Twisted, grotesque trees everywhere she looked, and a sky dyed in every conceivable hue above. To Luize, the bizarre landscape looked as if someone had flung paint carelessly across the forest to use as their canvas.

“This place is....”

Luize narrowed her eyes, unable to even guess anything about where she had fallen aside from the fact it was definitely part of the trial created by the Tower of Heroes for her. Was it created based on her, though? Or... was it based on Blast Dog, who had entered alongside her?

Either way, it was far from ordinary. Tensing, Luize scanned her surroundings—

“The Tinted Forest.”

She heard a faintly distorted, static-laced voice echoing throughout the air.

“This is where I settled things with the Destroyer of Moralities. Also, where that idiot nearly died.”

The voice came without warning, making Luize stiffen with her hands clenched tight. Slowly, she turned around and laid her eyes on the woman with dull silver hair leaning against a tree. Her face was hidden behind a gas mask, but Luize already knew exactly who she was.

The Blast Dog...

It was none other than herself, Luize Valente, before Se-Hoon regressed—and also, the Incantation Mage that she could never defeat in her current state. Remembering the overwhelming gap in ability she had felt during the battle in the Forest of Repetition just a little while ago, Luize clenched her fist even harder.

How long can I even last?

She was painfully aware the only reason she had been able to fight the Three Dogs on equal footing earlier was because Sung-Ha and Amir had compensated for her shortcomings.

So now, when she no longer had that support? And on top of that, her opponent even possessed Aspirant-tier equipment. That made the already slim odds effectively drop to zero.

Still... it should be fine.

Yet even in the face of despair, Luize remained calm. Regardless of whether she lost here, the other two would definitely overcome their trials, grow stronger, and awaken Se-Hoon.

Trusting Sung-Ha and Amir, Luize began preparing an incantation for a bitter fight until the very end.

“...Tsk.”

However, the Blast Dog just clicked her tongue and strode forward.

“?!”

Luize forcibly stopped herself from reflexively releasing her incantation. If there was the slightest sign of hostility or incantation casting from the Blast Dog, she would have attacked without qualms. But there wasn’t anything.

Huh...?

Had her senses been deceived again, like when Blast Dog first appeared? Was there some other scheme at play?

Unsure how to react, Luize hesitated. That, in turn, allowed the Blast Dog to walk straight up to her, stare down silently, and tap on her mask.

“Take it off.”

“...What?”

“Now.”

Considering that her mask—Hati—was equipment that assisted her incantations, it was practically the same as ordering her to disarm. If it had been anyone else asking, Luize would’ve told them to get lost and then attacked on the spot. But with the Blast Dog, for some reason, Luize felt inexplicably intimidated by the gaze piercing through her mask.

“...”

Click-

That was why, after a long moment of hesitation, Luize actually reverted Hati into its choker form.

“Crazy bitch,” the Blast Dog immediately said, reaching out with her right hand.

Her touch on Luize’s cheek was surprisingly gentle thoug—

“Aagh!”

Luize grimaced at the pain from having cheek twisted and yanked with all of the Blast Dog’s strength.

“If you don’t feel hostility, you seriously just disarm on the spot because someone tells you to? You’re actually trying to get yourself killed, huh?” The Blast Dog tugged mercilessly at Luize’s cheek, looking at the pathetic younger self before her.

Still, thanks to the Blast Dog’s rough treatment, Luize’s muddled thoughts finally snapped into sharp focus as the pain and anger cleared her head—which allowed one glaring question to surface.

Actually... why did I just do that?

No matter who the Blast Dog was, the Blast Dog was an enemy she was literally fighting fiercely moments ago. She, too, finally realized the sheer absurdity of her own actions.

And that was when the Blast Dog finally released her cheek.

“It’s because you’re being assimilated into me. Our roots are the same, so you’re affected more than the others. Your fighting spirit dropped too.”

“...”

“This is the reason an Incantation Mage has to believe solely in themselves, even if it leads to a dead end. Otherwise, you end up getting screwed like an idiot before the fight even starts.”

Luize bit her lip. She wanted to argue—to say anything—but she knew she had no rebuttal.

“Trusting those idiots and taking action is your choice. But that can’t be your only answer.”

The Blast Dog lowered her head slightly, meeting Luize’s gaze head-on.

“Never think something is impossible. Even when your body is being torn apart and you’re dying, think about what comes next. Got it?”

Never abandon the future—no matter what. Receiving the Blast Dog’s advice as a fellow Incantation Mage, Luize stared at her with a complicated expression, then nodded.

“...Got it.”

The Blast Dog stared at her silently before eventually flicking her on the bridge of the nose and turning around.

“Put the mask back on and follow me. There’s something I want to show you.”

“Show me what—ugh, seriously.”

Without further explanation, the Blast Dog had already begun walking deeper into the Tinted Forest. And upon seeing her high-and-mighty back getting further away, Luize scowled before re-equipping Hati and hurriedly following.

Step. Step.

The grotesque forest grew even more warped the deeper they went. Somewhere, faint sobbing could be heard. Adding the sight of the twisted trees that looked as if they were crying out in agony... the sight was deeply unsettling.

On high alert, Luize followed the Blast Dog and soon heard her voice again.

“Just so you know, I don’t really have any regrets about my life.”

“...?”

“I got caught by those Dawn bastards when I was young and went through hell. But after I killed every single last one of them, there’s no reason to cling to anything after that, right?”

Luize’s expression stiffened.

“You... are you serious right now?”

Unlike Luize, who had escaped Dawn with Se-Hoon’s help, the Blast Dog had endured countless human experiments as the vessel for the Seeker’s Tongue.

To say she had no regrets about that past... was unimaginable.

“I am. If you cling to every piece of the past, you can’t reach the pinnacle as an Incantation Mage.”

“...”

“If you compare an Incantation Mage to a writer, the future is like a blank page and the past like a completed manuscript. You can write whatever you want on the former, but touching the latter carelessly creates contradictions.”

A completed manuscript—the past cannot be rewritten. A fundamental law of the world that even the Perfect Ones and Harbingers of Destruction could not interfere with. There was no changing that, so the Blast Dog let it go.

“That’s why I discarded all my regrets and gained this power.”

Swish-

Branches blocking the path withdrew on their own. Roots burrowed into the ground, smoothing the terrain. The world was rewriting itself according to the Blast Dog’s will.

That sight of just how far Incantation Magic at its extreme could reach made Luize freeze in awe.

All this... from a simple difference in mindset?

To someone looking down from above, it was a trivial step across a line. But to someone on the ground, that “line” was a soaring wall with no visible end. And that fact made Luize once again feel inadequate—

“But I hadn’t been able to do anything about my fear of the future,” the Blast Dog said with a bitter voice as her feet came to a stop.

“Your fear of the future—ugh.”

Just as Luzie was about to ask further, her face twisted and her hand instinctively rose to cover her mouth. Despite Hati sealing her nose and mouth, she still smelled something rotten, something putrid.

Is my choker malfunctioning? No, this is a different smell.

It wasn’t a physical smell. She could tell it was the very mana filling the area—specifically, something polluting it that was inducing the overwhelming revulsion.

What’s ahead that could even...

Luize stared at the Blast Dog’s back, and soon enough, the woman turned her head.

“That’s my only regret.”

The Blast Dog’s voice was even, without emotion. Then she stepped aside.

“This is...!”

Luize’s eyes widened at the thing before her: a mass of red flesh sprawled across the ruined forest floor, melting downward like candle wax.

“The Destroyer of Moralities. Or rather, the corpse of what used to be called that.”

Luize examined the remains more closely. At first, she thought the lingering demonic aura was polluting the area... only to figure out the actual cause came from elsewhere.

“...”

Luize watched the souls that had been forcibly absorbed and unified within the Destroyer of Moralities. When they were released and annihilated, they contaminated the surrounding mana.

“We thought killing the Destroyer of Moralities would free those souls. Instead... when its soul vanished, the others were dragged into destruction with it.”

Whoosh-

Faint shadows passed through Luize and the Blast Dog, rushing toward the corpse. One shadow began tearing through the flesh, seemingly searching for something inside.

Focusing on them, Luize realized their identities.

The Three Dogs...?

Was the trial recreating the past where they defeated the Destroyer of Moralities and revived Se-Hoon? Luize watched silently.

“Se-Hoon’s soul was swept along too. When we realized that, we intervened using our respective abilities.”

The Mad Dog plunged two spears into the corpse and activated his unique skill, Complete Source Resonance, to awaken Se-Hoon’s soul.

Crunch!

Alas, the corpse couldn’t withstand the resonance and began collapsing before Se-Hoon could awaken.

Crack!

And so, the Frost Dog stepped in to assist.

Observing Se-Hoon’s soul through his Winter Sky Eyes, he forcibly stabilized the parts of the corpse surrounding it with Frost Alchemy.

Yet Se-Hoon’s soul still showed no sign of waking. Despite their flawless actions, his soul’s mental boundaries had long collapsed and were now too deeply intertwined with the others.

All that their actions did was delay the inevitable. And the moment she realized that, the past Blast Dog finally moved.

“——”

Her incantation pierced ‌the corpse—and Se-Hoon’s soul finally responded, slowly awakening. The flesh gathered inward, which was followed by a naked Se-Hoon emerging while coughing up blood.

“Ugh... damn, that hurt....”

Se-Hoon revived; he was just as he always was.

Instantly, the Mad Dog and the Frost Dog were filled with relief. However, just one person—past Blast Dog—was staring at him blankly.

Luize could feel that something was off. And now, after watching the past play out, she finally understood what that something was.

“...That’s when they mixed.”

“...”

“You redefined Se-Hoon’s soul, his synesthetic mindscape, with your incantation. That’s why he revived and fused with the Destroyer of Moralities.”

No matter how long they had fought together, no matter how deep the bond—she would never, and could never, be him. Yet the Blast Dog had broken that separation by rewriting his soul to save him.

“I still don’t think my choice was wrong. I wanted to save him. And he wanted to live.”

“...”

“But the fear... that my choice might have turned him into something else—that tiny doubt became my regret. And in the end, after his regression... it became reality.”

Luize’s expression darkened. The one thing the Blast Dog despised above all, to be forcibly fused with another existence, had been inflicted upon her precious person by her own hand. It was unbearable to imagine how she must have felt.

“The explanation seems to have gotten long, but it’s simple.”

The Blast Dog turned to face Luize.

“The current Se-Hoon is assimilated with the Destroyer of Moralities to an incomparable degree. You could even call them the same being.”

“...”

“Waking him like we did won’t be easy. And even if you succeed, he likely won’t be the Se-Hoon you knew. You might awaken something closer to the Destroyer of Moralities instead...”

Having explained just how dangerous Se-Hoon’s condition was, the Blast Dog trailed off in hesitation. But she still finished her words.

“Despite that... will you still save him?”

Saving Se-Hoon might lead to an even more horrific outcome... Luize thought long and hard.

“I... don’t know.”

“...”

“I don’t know what state he’s in, or how far we can go after clearing the trial. If I say anything definitive now, I’d be ignoring your advice.”

The Blast Dog’s eyes widened as Luize met her gaze through the mask.

“Well, even then... yeah. If that moment comes, we’ll just figure it out somehow.”

Luize smiled, recalling the confidence they’d shown before entering the trial.

“I trust them just as much as I trust myself.”

To trust others as much as oneself... that was something the Blast Dog fundamentally could never accept.

But...

Perhaps that was exactly why Luize may be able to solve the problem she never could. The thought of that made the Blast Dog’s stiff expression soften...?

“And one more thing.”

Luize’s voice sounded out again, full of hesitation.

“There’s an answer he owes me.”

“...”

“He promised he’d answer after everything was over. So until then... I won’t let him die. Ever.”

Embarrassed by her own words, Luize looked away as the Blast Dog stared at her.

“Hah... I see. Yeah, that is important. Sadly, my world ended before I could even ask,” the Blast Dog agreed with a soft laugh.

Click-

The Blast Dog slowly removed her gas mask to reveal a face far more mature than Luize’s—and far more weary.

“So make sure you get your answer. No... get his consent.”

Whoosh!

Catching the mask tossed to her in surprise, Luize watched as it transformed in her hands.

A sphere...?

A fist-sized orb glowing in countless colors, overflowing with a condensed synesthetic mindscape, mana, and power.

“Use everything disposable at hand. I don’t know how much it’ll help, but you’ll use it better than I ever could.”

Woong-

The multicolored sky turned gold. Having passed on all her power, the Blast Dog slowly began to fade.

“...”

Luize searched for words, struggling to find what to say—

“Trust me.”

And with those words and a faint smile, the Blast Dog dissolved into light.

***

Whoosh!

When the light cleared from Luize’s eyes, the Forest of Repetition returned to view.

BOOM!

Explosions and pillars of ice were erupting in front of her. Sung-Ha and Amir, having cleared their trials first, were fighting soul-union entities summoned by the Beast King.

Additionally, Jason was swinging his fist with an utterly empty expression—at them.

BOOM!

While they were in the trial, it seemed he had accepted the Beast King’s deal and turned against them.

Bang!

Sung-Ha and Amir were knocked back, landing right in front of Luize.

“You’re late.”

“Did your counseling session go well?”

Seeing the two again, Luize didn’t bat an eye.

“More or less.”

“That’s good, but... this isn’t exactly a situation to celebrate.”

“It’s tough with just the two of us. Got a plan?”

Luize scanned the battlefield. The Nether Glacial Extremity Wheel sealing the forest had weakened, allowing soul-union entities to crawl out and surround them. Jason was now facing them as an enemy. The Beast King was still holding back. Se-Hoon was still assimilating with the Destroyer of Moralities.

Assessing each part of the seemingly hopeless situation, Luize calculated quickly.

“This is manageable.”

At the very least, there were no signs of the elite Eclipse Entities. Also, Jason’s power was significantly weakened. The Beast King was also preoccupied with Se-Hoon’s assimilation. The situation wasn’t favorable, but not unbreakable.

To break through, first things first: she planted the incomplete staff Se-Hoon had once given her into the ground.

“I’ll need some time to prepare. Hold them off for me.”

The two exchanged glances at her order, then grinned.

“Easy enough.”

“Just don’t take too long.”

Both raised their weapons—the encircling army attacked.

BOOM!

Hundreds of soul-union entities unleashed their full power in a massive bombardment, which was then rewound by the Forest of Repetition and sent launching toward them again.

Not blinking an eye, Sung-Ha merged his twin spears into the Sun-Moon Spear and traced a massive circle.

Woong-

Flame and darkness resonated, spreading across the battlefield—

CRASH!

Everything split apart. The soul-union army was cleaved in half, lit up in flames that burned them away. Their cores completely incinerated, leaving no chance of being rewound.

Next.

Sung-Ha began preparing his next attack without missing a beat. At that moment, however, Jason appeared with his fist swinging toward Sung-Ha’s head.

CRACK!

Jason’s vision fractured into a kaleidoscope. Amir stood amid the frozen world, exhaling white breath. While he hadn’t fully frozen Jason, he had dragged the strike into his domain.

In here, Amir stepped forward and slashed.

BOOM!

The punch veered skyward.

Sung-Ha followed-up instantly, pressing the attack. Like that, the two of them fought in perfect coordination until....

“What a bunch of persistent little pests.”

The Beast King intervened.

“Alas, it’s too late for you to turn this around.”

A quiet sound filled their ears.

Swoosh-

The black-and-white sea overflowed into the forest.

“The assimilation is already complete. All that remains for him is to cast off and become neither a Harbinger of Destruction nor a Regressor: a new existence that never once belonged to this world.”

With the black-and-white tide surging in behind him, the Beast King stared at them with an expressionless face.

“At this point, it seems this will become a meaningless struggle. Will you still continue despite that?”

To the Beast King’s question—spoken as though proclaiming his victory—the two simply stared back in silence.

Instead, Luize answered for them.

“Yeah. We’re definitely late.”

Luize flashed a grin with her staff gripped in hand.

“But we actually finished getting ready a long time ago!”

Woong!

The moment the orb Luize had received from the Blast Dog fused with the black orb at the top of her staff, a brilliant radiance flared to reveal the staff’s newly transformed form.

Like thinly shaved wood, its body was crowned by a sphere that shimmered in riotous colors. It had a lavish look, poised somewhere between a stand microphone and a staff.

Clutching it, Luize fixed her gaze on Se-Hoon in the distance.

Trying to stop the assimilation would just repeat what happened before the regression.

In that case, what they had to do was simple: just help Se-Hoon define himself. She had already decided what incantation to use for that.

Luize steadied her breathing.

“Harmony.”

Woong-

Her incantation spread throughout the entirety of the forest through the staff. Immediately, the world itself—not simply the Demon Realm—shook.

The release of the Blast Dog’s full power in one go had an overwhelming influence.

“...Is that all?”

Yet nothing really changed in reality?

The black-and-white tide continued to devour the world, and the assimilation between Se-Hoon and Destroyer of Moralities still pressed on. With nothing altered, the Beast King let out a crooked smile.

“Such a meaningless struggle. Let us end this—”

Swoosh-

A chill crawled up his spine the moment the Beast King felt the black-and-white tide brush past his ankle. Considering he had inherited the Destroyer of Moralities’ power, that shouldn’t have affected him in the slightest....

Realizing something was wrong, the Beast King lowered his gaze.

“What...?”

His body, washed over by the tide, was stained ‌black and white...?

Startled, he snapped his head up and scanned the area. Jason, standing there blankly, as well as Sung-Ha, Amir, and Luize, were all turning black and white after being touched by the tide.

Everyone in the Forest of Repetition, for some reason, was being assimilated into Se-Hoon...?

Flabbergasted, the Beast King turned to the Incantation Mage—the source of it all.

“Let’s all go on a little trip to find our real selves.”

With Luize’s mocking laugh ringing out, everyone’s synesthetic mindscape tangled together and was swept away by the black-and-white tide.