Chapter 924

A powerful force yanked at Crony. The arrow flew in a bold arc, grazing Ian’s shoulder before piercing the empty air. Everyone staggered back, startled by the sudden appearance of the monster’s true form.

Crony planted his feet firmly and muttered curses through clenched teeth.

“D-damn it!”

“Lord Crony!”

His comrades snapped back to attention, slashing at the darkness with their swords—but it was useless. Who could cut sunlight? Or water? Darkness was no different.

As the monster’s power slowly pulled Crony in, his subordinates shouted to Ako and Ian.

“Do something!”

“You’re mages, aren’t you? One spell from you would be more effective than hundreds of sword swings!”

Ako hesitated, biting her lip.

“The more magic we use, the stronger the monster becomes! This place is a rift!”

“That’s nonsense!”

“Lord Crony! Hold on to me!”

From atop the dragon’s back, Ian watched everything unfold. If Crony was dragged into the rift like this, wouldn’t he die? The death he had long wished for.

But why did something feel off?

‘This is strange.’

An instinctive resistance stirred within him. The Underworld God must not be allowed to take Crony away like this.

He couldn’t explain why. It wasn’t logical, but a strong premonition told him that if they lost Crony now, something terrible would happen.

“Ako!”

Ian leapt down from the dragon’s back and called out.

First, they had to save him. They were mages from the Magic Department, and Crony was the Empire’s likely next Defense Minister. Many eyes were watching—northern tribes, Crony’s soldiers and subordinates—all pinned their hopes on the mages.

“Damn it.”

Ako cursed under her breath and unleashed her magic. If they did nothing here, they’d surely be blamed—though she didn’t care. She wasn’t officially part of the Magic Department anyway. If things went south, she could just leave the palace and open her stall again. Punishment would be another matter, but still.

‘Not Ian.’

Ian was just a kid. A noble prodigy, the Magic Department’s hopeful future minister.

Putting all that aside, she couldn’t bear to see her precious friend dragged into palace scandal. Especially with the Underworld God spouting nonsense—

‘What? My child?’

It was too easy to misunderstand.

The fact that Ian and Crony were at odds wasn’t public knowledge, but everyone in the palace knew it quietly. If the Magic Department did nothing to save Crony now, they’d not only be criticized but Ian would be suspected.

‘They’d say he’s connected to the Underworld God.’

Swish!

Ako slid across the ground, snatching an arrow caught in the branches. She immediately turned and charged toward the rift, stabbing the darkness with the arrow’s tip.

A sharp ripple spread through the darkness, like water spilled over a watercolor painting. Realizing it worked, Ako kept stabbing, and the darkness began to contract.

Taking advantage of the opening, Ian scanned the area. Shimmering Idgal fragments sparkled all around. If they could use those…

‘A force that counters magic!’

The ground was cracked and unstable from the quake, but that could be fixed later.

Ian jumped down from the dragon and grabbed a large shard nearby. Like at Joy Department Store, a faint glow began to shimmer around it.

“Come on, Ako, hold on a little longer!”

“Ian, what are you—”

Slash!

A sharp blade of darkness grazed Ako’s cheek. Blood streamed down instantly, and before she could react, she realized her wrist was bound alongside Crony’s.

“…!”

Crack!

“Ahhh! Damn it!”

The sound of bones breaking was unmistakable. Overwhelmed by pain, Ako dropped the arrow. Crushed by the monster’s overwhelming force, she collapsed to her knees.

Thud.

The arrow lay on the ground. One of Crony’s men rushed to pick it up, but the darkness sliced through him cleanly.

Swish!

The corpse split perfectly in two, collapsing on either side.

Despite the shocking sight, Ian kept pouring energy into the Idgal shards. The answer had to be in there—how exactly, he didn’t know. Please, somehow…

Buzz! Whirr!

Ian’s conflicted mind was mirrored by the alternating golden and blue light in his eyes. The glowing Idgal vibrated continuously, but the darkness refused to fade.

Amid chaos and death, no one noticed the brief moment when Ian’s eyes turned emerald green.

Swish!

A golden swarm gathered around Ian, lifting the scattered Idgal shards into the air. It looked like thousands of fireflies meeting death in broad daylight.

“…!”

Everyone froze in surprise. Meanwhile, Crony, unable to withstand the darkness, tumbled toward the ground. He barely caught the edge of the rift and stopped.

“Save me! I said, save me!”

“L-Lord Crony!”

But no one dared approach. Grabbing him from afar was one thing; stepping to the edge of the rift and reaching out was another. The split corpses were a grim warning: those who defy the gods will not escape death.

“Hurry!”

“C-Cr—!”

His subordinates hesitated, stepping forward then retreating repeatedly. Meanwhile, the Idgal swirling around Ian began to coalesce into a massive orb.

“Ian…?”

Ako, clutching her shattered wrist, whispered in shock. It wasn’t a trick of the light. More Idgal swirled around the boy than had ever been shattered.

‘This can’t be…’

Was Ian really creating Idgal? Holding her broken wrist, Ako stared dumbfounded at the miracle unfolding before her.

Snap!

Without hesitation, Ian flew toward the rift, ready to tear it apart. But instead of reaching the rift—

“…!”

He grasped Crony’s hand.

With his other hand, Ian controlled the Idgal, slowly sealing the rift’s cracks. As the darkness thickened in response, a low, sinister laugh echoed—the ripple of the abyss.

“Ian.”

Crony looked up at Ian, who gripped his hand tightly. For some reason, his eyes seemed gentle. Ian kept producing Idgal, biting his lip in determination.

“Hurry and come up!”

I can’t just let you die like this. You—you have to carry all the blame and apologize to me! And I won’t just stand by and watch some monster king, who appeared out of nowhere, get his way.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to say in this situation, but going against the will of the underground god felt like the right thing to do for Gaia.

“Ian. Ah, such a kind child—”

Chronie whispered softly, then suddenly flashed a sharp look and yanked Ian toward her.

“Did you think I’d just die like this?!”

Whoosh!

Chronie struggled, pulling Ian upward. Ian’s body tilted in midair, falling headlong toward the chasm below. He could have flown up easily with magic, but once his balance was broken, he lost all strength. It was because they had entered the realm of darkness.

“Ah.”

As Ian slipped, Chronie lost her grip and floated helplessly in the void.

In an instant, darkness filled everything around them. The only thing visible to their eyes was the golden gem, Idgal, slowly sealing the crack. Were they really going to fall together like this? Just like this?

—Kyuuuuu!

At that moment, Kyu summoned all his strength and dove straight down. The dragon’s powerful claws snatched Ian up, and they quickly ascended.

For a brief moment, Ian caught a glimpse of the abyss. Countless shadows flashed past in an instant. It was the first time the boy realized that even darkness had its own texture.

“Kyu! Get us out of here!”

Idgal was forming faster and faster. Kyu’s wings were torn and scales fell off as he forced his way through the narrow opening. Still, he didn’t stop.

—Kyuuuuu!

“Ughhh!”

With a scream of pain, Chronie’s cries gradually faded.

Sssshhh.

At the same time, the crack was completely sealed by Idgal.

The pounding of hearts echoed loudly in Ian’s mind. An eerie silence followed, as if it were a lie. The only sounds were their own heartbeats.

“…”

Ian cautiously crawled forward to peer beneath the Idgal. The space was still unfathomably deep. Nothing could be seen.

“Ch-Chronie-sama?”

“Chronie-sama!”

Only then did the subordinates, having regained their senses, rush over and call out—but it was too late. The underground god had vanished. As if it had all been a dream. When the subordinates struck the solidified Idgal in despair, Arco shouted,

“Stop! You idiots, what if you break it again?!”

“But still, Chronie-sama is down there…”

The subordinates murmured in disbelief. Their eyes were on Ian, as if asking him to explain what had just happened.

“Is she… dead?”

Chronie dead?

Chronie was dead.

Ian repeated the thought over and over. She had fallen below the crack, so she couldn’t have survived. That abyss was called hell even by the mages.

But why… why did he feel otherwise?

“I asked if she’s dead!”

They asked again, sitting there stunned, tears streaming down their faces. Ian answered silently in his mind:

‘I don’t know.’

Whether Chronie was dead or alive, if alive, where had she gone? Why had the underground god taken her? If he took her, there must be a reason…

If someone asked why he thought that way, Ian would answer:

‘My instincts are telling me so.’