"I am in position."

In the outer region surrounding the meticulously crafted altar of the cultists, a thin silhouette was hiding in the shadows atop a high tower, quietly observing everything happening upon the altar.

The Silencer, Kinzer.

After receiving orders from the Elder, he bypassed tonight's assault on the cultists and used a special piece of ancient relic to conceal his presence. Moving quietly, he slipped past the defenses of cultists and lunar beasts, and reached this core alone.

His mission was singular: at the critical moment, to kill the key figure—Anna Kablin.

At first, he thought this task would be easy, as he had reviewed all the information about Anna Kablin, understood her combat style and abilities. With his own strength and the artifacts he now carried, even if Anna Kablin's power multiplied tenfold, killing her would still be a simple matter.

But now, Kinzer's forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and his throat felt dry and parched.

Since becoming a Silencer, he had faced countless dark gods or eerie creations of cultists, yet he had never felt the kind of profound nervousness as he did now.

The reason was simple—before his very eyes, through a small specialized enchanted telescope, he witnessed an impossibly beautiful sight.

Beneath the dim blue moonlight, a girl with a serpent tail floated quietly in midair. Her purple dress swayed gently, making her seem like a mermaid peacefully asleep in the depths of the ocean.

Yet Kinzer had no mind to appreciate the beauty before him; through his specialized telescope, he could clearly see wisps of mist-like, thread-like light far deeper than the moonlight emerging abruptly from the void and slowly being absorbed into the girl’s body.

As these threads of light seeped in, the girl's aura began to grow terrifyingly intense.

This terror was not born of elevation in rank or cultivation—for this distance made discerning her rank impossible even for someone like Kinzer.

No—this felt more like the girl was experiencing an ultimate sublimation of life itself, akin to the metamorphosis of a crawling insect destined to evolve into a bird that soars freely in the skies, gazing down upon insignificant beings such as they—mere ants by comparison.

"Damn it!"

Kinzer, who had always faced situations with calm composure, could not suppress his emotions this time and cursed out loud.

As a veteran of the Silence Agency, and as the most trusted subordinate of the Swordsman, how could he not recognize what the Moon of Silence was attempting?

The god was seeking to descend upon the world—using Anna Kablin as the vessel!

"So this is Anna Kablin’s peculiarity? The reason why the cultists were willing to attack the Silence Agency at all costs to seize her? A perfect adapter for the power of a dark god?"

"But even if the dark god successfully creates a perfect vessel, it’s impossible for the god to completely descend. Its divine essence cannot traverse the world’s barrier—that’s an absolute rule!"

"If it’s only a partial descent, it would merely weaken its own power—what use is that? The divine war is imminent; this is tantamount to suicide!"

"Unless… it abandons being a god altogether?"

An absurd notion suddenly took shape in Kinzer’s mind, compelling him to chuckle involuntarily, even in such a grave setting.

A dark god’s divine essence couldn’t penetrate the world barrier; however, its will, authority, and power could seep through.

Thus, logically speaking, descending by renouncing godhood was theoretically possible.

But how could that be? A dark god—abandon its divine body, relinquish its godhood, and lower itself to become one of those lowly and contemptible beings from the mortal world that it scorned?

Such a notion would make even a three-year-old child laugh you off for being fantastical, lost in a daydream.

Yet...

No matter how improbable this outlandish possibility seemed, as a qualified Silencer, Kinzer had to prepare for the worst.

Quietly, Kinzer retrieved the silver suitcase previously given to him by the Elder.

After a lengthy authentication process, he finally unlocked the intricate sealing matrix engraved upon the box. Taking a deep breath, Kinzer ceremoniously opened it.

Inside the box lay an arrow, seemingly carved from crystal, glinting in the moonlight.

The arrowhead was translucent, akin to a radiant ruby, yet the energy sealed within that gleaming gem made Kinzer’s breathing hitch—a power so immense it defied description.

The Origin Stone.

The name of this ruby resounded within Kinzer’s mind.

This terrifying weapon had been crafted by a great archmage who could never leave her academy. It was her sole contribution to the war between Belland and the dark gods—a singular creation imbued with an unimaginable strike of unrivaled intensity.

It encapsulated the archmage’s one and only origin-level spell, branded as “Guaranteed Kill,” a miraculous assurance of death forged into the jewel, and thus produced the “Arrow of Death”—theoretically capable of annihilating any existence.

No matter what scheme the Moon of Silence had in mind, as long as its vessel was obliterated, the plans would inevitably collapse.

Therefore...

Kinzer loaded the arrow of death into the specialized long-range tactical crossbow and slowly aimed at the mermaid-like figure.

Through the telescopic sight, he could see the girl’s brow furrowing slightly, a look of terror and struggle evident upon her delicate features—evoking a sense of pity. Yet Kinzer took a deep breath, quickly suppressing that sentiment.

His once-quivering hands steadied, as solid and unyielding as steel.

"Heavy rain, no wind, and visibility is poor."

"Target has yet to discern my presence."

"Magical elements appear stable, observation remains clear."

"Targeting trajectory unobstructed—ready for firing."

"Requesting orders."

With all preparations complete, Kinzer reported through his specialized miniature communication crystal embedded in his ear.

"Shhh—"

But for a long while, the communication crystal yielded only static interference.

The Elder on the other end, the man who held ultimate decision-making power, was still silent.

"Requesting orders."

Kinzer urged.

Before his eyes, the Moon seemed to sense something, as dense black mist began to unfurl—a shroud rising slowly from the altar, blanketing everything above it.

That was... the isolating Dark Moon Mist.

Kinzer’s breathing quickened involuntarily. Though the Origin Stone was devastating, it would only work if it hit the target. Should the Dark Moon Mist envelop the altar, all he’d be able to do was stand by helplessly as the Moon of Silence completed its plans.

"Requesting orders immediately!"

This time, Kinzer practically shouted into the communication crystal.

"...Sigh—"

At long last, the crystal emitted the Elder’s gravelly voice.

"Kinzer, let me ask you this: what’s more important—a single person, or hundreds of millions?"

"Ridiculous! Of course hundreds of millions!"

In the urgency of the moment, Kinzer completely ignored his own manner.

"Don’t waste time asking pointless questions, sir! The Dark Moon Mist is already covering one-fifth... one-third... half... Soon, it will completely obstruct my line for shooting!"

"Is that so?"

A whirlwind of thoughts swirled, yet all seemed to distill into the Elder’s resigned chuckle.

"Perhaps I’ve been overthinking this. Very well, then..."

"Huh?!"

Kinzer abruptly interrupted the Elder’s impending command, his voice filled with astonishment.

"What’s happening?"

"Impossible!” Kinzer exclaimed in disbelief, his vision fixed upon the scope.

"That person... isn’t that Moen Campbell? Why is he here?”

"Moen Campbell? Are you certain?” A faint noise—a chair tipping over—came from the other side of the communication crystal.

"Absolutely. It’s him."

Kinzer’s gaze locked onto his target. His focus shifted away from the mermaid-like girl and landed on the altar’s perimeter.

A golden-haired youth stood there, his expression resolute as he circled the Dark Moon Mist.

Suddenly, the boy seemed to make up his mind, turning decisively and striding boldly into the mist without looking back.

"Has he lost his mind?"

Kinzer stared in shock.

The Dark Moon Mist of the Moon of Silence was a realm so deadly even The Crowned would become lost within it. For a pampered duke’s son to enter was sheer folly—tantamount to suicide.

Wait...

A pampered duke’s son, devoid of any relics that concealed his aura, managed to bypass layers of cultists and lunar beasts to arrive here? How could that be?

There was no time to dwell on these questions. Kinzer’s focus snapped back to the priority at hand: the Dark Moon Mist was closing, and he had to make his decision now.

"Forget it. Lower your crossbow for now," the Elder ordered through the crystal.

"What?"

Kinzer thought he’d misheard. "Have you lost your mind? This is our last chance!"

"It’s not the final chance," the Elder countered.

"Even in the worst-case scenario—if the Moon truly forsakes its divine body and godhood to descend upon Anna—it would still be weakest at its moment of manifesting. The Origin Stone will remain effective."

Kinzer forced a smile. "But the odds of hitting a stationary target versus a moving one couldn’t be more different."

"It won’t be moving," the Elder said coldly.

"No matter how strong the Moon appears, forsaking its divine body and godhood will also dissolve its authority. Temporarily delaying it shouldn’t be difficult—it’s merely a matter of sacrificing something.

And since even that promising young fool was willing to abandon everything to come here, then what fear or hesitation could a dying old man like me possibly have?"

Elsewhere, the Elder stepped out of a dilapidated shop. His aged eyes opened wide, shining with a brilliance too intense to behold.

He stood beneath the dim blue moon suspended high in the heavens, sighing deeply.

"A lifetime battling dark gods, my hands stained with blood and sin. I’ve never believed in miracles. Yet... here at the end of it all, I can’t help but indulge in a foolish dream."

"Moen Campbell, for once, let this old fool follow your lead in madness."

"You must... bring back that foolish girl who only ever cries alone."

...

"Senior, you must be inside."

Within the vast space, Moen circled the black mist before him, confirming that the mysterious sensation was indeed emanating from within.

He knew this was Dark Moon Mist—far surpassing the scale used earlier by the banshee—capable of confounding even The Crowned.

Yet Moen breathed deeply and stepped forward without hesitation, entering it resolutely.

"Senior, I’m here to save you."

...