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The Church of Mysticism.

Xenia Niflheim could not even open her mouth due to the suffocating pressure.

Sweat dripped from her forehead.

It was only natural.

She had never experienced such overwhelming pressure before in her life.

And that wasn’t all.

There was undoubtedly a special force at work, constricting her body.

Mystery, the Warrior of Petrification.

Even the paladin Centriol had been restrained, unable to move, by this mystic power.

Vulcan possessed a special trait.

Just as magic inscriptions amplify the mystic power when combined,

Vulcan’s unique constitution allowed him to amplify the mystic force.

[Favored by the Mystery]

This was Vulcan’s inherent trait.

Because of Vulcan, the Warrior of Petrification had been amplified to the point where everyone was turned to stone.

‘Move. Move!’

Xenia desperately tried to move her body by manipulating her mana.

However, no matter how much she struggled, her body refused to budge.

A deep sense of helplessness overtook her.

She had trusted in her magic when she entered this place.

But the moment she laid eyes on that man, she saw no chance of victory.

Even as a perfectionist, she had to admit defeat in an instant.

Vulcan Zebra.

A hidden descendant of the Zebra Kingdom.

A man who had endured endless hardships in life, spewing hatred and fury at the world.

Vulcan was not much older than those present here.

The reincarnations of heroes had been born within a relatively short time span.

Yet, his appearance was starkly different.

His face, cracked like an old tree, bore deep wrinkles reminiscent of a middle-aged man.

His visage resembled that of a dark sorcerer who had sacrificed his own life force.

A black wind surged, making his unique gray and black hair sway.

Beneath it, a thick scar was carved into his forehead.

It was a gruesome reminder of an attempt, long ago, to rip open his skull.

Suddenly, the scar split apart, revealing a third eye.

With the emergence of the third eye, the oppressive aura intensified.

Xenia, without realizing it, forgot to breathe.

“You walked in here of your own will.”

Vulcan curved his lips into a grotesque smile.

“How considerate.”

His third eye, a deep crimson hue, locked onto Xenia.

A suffocating terror crashed down on her.

All around him, the Hands of the Abomination descended.

They reached out toward those who could not move.

“Aquiline.”

Vulcan was the one who had sold off Musika to the Abomination.

Aquiline, Musika’s past self, was a thorn in Vulcan’s side.

“You should never have returned.”

Musika had come back, even if only in spirit.

Thus, Grantoni had no reason to seal the Otherworld.

And this had become the catalyst for disaster.

The Abomination had decided to stop at nothing to reclaim Aquiline.

And as a result, it had made a pact with Vulcan, sharing its power.

Boom—

At that moment, the staircase beneath them crumbled.

Darkness surged upward, swallowing the space below.

The moment one set foot in that darkness, they would be consumed by the abyss.

Yet, despite the chaos, no one could move.

Vulcan had not only devoured the soul of Ordo the Hero.

He had burned countless souls to accumulate power.

As proof, a force beyond even his own control was now surging from within him.

Normally, such overwhelming power would spiral into madness, but the Abomination’s intervention had stabilized it.

“Zerion.”

Xenia flinched.

She was suddenly overcome by an urge to flee.

But her perfectionist nature kept her rooted in place.

Her obsession with perfection was the only thing holding her fear at bay.

“Your magic was meaningless in the end.”

Meaningless.

He had spoken in the past tense.

Xenia, who had no memory of Zerion, could not understand what he meant.

“Narea.”

Vulcan turned to Acrede with a sinister grin.

“The goddess always betrays us in the end.”

After addressing each of the heroes present, Vulcan raised his hands.

And with that motion, the Hands of the Abomination above him mirrored his gesture.

“The time for vengeance—after a thousand years—has come.”

The overwhelming force of Vulcan and the Abomination had turned everyone to stone, leaving them staring up in despair.

Xenia shut her eyes tightly as the hand of the Abomination closed in on her.

It was over.

“I now declare, in this very place—”

“I’ve heard that speech enough times.”

At that moment, a boy’s voice rang out, interrupting Vulcan’s words.

Slowly, Vulcan shifted his gaze.

A young boy stood there, raising one hand above his head.

Vulcan recognized him.

The one who had shaken the empire.

The one who had, for some reason, continuously interfered with his plans.

The one who had prevented the kidnapping of Saint Acrede Na Narea and rescued Musika.

The one who, strangely enough, wielded Zerion’s ancient dragon magic.

That was why Vulcan was even more baffled by him.

Hannon Irey.

There he stood, raising his right hand above his head.

‘How…?’

Vulcan narrowed his eyes.

Then, he realized how Hannon had managed to move.

Mystic power cancels out other mystic power.

The Steel Body surrounding Hannon was a mystic force superior to the Warrior of Petrification.

Hannon was the only one in the group who could move freely.

The Petrification Pattern.

Hannon had already known about it long ago.

So from the moment he had gained the Steel Body, he had been prepared.

While everyone else was overwhelmed with fear, Hannon’s eyes shone with unwavering resolve.

When everyone else was petrified,

Hannon was the only one thinking of his next move.

Vulcan had formed an alliance with the Abomination.

But even in this situation, Hannon was not shaken.

This world had already been altered by the wild card, Lucas.

He had anticipated another variable appearing.

That was why he had prepared and remained vigilant.

The ring on his right hand gleamed.

If it were an unforeseen event, he might have faltered.

But for a known pattern, there was nothing to fear.

Boom!

The Abomination, realizing what was about to happen, surged forward—but it was too late.

“Forced skip.”

Hannon’s ring erupted with light.

At its call, the darkened sky split open, and in its place, blue lightning descended.

Come, Lightning Caller.

The goddess’s lightning, powerful enough to pierce even the Demonic Dungeon, crossed space and struck down.

The Abomination, having already been struck by this lightning multiple times, hurriedly swung its hand.

――――――――――――!

The sheer radiance of the explosion swallowed even the roar of the blast.

The light was so intense that Xenia reflexively shut her eyes.

“Musika!”

Through the blinding light, Hannon’s voice rang out loud and clear.

The overwhelming force of the goddess’s lightning had forcibly negated the Warrior of Petrification.

A stronger power had neutralized the mystic force.

The Abomination’s hands lunged forward in fury.

It had been struck by this lightning multiple times before.

This time, its rage was boiling over.

Hannon dodged the incoming attack and shouted:

“Reverse summon the Abomination along with Grantoni!”

While everyone else had been petrified,

Hannon alone had been calculating the next step.

How to stop the Abomination.

The answer had already been decided based on those present.

Hearing Hannon’s command, Musika raised both hands.

The Otherworld was different from reality.

Even Grantoni, who was at the academy, could intervene in this situation.

In fact, because he was at the academy, Abomination couldn’t immediately suppress him.

That was precisely why Grantoni hadn’t been brought along.

As for Musika, it went without saying.

She had spent an eternity in the Otherworld.

She knew perfectly well how to wield the Otherworld.

“Perfect timing!”

Musika stretched her loosened body, a grim smile spreading across her face.

Her eyes burned with fierce rage toward Abomination.

“It’s payback time!”

The suffering she had endured at Abomination's hands.

Her life, along with her family, had been shattered and stolen away.

Even the consciousness of Vinesha, which lingered within Musika, roared with the same fury.

A black current raged as vengeful souls wailed.

The time for retribution had come.

As a spirit sorcerer, she revealed her full power.

Kwaaaaaang!

Abomination’s hand slammed down, reducing the altar to rubble.

Musika slipped into the Otherworld.

Not yet.

Even this wasn’t enough to stop Abomination.

“Acrede, Sir Centriol! You must do the same!”

While Musika and Grantoni performed the reverse summoning, Abomination, who had emerged outside, had to be held back.

Abomination’s power could be countered with the goddess’s divine power.

“Y-Yes!”

“We shall fulfill our duty!”

Abomination was an entity sealed in the Otherworld—he was not whole.

The two standing against him were a saintess and a paladin.

Together, they could push Abomination back.

If they could drive him away, Vulcan would be next.

Just then, black beasts tore through the smoke conjured by Abomination.

Made of ink-like liquid, the black beasts bared their fangs.

Hannon and Isabel simultaneously launched forward, slashing with their hands and blades.

Kwoooom!

Hannon’s explosive strike shattered one of the black beasts into pieces.

Isabel’s blade, imbued with the goddess’s blessing, mercilessly tore through another.

Through the haze, Vulcan stomped the ground.

In an instant, the altar’s floor transformed into towering pillars that shot upward.

Hannon skillfully dodged and shouted,

“Xenia! Vulcan has a mystery similar to spatial displacement!”

Vulcan intended to bind everyone here as stone warriors and have them slaughtered.

Even if he failed to kill them, he planned to let them be devoured by the earth dragon.

And he himself would use his magic to escape.

In the original scenario, if Xenia wasn’t present, Vulcan succeeded in fleeing.

Even now, he was ready to run the moment things went south.

That couldn’t be allowed.

“Your divine magic can cancel it out!”

But with Xenia, the situation was different.

“I can do it!”

Xenia felt shaken.

Vulcan’s power was beyond imagination.

And with Abomination joining forces, the two revealed overwhelming might.

Vulcan wielded his magic with impunity, denying them even the slightest approach.

Yet Hannon pressed forward without hesitation, driving the situation along.

The boy, no older than herself, was leading the charge against Vulcan.

For a brief moment, she questioned his sanity.

But he was completely serious.

Just as he had from the beginning, he was determined to take Vulcan down.

Amidst the chaos, Xenia swallowed hard.

The explosions from their clash with Vulcan shattered the altar into ruin.

But Hannon, emerging from the smoke, struck with relentless precision.

Seeing him, Xenia recalled the words he had used to introduce himself.

A student of Zerion Academy.

She, a reincarnation of a hero, was faltering.

Yet students from the academy, founded under Zerion’s name, were fighting Vulcan.

Slap!

Xenia slapped both her cheeks.

Her eyes hardened with resolve.

She was Xenia Niflheim.

The proud heir of the Niflheim Count family.

She pushed aside her self-doubt and focused only on perfection.

That was the only way she could face this situation.

Starlight burst around her.

She couldn’t tarnish the Niflheim name.

With her name on the line, she would win.

Gripping her staff tightly, she shouted with all her might.

“I’ll cancel it out!”

Hearing Xenia’s resolute cry, Hannon rolled on the ground, catching his breath.

Unexpected events always arose.

It was up to Hannon alone to overcome them.

The objective remained the same as before:

Defeat Vulcan.

“Isabel.”

Calling out one final name, Hannon thrust his hand forward.

The magic of the ancient dragon surged wildly from his body.

“We will take down Vulcan.”

“Got it!”

Isabel instantly responded, unfolding the goddess’s wings.

Her eyes held unwavering faith in Hannon.

Everyone was ready to fight to the death.

Seeing this, Vulcan grew increasingly agitated.

His eyes fixed on Hannon.

A single individual had turned the tide of the battle.

Xenia’s divine magic unleashed a torrent of starlight.

Vulcan’s space-bending magic was suppressed.

He could no longer escape.

Vulcan narrowed his eyes.

With half of Narea’s soul, Zerion, Aquiline, and three reincarnated heroes appearing simultaneously, he had summoned Abomination out of greed to claim their souls.

But their resistance was far fiercer than he had expected.

He had planned to end this swiftly using Abomination and the stone warriors.

But now the situation had flipped.

And it was because of one person.

Hannon Irey.

That boy had turned the entire situation around.

Of course, Vulcan still held the advantage.

The only ones who could properly oppose him were just two:

Isabel Luna and Hannon Irey.

Two kids, not even adults yet.

The true threats—the heroes and the paladin—were occupied with Abomination.

By all accounts, Vulcan remained in a favorable position.

Yet, he was deeply unsettled.

For some reason, the boy reminded him of another figure from the past.

A man who had once led countless stars, building an entire galaxy.

Even in an impossible situation, that man had turned the tide.

Thus, Vulcan knew exactly what needed to be done.

‘He must die. No matter what.’

Leaving that boy alive would only invite future disaster.

Vulcan was certain of it.

The most dangerous foe in this battle was not the three reincarnated heroes, nor the Duke of Whitewood fighting the earth dragon outside.

It was a single student from Zerion Academy.

Hannon Irey, or rather, Vikamon Niflheim.

It was him.