Maybe it was because the Great Sage had taken action himself.
A considerable number of dark mages had already infiltrated the Cradle and were clearly visible.
However, most of them moved sluggishly, as if in a daze.
It could be because they were already dead and in an undead state, but more likely, it was because Olga Hermod’s illusion magic was still covering the entire Cradle.
Which meant, in short…
“Ah!”
“Guh!”
Even someone like me didn’t need much effort to take down the enemy.
One swing of my sword imbued with aura and most of them fell before they could even react.
Is this what the world looks like from a strong person’s perspective? Honestly, I kind of like it.
Of course, there was a real powerhouse nearby—
The guy next to me had also started firing off aura.
Personally, I think anyone who swings a sword and still attacks from range is just plain cowardly.
Why not fight fair and square, just with swordsmanship…
“Senior! Should I clear a path this way?”
“Do it, now!”
At my response, Dietrich swung his sword in a wide arc, sweeping away the enemies in front of us.
I had to admit; it was handy.
“Wow, that’s pretty impressive.”
“You’re already releasing aura yourself, Senior! Considering your natural talent, that’s no small feat!”
Wait, was he taking a jab at me for being untalented? Or am I just being paranoid?
Well, in any case, the aura wasn’t even mine. It was all thanks to Emily’s invention.
Good thing I asked her for it. Took a real beating to get it, but still, life’s full of surprises.
“Senior, over there…”
Just then, as Dietrich ran ahead, he suddenly turned his head.
Whoosh!
An unpleasant gust of wind brushed against my cheek.
A chill spread through my whole body and a sharp shiver ran down my spine.
Even without hearing it, I already knew what Dietrich was about to say.
“…Yeah, looks like he’s over there.”
That overwhelming aura of death—
It had to be Charybdis.
“Then I’ll clear a path right away. Stay close, Senior!”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it!”
Dietrich let out a hearty laugh and started swinging his sword without pause.
In a way, I couldn’t help but think….maybe this guy was actually my best connection.
Compared to all the others who never listened and just kept lying, wasn’t this so much better?
***
Yuna had been watching Charybdis’s movements from early on—
ever since he was still outside the Cradle.
She had slipped into the group of dark mages as if she belonged there.
Her movements were so natural that no one suspected a thing.
Wearing nothing but a black hooded robe, she lingered near Charybdis.
What was he thinking? What was motivating him?
That was the kind of thing she had been wondering—
And then she saw it.
Ah…
She watched as Charybdis broke through the gates of the Cradle with a single spell.
He had killed everything around him to fuel that one strike.
It was nothing like the Charybdis she had known. The one who always carried guilt for the lives he had taken.
When the wave of death swept through the Cradle, Yuna pulled back as far as she could.
Getting caught in it would be one thing, but being too close would definitely get her noticed.
And that judgment had been exactly right.
If she had kept her earlier distance when the Great Sage appeared, she would have been discovered without a doubt.
It was the first time Yuna had seen the Great Sage.
The monstrous figure she’d only ever heard about in rumors. She engraved his image into her eyes.
He’s cycling…
He was cycling through a lifetime.
With every step, he crossed the boundary between life and death. With every step, he passed from youth to old age.
He was a being who cycled through the entirety of a human life.
His appearance stirred the surroundings, and Olga Hermod stepped forward herself.
And because she was as perceptive as Yuna—if not more so—she too noticed something was off about the Great Sage.
“You are…”
And as an Archmage herself, she was able to identify who he truly was.
Not just the one called the Great Sage.
“No way… could you be—?”
She realized that the one known as the Great Sage was the very same person once hailed as the greatest archmage in history.
The greatest archmage.
“To think it’s actually Faust himself.”
That was the title given to the one who had created the simplest of spells.
The mage who invented [Fireball]. What kind of power did he really possess?
When people saw the spell [Fireball], they assumed—
That although its creator was the greatest archmage, his power must have been something simple. Something like the ability to produce flames.
But Olga Hermod, as a fellow archmage, understood the core of the spell he had created.
Fireball was a spell that molds fire into a giant sphere. A small spark rotates to form a globe.
But the fire itself wasn’t what mattered.
It was the force that shaped it into a sphere.
“Hmm, then let’s keep our promise. You go first, Charybdis.”
“…Thank you, Great Sage.”
The Great Sage Faust stepped in to block Olga Hermod, allowing Charybdis to enter the Cradle first.
Despite the blatant nature of his action, Olga Hermod couldn’t move recklessly.
The monster standing before her was once called the greatest archmage.
The ability he possessed called “Cycle” was no longer just about tracing a simple circle. It now drew the very cycle of life and death.
If that’s possible, then what isn’t?
“Wise of you.”
“……”
Olga Hermod sensed it instinctively.
The Great Sage Faust could probably revert even a spell already cast back to its pre-cast state.
He could destroy every spell that had been placed into the Cradle in an instant.
Stopping him would require her full, undivided attention.
The presence of the Great Sage alone was enough to keep Olga Hermod rooted in place.
That alone seemed sufficient.
Since she couldn’t undo the spells she had laid upon the Cradle, she was powerless before the Great Sage.
But even the Great Sage had his limits.
And it was because he knew that, that he had stepped forward himself.
“So I finally get to see the Great Sage everyone only ever whispered about.”
A girl in a wide-brimmed witch’s hat descended through the air. Her snow-white hair kept fluttering around her like silk.
“So, Ariel. Now that you’ve seen him in person, what do you think?”
Rumbleeeee!!
A red bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, and a red rose bloomed after it.
Standing atop that rose, a red-haired woman clenched her fists and glared at the Great Sage with piercing yellow eyes.
“Hmph…”
The Great Sage Faust turned his gaze to the distance.
To a place so far away, it was impossible to see with the naked eye.
But he could feel it…. something, or someone, was out there.
He could sense the chilling presence of a sniper, silently waiting for the perfect shot.
“Honestly? He gives off an unpleasant vibe.”
“Agreed. I’m sure even Stan way out there feels the same.”
To face this group, the Great Sage had no choice but to step in himself.
Otherwise, most wouldn’t even stand a chance.
Which is exactly why he calculated that this approach was the most efficient.
“So, the main characters have finally all taken the stage.”
And he intended to carry out his plan against every one of them.
The chains binding the Great Sage’s body began to tremble.
***
The Great Sage’s power was immense.
No, in terms of raw force alone, he possessed an overwhelming output none could match.
He circulated his mana to construct a magical system known as the Circle.
And then, he linked the chains forged from the cycle of human souls.
Each link in the chain contained the power of a single person, and the countless hundreds, even thousands, of interwoven links all resonated with his Circle.
A monster wielding a force that was virtually limitless.
It was no surprise that Olga Hermod and Princess Lobelia’s group were being completely overwhelmed.
But he’s not invincible.
Yuna watched the entire process from her hiding spot.
The Great Sage was undeniably powerful. He wielded a power as close to infinite as it could get.
But that power was still controlled by a single person.
He didn’t wield that vast power with perfect mastery. Even so, the Great Sage was a monster.
An archmage with a body that never tired and an energy source that never ran dry.
A creature that might have limits to his output, but never to his endurance.
That alone gave him the upper hand against everyone else.
Even if I intervened here, it wouldn’t make any difference.
Yuna assessed the situation with cold logic.
She had her own objective, but she wasn’t foolish enough to be impatient just because the path was a bit longer.
The Great Sage had to come first.
That’s why, even though she wanted to confront Charybdis immediately, she waited for her moment.
But that moment would likely never come. At least for now, it seemed wiser to find and stop Charybdis rather than join the battle.
And so, she circled around the battlefield and reentered the Cradle.
No one tried to stop her. She moved freely through the Cradle.
She was skilled enough for that.
And finally, she spotted it. A skeleton was trudging across the courtyard of the Cradle.
Though nothing remained of his appearance in life, she knew.
It’s him.
Charybdis Sallos.
The one whose life she had ended with her own hands was standing there.
Tap!
Yuna landed in front of him.
It was, without question, the wrong move for an assassin to make.
Yes, she was…
“Hello…”
She hadn’t come here to assassinate Charybdis.
In the past, she had ambushed and killed him for the sake of revenge.
Her vengeance had been justified. And with it, everything had ended.
Then why now that her revenge was over was she standing here?
“Um… how should I put this… I’m not really sure I should be saying something like this, but… ahem!”
Yuna cleared her throat and gave an awkward smile.
“It’s been a while… Dad.”
That smile looked as if it might collapse into tears at any moment.
“Father……”
Yuna didn’t know.
She had no way of knowing what Charybdis had felt in his final moments.
She had always feared the answer to that question.
She blamed herself, scolded herself, and insisted it had been the right thing to do.
And now, standing before her, was someone who held the answer.
“My memory is a little fuzzy… but there are things I remember.”
Charybdis looked at Yuna who had appeared before him and spoke.
“Those cold eyes that killed me.”
“……”
“Father? You dare call me father? Safe Clown. The girl who became my daughter just to kill me?”
“Haha…”
His voice trembled with rage.
She had expected as much.
He had feared death more than anyone.
He had trusted her more than anyone.
And she had betrayed him.
She pierced his heart with the hypocritical claim that it had been for his sake.
“Just as I thought, right?”
Yuna forced herself to laugh again at the expected answer.
It felt like something had burst open inside her.
Yes, like a hole had been punched through her. It was a freeing feeling….but one filled with a sense of loss.
“I understand.”
Yuna spoke as she pulled a dagger from each of her sleeves.
“You have every right to hate me.”
Today, she would send Charybdis back to death once more.
Her resolve, made long ago, would not waver.
Charybdis must die. That is the only way to end his karma. She would not allow him to commit any more sins.
From the start, there was something else she had wanted to confirm.
“You want to kill me, don’t you?”
“Killing you wouldn’t be enough. Death would only be salvation. You won’t even be able to accept true death!”
Charybdis growled like a beast.
Facing this unmistakable enemy, Yuna smiled brightly and said,
“Whatever you want to do, go ahead. If it’s my karma, then I’ll accept it. I’ll die with you, Charybdis.”
She intended to return what she had taken from Charybdis that day.
Yes. Her life.
It was time to settle the score.
***
The fight was one-sided.
Yuna could never defeat Charybdis head-on.
After all, she was an assassin.
She was someone who made a living by striking at the enemy’s blind spot and killing them.
For someone like her, showing herself right in front of the target had been a fatal mistake from the start.
Even if she tried to hide now, it was already impossible to catch the enemy off guard once they were aware of the assassin’s presence.
That meant she would have to face him head-on, relying solely on the skills she had honed over the years… but unfortunately, the gap between them was far too great.
“Gah!”
Yuna was caught in Charybdis’s wave and slammed into a wall.
As she coughed up a handful of blood, a thought crossed her mind.
I’m so stupid.
Why had she spoken to him?
It would’ve been much better to launch a surprise attack and completely block his movements.
If she had done that, at least she might’ve stood a chance.
But instead, she had foolishly shown herself in front of him and thrown herself into a fight she couldn’t win.
“Ah…”
In the end, Yuna admitted it.
She could no longer hold back the hot tears streaming down her face.
“Dad…”
She held on to a sliver of hope.
She had wondered if he might recognize her… maybe say something kind.
She had dared to believe it could end with a heartwarming conclusion.
Even though she had already seen with her own eyes at the Cradle wall that he had changed.
Even though she understood in her mind that she was the one who had turned him into that.
“I’m sorry…”
That one mistake had driven her to defeat.
And her failure meant the complete fall of Charybdis.
He would keep piling up sins.
Until someone killed him and put an end to it, he would go on killing people.
He probably wouldn’t even regret it anymore.
Wouldn’t feel any guilt.
Maybe, just maybe, she could have stopped all of it.
But her pathetic hope had let things come to this.
“This must be my karma…”
Yuna clenched her fist.
Tears streamed down her face; it was no longer something she could control.
And in that moment—
“Seriously, I swear, ignorance really does lead to narrow-minded thinking.”
He appeared.
“Karma, huh? Sure, why not. But you know what? Good karma is also karma.”
A boy who was holding a sword in an awkward stance stepped in front of her.
“I’m here because of the good karma you built up.”
He smiled in the face of fear.
“Time to face your karma.”
It was a step of great courage for a coward…obvious to anyone who sees it.
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