"It’s over for Aetherion..."

The moment Vanitas Astrea crowned himself Emperor, everyone throughout the Empire understood the same horrifying truth.

This was the end.

While some people had long suspected that Franz Barielle Aetherion had been growing far too close to Vanitas, most had dismissed those concerns as little more than exaggerated political paranoia.

The Emperor had increasingly entrusted authority, military affairs, and national security to Vanitas to such an extent that many nobles quietly joked that the Empire already had two rulers.

And yet, even then, nobody truly believed it would ever reach this point.

No one had foreseen Vanitas personally murdering the Emperor in front of the entire nation before seating himself upon the Imperial Throne.

No one had imagined Aetherion would fall this abruptly.

The psychological impact alone was catastrophic.

The Imperial Family had represented stability for generations, regardless of public opinion toward them. Even amidst corruption, war, and political unrest, the existence of the throne itself had always reassured the people that Aetherion would continue enduring.

But now... that illusion had shattered completely.

Because the throne itself had just been claimed through brute force.

Meanwhile, beyond politics and public outrage, the economic consequences were already foreseeable.

Foreign investors who should have withdrawn from Aetherion long ago suddenly realized the severity of the mistake they had made by remaining tied to the Empire for this long.

International trade organizations, noble merchants, and foreign banking factions immediately began panicking behind the scenes as news spread across neighboring nations at terrifying speed.

There was no longer any confidence left in Aetherion’s future.

The market would inevitably collapse, and prices would skyrocket.

"What a pity..."

"Where are you going?"

As one of Aetherion’s wealthiest foreign merchants and investors turned to leave the capital entirely, a hand suddenly rested upon his shoulder, stopping him in place.

"I’m going home, Miss Clandestine," the man answered with a weary sigh as he turned toward the woman who had stopped him. "And honestly, you should start considering migration as well. Someone with your talent shouldn’t waste their life in a place like this anymore."

The one standing before him was Roselyn Clandestine.

A brilliant alchemist whose name had recently begun spreading far beyond Aetherion itself.

Among investors, merchants, and noble sponsors, Roselyn was practically viewed as a golden opportunity with a bright future.

Countless factions had already attempted to recruit her, fully aware that her work alone possessed the potential to reshape entire industries if properly funded.

"Please give it a chance, sir," Roselyn said. "You may not know this, but Vanitas Astrea... he is my benefactor... The reason I’m even standing here today is because of him..."

"...."

The merchant visibly paused at those words before eventually letting out a long sigh through his nose.

"That’s ancient history, Miss Clandestine," he replied tiredly. "Back then and now are completely different matters."

He glanced toward the distant Imperial Palace where panic still continued spreading throughout the capital.

"The Vanitas Astrea you knew clearly no longer exists."

Roselyn remained silent.

Meanwhile, the merchant’s expression gradually darkened.

"That man just murdered the Emperor in front of the entire nation before crowning himself ruler," he continued. "The market is about to implode. Foreign relations are finished. And once neighboring countries realize how unstable Aetherion has become... they’ll begin circling this Empire like vultures."

The streets around them remained chaotic as civilians desperately attempted to process the horrifying events that had just unfolded. Rumors spread wildly through the capital while fear visibly consumed the public more and more by the second.

Yet despite all of that, Roselyn quietly looked toward the palace.

"...."

And for some reason, she still did not believe Vanitas Astrea had done this out of madness alone.

Because if there was one thing Roselyn understood about him, it was that Vanitas never acted without purpose.

"Give it a chance... sir," Roselyn said quietly. "It may not look good right now, but... I trust the Professor more than anyone else in this world..."

"...."

The merchant stared at her in genuine confusion.

Truthfully, he could not understand it at all.

Why did that man still have followers?

The past year, he had heard countless stories regarding Vanitas Astrea’s terrifying charisma and the unnatural loyalty people developed toward him after remaining by his side long enough.

There were even rumors claiming Vanitas could manipulate people so thoroughly that they eventually stopped questioning him altogether, blindly following his decisions regardless of morality or consequence.

And looking at Roselyn now... the merchant genuinely found that possibility disturbing.

Because she was intelligent. She was not the type of woman one would expect to blindly devote herself to another person so completely.

"Do you even understand what you’re asking of me, Miss Clandestine?" the merchant asked seriously. "I did not reach my current position by remaining idle."

"...."

"My instincts are telling me that if I don’t withdraw from Aetherion immediately, everything I’ve built will fall alongside it."

"...."

"This nation is finished."

Roselyn quietly lowered her gaze for a moment.

"...Then consider our negotiations over, sir."

The merchant blinked. "What?"

"I’m not migrating," Roselyn answered. "And I refuse to accept sponsorship from people who are only willing to stand beside Aetherion during its prosperous years."

"Miss Clandestine..." The merchant frowned deeply. "Do you even realize what you’re saying?"

"...."

"This is not some minor political dispute anymore. The Emperor is dead. Vanitas Astrea has seized the throne by force. The entire continent will begin distancing itself from Aetherion within weeks, if not days."

"...."

"This Empire is entering an age where loyalty alone will not keep people alive."

Roselyn quietly listened to him.

Truthfully, she understood every word he was saying. And objectively speaking, he was right. Any intelligent investor would withdraw immediately. Any rational merchant would cut ties with Aetherion before the inevitable collapse fully arrived.

And yet, Roselyn slowly shook her head.

"Then perhaps I’m irrational."

The merchant frowned further. "Miss Clandestine—"

"The Professor once extended his hand toward someone who had absolutely nothing."

The merchant remained silent.

"Everyone keeps calling him a monster," Roselyn continued quietly. "And maybe they’re right."

For a moment, her expression grew more complicated.

"But monsters don’t usually save people for no reason."

The wind swept softly across the streets of Aetherion.

Meanwhile, Roselyn simply continued staring toward the palace.

A part of her still believed Vanitas Astrea was moving toward something only he himself could see.

"Do you even know what kind of life I was living before today, sir?"

The merchant remained silent.

"I lived in a cramped apartment that demanded seventy thousand Rend a month just to continue existing in the capital," she continued. "Half the time, I could barely afford proper meals because most of my money went toward maintaining my research."

A bitter smile crossed her face.

"The equipment I used wasn’t even proper laboratory equipment most of the time. I scavenged broken tools, discarded components, and damaged materials from trash sites and alley markets just to continue my experiments."

"...."

"And despite all of that..." Roselyn slowly lowered her gaze. "...Most of my work was still being stolen by my senior professor."

"...."

"Every breakthrough I made somehow became his contribution to academia. Every formula I developed became his paper. Every successful experiment somehow turned into another stepping stone for people already standing above me."

"...."

"People like me weren’t supposed to succeed in Aetherion," she admitted quietly. "Not without noble backing. Not without connections. Not without being useful to someone important."

Then, for the first time, her expression softened.

"But the Professor..."

A breath escaped her lips.

"...Profesor Vanitas Astrea... he was the first person who looked at my work and genuinely saw me..."

The merchant remained silent.

"He funded my research without trying to take credit for it. He gave me proper equipment. Proper facilities. And for the first time in my life..."

"...."

"...I was allowed to exist as a researcher instead of someone else’s stepping stone."

Then the merchant quietly spoke. "And that’s enough for you to remain loyal to a man who just murdered the Emperor?"

"...."

Truthfully, even she herself no longer fully understood what Vanitas Astrea was trying to accomplish anymore.

But despite that...

Despite everything...

"...Yes," she answered. "To doubt the very person who gave me a reason to continue living... would feel like betraying even myself."

"...."

Regardless of what the rest of the world saw when they looked at Vanitas Astrea as a tyrant, a monster, an usurper, a piece of shit... Roselyn could not erase the memory of the man who had once extended his hand toward someone like her when nobody else would.

"...."

Because before becoming the terrifying figure now sitting upon Aetherion’s throne, Vanitas Astrea had simply been the first person to genuinely believe in her talent without asking for anything in return.

And that memory alone remained far stronger to Roselyn than all the fear currently consuming the Empire.

The merchant quietly stared at her for several moments.

Then, eventually, he let out a long sigh through his nose.

"...You really are all insane."

"Hehe."

The merchant rubbed his forehead before glancing back toward the Imperial Palace once more.

Truthfully, every instinct he possessed as a businessman still screamed at him to leave immediately.

But after looking at Roselyn now, the merchant finally understood why Vanitas Astrea still retained followers despite everything he had done.

It was not blind fanaticism.

Vanitas Astrea possessed an absurd ability to fundamentally alter the lives of the people surrounding him. Whether intentionally or not, he gave broken people purpose in ways they themselves struggled to abandon afterward.

Which perhaps made him even more dangerous than people realized.

"...Fine," the merchant finally muttered. "I’ll delay my withdrawal for now."

Roselyn’s eyes widened.

"But only temporarily," he added immediately. "If the situation worsens further, I’m pulling everything out of Aetherion without hesitation."

"That’s more than enough, sir!"

The merchant shook his head tiredly.

"...I swear, this Empire is going to be the death of me."

* * *

"Huh?"

Following Cassandra’s lead, Astrid, Cassandra, and Silas eventually made their way toward the church district she claimed Ezra had entered earlier.

However, the moment they arrived, all three immediately froze.

What greeted them was rubble and bloodshed.

The church itself had practically been torn apart. Massive sections of the walls had collapsed inward, while shattered stained glass littered the ground.

"...What the hell happened here?" Silas muttered.

His expression visibly darkened as he slowly stepped through the destroyed entrance.

Bodies were everywhere.

Cassandra instinctively covered her mouth slightly at the sight.

"...No..."

Meanwhile, Astrid quietly surveyed the surroundings. Because this level of destruction did not resemble an ordinary battle.

The mana lingering throughout the cathedral felt wrong.

Because it was clearly dark magic.

Astrid’s eyes suddenly narrowed the moment she noticed movement within the wreckage.

Amidst the collapsed debris and shattered remains of the cathedral interior, something slowly emerged.

Broken stone shifted aside while a bloodied figure weakly dragged itself forward across the ground, leaving behind streaks of blood across the ruined church floor.

"...Ezra?"

His condition looked horrific.

Blood soaked through his clothes while dark mana moved erratically around his body. One of his arms appeared partially dislocated, and every movement he made looked painfully forced, as though his body had already exceeded its physical limits long ago.

"Ezra!" Cassandra immediately shouted.

The moment their voices reached him, Ezra visibly froze in place.

For several seconds, his gaze remained unfocused, as though his mind had not fully processed what he was looking at yet. Then, gradually, recognition finally surfaced across his face.

"...What..."

He suddenly coughed, blood spilling from his mouth before he forced himself upward by gripping onto the surrounding rubble for support.

"...What the fuck are you guys doing here?"

Silas immediately stepped closer, his expression darkening at the sight of Ezra’s injuries.

"What happened here?" he demanded. "What the hell did you run into?"

"Get the fuck out of here!" Ezra growled immediately. "Right now!"

Astrid immediately frowned. "Ezra."

"Get them out of here, Astrid! Quickly, before—"

———!

"So you’ve come, Princess."

The moment that voice echoed throughout the ruined cathedral, a cold chill immediately crawled down Astrid’s spine.

She recognized that voice.

How could she not?

Slowly emerging from the darkness beyond the shattered rubble was the Saintess herself.

Selena.

Blood stained her white dress and splattered across her skin, yet even at a glance, Astrid immediately realized none of it belonged to Selena herself.

The Saintess calmly stepped over the broken remains of the cathedral floor while staring directly toward them with those unnaturally composed emerald-green eyes.

The atmosphere surrounding her no longer felt holy in the slightest. Whatever divine warmth people once associated with the Saintess had completely vanished.

Cassandra instinctively stiffened beside Astrid.

"...S-Saintess?"

Meanwhile, Silas immediately reached for his wand.

"What the hell..."

"Truthfully," she said calmly, "I wasn’t expecting all of you to gather here so conveniently."

Ezra immediately forced himself in front of Astrid despite barely being able to remain standing.

His breathing had become uneven while blood continued dripping from his wounds onto the ruined cathedral floor, yet even in that state, he still positioned himself between Selena and the others.

"Don’t listen to anything she says," he growled through gritted teeth. "And don’t fucking let your guard down around her."

"I don’t know about that, Princess," the Saintess replied. "Why not look at him more closely first?"

Astrid instinctively turned toward Ezra.

At first, she failed to understand what Selena meant.

But then, she noticed it.

"...."

The dark mana lingering throughout the cathedral... had not been emanating from Selena.

It was coming from Ezra himself.

Astrid’s eyes widened.

"Ezra... you’re..."

"That’s right, Princess," the Saintess continued. "That man is a far more dangerous existence than you currently realize."

Her emerald-green eyes remained fixed upon Ezra.

"And therefore, it is my rightful duty as the Saintess to cleanse him from this world."

"Astrid!"

Ezra’s voice immediately snapped Astrid back to reality,

She had known Ezra for nearly two years now. While their relationship had admittedly begun rather terribly, she could confidently say they had become genuine friends over time.

Even if Ezra truly practiced dark magic... who was Astrid supposed to be to judge him for it?

She herself was hardly innocent.

"It’s much more complicated than that, Princess," the Saintess continued. "That is not merely dark magic."

"...."

"It is a gateway."

"...A gateway?"

Before Astrid could properly process those words, Ezra abruptly moved.

Having clearly lost patience with the conversation entirely, he forcefully pushed Astrid away from him.

"I told you not to fucking listen to her!" he shouted. "Just get the hell out of here already!"

Boom——!

Dark magic suddenly erupted from Ezra’s body.

The shadows surrounding the ruined cathedral distorted as countless black hands began extending from him, resembling something between living shadows and the void itself.

The hands immediately lashed outward.

One grabbed Cassandra.

"Eh?"

Another seized Silas.

"Ezra, wait—"

Both were thrown away from the center of the cathedral before they could properly react.

Meanwhile, the moment one of those hands reached toward Astrid...

Crackle——!

Astrid forcefully stopped the hand midair by adjusting its polarity, causing the dark construct to distort against her magic before freezing in place.

"Mhm," the Saintess hummed. "You see now?"

Her gaze remained calmly fixed upon Ezra.

"That power does not belong to him. A vessel through which an Aleph may gradually align itself with our world."

In other words, Ezra was not simply a practitioner of dark magic.

He was a designated apostle of an Aleph.

None of this fully made sense to Astrid. The words themselves sounded absurd and incomprehensible, yet the overwhelming atmosphere surrounding Ezra and the Saintess made it impossible to dismiss any of it as nonsense anymore.

Still, Selena continued speaking regardless.

"If that man is allowed to continue living, he will eventually become the reason for this world’s destruction."

For the first time, genuine coldness surfaced across her expression.

"The very destruction I have spent all this time desperately trying to avoid."

"...."

The ruined cathedral fell silent afterward.

The atmosphere had already become unbearably tense long ago. Between the Saintess, Ezra’s dark magic, and the incomprehensible mention of Alephs and gateways, even Astrid herself no longer fully understood what exactly was happening anymore.

It was then.

———!

A purple streak suddenly flashed across the cathedral.

So fast that none of them properly reacted in time.

Boom——! 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The ground shattered beneath the sheer speed of the impact as a figure abruptly appeared beside Selena before immediately grabbing the back of her dress and lifting her off the ground as though she weighed absolutely nothing.

"What the fuck do you think you’re doing?"

The newcomer’s voice echoed coldly throughout the ruined cathedral.

For the first time since appearing, the Saintess’s expression visibly shifted.

Meanwhile, Astrid’s eyes widened instantly.

Ba... Thump!

Her heartbeat spiked the moment she recognized him.

"...P-Professor..."

Vanitas Astrea had arrived.