Cedric descended from the ceiling, landing with a solid thud.
His figure became clear and distinct.
Yuri instinctively knew—this was the real Cedric.
The aura he radiated was unmistakable.
The Cedric she’d seen on the surface, the one who swapped bodies like masks, was nothing but an illusion.
This was the true enemy—the master of dark magic, the one who opened the gates to another realm and unleashed calamity upon the world—finally standing before her.
“I wanted to show you this place,” Cedric said, spreading his arms wide.
“This will be the heart of the new world I’m creating.”
Yuri smirked.
“So you’re just going to hole up in some corner of the earth, sniffing mold all day?”
“I hate the sun. I can’t control it.”
“What?”
“I’m building a city where I control everything—light, temperature, even the flow of seasons. It’ll be perfect.”
“So you built a city where the sun doesn’t reach?”
“Exactly.”
“You’re insane.”
“Monkeys can’t understand humans, and vice versa.”
“Enough with the monkey talk.”
Yuri raised her Guilty sword.
“Let’s just die together, you bastard.”
“Not yet.”
Cedric suddenly curled his lips into a grin.
“How do you feel?”
“What do you mean?”
“How does it feel to be betrayed by your little friend?”
He clutched his stomach, chuckling as if barely able to contain himself, then burst into loud laughter.
“Fooled, huh? You believed it? Thought the world was on your side? Hahaha…”
His voice grew louder.
“I brought you here. This is my world. Didn’t I say? Here, I can do whatever I want. Admit it, Yuri. You’re strong. Unbelievably strong—maybe even as strong as me. But not here. I thought about how to drag you here…”
He pointed at Cory.
“Sending Cory was the answer. He’s my loyal friend now. How’s that feel, Yuri? Betrayed? Didn’t see this coming, did you?”
Yuri stared at Cedric silently. He was grinning like he was truly pleased.
“Cedric.”
“Yeah?”
“You’ve been pretty upset, haven’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You keep getting surprised because I keep breaking your precious predictions. You must be pretty pissed. I’d love to show you that smirk in a mirror.”
Cedric’s laughter abruptly stopped.
“Yeah, I figured you’d say that.”
“Oh?”
“Cory.”
Cedric called out.
“Attack Yuri.”
But Cory didn’t respond. He just rolled his eyes.
“What? Attack her already!”
“Cedric, it’s the opposite. Cory’s been deceiving you.”
Yuri raised her Guilty sword with a teasing smile.
“Cory never betrayed you. He joined you just to sabotage you from within.”
“Nonsense.”
Cedric shook his head.
“Yuri, you’ve never really looked at him. You don’t know the heart of Cory, who’s hated by everyone because everyone loves you.”
“Is that so?”
“Cory, tell him. Whose side are you on? Yours or Yuri’s?”
Cory didn’t answer and took a step back. Cedric nodded knowingly.
“Now I get it.”
He brushed his hair back and laughed again.
“That little bastard’s playing it safe. Afraid you might win, so he can’t openly take sides here. Like a rat clinging to whoever’s winning.”
“Th-then…”
“Cory, I’ve seen your heart. Watching a friend fall as low and ugly as you, you felt pure joy. I’ve never seen a purer emotion. Not from anyone.”
Cedric nodded.
“I understand, Cory.”
Cory tried to speak but no sound came out. The air around him seemed to freeze.
He couldn’t breathe, his face contorted in pain.
“Cedric.”
Yuri charged forward, Guilty raised.
Cedric snapped his fingers sharply. Cory, who had been standing still, was suddenly struck by an invisible force, flying through the air before crashing hard onto the ground.
Yuri quickened her pace.
“You bastard!”
“Enough talk.”
Cedric spread his hands. A wave of black darkness surged toward Yuri.
She rolled on the floor to dodge, then lunged forward, swinging her sword.
The spirit blade’s energy tore through the dark magic shielding Cedric’s body, piercing deep inside.
She made contact.
But the moment she felt it, a powerful backlash flung her backward.
“Ugh!”
Yuri slammed into the ground, sliding for a moment before using the momentum to rise again.
Cedric floated in midair.
“We were one from the start, Yuri. All I had to do was kill you.”
“Can you?”
“I kept you alive for my own little pleasure, but that was a mistake.”
From the light source embedded in the underground city’s ceiling, a pillar of light descended, enveloping Cedric. He hovered in its center, arms outstretched.
Black tendrils of energy stretched out like tentacles in every direction.
[But now that you’re here, it’s over for you.]
Yuri gripped Guilty tightly and looked up at Cedric—and the light above him.
Destroying that was the only way to silence Cedric forever.
But it was nearly impossible to reach.
Too deep from the surface, too high from underground, and Cedric was wrapped in a power that seemed more godlike than ever.
Yuri took a deep breath.
Then she chuckled softly.
She found it almost laughable that she was still strategizing at this point.
Hadn’t she made her peace with this long ago?
The day she returned to the past.
No, even before that.
Watching Briol’s royal palace burn, she had vowed she’d give up anything to change it all.
She had prepared her heart then.
And now, her enemy stood before her, and the sword to kill him was in her hand.
No matter how strong Cedric was.
Yuri inhaled deeply.
And exhaled.
Breathing was the most fundamental part of the mana method. Through controlled breathing, she expelled all distractions and doubts.
Emptying herself, again and again.
She let go of useless things like hesitation and fear.
And as she emptied herself, something new began to fill her.
Yuri gripped her sword tighter.
From deep within, a murderous intent surged forth.
The single-minded determination to kill Cedric filled her body and soul, crushing all lingering hesitation beneath her feet.
Cedric looked down at her from above.
Dark tendrils fluttered behind him like wings—a death god from underground myth.
Yuri tapped the hilt of Guilty with her fingertips once.
In her mind’s eye, she painted a new image of Cedric.
His wings torn away, crashing to the ground.
A sword plunged into him, blood spraying out.
His eyes rolled back, begging for mercy.
But mercy was not something she would grant.
Her vision hardened into will.
The core of her being responded to the killing intent, pumping mana fiercely until it blazed.
Chaos.
The possibility to achieve anything.
It engulfed Yuri’s entire body.
And then she vanished.
Even Cedric, hovering in the sky, looked around in confusion.
In the underground city, he was practically a god. He never imagined Yuri could fool his senses.
He opened his mouth and called out his rival’s name.
[Yuri?]
Then came the reply.
“Why?”
Yuri, who had been nowhere to be seen, suddenly appeared behind Cedric.
[Huh?]
As Cedric cried out in surprise, flailing his tendrils,
Yuri’s sword struck down hard on his back.
The screech of metal rang out as Cedric screamed.
“Kraaaaaaah!”
His scream echoed through the entire underground.
From where his wings had been torn away, dark red shadows poured out in streams—redder than blood, blacker than darkness—filling Yuri’s vision.
Still, she didn’t close her eyes.
The dark magic touched her corneas, but she refused to flinch.
Its malevolent energy invaded her nerves through her mucous membranes, yet she kept her eyes wide open.
Not losing sight of her enemy, she swung Guilty again.
Possibilities within chaos expanded and contracted in waves.
Yuri snatched what she wanted, forcing it into her own body and into her enemy’s.
The damage she dealt to Cedric amplified without limit, while the harm to herself shrank to less than a speck.
Stepping on the darkness Cedric exhaled, Yuri flew through the air.
Wherever he dodged, she was already there, waiting, plunging her sword in.
Cedric’s body was pierced dozens, even hundreds of times.
His life force gushed out in torrents.
Cedric screamed like a dying beast.
[Yuri Briol!]
At this moment, Yuri could do anything.
With a mere thought, fractal whirlpools tore through his body.
When he tried to keep his distance, she pierced him from afar with her space-bending sword strikes.
“Die.”
Yuri’s speed accelerated.
Cedric fought desperately, but Yuri left no openings.
His chaotic power flared up again in full force.
Not a single gap remained.
After stabbing Guilty into Cedric’s abdomen, Yuri tried to shred him with a whirlwind.
But the dark magic stopped the rotation.
Their struggle continued, but then Yuri struck Cedric’s face with a punch.
And before long, she grabbed the wings that had regrown.
“Cedric!”
Yuri screamed his name, her voice thick with hatred.
Cedric, too, called out to her as he unleashed his power.
White and black energies collided.
Despite the fierce impact, Yuri didn’t let go of Cedric. Bound together, they plummeted to the underground floor, crashing down with a thunderous sound before bouncing off in opposite directions.
After rolling across the ground for a long moment, Yuri pushed herself back up.
Her eyes, now attuned to the realm of the soul, immediately locked onto Cedric’s position.
Without hesitation, she leapt.
Her muscles screamed from relentless abuse, but Yuri ignored the pain. Her body tearing apart was nothing.
She drove the dagger—Guilty—deep into Cedric’s still-recovering form.
Cedric groaned again.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
Yuri withdrew the dagger, then plunged it in once more. Instead of blood, a dark crimson shadow kept surging forth.
“Is that really all, Cedric?”
It was nothing less than a brutal massacre.
If her opponent had been an ordinary human, the violence would have been unbearable to witness.
But Cedric did not die.
Pierced and fluttering, he was instead smiling.
[You’re strong, Yuri. Honestly, even I don’t understand the source of your power.]
“Shut up and die.”
[But listen.]
Cedric raised his hand. Yuri sliced through his wrist. His hand fell.
Yet, before she could react, a new hand sprouted in its place.
[I won’t lose.]
At that moment, as if drawn by a magnet, Yuri was pulled into Cedric’s grasp. A massive force yanked her in.
Cedric grabbed her by the throat.
Yuri stabbed him in the abdomen with Guilty again, but he showed no reaction.
Her body began to lift off the ground.
[Yuri.]
“Damn it…”
[Look into my eyes.]
“Nonsense…”
But an invisible force forced her head to tilt.
She met Cedric’s gaze.
Within his jet-black pupils, something flickered.
[Look at this.]
Yuri’s movements froze. Through her optic nerves, a dark magic seeped in.
Helpless, she was forced to receive the madness Cedric injected into her.
[Inside me is this.]
The demonic grimoire had wandered the surface world for ages, collecting scenes of pain and death.
Pure, boiling resentment.
The demonic grimoire itself was a curse upon humanity.
[Understand?]
Cedric’s grip tightened.
He made no effort to heal his wounds. His body, riddled with slashes, mirrored the twisted shapes of the resentment swirling in his eyes.
Bleeding the dark crimson magic like blood, Cedric let out a laugh.
[I’ve changed my mind.]
He spoke with force.
[I’m going to make you suffer.]
At that moment—
The entire underground city trembled.
The ceiling was opening.