Long Time No See

I know this ability.

Super-tier magic: ‘Physical Penetration’.

It can nullify almost any physical attack—be it sword slashes, axe chops, cannon shells, or energy beams from firearms. Even physical interference effects caused by magic are rendered inert.

It is one of the very few spells that I find truly outrageous.

Crucially, I couldn’t discern any extraordinary magical talent within her.

She was merely a highly skilled and remarkably resilient physical assassin.

There could only be one explanation: both her dagger and her super-tier magic were gifts from another.

Someone capable of such grand gestures…

“…Whose subordinate are you, among the Demon Venerable Lords? Confess.”

“Take a guess~”

“Could it be an Apostle?”

“Ahaha, I wonder~~”

“Then where did your dagger and Physical Penetration come from?”

“Who knows? Perhaps… just like your Forced Contract, they were acquired during the Night of the Hunt?”

“——!!!”

I clenched my fist so tightly that my nails dug into my flesh.

Meanwhile, she watched my reaction with a wide, mocking grin.

“W-who, e-exactly, are, you?”

“I won’t tell. What can you do about it?”

“I will seriously kill you. While Physical Penetration is troublesome, I have countless ways to counter it.”

“Then kill me? Come on, come on! I don’t care!”

Far from panicking, she twisted and swayed like a streetwalker enticing customers, sending my blood pressure soaring.

“——And you still don’t care?”

“…………Oh?”

Jadette, having regained some vitality thanks to my emergency aid, stood beside the other demon still bound by chains (I didn’t even know their name).

She pressed a gun against their head.

“If you keep acting up, your companion’s life won’t be safe. Do you still not care?”

“I don’t care! I just want to have some fun anyway.”

“Fun…?”

“Of course a fun-seeker needs to seek fun, otherwise, wouldn’t life be too boring?”

“Stop wasting words on her, Jadette. You can’t handle her; leave her to me—”

“Don’t… be… ridiculous… Damn it… Parashana…!!!!”

Yet, at that moment, Paris Pucci, whom I had beaten to a pulp, surprisingly woke up again.

He barely propped himself up with his hands, glaring at Parashana through gritted teeth. He was more resilient than I had imagined.

“This is my… my… my battle with the Ninth Apostle! You damn it… don’t… interfere…”

“Pfft, pfft, pfft, what kind of cliché lines from a last-century hot-blooded shonen manga are those? Your miserable appearance isn’t convincing at all! I’m helping you, you know!”

“Whether you… are… helping me… I…”

“If you talk too much, your wounds will split open. Besides, I don’t think you can win against an enraged Ninth Apostle, so~”

She sauntered over, strolling leisurely towards the forming sub-space rift.

The sub-space rift itself wasn’t a major concern; I could easily close it.

It was simply so pitifully small that I had deemed it a low-priority issue.

However, judging by her various previous actions, which far exceeded my expectations…

“…………You’re not trying to say you have a way to instantly widen this rift, are you?”

“Half right. It’s not a question of whether I have a way, but rather…”

“Rather what?”

“I had already made my move before you even arrived, you see.”

She pointed to the black mass of flesh connected to the rift—if I wasn’t mistaken, it originated from the Third Sovereign.

Upon closer inspection, the flesh now encased a completely unremarkable crystal, one that emitted no energy fluctuations whatsoever. Even I hadn’t noticed it.

“Eh—eh eh eh!?”

Paris immediately panicked, frantically patting himself down, but failing to find what he sought.

“It’s gone—it’s gone—damn it! When—when did you steal it!? I kept it close to me the whole time—”

“I swiped it from you ages ago. Without a few trump cards, I wouldn’t dare to act so brazenly in front of an Apostle, you know~”

“Parashana, you plotted against me!?”

“Not plotting against you—I’m helping you!”

The two of them began bickering like a poor comedy duo.

Truth be told, I was utterly bewildered. I could only deduce from the current situation that they had received support from the Third Sovereign, intending to open a sub-space rift.

The crystal meant to be the catalyst had originally belonged to Paris, but Parashana had stolen it to play a trick on him…?

Whatever their chaotic schemes, it no longer mattered! A sub-space rift was no trivial matter.

I had no time to get entangled with them; I had to close it immediately! Otherwise…

Crack!

The space tore open.

Radial fissures appeared around the black mass of flesh.

Through the fissures, I glimpsed a bizarre world.

Flowing nebulae swirled within blossoms.

Vibrant mists of light brewed in chaos.

Flickering flames burned amidst ice.

It was both finite and infinite, minuscule and vast.

The concept of matter didn’t exist; everything was pure spirit and energy.

This was a mystery mortals could not fathom, a wisdom beyond ordinary comprehension.

Brilliant light, ancient whispers, and the afterglow of another world filled the air.

An overwhelming flood of information poured through the rift into the material world, instantly exceeding the physical framework’s capacity.

‘This is bad!!’

My heart sank, realizing Parashana had laid this trap long ago, intending to ambush me from the very start!

I tried to prevent the sub-space rift from expanding further, but the ground beneath my feet suddenly turned as soft as syrup.

The surrounding space visibly warped; the formerly dim abyss was painted stark white, with hazy gray twisting and flowing within the whiteness!

“The erosion is so fast!?”

Jadette cried out in astonishment, and the demon man beside her was utterly terrified.

I understood their anxiety: the ‘opening’ of a sub-space rift was one thing, but its ‘rate of erosion’ on the material world was another.

The stronger the ‘entity’ on the other side of the rift, the faster the erosion!

Now, the rift had only just opened, yet it was already interfering with the very fabric of the material world.

This alone was testament to the formidable power of whatever the Subspace Crystal had summoned!

‘Damn it, now the Abyss will also—’

In Sandra City, including the Mercenary Guild, people who had fainted due to the oxygen deprivation caused by Paris began to awaken one after another.

They all looked utterly bewildered, unsure of what had transpired, simply staring blankly at the destruction scarring the city.

However, they had no opportunity to grasp the situation.

The seal of Sandra’s Abyss suddenly shattered.

Sub-space energy fluctuations directly tore a massive hole in the colossal light barrier.

The night sky above the Abyss was obscured by colors not of this world, and the clouds twisted into a vortex, like a giant eye gazing down upon the earth.

Eerie beast roars echoed between heaven and earth, and black smoke billowed from the breach in the seal.

These were countless Abyss Beasts, driven into a frenzy by the sub-space rift’s interference.

Daring not to approach the great entity about to descend into the sixth layer, they surged in the opposite direction, upwards, racing towards human settlements.

The newly awakened mercenaries and the surviving soldiers from before hastily gathered.

They engaged in an overly rushed, fierce battle against the tide of Abyss Beasts.

In an instant, the entire southern part of Sandra City plunged into utter chaos.

“I—I’m not playing along anymore! What rotten luck is this!!”

“Hey! You!?”

The demon man, Justin, broke free from his restraints.

He hadn’t cut the chains on his legs with a special dagger; instead, he had severed his own legs.

Dragging his bleeding lower body, propelled by a wind-element feather cloak, he fled in disarray.

However, neither Jadette nor I had any mind to spare for a fleeing demon.

The sub-space rift before us was our primary, formidable foe.

“Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!! Great sub-space demon, evil god who sings praises of destruction amidst chaos!!!!!! Respond to my summons, descend upon the mortal realm, and bring endless calamity to the world!!!!!”

Parashana shrieked, waving her arms wildly.

She seemed like a child eager to play with a new toy, and the rift’s pulsating accelerated further.

As for me—

“…Jadette, the moment I give the order, run.”

“Run!? You want me to leave you here alone?”

“Less talk, more running when I tell you to!”

My words were infused with resolute will.

For the first time in a long while, I entered my full serious mode.

Chains of Domination—in position.

Thorns of Enslavement—in position.

Staff of Punishment—in position.

Spikes of Torment—in position.

Judging by these fluctuations, the incoming entity was no ordinary foe.

I never imagined such a monumental event could be tied to a mere Sandra City.

Now that it had come to this, a major confrontation was inevitable.

Come then, bring it on. Though my strength was a shadow of its former self, having long lost contact with my contracted entities, sending that bastard back to the other side of the rift should pose no problem.

“…………I understand.”

Jadette obediently retreated, knowing her presence would only hinder me.

Paris glared at me through gritted teeth, yet couldn’t approach.

Parashana waved her pom-poms, shouting, “Place your bets, place your bets! Ninth Apostle versus sub-space demon! Who will win?!”

But all of this faded from my mind. I focused completely, concentrating intently, striving to return to my state from two years prior—

[Who calls for My descent?]

A voice emanated from within the rift.

It was ancient and ethereal, sounding simultaneously like a man and a woman, an elder and a child.

Every syllable resonated with an authority that transcended humanity.

[Who yearns for the power of Chaos?]

[Who pries into the world’s mysteries?]

[Who craves wisdom that transcends the mundane?]

…………Wait, that voice?

Somehow, a subtle sense of incongruity stirred within me.

“It’s me, it’s me! I don’t want anything; just wreak as much havoc as you please!”

Parashana immediately raised her hand, as if afraid the world wouldn’t descend into chaos without her.

“Bullshit, it’s me, of course! You stole that Subspace Crystal from me!”

Paris performed a carp-like flip, scrambling to his feet.

He then began shouting and leaping at the great entity.

The entity observed his and Parashana’s reactions, seemingly pondering who had truly summoned it.

[To bear My power within a mortal vessel, are you willing to pay such a price?]

“Me! Me! I am willing!!!!” Paris jumped even more wildly. “I’m the one who summoned you! Hurry! Give me power! You can even possess me!”

[Regardless of the cost?]

“Regardless of the cost! Hurry and come!!!!”

[Very well, then—as you wish.]

The entity descending through the rift finally revealed its full presence.

At this moment, the Abyss fell utterly silent; light and shadow completely inverted.

Common sense and laws crumbled amidst the chaos.

The entity was merely a blurry humanoid silhouette of light, enveloped by a hazy radiance.

Its face was a dark vortex, seemingly capable of devouring all existence.

Countless intricate patterns wove into a crimson carpet beneath its feet.

Under everyone’s gaze, the great sub-space entity stepped onto the material world, brazenly flaunting its immense power.

Parashana’s face was alight with anticipation, while Paris prostrated himself, begging for a boon.

Jadette observed the situation from a distance, wary of making any rash moves.

The demon man, Justin, had long since vanished without a trace.

The luminous humanoid extended a hand towards Paris.

It was an arm composed of pure energy, containing power that a mortal could not attain even with a lifetime of cultivation.

Paris crawled towards it, prostrating himself like a desert refugee desperate for water, a look of fervent madness on his face as he prepared to accept its might—

As for me—

Was I preparing for a grand battle?

No.

I,

finally,

let out,

a huge sigh of relief.

“Ha…”

I even let out a chuckle.

I dropped my stance, reined in my killing intent, and spread my arms.

Kicking Paris aside, I walked towards ‘him’ as if greeting an old friend—

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[…………Eh eh eh eh??? Corvus!?]