A gust of wind flew by, blowing both of their hair.
Maria's eyes fluttered as her heart skipped a beat, "So I wasn't imagining things? The Ninety-Ninth Era Ending Calamity is really [Regression]? You still remember me…"
"Of course, you're not imagining things." Zold nodded, shaking his head. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Uh…" Maria shrugged, "Force of habit, I guess?"
In their previous life, their team often gathered on the rooftop.
She just wanted some time alone, and the rooftop naturally felt right to her.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to thank you!"
Maria put her hands behind her, smiling brightly.
"Thank me? For what?"
Zold asked in a puzzled voice.
Maria smiled, amused. She walked closer to him before explaining, "That time, when Grail said something insensitive you comforted me—"
"Not just you, it was for everyone." Zold corrected her immediately, not wanting any misunderstandings.
"... Eh," Maria's expression faltered, but she quickly recovered. She leaned against the wall, standing beside him, "But you still comforted me. Thank you."
With their close distance, Zold couldn't help but frown. But he didn't move away.
"... Alright."
For a while, both of them fell silent and simply stared at the sky.
Looking at the endless blue sky, Maria's expression softened, "When I came back earlier, I thought I would be full of joy… I did feel some joy, but I also felt a sense of fear."
Zold kept quiet, allowing her to talk.
"75 long painful years…" Maria sighed, her eyes filled with sorrow, "I had long forgotten how beautiful the world could be. How ordinary it used to be. I was afraid that this was simply a trick, to remind me of what we've lost before killing us off."
As cruel as that sounded, it was exactly in the Apostles' nature.
This time, Zold didn't offer any words of comfort, because Maria might be right, and he wasn't the type to give false hope.
Even he himself was unsure about this calamity.
After a moment of silence, Maria looked at him with a small smile, "How about you? What did you think?"
Hearing that, Zold hesitated for a moment before answering, "… I also thought the world was beautiful."
This was the truth.
When he came back and saw the drifting pink plum blossoms, the endless blue sky, and colorful buildings, he couldn't help but be mesmerized.
"But at the same time," Zold continued quietly, "I realized how different I've already become."
He raised his eyes, staring at the sky.
"I met an old friend earlier. When I saw him, what came to mind wasn't the time we spent together… or the moments we enjoyed life. But instead, the time he died in front of me flashed through my mind."
He paused, taking a slow breath.
"I'm sure right now he's thinking of something pointless. His grades. His hobbies, or even what he would eat later. He can still think of the present, while us… we're stuck in the past, or worse, in the future."
"Ultimately, the moment we survived, we no longer belonged to their 'world'."
"We can only keep moving forward."
After he finished, the two of them fell silent.
Maria lowered her head, her long, silky brown hair casting a shadow over her face, hiding it from the world.
Zold glanced at her, sighing quietly.
To be honest, he was warning her.
'Don't get too attached to what you see—so you could be prepared when everything gets taken away from you.'
This was what he felt deep inside him, and also what he wanted to tell to Maria.
He never shared such thoughts with others, but considering Maria's mental state, he overstepped his boundaries just this once.
A while later, Maria raised her eyes, muttering to herself, "We can only move forward. You're right..."
She glanced at Zold with a soft, gentle look.
'... Don't look at me like that.'
Zold shifted in his position uncomfortably, changing the topic.
"Saintess—"
Maria glanced at him, a slight smile on her expression, "Call me Maria, Zold."
Not wanting to argue, Zold simply complied. He nodded, "Maria, what's your plan in this regression? Are you planning to re-establish the New Era Guild?"
"Yes." Maria nodded, feeling nostalgic. "I'm going to look for my previous officers and recruit them beforehand. I'll also help the nation this time around."
"Are you going to tell them about the regression?" Zold asked, curious.
"I've thought about it, but no." Maria shook her head. "It's too unreliable… What if the Calamities we encounter this time are different from before? Then, I'll just be lying to them. Not to mention, with my abilities, I can convince them just fine."
"I guess so." Zold nodded, not surprised she considered that.
All that remained in the Ninety-Ninth Era Ending Calamity were the best of the best, both in terms of strength and intelligence.
Although there was some relative difference between each, it wasn't that big.
"How about you?" Maria asked.
"Still the same as usual," Zold didn't elaborate.
"I guess so, you're true to your title," Maria was amused, "But I'd advise you to try to recruit others this time around. Last time, you struggled in some calamities because you couldn't trust anyone, right?"
Zold nodded. "Point taken."
He wasn't surprised she knew that.
The fifteen of them often talked about their past, and Zold was often the one most of the fourteen were curious about.
"Hmm…" Maria suddenly walked up in front of him, staring at his face, "You know, it really shocked me when you told me that one time that we were in the same university. How did you know me?"
"It's pretty hard not to hear your name every time," Zold smiled, shaking his head. "Why bring that up?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking that it's a pity we weren't friends before the calamities," Maria shrugged, shaking her head.
Zold was amused. "I was a different person back then. So probably not a good idea."
The old him might've fallen in love with Maria immediately.
"Oh? Why?" Maria narrowed her eyes.
Zold paused, shifting his gaze away from her face. He changed the topic, "How do you think the others are fairing?"
"I don't know," Maria shook her head, "Why do you think we can't be friends?"
Zold was amused, feeling a headache.
To be honest, this was one of the few aspects he liked in Maria.
She was childish and a bit emotional.
Constantly tethering in madness and filled with wariness, he had long grown tired of people.
But Maria was one of the few that he would never get tired of, simply because she expressed her emotions so openly.
He admired this about her.
"I was an unpleasant guy that time."
Maria's eyes lit up, but just before she could say something—
Buzz!
At that moment, Zold's phone vibrated.
He suddenly stood up straight, looking at the sky again, this time with a hardened expression.
"They're here."
"So soon?"
Hearing his words, Maria's expression changed.
She looked at the sky…
===
—March 24, 2026.
The world lost its sound.
Humans felt a prickly feeling above them, causing them to look up.
The wide, blue sky distorted before their eyes.
A dark void quietly formed, eclipsing the light.
Then, nine ethereal figures came out of the void, draped in a blank white robe, symbolizing purity.
The nine figures floated silently, gazing below with indifference.
Simultaneously, they spoke—
"We are the Apostles of God."
"Your virtue has rewarded you freedom and respite momentarily, but your evil has stained the purity of everything in this universe. Your universe is no longer pure. A test is necessary to determine the validity of this universe's existence."
"The Ninety-Nine Era Ending Calamities test shall commence by God's command."
"Survive the Ninety-Nine Era Ending Calamities, and you shall obtain God's acknowledgement."
The Apostles paused.
"It is through the Undistinguishable that we live forward…"
"It is through the Unknown that we fear what is beyond…"
"It is through the Ultimate that we seek transcendence..."
"In deliverance of His Mercy and Retribution, the First Era Ending Calamity—[Spiritual Awakening] shall befall this world."
At that moment, the world stirred.
"First Era Ending Calamity."
The Apostles widened their hands, and then, an overwhelming amount of spiritual energy descended on the world!
"Commence."
At that moment, every human and animal on the planet felt spiritual energy enter inside them.
One man looked at the sky, sneering.
But before he could walk away, his body exploded into pieces, blood splattering all over the streets!
Spiritual energy was beneficial only to those who had the potential to wield it.
But to those without potential… this energy was akin to a deadly bomb planting itself inside their bodies.
In an instant, 30% of humanity exploded into pieces.