On the outskirts of Backlund, along the banks of the Tassock River.
Botis, the Secret Saint, was fighting with everything he had.
Death was terrifying, but waiting for it was even worse.
From the moment he had been ordered to stay where he was and wait for someone to come kill him, his composure had steadily begun to fall apart.
What had just happened proved that the powerful woman who had yet to even reveal herself could kill him whenever she pleased.
Yet she had chosen not to. Instead, she seemed to be playing with him, trapping him in place and allowing his despair to mount one second at a time as he waited for death to arrive.
Naturally, Botis resisted with everything at his disposal.
A sharp hum rang through the air.
Amid the buzzing, illusory doors began appearing all around him.
They came in every imaginable shape. Some were double doors that opened from the center. Others were simple archways.
Some were covered in mysterious patterns, while others had hollow centers through which one could faintly glimpse endless darkness and distant, glittering stars.
The illusory doors were so numerous and packed so tightly around Botis that they nearly swallowed his figure completely.
This was one of a Sorcerer of Secrets's abilities: Banishment.
Each door led into a different chaotic current of time and space before eventually emerging in another region.
There was no way to control how dangerous those destinations might be.
Even Botis himself could not be certain that he would survive the journey. After all, this technique was meant to be used against enemies, not on himself.
But his situation was so desperate that he could no longer afford to hesitate.
A rapid series of rustling sounds followed.
The instant the countless illusory doors took shape, Botis's body flickered frantically, leaving behind countless Blink afterimages that split into duplicates of him.
Each one rushed toward the nearest door, attempting to escape through the dangerous currents of time and space.
As long as one door allowed him through, as long as a single duplicate escaped without being stopped, he would still have a chance to survive.
But his efforts were crushed with absurd ease.
A crisp snap echoed through the air.
Like candle flames being snuffed out, the glowing layers of doors twisted all at once.
The act of "opening" was somehow distorted into "closing." Without exception, every door refused Botis entry, producing a powerful repelling force that shut him out.
A deafening boom followed.
The doors exploded one after another.
The chaotic currents of time and space surged outward like razor-sharp blades, tearing wildly through everything nearby. Botis screamed in pain as fresh wounds opened across his body.
He crumpled onto the riverbank, his eyes filled with despair.
That woman had not even revealed her true form, yet she had already reduced him to this state. Every attempt he made was pointless.
No matter how he tried to escape, he always ended up right back where he had started. Even his prayers to the True Creator received no response, as though every action he took was being twisted and turned against him.
Was waiting for death truly the only thing left for him to do?
"I'll say it again. Stay where you are and behave yourself."
The arrogant female voice drifted from the void, seemingly unconcerned about making Botis suffer a little longer.
"Hm?"
Across the river, Fors was also watching Botis struggle. When she heard the woman's voice again, she could not help frowning slightly.
That voice, that presence... Why do they seem familiar?
Oh, right!
It was Mr. Temperance's messenger!
That breathtaking woman in the black dress, the one with such an imposing presence who had once looked Fors over!
Once she realized who it was, Fors immediately relaxed. What a relief. She had never imagined that Mr. Temperance's messenger would be so powerful.
She and her teacher had been worried that the woman might turn on them after dealing with Botis. Now that Fors knew she was connected to Mr. Temperance, there was nothing left to fear. She could finally breathe easy.
Even though she was relieved, she could not simply explain everything to her cautious teacher, Dorian.
Fortunately, he had not noticed the changes in her expression. His attention had remained fixed on Botis the entire time, and the sight of the man in such a miserable state filled his eyes with satisfaction.
The man who had brought disaster upon their family, the traitor who had always been beyond their reach, was finally getting what he deserved!
"Huff... huff..."
Botis panted heavily. Gradually, the despair in his eyes gave way to something else.
Madness.
Without warning, he ripped open his black robe and thrust one hand into a hidden inner pocket.
The pocket seemed to contain an enormous space, swallowing his entire arm. At last, he pulled his arm back out, dragging a three-tiered jewelry box with it.
The box was made from a mixture of silver and black materials.
Its surface was decorated with intricate openwork carvings and set with numerous gemstones, including rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds. Combined with its distinctive craftsmanship, it looked extravagantly luxurious.
Yet the moment the box appeared, someone across the river was struck by an overwhelming surge of fear.
"Box of the Great Old Ones!"
Dorian Gray cried out, his composure completely shattered.
"My lady, be careful!"
The instant he recovered his senses, he raised his voice and warned the unseen presence.
"What he's holding is a Sequence 0 Sealed Artifact!"
Box of the Great Old Ones had originally been a Sequence 0 Sealed Artifact belonging to the Abraham family, but Botis had taken it during the rebellion.
Dorian remembered that this "jewelry box" had originated from an Angel of the Abraham family during the Fourth Epoch.
The Angel had loved traveling through the starry skies, but after returning from one particular journey, it had died silently within its own palace.
Its corpse had been found with an expression of pure terror frozen across its face, its features twisted as though it had witnessed something unspeakably horrifying just before its death.
After the Angel died, the characteristics it left behind merged with a portion of its remains, forming this strange, terrifying, and extraordinarily powerful Sealed Artifact.
One of the Abraham family's ancestors, "Mr. Door" Bethel, had given it its name: Box of the Great Old Ones.
"Heh... heh..."
Clutching the jewelry box, Botis let out a twisted, crazed laugh. Without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed the top tier with his other hand and prepared to force it open.
As he began opening it, he turned toward the direction the woman's voice had come from.
"Hmph!"
A cold snort sounded from the void. Invisible ripples spread outward as the order of space was distorted once again.
Mr. Temperance's messenger, Antia, had also sensed the danger posed by the box. Without hesitation, she activated her power, intending to "warp" Botis's actions just as she had before.
But for the first time, her power failed.
Botis's hand remained firmly attached to the jewelry box. The cursed object carried a strange aura of its own, one powerful enough to keep out even the influence of an Angel.
And in that instant, Botis flung the first tier of the box completely open!