“W-wait a moment!”
Lucifer, clearly flustered, suddenly raised his hand—almost reflexively.
The light that had been flooding the screen abruptly froze. The image paused.
“Lucifer.”
“Just a moment, Satan. Please, just a moment.”
Lucifer’s face was etched with confusion. His voice trembled as he spoke in a pleading tone.
He deliberately took a deep breath, then cautiously moved his hand. The image began to rewind, the light flowing backward across the screen.
After a short while, the video stopped again. The rewound footage showed a box flying through the air—or more precisely, a white magical circle materializing in midair.
“That’s a summoning circle.”
Lucifer forced himself to stay calm as he spoke. His long, slit-like eyes now glared fiercely at the screen.
“A random summoning circle. Limited to the intermediate realm. Could it be the work of angels?”
Satan nodded calmly, almost as if confirming a correct answer. Both Lucifer and Satan possessed extensive knowledge about magical circles, so they recognized it instantly. Yet, despite their expertise, a subtle unease seeped into their otherwise composed voices.
Slowly, the image resumed, and the magical circle began to shift. The two demons held their breath, focusing intently on analyzing the changes.
At first, the summoning circle was composed of various symbols arranged in a precise pattern. But then, the symbols started to melt away, replaced by new characters. Like amoebas dividing, the glowing script shrank to less than half its original size but grew far more intricate, filling the empty spaces of the circle with complex patterns.
Before long, both the arrangement and the symbols had completely transformed. The newly formed magical circle bore almost no resemblance to the original—it had become an entirely different circle. It was no longer recognizable as a summoning circle.
“Hmm.”
A deep, troubled sound escaped Lucifer. The new circle was so complex and obscure that even a great demon struggled to decipher it. It felt almost familiar, yet any attempt to interpret it yielded no clear definition. Even Satan remained silent.
How much time had passed?
Just as Lucifer hesitated over whether to continue watching the footage—
“This is…”
Satan stirred from the shadows, his crimson pupils flickering with a mix of shock and disbelief.
“W-what is it?”
Lucifer stammered, surprised by Satan’s rare reaction. At the same time, the vague anxiety he’d been feeling began to sharpen into something more concrete.
“It’s a composite circle.”
Satan’s hurried movements toward the screen betrayed a sense of urgency.
“A composite circle?”
Lucifer repeated, and Satan swiped diagonally across the image. A blood-red afterimage cleanly bisected the magical circle on the screen.
“Each part has a distinct role, but they’re interconnected. The mixed connection style is why I didn’t recognize it immediately.”
Satan quickly explained, pointing to the lower right section of the circle, leaving the upper left portion visible. Both pairs of eyes fixed intently on the remaining segment.
“Ah.”
At that moment, Lucifer’s narrow eyes widened as if awakening to a sudden realization.
“A dimensional transfer circle…!”
“It’s a dimensional transfer circle.”
Their shocked exclamations overlapped, voices trembling.
Lucifer sprang to his feet. The words “This can’t be!” rose in his throat, but he swallowed them down. He knew better than anyone that the footage was genuine.
“Then the remaining part…!”
Satan removed his hand, revealing the lower right section. Lucifer froze—not because of the circle itself, but because a sudden thought struck his mind.
The footage had been paused for some time now.
So what was the current situation, really?
He hadn’t thought deeply about it. He hadn’t precisely assessed the battlefield or made a calculated decision. The box had been brought along half in jest, with little expectation it would be needed. After all, the monster summoning box wasn’t about probabilities—it was a gamble, an adventure.
But in this desperate moment, Ansoul had only one wish.
“That my brother can win without getting hurt any further…!”
A ‘miracle’ that defied common sense.
‘Blue Dahlia,’ the power that made the impossible possible.
‘As You Wish,’ which amplified Ansoul’s intent.
And ‘Monster Summoning Box 4.’
The combined force of these four powers had just manifested.
The box dropped with a soft thud, rolling across the floor. Then, a magical circle erupted into the air, radiating a light brighter than any other. The circle began to rise, spinning slowly at first, like interlocking gears, then accelerating.
It was sudden. Everyone, drowning in despair, momentarily forgot their plight and looked up. Even the evil god halted his movements and turned around. The unexpected phenomenon captured every gaze.
The circle spun so fast that the symbols blurred beyond recognition. Its color deepened as it grew larger, turning like a motor pushed beyond its limits.
Kiiiiiiing!
Suddenly, the circle emitted a screech like metal scraping metal. The surrounding space warped and twisted, folding in on itself before spiraling like a giant conch shell.
Then—
“Graaah!”
The massive form of the evil god flailed, then was lifted helplessly into the air. It crashed into the center of the floating circle.
“Kalararararara!”
For the first time since its resurrection, the evil god screamed. For some reason, the spatial vortex began to cling to its body, sucking it in with relentless force. The god’s towering height, once reaching the ceiling, slowly shrank—a clear sign of the draining power.
The evil god struggled desperately to break free, but the vortex clung tighter, absorbing more energy. It was a fierce tug-of-war, the god trying to escape while the vortex held on stubbornly.
But the evil god wasn’t about to give up. Suddenly, twin plumes of smoke erupted from its body as it began wildly attacking the circle and the nearby vortex. Even as the smoke was sucked away, it kept producing more, pounding with all its might.
Ignoring its own safety, the god’s relentless assault made the circle tremble violently. Seizing a brief moment when the suction weakened, the evil god finally broke free and crashed to the floor. By then, its size had shrunk to about a tenth of what it was.
“Krororororororor!”
Furious, the evil god opened its maw wide and roared savagely.
Kiiiiiiiiing!
In response, the magical circle emitted a fierce, resonant howl.
The ice temple trembled, and the earth shook. Though it was just the clash of sounds, the impact was enough to cause an earthquake.
While the evil god fought with all its might, the circle finally released its accumulated power in a violent burst. The raging torrent of mana surged forth with terrifying force, enough to trample the evil god with ease.
Then, the swirling vortex abruptly stopped. The magical circle shone brilliantly once more, spreading an unknown energy in all directions. At the same time, a strange resonance echoed through the temple, which was barely holding its shape.
Suddenly, all noise was cut off. Or rather, vanished. Only a faint, static-like ringing flickered in Ansoul’s ears, piercing his eardrums. The space was utterly silent.
Haah, haah.
Ansoul suddenly felt short of breath. Was it because all external sounds had been blocked? Now, even his own breathing and swallowing sounded unnervingly clear.
A strong gust of wind blew, wildly tousling Ansoul’s hair. He frowned instinctively. The wind was fierce, but more than that, it carried an intense heat.
Amid the scorching blast that seemed capable of burning everything, Ansoul clenched his fluttering robe and stared up at the sky. Though the dazzling light made it hard to see clearly, he thought he caught a glimpse of a soft, crimson silhouette.
After a moment, something finally emerged completely from the storm.
And as it gently landed—
“…!”
Ansoul saw it clearly.
“Hmm?”
The woman lifted her head lightly, and her softly waving hair cascaded down in thick waves. Her hair, reminiscent of flowing lava, was vibrant and alive. Her fingers, delicately brushing a few strands, were exquisitely graceful and sensual.
But that wasn’t all. Her eyes shone with a vivid scarlet hue, her features perfectly symmetrical, her jawline firm and defined, and her skin so smooth it seemed she might slip away if touched. Everything about her was extraordinary—an alluring presence that defied human description.
“Heh… what new trouble is this?”
The woman sighed and took a step forward. Though a simple movement, the way she leisurely surveyed her surroundings with serene eyes radiated authority. Yet it was not overbearing; rather, it felt natural, even sweetly fitting.
One peculiar thing stood out: the woman’s belly was swollen to an extraordinary size. It was as large and round as if she were a full-term pregnant woman, swollen to the size of Namsan Mountain itself. Even that sight was incredibly beautiful.
“Suna, Suna… this is so strange. What on earth is this… huh?”
At that moment, the woman, who had been gently stroking her swollen belly as if singing a lullaby, suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her gaze fixed on a single point. Though the light hadn’t yet faded, a massive, shadowy figure appeared in the distance. A flash of red eyes caught her attention.
“Huh? Why is the child of Thanatos here…?”
— Kerererelelerereng!
It was then. Before the woman could even finish her surprised words, the evil god charged forward with thunderous steps. Like a wild boar gone mad, it trampled and smashed everything in its path. There was no mistaking the hostility—it was far from a welcome. The woman’s eyes narrowed sharply, sensing the ferocity.
“A madman.”
She spoke calmly, almost coldly. Meanwhile, the evil god closed the distance swiftly, as if determined to crush her in a single blow. It twisted its body violently, unleashing a long, thick plume of smoke that surged upward like a dragon before crashing down like a fist.
“Fuu.”
In that split second, the woman let out a short sigh and raised her right hand, while her left gently cradled her belly.
Kwang!
A deafening explosion shook the very air. The impact sent a thick cloud of white smoke billowing up, then slowly settling.
Moments later.
“…How tragic. To carry my king within me, yet have no husband to protect me, and suffer such a fate.”
Her sorrowful voice accompanied a scene that was nothing short of miraculous.
The massive, swirling smoke was held firmly in the delicate grasp of one hand. The evil god’s all-out strike had been stopped as easily as twisting a child’s wrist.
For a moment, the woman’s red lips curled in what seemed like resentment toward someone, but she soon opened her eyes calmly and looked up at her opponent.
“Still, you truly are mad… Ah, you really are insane.”
She immediately saw through the evil god’s condition, then gave a provocative smile. It wasn’t anger, but more of a mocking sneer.
“Even so…”
Kwarururuk, kwarururuk!
Suddenly, crimson flames erupted from the point of impact, crackling and devouring the smoke as they blazed fiercely. The writhing, twisting fire was more destructive than any force in this world—even more so than the primordial flames known as the Fire of Creation.
At that moment, the woman’s eyes snapped wide open. The cold, unyielding killing intent that poured from her gaze foretold what was to come.
“The crime of attempting to assassinate the king must be paid for with your life.”
Her melodious voice, resonant and commanding, echoed like a death sentence—the most certain execution in this world.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
“Biaaaaaaah!”
Transparent Ansol screamed out in anguish.