"Ines? What are you doing here? And why are there Sarkaz mercenaries with you?"
"…W? I heard rumors not long ago—Sarkaz mercenaries launched a terrorist attack in Duke Kashchey's domain. You're still alive?"
"You've got a sweet tongue… but I don't have time to waste with you. Listen carefully—Satan is here too."
"…Then you don't stand a chance. Don't tell me you were the one who brought him here?"
"It wasn't me… How should I know what that Ursus bastard (censored) is really thinking?"
"…W?"
(censored)… What did that bastard do to me? Why can't I say those words out loud?!
"Looks like you took a hit after all. That puts me at ease."
"(censored) Enough chatter! Why are you even here? Don't tell me this Chernobog riot is tied to you and these Sarkaz mercenaries… After all, that (censored) is still an Ursus duke. He could've come to deal with this himself."
"..."
"…Don't tell me it really is connected to you?"
"All I can say is this: Hoederer and I now serve under Theresis."
"…You betrayed Her Highness."
"W, we're mercenaries. Unlike you, we never swore direct loyalty to Theresa. She was simply our previous employer. How can mercenaries be accused of 'betrayal'?"
"..."
"Don't get riled up, W. I'm not looking to fight you. But when Hoederer and I pledged to Theresis, we discovered something you might want to know."
"…You'd better speak before I run out of patience."
"Why is Theresis still just the regent of Kazdel? Think carefully about that."
"..."
"And another thing—did you ever actually see Her Highness Theresa's corpse?"
"…(censored) Satan, you (censored)!"
---
"We can almost retreat now."
Amiya's voice carried determination as she urged everyone onward.
Moments earlier, she had received a wounded Scout's report: the Ursus Emperor's Blade had arrived in Chernobog.
This was now a clash of great powers, far beyond what Rhodes Island could endure.
But what unsettled Amiya most was the sky above Chernobog—it felt… wrong.
By her judgment, a Catastrophe was looming.
They needed shelter—somewhere to take cover from its impact.
"..."
The Doctor followed silently at Amiya's side.
Since awakening, he had spoken only to give combat orders, nothing more.
Was it because he was naturally taciturn… or because he still didn't fully trust these Rhodes Island members who called themselves his companions?
---
"Talulah has already crossed paths with Rhodes Island… And after all these years, she hasn't grown in the slightest."
Koshelna stood atop a high-rise that had somehow survived intact.
Everyone inside had already been "cleansed."
[This place is designated a restricted zone.]
She wanted no interruptions for the performance about to unfold.
"But… the Sarkaz King's heir has grown so much already."
Of course she knew of the organization rebuilt from the ruins of Babel.
She had once considered secretly injecting funds into Rhodes Island, planting a few of her own eyes and ears.
But Kal'tsit had sniffed her out.
She's so poor at running an organization, yet when it comes to things like this, she's razor sharp, Kashchey thought with irritation.
Still, he had no intention of making an open enemy of her.
After all, he had struck deals not only with the Doctor, but also with Theresa herself. He couldn't afford to push too far.
At that moment, footsteps echoed from the stairwell.
A red-haired Sarkaz in a fine suit and tall hat emerged.
"Ah~ What a pain, having no Sarkaz nearby. I had to climb all those stairs myself."
Satan sighed, not to Koshelna in complaint, but merely as idle grumbling.
After all, they were nothing more than different vessels for the same consciousness.
With a snap of his fingers, Satan summoned a scepter into his right hand.
It was none other than the [Duke's Scepter] once held by Kashchey.
A relic nearly a thousand years old… though after countless alterations by Kashchey, it scarcely resembled its original form.
"..."
In his left hand, a chess piece manifested—[The King].
This was the prize he had brought back from Kazdel.
Slowly, he guided the [King] toward the scepter.
The moment the piece touched it, the [King] vanished—
and hairline fractures began to spread faintly across the scepter's surface.
'…As expected, forcing a fusion is still too unstable.'
Koshelna took the scepter from Satan.
Cracks spread across her hand as soon as she gripped it.
'The burden is too much… but if I want to stop the Catastrophe, I must rely on borrowed power.'
Unlike Kjeragandr, the Black Snake's nature leaned more toward corruption and erosion.
And what was here was not even its whole self—
its true domain, its foundation, still remained in its homeland.
Koshelna and Satan both raised their eyes to the sky.
The Catastrophe was coming.
The Originium rain would soon begin to fall.
Satan stood as still as a statue.
Countless shadowy serpents slithered from his body, crawling across the ground before slipping into the cracks that marred Koshelna's hand.
'No… this still isn't enough power.'
Koshelna drove the scepter into the ground and lowered herself against it, pulling out a notebook and quill.
Her fractured hand trembled as she tried to write.
This vessel had a limit. It was already on the verge of collapse.
And still… it wasn't enough.
To stand against a Catastrophe with only one's own strength—
It wasn't impossible.
Kjeragandr had done it.
But this Black Snake, this Koshelna… could not.
Her power fell short.
'Then let me borrow it… the strength of the collective.'
---
"Mr. Hellagur, the streets are crawling with rioters… what should we do?"
"Withdraw, as best we can. If any dare block our way, cut them down without hesitation."
"But they invited us to join them—"
"Fool! Have you forgotten the visitor from that day?"
"..."
"The Snake watches you… Those words aren't just some Ursus proverb to scare children into good behavior. Remember this—keep those youths under control, or they'll make mistakes they can never undo."
"Yes, sir!"
---
"Winter General, you and your band are laughable… Submit to me, and I will provide the supplies your people need."
"(Ursus curse) You damned aristocrat's whelp."
"How arrogant, Sonya. But you know well—I answer only for my own men. Do you truly expect me to hand over resources to you for nothing?"
"...Damn it."
"Sonya, I admire you. In this riot, only if we join forces can we hope to lead them to survival."
"By 'joining forces,' you mean bending the knee to you?"
"One voice must lead a group. Do not forget—you've just suffered defeat at our hands."
"…Fine. I accept."
"A wise decision, Winter General."
"…Tch."