On the Verge of Conflict

Crack!

Amidst the silently surging torrent of magic, a crisp shattering sound echoed with startling clarity.

It was the distinct sound of a scrying spell being forcefully obliterated by an external power.

Simultaneously, the faint, malicious sense of being watched, which had lingered subtly, vanished entirely.

Within the malevolent, chaotic fluctuations, a sliver of clarity seemed to teeter on the brink of shattering. ‘Could this sensation indicate a suppressed, high-quality soul?’

A thoughtful glint flickered in the doll’s eyes, followed by a cold snort.

‘They are indeed a pack of beasts, their ravenous desires never ceasing, no matter where they go.’

“Harriet, Alger, snap out of it. The deceased are gone; there’s no need to dwell excessively on their fates, for it will only bring you more sorrow and serve no other purpose.”

“…Oh, right.”

Their eyes, vacant and filled with a profound sense of loss, revealed that the shock of seeing colleagues they had known for decades transform into vengeful spirits and then be annihilated before them was not something a mere sentence could dispel.

In stark contrast, the blonde youth, who hadn’t spent day and night with the maid spirits, fared considerably better, though he was still visibly shaken and had lost some blood.

“Thank you, Lady Sally, we’re alright, but…”

The blonde youth’s face was a mask of awkward hesitation.

“What is it you wish to say? There’s no need for pretense.”

“…Then I shall speak freely. Do you still require our guidance from this point onward? It appears you’ve already located the target you need to vanquish. And, well, you see…”

Alger subtly gestured with his eyes towards the burgundy-haired girl in his arms, who, having endured successive heavy blows, now reacted to the outside world with a vacant stare.

“Furthermore, I believe our presence might no longer be necessary for the battles ahead…”

Alger offered a stiff smile, observing the doll’s eyes, which had begun to gleam with amusement.

“Little ones? Are you implying that from this point on, I am to confront the evil god and save the castle all by myself?”

“Well… uh, not exactly, you see…”

“Hah, very well, I understand your intentions. The Viscountess in your arms still possesses a beacon that can allow you to exit this castle’s barrier. Soon, I will escort you both to the castle entrance where you first arrived. From there, you are free to go as you please.”

“I am eternally grateful!” The overjoyed youth almost bowed in profound thanks, but the doll halted him with an ethereal hand.

“A wise decision indeed. By the way, help me take Rao out of here.”

Confronting an enemy of an evil god’s caliber demanded a swift, merciless, one-hit kill. If Rao remained within the domain during the doll’s full-power assault, it would inevitably be neglected.

At Rao’s current state, a single blow from an evil god would undoubtedly be unbearable for it.

The doll produced a palm-sized crystal ball from within her robes. Inside, a fiery-eyed black horse paced restlessly upon a miniature flagstone.

“This is… your mount?! That Nightmare Steed?!”

Alger’s eyes widened almost comically as he gazed at the miniature black horse inside the crystal ball, which, now in his hand, looked up at him with an undeniable expression of disdain. He was utterly speechless.

“It’s merely a trinket crafted from warped space; there’s no need for such astonishment. Once you’re outside, simply smash this crystal ball, and the glutton will emerge.

Of course, I’ve only restricted its freedom for the initial half-hour. After that, even if you don’t shatter the crystal, the magic sustaining it will gradually dissipate.”

The doll’s voice was faint, subtly cautioning the blonde youth against harboring any ulterior motives.

Alger, having once mingled among mercenaries, instantly grasped the profound implications hidden within the doll’s words.

“Ahahaha, you jest, of course…”

Amidst Alger’s dry laughter, the doll’s form ascended, her feet hovering as she pushed open a narrow, elongated window on the library wall.

A biting cold wind immediately swept in from outside, carrying with it a flurry of white snowflakes.

“You can fly, yes? Oh, I forgot that newly transformed blood noblemen haven’t mastered bat transformation yet. In that case… do not resist. If you fall, it’s not my concern.”

The doll, weary of battling lesser creatures and eager to strike directly at the heart of the problem, wasted no further words.

A colossal, invisible ethereal hand gripped the protective barrier surrounding the two, lifting them directly.

As several startled cries pierced the air, the doll’s black robes snapped and billowed.

She stepped directly into the snowy expanse beyond the window, the magical barrier, held firmly by the massive ethereal hand, trailing in her wake.

“Ha, ah ha, haha… I never thought even you, monster, would have a day when you suffer a loss…”

The breathless laughter of the weakened will of the Bloodline Queen was rife with schadenfreude.

“Hmph, it was merely the bite of an ant that knows not its place. Besides, Annelise, do you still have the audacity and leisure to mock me, the Most High? Your position as an old toy is about to be supplanted by a new one, you know~~

“It doesn’t matter. You’ve already seized ownership of my body, haven’t you? Now, I am nothing more than a lingering wisp of a soul, barely surviving, protected by Habak’s Helmet.”

“Ah ha ha ha, little Annelise, but the resentment and malevolence within your soul… What? How is this possible?!”

“It’s gone, isn’t it?! Haha.”

Amidst the evil god’s shocked exclamations, the long-tormented will of the Bloodline Queen laughed heartily for the very first time.

“Before, my resentment and hatred stemmed from my own oversight, for unleashing a monster like you and allowing my family’s legacy to be severed! And there was no way for me to punish you!

But now!” Her voice swelled with impassioned fervor, as if, in that very moment, the confident and elegant head of the Cainhurst family, the Bloodline Queen, had returned.

“My family’s lineage has not been broken! And I have beheld a presence far more sublime than you!”

“Little Annelise, you’re jesting again, aren’t you? Heh heh, could your hope truly lie with those three tiny insects?”

“Insects? You, who style yourself as the Most High, yet fail to perceive that blinding radiance of their souls? Hah, I forgot, arrogant as you are, you disdain such observations, don’t you!”

The Star-Prowler fell into an uncharacteristic silence.

As the embodiment of fear and its very manifestation, they had always considered themselves sublime, beyond the observation of mortals, a deity enthroned in the heavens!

Indeed, past events seemed to corroborate this belief; the cult they had idly created once effortlessly ravaged the continent, subjugating people to fear.

Had it not been for the despicable humans uniting, the Star-Prowler was confident they would have risen to a position among the Old Ones’ most powerful entities!

Even during their years of confinement, they had always merely attributed their predicament to their own carelessness.

After regaining freedom by deceiving that little harlot with lies, and discovering that the world’s saints and gods had vanished without a trace, their mindset grew even more rampant.

They believed themselves invincible, save for the other Dominators still residing in R’lyeh, though they were later sealed within a brass pot due to another moment of carelessness.

Upon their second liberation, having learned their lesson, they swiftly infected a barrier, transforming it into their fortress and cultivating numerous thralls.

They merely awaited the reclamation of their body before once again sweeping across the world with the kin they had vaguely contacted.

However, the emotions of carefree indifference and anticipated vengeance emanating from the rapidly dissipating will of the Bloodline Queen caused their heart to sink.

They had indeed, due to the arrogance inherent in long-lived species and gods, failed to pay attention to the spiritual characteristics of those three ‘insects’.

“Even if those insects break through species limitations and leap up to bite me, you won’t be there to see it, will you?”

Annelise felt her soul being enveloped by an overwhelming tide of malevolence.

Yet, what did it matter?

“Ah ha ha ha ha, monster! I’ll be waiting for you in hell!”

Crack, crack, the crisp sounds signified the shattering of the last barrier.

Malevolence swallowed the dying soul’s final defiant cry, sealing her tightly and plunging her into the malodorous depths of chaos.

‘Hope, you say? Heh, let me tear those insects to shreds, and then I shall plunge you into utter despair… Annelise.’

Shatter!

The full-face helmet, adorned with intricate patterns, shattered into several pieces, clattering to the ground.

In the darkness, a pair of twisted, deranged red and black eyes suddenly flared to life!

“My thrall, Hercules! Slay the intruders for me! Then, imprison their souls and bring them to me!!”

A hoarse female voice, laced with an eerie reverberation, echoed as a roar, powerful enough to split stone and shatter metal, erupted from just outside the secret chamber’s great hall.