“Cough! Cough!” Alreis was covered in wounds. Her once lively ponytail hung in tangled disarray, leaving her utterly disheveled. Blood streamed steadily from her injuries as her vitality faded. Even the Hexagram glowing in her eyes had dimmed to a faint ember—a clear sign of mana exhaustion.

“These pursuers… really, so stubborn,” Alreis murmured. “Me, unable to wield the power of time, pushed this far… Huh. So this era does have its strong ones.” Using the last dregs of her mana, she scanned the area, wary of being tracked. But how had she ended up like this?

The answer was simple: Alreis had relentlessly challenged the Colossal Beasts. All the Ascendant Sovereigns needed was to guard one beast and wait. Why the Beasts didn’t attack them? That was beyond her knowledge.

“I never expected Ascendant Sovereigns wielding Darkness and Life Magic in this age…” The perfected Darkness concealed all traces; Life Magic masked every living signature. Caught completely off guard, Alreis took a full assault without even sensing it.

She recalled the ambush.

A black scythe—undetectable by mind or senses—barely dodged. Then a lightning spear from behind; she deflected part of it, but numbness still shot through her limbs.

A sun-bright fireball. Water droplets so dense they warped space, raining down like judgment. Countless attacks—relentless, as if death alone would satisfy them.

Luck spared her: at the instant of impact, she tore open space, buying a sliver of time. But tracking brands were seared onto her. From then on, her every move stayed under their watch.

For a full month, the Ascendant Sovereigns hunted her without pause. No chance to remove the brands. Only flight remained.

“Pfft!” She spat blood. If she couldn’t heal and restore mana soon… she wouldn’t last.

“No choice left,” Alreis decided.

In the next heartbeat, mana swirled like a tornado around her. At its center, Alreis drank deeply. Wounds knitted closed. Blood ceased flowing.

But it was surface healing only—enough to fight again. True recovery demanded top-tier Life Magic… or slow, quiet rest.

“Esteemed Ascendant Sovereign,” a voice echoed from black mist coalescing behind her, “have you finally stopped running?”

“So you caught up.” A wry, tired smile touched her lips. “Honestly? You’re not the strongest… but among your juniors, you’re the most troublesome.”

“To hear that from you is an honor,” the mist replied. “But I cannot let you recover further. Else… one or two of us may fall by your hand.”

A pitch-black scythe slashed through her form. Only then did the mist solidify where she’d stood.

“An afterimage… No wonder you slew Colossal Beasts alone. Uninjured? I wouldn’t have dared face you.”

“Don’t be so modest!” Her voice rippled through space from a kilometer away. “You wield Darkness Magic—while the others follow Light. Is it wise to fight me alone? How about… we team up? Take out one or two. Say… that woman specializing in Life Magic?”

Weeks of pursuit had revealed their specialties, their factions.

“Do not jest, my lady.” Unmoved. “Compared to Life… your Spatial Magic intrigues me far more.”

“So negotiations fail?” A playful smirk. “Then at least… you’ll be staying here.” Space shattered layer by layer. Shards of fractured reality—sharper than any blade—filled the air.

“It is *you* who stays, esteemed Spatial Mage.” Six figures emerged within the crumbling void. Staves raised. A spherical barrier sealed them inside.

“Innate Domain!” Genuine shock flashed in Alreis’s eyes.

An Innate Domain was the pinnacle of an Ascendant Sovereign’s life work. That these proud, solitary Sovereigns had harmonized their Domains over a month of chase… nearly impossible.

“You’re truly set on killing me.” Her face darkened. No escape. *Could* she wield time? Maybe. But would she survive the River of Time’s backlash this time?

“No, no,” the Blessing of Life spoke gently. “Lay down resistance. Accept our restraints. We would not see a mage of your greatness vanish.”

“Exactly,” Thunder God added. “Submit. Live.”

Silence from the others. But their raised staves said everything.

“…Then prepare to depart this world with me.” A fierce battle spirit ignited within her. She fought for strength. Researched for strength. Shattered limits for strength. This end? No regrets. To face death chasing power—*this* was her path.

This battle—no regrets!

“BOOM! CRACK!” Magics of every hue collided. Earth, sky, forest, space—even time—warped under the strain. Never had so many Sovereigns, so many magics, clashed in one place.

Across the new world and the old, living beings felt the tremors. They prayed for *their* Sovereigns’ victory. No one wished for Alreis’s triumph. She had always been alone…

The final battle raged three days. And Alreis fell.

The black scythe cleaved her. Consciousness fading, she glimpsed the shadowy figure struck down by the others. *So you were alone too? Heh…*

Silence.

The Blessing of Light vanished. The shadowy figure lay dead—never truly trusted. He was no Alreis; he couldn’t survive that storm.

The Flame Master dragged his shattered, unhealable arm from the field. Thunder God stood hollowed, half his insides gone, held upright only by will. Others—water, wind, elements—all bore wounds. Even Ascendant Sovereigns couldn’t weather such chaotic mana unscathed.

Yet no one claimed Alreis’s body. The shadowy figure delivered the final blow. Then both were swallowed by the onslaught. What happened in those last moments? No one knew…