Crimson’s tightly closed eyes opened. A screen of light hovered before her, displaying the current state of the Fourth District, the president’s impeachment by Azure, and the battles between the Guardian of the Seventh District, the Mud King, Night Frost, and Azure.

The screen on the left now showed nothing but a wasteland left behind by acid rain and Magic Cannon bombardment. Night Frost had transformed into a black dragon and worked with Moon Owl and the Zone Fifteen Guardian to drive back Azure and the exhausted Guardian of the Seventh District. In the end, Night Frost and the Zone Fifteen Guardian collapsed from exhaustion, and Moon Owl carried them away.

On the screen to the right, the people of the Fourth District, clad as believers, were praising the name of “God” and kneeling reverently toward the Order Keeper’s tower.

Crimson clenched her fists. She yanked forward with all her strength, though her arms were locked in shackles. Rage surged within her. She wanted nothing more than to smash the images before her—but she couldn’t do that now.

Azure had taken her Magic Stone. Without it as a guide, reservoir, and relay station for her Mana, controlling Mana would be far more difficult than before.

On top of that, the clothes wrapped around her body were constantly absorbing the Mana within her, until not a drop remained.

But Crimson wasn’t completely without options.

She looked down at her arm. A crimson ribbon was wrapped around her wrist.

Ever since she had touched the Ultimate Realm, another ribbon had appeared on her body. Even without being unsealed, it still remained.

Crimson fed all her Mana into the ribbon. If someone was going to benefit from it, it might as well be the ribbon instead of this damned outfit.

Once infused with Mana, the ribbon became her third arm.

This was her chance.

“Click.”

The sound of locks opening came from both inside and outside.

Crimson immediately grew alert. She withdrew the crimson ribbon, coiling it inside her sleeve and pressing it tightly against her arm.

Azure walked in.

A thin line of Blood ran across the surface of her body. Her Magic Armor was stained red, and her brows were knitted tightly together. Her face was filled with gloomy displeasure.

“Just a little more… Just a little more!”

The moment she entered, she angrily grabbed something from the table and smashed it onto the floor.

The crisp sound of shattering echoed through the silent room, revealing just how furious she was.

“Who the hell is that woman? She has the Black Dragon’s flames and the Magic Stone of Order…”

“That woman is still weak. She has to die. We can’t let someone possessing those two powers step into the Ultimate!”

Azure caught sight of Crimson inside the Obsidian Stone prison and lunged straight toward her. She gripped the prison bars with both hands.

Her eyes sank deep into their sockets, carrying a trace of disbelief—and a trace of madness.

“Do you know, Crimson? That woman actually endured a combined attack from Zonghuang and the rest of us…”

She bit her fingernail and paced around the room. Her sneakers stepped over the shattered glass scattered across the floor, producing a grating crunch.

The sound matched her chaotic emotions.

“She should still be outside the borders. If we search for her with all our strength… and borrow that thing, she’ll definitely die.”

Crimson said nothing. She stared coldly at Azure, who was muttering to herself.

Then Azure seemed to think of something. She walked to a drawer in the corner, entered a password, and opened it. She grabbed a handful of items from within.

Glittering Magic Stones slipped through her fingers one by one.

Their quality was extraordinarily high. They were the finest of the finest among the Cantata Two Magic Stones.

Azure reached deeper and pulled out a box. When she opened it, four crystal-clear Magic Stones lay inside, without a trace of impurity.

Crimson’s gaze fell upon the crimson Magic Stone in the center.

That was her Magic Stone.

Of the other two, one was a pure amber-colored Magic Stone. The other was even clearer and more beautiful than jade.

Those were the Magic Stones of her former comrades.

Crimson had once seen Azure take out a Magic Stone on the screen. It looked exactly like Zonghuang’s Magic Stone.

It was probably a copy of this one.

“You… chose the wrong path, Azure.”

“Wrong path? No. I didn’t make a mistake.”

“Crimson, do you know what Magic Stones are? They act as conduits for a Magic Maiden’s Mana. They filter out impurities from refined Mana and make it purer.”

“But those impurities remain inside the Magic Stone forever. So why does this Magic Stone look so pure?”

Azure picked up one of the Magic Stones and waved it before Crimson’s eyes.

“I discovered that these Magic Stones devour impurities, causing the stones to become harder. The space between the outer shell and the inner layer is hollow.”

Azure tapped the surface of Zonghuang’s Magic Stone with her Wand.

Crimson tried to step forward and seize it, but the shackles around her wrists made that impossible.

“Every time you use Mana, the hollow part of the Magic Stone takes a strand of Mana from your body. It stores that Mana in the empty space.”

“As time passes, the Mana inside accumulates to a terrifying degree.”

“I also studied the Magic Stones of Monsters. I discovered that human Magic Stones and Monster Magic Stones are fundamentally identical in structure.”

“In the same way, Abyssal Aura and Mana accumulate in the hollow part of the Magic Stone. After the Abyssal Aura is purified, the stone becomes a Magic Stone that Magic Maidens can use to restore their Mana.”

Azure opened her palm. A Monster Magic Stone appeared in it.

Though pure, it wasn’t as clear or flawless as the Magic Stones belonging to Crimson and the others.

“But there is one difference. I found that the Magic Stones of some Magic Maidens are purer than those of Monsters at the same level.”

“Their Mana content is usually one to three times that of Monster Magic Stones.”

“Of course, that excludes certain Monsters. Those creatures are true freaks.”

The freak Azure referred to was naturally the Calamity Dragon.

If her deduction was correct, the upper limit of Mana contained in that creature’s Magic Stone was twenty times that of a Chapter Three Magic Stone.

It was undoubtedly one of the very best among Monsters.

“My Wand can pry open the shell of a Magic Stone through a special method and release all the Mana inside.”

“This is Mana that has accumulated over countless years…”

“It far surpasses the power gained by calling upon a miracle and suddenly breaking through one’s limits.”

“So I joined forces with them and researched ways to replicate a large number of Chapter Three Magic Stones.”

“These stones don’t possess the full might described above, but they can still match a single strike from a Chapter Three Magic Stone.”

“As long as we have enough Mana, attacks like that can be launched endlessly. They might even be able to kill an Ultimate.”

As she spoke, a trace of pride appeared on Azure’s face.

That was her masterpiece.

It was a weapon she had created through day and night of relentless work—a weapon powerful enough for ordinary people to kill a Chapter Three existence.

“Just imagine it. Countless attacks equal to a Chapter Three strike falling endlessly upon an enemy.”

“No matter how strong that being is, it will still perish.”

“So this is your plan, Azure.”

Crimson expelled all the anger from her lungs.

After Azure told her all this, she was no longer as furious. But she still couldn’t accept what Azure was doing.

Crimson had seen it in the footage. Azure had borrowed the power of that organ.

That power was indeed strong.

But it was also dangerous.

“You’ve gone too far. This may not be something we can control.”

“I can control it!”

“I thought you would understand me. In the end, you’re just like Zonghuang.”

“That’s why she died. I killed her.”

“I’ll prove myself… Crimson.”

Azure returned the box of Magic Stones, then took out the emerald-colored stone.

“Click. Bang!”

Without looking back, Azure slammed the door shut.

Crimson let out a long sigh.

Her gaze shifted toward the drawer. Her Magic Stone was inside it.

The drawer had a combination lock, and Crimson happened to know Azure’s phone password.

Azure disliked changing passwords. She had used the same few digits for years.

After spending several years with Azure, Crimson knew them well as the team captain.

“003140.”

Crimson had once asked Azure what those numbers meant.

Azure had said it was a secret, so Crimson hadn’t pressed further.

Everyone needed to have a few secrets, didn’t they?

“I’m counting on you!”

Crimson manipulated the ribbon.

It slipped out from her sleeve and carefully crawled toward the combination lock a short distance away. Then it entered the password.

Everything went smoothly.

After all these years, Azure still hadn’t changed it.

The ribbon wrapped around the box inside the cabinet and carried it back to Crimson.

Crimson opened the box and took out her Magic Stone.

The moment her palm closed around it, Crimson sensed the Mana inside her body, which had been steadily weakening, as well as the Mana particles floating in the air.

The Mana within her still wasn’t enough to break free of the chains.

But Crimson didn’t need to worry about a lack of Mana.

There were plenty of pure Magic Stones here…

Half an hour later, Crimson had replenished her Mana completely.

Her strength was still sealed by the suit, and the Obsidian Stone chains still restrained her.

But she had touched the Ultimate Realm.

How could these little toys possibly seal her so easily?

“One!”

“Ten!”

“One hundred!”

“One thousand!”

All her Mana gathered in both arms.

Under the constant washing of Mana, the Obsidian Stone shackles that restricted her movements developed fine cracks.

The cracks continued to spread until the shackles shattered.

Crimson slowly rose to her feet and moved her body, which hadn’t stirred in a long time.

Every bone in her body crackled.

She spread both arms wide, making an exaggerated motion.

She could feel the freedom she had missed for so long.

“I sense the might of the heavens and pour out all my heart’s blood.”

“I sever mountains and rivers, shatter fallen stars.”

“I support the collapsing beams and hold up the sinking sky.”

She tore off the clothes restraining her and threw a punch.

The prison that had sealed her for more than a month shattered completely.

She walked to the cabinet, picked up her Spatial Box, and casually looted everything inside Azure’s room.

Just as she was about to leave, she noticed a dusty picture frame in the corner.

It was a photograph of the four of them together, taken by Azure when their team had just been formed.

Azure had always been especially good at things like this.

But who could have known that, more than a decade later, only Crimson and Azure would remain standing here?

“Zonghuang… I’ll get justice for you.”

“I’ll bring Azure back.”

“That’s my responsibility as the team captain—even if I’m the former captain now.”

She gently wiped the dust from the picture frame.

A few specks of dust got into her eyes.

Crimson used the clothes she had removed to wipe away her tears, then tossed them into the trash can with a look of disgust.

Crimson opened the door and walked out of the half-sealed space made of Obsidian Stone.

Far away, at the border of the Fourth District, Night Frost’s heart gave a faint twitch.

The crimson ribbon that had been completely drained of Mana had begun to pulse once more.

“Crimson is here too!”