"Today's weather is just as wonderful as ever…"
Lying atop ruins that had practically been leveled, the Tarnished—dressed in a black trench coat—sighed with genuine satisfaction.
A fine drizzle pattered against his face, bursting into tiny sprays of mist. Dark clouds hung so low across the sky that the air itself felt heavy, almost suffocating.
And yet, to him, this was perfect.
Maybe because rain was so rare in the Lands Between.
Or maybe because the Lands Between didn't really have seasons at all—each region seemed locked into its own unchanging climate.
Only places like Limgrave, the Weeping Peninsula, and the Altus Plateau occasionally saw rain if you were lucky.
Like today.
As for where the trench coat came from?
Naturally, he'd stripped it off a kind-hearted Recusant—sorry, "reincarnator"—gentleman. Then, out of pure friendliness, he'd sent both of those reincarnators back to their hometown with a clean sweep of black flame.
And honestly?
It fit pretty well.
He was just about to enjoy the sound of the rain a little longer when his eyes snapped open.
As if he'd sensed something.
He raised his palm to the sky.
—BOOM!
A roar split the heavens. Crimson lightning slid down through the clouds and gathered in his hand.
He hurled it toward the relatively intact forest off to the side.
—KRA-KOOM!
A thunderous blast shook the earth. Even the canyon-like—no, the vast chasm carved by his earlier lightning blade—shuddered faintly.
In an instant, a huge chunk of forest was erased from the landscape.
Even then, he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Tch. A few days without moving and my aim's already rusty…"
"W-What what what?! What's happening?!"
Still wearing that ridiculous mascot costume and holding that equally ridiculous weapon, the Leopard Person burst out of a hastily built shelter like a panicked comedian.
The moment she stepped outside, she saw the Tarnished—who had been lying on the Sun Temple's ruins—now sitting up, already forming another bolt of lightning in his hand and throwing it away like it was nothing.
Boom—
Another thunderstorm slammed into the earth, swallowing a section of the forest.
She didn't know what was going on.
But she definitely didn't dare ask.
This human was far more terrifying than Kukulkan.
The moment she remembered what he'd done last time, the Leopard Person shivered.
Stripping someone's clothes like that—what kind of human did that?!
The trauma ran deep.
"I know you're still there. Come out."
The Tarnished stood, his gaze cold as he stared at the wreckage ahead.
Just now, he'd felt that same line of sight again—the one from before.
This time it was close.
Very close.
Right there in the forest.
But the ruins that used to be trees offered no response.
"Not coming out?"
His expression didn't change as he pulled out two Spirit Calling Bells and gave them a light shake.
Jingle—
Jingle—
The bells chimed several times, and multiple figures materialized at his side.
"Drag the one hiding in the forest out here."
The instant the order left his lips, the newly summoned spirits vanished.
Rubble exploded upward. Splintered tree remains flew in all directions.
Now and then, enormous arrows dropped from the sky—each arrowhead wrapped in a faint violet glow.
He didn't even need to guess.
That was Ogha's arrow rain.
As a Redmane Knight, Ogha had learned gravity techniques alongside Radahn.
He just wasn't nearly as refined. The frequency and range of his gravity arrow rain couldn't compare to Starscourge Radahn.
Before long, the forest ahead was flattened.
A white-haired mage holding a staff finally appeared—barely holding off the relentless assault from the summoned ashes.
Still, the mage's strength surprised him.
He could actually track Black Knife Tiche's attack angles.
That was impressive.
Among all his ashes, aside from Alecto, Tiche was the fastest.
"Alright! Leopard Person is joining too!"
At that moment, the Leopard Person—who had been spectating—shouted something utterly pointless and charged forward.
But someone moved faster.
The instant she took a step, she felt a sudden weight press down on her head.
The pebbles on the ground rapidly grew larger in her vision.
"Ah. I'm going to die…"
—WHAM!
Even though the ground was soaked by rain, a plume of dust still burst up.
And the Leopard Person…
Was now stuck upside-down in the earth like a planted spear.
Using her head as a stepping stone, the big sister goddess launched forward with a bright smile.
"Aaah… this is bad."
The white-haired mage turned, saw Quetzalcoatl coming, and—before being caught between those legs—left behind his last words with a polite smile.
Then a thunderous impact unlike anything before echoed across the Mesopotamian plains.
Villagers hiding inside their flimsy shelters trembled and curled into balls.
This was…
Absolutely horrifying.
Ten minutes later…
"Ahaha… ahem. Allow me to offer my most formal greetings. I am Merlin, sent by King Gilgamesh to welcome you. Please, feel free to call me your kind and friendly Big Brother Merlin."
Merlin puffed out his chest proudly, as if he'd done something heroic.
That was… assuming you ignored how miserable he looked.
His once-neat white hair had been clawed into a disaster. His white robe was smeared with mud. His face was stamped with clear fist marks—he had obviously been beaten senseless.
Even his staff was covered in blade scars, trembling on the verge of snapping apart.
Who knew how hard those ashes had gone on Merlin?
Honestly, the fact that he hadn't died after getting beaten like that…
Was that because he was strong?
Or because he was simply built to take a beating?
Either way, his sorry state earned him not a shred of mercy.
"Lhutel. Quetzalcoatl. Beat him."
Still calling himself "big brother"?
Fine.
He'd show him who was whose "brother."
"Yes, my lord."
"Yes. Leave it to big sister!"
The moment Merlin saw the two of them move like hungry wolves, his courage evaporated.
Cold sweat slid down his temples as he stumbled backward.
These two women were both terrifying—and one was worse than the other.
"Ah, um… listen, I can explain, I—AHHH—!"
Another miserable scream rang across the Mesopotamian plains, like a delicate flower crushed by a storm.
A few minutes later…
"Waaah… I was just following King Gilgamesh's orders… waaah… I only used clairvoyance to peek because he told me to… waaah…"
After suffering inhuman torment, the nightmare sat on the ground with his knees tucked in, sobbing as he complained about the cruelty of the world.
As a seasoned dream-invading thief and shameless pervert of the night, Merlin insisted—very passionately—that these two incidents were not his fault.
He'd only been obeying Gilgamesh!
Thinking that far, he forced his face into a pitiful, watery-eyed expression.
Unfortunately, it didn't inspire sympathy.
It only made people want to hit him again.
Who was he trying to disgust?!
Did he think he was some kind of "Magical Girl Merlin" now?!
Wait…
Who even was "Magical Girl Merlin" supposed to be, again?
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