"You…!"
The King of the Star Kingdom turned his head in disbelief, staring at the Witch of the Night standing behind him.
He could not understand it.
He had spent years scheming, exhausting every resource and every scrap of forbidden knowledge just to revive her. Why, after all that, had it still ended in betrayal?
But the moment he saw the witch's strange smile—the way her golden eyes shimmered with an eerie light—the tension inside him abruptly melted away.
In fact, a grin of exhilaration spread across his own face as well.
Almost as if he, too, had fallen into madness.
The betrayer witch had always followed her own truth. From beginning to end. Even death had not changed that.
The scene made Kurose Akira's expression grow complicated.
For a fleeting moment, he even began to suspect something absurd—
That the death of the Witch of the Night had been planned by the witch herself.
As for why…
For witches like these, reason was unnecessary. These lunatics pursued only the truth within their hearts, nothing more.
"Hehehehe~"
Just as the crowd fell into stunned silence, the Witch of the Night suddenly erupted into a fit of unhinged laughter.
Then, chains woven from dense black mist shot out from her fingertips, wrapping around the gravely wounded King of the Star Kingdom.
With a casual motion, she summoned a surge of dark fog that shattered the roof of the royal bedchamber, sending debris flying as the structure collapsed.
Dragging the king behind her like a prisoner, she floated upward into the night sky.
The magical barrier array the king had constructed instantly shattered.
And outside—
The knights standing guard finally witnessed the shocking spectacle above them.
"That's… the Witch of the Night!"
"How is that possible?! Wasn't she executed years ago?!"
"She's dragging… our king?!"
"You bastard! Release His Majesty!"
"You shameless witch! I—I'll fight you myself!"
"..."
The Enforcement Knights turned pale as sheets, terror washing over their faces.
In their wildest dreams, they had never imagined that the witch who had been publicly hanged several years ago was still alive.
But the Witch of the Night paid them no attention.
Her gaze was fixed on a distant pillar of starlight descending from the heavens, and a cold, eerie smile curled across her lips.
Slowly, she spread her arms and began chanting a low incantation.
At that very instant—
A massive magic circle appeared behind her, so enormous that it occupied half the sky.
From within the array seeped inky-black magical power, spreading outward like a curtain of night.
The stars above began to vanish, one by one, swallowed by darkness.
"What's happening?"
"Why did clouds suddenly appear?"
"..."
At that moment, the attention of everyone in the plaza was focused on the clash between Prince Thales and the Star Knight, Aremos.
None of them noticed the silent upheaval unfolding within the palace.
Not until the brilliant starry sky was suddenly devoured by pitch-black storm clouds.
Only then did people begin to realize something was wrong.
"This is…"
"The power of the Witch of the Night?"
Prince Thales and Aremos immediately sensed the abnormality.
Their eyes shot toward the distant figure hovering in the sky.
Both men's expressions darkened instantly.
Neither of them could believe that the Witch of the Night had reappeared on this very day.
"Mother…?"
At that same moment, Vivian, who was in the middle of receiving the Baptism of the Stars, suddenly sensed the familiar aura of the Witch of the Night.
But when she looked up and saw the witch dragging the King of the Star Kingdom through the air with black chains—
Her face went pale.
Her entire emotional state teetered on the brink of collapse.
Vivian couldn't understand.
What exactly was happening?
Why had her **mother—who was supposed to be dead—**suddenly appeared before her?
And even more incomprehensible—
Why was she trying to kill Father?
Just as Vivian struggled to process the chaos, Prince Thales spoke coldly.
"Vivian… are you still unwilling to face the truth?"
"You are not of royal blood."
"You are nothing more than a monster created by a witch."
"I…"
His words were like a sword.
They pierced straight through the fragile defenses of Vivian's heart.
She had heard the whispers before.
Servants and nobles alike had questioned her lineage in hushed voices, claiming she was not truly part of the royal family.
But the King of the Star Kingdom had always told her firmly—
That she was the future heir of the Star Kingdom.
His most beloved child.
So she had chosen to believe him.
She ignored the rumors.
Ignored the doubt.
But today—
Her faith shattered completely.
The rumors had been true all along.
"No… no… NO!"
Vivian finally broke down.
She clutched her ears with both hands, shaking her head violently as if she could block out reality itself.
And as her mental state collapsed—
The trajectory of the Star Baptism began to change.
The dazzling starlight that had originally descended upon her began to darken, as though infected by the spreading night.
At that moment, Vivian's Dominating Demon Eye burst into a brilliant golden glow, greedily devouring the star power that had been tainted by darkness.
At the same time—
Kurose Akira's Counter Demon Eye reacted violently.
Through the resonance between their powers, Akira could even hear the Witch of the Night whispering into Vivian's ear.
That voice…
Low.
Seductive.
Hypnotic.
It echoed like a spell inside Akira's mind.
"You are the child I created."
"Come… inherit the truth of the night."
"Let the world be engulfed in eternal darkness."
"My child… night will inevitably swallow the stars."
"..."
When Akira finally understood the Witch of the Night's true intentions, his understanding of witches deepened considerably.
They were—
Completely insane.
No wonder the entire world had united against them.
These lunatics were literally trying to destroy the world in pursuit of their so-called truth.
"AHH!"
Just as the witch finished speaking, Vivian suddenly screamed.
A dense black mist erupted around her body.
It spread rapidly in all directions, swallowing the royal palace within moments.
Within that fog lurked monsters born of the night.
Grotesque shadows lunged from the darkness, claws and fangs tearing toward everyone present.
"What the hell is happening?!"
"Damn it! It's the Witch of the Night! Princess Vivian is her successor!"
"Run! The Star Kingdom is finished!"
"AHHH! Someone help me!"
"..."
The entire scene plunged into chaos.
Fear and panic erupted everywhere.
Seeing this, Prince Thales immediately realized there was no longer any reason to stay.
He turned to Star Knight Aremos and said in a low voice,
"This is the result of your choice."
"Once you become entangled with a witch's karma… the Star Kingdom will pay a terrible price."
After saying that, Prince Thales immediately left the palace with his forces.
Aremos remained where he stood.
His gaze pierced through the layers of black mist and settled on Princess Vivian.
His face was as dark as still water.
The hand gripping his sword trembled faintly.
After thinking it over again and again—
He finally made a decision.
He would kill Vivian to protect the Star Kingdom.
However—
Just as he was about to move, his eyes widened in shock.
His body… would not obey him.
"The Dominating Demon Eye!"
Aremos frowned deeply.
He had never imagined that even he could be affected by that power.
With the amplification of the power of the stars, Vivian's Dominating Demon Eye had already reached a level capable of threatening even a demigod.
And it wasn't just him.
The Enforcement Knights who had once sworn loyalty to Princess Vivian were also now under the control of the Dominating Demon Eye.
They formed a defensive line, blocking anyone who attempted to interrupt Vivian's Star Ritual.
"Well… this is troublesome~"
Seeing this unfold, Winnieshan let out a helpless laugh and turned her gaze toward Lucia.
Clearly, the situation in the Star Kingdom had spiraled far beyond their control.
Now the decision had to be made by the Pope herself.
Lucia's expression was equally grave.
She hesitated.
Unable to decide immediately.
Perhaps the safest course of action would be to withdraw from the capital now, then send the armies of the Sun Holy Empire to suppress the night-born monsters afterward.
But…
Lucia's eyes shifted toward Kurose Akira.
Compared to her own judgment, she now found herself more curious about his thoughts.
Meanwhile, Akira's gaze remained fixed on Princess Vivian in the distance.
If he wanted to stop all of this—
He would have to interrupt the Star Ritual.
"It's your turn."
At that moment, Idis walked up beside him with a faint smile.
"Although a few unexpected incidents occurred along the way… the final outcome will not change."
She looked directly at him.
"You will go and deal with Princess Vivian."
Akira turned toward her, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
"Just how confident are you in me?"
From the very beginning of the plan, Idis had treated him as the trump card against Vivian.
Her trust in him had been astonishingly high.
Facing his question—
Idis answered without the slightest hesitation.
"One hundred percent."