Everything was still. Alexia, her creaturs, the floating terrain—everything under her domain was completely frozen. The effect of Lucius's rule had taken hold without exception. It wasn't just the creatures or spells; even the massive trees and the tower in the sky were suspended mid-motion, as if reality itself had been paused.
Lucius, too, was frozen in place. His body locked, gaze fixed on Alexia, unable to move. But not everything was still.
The Void wasn't bound by the rule. Tentacles surged through the sky and ground from all directions, unhindered by the amulet's restriction. They moved toward Alexia, converging on her like a pack of starving predators. Above her, the sky shifted suddenly—clouds blasted outward from a central point as if an explosion had occurred in the heavens. From the empty space formed between the clouds, a long, big sword of pure void began descending directly toward her. Slow at first, then accelerating.
Lucius watched, frozen, but his eyes were locked with hers. In that moment, his expression said everything: I've won.
Suddenly Leo appeared. He materialized beside Alexia in a flash, his body barely holding together. Blood streamed from his eyes and nose, and veins bulged across his skin, showing the strain he had forced onto himself just to get there in time. He was gasping, pale, but he held the Thorn—a blade pulsing with dense, controlled mana.
"You made a mistake with your rule, Lucius Dimont," Leo growled, raising the weapon. "Now die while you're still frozen."
With his free hand gripping the hilt tightly, Leo shouted the name of the spell he had chosen himself.
"Bloodburst!"
The blade glowed red. Mana exploded outward in a concentrated burst, and streams of blood wrapped around the sword in spiraling motion. Then—
Boom.
The air ruptured. A shockwave of blood and compressed mana detonated around Leo and Alexia, slamming into the incoming void tentacles and knocking most of them backward. The battlefield rippled from the force. The ground split, trees cracked apart, and chunks of debris were flung away.
The descending void sword pushed through the explosion, slowed but not yet destroyed.
Leo gritted his teeth, and blood gushed from his mouth, but the pulse of his spell held strong. At the edge of the blast radius, Lucius was struck directly.
As the wave of destruction settled, so did the effect of the Amulet's rule. The ten seconds were up. The domain of Shifting Realms resumed its motion, and the balance of power shifted again.
Leo was barely standing. His breath was ragged, and his legs trembled beneath him, but he remained upright. Just before he collapsed, Alexia caught his arm and steadied him.
When the dust cleared, half of the void sword had disintegrated from its tip downward, vanishing in the lingering mist of blood magic and residual mana. What remained crackled and pulsed, trembling as if barely holding itself together.
Lucius stood nearby, unharmed. He calmly brushed dirt and ash from his coat and looked up at the two of them.
"How?" His voice was calm but tense. "How did you walk through the rule of the Amulet of Divine Judgment? Once the rule is in place, even entering from outside would bind you immediately. You should have been frozen the second you stepped into range."
He glanced at the battlefield again. The tentacles that had originally broken through were now cut—severed at the base when he reasserted the amulet's rule, since only one rule could persist. With the portals forcibly closed and the rest of the Void creatures crippled by Leo's attack, the battlefield had turned against him.
Lucius narrowed his eyes. "There are only two possibilities. One—" he held up a finger "—a god is backing you. Or two…" he took a step forward, eyeing Leo "...you're not from this world."
Before he could finish the thought, a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky—bright and loud—obliterating what remained of the void sword in a single flash. The weapon was gone.
Moments later, Bernal and Oswald landed beside Alexia. On the opposite side, near Lucius, a woman and a massive wolf appeared. The wolf was injured, limping heavily and trailing blood across the broken ground.
Bernal's gaze locked onto Lucius. "You want to continue, Dimont?" As he spoke, lightning lit up the sky, and its thunder shook the land.
"No. Continuing this fight would bring no benefit." Lucius glanced at Leo. "That said… if I can't get that sword, I'll need to change my plans." At that moment, a sphere of blood formed around him and his allies.
"I'll see you again, Champion of the Moon Goddess." His voice echoed through the air as the sphere began to disappear.
Far from the battlefield, Luciana Dimont—the girl who had danced with Leo at the banquet—was watching everything unfold.
"What an interesting boy," she said, a small smile curling on her lips. "He ruined my brother's plan." She licked her lips, eyes gleaming with interest.
…
When Leo and Alexia returned to the tower, a few maids quietly followed Alexia to her room, while Klaus stayed behind with Leo.
"What the hell happened out there?" Klaus asked, his tone sharp but concerned.
"I'll explain on the way to my room," Leo replied.
Klaus nodded and followed him down the corridor. As they walked, Leo recounted everything—from the moment he sensed the presence watching him to the clash between Alexia and Lucius. The hallway lights flickered weakly, casting shifting shadows on the stone walls. Their footsteps echoed like they were walking across old, creaking wood.
"So this is why the tower looks like this," Klaus said, glancing around.
"What do you mean?" Leo asked.
"This tower is part of Lady Alexia's domain. Flickering lights, the aged look of the halls—those are signs. The void must've damaged her domain during the fight."
When they finally reached Leo's room, Klaus pulled out a small glowing crystal and handed it to him.
"Place this above your bed and activate it when you lie down."
"What is it?"
"Healing crystal," Klaus said. "The bed's already inscribed with an enchantment circle to redirect its energy. Once you activate it, it becomes a healing bed. It'll help your body recover faster."
Leo examined the crystal, turning it in his fingers. "Cool. Thanks."
Klaus gave a short nod. "Get some rest." He stepped out and closed the door behind him.
Leo walked over to the bed, placed the crystal at the headboard, and activated it. A soft green glow enveloped the bed in a faint sphere. He climbed under the covers, feeling the warmth of the healing magic settle over him—and let himself drift off.
…
Leo awoke to the soft creak of a door and the muffled shuffle of footsteps across the floor. Morning light, pale and warm, spilled into the room as three maids pushed back the heavy curtains. The sudden brightness stung his eyes. Behind them, framed by the doorway, stood Klaus with his arms crossed and a familiar smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth—equal parts amused and impatient.
"It's already morning, sunshine," Klaus said, his voice light but edged with urgency.
Leo sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes and pressing his fingers to his temple. A dull ache throbbed behind his eyes. "I slept through the whole night?"
Klaus stepped forward and nodded. "And almost through the morning too. We're nearing noon. Come on, get dressed—Lady Alexia wants to see you."
At once, Leo's mind returned to the events of the night before. "Is she alright?"
Klaus's smirk shifted into a confident smile. "She's fine. Who do you think you're talking about? She's an S-rank, she's more than fine."
Leo nodded, still a little groggy. With the maids' practiced efficiency, he was washed, dressed, and ready within minutes. He walked the familiar halls of the tower, lit by flickering lamps and lined with aging stone walls. The air smelled faintly of paper and smoke—always quiet, always still. But today, it felt heavier. Different.
When he arrived at the study, he entered alone. The room was dim, lit only by the natural glow from the windows. Alexia was already seated in her tall-backed chair behind the wide oak desk, but this time there were no books in her hands, no parchments spread before her. She sat in silence, her posture straight, her expression unreadable.
Leo noticed something else—her face looked slightly older than yesterday. Nothing drastic, just faint lines of fatigue around her eyes. It wasn't from age, he realized. It was the toll of the void. She raised a hand and motioned for him to sit.
Without preamble, she spoke. "What you did last night was reckless. You should never jump into a fight between S-ranks."
Leo met her gaze, his voice calm but earnest. "I'm sorry, Master. But I couldn't just stand there and watch."
Alexia's eyes narrowed, though her voice softened. "I'm the Phantom Oracle, Victor. An attack like that won't kill me."
He held her gaze, unflinching. "But it could hurt you."
There was a moment of silence between them. The words hung in the air, and for once, Alexia looked away first. She exhaled, quietly, and leaned back in her chair.
"And now what?" she asked, voice cool. "What's your plan? You know Lucius won't give up. I've told you before—the safest place for you is here, with me."
"I know," Leo admitted. "But I still need to go."
She didn't argue. "Then so be it."
Leo hesitated. "Don't you want to know how I moved inside the Amulet's rule?"
She studied him for a long moment, as if reading more than just his words. "Everyone has their secrets," she finally said. "As your master, I've decided to trust you."
He nodded. "Thank you." Then he rose from his seat.
"When will you leave?"
"Tomorrow morning."
Alexia gave a small nod. "The maids will help you prepare whatever you need."
Leo turned to go, but something tugged at him before he reached the door. He stopped, then glanced back over his shoulder.
"Master… if I hadn't stepped in—would that attack have actually hit you?"
A rare, small smile formed on Alexia's lips. "What do you think?"
Leo returned the smile, knowing the answer now. His intervention hadn't been necessary. That battle hadn't escalated into a full, deadly confrontation. If Lucius had wanted to use the amulet to kill Alexia, he could've changed the rule. Instead, he danced around the edges—measuring her, provoking her. Which meant the Thorn hadn't been his real objective. Not truly.
Leo was just about to leave when a thought struck him.
"One last thing. What's the Pope's full name?"
Alexia raised an eyebrow, slightly thrown by the question. "The Pope? Alister Caelum."
Leo repeated the name under his breath. "Caelum…"
Alexia leaned forward slightly, her curiosity piqued. "Why do you ask?"
"Just general curiosity," he replied. Then, without giving her time to press further, he slipped out of the room.
…
That afternoon, Leo spent his time gathering the supplies he would need. The maids helped as instructed, filling his bags with food, clean clothes, and maps. But the entire time, Leo's thoughts drifted elsewhere—to the sword, the void, and his domain.
Once everything was prepared, he entered that space again. He stood in his throne room, the ever-present white mist gently swirling at his feet. A pulse of red light radiated from the Thorn, suspended in the air before his throne, its glow faint but rhythmic—like a heartbeat in an otherwise colorless world. That subtle pulse added the only other hue in a place of endless white, and it reminded him of something vital: this domain was his, but he still didn't fully understand it.
His eyes shifted upward, settling on the glowing circle carved into the air above his throne. He didn't know what the symbol meant, but he could feel its weight pressing into the very fabric of the room.
With a deep breath, he stepped away from the throne and descended the white stone stairs that went down into the expanse below. The lower level of his domain stretched out like an untouched canvas—silent, still, and endless. As he moved, his voice echoed quietly.
"I need to do more with this place." He paused, scanning the vast blankness around him. "I need to understand domains better. How they work. What I can actually do here."
Then a thought sparked in his mind, as simple as it was powerful. "Maybe I should hold my own meeting here."
The domain answered. At the foot of the stairs, the smooth floor began to tremble softly. A regal archway took shape, carved from the same pale stone, curving high like the entrance to a temple. Beyond it, the white mist split, and from the ground, a platform rose. As it settled into place, a massive stone table formed at its center—ancient, weathered, and covered in faded markings. Around the table, eleven high-backed chairs emerged, each one uniquely carved with intricate designs, as if meant for beings not yet known.
Leo descended the final steps and approached the platform, wonder flickering in his eyes. "So… it responds to every thought I have."
He turned back toward the stairs and focused on his throne room. With another thought, a thick white fog manifested, flowing down like a veil over the archway and blanketing the path behind him. The staircase and upper chamber wrapped in the fog. Now, no one sitting at this table would be able to see where the master of the domain is—or if he is even present at all.
"I don't even need to attend the meetings myself," Leo murmured. "I can just bring people here."
His mind spun with possibilities. If he wanted to challenge gods someday, then he needed to start acting like one. But this wasn't about arrogance—it was about control, safety, and vision. Anyone he summoned to this place would need to be weaker than him, or at least bound to him. He couldn't risk bringing in someone whose power could overthrow his own. They had to be indebted to him, tied by fate or gratitude—loyal not by command, but by necessity.
Reappearing in his throne room with a mere thought, Leo sat down and looked out into the white void. A small, confident smile tugged at his lips.
"I can make my own team," he whispered.