Mariabell fled deeper into the tomb—panting, trembling, yet burning with delusional determination.
She refused to accept defeat.
Not after unleashing her greatest trump card: The Sealed Chaos Dragon.
She still had one final method to kill Atem, King of Eterna.
The heart of the ancient elven capital—buried deep in these ruins—was said to house one of the fallen world's greatest creations: a magic reactor core.
Yuuki's reports about the city of Soma had detailed enormous mana engines, and Amarita—this ruin—was built by the same ancient race. If the structure matched even slightly, she could overload the device easily. And an overloaded core, unleashed in full violent collapse…
Even Atem would be eradicated.
Or so she convinced herself.
"He's fighting Yuuki right now… If I detonate the core, the explosion will kill him before he even turns back toward me…"
A perfect surprise attack—one Mariabell believed could bring down even the Pharaoh of Eterna.
She reached the tomb's central chamber.
And froze.
"…What…? No… This can't be right…!"
There was nothing.
No magic engine.
No reactor.
No control terminal.
The graves were empty.
The ornaments were stripped bare.
Even the expected ancient tools of the elves were absent.
Only scattered treasure remained—worthless compared to the missing artifacts.
"Impossible… How is everything gone!? What happened?!"
There was no one to answer her.
Or so she thought—
"Ahahaha! There was never a magic reactor core here in the first place."
"—!!!"
Mariabell spun around.
"By the way," the voice continued cheerfully, "there wasn't one in Soma either."
"…Yuuki…?"
He stepped out of the shadows as if the tomb belonged to him, Kagali at his side. Their expressions were casual—mocking, even.
"But—you were supposed to be fighting Aten—Atem-sama! You should be—!"
"We're done," Yuuki interrupted with a shrug. "I took him on seriously. He wasn't even trying. If I had an opening, maybe I could have beaten him…"
He sighed.
"But… the gap was just too big."
Kagali crossed her arms and nodded.
"I almost had a heart attack watching you. For a moment, I thought you had truly betrayed us."
"Ahaha! Sorry, sorry. Had to sell the act. Even fooled you, didn't I? It made everything feel more authentic."
Kagali smiled.
"Well, in the end, it worked to perfection. If this was your original plan, I have no complaints."
The two spoke comfortably—too comfortably.
Only now did the truth dawn on Mariabell.
She had been used.
Deceived.
Played with.
"You're… lying. You're lying! But you—Yuuki—you cracked my power? My Greed? How?!"
She demanded an explanation—though horror trembled behind her voice.
"How… did you overcome 'Greed'!?"
Yuuki smirked.
"Curious?"
"Answer me!"
"Heh… fine."
His expression shifted.
In an instant, the purity and false obedience he displayed earlier twisted into something darker—something predatory.
Mariabell inhaled sharply.
No—this wasn't him breaking free now.
This was how he had always been.
"Impossible… You… You weren't under my Greed… at all…"
Yuuki laughed—a sharp, cruel sound that bounced off the tomb walls.
"Ahahahahaha! You're surprised? Really? I cracked your little toy from the very beginning! I pretended to be under your control just to watch you dance. How's that? Oscar-worthy performance, right?"
Mariabell paled, shaking.
"No… no, my Greed… My skill is the strongest born from human desire—"
"True," Yuuki agreed, grinning. "But my Greed is bigger. Stronger. My ambition is to rule the world.
To make everything mine. Compared to that, your childish obsession? It was pathetic. I didn't even need my Anti-Skill to shatter your Greed."
Those words were her execution.
"DON'T MOCK ME!"
She screamed, flinging her soul's energy outward.
Her power ignited—
Greed Flare
—a brutal wave of spiritual destruction fueled by obsession and desperation.
It surged toward Yuuki—
And did absolutely nothing.
He stood still, smiling, letting the attack wash over him like smoke through air.
"It's useless. You can't win against me."
And then—
"Gh—!!"
His hand pierced her chest.
Her breath escaped in a broken gasp.
"W-why…? Why… is this possible…?"
Her power flowed into him—Yuuki absorbing every shred of her Greed.
"Simple," Yuuki said as she weakened. "You were born too late. If you'd come into this world ten years earlier, maybe you could've conquered it. But now? You're a child swinging a rusty knife at a god."
"…Ah…"
Her fingers loosened on his wrist.
Her vision dimmed.
Her consciousness slipped away.
The truth of this world was merciless.
And Mariabell… simply met her fate.
"Don't worry," Yuuki whispered mockingly as her soul faded, "I'll make good use of your Greed."
Her body fell limp.
Her second life ended.
And Yuuki stood there, smiling—
—unaware that far above, Atem had already sensed everything.
And the King of Eterna does not tolerate traitors.
After entrusting the remaining matters to Shion and the others,
I—Atem, King of Eterna— departed to reinforce Milim.
And now… I stood before it.
The Chaos Dragon.
A colossal, writhing titan of corruption.
Its body stretched nearly one hundred meters, its coils thick enough to crush a fortress. The air trembled around its presence. Magicules were being consumed in an endless torrent as it swelled—growing larger, heavier, more oppressive.
A single breath from this thing could scour a mountain from the earth.
Its aura was a storm of madness.
Its scream warped the sky.
Even among monsters, it was a tyrant.
Against something like this, even a Demon Lord's army would fall.
But Milim was different.
Despite her frustration, her magic contained the dragon, forcing its overwhelming breath to fold back in on itself.
"Sorry I'm late, Milim."
"There you are, Atem!" she shouted, relief washing over her. "This is driving me crazy! He's my friend! I can't kill him, but I can't seal him either! And if I hold back any longer, people will get hurt!"
Unlike Charybdis, this creature was once Milim's cherished companion.
I could feel her turmoil—the violence in her magic was entirely to restrain, not to harm.
"I understand," I answered, my tone steady, my presence sharp. "And you were right not to destroy him. His core is still resisting corruption."
Milim's eyes widened.
"So… you really have a plan?"
The trust shining in her eyes would have crushed a lesser king.
But I met it head-on.
"As the King of Eterna, I do not make empty promises."
I extended my hand toward the dragon.
"And I do not abandon those who still fight for
their own soul."
I kept my voice confident—kingly, unwavering.
"Listen well, Milim. Every monster, no matter how enormous, possesses a core—the anchor of its existence. Your precision attacks can dismantle everything else without harming that core."
Milim hesitated.
"But it's so… strong. If I go all out, I might—"
"You learned to control your power," I reminded her. "Show your friend the same courage it's showing you."
She swallowed hard.
"I'll guide you. You will not face this alone."
Milim's eyes softened.
"Okay. I believe in you, Atem!"
I nodded.
"You should."
Inside my mind, Solarys—Sovereign of Wisdom— manifested.
«Awaiting command, my King.»
Assist Milim. Guide her magic. And isolate the Chaos corruption around the soul.
«As you will, Atem.»
This would require precision beyond normal limits.
But then again—I am Atem.
"Milim! Begin!"
"Right!" She inhaled, raising her hand. "Then behold—my friend, witness the brilliance of every star in the heavens! DRAGO BUSTAAA!!"
A beam like a newborn sun ripped through the air.
The Chaos Dragon roared, releasing a barrier of pure distortion—its hatred forming a wall of twisting magic.
A clash of titanic forces shook the land.
I stepped forward, raising a hand.
Solarys enhanced my perception, layering countless calculations before my eyes.
"Milim, keep pushing. I've located the dragon's core."
Her lightning intensified, shaking even the sky.
The dragon's body resisted—its corrupted astral and spiritual forms lashing out in agony and hatred.
Milim gritted her teeth.
"Atem! This is too strong!"
"Then I'll tip the scales."
I activated Osirion's Mandate.
A golden sigil ignited beneath my feet.
Milim gasped as the air bent, the Chaos Dragon's resistance shattering like brittle glass.
"A-Atem… you dismantled its barrier instantly?!"
"It is a mere construct of corrupted will," I said calmly. "It holds no authority before mine."
With its protection destroyed, the beam pierced deeper.
I sensed the core—muted, but alive.
Fighting.
Forward.
Forward.
Until—
There!
A faint spark of light struggling within the storm.
But then—
The corruption vanished.
A pulse, like a dying scream of greed.
Yuuki had defeated Mariabell.
"Good," I breathed. "Then the rest is ours."
"Milim! Increase output!"
"You got it! DRAGO NOVA!!"
Her full power detonated outward, shaking the heavens. The Chaos Dragon's astral body shattered, its corrupted spiritual form disintegrated.
This was our chance.
"Now… Osirion's Mandate—Devour Soul."
My authority surged.
Ignoring time and space, I seized the core just before Milim's final surge destroyed it.
A moment later, the Chaos Dragon's colossal body collapsed—its remaining energy imploding in a violently dense cluster.
"A-Atem!! It's going to explode!"
She was right.
The leftover energy was immense—dense enough to distort space.
But fear did not touch me.
"Stand back."
Milim blinked.
"You're not actually going to—"
"Consume," I commanded, "Devouring Sun"
The swirling mass disappeared instantly, devoured without resistance.
Milim stared, mouth open.
"W-What?! Atem—that was a space-level energy cluster! Even I can't just eat that!"
"You underestimate the stomach of a King."
I allowed myself a faint smirk.
But this wasn't over.
"We still need to save your friend."
Milim's eyes sparkled.
"Can we really?!"
"Yes," I answered. "I came prepared."
I produced an Emulated Soul, drawing every fragment of the Chaos Dragon's damaged core together. Solarys stabilized the pieces, fusing them seamlessly.
But it wasn't awakening.
Milim's voice shook.
"Atem…?"
"Does the Chaos Dragon have a name?"
"A… name? Uh—actually, yes! I named him long ago. I just never got the chance to say it. His name is Gaia!"
Gaia.
A fitting name.
I whispered it.
"Wake, Gaia. Your friend is waiting."
The Emulated Soul glowed.
Success.
I covered it with the Master Core, creating a new Avatar Core—a vessel for Gaia's rebirth.
"It's done," I said, handing it to her. "This is Gaia—reborn. An egg waiting to hatch."
Milim hugged it tightly, tears forming.
"Atem… thank you. I knew you'd save him."
Her happiness radiated like a star.
"Come," I said gently. "Everyone must be anxious."
Milim grinned.
"Hehehe! I'm gonna brag about how awesome we were!"
"Try to avoid exaggerating."
"No promises!"
As the castle came into view and the relieved faces of my people appeared on the horizon, I felt tension finally leave me.
The crisis was over.
Milim and I returned—victorious.
And perhaps tonight…
…a quiet drink would be well-earned.