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The sunsetting sky held more shadow than light, but everything is relative. Compared to the endless darkness of the abyss, it was practically radiant, making its former inhabitants feel the sky was restored.

After elevating the ceiling using Jizan alone, Shei fell backward, exhausted. Her Stepping Cloud faded, and she descended headfirst.

Tyrkanzyaka caught her with her shadows. Seeing Shei’s feeble attempt to speak, she asked the girl urgently.

“Where is Hu?”

A slight pang of disappointment hit Shei. She had lifted the ground itself, yet it seemed no one cared about it. Still, also feeling curious about the man, she mustered a reply.

“… We should find him. He’s not one to die after all…”

But her condition was too severe for any action. Shei tried to raise her torso, only to collapse again. Her efforts to speak produced nothing but faint groans.

Finally recognizing the state she was in, Tyrkanzyaka felt a twinge of guilt and gently placed her on Ralion’s back.

“It must have been hard. Rest a little, Shei. I shall find him…”

Rasch and Callis, who had been hiding out of fear that the ceiling might collapse, now approached. Urgently, Tyrkanzyaka questioned.

“Just in time. Did either of you see where Hu went?”

Rasch answered.

“The teacher? Did he not climb up first?”

“Climb up first? With the sky blocked by earth…? I am not sure what you are saying. You mean he has somehow managed to go up?”

“That I do not know! But when our eyes last met, he gestured he would be going up first!”

“Gestured?”

Tyrkanzyaka peered upward. Even with the ceiling opened and the skies returned, the abyss—now more of a pit—still loomed quite deep. It would require a flight-like ascent to reach the surface, even if one climbed to the top of the corpse mountain.

While Tyrkanzyaka pondered dubiously, Rasch elaborated.

“Indeed! He disappeared after that, so I could not see how he went up! But this is the teacher we are talking about. Surely he must have had a way. Perhaps he went up by clinging to the ceiling like the beast lasses!”

As if on cue, Azzy’s barks and Nabi’s meows echoed from above. The two beasts were rejoicing at their long-awaited return to the surface.

Despite being on the other side of the abyss, they had clung to the rising ceiling to reach the surface. Naturally, this was only possible because they were Beast Kings.

“Knowing Hu… nothing he does would surprise me. He may have even climbed using just a single thread.”

“Would you not think that is the case? Or are you suggesting he is simply hiding? The teacher may enjoy his pranks, but I still find it unlikely.”

Tyrkanzyaka still appeared puzzled, unable to picture the man flying away.

“No. Hu could be behind the mountain. I shall go look for him there.”

“Well, while you are at it, why not ask the Earth Sage? She might know better.”

Rasch pointed to the top of the corpse mountain. There, the Earth Sage knelt before the Grand Master with a deeply reverent posture, as if making up for lost time in showing her respect. Though she appeared pitiful due to her missing arm, it was of little concern to Tyrkanzyaka. In her eyes, losing an arm for daring to oppose the Progenitor was almost a mercy.

“I shall take a look.”

Tyrkanzyaka promptly began heading over.

Even though the land had just been turned upside down, and the abyss had been liberated from its long confinement, the Earth Sage appeared utterly disinterested. With concrete bits covering her hair and shoulders, she struggled to prop up a glass and pour herself a drink from a bottle.

Reaching her side, Tyrkanzyaka first surveyed the other side of the corpse mountain. Not even Hu’s shadow could be seen. After a brief scan, she turned to address the Earth Sage.

“Tell me. Do you know where Hu has gone?”

The Earth Sage replied without even looking around.

“Why ask me of his whereabouts?”

“Were you not the last to see him? Just answer the question.”

“We were at odds mere minutes ago.”

“The victor is evident, and the defeated should comply. You will answer with more sincerity.”

“… What a farce…”

With a wry chuckle, the Earth Sage set her drink aside with difficulty and pointed skyward.

“… He has gone up.”

“How?”

“There was a rope. He anchored it to Tantalus, and when the ceiling flipped, he grasped it to hoist himself.”

“Is that the truth?”

“Is there a reason for me to lie?”

Upon finishing, the Earth Sage serenely refilled her glass. Observing her at ease after letting everything go, Tyrkanzyaka refrained from further questions, muttering to herself.

“Where has he gone without telling me?”

“If he departed silently, then it suggests he is gone.”

“Gone?”

“Remaining here would make him a target for the Military State. So to elude them…”

Suddenly, a ruckus erupted as familiar circular beams of light pierced from every direction. Confused voices grew closer and closer.

“The ground! The ground shot up!”

“It’s an earthquake…!”

“There are bodies everywhere…!”

“All sorts of junk is falling from the sky! Major, we must evacuate!”

“Calm yourselves!”

A thunderous, angry voice silenced the cacophony.

“In the event of an anomaly, we stand firm and send a minimal team to report! Is this not the Scout’s Code?!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Then maintain your positions, men! We must ensure that no more of those fiends emerge from the abyss!”

In response to the commander’s order, synchronized footfalls dispersed. Soon, they congregated at the edge of the abyss. The human figures outlined against the encircled sky presented an imposing spectacle.

“Tsk, I can’t see in there! Bring some searchlights!”

The soldiers couldn’t see through the darkness of the pit. By the time they found searchlights, Rasch noticed them and cried out in surprise.

“Oh! Soldiers!”

“… Tsk. Rasch, I’ll hide for the moment.”

“Ah? Oh, right! You told me you would!”

While Callis slipped into hiding, Tyrkanzyaka examined the situation. Shei was drained and vulnerable; the Beast Kings, already outside, were unlikely to intervene in human conflict; and the undying wasn’t much help aside from being undying.

‘Of all the times, they had to show up when I needed to find Hu.’

Unable to locate him in the abyss, she surmised he might be outside. He might have taken the initiative to hide, like Callis, considering the potential trouble if he were spotted by the Military State.

‘Then he must be hiding nearby. In that case, I must…’

Create a path.

Taking a deep breath, Tyrkanzyaka formed a staircase of darkness and began to go up. As she climbed, the searchlight beams drew close. But just as they were about to hit her, Tyrkanzyaka frowned and snapped her fingers.

The lights shattered all at once. The soldiers operating them stumbled backward.

The commander yelled a warning.

“Something! Something is approaching! Ready yourselves, men!”

As Tyrkanzyaka stepped onto the surface, cloaked in darkness, she was met by an army of roughly three hundred. With a fleet of vehicles and an arsenal of equipment, they stood poised to confront her.

Out from the abyss appeared a striking girl with long silver hair and crimson eyes. The State soldiers were stunned by the sight, but only for a moment. They clutched their weapons tight, feeling an instinctive terror from the eerily beautiful being that had emerged from the abyssal depths.

And Tyrkanzyaka was also nervous, albeit inwardly. She knew nothing of her opponents, be it their weapons or abilities.

In the days when she had no fear of death, Tyrkanzyaka would have begun by defeating the lot. But now, with a beating heart and companions who had yet to escape behind her back, she had stakes to lose.

‘Perhaps I should try conversing first.’

The once uncompromising Progenitor, after reclaiming her heart, had developed a newfound apprehension of loss. She took a step closer to the soldiers.

But of course, the anxiety she felt was nothing compared to the tension among the troops.

The commander clutched at the signaller golem that had fallen like a broken kite, screaming at it.

“Signaller! Report the situation! Signaller!! Damn it, communication broke down when the ground overturned…!”

He tossed the golem away, gritting his teeth.

“Colonel, what do we do?”

“What do you think? We follow protocol! This is precisely why we have it!”

Seizing a megaphone from a nearby soldier, the commander began to bellow at his men.

“We are an army! No single foe, no matter how formidable, can overcome a military force!”

His rallying words heightened Tyrkanzyaka’s anxiety.

She was familiar with two types of armies. The first, a rabble of fighters, comprised of ordinary farmers handed weapons to fill the numbers, designed to wear out the enemy. The second, a finely honed blade where each member was an elite, trained for combat.

Naturally, it was the latter that Tyrkanzyaka thought of. Having recently awakened from her slumber, the intruders who broke into Tantalus had left a strong impression on her. The Earth Sage, the lieutenant general, and the colonel; individuals who had reached a certain level of strength. This sequence of intense confrontations caused her to forget just how weak the weak could be.

Averages can be deceiving, as the saying goes.

“Let us talk.”

The Progenitor, who once sowed terror across the world, adopted an unusually humble tone; a stark contrast to how she was historically portrayed.

Unfortunately, this instilled useless confidence in the momentarily shaken soldiers. The misfortune was theirs, of course.

The commander shouted triumphantly.

“Surrender, Trainee! Return to whence you came and await judgment!”

“Ridiculous….”

“Comply! Or we will open fire!”

A volley of warning shots peppered the ground near Tyrkanzyaka’s feet. The attack was naturally threatening enough to darken her expression.

“… You seem confident. Against me of all people….”

Facing the array of unfamiliar weapons held by State soldiers in matching garb, Tyrkanzyaka decided to get serious.

“In that case, I shall hold nothing back from the beginning.”

The sun had set, and night had fallen. The shadowy earth was a vampire’s domain. Her red eyes bore into the darkness as she tapped into her power.

Dark knights rose from all sides, their force amounting to a thousand strong. The shadows were their base and their logistics.

The sudden turnaround of events left the soldiers in a state of disarray. Even the commander showed panic as he pointed a finger, screaming.

“Shoot! Shoot her!”

At his order, guns roared, unleashing a storm of bullets upon the dark knights. But these shadowy entities continued to advance, either shrugging off the onslaught or deflecting them.

The bullets were too small to eliminate the darkness. They might pose a threat to mortals, but to these knights, they were even weaker than a farmer’s flail.

“S-she won’t fall!”

“Their numbers are growing!”

The commander cried out urgently.

“I-I get it! This is an illusion. They’re not real! Stand firm, all of you! Don’t waste your shots…!”

Just then, an approaching Dark Knight struck down one of his men. The soldier fell screaming.

The commander hastily reeled back his words.

“Form ranks! Guard each other’s backs and narrow your focus! And equipment! Get the lights quick and illuminate the area!”

The soldiers obeyed, even as they resented their commander.