The two of them involuntarily flinched at the sound. They couldn’t help it.

A sound that seemed to tear through their lungs bored into Laila and Eustar’s ears like a needle. It felt like their brains were being gouged out with a giant needle.

“Eustar, let’s go.”

Laila said with a pale, frowning face. She shuddered as if resisting that strange roar with her whole body and began to walk briskly.

Her hands had grown cold again, and Eustar gripped her fingers tightly, endlessly proving that he was by Laila’s side.

As they entered the gaping darkness, they felt a splashing sensation under their feet. It seemed like shallow water had pooled, but that wasn’t it. They felt their feet sinking into soft mud.

“There’s a foul smell.”

Eustar said. It really was. It smelled like radishes left to rot in midsummer. Or perhaps like the stench of garbage piled up in mud.

“We need to turn on a light.”

Laila said, and without letting go of her hand, Eustar rummaged through his leather bag with his other hand and pulled out an elongated stick about the length of a finger.

When he pressed firmly on the back end, a weak vibration was felt, and a round light illuminated the front.

No… ‘illuminated’ wasn’t the right word. Eustar and Laila stood for a moment with bewildered expressions, watching the light from the magic tool being helplessly swallowed by the darkness.

The magic tool was increasing its output to the point where a buzzing vibration could be felt—making Eustar’s palm hot—but the light that should have spread brightly only illuminated their feet.

Even that seemed weak, as if it would disappear soon.

“At least it’s not a swamp.”

Eustar said in a deliberately cheerful voice, looking down at his feet. Of course, he didn’t say it because he was truly relieved.

Although there was clearly a splashing sound and they still felt their feet slowly sinking, the ground beneath them was bone dry. It was a parched floor with weathered marks here and there, like abandoned bones.

“Let’s go inside, Eustar. We might not have much time.”

Laila said, staring into the darkness as she moved forward.

She felt as if the darkness was approaching to swallow her rather than her walking into it. And at that moment, she suddenly thought of Badin.

— This is my home.

He called it home, Laila thought. When she made a provisional contract with him, she had stepped into the ‘space’ that Badin controlled. It was the void place she had explained to Eustar.

There was nothing there. Even darkness couldn’t exist there. There was no light, no wind, no shadows, and any emotions became lifeless still lifes there. It was a distant void.

‘This darkness feels just like that.’

Laila took another step forward, feeling her chest tighten. The splashing sound of their footsteps became a little lighter.

Two sets of sloshing footsteps were swallowed by the pitch-black darkness. It was impossible to tell how far it extended. Or where they were going…

“I have to admit, you’ve got guts to come this far.”

Suddenly, a young man’s voice rang out. It was very irritable and sharp, with no warmth to be felt. Laila briefly wondered why the voice didn’t echo inside.

This interior, this darkness…

‘How far does it extend?’

Suddenly, her spine stiffened and she felt a chill run down her back. The magic tool Eustar was holding went out like a candle in the wind.

But the two had no time to be flustered. Because at the same time, bright red flames began to flare up here and there with a whooshing sound.

Unlike the light from the magic tool, the light emitted by the flames was not consumed by the darkness. Rather, the darkness around where the flames had bloomed was slowly retreating. It writhed like a snake encountering its natural enemy, and light spread in its place.

That light continued upward, upward, upward… Looking up, Laila and Eustar could see a man sitting with his chin resting on his hand and his knees bent.

He was a man with a fierce and querulous appearance. He looked about the same age as Eustar, but the pressure emanating from him transcended age.

He was sitting on an invisible crossbar, like a technician in charge of stage equipment in a theater.

“You don’t know who I am. But I know you.”

The man said.

“So I should introduce myself first. My name is Ardoa Flamuer.”

After saying that, the man raised one finger and rotated it in a circle. A small ring of fire formed in the air where his fingertip had traced.

A magician. And a very skilled one at that. An excellent magician who handled the most troublesome fire. An existence one would never want to face as an enemy…

No goodwill towards the two could be felt from him. The thought occurred that he was probably like this to everyone, but it wasn’t much comfort.

The man, Ardoa, said:

“You are the first humans to enter this place. You should be glad. The ‘Well’ is a space allowed only to the elders.”

Eustar, who had been looking up speechlessly, retorted mockingly:

“Then are you also one of the elders? For that, you seem to be very cautious. It seems all you can do is sit up high where our hands can’t reach and prattle on.”

Ardoa’s brow furrowed fiercely. Despite being very far away, the two could clearly see his expression change.

“You’re an insolent one, descendant of Hyanmorik.”

Ardoa said, grinding his teeth.

“No one dares to speak to me like that.”

“What a pity. I can.”

Eustar shot back.

“As you can see.”

Ardoa bared his teeth. The way he curled his upper lip to show his gums made him look like an angry wolf or a giant wild dog. A sound like a dog growling actually came from his throat.

Instinctively sensing danger, Eustar and Laila took a step back, and a thud was heard.

Again, the sound did not echo. It just spread infinitely. Not just Laila, but Eustar also noticed this fact.

Ardoa, who had jumped down from the invisible crossbar in one leap, now stood face to face with the two. The small ring of fire he had created was now spinning threateningly, having expanded its diameter like a laurel wreath.

Ardoa said:

“I’ve hated humans like you since ancient times.”

A sound like burning firewood splitting could be heard between his words.

“Is it even possible for incompetent creatures like you to rule the world? You would have gone extinct long ago if not for those who can handle magic. And you, witch. Filthy hybrid. You’re the same.”

Laila, with her eyes wide open, held her breath for a moment. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t encountered people who called her a witch and turned their backs on her throughout her life, but this was the first time she had met someone who spat out such insulting words without a moment’s hesitation.

Ardoa let out a cruel laugh at the bewilderment that appeared in her eyes.

“You saw it in the library, didn’t you? The scene where that woman, ‘the first witch,’ sells herself to the devil. And what would she do with the magic power she gained? It’s laughable. I’ll spit on it!”

Ardoa, shouting in an angry voice, moved his hand swiftly. The ring-shaped fire that had been spinning beside his head flew straight towards Laila.

Laila tried to block it. No, she did block it to some extent. When it collided with her magic power, the speed of the flames slowed.

Not missing that moment, Eustar drew his sword with lightning speed and swung it wide as if to cut Ardoa’s body in two.

As Ardoa jumped back, the flames that had been flying to burn Laila died down. Then Ardoa again curled his lip like a beast, baring his teeth.

“You’re struggling because you want to die painfully.”

He said.

“Let me tell you one thing. No matter how much you struggle, it will be of no use. The magicians who have already received Nierodora’s orders are leaving the city. How long do you think it will take to exterminate inferior beings like you? A day? Half a day? Maybe an hour.”

As he flicked his finger, one of the lined-up flames swelled up with a boom.

Laila and Eustar quickly dodged in a direction where the flames couldn’t reach, but the flames grew increasingly fierce. And they moved like puppets according to Ardoa’s hand gestures.

“No one will know about your miserable deaths. Just thinking about it makes me happy.”

As Ardoa spoke, Laila suddenly felt her mind grow cold. This man was an angry one. One who burns like flames and doesn’t stop. Such a person cannot be dealt with rationally.

“We will stop you.”

At Laila’s words, Ardoa turned his head towards her. His appearance, grinning with his red gums exposed, no longer looked sane.

“Let’s see how tenaciously you can struggle.”

He flicked his finger, and another flame exploded with a roar.

The branch managers who received orders from Ord Hyanmorik returned to their respective branches and summoned all knights and members.

They designed a way to move directly to the closest point to the city of magicians by reconnecting portal to portal, but due to linking the energy flow that should have been cut off once each time, many people suffered from motion sickness.

Nevertheless, when it was confirmed that everyone had safely landed on the ground without anyone losing an arm or leg, Marnak Deiamer secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The last member to arrive vomited everything in their stomach as soon as they passed through the portal.

“This is incredible.”

Felix whistled. Although they were all accustomed to battle, it was the first time all branches had cooperated to gather on such a large scale.

Not just Felix, but Jimius also couldn’t hide his bewildered expression. Only Byron, who had actually experienced war, was shining his eyes, which had become sharp and complex, as he looked at the knights filling the wasteland.

Marnak said:

“It seems we need some organization.”

Byron nodded in agreement. Knights, senior members, and those who had just earned the right to be deployed in battle were all mixed together. First, they needed to be rearranged. By specialty, or by branch…

However, they weren’t given that luxury. Byron sharply turned his head towards where he heard the screams of the members. And he saw an unbelievable sight.

It was Sink.