"Hey, don't be too smug, Yukari's title can only be used when it's just you and me. Otherwise, remember to call me 'captain'!"

"Still so concerned about appearances, huh?"

I couldn't help but sarcastically remark about Yukari's haughty attitude.

"By the way, have they not restored the power supply yet?"

"...about that."

It's been so long since the power went out, and these days of intermittent blackouts are really annoying!

Just like that person, Furen, who is so unpredictable, I always feel like knowing him is Yukari's fault for being careless in making friends, but I can't just casually suspect others.

"I really want to see for myself. They say there are few disasters in the ASEAN region. Maybe it would be poetic for all of us to go to a place without war."

"Mm."

Even though Yukari seemed casual, I knew the meaning behind her words, so I had no intention of bothering her further.

"Speaking of which, Hagrid doesn't seem like a member of the Alliance, no, more like the ASEAN, right?"

"Yes, I only mingled with the Western Alliance after enlisting later. Or, you could say the Western Alliance occupied my homeland."

They sent many soldiers, monopolized all our resources, cut down the surrounding forests to expand the city. Many who resisted were reportedly imprisoned and deprived of their right to shelter...heh, it's almost ironic to mention shelter now!

Later, I found out that the shelters were nothing but a lie, meant to make it easy to bury us in the underworld.

Yes, they were buried alive!

Yu Nai, woven among the refugees, my childhood friend, did she escape?

And my father, maybe he's somewhere in this city too?

...

In the dim office, Edward and an unnamed middle-aged man sat down facing each other.

"I say, what are you doing here all day at my place?"

"Satan, I'm sure you don't mind giving shelter to the benefactor who granted you power for a few more days, right?"

"Uh..."

Edward had no room to refute the man's words, and when the ceiling lights shone on the man's aged face and black-and-white hair, I was completely shocked!

This person is...he is!

Crack!

Ah ah ah...!!

I covered my eyes and let out a series of screams, blood trickling from the corners of my eyes.

"I say, Satan, if you don't monitor this place properly, some heroic spirits might sneak a peek through the cracks!"

"Impossible, the heroic spirits were eliminated long ago by Lord Shadow. They cannot exist in the world, you must be joking."

"Oh, joking?"

Tsubaki Kyushin Goushin, with a face full of kindness, crushed the eyeball between his fingers and laughed as he asked Edward.

"So, what do you make of this?"

"..."

Goushin threw the fragment of the Heavenly Eye in front of Edward on the table for him to identify personally.

"This... this can't be! There must be some mistake, their existence should not be in the prophecy. What do we do now...surrender?"

After a conclusive confirmation of the evidence, Edward couldn't help but start to panic. It turns out that what the prophet said was not always accurate, sometimes prophecies aren't that reliable.

"Don't be so frantic. In our divine realm, there is another group of beings. They may not be gods, but they can wield some divine competencies, including abilities like the Heavenly Eye."

"Oh... I see." Edward wiped away a bead of sweat on his forehead, feeling immensely heavy-hearted as he sat down on the chair, then he asked suspiciously, "Wait, could it be her doing?"

"Who?" Shinji teased Edward, playing with the emblem sculpture on the table.

"There's no need to worry about the Queen of the Night's existence. She can't change the poems we've intertwined into the current order. With competence in hand, we will rightfully be the creators, coexisting with the world. Even if reduced to ashes, we can still defy fate and resurrect in place!"

...

"Hag, are you okay? Blood, your eyes are bleeding!"

"I-I'm fine!"

I pushed away Yukari's hand that was trying to lift me, not wanting to let the blood go to waste, hoping more people could graduate from this lengthy dream.

With these beliefs, I wiped the blood from the corner of my eye, possibly seeking the only warmth left in this world.

Yukari didn't stop me, just moved away briefly and brought alcohol to disinfect my eye. Of course, it was unnecessary. Before she could apply the cotton ball near my eye, I had already fully recovered, right...?

"Ow, it hurts!"

Dad's strength was unexpectedly heavy. His power felt oddly familiar. The injuries I sustained had reduced my healing ability to that of an average person.

With a swift motion, I cut a small wound on my left hand with my fingernail. But in an instant, the wound had already fully healed.

"So, that guy's attacks on me were quite lethal!"

"Hey, you're supposed to be on par with me, the queen. Why are you so useless?"

"Well, I can't help it. I am just a good-for-nothing compared to a mature person like you!"

"Why can't you say something to cheer me up?"

Yukari suddenly pressed the cotton ball in my eye, causing me to cry out in pain!

Because I spoke out of turn, she retaliated.

"Next time you speak out of line, I'll beat you up real good!"

"I... Oh, what's this now?"

And so, in the midst of the daily bickering, the high-frequency tremors shattered the night's calm!

"Wuwuwu...!"

A massive figure formed by black mist gradually shrank to the size of a human and slowly moved towards this place, consuming all buildings as rain turned into acid, gradually devouring them!

But as he reached near the castle, he found that the downpour couldn't erode the buildings here, so he stopped to observe from above.

After all, it was Satan's fortress, protected by barriers against any form of sorcery.

Although the soldiers guarding the city didn't notice the issue in the rain, the little boy they were looking after did!

"Hey, down there, check that boy. If he's not infected, bring him in!"

"Okay, okay, don't rush me. I just slept a little, stayed up all night last night..."

The soldiers hesitated, and in the end, only one lost in rock-paper-scissors went happily to open the small castle gate and let the boy outside in.

"Kid, don't waste too much of my time, I'm about to change shifts."

"Wuwuwu!"

"Hey, don't cry, how am I supposed to deal with this?"

The soldier who opened the city gate looked at the sobbing boy with some confusion. A very cold and terrible feeling made him feel that something was not quite right.

After all, the boy had no reaction at all before the gate opened, just kept crying.

Unable to do anything else, the soldier reluctantly picked up a detection device and placed it on the boy's head. But the moment he touched it, the boy's hand pierced the soldier's chest, exploding in his surprised gaze!

"Hehehe~!"

With a string of innocent laughter, the boy turned into a wisp of smoke and vanished without a trace!

...

Recent discomfort in my body has made it difficult for me to travel. Even some basic movements are hard to accomplish. After all, if the body of a god can't be hurt, then there must be no serious consequences. But once seriously injured, it's very difficult to recover!

"Sigh, I've made quite a bit of progress compared to before, but if I want to confront dark figures like the Black Dragon Emperor and Satan... I don't even think I have the qualifications to challenge them."

"I'm back, Hagrid, are you there?"

"I'm here, where else could I be?"

"It's just that I'm worried. It's been pouring rain for days, and everyone's classes and training can't proceed normally."

Yukari took off her thin school uniform and reluctantly put on a thick down jacket, exhaling steam as she spoke.

"It seems like Edward has become cautious of me. Wherever I go these days, I feel like I'm being watched. Something bad must have happened internally, right?"

"Yeah, something definitely went wrong."

After saying so much, it seems like I have pushed myself to the limit.

Seeing the continuous thread of blood seeping from the corner of my eye, I had to wrap a bandage around my left eye, and I didn't even want to look for Yuanhui.

"Anyway, rest more. You'll get used to life here."

"Thank you, um... Yukari, I think I need some rest. You've been working hard all day, shouldn't you rest too?"

"Right, call me if you need anything."

Yukari unexpectedly showed a gentle side, similar to the days she tutored me in the library, making me feel very comfortable. She seemed to care about my injury and didn't ask much about how it happened.

"Um..."

"Oh dear, would it be heartless of me to just discard Professor Vreland like this?"

"Yukari, don't worry about Professor Vreland, he'll be fine. After all, there's still Nen, Chiyori, and his brother. It's not easy for him to take care of everyone alone."

I smiled with trust in my companions. I know Chiyori and Arima Shinobu's strengths very well. Chiyori is high output, suitable for tasks requiring combat skills, while Arima Shinobu excels in speed and is responsible for covering the rear. The Vreland brothers can serve as the main shield.

Hmph, how do I know all this... During those days on the training ground, my last burst of strength was enough to grind stones into powder, but with Vreland, he stood up in just a few breaths.