Asana was confined in a corner of a supply base that the Anti-Imperial Alliance had set up along the empire’s border. It wasn’t a pleasant situation, but thanks to Yuri’s kindness, she was able to live there without too much discomfort.
“Asana. Run away.”
The Assassin God spoke to her as she sat in the cell, staring blankly through the bars.
“You don’t belong here.”
This strange presence dwelling inside her, granting her uncanny powers, rarely spoke with weakness. Yet whenever the topic turned to dark magic, it kept repeating the same warning: run away.
Asana pressed the Assassin God.
“You’re saying that again. What do you even know?”
“Run away.”
“So what do you know?”
“That’s not important!”
“It is important.”
Hearing her voice, a guard outside peeked through the door crack.
Seeing Asana muttering to herself and talking to the invisible presence, he looked at her with pity.
“Tsk, tsk…”
He clicked his tongue and closed the door again. Asana felt wronged.
“You made me look crazy.”
“Does that matter? You’re so carefree.”
The Assassin God sounded annoyed.
“Asana.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m serious. You have to leave.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere.”
He paused, then added,
“Far away. Better yet, head east. If possible, find a place even farther east.”
“Why?”
“The gate is opening.”
“Gate?”
“Yes.”
“What gate?”
Asana, betrayed by Yuri, had become strangely calm, as if she had given up on everything.
“If you stay here, your life is in danger.”
“Then I have no choice.”
“Asana!”
The Assassin God spoke earnestly, but she just leaned against the wall, rocking her feet back and forth.
“The gate to the Outer Universe is opening.”
“What’s that?”
“Beings beyond human comprehension are coming!”
“Really?”
Asana tapped her chest with her fingertips.
“How do you know that?”
“I can feel it.”
“How can you feel that?”
“I…”
The Assassin God sighed. As a parasitic entity living inside a human host, he tried desperately to persuade her.
He revealed a hidden truth.
“Because I am a being from the Outer Universe.”
Asana tilted her head.
“You never said that before.”
“I had forgotten. But when that madman using dark magic opened the gate, memories of my origin started resurfacing. I was forcibly summoned from the Outer Universe by an ancient entity. But crossing the gate caused me to lose much of my memory and power.”
“Is that so? Were you strong there?”
“Stronger than now, but still a minor being in the Outer Universe.”
“Is the Outer Universe really that terrifying?”
“It’s a place humans cannot understand.”
“Still, try to explain.”
“It’s impossible. It’s a realm where indescribable things drift eternally in the void. That’s all I can say.”
“I see.”
Asana nodded.
“So you’re saying that because a being from the Outer Universe will be summoned, I should run away?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Haah…”
The Assassin God sighed again. He began lecturing her like a scolding older brother to a stubborn younger sibling.
“I understand you’re not in your right mind because of heartbreak. Asana, everyone goes through that. That Yuri fellow doesn’t feel right to me. He’s hiding something. Change your mind. This isn’t the end, but a new beginning. Love someone else. It’ll be better. And…”
Asana chuckled.
“Fool.”
“What?”
“It’s not because of that.”
“Then you don’t believe me?”
“I do.”
“Then why are you just sitting here? Chains like these…”
“Because I trust His Highness Yuri too.”
“What?”
“Whether the gate to the Outer Universe opens or not, he’ll handle everything. There’s no need to run.”
“Eek!”
The Assassin God screamed inside her, causing Asana to clutch her chest. Though he couldn’t harm his host, he could cause a pain sharp enough to make her heart throb.
She tapped her chest again.
“Enough.”
“I’m frustrated. You pathetic fool. What do you think I’m saying? Beings from the Outer Universe are beyond human control.”
“But I’m handling you just fine.”
“I’m a nobody!”
“Really?”
“The beings waiting beyond that gate are incomparably powerful. That dark magician is completely insane for messing with them!”
“Calm down. You’re making my head ring.”
“This is no time to calm down!”
As the Assassin God shouted, Asana held her head. His voice echoed relentlessly in her mind.
She tapped her head.
“Okay, okay, quiet…”
“Are you hearing voices?”
“Shut up…”
Suddenly, Asana startled and looked up. Someone had spoken so naturally that she hadn’t noticed at first.
Standing just outside her sight was a beautiful woman with flowing red hair.
Asana pointed at her.
“Who are you…?”
“I’ll make it quiet for you.”
“Huh?”
The woman’s full lips moved.
“Powerful Word of Silence.”
Suddenly, all sound vanished.
The Assassin God’s noisy shouting, the camp noises outside the tent, even the rustling of her own clothes—all disappeared.
It was as if every sound in the world had been erased.
In that perfect silence, only the unknown woman’s voice gently seeped in.
“My name is Cruar. You might be disappointed if you don’t remember me…”
Asana tilted her head. She had heard the name before. Cruar was one of the Ten Strongest and the last dragon connected to His Highness Yuri.
She hadn’t known Cruar could take human form.
Asana asked,
“Did you come looking for me?”
“Yes. More precisely, because of that noisy one inside you…”
Cruar leaned in close. Her face was like a carved statue, devoid of humanity.
So close that Asana could see the reptilian texture in her pupils.
Though she looked human, she was not human. It felt as if Cruar’s eyes were piercing through her very soul.
“Is that one from outside?”
Asana answered dazedly.
“I’m not sure, but it said it came from the Outer Universe.”
“I would like to grant that one the honor of meeting the great dragon Cruar in person. You might be disappointed if you refuse…”
“Impossible.”
Asana shook her head.
“It only knows how to parasitize others.”
“Hmm, perhaps Cruar has come on a fool’s errand…”
Cruar sighed and asked Asana,
“Human, are you affiliated with Briole?”
“Yes. Technically…”
Though a prisoner, she was in Briole’s prison, so she could say that.
Cruar said,
“If you tell me where Yuri Briole is, I might reward you…”
“Yuri Briole?”
“Yes. Ana?”
“What is it?”
“There’s something I want to tell him, but I can’t go.”
“Why not?”
“Humans don’t know about the pact between the great dragon Cruar and the emperor…”
“I know there’s some kind of promise, but not the details.”
“Dragons are a sacred race that keep their promises. I cannot enter imperial territory with harmful intent. There are about a hundred years left…”
“Huh?”
Asana frowned. With the continent in crisis, couldn’t such a pact be ignored? But she truly looked troubled.
Cruar crossed her arms and sighed deeply.
“My noble bloodline sometimes becomes a hindrance…”
“Is it urgent?”
“Yes. Perhaps the fate of the continent depends on it…”
“…”
“If this were a play, the appearance of the great dragon Cruar would be the most crucial climax. What to do… I wish someone could deliver the message for me. It’s truly troubling…”
Now that the Assassin God was quiet, Asana’s mind was clearer than ever.
She could decide without hesitation.
“Then I’ll deliver it for you.”
Cruar raised one eye.
“Really…?”
“Yes.”
Asana stood up naturally. The restraints binding her body fell away. Such things could not hold the master of the Assassin God.
Yuri must have known this too. Yet he had taken no further measures against her.
Though he spoke coldly, Asana could feel the warmth beneath his words.
“I think it’s time I truly repay His Highness Yuri. Cruar.”
“Are you close to him?”
“Yes. Very close.”
“Perhaps the one inside you coming here was fate arranged for the great dragon Cruar…”
Cruar smiled.
“Now, Asana. Remember my words well.”
“Yes.”
“What I’m about to tell you comes from an ancient tome kept in my private chamber. The demon’s grimoire has long troubled the world.”
Cruar’s eyes fixed on her.
Meeting that gaze, Asana felt as if her brain was pierced by a spike, unable to think beyond it. All her faculties seemed devoted solely to remembering Cruar’s words.
Amid a level of focus he had never experienced before, Asana etched Cruar’s words deep into his mind.
“The Devil’s Grimoire doesn’t vanish just because you kill the bearer. To truly break its curse, you must not use a sword…”
Hernando, who had revealed the divine mandate, kept insisting they head to Zbeta.
It was the first time he had clung to something with such desperation.
“Looks like he’s seen something important,” Yuri thought.
In the end, Yuri made his decision.
“Alright. We’re going to Zbeta.”
He anticipated resistance from the Holy Kingdom, Bursen, and Liberta.
But all of them followed his decision without protest.
“No objections?”
“No, Your Highness.”
Every messenger Yuri sent returned with the same reply.
“They trust you, Your Highness.”
“Huh…”
The answer only added to his burden.
Yet Yuri had never feared the weight settling on his shoulders. He calmly accepted that the fate of the Anti-Empire Alliance—and indeed the entire continent—rested on him.
It was his duty.
“Right. If that’s the case, there’s no time to hesitate. Let’s move out.”
With that, the Briole army decided to march toward Zbeta, and the other nations followed without question. The Anti-Empire Alliance, originally bound for the imperial capital, changed course and advanced toward Zbeta.
As the march continued, Yuri found himself beginning to believe in the divine mandate Hernando spoke of.
Because at some point, within the realm of his soul, he started sensing the distant energy of Zbeta.
Hernando nodded at Yuri’s words.
“Yes. But it’s not a good sign. It means something in Zbeta is growing stronger, its presence becoming clearer.”
“I see.”
“We must hurry.”
But soon, the Briole army was forced to halt.
Something blocked their path.
“What does this mean?”
“Is there really a meaning to it?”
Jared, humming beside Yuri, spoke up.
“If they’re blocking us, then we just have to go and smash them.”
The imperial army had established a defensive line along the route to Zbeta.
Their formation was solid.
Yuri felt the empire valued Zbeta more than the imperial palace.
After all, it was Cedric who now controlled the empire. From his perspective, the symbolic value of the capital was meaningless.
Cedric was committing all these acts to build the world he dreamed of, so he wouldn’t care about the values the empire once held dear.
Yuri was convinced that heading to Zbeta was the right choice.
But then, why had Cedric deliberately mentioned Zbeta to him, trying to draw his attention?
As Yuri drew his sword, muttering under his breath, “I don’t need to understand that madman’s thoughts. Inariel!”
He immediately sought out the mage, who appeared as if waiting for the call.
“What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing complicated,” Yuri said with a sly smile.