"It's too dangerous, Ifrit!"
"But, Hm… it was dangerous then too!"
"…"
"Besides, I can already talk to the big guy inside me now! He said I can borrow his power."
"And what about the cost, Ifrit? Nothing in this world comes for free."
"Uh… yeah, that's true. He didn't really ask for anything, though."
"…Unacceptable. Ptilopsis, you'll come with me tomorrow to see Kal'tsit. We'll ask her to perform a full medical check-up on Ifrit."
"Ahh~ another check-up? So annoying…"
"Listen to me."
"…Fine. But, Hm, why can't I go see Saria? She's on the Rhodes too, isn't she?"
"…Just do as I say."
"…Okay then."
Silence and Saria must've had a serious argument this time, Ifrit thought, rolling over on her bed.
They still haven't made up after all this time… I bet it's that troublemaker Mobius fanning the flames again. Always does.
"…"
Still… I really miss them all.
She slowly drifted off to sleep.
And deep within her mind, the colossal figure made of fire—the being slumbering inside her—idly flipped through her memories like pages in a book.
'…So, Saria has arrived at Rhodes Island.'
'Ifrit's power level is stable.'
'Hmm. Taking on the form of a Fire Demon is useful after all. At least that little "Sarkaz King" girl won't freely use her mind-reading abilities on her own allies.'
'…Oh? You miss me, huh? How sweet. Guess my affection wasn't wasted.'
'Still, what kind of nonsense has Rhine Lab been feeding that head of yours?'
---
Meanwhile, somewhere in the depths of Lungmen—
"In a slum like this, who would've thought there'd be a courtyard house?"
Kashchey paused at the entrance of an old courtyard.
"I wonder… may I pay my respects to the master of this residence?"
The Shadow Guards at his side immediately sensed danger.
Without hesitation, they activated their Originium Arts to send a coded signal to Wei Yenwu.
Kashchey noticed their movements, of course—
but he remained utterly indifferent.
His staff had been damaged during the Chernobog incident, and he hadn't bothered to bring it to Lungmen.
Not that it mattered.
His power had never come from Originium Arts.
Even though Arts dominated modern Terra, they were far from being the only force.
The Feranmuts' Authorities, the Aegir's technology, the Northern Demons—
many powers existed outside the scope of Originium itself.
---
"Well then," a calm voice broke the tension. "To what do I owe the honor of the great Duke Kashchey's visit to my humble home?"
Inside the main hall, Kashchey sat across from Lin Kojui, the so-called Rat King of the slums—an aged Zalak whose many names were whispered with both fear and respect.
It was said his eyes and ears spread across all of Lungmen; that any who tried to carve out a share of the city's underworld would soon find their ambitions quietly buried.
But even Lin, shrewd and fearless as he was, dared not relax before the pale, frail-looking Phidia seated across from him.
For that man was Kashchey, Eternal Duke of Ursus—
a being many whispered of as a living god.
Lin had already dismissed most of his subordinates, sending them far from the courtyard. Only a few loyal, capable retainers remained hidden in the shadows.
He knew better than anyone—
numbers meant nothing against someone like this.
"Hehe, don't be so tense, Mr. Lin Kojui," Kashchey said with a faint, mocking smile. "I've no intention of making an enemy of Yan."
He didn't touch the teacup before him.
Instead, his tone shifted, light and cruel.
"However… I've never heard of someone building a house on top of a grave."
"…"
As Lin met the Duke's sly gaze, his heart sank.
He knew exactly what the man was implying.
"...This is Lungmen, Duke of Ursus. You're standing on Yanese soil."
"Oh? Then tell me—does the Emperor of Yan know that his dear brother once deceived him?"
"..."
"In your great Empire of Yan, treason against the sovereign is an unforgivable crime, isn't it?"
Just as Lin Kojui tried to stall for more time, the true ruler of Lungmen finally arrived.
"Well, well… Wei Yenwu. You came at just the right moment. I was just thinking of paying you a visit myself~"
Kashchey rose to greet him. But when his gaze fell upon the sword hanging at Wei Yenwu's waist, he merely offered a polite nod from afar before sitting back down.
"So cautious… it's almost insulting."
The Black Snake despised enemies like this—ones who refused to play into his rhythm.
---
"Ch'en, what are you looking for?"
In Ch'en Hui-chieh's office, Talulah—who was poring over the temporary cooperation agreement between Wei Yenwu and Reunion—looked up from the stack of papers. The office was a mess, drawers overturned, files scattered everywhere.
Ch'en hates disorder. Why is she tearing her own office apart?
"..."
Ch'en didn't answer. She kept searching, faster, more frantic.
When she'd turned the office upside down and still found nothing, she snatched her keys from the desk and grabbed Talulah by the wrist, dragging her toward the door.
"So urgent? It's not even your shift yet. Don't tell me you lost Chi Xiao?"
Talulah joked lightly, trying to ease the tension.
But the atmosphere only grew heavier.
"...Forget I said anything."
---
"Governor Wei, at such a cordial gathering, isn't it rather inappropriate to bring a deadly weapon?"
From outside the courtyard came faint, slithering sounds—like countless invisible snakes crawling across the walls, through the windows, slipping under the doors. They converged silently around Kashchey.
"...Kashchey. After all these years, you're still the same—pretending to be mad when it suits you."
Wei Yenwu stepped slowly into the hall, his boots echoing against the stone floor.
Ever since Talulah had gone to pay respects to her father and sister, he had felt a gnawing sense of unease.
Yet out of guilt—toward Talulah, toward the past—he had not stopped her.
So he made preparations.
Precautions he'd hoped never to use.
He had even sent the Shadow Guards to probe Talulah's mind—only for that wretched Black Snake to slip through their grasp.
Soon, Wei Yenwu stood barely ten steps from Kashchey.
Beside him, Lin Kojui rose, summoning sand to swirl protectively around Kashchey's form.
The Shadow Guards drew their weapons in unison.
But Kashchey remained seated, unflinching.
"Are you sure you want to draw your sword, Wei Yenwu?"
He smiled faintly. Unbothered. Amused.
"..."
As expected, Wei Yenwu stopped.
His expression, calm on the surface, trembled with restrained fury.
The kind of rage that wanted nothing more than to carve the man before him into pieces.
But in the end, he exhaled and waved a weary hand, signaling the Shadow Guards to stand down.
"...Wei Yenwu, you—"
Lin Kojui started to speak, then bit his tongue and stepped back.
He understood.
He had known Wei Yenwu for many years—and he understood why his friend chose restraint.
Wei Yenwu… the terranity in you grows thinner by the day.
Watching his old friend compromise before the monster in front of them, the Grey Rat King could only sigh in silence.