As Ravenna and Yeon remained locked in their fierce clash, Zuphil watched from afar with growing interest.

With Arthur imprisoned within his mist labyrinth, the Mist Warlock found himself with little to do. His hands rested behind his back while his gaze remained fixed on the battle between the two greatest ice mages on the battlefield.

On one side stood Ravenna.

The former Witch of Winter.

The Apostle of Grief.

Every spell she cast fused supreme ice arts with deadly poison, transforming the battlefield into a frozen realm of death.

On the other stood Yeon.

Her disciple.

Her victim.

Her greatest creation.

Yet Yeon was no longer merely replicating Ravenna’s teachings. Every spell she cast bore her own understanding of ice. Her mana flowed with elegance and purpose, elevating techniques that once belonged to Ravenna to entirely new heights.

The skies trembled.

Glaciers collided.

Blizzards swallowed oceans.

Ice and poison battled endlessly across the frozen sea.

To Ravenna’s surprise, they were evenly matched.

No.

The longer the battle continued, the more obvious it became.

Yeon was slowly gaining the upper hand.

After all, Ravenna had once been known as the Witch of Winter.

The pioneer of an entirely new era of ice magic.

Even the prestigious Amaris House had failed to match the innovations she brought to the magical world.

Yet despite all that, the woman standing before her was suppressing her.

The same ice spells Ravenna had invented were being turned against her with greater efficiency and deadlier execution.

Every collision of magic filled the sky with crystalline rain, creating a scene of breathtaking beauty amidst utter destruction.

"What’s the matter?" Yeon shouted as she slammed another mountain-sized glacier toward Ravenna. "Has your ice magic regressed?"

The frozen comet exploded against Ravenna’s defenses.

"To think you were once called the Witch of Winter."

"Heh..."

Ravenna smiled faintly.

"Insults won’t help you win, Yeon."

But inwardly, she acknowledged the truth.

Yeon had surpassed every expectation.

The girl she once viewed as a mere experimental subject now possessed ice arts nearly equal to her own.

And if Ravenna were being completely honest...

Her ice magic had stagnated.

Since becoming an Apostle, she had devoted herself to other pursuits.

The optimisation of the Magatama.

The creation of the Chaos Dolls.

Countless experiments designed to strengthen the Demon Cult and advance the Grand Plan.

Compared to those goals, improving her personal magic had become secondary.

For years, she had neglected the path that once made her famous.

A normal mage would have regretted such a choice.

But Ravenna was no ordinary mage.

She had long since transcended the need to rely solely on ice magic.

A smile slowly spread across her lips.

"You know..."

Her voice became unusually calm.

"You’re right."

Yeon’s eyes narrowed.

"If I continue fighting you using the techniques I taught you..."

Ravenna removed her glasses.

"...I will eventually lose."

Her emerald eyes began to glow.

Venomous green seeped into her pupils.

Mana transformed into pure demonic power.

The world itself seemed to shudder in response.

Zuphil’s expression finally changed.

Even he recognised what was about to happen.

"Yeon."

Ravenna’s voice echoed throughout the battlefield.

"I’ll show you something you’ve never seen before."

A brilliant light erupted from her glabella.

"I am the Apostle of Grief."

Demonic energy exploded.

"I preach the Gospel of Grief."

The light swallowed Yeon whole.

"And now..."

The world vanished.

"...I shall show you despair."

Yeon suddenly found herself standing within an endless white expanse.

There was no sky.

No earth.

No mana.

Nothing.

Only emptiness.

Ravenna stood before her silently.

Instinctively, Yeon attempted to cast a spell.

Nothing happened.

She checked her mana pathways.

Empty.

The surrounding world contained no magical energy whatsoever.

"...What did you do?"

"Relax."

Ravenna opened her palms.

"I brought you into my inner psyche."

She shrugged.

"A power unique to the Apostle of Grief."

Yeon noticed something strange.

Ravenna couldn’t use mana either.

"We’re bound by the same restrictions here."

Ravenna smiled.

"Neither of us can use magic."

"...Why bring me here?"

The Apostle’s smile widened.

"Simple."

The answer was immediate.

"I want to break your mind."

"..."

"I want you to drown in grief."

Yeon stared at her in confusion.

Ravenna wasn’t hiding her intentions whatsoever.

She was openly admitting them.

As though she had already won.

"Let’s play a game."

The white world shifted.

"If you win, you’ll regain your freedom."

The Apostle’s smile became colder.

"If I win..."

Her emerald eyes glimmered.

"...your soul remains here forever."

"And our real bodies?"

"Don’t worry."

Ravenna laughed.

"No matter how long we stay here, only a fraction of a second will pass outside."

The scenery changed.

The white world vanished.

A familiar city appeared.

A familiar home.

A familiar family.

Yeon froze.

Because she immediately recognised it.

Her past.

Back when she had been a gifted child.

A rising magical prodigy.

The pride of her family.

"The most valuable treasure of your house."

Ravenna walked through the memory.

"Everyone expected greatness from you."

Yeon remembered.

Back then, she had been loved.

Praised.

Cherished.

The future had seemed limitless.

Then came ruin.

Business failures.

Debt.

Desperation.

And slowly, the people who once adored her began whispering behind closed doors.

"Her talent is extraordinary, but must we spend so much on her?"

"Our finances are collapsing."

"We can’t keep paying for her magical education."

"Perhaps we should marry her into a richer family."

The whispers grew louder.

The affection disappeared.

The smiles became forced.

Then the Demon Cult arrived. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Offering salvation.

"We will assume all debts."

The cultist smiled.

"In exchange, give us the girl."

Without hesitation, they accepted.

Not knowing what awaited Yeon.

Not caring enough to find out.

Even her parents forced her to go despite her desperate pleas.

And so her suffering began.

Years of experimentation.

Years of torment.

Years of despair.

"They sold your future."

Ravenna’s voice echoed quietly.

"The people you called family."

Yeon remained silent.

The pain still lingered.

Even now.

But Ravenna wasn’t showing her this memory to reopen old wounds.

There was another reason.

"The truth is..."

Ravenna’s gaze softened slightly.

"...your life is surprisingly similar to mine."

The scene changed.

This time, it wasn’t Yeon’s past.

It was Ravenna’s.

A small fishing village appeared.

A simple family of three.

A hardworking fisherman.

A village teacher.

And a young boy with a bright smile.

A happy family.

An ordinary family.

Then everything changed.

The woman awakened magical powers.

The sea froze.

The village’s livelihood disappeared overnight.

That woman was Ravenna.

"My village rarely interacted with outsiders."

Ravenna watched the memory unfold.

"When they saw what my powers had done..."

Her voice became distant.

"...they called me a witch."

The villagers screamed.

The fisherman denounced her.

The people demanded her death.

"They wanted someone to blame."

The memory grew darker.

"They decided burning me would thaw the sea."

Yeon’s eyes widened.

Then she saw it.

The child.

The little boy.

Ravenna’s son.

The villagers burned him first.

Right before her eyes.

"..."

Even Yeon was speechless.

"My husband abandoned me."

Ravenna’s voice remained eerily calm.

"My friends abandoned me."

The frozen village appeared around them.

"My son died screaming."

The entire world froze.

"That was the day my mind broke."

Silence followed.

"I froze everything."

The villagers.

Her husband.

The entire village.

Even the burnt remains of her child.

Everything became frozen monuments.

A graveyard preserved in ice.

"Then the Prophet found me."

Demonic light flickered within Ravenna’s eyes.

"He granted me the Gospel of Grief."

Power flooded the scene.

"The greater my grief."

The frozen world trembled.

"The greater the grief around me."

Demonic mana surged.

"The stronger I become."

Ravenna turned toward Yeon.

Her poisonous eyes burned with conviction.

"So tell me."

The Apostle stepped forward.

"Do you truly believe your grief surpasses mine?"

Her voice echoed through the frozen world.

"Do you think you can ever defeat me?"

Yeon remained silent.

For her entire life, she had chased Ravenna.

Pursued vengeance.

Pursued closure.

Pursued justice.

Everything she had done was driven by hatred.

Yet now...

For the first time...

She understood.

She understood why Ravenna became what she was.

And strangely enough...

That understanding freed her.

A gentle smile appeared on Yeon’s face.

"Thank you."

Ravenna blinked.

"...What?"

"Thank you for showing me the truth."

Yeon’s voice was calm.

Peaceful.

For the first time in years.

"With this..."

She closed her eyes.

"...I can finally move on."

Ravenna frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

Yeon looked directly at her.

"I will no longer face you as Yeon, the Witch of Oblivion, seeking revenge."

The chains around her heart shattered.

Years of hatred vanished.

Years of resentment disappeared.

Not forgiven.

Not forgotten.

Simply released.

A new light appeared within her eyes.

"From this day onward..."

Yeon smiled.

"...I face you as a mage who seeks to protect the world."

The moment those words were spoken—

CRACK.

The false reality shattered.

Because the Gospel of Grief had failed.

Yeon no longer carried the grief Ravenna sought to exploit.

She had found something stronger.

Purpose.

Conviction.

Peace.

The illusion collapsed.

The memories vanished.

The past lost its hold.

Yeon was free.

But Ravenna was not.

Her grief remained.

Her hatred remained.

Her sorrow remained.

It had become the very foundation of her existence.

The real world returned.

Only a fraction of a second had passed.

Yet everything had changed.

Yeon’s eyes were tranquil.

"I will grant you salvation, Ravenna."

Ravenna’s were filled with madness.

The Apostle’s demonic mana erupted violently.

The Gospel of Grief echoed endlessly within her soul.

And with a furious roar, Ravenna raised her hand.

"Then..."

The ocean trembled.

"...you shall witness the power of my grief!"