“…I don’t know much, but as long as I’m here, it won’t go the way you want it to.”

Yoon Si-woo said, drawing his sword.

“Pfft, you think it won’t go the way I want? You seriously believe that’s possible?”

Auria replied, laughing at his words.

“They say ignorance is bliss, right? It seems you haven’t realized you’ve been dancing on my palm all along. It’s quite amusing to see you so confident.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I mean it literally. Most of the things you’ve experienced lately were all part of my plans.”

Auria elaborated with a smile, recounting everything she had done to those who were oblivious.

“Releasing a few maras into the city to coincide with the large-scale invasion of demonic beasts, using the lust maras to throw the city into chaos, sending a halfwitted fool who thinks he’s the Witch of Pride into the city, planting the lust witch’s underlings to betray, pulling the gluttonous witch out while the barrier was down, resurrecting the gluttonous witch, and reviving the gluttony witch you sealed—every single one of those.”

The heroes stared vacantly in shock.

The thought that all the numerous events they had endured were orchestrated by a single witch was hard to accept.

Thus, people could only see Auria’s words as empty boasts.

“…So, it was all you?!”

Only one person, Yoon Si-woo, who wielded the Holy Sword of Truth, understood that everything Auria claimed was true, that the root of all the tragedies stood right in front of him—the witch.

“…This is insane.”

“Is this real…?”

Yoon Si-woo’s reaction made it clear to the heroes who knew of his abilities that Auria’s words were indeed the truth.

A stir arose, and while everyone was dumbfounded, their faces twisted in anger at Auria.

Seeing their reactions of those who had now come to understand the truth, Auria couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Haha! Now you understand, right? Everything so far has gone according to my wishes. You’ve only been desperately cleaning up the mess I created. You couldn’t stop my plans—and you won’t this time either.”

While laughing, Auria pointed at the colossal mass of magical energy floating in the sky, the black sun, and declared.

“See? It’s getting bigger and bigger. The sacred relic is amplifying the magic to its limit. In just 30 minutes, this city will be reduced to ashes. I’m going to drop that upon this city. This city, this world, will meet its end. This time, you won’t even be able to clean up the mess you’re good at.”

“…Shut up. I won’t let that happen. Do you think I’ll just let you do this?”

In response to Auria’s words of doom, Yoon Si-woo ferociously retorted, trying to deny it.

However, Auria simply mocked him.

“Pfft, by what means? Do you really think your current abilities can do anything against that magic? You’ve already used up the sacred relics you had when you fought the gluttonous witch. That witch with the unique ability to incinerate magic has also become a half-wit from the last battle, right?”

As if to indicate she knew everything, as if she had seen right through them.

In reality, since realizing that the substance in the sphere floating in the sky was magical energy, the heroes had been desperately searching for a way to deal with it.

“The World Tree has exhausted most of its power from the last battle. Even if we expend all the remaining power, that thing…”

“…Even if we contained it as much as possible with purification magic and spirits, according to calculations, at least 90% of the city would be covered in magic. Even if we could evacuate as many people as possible, losing that much territory and infrastructure would essentially mean the end of humanity.”

“…Are you saying it would increase even more from what’s currently visible? This is insane.”

However, after much deliberation, the wizard Martina, Dwight, and Sylvia, who possessed the power of spirits, all reached the same conclusion.

It was that they were currently unable to respond to the magic.

The moment that black sun fell, it would spell doom for the city.

It was literally a dead end with no way to survive.

Having pushed the heroes into such a corner, Auria gleefully mocked them.

“Even I can’t think of a solution. How do you feel? Despair? Want to give up? I’m asking how it feels, huh?”

Anticipating the reactions of those always cornered and the despair they would show.

However, toward Auria,

“Who’s giving up?”

Yoon Si-woo said calmly.

He showed not the slightest trace of negative emotions like despair or resignation.

Taken aback by Yoon Si-woo’s nonchalant demeanor, Auria too couldn’t help but feel a little flustered.

Could he possibly have a way to break through this situation?

“…Hmm? Do you have some sharp method in mind?”

So Auria asked him, and

“If we can’t stop it, then I’ll make you stop yourself.”

“Make me stop? How?”

“If you don’t stop that immediately, I’ll kill you right here.”

“…Pfft, ha ha ha!!!”

At the unexpected answer that came out, she couldn’t help but laugh.

Could it be that the method she had relied on was nothing more than such a simple threat?

Seeing his innocence, Auria smirked while looking at Yoon Si-woo and the heroes, staring right at them.

The moment their eyes, like jewels, shone brightly without being crushed by despair, Auria realized.

They were not just foolish individuals.

They didn’t despair just because they were foolish.

Things easily obtained hold no value.

What is valuable is born from hardship.

Auria recalled the humans she had seen up until now.

The ordinary humans who would easily despair and fall apart.

But what about these individuals?

Although they mockingly called it cleaning up the mess, they were human beings who had continuously overcome despairing situations that would’ve normally crushed anyone.

Just like how jewels are born through heat and pressure.

Through various forms of despair, they were forged into what they are now.

As humans who don’t easily despair, refusing to bow down even with the tiniest possibility left.

Truly, truly extraordinary humans.

That’s why they were special, valuable individuals.

Auria thought.

They were the special actors suited for the final act of this world.

Where could one find such luck?

Auria shouted gleefully.

“Haha! Good! I really like you! So, I’ll give you all a special reward!”

There was no need for that.

It was a whim not included in her original plan.

Yet, Auria felt a strong desire to see it with her own eyes.

The sight of them who don’t easily despair, eventually becoming consumed by it.

To do this, she needed to give them hope first.

“Let’s make a bet! You’ll play tag with me for 30 minutes. I’ll be the one running away, and you’ll be chasing me. If you manage to catch me before the timer runs out, it will count as your victory. If I escape for 30 minutes, I win. The loser must grant the winner a wish. If you win against me—”

To that end, Auria smiled slyly and proposed to the heroes.

“I might grant you what you desire, you know?”

“…What kind of scheme is this? How can we trust a witch like you?”

Yoon Si-woo glared at Auria and questioned, having heard the proposal.

Although the Holy Sword of Truth revealed that Auria’s recent words contained an element of truth, her conditions seemed too favorable for them.

So, Yoon Si-woo, being suspicious of whether she had some malicious intent, was instead met with a smile from Auria as if she had anticipated his reaction.

“Why, if you can’t trust me, how about we make a contract? If you win against me, I’ll grant you your wish. That should satisfy you, right?”

“…What?”

Startled, Yoon Si-woo couldn’t help but be taken aback by the word “contract” that came from her lips.

He knew better than anyone how crucial a contract was for a witch.

The moment a witch breaks a contract, they lose all their powers.

And the other entity that made a contract with the witch must also pay a cost equivalent to the level of the pact.

So, contracts should never be made carelessly, yet what was this witch contemplating?

However, no matter her intentions, the proposal Auria offered was one that Yoon Si-woo couldn’t refuse.

If he could win the wager, he could stop Auria’s plan.

“…Fine. I don’t know what you want, but I accept your contract.”

Thus, Yoon Si-woo entered into a contract with Auria.

A pact where the loser of the game of tag must grant the winner’s wish.

The moment that contract etched itself onto their very souls, Auria smirked and asked Yoon Si-woo.

“By the way, did you agree to the wager knowing about my powers? I’m the strongest when it comes to tag, you know?”

It wasn’t mere arrogance.

At least in terms of escape, her ability to move wherever she wanted was unparalleled.

That’s why Auria had asked Yoon Si-woo this question, but,

“…I know.”

It wasn’t Yoon Si-woo who spoke in response.

“…You know. The magic that confines others so they can’t escape, and the spatial movement ability that allows you to teleport anywhere, right?”

It was Dwight Ninehart who answered her question.

“…You must have used that power to murder my father, to kill my precious family.”

The sole survivor of the Ninehart family, massacred by Auria when she had stolen the gluttonous witch.

“Auria, the Witch of Greed.”

Yet, despite facing this family’s killer, Dwight didn’t lose his sanity to vengeance.

He only unfolded the magic he had prepared from the moment he witnessed his family’s deaths.

Boom, as Dwight stomped his foot.

Simultaneously, light erupted from the magic circle enveloping the city, instantly forming a translucent hemisphere over the city.

“…This is a barrier?”

It wasn’t strange for Auria to make such an assumption.

The current magic had originally been a barrier designed to protect the city, but Dwight had modified it into something new.

“It’s now a ‘cage.’ A magic I developed solely for you.”

Realizing the danger, Auria quickly tried to escape beyond the magic enveloping the city.

The space distorted, and her vision shifted abruptly.

Yet, even as she moved through the warped space, she remained trapped inside the cage.

Auria let out a hollow laugh without even realizing it.

It was a magic that imprisoned those inside so they couldn’t escape, reminiscent of someone’s abilities.

“I wanted to show you the same feeling as those who suffered at your hands.”

Just like the family members who couldn’t escape and died in the barrier.

With a chilly gaze, Dwight muttered as he glared at Auria.

“You said it’s a game of tag.”

Then, directed towards the witch trapped inside the cage,

“Go ahead, try and escape if you can.”

Yoon Si-woo’s sword flew at Auria like a beam of light.