In the morning mist, the rising sun, and the gentle breeze, the upside-down city seemed as though it was just waking up.

Dong.

The bells of the Belland Cathedral rang, and the devout worshippers folded their hands in prayer, offering their sincere reverence under the radiance of the goddess.

At the towering Tower of Origin, the mage apprentices diligently practiced their flight techniques. Soon, however, these practices transformed into energetic chasing games, which quickly gave way to frantic scurrying under the reproachful shouts of their tutors.

The Adventurer’s Guild opened its doors, where the adventurers, stretching and yawning, poured inside and, bathed in the warm morning light… ordered their first beer of the day.

Everything seemed so vivid, as if…

“Is this truly Belland?”

Archbishop Canterbury, for the first time, showed a hint of discomposure. He suddenly stood up, gazing intently at the upside-down city, his aged eyes now bursting with endless divine light.

Under the goddess’s bestowed vision, all illusions were meant to be pierced.

However, no matter how brilliant the divine light emanating from his eyes was, the city flourishing overhead, suspended in the air, still felt incredibly real… and alive.

“That is indeed Belland.”

“If that’s Belland, then where are we?”

“We are also in Belland, naturally—another Belland.”

Hathaway pushed her gold-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose. The responses around her were all as expected; nothing seemed to surprise her.

“Everyone, please look that way.”

Once again, she waved her hand. Under the influence of an invisible force, the gray mist shrouding the hall dissipated completely. Beyond the walls that had long since been stripped bare, they looked down, overlooking the entire city.

It was a city plunged into a nightmare. Every trace of color and light had vanished, leaving behind silhouettes outlined starkly in the mist, making them grotesque and sinister, like demons grinding their teeth and drinking blood in the darkness.

Yet this was Belland—a dark Belland—a stark contrast to the thriving city above.

“What... is this?” Someone at the round table uttered a horrified murmur.

They were The Crowned, individuals who had transcended human limitations, verging on the god. They weren’t supposed to fear a mere dark city.

And yet, even Archbishop Canterbury’s frail hands trembled uncontrollably.

His gaze reached beyond the eerie black cityscape, beyond the bloodstained Glaen River, beyond the Lower City District seemingly haunted by spectral shadows, all the way to… the city’s outskirts.

There lay an expanse of sea.

A sea that didn’t exist in reality—a pure black abyss seemingly poised to engulf the entire city at any moment.

At the blurred boundary between sea and sky, a half-moon, rising from the waters, symbolized grim foreboding. The azure crescent looked like a weary eye, surveying everyone coldly from above.

Dark god.

Moon of Silence!

“Ladies and gentlemen.”

Hathaway lowered her gaze, perhaps unwilling to confront the blue moon directly, and spoke softly:

“Welcome to the Shadow of Belland, a city crafted from divine authority, birthed as a prototype of a god’s realm… the shadow city!”

“Impossible…”

The decay-laden sea breeze blew from afar, rousing everyone from their shock. But even The Crowned were unable to suppress the pallor on their faces.

“Impossible!”

Archbishop Canterbury roared in rage:

“How could the Moon of Silence possibly be here? Under the watchful eyes of the Holy City, he’s clearly about to make contact with the King of Wither. How could he appear here?”

“Archbishop, calm down.”

Aldrich III, still resting his cheek on his palm, wore his usual lazy expression, as if he had grown completely accustomed to the blue moon’s presence.

“It’s merely a projection.”

“But even a projection…”

Archbishop Canterbury muttered in disbelief, “At such a critical juncture, diverting its power—does it truly fear losing to the King of Wither?

Don’t forget, these two divine entities are closely matched in strength. A single external factor could completely sway the outcome!”

“I thought the same initially.”

Aldrich III glanced briefly at Hathaway, gesturing for her to explain.

Hathaway gave a slight nod, clapping to draw everyone’s attention back toward her.

“Everyone, I understand that the Moon of Silence descending a projection here is perplexing. However, after my research, along with the analysis of the Special Countermeasures Division, and factoring in his prior assault on Santa Maria College, we’ve concluded the following—

The Moon of Silence may have believed from the outset… that he stands no chance against the King of Wither. He has always been… searching for an escape route.”

“Are you suggesting… that the Moon of Silence wants to flee?”

“Exactly.”

“But how would it flee?”

Most found it difficult to believe such a bizarre scenario—a dark god considering flight even before confronting his opponent. How could this be possible?

“Based on the intelligence we currently have, the Moon of Silence’s goal likely is…”

Hathaway explained, “By using his own authority and the shadow of Belland as a foundation, he intends to evolve its divine realm. Then, harnessing the characteristics of the divine realm, bypass the world’s barriers entirely…

And descend into the real world!”

“Hiss—”

The sound of collective gasps echoed.

A divine realm.

A domain evolved from a god’s rules and authority. Within such a realm, all laws are defined by the god. If he uses a divine realm to bypass the world’s barriers… it doesn’t seem entirely impossible.

“I have a question.”

Dodge suddenly raised his hand.

“Please.”

“You just mentioned that even the authority of the Moon of Silence can only form a prototype of a divine realm based on Belland’s shadow. That’s far from a fully realized divine realm. Moreover, by what we see here, even this prototype isn’t within his complete control; otherwise, we wouldn’t still be sitting here now.”

Dodge stared into Hathaway’s eyes, unknowingly squeezing his magician’s hat into a crumpled heap of fabric.

“Fundamentally, the Moon of Silence’s plan is unfeasible. If divine realms were so easy to evolve, all the other dark gods would have descended long ago.”

“You are correct.”

Hathaway adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses habitually, the light reflecting off the lens revealing the exhaustion accumulated in her eyes.

Yet despite it all, she stood tall in her ten-centimeter heels

“As Mr. Dodge said, the Shadow of Belland is still under our control. The Moon of Silence attempting to descend through a divine realm is undoubtedly wishful thinking.

But—”

Hathaway’s tone shifted:

“If this place falls into the hands of the Moon of Silence… If he inversely corrodes the real Belland using this shadow, turning millions into his sacrifice…”

Hathaway stopped speaking, but the conclusion was clear to all.

Under the river of blood formed by millions of people, amidst their wailing souls, the divine realm would finally be completed, and the Moon of Silence would become the second dark god in history to successfully descend.

For all humanity, it would be a disaster of annihilation.

Just like the first time.

…

At that moment, the eerie blue light of the moon became increasingly malevolent.

“Waa—”

A piercing cry, like that of a newborn, echoed.

The black tide roared, ferociously churning, as countless elongated and terrifying shadows emerged from its depths.

Scales reflecting a frigid glow coated their bodies, while their powerful snake-like figures churned the seawater, appearing capable of shredding steel to pieces.

Their scale-covered faces revealed expressions of insatiable greed and fanaticism, as if they were headed for a feast of flesh and blood.

“Serpents…”

The sea was abruptly cleaved apart, as if sliced by an invisible celestial blade, leaving an abyss-like gash upon its surface.

From this abyss, enormous creatures, each the size of Godzilla, rose upright. The moonlight traced menacing silhouettes over their hardened exoskeletons.

“Lunar beasts…”

The shrieking suddenly ceased, replaced by a hauntingly melodious whale-like song, resonating above the shadow city—a divine hymn without a traceable source. In the deep seas, glimpses of a massive black shadow drew closer.

“An apocalyptic-class monster, the Sea Demon Leviathan—it has pledged allegiance to the Moon of Silence.”

As if a gambler was showing his every card, when monstrous horrors capable of wreaking unimaginable havoc in the outside world revealed themselves, everyone finally extinguished their last faint hope and accepted the reality.

The Moon of Silence… was serious.

They now faced a deranged dark god, frantically lashing out while on the brink of death!

…

“Do dark gods feel fear?”

In the cold and silent atmosphere, someone instinctively asked.

“Heh, only gods who fear can be called dark gods, right?”

It wasn’t Hathaway who answered, but Aldrich III.

He no longer lounged sluggishly. Rising from his throne, he extended one hand as if to seize control of the city that belonged to him.

Lowering his gaze, his eyes seemed to harbor the rising majesty of a sun, so intense that even Archbishop Canterbury dared not meet his gaze directly.

Beneath his feet, the shadow city, once lifeless and quiet, suddenly erupted with abundant noise.

“Quick, Level One defense alert!”

The entire city hummed with intensity, as massive steel plates erected themselves noisily under the precision of magical instruments, forming an impenetrable wall.

Above these walls, the Royal Knights, clad in silver armor, stood ready for battle. The new “Magic Cannons” developed by the Royal Research Institute replaced the outdated magic crossbows; their cold barrels shimmered with ominous light, aimed squarely at the approaching monstrosities.

Within the walls, more crowds bustled and hurried, mobilizing resources and reinforcing barricades, constructing a second line of defense.

Even the elegantly dressed nobles, adorned with shining family crests upon their chests, despite being as pale as sheets and trembling as if they had just sprinted naked into the deepest winter night, grit their teeth to avoid fleeing.

While cursing the Moon of Silence to no end, they directed their servants to haul out their storied treasures, wincing with every loss.

—They had no choice. When Aldrich III swiftly sealed off all outbound routes under the guise of anti-smuggling efforts, they had unwittingly joined this doomed ship as passengers.

If Belland sank, they would go down with it!

So the Moon of Silence must pay by death by thousand cuts!

"A rare and beautiful sight, isn't it?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Aldrich III cast a glance downward, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips.

But shortly thereafter, his expression turned solemn.

Step by step, with resolute strides, he walked to the end of the grand hall.

His gaze swept past the shadowy city, past the towering walls, past the monsters and the black sea, until it locked calmly onto the azure moon above.

"Everyone, look closely. This is the reason I summoned you all here."

Aldrich drew the sword from his side, its blade flashing coldly. Under the collective silence of those present, he leveled the weapon toward the merciless and menacing Moon of Silence, delivering a thunderous and commanding declaration:

"War has begun!"