. His bangs that reached his eyebrows were lifted, and those eyes were as deep as the night.
Phrolova stared blankly at Noah who was walking closer step by step. She felt both bitter and happy in her heart.
He came.
What did he come for?
Finally… she could see him with her own eyes again.
She had thought that the two of them were destined to remain forever separated by a great distance.
"Sister Phrolova, he is…"
"Tris, wait for me here."
Phrolova turned around. Her footsteps became faster and faster without control. Her trembling hand opened the door.
Ever since she left last time, she had too many words she wanted to say, too many emotions she wanted to pour out, and too much longing she wanted to release.
She could not wait to let him know just how difficult it had been to hold all of this back.
The door opened. The cold wind that blew straight at her cooled her excited emotions, and reason returned.
She closed the door. Phrolova slowed her steps and walked toward Noah step by step. Her pure white dress and the blue-gray long hair tied at the ends were blown up by the wind.
She should first listen to why he had come.
"Phrolova."
Noah's tone was heavy as he went straight to the point.
"I need to borrow your Beyond for a while."
"Oh~"
Phrolova lowered her eyes and looked at Cartethyia, who was being held in Noah's arms. She finally noticed the extremely weak frequency inside the latter.
So he had come looking for her for the sake of another woman. She had thought he missed her… how self-important of her.
"I didn't expect there would come a day when even you would come to me for help. Is it to revive this dual Resonator of the Sentinel and the Threnodian?"
A self-mocking curve appeared on Phrolova's face as she took a step back.
"How interesting. There are actually things in this world that you cannot do. But am I not the villain? You are actually asking me for help?"
"I have no other choice." Noah shook his head.
"I temporarily cannot save Cartethyia. I can only place her inside your Beyond to maintain her frequency. I hope that for the sake of me previously helping you revive your family, you can look after her for a while."
"Are you using the previous favor to threaten me?"
Phrolova looked at Cartethyia in Noah's arms again, then sourly turned her head away. She placed both hands behind her back and restrained her emotions.
"But didn't you say that we are enemies? If I help you, what benefit can this enemy of yours get?"
"I will owe you a favor." Noah made another concession.
"I don't need your favor."
She only wanted an identity—at the very least, not the identity of an enemy.
"Phrolova!"
She saw the patience in his eyes run out and anger appear.
"I don't have time to play with you!"
For him, who had pulled Phrolova's banner, he could enter the Beyond himself and he could also command Hecate. But—
He was worried that Phrolova would take the chance while he was gone to expel Cartethyia from The Lost Beyond. If that happened, Cartethyia would definitely die.
"Bad person! You're not allowed to bully Sister Phrolova!"
A childish voice crossed the sound of the wind. Tris took a few steps and stood in front of Phrolova, spreading her arms to shield the latter behind her. She looked at Noah with a guarded gaze.
"Phrolova, what do I have to do before you..."
"Stop. There's no need to say more."
Phrolova bit her lip, gently pushed Tris aside, and walked right up to Noah. A pair of stubborn eyes met his gaze.
"I agree."
The moment the words fell, she saw the gaze that had been growing sharper in Noah's eyes soften.
Really. He valued another woman this much.
When… would this kind of regard ever fall upon her?
Bitterness filled Phrolova's heart. She activated the resonance power inside her body. Hecate walked out from the void at her side, took Cartethyia, turned around, and walked back into The Lost Beyond.
"Thank you."
Noah finally let out a breath of relief and turned to leave.
"Hey!"
From behind, Phrolova called him to a stop.
"This time… I didn't delay you even one more minute, right?"
"…No."
...