Alon didn’t know anything about the Golden Dragon, Lainisius. In fact, it would have been strange if he did. Dragons were a species that had vanished during the forgotten era of the gods, already relegated to legend in Psychedelia.

Thus, he only stared blankly at the massive creature for a moment before calmly letting out a sigh.

“…I came here on Duke Komalon’s recommendation.”

[Duke Komalon?]

The enormous reptilian eye reflected a moment of confusion before a low murmur escaped.

[Ah—oh, I see. That half-fledged sorcerer from before? Yes, I remember him.]

Nodding a few times, Lainisius spoke.

[So, is he doing well?]

…

Alon hesitated, unsure how to answer that question, but it seemed the dragon had already reached his own conclusion.

[Hmm—it appears he failed to achieve his ambition and met his end, given that he didn’t come here himself.]

“Did you know what he was planning?”

[Since I was part of that plan, yes. It was a foolish idea, but if one’s sole goal was to prevent those things from rising again, it was actually quite efficient and clever.]

“…You were part of it?”

At Alon’s question, Lainisius slowly lowered his head to the ground with a thunderous thud.

[Indeed. His plan was to leave only a small fraction of humanity alive and use my dragon heart to create a barrier that would allow the few survivors to prosper again.]

Using a dragon heart…

Alon fell silent briefly before speaking again.

“…That means Duke Komalon essentially planned to kill you, doesn’t it?”

[You could say that.]

“And you were fine with that?”

How could he be so calm about such a thing?

[Why wouldn’t I be?] Lainisius replied in a leisurely tone, as though it was no big deal.

[From the moment I was sealed here, I was as good as dead. In a way, I’m only alive now thanks to my dragon heart.]

“Is it because of those spears?”

Alon gestured toward the massive spears embedded in the dragon’s torso—spears so large they seemed fit for giants from myth.

Lainisius nodded.

[They are the Spears of Annihilation, personally driven into me by my closest friend to save my life.]

“…Were you betrayed?”

[No, not at all. Though it may sound strange to you, it was exactly what it appears to be. These spears were meant to save me by hiding me.]

“…A story from the forgotten era of the gods, then?”

[Yes.]

“May I hear it?”

[Certainly.]

Lainisius fell silent for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts, before his voice began recounting the past.

[It’s not a particularly long story. We, along with the sorcerers, went to slay them—and we failed.]

[Most of the dragons perished there. The same was true for the sorcerers. Though they succeeded in forcing those things back beneath the roots, they couldn’t destroy them. Most of the sorcerers were annihilated as a result.]

A half-success bought with countless sacrifices.

[I should have died there as well. If not for my friend who drove a spear into me and sealed me, I would have.]

[The spear he drove into me twisted the laws of the abyss where teleportation magic didn’t work and brought me to this dark place. In other words, he chose sealing me as a way to save my life.]

Because the sorcerer’s magic could bend the laws, even in the abyss.

Lainisius, with a faintly nostalgic expression, glanced at the spear embedded in his torso. Then, with a resigned look, he muttered,

[Well, thanks to that, I survived, but I lost everything. These Spears of Annihilation seal all of the target’s abilities.]

“…That means.”

[Yes, it means my eyes, which once saw through the world, and my language, which could twist laws with words—all of it has been sealed permanently. Even summoning you here was only possible using an artifact I created before my sealing.]

Lainisius murmured that all he had left was his massive body.

At last, Alon understood.

That calm demeanor.

The lack of anger over his own death.

The indifference to everything.

…Had he given up?

At first, Alon thought Lainisius was merely easygoing, but he was wrong.

Alon looked at his body.

Although his golden eyes still existed, they had lost their vivid color.

Likewise, the golden scales that once gleamed brightly in the dark no longer stood out but seemed to be immersed in shadow.

Even the magical energy that should have been perceptible felt faint and weak.

“…Is there no way to break the seal?”

[There is none. Unless my departed friend returns, destroying this spear would be impossible.]

Lainisius declared firmly.

For a moment, silence fell between them.

[You are a kind soul.]

“…What?”

[Aren’t you feeling pity for me? But there is no need. I have accepted this situation. Now, let’s get to the main point. Tell me why you came here.]

Lainisius’s gaze met Alon’s directly.

The silence was brief.

Alon quickly asked the first question he had prepared.

“The Duke Komalon said it won’t be long until ‘it’ rises again. Is that true?”

[It is true. As I mentioned before, it was only sealed.]

Alon let out a deep sigh.

He had suspected it might be the case since his battle with the Duke Komalon, but hearing a confirmation left him feeling stifled.

However, he had another fact to verify, so he continued without hesitation.

“…From what I know, for them to descend into this world, they need a vessel for possession.”

[That is also correct.]

“Is the vessel already predetermined by fate?”

Lainisius answered decisively.

[Not at all. The vessels they possess are created by the apostles.]

“…Apostles?”

[Yes. They often mentally break down individuals with high potential, making them ideal vessels for descent.]

Alon frowned silently.

The concept of apostles had never appeared in the game.

‘…Was it mentioned at all?’

As he tried to search his faint memories, Alon sighed quietly once more.

While it was true, as Lainisius said, that the five Great Sins would descend, at least the children he had nurtured wouldn’t become the five Great Sins. That alone gave Alon a sense of relief.

Ten years ago, Alon had only intended to give light guidance, but before he knew it, his bond with them had grown deeper than he had realized.

‘…In any case, if the five Great Sins are truly going to rise, my course of action is now clear.’

As Alon thought of the artifact located north of the border, a sudden question came to mind. He turned to Lainisius once again, seeking clarity on something he thought he already knew.

“Before I met you, I encountered a dragonkin in the ruins.”

[Dragonkin?]

“Well, he only looked like one. I can’t say for sure if he truly was a dragonkin, but he seemed unaware of when those things would rise.”

Recalling the dragonkin he had encountered in the colony’s ruins, Alon waited as Lainisius pondered for a moment before responding.

[I don’t know whom you met, but perhaps it’s possible they didn’t know.]

“Why is that?”

[During the final battle between the sorcerers and the dragons, most gods were either annihilated or sealed after having their powers and names stripped away.]

“…So, if they were destroyed or sealed early on, they wouldn’t know?”

[Indeed. No one would know. The sorcerers and dragons who knew the truth all perished, offering their lives to seal them. The only ones left who know for sure are myself and the Duke Komalon.]

“I see.”

Alon nodded, organizing his thoughts.

“The Duke Komalon mentioned that you could assist me with magic.”

[Assist you? Hmm… If it were in the days before I was sealed, perhaps. But now, I can offer advice at best.]

“Then, do you know anything about the ‘Unity with Shadows’?”

[What?]

As soon as Alon mentioned it, Lainisius’s demeanor changed dramatically.

Alon was briefly taken aback by the reaction.

[How do you know about that?]

“…What do you mean?”

[I’m talking about Unity with Shadows.]

“Is it important?”

[Of course, it is. It’s the emblem of my dearest friend, Kailas.]

“…What?”

An all-too-familiar name escaped the dragon’s mouth, leaving Alon dumbfounded.

At that moment—

[Meow?]

From Alon’s coat pocket, where it had been quietly resting, the small creature Blackie let out a strange sound and jumped out.

[Young dragon? No… Shadow Dragon!?]

Lainisius exclaimed in astonishment.

Shortly afterward, Lainisius, who had heard everything about Alon’s ability to use various incantations and how he obtained the dragon egg, finally spoke after much deliberation.

[…So, in the end, you wish to ask about the method to use Unity with Shadows?]

“That’s right.”

[Very well, I’ll teach you.]

“Really?”

[But there’s one condition.]

“…A condition?”

[Yes, and it’s not something unfavorable to you. If you can truly grow strong enough to achieve it.]

Lainisius smiled broadly and said, [You will gain the right to be called my master.]

He presented this to Alon.

[What do you say, mage? Will you accept my offer?]

A new glimmer of hope flickered in his once lifeless eyes.

***

Kiriana, though irritated by the monster wave that had continued for several months, didn’t feel any particular sense of crisis.

It was only natural.

No matter how many monsters surged forth, Kiriana was one of the Five Swords of Caliban.

In other words, she was a Sword Master, and to someone like her, monsters were nothing more than a nuisance regardless of their numbers—they posed no real threat.

At least, that had been the case until just moments ago.

“Hey! Block that area, you idiot!”

“The wall’s collapsing!”

“Reinforce! Reinforce, damn it! Get your head in the game!”

Kiriana frowned as she looked toward the fortress walls at the border.

Despite being reinforced with countless spells to prevent any monster from breaking through, the walls were now in ruins.

This meant that an unforeseen situation had occurred.

Swish—!

Each time Kiriana swung her sword, countless monster heads soared into the air.

Yet, despite her efforts, the number of monsters didn’t decrease.

In fact, as time passed, more seemed to be pouring in, as if they had been waiting for this moment.

‘Why did the walls suddenly…?’

She couldn’t comprehend the situation.

There was no way those magically reinforced walls could be broken so easily.

But there was no time to dwell on that mystery amidst the urgent chaos.

“Aaagh!”

Kiriana rescued a soldier who had fallen helplessly and was about to have his neck torn by an orc. She scowled and scolded him.

“Get it together!”

“S-sorry!”

The soldier hastily picked up his weapon with trembling hands.

Kiriana sighed.

The monster army itself still didn’t pose a significant threat to her.

Given her abilities, which were more suited to facing individual opponents than large groups, she could kill all the monsters here, though it would leave her bedridden for days.

If necessary, she could always choose to flee.

No monster could ever catch up to Kiriana if she decided to escape.

Yet, what made her expression serious was the plight of the soldiers.

Even now, she was powerless to prevent soldiers from being torn apart by monsters before her very eyes.

This was precisely why she had come here, even after retiring from the Five Blades.

She had once witnessed her knight order, which she had nurtured herself, being mercilessly slaughtered by the Outer God Ulthultus in the North.

She never wanted to experience that horrific tragedy again.

“Ugh—”

Feeling a sudden nausea rising from her stomach, Kiriana instinctively covered her mouth.

The memories of the North resurfaced, making her breath quicken.

Although she was capable of overcoming the present situation, the trauma rooted deep in her mind since the Northern battle continued to haunt her.

At that moment, a figure entered her field of vision.

‘Marquis Palatio…!’

The sight of him brought her a surprising sense of relief.

Though she hadn’t observed any extraordinary magical prowess from him, she had heard many rumors about the marquis.

And she knew that rumors didn’t arise without reason.

‘If he can reduce the number of monsters by even a third—or even a quarter—I can retreat the soldiers and finish off the rest myself.’

As she calmed her breathing and composed herself, the marquis raised one hand to form a seal.

Then, lifting his left hand with only his index finger and thumb extended, he brought it up to his nose.

And what appeared next was—

‘…A cat?’

It was a cat.

A kitten with jet-black fur, matching the color of the marquis’s cloak, suddenly perched on his shoulder, tilting its head and observing the approaching monsters with crimson eyes.

‘Danger—!’

Seeing the monsters charge at the marquis before any magic had been cast, Kiriana instinctively tried to move, but—

Her body froze.

She gasped.

The moment the marquis quietly muttered something—

“One.”

A chill ran down her spine.

Countless crimson eyes appeared all over the small cat’s body, sending shivers through everyone who witnessed it.

Then, with those blood-red eyes covering its entire body, the cat curled its lips into a chilling smile.