he gates of Umbralys groaned open, a sound like a mountain shifting. Riha stood atop her imperial carriage, her Black and Red robes snapping in the cold wind. Before the wheels turned, she looked down at the assembled officials—the men and women who would hold the heart of the Empire while she was at its throat.
"Listen well," Riha's voice carried the resonance of her Level 1 Peak Mental Power, vibrating in the chests of everyone present. "The laws I have written are not suggestions. If a merchant overcharges a peasant, seize their stall. If a noble ignores the new tax code, seize their lands. Lyra speaks with my tongue; the Eclipse Guard acts with my hand. I am going to the border to ensure your children never have to fear the sun again. Do not make me come back early because you failed to keep your own house clean."
With a final, sharp nod to Lyra, Riha stepped into the carriage. The six Night-Mares let out a haunting, synchronized neigh, and the caravan surged forward.
[The Whispering Woods]
By the second day, the paved roads of the capital gave way to the Twisted Wilds—a massive, ancient forest that served as the natural buffer between the Shadow Realm and the neutral Grey-Wastes. This was a place where the trees had teeth and the shadows breathed.
Riha didn't stay inside her silk-lined carriage. She rode on top, her Sovereign Staff across her knees, her violet eyes scanning the canopy. She was restless. Her Black Hole Core was spinning with a violent hunger, sensing the abundance of chaotic mana in the forest.
Suddenly, a high-pitched scream pierced the air. It wasn't the cry of a beast; it was human.
"Stop the caravan!" Riha commanded, her 75-ton physical power allowing her to leap from the moving carriage and land silently on the forest floor.
[The Encounter]
Through the dense, purple-black foliage, a young girl burst into the clearing. She had vibrant green hair—a shade deeper than Riha's disguise—and eyes of an unusual violet-black. She was stumbling, her clothes torn by briars, clutching a bag of herbs to her chest as if it were her own heart.
"Help! Please!" the girl gasped, collapsing near a gnarled root.
Behind her, the forest floor began to vibrate. From the darkness emerged a nightmare: the Obsidian Weaver, a Beast General class monster. It was a spider the size of a small house, its eight eyes glowing with a toxic yellow light. Behind it followed a "horde" of smaller, man-sized broodlings, their mandibles clicking in a terrifying rhythm.
Riha stepped in front of the girl, her silhouette small compared to the towering monster, but her aura was a mountain.
"A Beast General," Riha whispered, a cold, devilish smirk touching her lips. "I was wondering when the local wildlife would come to greet me."
[The Battle of the Abyss]
The Obsidian Weaver lunged, spraying a stream of corrosive, black silk.
"Chronos... Stutter," Riha commanded.
Time didn't stop, but it skipped. Riha moved with a jagged, high-speed motion that left after-images. The silk passed through her ghost-image and melted the ground where she had stood.
She swung the Chronos-Lunar Eclipse staff. "First Form: Event Horizon!"
As the staff swung, it created a localized gravitational vacuum. The smaller spiders were instantly sucked toward the center of the arc, their carapaces crushing against each other under the 75-ton pressure. Riha didn't stop. She vaulted over the lead spider, her Vajra-Bolt manifesting in her left hand.
"Internal Thunder!"
She jammed the bolt into the soft joint of the spider's leg. Lightning, dyed a dark violet by her core, surged through the monster's nervous system. The Beast General let out a screech that shattered the nearby trees. It tried to retreat, but Riha's Black Hole Core flared.
"Where are you going?" she asked, her voice calm and terrifying. "I haven't collected my taxes yet."
She landed a direct punch on the monster's central head. 75 tons of concentrated force met the obsidian shell. The impact didn't just break the shell; it sent a shockwave through the spider's entire body, liquefying its internal organs. The Beast General collapsed, its yellow eyes dimming into nothingness.
[The Loot of the Weaver]
Riha stood over the carcass, her breathing even. With a flick of her dagger, she harvested the Eight Prime Eyes.
"These," she noted, looking at the glowing yellow orbs. "Are worth a fortune in the Solari Dominion. They are the primary ingredient for 'Vision Elixirs' that allow people to see through illusions. And the silk..." she pulled a strand of the black webbing, "it's stronger than steel but light as air. Perfect for my new scouts."
She turned toward the girl, who was shivering on the ground, a faint green tint creeping up her neck.
"You're poisoned," Riha said, kneeling beside her. "Don't move. My core will draw it out."