A pitch-black land covered in magic.

Amidst that grim and desolate landscape, a woman was making her way forward.

From a distance, she didn’t stand out much.

The woman was wearing a black hood as if it were a camouflage to blend into this dark world.

However, even with her hood on, her presence was anything but faint.

No matter how much she tried to hide beneath the hood, her shining golden eyes, resembling the color of greed that dazzled the human eye, were impossible to ignore.

Anyone who encountered those eyes would find it difficult to look away from her presence.

Was it because she was beautiful?

That was part of the truth, but there was another reason altogether.

Anyone who saw those eyes would unmistakably sense that she was a twisted being in some way.

After all, anything peculiar is bound to attract attention.

Thus, the woman stood out naturally, like a stork among a flock of chickens, or like a nail peeking out from a pocket.

Not because she was one of the few beings called a witch in this world.

But simply because she herself was an alien presence that had never been able to blend in from the beginning.

However, she did not seem to care much about such things.

What was important to her was simply obtaining what she desired, and nothing more.

“Hmph, hehehe~”

The woman trudged through the empty land, suddenly humming a tune.

The reason she was walking on foot when she could instantly move through space was that her mood was incredibly good at the moment.

In order to relish that pleasant feeling, she was taking a leisurely stroll, humming while reminiscing about the fireworks that had adorned the night sky the previous evening.

“Ah, it really was a wonderful sight.”

Though it had been a long time since she had seen fireworks, it wasn’t solely for that reason that she considered them beautiful.

In the past, she had lived in a city where extravagant festivals were held every night.

Still, the reason she found that view beautiful was that she had some understanding of the circumstances within the city.

Every stage tends to shine more beautifully as it reaches its climax.

“Do they know? That the end is approaching~”

Though unexpected events had occurred, the play of the previous day had been intriguing enough to satisfy her warped sensibilities.

She twirled around in delight, dancing to the overflowing emotions as she continued to sing.

“How exhilarating it will be then. Ah, I can’t wait to taste it, but it’s maddening that it’s coming to an end.”

Once known as a ‘Songstress,’ the woman hummed a captivating tune that could enthrall anyone who heard it, a smile spreading widely across her face beneath the hood.

A smile mingled with satisfaction and regret.

“But now, there’s no turning back. Just a little longer. So let’s all watch, shall we, the moment this stage ends.”

With that muttering, the area around the woman was soon filled with lesser demonic beasts born from the overflowing magic that emanated from her.

It was something that happened occasionally.

Whenever her emotions ran high, new spectators like this would emerge.

The woman, smirking, bowed exaggeratedly towards them like an actress greeting her audience.

However, today was different; no sound came from them at all.

It was strangely quiet.

Under normal circumstances, the sounds of the beasts howling in applause should have been heard.

Feeling a sense of bewilderment, the woman looked up.

What entered her gaze was the sight of the demonic beasts, frozen and unable to move a single finger.

As if they were utterly terrified by something.

Who in the world could make such vile creatures, who shared her twisted disposition, so frightened?

The woman let out a hollow laugh and muttered,

“I must have been too engrossed, not realizing they arrived here.”

At that moment, something suddenly rushed in where she had been standing.

“… What a vigorous greeting. Lazy.”

The woman, who had briefly moved to the rear, murmured as she gazed back at the spot she had just occupied.

It was erased.

There was no other way to explain the sight before her.

The space that had once been filled with demonic beasts now bore no trace that something had existed there at all.

Swallowing a dry gulp, the woman tilted her head back to the sky, suddenly feeling the energy of the individual responsible.

“Thanks to you, all the newly born children vanished just now.”

“Ah, you were there? I didn’t see you since you were so small.”

Then, as if to answer her, a voice came from the sky, and at the same time, a girl with violet hair appeared from the air.

The girl, lying stomach-down in the air, looked down at the woman below, rolled over in mid-air, and plummeted towards the ground at an incredible speed.

However, the landing was eerily silent.

Not a sound escaped, not even a whiff of dust.

The girl, having fallen from a height where she could have easily turned into a bloody mess, propped herself up, seemingly annoyed, and muttered while dusting off her back.

“Bay, if you brought me here, you can go back now.”

At her words, the previously empty air rippled slightly.

The woman let out a hollow laugh as she caught sight of a shape briefly revealed like heat haze.

The colossal beast, larger than a mountain, looking down from above, emanated an aura that even she, who had already sensed its presence, couldn’t help but flinch.

Of course, with such a creature roaming around, it was no wonder the demonic beasts hid silently like mice.

Even if unseen, and without a sound when it moved, one could instinctively sense the presence of such a magical entity.

Behemoth, she recognized that massive creature was indeed on the move.

As the Behemoth slightly nodded to its master and vanished into the distance, the woman turned to the girl before her and asked,

“So, what brings you here? I can’t imagine you came just to see me.”

“Oh really? I thought you would know.”

The girl leaned her head slightly, feigning confusion about why she had come.

The woman chuckled softly and murmured,

“Well, I can sort of guess. It must be about that half-witch, right? Ah, wait, I shouldn’t call her ‘half’ anymore, should I? It looks like she’s completely on our side now. Though I never imagined she would leave the city so quietly despite being called the Witch of Rage.”

“Is that so… Actually, I did come to see you because I sensed a sharp change in Eva’s condition.”

The girl, seemingly surprised by this news, stared intensely at the woman and said,

“You didn’t forget, did you? I clearly told you not to lay a hand on Eva before me!”

Questioned with a hint of menace, the woman waved her hands dismissively and replied.

“How could I forget! Of course, I remember the warning from before. I’m not moving with her as my objective this time; I have a different purpose altogether. What happened to her was truly unexpected for me as well.”

“Hmm, is that true?”

“Absolutely~”

“… Is that so?”

The girl, nodding in apparent agreement, seemed to buy her story.

Yet, her reaction stirred something within the woman.

While she thought to herself, ‘Ah, this isn’t good…’ she was fundamentally one to follow her curiosity.

“By the way, you keep rushing over every time something happens. It seems you think far more deeply about her than I thought. I’m becoming increasingly curious about your relationship with her. Honestly, she caught my interest after showing an unexpected side of herself, and now I can’t help but be curious when I see your response.”

The woman remarked with a mischievous smile, clearly unable to contain her curiosity.

“What exactly are you two to each other? Hmm? Beatrice─”

The moment she said that, upon seeing the girl’s stiff expression, the woman instinctively moved away from her.

She looked down, observing her hands tremble ever so slightly.

Instinctively, she knew.

While she felt nothing cold or hard, just a moment ago, had she stayed where she was, she might have ended up dead.

From afar, the girl spoke.

Rarely did she show such emotional fluctuations.

“I don’t recall granting you the permission to call me by my name.”

Was it so provoking to call her name?

To be honest, she wanted to call the girl’s name one more time and observe her reaction, but the woman quickly realized that she might genuinely end up dead this time if she did, and she silenced her mischief, shouting at the girl instead.

“Oh, I’m sorry! It was just a joke! I apologize! I won’t do it again!”

“I’ll let this one slide, but keep it in mind.”

From afar, the girl’s voice was heard as she waved her hand lightly.

“There won’t be a second time.”

With those words, the girl vanished without a trace, as if she had never been there in the first place.

Momentarily frozen in place, the woman swallowed hard and glanced down.

Right beneath her feet lay a circular line drawn as if something had reached out to her.

A warning sign.

What would have happened if this line extended just a bit further?

The woman momentarily twitched her lips before bursting into laughter, unable to contain herself.

“Haha, oh man. This is just the best! Even as a fellow witch, I can’t see any possibility of winning against someone so incredibly strong!”

It was the epitome of absurdity, an unreasonable strength.

Even if this world were to collapse suddenly, she, at the very least, would survive.

In a world where such a feat was possible, she was clearly the only one.

Yes.

Until yesterday.

The woman, pulling something black out of her hood, a shimmering orb, stared at it for quite some time, bursting into laughter.