Here was originally a wide-open space, yet it felt cramped, cluttered with countless strange devices whose purposes were indecipherable. At the very center floated the Reiji Maigo, suspended silently within an apparatus, accompanied by several golden rings.
These golden rings flew from the device, connecting seamlessly to a chain held by a slender hand. Clearly, these rings were but parts of this chain—and the woman gripping it was their owner. Tall, elegantly dressed in Western attire, with a tear-shaped mole beneath her left eye lending a seductive allure; yet the most striking details were her third eye upon her forehead and her right eye concealed by an eyepatch.
She was the "Arbiter of Reverse Reasoning," the strategic mastermind of Bal Masqué—Bel Peol.
"The Reiji Maigo… has finally fallen into our hands."
Bel Peol gazed upon the Reiji Maigo, eyes growing heated with anticipation.
"At last, Bal Masqué's Grand Order can begin."
The greatest secret of Bal Masqué—the Psalm of Grand Order—consisted of three phases.
The first phase: retrieving the consciousness of the Snake of the Festival.
The second phase: reclaiming the Snake of the Festival's true body, hidden in the gap between worlds.
The third phase: creating the paradise truly belonging to the Crimson Denizens, "Xanadu."
To reclaim the consciousness of the Snake of the Festival required a suitable vessel. What most did not know was that the battle in which the original Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter had fallen was also linked to Bal Masqué's scheme. They had attempted, through the hand of the "Ring of Asiz," to create a vessel capable of hosting the Snake's consciousness. However, the incomplete vessel had been destroyed by Mathilde, using the divine might of the Flame of Heaven. Thus, they were forced to search anew for another suitable container.
Once integrated into the Unrestricted Spell—the Psalm of Grand Order—the vessel would become nearly indestructible. Only power equivalent to that of the God of Retribution could truly annihilate it.
Over the following centuries, Bal Masqué tasked "Seeking Researcher" Dantalion with creating a candidate vessel—known as "Silver." Its true form was split into two: the blank vessel "Tyrant I" and the emotional collection device "Tyrant II."
The Tyrant collected emotions, the Tyrant connected these emotions, forming an aggregated virtual will, within which the consciousness of the Snake of the Festival would finally reside.
The reason behind the name "Silver" was the silver flame manifested by its power. Incidentally, Margery Daw—the Interpreter of Condolence—became a Flame Haze and persisted through the centuries precisely to exact revenge against "Silver."
Besides Bel Peol, two others stood within the space.
One was Bal Masqué's general and strongest fighter, Sydonay, the "Thousand Changes."
The other was a Crimson Lord in the form of a young girl.
She wore a large white cloak, a wide white hat, and held a golden triangular staff. Shoulder-length azure hair, blue eyes, expressionless—she appeared more like an exquisitely crafted doll than a person.
"See? Didn't I tell you? The Reiji Maigo was right there in that country called Japan," Sydonay said, shrugging casually. "That rumor circulating among Crimson Denizens is probably also because of this."
"You've got some nerve to say that, General," Bel Peol replied with a pointed glance, wearing a meaningful smile. "As one of the Trinity, you've spent your time wandering about irresponsibly, finally returning after all this time to deliver unconfirmed information about the Reiji Maigo. Have you even considered how I feel? You and Hecate have always been like this. I've been managing Bal Masqué practically alone all these years, and I've already lost hope that either of you might lighten my burden a little. But now your arrival has only added even more work for me… Even if your intel is accurate, narrowing the target down to a single island nation still makes it incredibly difficult, you know?"
"Yes, yes, yes—my bad." Sydonay raised his hands in surrender. "Still, since the info I brought back turned out to be correct, cut me some slack this time, alright?"
At that moment, Hecate, who had been silent until now, spoke up. Her clear, emotionless voice echoed softly through the space.
"Recovering the Reiji Maigo and welcoming back our leader is our mission, General. You shouldn't use it to excuse your mistakes."
"Ah, my dear Hecate, still as harsh on me as ever," Sydonay scratched his head helplessly, yet a doting warmth surged visibly in his eyes as he looked at her.
"You should know better, General. I treat everyone the same; there is no special harshness just for you," Hecate replied flatly, her indifferent tone painfully clear. "Also, I am not yours."
Sydonay wasn't discouraged by her coldness. Even though she kept her eyes firmly fixed upon the Reiji Maigo, refusing to spare him a glance, he knew she had always been like this—and precisely because of this purity, this spotless nature, was she dear to him.
Bel Peol, well accustomed to their interactions, interjected once more. "Still… Only the Reiji Maigo has been transferred here…"
Sydonay dismissed it casually. "Its holder and 'Colorful Flutter' must've exhausted all their Power of Existence and dispersed. It's normal—just activating that Unrestricted Spell you and the Professor developed would require more Power of Existence than even I could afford."
What Sydonay said was indeed logical. As one of the developers of that Unrestricted Spell, Bel Peol understood this better than anyone.
Yet she still felt somewhat unsettled… A nagging sense persisted, as if something crucial had slipped her notice.
"Speaking of the Professor…" Sydonay glanced around the room, asking, "Where'd that freak run off to?"
"The Professor went to check on the Tyrant. He needs to examine if the Reiji Maigo caused any adverse effects," Bel Peol replied, anticipation evident in her voice. "After all, the Grand Order will begin shortly. We must ensure everything is flawless."
"You're right about that…"
Welcoming back the Snake of the Festival—the God of Creation—was the eternal duty of their Trinity. No matter how the world changed, this mission remained unshakable.
The true first of the Trinity was Hecate, as she was essential in summoning the Snake of the Festival. Sydonay's primary role as the strongest fighter was to protect Hecate.
At the culmination of the Psalm of Grand Order, Hecate would sacrifice herself to invoke the Creation God's divine summoning—similar to how the Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter would sacrifice herself to invoke the Flame of Heaven's divine summoning, [Tenpa Jōsai].
In other words, the day the Psalm of Grand Order was completed would also be the day Hecate died.
Therefore, compared to anticipation, what filled Sydonay more deeply was sorrow and longing.
Yet, as a member of the Trinity, he could not stop it, nor did he have the power or right to do so. All he could do was accompany Hecate in death when that moment arrived, awaiting his next rebirth—waiting once again for the day when she would need his strength.
A world without Hecate—there would be no place for him in it, either.
Bel Peol didn't know what Sydonay was thinking… or perhaps she had already guessed, yet kindly chose to say nothing.
"Go, Hecate. The beginning of our Grand Order must be initiated by you, our Supreme Priestess."
Hecate wordlessly nodded, stepping forward one measured pace after another, until she stood before the apparatus containing the Reiji Maigo.
The golden staff tapped lightly upon the floor. Each delicate ring hung upon it resonated softly, their ethereal chime rippling through the space, searching gently for something to resonate with.
"Awaken, awaken…"
Half prayer, half invocation—
Words imbued with power soared to an unreachable, distant place.
Then, a scene beyond anyone's expectation suddenly unfolded.
A surge of flame, like a roaring sea, erupted violently from the Reiji Maigo.
Had these flames been silver, Bel Peol might have thought there was trouble with Tyrant, connected through the Reiji Maigo. Yet this flame was an unfamiliar grey.
Among the three present, only Sydonay found this flame strangely familiar.
"This flame's color, could it be…?!"
Silent grey fire fell from above, as if the heavens themselves had collapsed.
Its target had been decided from the very start. The surging flames coalesced into a giant hand, swiftly reaching for Hecate, who stood closest.
A ripple appeared on Hecate's usually doll-like, emotionless face. Facing the overwhelming grey flames, she ignited herself with azure flames.
"O stars!"
As though plucking celestial stars from the heavens, the girl hurled them forward, each trailing long streams of light, finally crashing into the wave of grey fire—and disappearing without raising even a ripple.
Witnessing this, Hecate felt an absurd disbelief.
Although her personal strength could not match Sydonay, the golden triangular staff she wielded was a Treasure Tool bestowed by the Snake of the Festival himself. Very few Crimson Lords in existence could directly withstand an attack unleashed by her current self.
Yet such a devastating strike had vanished completely into this grey tide, like a stone sinking soundlessly into the sea. How could she not be stunned?!
Making such a fatal error—freezing on the battlefield—would never happen to a seasoned fighter like Sydonay. But Hecate was different. Though possessing immense power through her staff, she lacked Sydonay's fighting instincts. It was precisely this brief hesitation that robbed her of any chance to evade, completely swallowing her in the descending grey flames.
"Hecate—!!"
Shock and fury intertwined. Sydonay roared, erupting with a terrifying pressure that shook even space itself.
Then he swung the iron rod in his hand toward the grey flames that enveloped Hecate.
A weapon wielded by Sydonay—the strongest Crimson Lord beneath the Crimson Gods—was naturally no ordinary weapon. His own formidable physical strength already surpassed most offensive Treasure Tools.
This unassuming-looking iron rod, like Hecate's triangular staff, was a Treasure Tool forged by the Snake of the Festival himself—named Shintetsu Nyoi (The Divine Metal at Will). Only when wielding this weapon did he fight seriously, becoming an unstoppable force, sweeping away countless foes.
In that instant, a deafening roar echoed throughout Seireiden. Though it was a floating fortress, the entire structure trembled violently.
"What's happening?!"
"Is Seireiden crashing?!"
"Have the Flame Hazes invaded Seireiden?!"
"Stormhoof" Fecor—thin-faced, always wearing a dark-green suit, perpetually frowning as if burdened by endless worries. Ignoring his demonic horns, wings, and tail, he looked no different from a pitifully worn-out salaryman, ground down by endless work.
Yet in truth, he too was a renowned Crimson Lord—the deputy to Bel Peol, manager of Seireiden, and even responsible for making decisions in her absence.
"This tremor…is it the General? Is the General fighting someone?!"
At the epicenter of the quake, Sydonay's fury scattered the waves of grey flame in one strike—destroying even the surrounding strange devices with the fierce winds unleashed. Forced into visibility, Nitocris appeared, gripping one end of the Shintetsu Nyoi effortlessly with one hand, staring fearlessly into Sydonay's eyes, which blazed with near-maddening anger.
Of course, Nitocris had chosen her own form to appear, rather than using Hirai Yukari's face—otherwise, it would bring trouble upon Yukari herself.
"As expected of an offensive Treasure Tool crafted by the God of Creation himself… My hand feels a little numb…"
A blow powerful enough to split mountains and seas had been casually blocked by Nitocris, who possessed merely Rank-D strength—yet her only complaint was slight numbness… Easy enough to comprehend, right?
Sydonay was stunned speechless.
He was certain that even the Four Gods of Earth couldn't possibly withstand a strike from his Shintetsu Nyoi—but this stranger before him had done exactly that.
This face, this figure—both utterly unfamiliar to Sydonay. Despite the tremendous strength displayed, other than the grey flame's color, he had absolutely no clue about her identity.
Who she was, what her intentions were, and the source of her power—these were all crucial matters needing investigation.
But before all that—
"Where is Hecate?!" Sydonay's face twisted hideously, voice roaring with a primal fury, each word seared by scorching flame: "Whoever you are, return Hecate to me! If even a single hair on her head is harmed, I swear I'll tear you limb from limb!!"
"Oh?"
Nitocris slowly exhaled. Instantly, a chilling frost permeated the air, calming the trembling space, freezing the burning atmosphere.
Within her dazzling golden eyes, no trace of warmth could be found.
"You, who have taken countless lives and stolen their right to exist for your own selfish desires—do you now also feel anger when your own precious person is taken away?"