Far from the mainland, deep within the Rhynd Sea near the Far North, lay a peculiar region.
To all lesser creatures, it was an unreachable forbidden land.
Any bird that entered the area would be swallowed by the violent conditions above and the purple lightning permeating the sky. Fish in the sea would be torn apart by the spiraling countercurrents surrounding it.
Although it appeared to be land, it was not actually an island. For some unknown reason, the seawater had been forced away in every direction, exposing a raised section of the seabed.
The phenomenon resembled the enormous tornado that appeared in the Dolor Desert once every thirty years, spanning several kilometers in diameter and reaching an immeasurable height.
Here, the seawater was similarly repelled by some strange force. It was as though an invisible wall held the ocean at bay, causing the currents within several kilometers to spin rapidly like a whirlpool.
Above the region, thunderclouds that never dispersed blanketed the sky, periodically releasing deafening rumbles.
By the time Albedo finished handling her affairs and followed the coordinates to the designated location, half an hour had already passed.
Compared to Wild Magic, which could perform world-scale teleportation using memories as coordinates and souls as fuel, teleportation through Tier Magic was far more restricted.
Not only did it have a maximum range, but each activation also required a delay before it could be cast again.
Furthermore, the teleportation magic Albedo possessed was not particularly high-tier. Even though she had traveled as quickly as possible, she had still arrived late.
Her golden pupils narrowed into vertical slits as her jet-black angelic wings beat behind her.
Albedo surveyed her surroundings, a trace of vigilance flashing through her eyes.
Her gaze fell upon the vast stretch of exposed seabed below. Countless weathered bones covered it like a carpet, releasing a nauseating stench.
At the center of that sea of bones, an invisible barrier stood out conspicuously.
It gave off a faint glow, as though separating the entire space from the outside world.
"The World-Isolating Barrier..."
"It seems Sephis has already begun fighting."
Albedo murmured softly.
Among the members of the Supreme One Search Team, Sephis, who had previously succeeded in transforming into a dragon, was currently the only one capable of using Wild Magic.
Although Cocytus had made some progress and completed preliminary experiments in applying Runes and Origin magic to equipment, the method had not yet been implemented on a large scale. It was still at the stage of accumulating experience.
After all, to the members of Nazarick, their equipment was a gift from their Creators. It had to be treated with the utmost care, without the slightest negligence.
Albedo took a deep breath and composed herself, preparing for the battle ahead.
At that moment, as though sensing her arrival, the enormous barrier below slowly opened a gap.
Immediately afterward, a Dragonoid shrouded in black mist rose from the opening.
"Naohara-sama! No, wait... You're Pandora's Actor!"
Albedo stared at the figure, her heart tightening as an involuntary cry escaped her lips.
She instinctively began to kneel in greeting, but suddenly realized something and forcibly stopped herself.
The "Naohara-sama" before her could not possibly be the real one.
As an NPC created by the Guild, she could not sense the unique presence she felt when standing before a genuine Supreme One.
"My, my. To think you saw through me so quickly~ What a shame."
The figure, identical in appearance to Naohara, tilted his head slightly, regret showing on his face.
As he moved, his body began to twist and distort.
A moment later, the false Naohara was gone, replaced by another heteromorphic being.
His face was almost completely flat, with every protruding feature, including his nose, smoothed away. Where his eyes and mouth should have been were only three hollow openings. There were no eyeballs, teeth, or tongue, only three black holes that looked as though a child had filled them in with a pen.
His head resembled a smooth pink egg, without so much as a single hair.
This bizarre figure was none other than Pandora's Actor, a Doppelganger.
"Do you have nothing better to do, Pandora's Actor?"
A faint trace of displeasure appeared in Albedo's eyes.
How could he still be in the mood to joke around at such a tense moment? She truly could not understand what he was thinking.
"Ahaha, my apologies. I simply hadn't had time to change back yet. After all, in this form, I just carried out a perfect backstab!"
"And when it comes to combat, Naohara-sama's power is exceptionally well suited to the task."
Pandora's Actor struck an exaggerated pose, as though emphasizing how justified his decision had been.
His attitude made Albedo frown, but she said nothing further.
She and Pandora's Actor held equal positions. Neither had direct authority over the other.
At that moment, her attention had already been completely drawn to the information contained in his words.
"You transformed into Naohara-sama and launched a surprise attack?"
"Why didn't you wait for me before taking action?"
"And which Supreme One is it? Are Rubedo and the others down there as well?"
Albedo could understand Pandora's Actor acting on his own. The sooner they resolved this, the better. Delaying too long would only increase the risk of something unexpected happening.
Yet for some reason, she could not shake a strange feeling that something was wrong.
It made her increasingly agitated.
The more agitated she became, the harder it was to think rationally or properly assess the situation before her.
"Wasn't it you who said there was no turning back? So I chose to strike first."
"Surprisingly, our opponent was even more cautious than expected. Despite being caught off guard, he managed to avoid a fatal wound. Even now, he continues stubbornly clinging to life with that battered body."
Pandora's Actor laughed without any change in expression, then continued under Albedo's watchful gaze.
"As for Rubedo and the others, I didn't notify them. The identity of this Supreme One could cause a series of complications."
"That is why only the three of us are participating in this [search]."
What did he mean?
What kind of complications could this cause?
She had personally selected every member of the Supreme One Search Team. There should have been no possibility of anything going wrong...
And a Supreme One whose identity could even cause a problem for Rubedo...
"Say, Albedo. You said that for Momonga-sama's sake, you wanted to prevent every other Supreme One from returning to Nazarick, didn't you~?"
Pandora's Actor's voice interrupted Albedo's thoughts, but the unease in her heart only intensified.
"That's right. Is there a problem?"
Albedo restrained her emotions and answered as calmly as she could.
Even so, her gaze repeatedly drifted toward the barrier below, as though she wanted to see through it.
"Of course not. In fact, I greatly admire you. So, in recognition of that resolve, please show it to us~"
"Use your great axe and personally... sever the head of this traitorous Supreme One!"
Pandora's Actor's words mingled with the roaring thunder.
As his final words fell, the barrier below released a deafening boom before shattering completely.
A tremendous force surged from the broken barrier, whipping up a violent storm.
A Dragonoid surrounded by lightning hovered in the air. The endless arcs of electricity around him seemed to resonate with the lightning in the sky. The thunder, already deafening, grew even louder as countless bolts crashed down from above.
The lightning's burning property transformed it into raging flames, setting the sea ablaze and scorching everything nearby.
Below them, a figure appeared with his chest pierced by countless spears of lightning.
He possessed a bizarre appearance.
Though his body was humanoid, his head resembled a twisted octopus. More than half of the right side of his head was covered in crooked tattoos resembling the characters that had appeared upon the door.
His skin was corpse-like, pale with traces of purple. It seemed coated in mucus and gave off an eerie sheen. Webbing stretched between the four slender fingers of each hand.
He wore a close-fitting outfit with a leathery luster, decorated with silver ornaments that had been treated until they appeared black.
Several straps hung from it as though meant to be fastened around his body, while a black cloak closed across the front.
Only three of the tentacles extending from the sides of his mouth down toward his thighs remained. They writhed weakly as his cloudy blue-white eyes, devoid of pupils, turned to the side.
His body trembled faintly. Blood continued pouring from his wounds as a hoarse voice emerged from his mouth.
"Al... bedo..."
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