It was far out over the ocean, past the reaches of any land.

It was within the endless walls of fog that marked the edge of the world. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Or to be more exact, 'this world'.

Out here, there was nothing but the roll of dark waves and the slow push of the sky.

Rolling tsunamis with thunders streaking across dark clouds above like rolling dragons.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Under this view, loud explosions rippled across the sky. Deafening the rolling waves shrouded the dark, sky, accompanied with occasional lights.

Boom!

A huge palm made out of white warp energy smashed into the water, easily 10 kilometers wide, the air churned and seared under the collision with the atmosphere.

Burning the space and penetrated the deep ocean beneath.

And in the middle of this endless expanse, two figures were locked in battle against a huge creature hidden beneath the shadow of the water.

The two true kings, the old man in white and the woman, were facing down a whale so massive it dwarfed the sea itself, its length stretched like a floating island across the waters.

Each movement of its body shifted tides, sending shockwaves racing out in every direction.

"Damn you two! Are you declaring war on us? Do not think that just because we are of the same origin, I won't dare to attack your human settlements"

The huge whale's voice echoed across the heaven and the earth, a deep resonance accompanied with it, booming the sky like a loud heavenly horn.

Columns of water twisted upwards in violent spirals, shattering into the sky like liquid towers.

The heavens themselves dimmed, light swallowed by the explosions caused whenever the two true kings struck the creature.

The sea groaned under the weight of their battle.

Then, the woman took the chance to speak as she evaded a pillar of water, "You dared to put yourself on an equal footing with us? We are the creator's creation that took upon the perfect god's image! Unlike you... beasts that were meant to be used as pigs"

"Beasts that were meant to be pigs? That... I will show you, how blessed I am compared to you, Ooo so called chosen ones. Do you not think that I am capable more than what it seems, I fought side by side with you against the otherworldly beings, how ungrateful you are!"

Boom!

They continued the battle, the magnitude easily escaping the conventional fights that were happening on the land in this underground world dungeon.

After all, Mize never truly intended for these beast true kings to be weak. They were exceptionally stronger, high capacity energy radiator, and they were meant to fight for months to years.

From her vantage, Mize watched. Her expression the same, her eyes narrowing only slightly as she observed the clash.

“One of the many true kings my clones created here before…” she muttered under her breath, "And it seems to be the way I designed them to be"

She murmured.

Naturally understanding the issue now.

Her voice carried no urgency. She wasn’t about to step in.

The outcome of their clash was sealed in fate, one way or another.

That whale was never meant to be anything more than prey, a dungeon-born monster, created to be hunted by those strong enough to prove themselves against it.

Similarly, 'I also wouldn't blame the whale to hunt the humans that attacked him in return'

'A bit hypocritical I am, trying to save the people on the surface while the opposite here'

She hummed, her thoughts running through her mind, 'If anything else, I will allow for both sides to attack each other down here. Human with their greed, and monster with the will to continue living'

'In a way, my dungeon is giving the territory a huge boost of income. Rare materials pouring out, and more people with unique professions coming here to settle down'

'Then, for this issue at hand'

'I will go with absolute fairness'

'Fairness for my creations... I will allow them the luxury of self, the luxury to live, and the luxury to choose. As long as they don't cross the line'

And these two had strength enough.

Her gaze lingered on the battle, catching the smallest details others would have missed.

The strikes of the two true kings never hit the whale’s stomach directly.

Every blast of power, every sweeping strike, was measured, angled deliberately away from its gut.

“They’re after the core,” Mize murmured. Her eyes pierced through flesh, through layers of moving water and muscle, down into the creature’s insides.

There it was, a faint golden glow nestled under the coils of its intestines.

A whale that size, its core would be an artifact in itself, far more valuable than its meat or bones, "Wanting to use it as a chance to increase their strength?"

She let her thoughts drift. “Whatever the case, I won’t disturb them for now.”

Her eyes drew back from the chaos on the sea. The battle blurred away, and her mind turned elsewhere.

“Now… to strengthen the Church,” she said softly.

Her thoughts turned, trying to come up with ideas as she was floating.

She reviewed what was already in place. “The holy knights remain the main defenders against the spread of the unknown darkness in the city.”

"I've got the feeling that Liam has something to do with these monsters since the start... Which made me unable to eradicate them directly"

"But so far, things had progressed drastically compared to the situations before"

She folded her arms lightly, considering. “In my absence, the situation has shifted, but it’s still manageable thanks to their efforts.”

Yes, the state of the world wasn’t as dire as it could have been.

Monsters, or these Raksasas were no longer rare rumors whispered in taverns or people's mouths.

For the common people in the territory, the sights of these monsters became more and more obvious as time passed.

After all, quite a lot of cases were related to these creatures already.

There was a huge unrest. A mass panic, but Liam coupled with Elias's joint efforts tackled the issue.

But with the rise of the holy knights, the people now had visible guardians.

In the eyes of the populace, those knights were figures of hope, protectors of light against whatever lurked in the dark alleys of the three main cities.

Question: The situations inside the three main cities are dangerous, why are these people still here?

Answer: the outside is hell compared to this. At least, they were provided with food, houses, clothes! Everything that they couldn't imagine having outside!

That was the reason why almost 99% of the population stayed, the benefits outweighed the disadvantages in the long run.

Despite the horror inside this territory, it was much better here compared to the vast expanse outside.

Especially now, with the titans roaming the land.

With the knights presence, the people felt a lot safer during the night.

That worked in her favor.

Each battle the knights fought, tied the faith of the people tighter to her, the false image of a divine being that stood behind the church.

Her gaze shifted again, tracking across countless threads, the actions of her many clones.

Each one left ripples, trails of decisions and consequences.

She could seem these threads.

Thousands...

Like tiny beacon of lights scattered in her Divine Mind, she focused on them briefly.

And among them, one stood out.

Cahaya.

Mize noted her actions carefully, her plan to separate the true body’s identity from the title of the Mother of Life.

It was a clever move, one that carried foresight.

It was something that she wanted to do from the beginning.

“She’s quick-witted,” Mize admitted quietly, the faintest sign of approval in her tone.

Even at a distance, she gave Cahaya that acknowledgment.

Meanwhile, within the Church itself, in a quiet chamber lined with tall windows and golden drapes, two figures knelt before a towering statue.

The statue depicted a veiled woman, her hand extended downward as if in eternal benediction.

The air was thick with incense, the silence deep enough to feel heavy.

The two figures prayed with their foreheads low, posture still.

But the stillness cracked without warning.

“What!”

The sudden cry came sharp, breaking through the hush like a blade through glass.

Boom!

The floor trembled faintly as the aura of one of the figures surged outward uncontrollably.

Benches creaked under the pressure, silks hanging along the walls fluttered violently.

Cahaya, the one who had cried out, had twisted around, her eyes wide, staring into the distance beyond the walls.

The force of her energy made the entire place trembling, creaks of wood and stone.

“Miss Cahaya?”

The other figure, Harapan, rose to his feet immediately.

“What’s the matter?”

He asked, carefully discerning Cahaya's expression.

Her chest rose and fell unevenly.

Her hands clenched tight, then slowly loosened, then clenched again.

Her eyes quivered faintly as if torn between fear and confusion.

“I… uhh…” The words stumbled out, fragments more than sentences.

Her mind was elsewhere, pushing outward, using her divine sense to sweep across the city.

But whatever it was, she pulled back.

“It was nothing…”

“Nothing?” Harapan frowned, tilting his head.

The confusion was plain in his tone. But he wasn’t convinced.

He had caught something in her hesitation, some trace she couldn’t quite hide.

His gaze lingered on her, waiting, but she offered no further words. Turning her head, back facing him, "I... It's nothing... "

"I guess it's nothing then... " Harapan's eyes narrowed slightly...