Ch.76It’s over for the third time.

# 1. The Blooming Calamity

## The Witch of Blooming – Flora

One of the survivors of the <Witch> clan who wanders the entire continent.

She was a child born with special powers, even among the <Witches> who are each born with different talents.

The name of her power is <Memory>.

She was born with magic that handles human <Memories>, said to be hundreds of times more difficult than projecting mana externally.

After her race was dismantled due to extensive witch hunts, she isolated herself and honed her power alone for revenge.

Later, she met the 1st Elder – the Eclipse Calamity that Obscures the Sun, and joined Eclipse.

Her abilities were enhanced through his strange power, reaching the ultimate level of witchcraft.

As a result, though it requires sacrificing her life force, she reached the ultimate point of handling <Memories>.

If the target possessed intelligence, she could freely examine their <Memories>.

**[Eclipse’s 4th Elder – <Blooming Flower Calamity(SS+)> activates her enhanced ultimate skill – <Germination(SSS-)> at the cost of her life force.]**

Just like now,

“…Rose, sis, no……”

She became able to designate the most painful memory as a seed, making the target experience it exactly as it happened.

Even those with strong mental fortitude,

Those who have trained their bodies,

Even those who have trained both.

Before the Blooming Calamity, they all become mere humans facing enormous trauma.

Thus, even magicians who could bring down stars,

Martial artists who could annihilate mountains,

Swordsmen who could part the seas.

All died in tears, defeated by the memory magic of the Blooming Calamity.

And so it would be this time as well.

A survivor of the <Red> clan, purged for supposedly being cursed like herself.

This monstrous woman, presumed to be a member of the Black Wolf,

“N-no… that’s… that’s just a proph… prophecy… nothing more…”

Was merely a fragile human before her.

Yet, the witches who were hunted and the Red clan who were purged.

“Sis…!! No, don’t, die…!!!”

“……”

Flora, who hesitated due to their shared experience, soon steeled her resolve and drew her dagger.

“…I’m sorry. Nothing personal.”

As the black-gleaming blade slowly penetrated toward the sobbing Ruby’s heart.

**[<Dallan(SS+)> activates his 1st skill – <Dragons’ Feast(SSS-)>!]**

**[<Water Dragon General – Azure Dragon(SS+)> has been selected.]**

A massive water pillar rose like a dragon, protecting Ruby while pushing Flora away.

Flora immediately assessed:

‘I’ll lose in close combat.’

Not only was it not her specialty,

‘Aura? Spirit? …Doesn’t seem like mana. What kind of power is this?’

Since the power used by her sudden opponent was something she had never encountered before, Flora naturally melted into nearby shadows and activated her skill.

**[Eclipse’s 4th Elder – <Blooming Flower Calamity(SS+)> activates her enhanced ultimate skill – <Germination(SSS-)> at the cost of her life force.]**

Crack.

She instantly found Dallan’s trauma.

‘…Another woman? …Well, it doesn’t matter.’

With germination successful, in just a few minutes, this old man would be defenseless like the Red clan woman.

…Drip.

Flora wiped the blood leaking from her mouth and quietly closed her eyes.

Her consciousness turned to her mental world where the trauma of both people was being recreated.

‘Time is on my side anyway.’

The wait for victory began.

# 2.

## The Wanderer Dallan.

Right after achieving the rank of 10th strongest, which granted access to a realm permitted only to the top 10,

Dallan stepped into the realm of the cursed ones, in the center of the deep blue forest.

A realm of dense nature, barely touched by human footsteps.

What he thought would be more nature-friendly than anywhere he had been before,

“Are you lost?”

Was home to the <Red> clan, said to be cursed, hiding from people’s eyes.

So Dallan, after a moment of disappointment, turned to leave without regret……

“…What have you done to Ruby?”

Dallan barely regained his senses.

Crack.

He instantly broke his left ring finger.

‘No pain, and the wound healed immediately.’

Dallan immediately realized this was a mental world and grabbed the sword at his waist.

Mental world.

A creation of an independent space by those who transcend human limitations.

If dragged into someone else’s mental world, there are three main ways to break free:

One, submit and die.

Two, kill them somehow.

And finally, three.

Manifest a stronger mental world from within, tearing it apart from the inside.

**[<Dallan(SS+)> activates his ultimate skill – <Blue Field(SSS)>!]**

As the blue field expanded rapidly from Dallan’s center,

He approached the red-haired woman superimposed on Ruby and asked:

“Dallan. What did you truly love?”

“…!!”

Completing Dallan’s mental world required drawing his sword to gather power.

Despite this being the perfect moment,

“After such a long journey, have you reached the ending you desired?”

“……”

Dallan hesitated to draw his sword, fearing the woman might be cut.

‘I know.’

The woman before him was just an illusion recreated by the enemy, not the real one.

But,

‘…If she’s going to disappear when cut anyway, would one word be so wrong?’

Was it because of the promise he couldn’t keep, or the feelings he had for her?

A small lingering attachment filled Dallan’s mind, and after a brief deliberation, he answered in a small voice:

“I… I am still wandering.”

“Yet you continue forward, don’t you?”

“…I.”

“That’s the kind of person you are. Isn’t that right, Dallan?”

Without time to consider,

The question continued.

Gulp.

Biting his lip, Dallan answered after an even shorter deliberation:

“I am moving forward, but I still don’t know what it’s for.”

At first, it was because he loved freedom, later because he loved the freedom he shared with her.

“But after losing you……”

…Wait.

Dallan’s thoughts froze.

A crack formed in his sharply honed reason, and the memories maintained by that reason were absorbed by the seed that had been planted.

To become nourishment for something means to give everything one has.

Dallan’s reason,

His memories,

His awareness of the situation.

Everything returned to before he lost Rose Red, and everything that happened afterward disappeared.

**[Warning.]**

**[The <Seed of Attachment> embedded in <Dallan Esteban(S+)> absorbs memories as nourishment.]**

…Lost?

What was I saying?

Suddenly confused, Dallan stammered with his mouth open.

Rose Red, equally bewildered, asked as if she didn’t understand:

“What do you mean by losing me?”

“…I wonder myself.”

You are, as always,

Standing before me with a smile.

**[Warning.]**

**[The <Seed of Attachment> embedded in <Dallan(SS+)> blooms, using sorrow as nourishment.]**

Dallan smiled faintly and withdrew his power.

Shing,

Click.

When the slightly drawn sword returned, he was no longer Dallan of the Black Wolf, but Dallan the Wandering Dragon.

“Rose. This is sudden, but do you have time? For some reason, it feels like we haven’t met in a while, and I’d like to spend the whole day together.”

“You’d take me anyway, wouldn’t you?”

“My, as expected of the Red clan’s great prophet. I can’t hide anything from you.”

“Well, Dallan, you’re a transparent person even without prophecies.”

“And that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

Dallan smiled brightly, and Rose Red cautiously extended her hand toward him.

“Yes. Only you make me smile. …So, where are you taking me today?”

Hands joined after four years.

“Rose, anywhere you wish.”

It was so warm.

# 2.

## The basement of Valentine Manor.

In a passage leading to a huge cave, a woman staggered down the stairs.

“Cough… cough, cough!”

Dark red blood gushed out.

“Damn, these two humans… I thought they were regular members, but they’re elder-level…?”

Red eyes glowed faintly through the black hair covering her face.

Tap, tap, tap…

The woman, barely reaching the cave, pulled someone out of the shadows and threw them into a prison.

Crash!

Despite rolling loudly across the floor,

“…Sis.”

“Anywhere you wish…”

The red woman and the old man merely drifted through their dreams with faint smiles.

The Blooming Calamity.

A woman who possessed the strongest trait among the witch clan—recreating forgotten trauma so realistically that one cannot wake up until they realize it themselves.

“……”

Though she became powerful because of this ability, ironically, she was a contradictory woman who sincerely cursed her own power.

The woman shook her head to clear her thoughts, then muttered while looking at the two unconscious people:

“…Everything is for the world.”

So,

“No need to feel guilty…”

Everything is according to His plan.

We move forward for the salvation of the world.

# 3.

## Lactea Babylonia.

The vice-captain of the Black Wolf, once called the Empire’s next emperor.

The members knew.

Unlike them, the vice-captain of the Black Wolf was not bound by the <Black Wolf> restrictions, so she always maintained an <S+> rank.

“That woman is barely S-rank!! Push harder, Asha!!”

The moment she heard Selena’s briefing, a white light burst from Asha’s holy sword.

Clang!!!

The red greatsword flying toward the Guardian’s shield curved and missed, and blue-green mana flooded over Lactea.

“Now, Marin!!”

“…Troublesome woman.”

Since she was a woman who could cut even magic, they used pure mana to physically crush her.

Crack!

Despite the primal pain of bones breaking and muscles twisting, Lactea pulled out her left hand.

“……”

Yet not even a scream.

“Now, Balkan!!! Pin her down!!!”

“Uoooooooh!!!!! Marin, support me!!!”

“…Holy sword support comes first.”

“This is the end, Black Wolf.”

“……”

She merely contemplated while gazing at the radiance with brilliant golden eyes:

‘…Should I kill them?’

Lactea Babylonia.

The vice-captain of the Black Wolf, once called the Empire’s next emperor.

The members knew.

Unlike them, the vice-captain of the Black Wolf was not bound by the <Black Wolf> restrictions, so she always maintained an <S+> rank.

But she,

And her master, the Black Wolf, knew.

Lactea Babylonia.

She, who became a member of the Black Wolf before any other member, had formed a contract one level above the <Black Wolf> restriction,

“…You once told me. To endure three times in any situation, then do as I please.”

The contract of <Black Wolf>.

**[The vice-captain of the Black Wolf – <Lactea Babylonia> releases the <Black Wolf> restriction.]**

**[<Lactea Babylonia(S+)>’s rank rises to <Lactea Babylonia(Ex-)>.]**

Platinum hair settling calmly,

Red lips curling upward,

Golden eyes shining like a wolf’s.

Lactea Babylonia.

She, the vice-captain of the Black Wolf,

“Three times is up, Captain.”

Was the woman closest to the Black Wolf.