The golden-haired girl radiated vibrant energy, her petite face crowned with a slightly upturned nose above a small, cherry-red mouth. Adorably charming—yet her eyes shimmered with Hexagram light, as if seeing straight through the world itself.

She was the strongest Ascendant Sovereign of all time—none other than Alreis.

The moment the "World’s Barrier" shattered, Alreis should have vanished, erased by the world’s will.

"Ugh~nngh!" Stretching with a soft groan, she murmured, "Finally free from the River of Time… though over a thousand years have passed."

Sensing the world’s timeline, Alreis realized her name had utterly faded. Even the Ascendant Sovereigns who once remembered her had perished in endless wars. Today’s sovereigns were newly forged in battle. She no longer existed.

"No wonder the River of Time’s suppression weakened… because the fact that ‘I still live’ barely affects this world anymore?"

Truth was, Alreis had already ceased to be. In the instant the world sought to erase her, she channeled boundless temporal power—letting her original self die while leaping back to a divergent birth possibility: one where she was born female. The cost? Submersion in the River of Time. Not dead—but utterly trapped.

Only when her name was forgotten by time did the River’s grip loosen enough for her return.

"So… I became a girl." From the void, she summoned a massive mirror, studying this "alternate possibility." "Not bad. Wait—this outfit?" An ornate Gothic gown embroidered with intricate patterns and glittering gems. Pure white stockings hugged her perfectly shaped legs. She looked like a storybook princess.

"Hmm… If I hadn’t become a mage, I’d have been a paladin. As a girl, maybe joined the Holy Maiden Legion. Why such impractical attire? What happened to this version of me…?" She couldn’t confirm it. *She*—no, *she*—wouldn’t risk being dragged back into the River of Time.

"Ah, whatever. It is what it is. After all… this is still *me*." Alreis cared little for form. All she craved was strength.

"First, map this world’s structure?" With a flick of her wrist, space warped. An invisible object materialized in her palm—her unique wand. Fresh from the River of Time and not yet wielding temporal power, it was merely condensed space… yet already stronger than countless Ascendant Sovereigns.

A spatial tunnel opened. She stepped through—and stood in a vast desert.

Eyes closed, ripples spread from her core—silent exploration through spatial sense.

Moments later, her eyes snapped open. Hexagram light swirled as her gaze locked onto a distant point. Instantly, that spot twisted. Sand, plants—everything vanished into the distortion.

"ROAR!" A deafening bellow erupted from below. A colossal maw burst from the warped earth, swallowing the distortion whole. The very monster—the many-legged Colossal Beast that once devoured an Ascendant Sovereign.

Furious, it sensed a presence far stronger than its last prey. True, it had swallowed that sovereign—but only by ambush. Its power still churned undigested within.

"To swallow spatial distortion with its *mouth*?!" Alreis gasped. She’d come sensing a life beyond Ascendant Sovereigns… but never expected *this*.

"This strong…? But—what *is* this thrill?!" A wild, unrestrained smile lit her cute face. *This* was what the strongest craved: an opponent! Only opponents forge growth. Only opponents reveal weakness. Only opponents feed the hunger to ascend!

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Space warped around her invisible wand—her leaking power alone rivaled her prior strike.

Hexagram light blazed. She swung the wand. Space fractured into blades, slashing forward at invisible speed.

The Colossal Beast roared. Spatial fragments shielded it. A few blades struck—leaving shallow cuts, meaningless against its colossal frame.

"Fascinating! Again!" Her battle lust burned hotter.

"Let’s see if you withstand a forbidden spell." Her wand shot toward the beast. Sensing danger, it fell silent. Space around it began mending under the world’s innate force.

"Forbidden Spell: Spatial Vortex." Smiling, Alreis watched the wand bloom into a spherical vortex. Spiraling force wrenched the beast toward the center. Air, sand—everything spiraled inward.

Sensing mortal peril, the beast gaped its maw. A counter-vortex erupted in its throat, clashing fiercely with hers. It stood firm, unmoved.

"Unbelievable! To oppose my forbidden spell with raw body alone—what power!" A feverish flush tinged her cheeks, contrasting her innocent features with striking allure.

"Come, monster! Let us battle to our hearts’ content!" Space around her fractured anew. Dozens of Spatial Vortices—identical to the last—hurtled toward the Colossal Beast…