Chapter 24

When Enria turned her head in alarm, the air split apart once more, and another serpent burst out.

In the instant the creature shot toward her, jaws wide open right before her face, Caldeon’s longsword pierced through its head again.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Unlike before, this rift released three more serpent monsters at once.

Having already thrown his sword, Caldeon no longer had it in hand, so he bound one serpent using his dark mana.

“Blizzan!”

He called out sharply, and Blizzan immediately used his flaming ring to snare the second serpent’s neck.

The third was swiftly restrained by Silri with a cord of wind.

Silri let out a breath of relief and sliced through the head of the serpent attacking it with her blade of air.

But then—

“What…?!”

Rahar and Roseanne’s eyes went wide in shock—not at Silri, but at the serpent she had bound with her wind cord.

More precisely, they were staring at the serpent’s mouth—tightly sealed shut by thin strands of black mana coiling around it.

Their eyes followed those mana threads back to their source—and all of them froze in disbelief.

The one who had summoned that dark mana was none other than the child in Enria’s arms—Hayden.

“That’s… dark mana…?” Rahar murmured, unable to believe what he was seeing.

The mana Hayden had released was unmistakably similar to Caldeon’s—a black mana so alike there was no room for doubt.

It stretched and contracted freely like a whip, its thickness and hue slightly different, yet still undeniably the same kind of power.

‘How… how is that possible?!’

Enria’s eyes went wide in astonishment.

She had assumed that, being Caldeon’s son, Hayden would naturally possess mana—but to manifest and wield it like this, especially without ever being taught, was beyond belief.

Everyone present was equally stunned.

The child’s control—swift enough to bind the serpent’s jaws almost as fast as Caldeon himself—was nothing short of incredible.

There was no time to dwell on it, though. The rifts across the hall kept spewing out serpents, forcing everyone into motion.

Caldeon quickly left the rift he’d been guarding to Blizzan and Silri and rushed to shield Enria and Hayden.

He, too, seemed startled by Hayden’s black mana—but protecting Enria clearly took priority, and he focused solely on the battle.

From the last rift, three more serpents poured out.

Caldeon fought two of them at once, while Enria, stepping in to assist, took on the remaining one.

Yet with no real combat experience, she kept losing her target—and each time she did, dark mana from either Caldeon or Hayden bound the serpent’s head before it could strike.

Hayden’s power wound around the creatures’ maws, shutting them as fast as Caldeon’s own mana could.

Caldeon’s gaze hardened, sharp and assessing, as he looked at the child.

Enria, too, could scarcely believe how naturally Hayden wielded a force he’d never been taught.

Their astonishment was interrupted by a sudden, unnatural sound—then, at the center of the hall, a massive crimson rift began to open.

“Graum! Windel! Eva!”

Caldeon called out his spirits at once.

Three massive forms appeared in an instant, surrounding the red rift and taking defensive stances.

As the scarlet light expanded, all the smaller rifts scattered across the hall vanished, drawing everyone’s attention to the new one.

Graum—shaped like a turtle with a dragon’s head—formed an earthen barrier around the rift.

Windel, resembling a white tiger, conjured a massive cyclone before it.

And Eva, a dolphin-like spirit of translucent blue light, summoned a vast whirlpool above the red space.

When something finally began to emerge from within, all three spirits launched their attacks at once.

Flames, wind, and water struck fiercely, shaking the hall—

—but the thing that appeared wasn’t a creature. It was pure red light.

The spirits’ attacks passed through it harmlessly and vanished.

Then the red glow expanded and contracted before taking the shape of a giant wyvern.

The enormous, winged dragon beat its wings once and fixed its blazing gaze upon Enria—and the child in her arms.

“Panz…?”

Undy’s eyes widened as he muttered the name in disbelief.

“What? Panz?!”

Blizzan turned to him, shouting, then looked back at the crimson wyvern.

Silri, too, gave a faint, bitter laugh.

“How many spirit stones has that bastard devoured?”

Once, Panz’s form had been that of a firebird—not so different from Blizzan.

But now, there was no trace of the phoenix left. What hovered there was a monstrous flying beast, a wyvern drenched in blood-red light.

[Not spirit stones,] the crimson dragon spoke, its massive voice echoing through the hall, [but the power of human souls.]

At those words, every spirit’s face hardened.

Absorbing human souls was a forbidden act among spirits—an unforgivable crime.

In perfect unison, they unleashed a barrage of attacks upon Panz.

Yet none of it landed.

[It’s useless. This is not my true body.]

“What the—? Is he using black magic?!”

“Did he make a pact with a black mage?!”

“The Tower must have allied with black magicians to go after the Oracle’s heir. That’s why that fire spirit’s fallen under their control…”

Roseanne’s voice trembled as she spoke, face drained of color.

Panz’s crimson eyes immediately turned toward her.

[So you are the mage who guards the Oracle’s chosen.]

“……!”

[Pahomel said you were a cautious and clever human—and indeed, you are.]

Muttering to himself, Panz turned his gaze toward Enria and Hayden.

[The Oracle’s human… which one of you is it?]

His eyes shifted between the two, as if it didn’t matter which—and then he looked toward Undy, Silri, and Lonn.

[My visit today is a gift to my old comrades… my final offering to you.]

All three spirits stiffened in shock.

[The Oracle’s heir will die by my hand. I do not know which of the two humans bears the gift of absolution—but since both carry the same light, I will simply kill them both.]

At his words, Caldeon stepped forward, tightening his grip on his sword to shield Enria.

[The price of claiming human souls must be paid—and I will pay it with their lives.]

The declaration froze everyone in place.

Only Caldeon let out a low, cold laugh, lifting one corner of his mouth.

“Over my dead body.”

Panz’s red eyes fixed sharply on him.

Caldeon slid his sword back into its sheath and glared up, unflinching.

“If you truly had the power to kill them, you’d have come here in person instead of hiding behind a projection.”

[The one who wields forbidden mana… are you the one Pahomel spoke of?]

“Pahomel? Ah, the old tower master. Whatever that senile fool told you—it doesn’t matter. You won’t lay a finger on my woman. Or her child.”

The flames around Panz flared hotter, betraying his fury.

Blizzan chuckled beside Caldeon, finding the sight entertaining.

“My contractor never disappoints. I made our pact for that delicious dark mana of yours, but your personality’s just as attractive. You know I like that, right?”

“Cut the nonsense.”

Caldeon’s expression twisted as if he regretted hearing it at all, while Blizzan laughed harder, shoulders shaking.

[Your twisted tastes are the real problem,] Windel muttered in exasperation.

[Leave him be. He’s always been like that,]

Eva added with a shrug—then, without hesitation, declared that she too liked Caldeon, leaving Enria’s eyes wide in surprise.

[Enough idle talk. Focus on destroying the fire spirit who broke the sacred law.]

Graum’s deep, commanding voice cut through the chaos before Blizzan and Eva could continue listing reasons they admired Caldeon.

Though the situation was dire and terrifying—Panz intent on killing her and Hayden—Enria found herself strangely calm.

Perhaps it was because Caldeon stood before her, unwavering.

Or perhaps it was because the spirits’ banter, absurdly out of place, somehow kept her from drowning in fear.

[Foolish beings.]

Panz’s thunderous voice filled the hall once again, silencing everyone.

All eyes turned to him.

[I came early out of respect for my old comrades. That is all.]

“Respect…?” Lonn muttered, brows furrowed.

[You will live every moment in fear from now on. The god you trust—and the messenger you call His—will soon vanish by my hand.]

At that, every spirit’s face hardened further. Even the mention of destroying their god sent chills through the room.

Having spoken his final words, Panz’s massive body began to fade.

Silri reached out sharply, shouting, “Panz!”

But he vanished without another word.