Johann had returned, reuniting joyfully with Pheles—that alone was certainly cause for celebration.
Pheles and Wilhelmina were both deeply moved by seeing Johann again.
However, Shana couldn't feel any happiness at all.
"Why are you here?! Where's Nitocris? What happened to Nitocris?!"
Shana did not lower her blade; her eyes, blazing scarlet, were fixed fiercely on Johann and Pheles, as if she might lose her reason and strike at any moment.
"Shana! Calm yourself!" Alastor's worried voice called from within the crimson pendant.
But Shana completely ignored his call. Right now, the only thing she cared about was Nitocris's safety.
"Allow me to explain."
Holding tightly onto Pheles's hand, Johann's expression turned serious as he addressed Shana. "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter, rest assured. That benevolent deity will be safe. In fact, if she hadn't willingly cooperated, that city-spanning Unrestricted Spell could never have taken her away."
Alastor's voice sounded again, solemn and thunderous: "That golden chain… as expected, Bal Masqué again? The work of the Arbiter of Reverse Reasoning, perhaps? Is their target the God of the Underworld?"
Johann shook his head slowly and spoke, "No. Their true target is the Reiji Maigo—or more precisely, the 'Psalm of Grand Order' that they sealed within the Reiji Maigo."
...
In a long, narrow corridor, two bizarre-looking Crimson Denizens walked side-by-side.
They were guards here, responsible for patrolling this place and preventing intrusions. However, that possibility was laughably low—at least, in all the years they'd worked here, no intruder had ever penetrated Seireiden unnoticed.
Not just them; even their superiors shared this opinion, so they wouldn't get scolded even if they slacked off to chat. Truly a cushy job.
"I hear a lot of Denizens have been sent to Japan recently, on orders from the Strategist."
"Yeah, even a few stationed here in Seireiden went over to that remote island country. No idea why, though…"
"What a joke. If you could understand what the Strategist was thinking, would you still be patrolling here with me? You'd already be someone important enough to shake the ground just by stamping your feet. But still, with even stationed Denizens sent away, our defenses must be thin now. If someone broke in, it'd be troublesome…"
"You're new here, right? Seireiden is hidden by a top-level Treasure Tool. Those Flame Hazes can't even find this place, let alone intruders. I've done this job for years and never seen any…"
As they spoke, a figure casually walked past them. Strangely enough, the two conversing Denizens didn't seem to notice this figure at all, their gazes never pausing on her for even a single moment.
"I see. So this is Seireiden, counterpart to Tendōkyū… It really would be easy to get lost here without a guide."
"Kami-sama… Did we just sneak right into the enemy's headquarters?"
"Exactly." Nitocris replied to Hirai Yukari's consciousness inside her. "For my plan, I require the authority of the Snake of the Festival, the God of Creation from the Crimson Realm. But in ancient times, the Flame Hazes joined together and banished him into the gap between worlds. To meet the Snake of the Festival now, I'll need the help of two of the Trinity, excluding Sydonay."
"Will Kami-sama release that God of Creation?"
"How could I?" Nitocris replied decisively. "Unlike Alastor, the Snake of the Festival is a god who affirms desires. He unconditionally grants the wishes of all Crimson Denizens. Back then, he wasn't sealed away because Flame Hazes had the power to defeat a god, but because he also listened to the wishes of Crimson Lords contracted with Flame Hazes. You could say the Snake of the Festival is the only god who stands unequivocally on the side of the Crimson Realm. As a God of Humanity, my conflict with him is irreconcilable. In the end, we'll inevitably clash."
Nitocris's expression turned cold, like the cutting winds of Fimbulwinter. "It won't be like that child's play between Flame Hazes and him in ancient times, but a true battle between gods. The human world can't withstand the presence of divine true forms, and the Crimson Realm is his home ground. Therefore, I'll shift the battlefield into the gap between worlds, minimizing damage to both sides."
In the anime, the Snake of the Festival had appeared quite gentle, easy to speak with.
He respected the wishes of his followers, wielding his "creation" power entirely to fulfill their desires, even allowing Flame Hazes to set "shackles" upon his newly created world.
He offered redemption to allies—when he thought Sakai Yūji would be overwhelmed by guilt for slaughtering numerous Flame Hazes, he comforted him: "Even if no one, including yourself, forgives you, I will forgive you."
He embraced former enemies—when Flame Hazes doubted their purpose, worrying their comrades' sacrifices had been in vain, he told them, "Your struggle had meaning," validating their efforts and sacrifices.
He was courteous even to subordinates—when intending to inform enemies of something, he first politely asked his own child, "May I do so?"
Thus, the Snake of the Festival seemed surprisingly popular, affectionately dubbed "Snake Uncle" by fans online.
He truly resembled Tiamat—both gods possessing "Creation" authority, gentle personalities, and both had been betrayed and banished from the world by the children (followers) they trusted. Neither held hatred despite their exile… Were all gentle gods like them destined to be betrayed?
And similarly, Nitocris would inevitably face battles with both Tiamat and the Snake of the Festival.
Tiamat's mere existence triggered re-creation, disrupting ecosystems, destroying old species to birth new worlds and species.
The Snake of the Festival used his divine power entirely for the wishes of Crimson Denizens, unconcerned whether this process destroyed the world or wiped out humanity—likely considering these issues as under Alastor's jurisdiction.
Alastor believed the Snake of the Festival could never return to the world again, unaware that the Snake had already prepared his return even when banished into the gap between worlds. He left behind the Unrestricted Spell known as the "Psalm of Grand Order." Bel Peol, Arbiter of Reverse Reasoning, had left an eye behind as a beacon guiding his way to the human realm. Hecate, Priestess of the Trinity, could hear his voice from within the seal and, if needed, sacrifice herself to summon forth the Snake's divine power.
Hence, Nitocris required Bel Peol and Hecate. Though her true form could indeed enter the gap between worlds, locating the Snake of the Festival alone would be immensely difficult. Bel Peol and Hecate could guide her path.
Unfortunately, despite belonging to the same Trinity as Sydonay, Bel Peol and Hecate were keenly aware of their own importance—and also aware that they lacked Sydonay's overwhelming combat power. Thus, they remained safely within Seireiden, never venturing outside. Nitocris had even asked the World's Consciousness to help locate Seireiden's position—but had repeatedly failed.
Really, this Human World's consciousness is just so weak…or rather, the power known as the Power of Existence is simply too overpowered.
Even Nitocris hadn't anticipated this—she'd spent all this time trying to locate Seireiden, only for them to conveniently teleport her directly here. That large-scale Unrestricted Spell covering Misaki City was specifically crafted to transport the Reiji Maigo and its bearer directly into Seireiden. After instantly grasping the spell's purpose, Nitocris ceased resisting and obediently allowed herself to be transported here.
A battle between Nitocris, God of the Underworld of the Human World, and the Snake of the Festival, Crimson God of Creation of the Crimson Realm… Even though Nitocris's strength, reliability, and omnipotence were deeply engraved in her heart, Hirai Yukari still couldn't help feeling worried facing a god from another realm.
"Kami-sama…can you win?" Hirai Yukari asked cautiously.
It wasn't only because Nitocris's defeat would bring catastrophe upon the Human World, but even more importantly… she didn't want this gentle deity to die.
Facing this anxious question, Nitocris smiled confidently.
"Of course—I will win."
Merely another god—hadn't she encountered plenty already? For example, those rebellious gods she'd met before, or even a certain goddess of water who occasionally doubled as goddess of toilets and construction. She'd even crossed paths with Outer Gods from beyond the starry skies.
Would I really fear a mere God of Creation? He's nothing but a mortal born in an era without me!
All of Seireiden seemed built like a massive palace upon a floating island. Judging from the surrounding environment, Nitocris deduced she was now beneath the island itself, underground—meaning the Trinity would naturally be residing in the palace aboveground.
"Then, Kami-sama, won't we directly capture those two Crimson Lords?"
"We must wait a bit longer," Nitocris explained casually, again passing unnoticed by another patrolling guard. "It took great effort to finally get this chance, so we must succeed in one strike. The moment I reveal myself, regardless of anyone else, Hecate, as the Supreme Priestess, will immediately recognize my divine identity. If they escape, their wariness of me will increase dramatically, and finding them again would be nearly impossible."
She continued calmly, "That teleportation spell drew its immense Power of Existence directly from the transported persons—in other words, from myself and Pheles. I interrupted Pheles's transportation and kept Johann behind to help explain my situation to Shana and the others. Thus, the only source drained in the end was myself. Such a waste… All that accumulated Power of Existence from hunting countless Crimson Denizens previously was nearly drained empty."
"Before reaching Seireiden, I concealed my presence, leaving behind only the Reiji Maigo. Since they didn't actually see me, they'll probably assume the bearers of the Reiji Maigo and Pheles both vanished due to forcibly losing too much Power of Existence."
To Nitocris, the teleportation Unrestricted Spell was impressively intricate—whoever created it was perhaps an Unrestricted Spell master rivaling even Leanan-sidhe, the Spiral Organ. But it certainly wasn't Leanan-sidhe herself.
Leanan-sidhe had always been economical. Her spells weren't just elegant but also minimized Power of Existence consumption. Yet this teleportation spell had many flashy but meaningless elements—extravagant wastefulness for the sake of beauty alone. Leanan-sidhe would never do something so wasteful.
Come to think of it, Bal Masqué did indeed have another impressive Unrestricted Spell master. Even the original Fuzetsu was created by this individual, though it was initially too complex to be widely used. Only after Leanan-sidhe simplified it did it become the most commonly used Unrestricted Spell.
What was that person's name again? Nitocris had forgotten. She just recalled that this person in the anime behaved exactly like a mad scientist, constantly immersed in their own "art," contributing numerous comedic moments, often ridiculed by fans who wondered aloud, "What's this guy even here for—comic relief?"
"With Kami-sama suddenly vanishing, Shana-chan must be extremely worried right now…" Yukari commented.
"The incident happened so suddenly, but didn't I leave Johann behind to explain things clearly? Alastor should also realize that, had I resisted, that Unrestricted Spell could never have forcibly taken me."
"But wouldn't Shana-chan still worry anyway?" Yukari's teasing tone echoed warmly in Nitocris's mind. "After all, girls and their feelings are never reasonable. Shana-chan might even be angry right now. When we return, remember to properly apologize to her, Kami-sama."
"Angry, huh? If it's Shana, wouldn't a melon bread be enough to soothe her?"
"If you're that perfunctory, Kami-sama, I might just tell Shana-chan exactly what you just said. At least make her melon bread yourself, right?"
"Isn't it actually you who wants to eat it?" Nitocris retorted knowingly.
"Hehehe… But Kami-sama's melon bread really does taste amazing!" Yukari cheerfully admitted, causing Nitocris to smile helplessly.
Just as Nitocris had anticipated, when the Reiji Maigo appeared, the Trinity showed no surprise at the bearer's disappearance, believing their Power of Existence had simply been drained completely.
To bring the Snake of the Festival back, they absolutely needed the Reiji Maigo. The reason Sabrac, the Destructive Blade, had attacked the Promised Pair was precisely to implant part of the "Psalm of Grand Order" inside the Reiji Maigo. Only the Supreme Priestess, Hecate herself, could inscribe the complete Psalm.
Thus, when Hecate silently reached toward the Reiji Maigo under Sydonay's and Bel Peol's watchful eyes…
…Gray flames erupted violently from within the Reiji Maigo.
This was precisely the moment Nitocris had been waiting for.