Note : Finally, this author is able to update...
Note : Err, I just want to let you know, in case you didn't already. If somehow you donate quite a lot and want a certain template to appear, I don't mind making it appear as long as I can understand its power system and it isn't too strong (well, actually it's fine even if it's too strong, since things like Ado Edem, the Herrscher of the Void and the like have already appeared...). There's a link to my Ko-fi at the end of every chapter 😉
Note : Think of it as just helping this author get some good food, lol. But please don't force yourself if you can't afford it. The Author knows that making money isn't easy either.
Note: Oh and lastly, if you come across any good fanfic templates, please give me recommendations. I've searched for several fanfic templates on this platform, but most of them are translations from Chinese... There are some original ones, but for some reason they aren't what I'm looking for. I'm not very good at English, but I can still tell which writing reads well...
Note: That doesn't mean I'm saying my own fanfic template is good, though. My story has its flaws too, since much of it tends to be long-winded 😂
Now, please enjoy this long chapter...
***
"..."
Lux opened his eyes and let out a brief sigh.
Then... his eyes narrowed.
As for where he was now—it was a colossal circular chamber whose walls were made of neither ordinary stone nor metal, but a kind of jet-black crystal that reflected the light of hundreds of glowing panels around it. The floor pulsed faintly, as if energy circuits ran beneath its surface.
On the ceiling, dozens of transparent screens floated without any support, each displaying a different symbol and emblem—royal crests, the emblems of Hunter alliances, and the insignia of organizations that even Lux himself did not recognize.
Clearly... this was no ordinary room. Even the air felt heavy, as if pressed down by dozens of presences, each of which could flatten a city if it wished.
Was he alone? Of course not.
Right beside him, Yozakura Tsubomi—fully recovered now—wore her usual gentle, warm smile, as if the pressure in the room did not touch her at all.
Not far from her, Cecilus Segmunt stood casually with his hands in his pockets, surveying the surroundings with a lazy gaze—as though he were browsing a display of cheap goods, rather than facing the greatest gathering of power in all of humanity.
About three weeks had passed since the incident...
Yet the uproar it caused had not subsided. If anything, it had grown even larger, spreading from one continent to another through rumors and contradictory official reports.
That was why the World Organization could no longer stand idly by.
They had summoned—or more precisely, compelled—Yozakura Tsubomi to appear in a place filled with existences who could not be trifled with... kings of great kingdoms, leaders of Hunter alliances, and even representatives who normally never showed themselves in person.
But it was impossible for everyone present to speak at once, so the one who stood at the very front, facing Lux and the others as their representative, was...
The man known as the strongest human alive.
𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗲.
His body was large, clad in white-and-silver attire that looked more like a work of sculpted art than combat gear.
Seeing him in person like this, even Lux had to admit... none of his templates could match this old man's raw power.
Perhaps because most of those present also understood that the Grand Marshal was no ordinary figure, no one spoke first.
Even the kings, who were usually arrogant in their own realms, now sat silently in their seats. Some were present in person, while others stood rigidly in the corners as projections of light, their faces clearly visible even though their real bodies were thousands of kilometers away.
On top of that...
"..."
Lux looked up at one of the grandest screens in the room, far larger than the rest and placed at the highest position, as if watching over the entire chamber from above.
The screen displayed only a dark, faceless silhouette, but its title shone clearly beneath it in carved golden light that felt sacred, as though the words themselves carried their own weight and pressure.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗿—another of humanity's strongest.
Yet the Emperor did not object to being represented by Grand Marshal Valerian. That alone was proof of how great the old man's reputation was—even among those standing at the peak of human power.
In that case...
"It is a great honor for this humble family to be recognized by the World Organization."
"..."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Humble family?
What kind of humble family had every member ranked S or above and had survived the rampage of the Demon Dragon Lord—a creature that had literally slaughtered a dozen Transcendents?!
Even Grand Marshal Valerian's lips twitched, but he continued all the same.
"Yozakura Tsubomi. We will not force you, since we recognize that the Yozakura Family were also victims of this incident, and that it was a failure on our part. But please answer one question for us."
Grand Marshal Valerian's gaze sharpened.
"What kind of Talent do you possess?"
The room fell silent for a moment before every eye turned to her...
Yozakura Tsubomi finally spoke, as calm as ever.
"I apologize. Although I would like to answer..." Her left eye, as beautiful as a sakura petal, seemed to smile—enough to make anyone's heart tremble. "...I am not sure I can answer that question."
Her gentle voice could usually soothe anyone. Unfortunately... this time, no one was affected.
"In that case, this will be a problem, Miss Yozakura."
Another voice followed, calm but heavy.
It belonged to an old man with a long white beard and a dark purple robe—John van Mighty, the supreme leader of the Hunter Association.
A figure who rarely appeared in public—even during the Herrscher of the Void incident—he had now willingly shown himself.
"Right now, apart from Cecilus Segmunt—who has never tried to hide his abilities from the start—almost none of the Yozakura Family's members have officially registered their Talents with the Hunter Association. And that makes us suspicious of your family's true intentions."
Hearing that, an ordinary person would have been trembling long ago...
But for Yozakura Tsubomi?
Her gentle expression did not change in the slightest.
"That is my fault. It isn't that we refuse, only that... some of the Talents we possess are not something we can simply make public."
"Hoh. That only makes us more curious, Miss Yozakura."
One of the kings spoke coldly.
"For humanity, a powerful Talent is not something to hide—it must be reported! Only then can we draw up proper plans, especially when facing Transcendents like the Demon Dragon Lord!"
"And look at the result! In less than a day, millions of lives vanished in an instant!"
Grand Marshal Valerian and Chairman John frowned.
They did not quite agree with the king's overly narrow way of thinking, but chose not to stop him because... they were curious how Yozakura Tsubomi would respond.
But—
"Hey, hey. It's not nice to shout at someone's family head, you know."
That casual voice rang out, and the entire room froze at once.
A blue-haired young man stood with his arms crossed and a relaxed expression.
But the aura he radiated was enough to make everyone shiver—especially that unpleasant grin of his.
Even Grand Marshal Valerian put on a serious face.
Just as Cecilus was about to act as he pleased, Yozakura Tsubomi's gentle voice stopped him.
"Don't continue, Cecilus. You will only make them more wary."
"Hahaha, how funny. Speaking of wary... haven't they been like that from the very start?"
Cecilus's grin grew even more terrifying, changing everyone's expressions.
Fortunately, Grand Marshal Valerian hurriedly stepped in to mediate.
"Please do not take offense at our attitude. It is only natural, considering the number of events that have spun out of control lately."
"Hahaha! See, he just admitted the attit—"
"Cecilus," Yozakura Tsubomi interrupted again.
"...Tch, how boring."
Cecilus finally put on a bored face and leaned against the wall without doing anything more.
His sudden calm made everyone—especially the king he had targeted—feel slightly relieved. Attention returned to Yozakura Tsubomi.
"I know that the Yozakura Family's existence makes you uncomfortable right now. But do not worry..."
Her smile bloomed, like that of a serene young woman.
"We promise that the Yozakura Family will not bring trouble to humanity."
"..."
"Words alone are not enough of a guarantee, Miss Yozakura," said Grand Marshal Valerian as he massaged his forehead.
In truth, it was perfectly normal for a family to keep the abilities of one or two of its members secret from the public.
But... the Yozakura Family was a different story.
If it were only Cecilus, they probably wouldn't be so worried. But this family, small in number as it was, had members of Rank S, S+, and even SS!
On top of that, they had a Darkness Spirit whose quality was on par with Takamiya Mayuri!
What kind of humble family had a being like that?!
"Besides that, there is one more thing I would like to ask."
Grand Marshal Valerian's gaze shifted, landing precisely on the white-haired, masked youth in the corner...
"Frost Assassin. What is your relationship with the Yozakura Family? Why do you..." The man paused for a moment, choosing his words. "...seem so close to her?"
"..."
Only then did everyone realize.
The one who stared hardest at the Frost Assassin was, of course, the Holy Spirit Emperor.
Faced with that question, Lux—the Frost Assassin—only raised his head and stared back.
But before he could answer, Cecilus beat him to it with a sentence that stunned everyone.
"What kind of question is that? From any angle, isn't it obvious? They're a couple. Future husband and wife."
"...Excuse me?"
Grand Marshal Valerian cried out in shock.
It wasn't just him—almost everyone present looked unable to believe it!
"F-future husband and wife?! Are you saying you intend to take an assassin as a son-in-law?!"
"Huh? What of it? Besides, we were never good people to begin with."
Cecilus chuckled in amusement as he said it.
Still, they could not believe it, so every eye turned to Yozakura Tsubomi—
—and found that the girl who usually wore a gentle smile now looked a little bashful, and even... happy.
"That's right. We are engaged," said Yozakura Tsubomi with a smile full of affection.
"..."
Everyone felt numb.
The Frost Assassin, whom they had regarded as nothing more than a nuisance all this time, had a connection to the Yozakura Family?!
Even the Holy Spirit Emperor behind the screen—who had always seen the Frost Assassin as a cockroach that was hard to kill—was left speechless...
Grand Marshal Valerian's headache grew worse.
Yozakura Tsubomi's Talent was already one problem, and now she had chosen the Frost Assassin as her partner?
He quietly wondered whether this Yozakura family head had some warped fetish, to choose the Frost Assassin as her mate...
But continuing this topic would only make his hair fall out faster, so...
He sighed, and his voice turned heavy again.
"Back to the original subject... Words alone are not a sufficient guarantee of your intentions. We need more than that."
"Please... state your conditions."
"I won't waste time, Miss Tsubomi." Grand Marshal Valerian turned serious again. "By all rights, you should have died a thousand years ago. Yet here you are, looking healthy, without any sign of aging—setting aside the sakura branch on the right side of your body—so answer us... Is your longevity connected to your Talent?"
"..."
Yozakura Tsubomi looked straight at him.
Her gentle smile did not change as she gave a short answer.
"...Yes."
"..."
Silence.
The atmosphere seemed to freeze for a moment.
Then—
𝙏𝙃𝙐𝘿!
Everyone's hearts pounded harder than before.
Grand Marshal Valerian's eyes widened, and then... he laughed bitterly.
"I see. Very well. We understand."
Even as he said so, he knew full well... the Yozakura Family had just drawn more attention than ever before.
Immortality. To humans, that was an extremely tempting prospect—to anyone, himself included.
The old man took a deep breath before continuing.
"For now, the Yozakura Family may continue its activities as usual. However, due to the Master Swordsman City incident, all of its members must be officially registered with the Hunter Association."
"..."
Yozakura Tsubomi did not answer right away.
The petite girl looked at the Frost Assassin for a moment, as if making sure of something.
Through eye contact alone, the two seemed to understand each other... a rather strange and baffling sight for those who witnessed it.
But Yozakura Tsubomi seemed to have received her answer, because she replied immediately.
"Very well... I agree to that arrangement."
Some people looked relieved to hear it.
In truth, they no longer cared about Tsubomi's own Talent—what they were after was the Talents of the other Yozakura members, which were still a mystery.
What's more, they had received reports that the mass attack on Master Swordsman City had been triggered by a rumor that one of the Yozakura members possessed flesh that could grant immortality to anyone who ate it.
So once Tsubomi registered her entire family, all of their Talents would be exposed and would no longer be secrets.
"Now, this is our final request."
"My, you're bold." Cecilus narrowed his eyes.
"Do you think you have the authority to give us orders? Hey, how about I teach you a little lesson, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀?"
"..."
Behind the screens, several people narrowed their eyes at Cecilus's insolence, but still held themselves back. Only a small few could not contain their anger.
"Who do you think you are? You're only Rank SSS!"
"Oh, so you admit I'm Rank SSS? Looks like your eyes aren't blind after all."
"DAMN YOU! Don't push your luck, Cecilus Segmunt!"
"If you're that angry, why not come right up in front of me instead of hiding behind screens like cowards? That is, if you dare." Cecilus laughed.
"YOU—!"
"..."
The quarrel did not alter Grand Marshal Valerian's expression in the slightest.
Instead, he turned back to the Frost Assassin with a serious look.
"Frost Assassin... Setting aside your relationship with the Yozakura Family, there is one thing that has always made us wonder..."
Suddenly, a terrifying pressure radiated from Grand Marshal Valerian's body.
"The Unknown Spirit Rank SSS case—Takamiya Mayuri, the Cthulhu Island incident, your knowledge of beings called Herrschers, and most recently, your appearance in the ruins of Master Swordsman City..."
𝘾𝙍𝘼𝘾𝙆!
The entire room shook. Parts of it that should have been impossible to scratch, even with a Rank SS attack, began to crack under the tremendous pressure from Grand Marshal Valerian's body.
"Even a fool would know that something is wrong with you. So tell me, Frost Assassin."
The old man's gaze was as terrifying as a monster from hell.
"𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲?"
"..."
Witnessing this, no one dared speak.
Without exception, they were all waiting to see how the Frost Assassin would react.
They might often quarrel over ego or their own interests, but they were not stupid.
Every major event lately that had been able to shake the world had dragged in the name "Frost Assassin".
Just look at now—he was even connected to the Yozakura Family. However dull they might be, there was clearly something suspicious about this figure...
Moreover, among everyone present, he alone knew information they had never heard before.
𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿.
Even though time had passed... they could not possibly forget an entity with the potential to annihilate human civilization.
Not to mention the report that the Herrscher of the Void had been able to wipe out the True Cthulhu—Rank Unknown—even when not in peak condition.
And on top of that, there was another figure who could kill a Rank Unknown with a single punch!
If it was true that some of this year's events had been caused by the Frost Assassin himself, then...
—even with the Yozakura Family and Cecilus standing as his protectors, they would not hesitate to try to eliminate him as a threat.
"..."
Faced with all this pressure, Lux's expression barely changed.
But he knew... a single wrong answer would be enough to make every Transcendent being hunt him down—let alone mere humans.
Even now, he could feel it.
Thousands of Hunters—including Rank SSS—waited outside the room, ready to move the moment Grand Marshal Valerian gave the signal.
At the heart of humanity's greatest power—the World Organization—even Cecilus would not be able to escape easily.
Lux glanced around without changing his expression.
Honestly... he had expected this to happen.
It would have been strange if the World Organization hadn't suspected him after all this...
If this had happened earlier, he might have needed to prepare various backup plans. But after obtaining certain templates... all of this had become far easier.
Lux lifted his face.
For the first time, he decided to speak openly in public.
"It's only natural that you suspect me. So I will answer..." The sapphire-blue eye on his right side flashed.
"None of it was coincidence. I deliberately appeared because someone asked for my help."
"Asked for help?"
Everyone looked confused.
Grand Marshal Valerian frowned, skeptical.
It was ridiculous for anyone to ask an assassin for help—let alone the Frost Assassin—but to the point that he would obediently follow someone's orders...
"Who is this person?"
And to that question... Lux did not waste time.
"𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺."
"𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗥𝘂𝗸𝗸𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗮."
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹!]
[𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱: 『𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺, 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘂』]
[𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲: 『𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗥𝘂𝗸𝗸𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗮』 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀]
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹!]
[𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱: 『𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 - 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽』]
[𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲: ???]
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹!]
[𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱:『𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻』]
[𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀: 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗺𝗶𝘆𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝘂𝗿𝗶, 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀]
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀]
***
It hurts... It hurts so much...
Why did it feel so agonizing?...
That creature—or more precisely, that child—curled up in pain...
What happened? He didn't know.
Or perhaps, he simply didn't want to remember.
At that time...
Yes...
He had been attacked.
Something terrifying had attacked him.
Like a sword—a sword that stretched on endlessly, slashing at his body without mercy.
Who was it?
He didn't know.
Or rather, he chose not to know.
Right now, he wanted only one thing.
...Mother.
The word drifted into his head all on its own. He didn't even know its meaning or significance.
But he knew one thing—only the one called "Mother" could ease his pain.
But why wasn't Mother coming?
Why wasn't Mother holding him?
...
...
...
"Ara ~ Who would have thought it would turn out like this. What an unexpected surprise ~"
That playful voice entered his hearing.
But the moment he heard it... his body began to tremble violently.
That voice... seemed to resonate directly with his soul.
There was no mistaking it—
It was Mother's voice.
He wanted to open his eyes, but his body was frozen, as if something were choking his neck.
"Fufu~" The owner of the voice laughed softly, sounding delighted. "What a magnificent test subject~ If my body were human, I might have been killed by you~"
...Huh? Killed?
He panicked instantly.
No, no, NO!
He didn't want to kill Mother! Mother must not die! Mother must not vanish!
He nearly went mad trying to hold back his own power.
And fortunately... his effort succeeded in drawing his Mother's attention.
"Ara?"
The owner of the voice blinked in surprise. Then—
Warmth filled his body.
With a trembling, weakened body, he forced his eyes open—and met a pair of golden eyes that looked as though they had just discovered something interesting.
Those golden eyes reflected the face of a child covered in blood and wounds. White hair. Blood-red pupils, though still dominated by gold.
Looking closely... the young girl's face and the child's face were about 70% alike.
"M-Mother..." His voice was hoarse and faint.
"..."
The girl was startled for a moment, then laughed softly—though there was something inhuman in that laughter.
"So you think of me as your Mother? What a strange feeling ~ Is this what a mother feels toward her child?"
𝗡𝗢.
For the Sirens—beings who always observed every phenomenon from the outside without ever truly getting involved—feelings and emotions were supposed to be irrelevant. They were merely data, not something one needed to feel.
Then what was she feeling right now?
𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗲.
Not worldly desire like that of humans. Rather, a pure desire—between a mad scientist and her dying lab rat.
"Fufu ~ Since technically you can be considered 'my child', there's no problem if I give you a name, right?"
As for the name—
"How about 'Light'? Rather than bringing madness, why not bring light to this fragile world?"
The girl—Observer α—said it in a cheerful tone.
The child—Light—did not understand what she meant. All he cared about was... the calm he felt when hearing his Mother's happy laughter. If his mother said so, then it was fine as long as his mother was happy...
Unfortunately, he did not know... that the light Observer α meant was not the light of peace, but a light that would one day bring destruction upon himself...
***
𝗘𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀.
In general, the Elves are a race that always looks beautiful. Neat, flawless faces, and slender bodies even after hundreds of years of age.
Blond hair and green eyes are how most of them look. Their lifespans are also far longer than humans'. An ordinary Elf can live three to four centuries, or even longer with luck.
Because of this, many humans regard Elves as symbols of stability and wisdom, although the reality is not always so.
Most of them also have Talents centered on plant magic—the ability to grow a forest overnight, heal ruined land, or communicate with nature spirits that are usually invisible to other races.
Others inherit nearly unmatched archery skills, the result of training passed down through generations since childhood.
The Elf race itself is divided into three main branches.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗘𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀, who live in groups in vast forests and rely on harmony with nature.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗘𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀, descendants who were driven from the surface centuries ago and now dwell underground, with darker skin and magic that leans toward shadows.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗳-𝗘𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀, a mixed lineage with humans, often looked down upon by both parent races.
There is one more—the 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗘𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀, the highest tier of this race, believed to carry the blood closest to the first ancestor of the Elves.
For that reason, it is only natural that every Elf kingdom is led by a High Elf. In the eyes of other Elves, their status is regarded as nearly equal to that of holy nobility.
So does that mean all Elves live in peace with one another? Not necessarily.
Just like humans, they also have problems of ego and self-interest.
Every Elf kingdom has its own territory, resources, and ancient ruins left behind by their ancestors, which they guard fiercely, and small wars often break out over nothing more than a forest border dispute or a claim on a single sacred spring.
That rivalry is usually neatly hidden behind the formal politeness typical of the Elves, but it can explode at any moment if something profitable enough is at stake.
Which is why they were all shocked...
From out of nowhere, they suddenly felt their entire territories filled with life energy!
When the Elves investigated the source, they discovered that an ancient ruin they had long ignored was actually still operating!
Because of this, each Elf kingdom hurriedly sent representatives, quietly racing one another to be the first to claim whatever was stored inside.
But during the investigation, they had the misfortune of being attacked by humans! And just from looking at their appearance, the Elves knew right away... they were slave traders.
"Damn it! Those despicable humans! If it weren't for those cursed Rank S powers, we'd have killed them all!"
An Elf with a bow and several arrows said angrily. The other Elves wore grim expressions as well.
They hadn't expected that the force trying to kidnap them would include three Rank S Hunters. As a result, most of the male Elves who fought back were killed, while the female Elves were abducted to be sold as merchandise!
Now only five of them remained!
"What should we do now, Princess?"
A female Elf asked anxiously.
Everyone immediately turned to one other Elf—the most beautiful among them.
Greenish-blond hair, and an appearance more captivating and graceful than the others.
And given that they called her "Princess"—she was Sylara van Thalorien, heir to the throne of the Tharorien Elf Kingdom.
Why was someone so important present in this place?
Earlier, her kingdom had received word from the court mage that there was likely a Transcendent in these ruins who could help them.
At present, the Tharorien Kingdom desperately needed a Transcendent as a protector. If they succeeded, the other kingdoms that already had similar protectors would not dare to start a war with them recklessly.
So, to show respect to the Transcendent and forge an agreement with it, Sylara had been sent in person.
But who would have thought... instead of meeting Elves from other kingdoms, they ran into slave traders!
Even worse, it was an extremely powerful slave trading group called Chainbinder!
Even Sylara knew that once she fell into their hands—given her status—her fate would be no better than that of a slave to satisfy their desires.
But faced with the present deadlock, she did not know what to do either.
For the sake of the territory's security, the kingdom couldn't afford to send many guards with Sylara. So retreating was also impossible.
Thus, only one path remained—
"We will enter those ruins."
"P-Princess?!"
Everyone was shocked to hear her suggestion.
They were curious about this mysterious ruin that had suddenly activated, but that didn't mean they wanted to go inside it! What if the ruins contained dangerous Magical Beasts?
Sylara understood their concern.
But at a time like this, it was the only thing she could think of!
And—
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙈!
"CATCH THEM! Don't let them escape!"
The sound of an explosion rang out, accompanied by a man's shout. It seemed that in order to chase after Sylara, the slave traders didn't hesitate to use brutal methods.
Feeling the pressure that only a Rank S could emit, everyone shuddered.
"There's no time left, we can only gamble this once."
Sylara steeled herself and touched the wall of the ruins.
Helpless, the others had no choice but to follow Sylara—but the moment they tried to enter, the barrier covering the ruins rejected every one of them!
Their expressions changed instantly. Even Sylara could hardly believe it.
The ruins' barrier was rejecting them?!
How could this be? They were Elves, weren't these ruins supposed to allow Elves in?!
Unfortunately... they were too naive.
Not everything within the Elves' territory was automatically accessible to the Elves themselves.
And so—
They were too late.
"At last, we've found you."
Hearing that voice, Sylara's face turned pale. The Elf princess immediately cried out—
"Take cove—"
𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃! 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈!
A devastating mana slash cut through everything around them except the ruins' wall!
But Sylara and the other Elves were hit squarely despite trying to dodge! They were blasted away in miserable condition, and some even screamed as blood gushed from their slashed arms!
"ARGH! MY ARM! MY ARM!"
"PRINCESS! HELP US!"
"..."
All those screams made Sylara even paler.
She wanted to stand, but her body was limp.
Weakly, she looked at the human force that had caught up with her.
Their leader was a bald man in an expensive suit with a T-shirt underneath. He smoked as he gripped a sword whose blade curved like a sickle.
Around him was the rest of his force, equipped with modern military gear—though a few wore armor.
The bald man walked closer with a lazy expression.
"Not trying to run anymore, Princess?"
"..."
"No power to fight back? Well, no matter. In the end, you'll all become slaves."
"T-the kingdom will not let you ge—ARGGG!"
The male Elf who tried to issue a threat screamed in pain as the bald man's sword sliced off his pointed ear.
"You're really noisy, you know that? And threats? Heh, with your kingdom's strength right now, what could you possibly do to Chainbinder? Even the other kingdoms wouldn't deign to help you."
The bald man grinned at Sylara.
"What do you think, Princess? You agree, don't you?"
"..."
Sylara said nothing, but the Elf girl bit her lip hard.
The bald man was getting bored. He was about to end everything, but one of his subordinates suddenly shouted.
"B-Boss! Look at the ruins!"
"Huh? What is it no—"
His words broke off in bewilderment.
He had attacked earlier, so why wasn't there a single scratch on those ruins? And why were the ruins glowing a bright green?!
Everyone panicked, especially as the green light from the ruins grew brighter still!
"Damn it, all of you, fall back—!"
They obeyed the order, but they were a moment too late, because the green light had already engulfed them all! And the light did not stop there. It kept spreading until it could be seen by the entire Elf kingdom!
...
...
...
"Oh, so this is what they call elves in this world? Hehe, how funny. But hey, why are you hurt like this? Damn, what a hassle."
'Who...?'
Sylara tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt heavy...
The voice was clearly a girl's, but it sounded a little tomboyish.
The girl seemed to notice that Sylara had regained consciousness, so she hurriedly said:
"Hey, you're awake, right? Aah, don't pass out yet! I've got lots of questions here!"
"..."
Truly, her voice was rather annoying, but at the same time... Sylara somehow felt very relieved.
She forced her eyes open in the final moments.
—And her decision was not wrong.
In an instant, a human girl who resembled a witch—big hat, black-and-white outfit—with blond hair and brown eyes, almost golden, came toward her with a hurried expression.
That was what she saw before her consciousness faded completely.
'Haah, what a clumsy-looking human...'
Even as she thought that... Sylara smiled faintly.
***
𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲.
To mortals, time is merely a dimension that marks how long an event lasts—from the past, to the present, to the future. Something that flows in one direction, cannot be touched, and can only be lived through.
But to the few entities who stand beyond the bounds of ordinary existence, time is not merely a flow. It is a giant canvas—layered, branching into countless threads, full of possibilities that overlap yet never truly touch...
For this reason, history should not be disturbed, except by beings who have drawn the attention of Fate.
But just now... history had "changed".
Not by a being of fate, not by a Transcendent, not even by a Rank Unknown.
Then by whom?
The 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴.
???
Question marks appeared.
𝗡𝗼𝗻𝗲.
Literally, not a single inferior being had violated the rules of "time".
So who was it?
𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲—more precisely, the 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿—tried to search for more information.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿 was not merely a passive watcher. It was a kind of consciousness scattered along every timeline, able to witness the birth and death of a civilization in an instant, able to read millions of possible futures with just a "glance".
The past, the present, the future, alternate timelines, even several parallel worlds including the possibility of a "terrifying" dungeon break—the 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿 tried to find the culprit who had dared to play with history.
But... it was empty.
The 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿 felt something it had never felt before.
𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗱.
How could this happen?
Could history be changed without anyone's will behind it?
...
...
...
No.
History could not change unless someone intervened.
But this was the confusing part—how could anyone hide from the sight of time?
Hiding from space or dimensions might be possible for certain beings, but hiding from time itself... was impossible. It would be equivalent to never having existed.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿 tried searching once more, but the final result was still nothing.
If finding the culprit directly was impossible, then... 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿 would use a second method.
At that moment, every timeline seemed to be watched at once, rather than being combed through one by one.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿'𝘀 "eyes" pierced through layer after layer of reality, searching among the billions of possibilities scattered across all existence for figures who might be the culprit.
And from the various possibilities in each timeline, figures began to appear before it one by one—each carrying an aura enough to shake the course of history if left free...
𝘈 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺, 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳, 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘰, 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘬𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸...
𝘈 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦-𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦-𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺...
𝘈 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯-𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳, 𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦-𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥...
𝘈 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧...
𝘈 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭...
𝘈 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦...
𝘈 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦...
𝘈 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺...
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘜𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦...
But besides them, there were also a few figures beloved by "Fate"—
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘯-𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘣𝘶𝘴-𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬...
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 "𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵" 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴...
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 "𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵" 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺...
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘦...
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 "𝘈𝘬𝘢𝘵𝘴𝘶𝘬𝘪"...
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 "𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭" 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘴...
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, "𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘈?!"...
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺...
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯...
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴...
These beings blessed by fate were truly baffling, and their sheer number was so excessive that the 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿 wondered what exactly "𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗲" was trying to do...
Moreover, some of them had abilities that were not even known, due to the protection of "𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗲"...
But in the end... out of everyone, only one name stood out.
𝗟𝘂𝘅 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘁.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿'𝘀 gaze turned cold.
Unlike the 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱, it would not hesitate—
It was at that moment that it stopped.
—Because it felt a gaze looking back.
How could this be?
In the distant future, the figure named the Herrscher of the Void—the entity said to be capable of annihilating human civilization—had a form that was now blurred and indistinct, no longer clear.
—And that figure was "𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴" at it.
A young girl.
Not white hair. Not the elegant white suit with black gloves and black boots as usual.
Rather, a girl in light purple.
Long lavender-purple hair that faded lighter toward the tips, flowing dramatically as if blown by the wind.
A white crop top paired with dark purple accents shaped like crossed petals on the chest, with sharp gold-plated shoulders resembling fangs.
Wings—or bat-like cloth—in dark purple with pink-red stripes, spread wide on both sides of her body like a cloak.
But the most chilling thing—was her eyes.
A bright orange-yellow, with small geometric patterns in the pupils—full of something far from human.
???
At that moment, the name "Herrscher of the Void" slowly shifted into another inscription—
S̸̢̛͖̯̲̮̃̈́͐̚i̴̢̧̜̞̯̋̈́͒̾̌r̶̨̛̺͇̈́̊̍͝i̶̹̒̏͘n̷̢̩̠̈́̏̕ ̶̛̬̗̈́͐H̵̭̊̈́̎̕e̸̛̲̗̐͊͝r̶̡̛͔̈́̇̕r̴̢̢̈́̈́͝s̸̛̭̈́͘c̶̢̈́̔ḧ̵̛̠́̃e̶̛̮̍̕r̶̢̈́̎ ̷̛̮̈́͝ő̷̤͘f̶̧̈́̚ ̶̡̈́̋t̷̛̟̍ḧ̷̡́̆ë̴̮ ̷̢̈́V̸̛̮̍o̷̢̎̈́i̶̹̒̎d̶̢̈́̈́ ̶̛̟̍–̷̢̈́ ̸̛̟̍Ä̷̢́̈́s̶̛̮̍c̷̢̈́̎ë̸̮n̶̢̈́̕d̷̛̟̍
Even though she was in a different timeline, the girl seemed able to feel 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿'𝘀 gaze...
—She immediately smiled.
Not an ordinary smile of joy or anything like it, but a smile that made anyone's soul shudder and turn pale.
𝗔 𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.
Could it be—
Before it could think anything further, the glimpse of the future seemed to be shut off by a dark curtain.
However—
𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗥.
An immeasurable threat, on par with a Rank Unknown that even Fate could not predict.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿 felt an unimaginable threat from that girl.
Without a second thought—just as the Will of the World could send out its own troops, the Time Observer could do the same.
The difference was that while the 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 could only seek its members in the present, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿 had the authority to recruit anyone—whether from the past, the present, the future, or even alternate versions of a person whose timeline had been destroyed.
Their powers were also very different. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 could only forcibly command those at the Rank SS level to counter beings that threatened the "World".
Bu𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗿 could command Rank SSS or even Transcendent beings to wipe out anyone who dared play with time.
The title of the guardians of time was—
𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝘀 𝗩𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱.