The dazzling flash that had reclaimed the snowy white expanse, capturing everyone’s gaze, lasted only for a fleeting moment. As the brief instant passed, the snowfield, leaving behind only dust and a snowstorm, returned once again to its ashen state.

All fell silent. A silence so profound that even the smallest breath felt forbidden. Only the faint sound of crumbling gravel and dust filled the space, as the living gazed upon Alon with varied expressions.

The soldiers’ eyes were filled with awe. The knights’ eyes were filled with hope. However, Alon, the one receiving these gazes of awe and hope, merely maintained a blank expression. To be more precise:

‘Please, please, please.’

He was praying fervently. He sincerely wished that with this strike, the Outer God would be annihilated. But—

“Ah.”

With a low murmur of regret from someone nearby, Alon realized that his prayer had not reached the heavens. A giant stood there, arms raised triumphantly, facing the sunset with an expression of joy. A massive hole pierced through his chest.

[Impressive.]

A low voice. The sight of the giant, smiling brightly despite his heart being pierced, filled both the soldiers and knights with a reverence that transcended fear. But for Alon, it was a feeling of endless despair.

‘It’s over.’

His attack had indeed succeeded in delivering a direct hit to Ulthultus. However, the problem was that it had only destroyed the heart, rather than obliterating the entire body.

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‘…Was my firepower insufficient?’

Objectively speaking, for someone who had only recently reached the third tier of magic, the fact that he could even muster this level of firepower was due to various factors. Among them, the constraints played a significant role. The use of Babylonian phrases and beastly power were clear restrictions, but this time, the constraints he had placed were even more limited.

In fact, designating a ‘species’ or ‘specific enemy’ in a constraint amplifies the pure power of magic by over 100% and 200%, respectively, even in games. Additionally, the time spent on incantation, which normally would be impossible for an offensive spell, had extended to dozens of seconds, allowing him to produce this level of firepower only because the opponent could not avoid the attack.

By preparing auxiliary magic that sets the coordinates during the spell’s initiation, allowing for an even higher level of firepower, he had finally been able to unleash such a powerful spell.

In short, the magic from a moment ago was Alon’s strongest and only trump card at this point in time. Thus, with this attack having failed, Alon’s defeat was inevitable. His attack had indeed destroyed the Outer God’s heart, but destroying just the heart wouldn’t make the Outer God vanish.

As if to prove this, Ulthultus stood proudly in the same spot, still smiling broadly. His body was covered in burn marks, and there was a gaping hole in his chest, but that majestic smile remained.

[Ah— I see. So you were still holding onto your will.]

Muttering words that only Alon could hear, the giant spoke in cryptic tones, causing Alon to drop the hands that had been clasped together in a seal.

Even at this moment, the effects of the highest-grade potion continued to restore his body. Though his body was still uncomfortable, it had recovered enough for him to move around, but that meant little. Alon, who had exhausted all the magic in his bracelet due to the recent spell, no longer had the strength to continue fighting. 

Because of this, his expressionless face concealed a gloomy mood as he raised his gaze with some doubt at Ulthultus’ next words. 

“?”

At that moment, he saw it. Ulthultus’ body was slowly beginning to disappear. Reflecting the light of the setting sun, the giant started vanishing from his feet upwards, and Alon wore a bewildered expression. 

‘Is he… disintegrating?’

The thought flickered briefly in his mind, but Alon quickly shook his head. He had never seen an Outer God’s dissolution happen in such a manner. The moment of confusion passed.

[Impressive, noble one. I never imagined you would even carry ‘rank’ within you.]

Though Alon was confused by the Outer God’s words, he continued to listen.

Boom!

With a great smile, Ulthultus sat down heavily, propping his chin on his hand before speaking again.

[Noble one, though we exchanged blows but once, it was truly magnificent. Indeed, the ‘black one’ and the ‘blue one’ have chosen well.]

“…?”

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Alon, perplexed by the sudden voice in his head and the mysterious words, felt a surge of questions. Of course, his face remained expressionless, showing no sign of his inner thoughts, so Ulthultus continued speaking.

[Since I have lost the duel, I shall give you a gift. I shall also bestow you with authority.]

With a grin.

[Remember us, the ones who retain the mystery and legacy of the forgotten great god.]

By this point, nearly half of Ulthultus’ body had disappeared, and his disintegration seemed to be accelerating. Yet, he smiled even more warmly and spoke again.

[When the ‘Usurpers’ crawl out from their restraints, summon me. Call upon my true name instead of the false derogatory titles they have spread.]

He continued.

[For you have earned that right.]

And then—

[Call me—]

With those final words,

[The God of Chaos and Disorder.]

The accessory tied to the Outer God’s waist dropped to the ground, and he vanished completely, leaving behind only a lingering smile filled with expectation.

“…?”

Alon, having witnessed the Outer God’s complete disappearance, stared blankly at the accessory left behind. Bathed in the light of the setting sun, he expressionlessly gazed at the spot where the Outer God had vanished. This sight caught the attention of the soldiers and knights.

As the living observed, reverence spread among them.

***

After the giant vanished, the once bitterly cold land, which had been filled with the voices of the dead, became silent, with only the sharp wind filling the void. The restless undead, unable to die, had finally found peace, and the living began to gather and sort the remains of the fallen.

About a day later, having accomplished their mission of capturing the Outer God, the expedition began to move once again, heading back to Caliban. 

About two days after that, as Alon was returning with the knights, just as he had when he came to the North, three significant changes had occurred. 

“Salute!”

The first was that nearly every knight now saluted Alon when they looked at him. While the relationship between wizards and knights had never been particularly bad, there was still a degree of rivalry. Especially since wizards, who were more akin to scholars, differed from those who used magic purely for combat. Though their relationship had been somewhat distant, there had never been this level of mutual respect. 

However, despite all this, whenever Alon simply walked outside the carriage or tent, he would receive salutes from everyone around, regardless of which group the soldiers or knights belonged to. This was the first significant change that had occurred to Alon.

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The second:

“Vice-Tower Master.”

“Yes, yes…?”

“I just have something I want to ask.”

“W-Whatever it is, please ask…!”

Penia’s misunderstanding had somehow become strangely more intense. Alon, seeing her trembling like a leaf the moment he spoke to her, wore a troubled expression and spoke.

“I think you’re misunderstanding something—”

“I’m not misunderstanding at all…! You’re a 2nd-tier mage, aren’t you?!”

Penia exaggerated, her voice shaking as her eyes trembled slightly, looking pitiful. But apart from that, Alon started to feel slightly disheartened.

“…I’m a 3rd-tier.”

“Oh, th-that’s right!! You’re a 3rd-tier mage! I must’ve been mistaken…!”

Penia nodded furiously at Alon’s calm, though somewhat indignant, voice.

“…But why does the Vice-Tower Master of the Blue Tower speak so respectfully to someone who’s just 3rd-tier?”

“Oh, th-that’s… is that so? Maybe I should start speaking informally…!”

Penia, who now spoke like a broken doll, tried to use informal speech, causing Alon to sigh.

“…Just do whatever is comfortable for you.”

“Ah, understood. Th-thank you…!”

Penia immediately returned to polite speech, bowing her head gratefully. As Alon received her thanks for allowing her to continue using honorifics, he felt like some kind of cruel mastermind and soon spoke.

“By any chance, do you know anything about ‘the black one’ and ‘the blue one’?”

“No? I-I don’t know anything.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, really, I know nothing at all.”

Penia shook her head vigorously, as if she genuinely knew nothing.

“If you know anything, just tell me.”

“I really don’t know. I’ve never seen anything black or blue.”

Her quick response left Alon speechless, wondering if she had even thought about it. Realizing he wouldn’t get any useful information from her, he nodded.

“Well then, I’ll be off…!”

As she practically ran away, her mouth curved into a strange smile, as if escaping from the conversation brought her immense joy. Watching Penia run off, Alon felt oddly hurt.

Along with Penia running into the distance, Alon noticed a mage watching her with reverent eyes. Alon recalled the keywords uttered by the Outer God.

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‘The black one, the blue one, the sign and mystery of the forgotten great god, the rank, the heir of will, and authority.’

The only thing Alon could deduce from this was one thing:

‘The “heir of the forgotten god’s sign and mystery” is definitely something I heard when I placed the restriction through the ring… but other than that, I don’t know anything.’

Alon absentmindedly touched his head. In truth, there were many things he couldn’t understand. While it was fortunate, he still didn’t grasp why the Outer God, who shouldn’t have perished, had been destroyed by that attack. 

And that wasn’t all. He couldn’t comprehend what Ulthultus meant by “the black one” and “the blue one,” nor did he understand what “rank” referred to.

‘If the only rank I know in this world is divine rank, but it can’t be that, can it?’

Alon was also baffled by the true name Ulthultus had revealed—”God of Chaos and Disorder.” That name felt too foreign, more suited to an Eastern deity than the northern barbarian god he knew, which left him confused.

‘Perhaps I’ll understand if I go there?’

Alon pulled out the accessory from his robe. It was the leather ornament, with three amethysts arranged in a row, that had belonged to the Outer God, Ulthultus—no, the “God of Chaos and Disorder.” In the game, this was an item obtained after defeating him, and its effect was to double the user’s damage output exactly.

However, when equipped, the damage received was also doubled, which led players to call it the “glass cannon belt.” As Alon looked at the inside of the ornament, he soon saw a sentence inscribed there.

“To the heir of the will, head to the ancient city of Kahara.”

Seeing these letters, which shouldn’t have existed on the belt originally, Alon easily deduced that this was the gift left behind by the Outer God and began to think.

‘…Getting there won’t be difficult.’

The ancient city of Kahara, as the name suggests, no longer exists in the current era. However, Alon had a rough idea of its location. That’s because, in the game, it was one of the secret dungeons that players could enter once they arrived at the “Colony.”

So, as Alon was making his way back to the carriage while looking at the belt’s inscription—

“…Were you here?”

“Ah, Deus.”

He noticed Deus, who had at some point started following him, his expression as blank as ever. Watching Deus, who appeared as unchanging as usual, Alon felt slightly uncomfortable. That’s because Deus was the third major change Alon experienced after returning to Caliban.

Of course, from the outside, it didn’t seem like Deus had changed all that much. He seemed to carry himself with a bit more tension, but even that was barely noticeable, with no significant outward difference.

Still, the reason Alon felt slightly uneasy was—

“…Count.”

“What is it?”

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“Shall I kill the Vice-Tower Master?”

“…Why…?”

“…She spoke informally to you, Count.”

Deus had become more aggressive in expressing his respect after that day, which made Alon uncomfortable.

“There’s no need for that.”

“…Understood.”

Though it wasn’t obvious, Deus appeared somewhat disappointed by Alon’s response, leaving Alon with a strange expression.

“Well then, Count.”

“…What now?”

“Shall I make an example out of a couple of wizards?”

‘What’s wrong with you?’

Alon felt a wave of dizziness…