A dissonance that seemed to tear through the eardrums.

Following the unpleasant melody, the blood-red surface of the water quaked as if an earthquake had struck.

It surged forward, turning into a massive tidal wave that crashed toward the shore.

We, standing on the sand, hesitated and stepped back.

*Rumble...!*

The ground shook.

The crimson wave rose so high that it seemed to reach for the sun hanging in the sky.

The roiling blood boiled violently.

So dense with dark magic, it was no different from acid.

Touching it would dissolve one’s very existence.

“We need to block it.”

“Yes.”

Charlotte stepped forward as she replied.

With both hands gripping her sword, she advanced toward the oncoming wave.

Her clear eyes showed no sign of wavering.

As she gathered mana at her fingertips, a radiant light burst forth from the blade.

“Cut.”

Her lips barely moved.

Following the strike that slashed through the air, a fierce sword energy shot through the crimson mist.

The beam of light collided directly with the towering wave.

And then—

*Crash!*

The surging wave shattered into pieces.

The blood scattered into droplets, some falling closest to the shore.

Creating a shadow umbrella to shield myself, Charlotte, standing beside me, panting, spoke.

Even one clash had visibly drained her strength.

“This... hurts my hands.”

“It’s powerful.”

“I gave it my all, and that was just enough to block it.”

Charlotte flexed her sore hands.

Seeing her strained expression, I muttered with concern.

“It seems he’s using a lot more power this time.”

The power was unexpected.

The Conductor’s manifestation.

Charlotte should have been able to handle it easily, but perhaps due to his recent return, he had prepared extensively.

It was surprising.

Using this much power would have been taxing even for him.

I voiced my thoughts.

“This won’t be an easy fight.”

“Seems so.”

“Are you alright, Your Highness?”

“I’m fine. More importantly, do you know anything about what’s happening right now?”

“Well...”

I did know about the Conductor.

Encountered him so many times in the original work that I was sick of it.

Wherever his music lingered, nightmares became reality.

The melody, infused with dark magic, bewitched people, corrupting their essence and making them beings that could never return to divine grace.

The victims would become monsters, repeating slaughter and performance.

*‘He wasn’t called the worst *Katasto* for nothing.’*

A power optimized for mass slaughter.

But it didn’t start on such an overwhelming scale.

It began as a small seed.

*‘The Concert.’*

A virtual space created by the Conductor.

He trapped a few hosts inside it and waited until they absorbed enough dark magic.

Once the transformation was complete, he unleashed them outside the realm.

The ferocious melody spread like a virus, turning the surroundings into chaos.

The cathedral we were in was no different.

A ticking time bomb ready to explode.

If we failed to subdue the boss in time, the accumulated dark magic inside would go berserk.

It would easily destroy an entire village.

Or worse.

Considering the power he’d used this time, it might even engulf the surrounding villages.

The potential damage made stopping him imperative.

*‘The method is simple.’*

The Conductor’s realm was maintained by his *manifestation*.

Think of it as the most powerful host, around which the dark magic gathered and grew.

In other words, it was the heart of the concert.

If the *manifestation* was neutralized, the realm would lose balance and collapse.

I pointed at the woman ahead.

“All we have to do is subdue her.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Too difficult?”

“I might be able to kill her. Capturing her is another story.”

“Haha... Please hold back. She’s someone who has helped me in many ways.”

“Can’t be helped. Capturing her is beyond my abilities.”

Charlotte shook her head, then tilted it as if something didn’t add up.

“Is there even a point in capturing her?”

“Pardon?”

“She’s already consumed by dark magic. Isn’t she beyond saving?”

“Just trust me. You’ll understand soon.”

“If you say so... I’ll try.”

The girl touched her sword.

Perhaps it was due to the unexpected intensity of the initial clash.

Charlotte gripped her sore wrist, but the opponent, with eyes full of madness, showed no concern for her state.

The woman standing in the center of the blood sea resumed her performance.

*Screech!*

She raised the bow across the strings.

Following the elegant gesture, an unbearable, discordant melody echoed.

Who knew a violin could produce such a hideous sound?

“She’s coming.”

*Rumble!*

The surface quaked again.

The boiling blood scattered, rising into the air and forming sharp blades.

Hundreds of blood swords were aimed at us.

The sight of crimson blades gathering against the backdrop of the blood-red sea and sky was overwhelming.

Yet—

*“...”*

Charlotte exhaled calmly.

Her stance remained unshaken.

*Clench!*

She drove her sword into the sand.

The blade embedded deep into the shore. Holding it firmly, Charlotte unleashed her mana.

A brilliant light flickered over her blue eyes.

With a surge of aura behind her, her rosy lips chanted an incantation.

An incantation to unfurl her domain.

“Stain, my sword.”

*Charlotte's Domain Swordsmanship Ultimate Skill:*
*‘The Ashen Garden.’*

*Rumble!*

Vines of steel burst from the ground, coiling around us protectively.

The stems intertwined and cut each other.

Thus, a magnificent scene unfolded.

A garden of roses in full bloom.

With a twist of her sword, thousands of bladed petals whirled in the air.

They surged forward on a storm.

*Crash!*

The shore trembled.

The storms clashed and mingled furiously, spraying blood and petals everywhere.

*“Hah...”*

Amidst the violent cacophony, Charlotte pointed her sword.

Reflected in her once-clear eyes was the woman playing the discordant tune.

*Charlotte and the Conductor’s Manifestation.*

The fight was fierce.

The *manifestation* pushed forward with overwhelming waves of dark magic, while Charlotte skillfully countered and defended against the onslaught.

Every time her long-distance sword strikes hit, the waves faltered.

*“...”*

I observed the situation.

In the fight, I took on only a supporting role, never dealing a direct blow.

I wanted to assess Charlotte’s growth.

A clear understanding of the present was essential for planning the future.

Charlotte didn’t seem to mind my passive involvement.

*“I won’t reveal your secret. You don’t seem like a bad person.”*

*“I’m just... curious about who you are.”*

She trusted that I would step in if needed, considering how much she already knew about my power.

She focused solely on her battle.

*Clang! Clatter...! Thud!*

The Conductor’s *manifestation*.

Charlotte was holding her own.

An enemy meant to appear in the second year, yet she matched it while still a first-year. It was impressive.

Unlike those I directly trained, Charlotte had grown on her own, solidifying her reputation as the greatest prodigy in the story.

Of course—

*‘That doesn’t mean she’s perfect.’*

She was still a first-year, far from the Charlotte I remembered from her third year.

Her swordsmanship had room for growth.

Even her ultimate skill, *‘The Ashen Garden,’* lacked its true color.

Time would likely remedy these issues.

*‘She’s a genius.’*

At least, I wouldn’t need to worry about her development.

Although there were complications involving the *Rose*, those were things I could resolve.

I mentally cataloged the situation.

As I pondered, Charlotte staggered in front of me.

Seeing her drop to one knee suggested her stamina was running low.

Her ragged breaths escaped her lips.

“Hah... hah...”

Her domain was half-destroyed.

The once-sturdy garden was broken, its steel roses wilted.

Even the bushes seemed withered, likely from a lack of mana.

Catching her breath, Charlotte looked at me with her usual expressionless face.

“Sorry. I’m at my limit.”

Capturing her was indeed too much to ask.

Hearing her words of surrender, I nodded.

“You did well, Your Highness.”

“I could have killed her. Capturing was too hard.”

“You’ll only grow stronger. It’s fine.”

“I was supposed to buy time. Was that enough?”

“More than enough.”

“Good.”

With a faint smile, Charlotte sat down.

She didn’t seem afraid.

Rather, it felt like she lacked emotion altogether.

A girl with an enigmatic presence.

Leaving the exhausted princess behind, I stepped toward the *manifestation* that glared at us.

The woman continued to play her violin, standing in the sea of blood.

“Are you sure you’re okay? She’s not an easy opponent.”

“No problem.”

“Yeah. With your power, you can do it.”

“Even if the blood sea is troublesome, I just have to cross it in one leap.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Distract her briefly, if you can.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll give the signal.”

I opened a blue screen in the air.

I checked the remaining power.

*Ding!*
[Current Power Remaining: 82.7%]

It was more than sufficient.

Flexing my fingers, I signaled Charlotte.

The moment to act.

“Now.”

“Alright.”

*Swish.*

Charlotte picked up her dropped sword again.

Closing her eyes for a moment as if focusing, she gathered the last remnants of her mana.

A blue aura flared around her.

*Whoosh!*

A sudden wind swept over the shore.

A dazzling light shone from her sword.

A radiance dyed pure white.

As if opposing the crimson scene, her strike sent a brilliant curtain of sword energy forward.

It was a breathtakingly captivating display.

“Graaaahhh!!”

Had the *manifestation* noticed the unusual surge?

It glared with wide eyes.

Rivers of dark, rotten blood trickled down its lifeless cheeks like tears.

The woman adjusted her bow as if preparing for the incoming attack.

Only the platinum-haired figure reflected in her blackened pupils.

But—

“That was just a diversion.”

A full-power feint.

An all-out light show that posed no real threat.

A bluff delivered with conviction.

The real move came next.

*Clap!*

A sharp sound echoed.

In the next instant—

I stood behind the *manifestation*.

It turned around, startled, but I was faster, my hand closing around its throat.

*Clench!*

“...!”

The dead lips couldn’t even scream.

As I squeezed her neck with enough force to break it, the *manifestation* thrashed, arms and legs flailing in a futile struggle.

It was meaningless resistance.

The shadows I released had already bound her body.

She was trapped like an insect in a spider’s web.

“...!!”

Was this her final resistance?

She plucked the violin string.

*Thrum!*

A bitter note rang out, and the dark magic that covered the sea began to churn.

The crimson mass swirled into a giant wave.

It seemed she intended to swallow us whole.

*Roar!*

The grotesque sound came as the wave convulsed.

The dark magic scattered in the air gathered at a single point, forming a massive storm of black-red clouds.

It was a more intense aura than before, worthy of a last stand.

But I wasn’t shaken.

“...Heh.”

I merely scoffed.

A futile, meaningless gesture.

A performance that deserved only contempt.

“Hear my call.”

I recited calmly.

“The Lord said, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.’”

Medro responded, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”

He said, “Come,” so Medro got out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward the Lord.

But seeing the wind, she was afraid and began to sink. She cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately, the Lord reached out His hand and took hold of her. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?”

When they climbed into the boat—

“The wind died down.”

I opened my eyes.

My transparent, white pupils glistened.

They shone with an eerie light, holding both luminescence and shadow.

Following the passage of the holy gospel, the storming sea grew calm.

Silence replaced the chaos.

“Return, my lost lamb.”

I imbued my fingers with the power of lies.

The shadows creeping up stained the air black.

And then—

“Shatter.”

The word that concluded all sin.

Massive cracks spread across the sky.

*Crack, crack...!*

Like a mirror breaking.

The blood-mist background shattered, revealing the blue sky through the fractured gaps.

The body of the woman, who had been bound, slowly regained vitality.

*Medro Gardnier.*

Her eyes blinked blankly.

As if she couldn’t distinguish whether what she saw was a dream or reality.

She had just awoken from a nightmare.

“Commander...?”

A faint voice.

I gently held her in my arms.

I whispered softly into her ear.

“Let’s go home, my child.”

And so— 

We stood upon the blue sea.