".….. Should we go?" Alreis asked, watching Wude fall into silence.

"Go!" Wude finally decided.

Just as Alreis and Wude uncovered Lingyue’s past, a message arrived from Tini and Elisa—traces of Lingyue’s recent activity had been found.

According to intelligence Tini gathered using national resources, a woman suddenly appeared in the Fire Kingdom and clashed fiercely with the nation’s Ascendant Sovereign, the Flame Master. The battlefield—a once-barren wilderness—was now a lifeless forbidden zone shrouded in flames and Darkness.

Truth be told, Lingyue’s eerie power worked best for ambushes. She was least equipped to face straightforward brawlers like the Flame Master—no tricks, just raw, overwhelming force. Alreis mentally reviewed their past encounters.

Those two had even teamed up against *her* before. Now they were fighting each other? What was Lingyue thinking? Challenging the Flame Master now made zero sense. She *knew* Alreis and Tini would come running the moment they caught her trail.

"But the Flame Master!" Wude’s eyes lit up. "He’s my idol!"

"?!?" Alreis froze. *Him?* Her instincts prickled with unease.

Sensing her confusion, Wude explained excitedly, "C’mon! The Flame Master—just raises a hand, and *whoosh*! Vivid, colorful flames bursting everywhere, insane power! And that deep bond with the Magnet Emperor? *That’s* what I call real manhood."

Wude’s admiration made sense. Flame Masters commanded fire itself—the classic protagonist power in novels and anime. Fire for the hero, ice for the rival. Every ambitious young guy had dreamed of flames dancing on his palms.

And that friendship with the Magnet Emperor? Not shipping—*real* brotherhood. That’s how Wude saw it.

So yeah, Wude idolized the Flame Master. True, this world once had two fire-wielding Ascendant Sovereigns, but the other fell to an unknown Colossal Beast. Didn’t dim Wude’s passion one bit.

"..." Alreis simmered. *Trash.* Why idolize *him*? She—the strongest being across time—stood right here, yet he fawned over some Flame Master?

"Flame Master… you’d better hope I never find you," she muttered, voice thick with resentment.

Far away in the Fire Kingdom, the Flame Master jolted awake mid-meditation, wounds still healing.

"Who’s radiating such hostility?" An Ascendant Sovereign’s senses were razor-sharp. He felt like a Colossal Beast had locked onto him. Yet his spiritual scan found nothing.

"Could it be Darkness?" He redirected his hostility toward Lingyue.

Meanwhile, deep in another corner of the Fire Kingdom, Lingyue—mid-scheme—felt a sharp pang in her chest.

"Targeting *me*?" She narrowed her eyes. *Flame Master. Playing childish games.* She shot hostility right back.

He felt it. Fury flared. He retaliated. Back and forth. Again. Again. Neither could stand it. Another clash erupted. Innocent citizens of the Fire Kingdom suffered yet another undeserved calamity.

Alreis and Wude remained blissfully unaware.

"Uh… Alreis? Why are we *here*?" Wude blinked at the endless desert. One second he’d called the Flame Master his idol; the next, Alreis grabbed his hand and teleported them here.

Alreis said nothing. She summoned her wand. Raw magical energy surged into it—wild, immense.

She never gathered power like this. When she did? Catastrophic.

"Spatial Magic: True Domain!" Ten seconds later, she unleashed it.

***BOOM!***

The roar deafened Wude—but he didn’t notice. His jaw hung slack.

Where barren sand had been, a mountain now floated midair: emerald trees, cascading streams, shimmering like a mirage. Then it descended. The vision sharpened. Space itself visibly tore—like a hidden world forcing its way into reality.

***THUD!***

Impact. A shockwave roared—but a faint, unbreakable barrier shielded them. Dust swirled, yet the mountain stood undeniable, *real*.

"Is this… *creation*?" Wude whispered, awestruck.

"Hehehe!" Alreis preened at his stunned face. "See? *This* is power. Flame Masters? Weaklings."

"??” Wude snapped out of it. *Wait.*

Was she… jealous? He wasn’t some oblivious protagonist. He *knew*—calling the Flame Master his idol had pricked her pride.

A smirk tugged his lips. Recent gloom? Time for playful payback.

He smoothed his expression into something deeply inscrutable (and utterly shameless).

"Alreis-chan~" he cooed, syrupy-sweet.

"*Ew!*" Alreis shuddered. That tone + "-chan"? Trouble. Always.

"Were you… jealous earlier?" Wude went straight for the jugular.

"Eh?!" Her smugness vanished. "W-what?! How could I—*jealous*?!"

"Hmm? *Really~?*" He grinned, devilish.

"YES! He’s a *man*! Why would I be jealous of a *man*?!" Alreis flustered like a stepped-on cat.

"…" Fair point. Flame Master *was* male. Why *would* she…?

Then it hit him. Every Ascendant Sovereign he’d met—Lingyue, Tini, Alreis—was female. When he’d said "Flame Master"… had his brain *pictured a girl*?

*No. Bad Wude. That’s a betrayal of sacred male friendship.*

"Alreis… you’ve got a point," he nodded solemnly.

"Right?! RIGHT?!" She nodded frantically.

"So… why show me this magic?" Wude tilted his head.

"Eh? Well… this… um…"