At the City Hall.

  Everyone had gathered here. Except for Semiris, no one wore an optimistic expression.

  "Lady Terra, this can’t go on. The Calamity Beasts are multiplying. Sooner or later, they’ll destroy everything."

  Sylph spoke in a heavy tone.

  "Lady Wind Sage," Merkphis replied, "Lady Terra has been tirelessly searching for the source of these Calamity Beasts. Your Excellencies should know—Lady Terra cares for this world more than anyone. Please be patient a little longer."

  "We...... we know. But the situation is getting worse. Even with our power, we can barely keep up."

  "Your Excellencies,"

  Merkphis clasped his hands together devoutly.

  "Please believe! Lady Terra will find a solution, and Himmler will return to normal!"

  "......"

  Just then, Terra—who had been observing a crystal ball—lifted her head.

  All eyes turned to her.

  Terra looked at Merkphis beside her.

  "Merkphis."

  "Yes, Lady Terra? What are your orders?"

  "Is the seal in the Mirnabis Mountains still functioning properly?"

  "Yes, Lady Terra. As you instructed, I’ve inspected it every year. The seal has remained intact with no issues."

  "No issues......"

  Merkphis glanced up at Terra.

  "Lady Terra, shall I go recheck it now?"

  Terra thought for a moment, then said: "I’ll go confirm it myself. Merkphis, you’ll temporarily take charge here during my absence."

  "Yes! I obey your command!"

  Terra turned to Hulim Heyerar and the others, apologetically saying:

  "I’m sorry I haven’t been able to resolve this. I’ll find the source as soon as possible. I hope you’ll continue to lend me your strength in the meantime."

  "Lady Terra, there’s no need to apologize. We would do this even without your request."

  Terra nodded gently.

  "Thank you......"

  As her words faded, Terra’s figure dissolved into a burst of light and vanished into the sky.

  "Alright! If Lady Terra is working so hard to solve this, we must keep pushing forward!"

  "Merkphis, bring us all reports of Calamity Beast sightings—now!"

  "Yes, Your Excellencies! Merkphis will provide you with full support from the rear!"

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Afterward, everyone took the information Merkphis provided and set out again to suppress the ever-appearing Calamity Beasts across the world.

  Meanwhile, Terra had arrived at the Mirnabis Mountains......

  Staring at the intact sealed labyrinth before her, Terra waved her right hand gently.

  The outer layer of the seal lifted.

  She then entered the labyrinth......

  Deep within the labyrinth.

  "As expected, it’s intact......"

  Looking at the "heart" frozen inside a regular octahedron, Terra did not breathe a sigh of relief. Instead, her expression grew grave.

  When she couldn’t find the source anywhere, she’d begun to suspect the Calamity Beasts might be related to this entity. Sealed away, it was isolated from the outside world—so she’d overlooked it during her investigations.

  But......

  The entity was still perfectly sealed here. Moreover, under constant purification, it had faded much since the beginning.

  It could never have escaped to cause chaos.

  "But if it’s not you......"

  Then what was the cause?

  Could there be another abnormal existence that couldn’t be detected......

  With a heavy heart, Terra left the sealed area.

  After this, Terra no longer stayed in the town searching for clues through magic tools. Instead, she set out personally to explore potential sources around the world.

  ......

  Some time passed......

  Somewhere in the East.

  A dark, ominous aura shrouded the sky, leaving the entire land desolate and silent.

  "Roar——!!!"

  From within a cloud of dark mist, a pair of scarlet eyes glowed with hatred for all life.

  "Finally found you! The culprit!"

  Across from the black mist,

  nine figures—led by Terra, the Earth Mother Goddess—stood in confrontation with it.

  "Roar......""Growl......""Whimper......"

  Countless figures surrounded the nine from all directions.

  These were all Calamity Beasts corrupted and transformed by the culprit. Even now, the culprit continued to spread its power, converting more normal creatures into Calamity Beasts.

  "Lady Terra,"

  The Seven Sages erupted with fighting spirit, facing the Calamity Beasts head-on.

  "We’ll deal with these creatures. Please, Lady Terra—defeat the culprit!"

  "Roar——!!!"

  The overwhelming horde of Calamity Beasts charged at them.

  "Let’s go——!"

  The eight figures transformed into streaks of light, darting in all directions and instantly engaging the Calamity Beasts.

  As for Terra, she remained standing in place, gazing at the entity shrouded in black mist—her eyes filled with a hint of complexity and compassion......

  In the center of the Calamity Beast horde, Hulim Heyerar stared calmly at the countless creatures around her. She spread her hands and slowly lifted them upward.

  "......Celestial Water Curtain."

  Boom!

  A sky-spanning wall of water rose in the distance, surging toward her. Every Calamity Beast in its path—regardless of size or strength—was ruthlessly swept up, then torn apart and annihilated......

  Similar scenes unfolded in seven other locations.

  A colossal ancient dragon melted the earth with its breath. A Mountain Giant swept its arm, sending dozens of Calamity Beasts flying into the sky. An expanding Sea of Shadows devoured all life that dared to step into its domain.

  Violent winds raged across the sky. Blinding light erupted repeatedly on the horizon. And countless Calamity Beasts vanished without a trace, unnoticed by anyone......

  Despite their massive numbers, facing the strongest beings in the world, their relentless charges were nothing more than moths to a flame.

  On the other side,

  The black mist beast sensed danger and began to stir. The mist around it surged, preparing to attack the eight.

  "Sigh......"

  At that moment,

  Terra let out a soft sigh.

  Then,

  she took a gentle step forward—appearing before the black mist beast in an instant.

  "Roar!"

  The beast’s eyes narrowed. It immediately manipulated the black mist, attempting to engulf Terra.

  Terra slowly raised one finger.

  Pop~!

  A green wave of light erupted from her fingertip, sweeping across the sky and the earth, spreading endlessly into the distance.

  It purged all filth from the land.

  The ominous aura vanished completely. All Calamity Beasts turned to ash.

  The dark clouds covering the land dispersed, and sunlight returned to the earth.

  "Roar——!"

  The black mist beast—its shroud completely stripped away—let out continuous wails.

  It didn’t die immediately, but its body began to burn like embers, dissolving into countless particles that scattered into the heavens and earth.

  "......This world is not yet perfect."

  "Your birth was not of your own will."

  "But the harm you’ve inflicted on this world is irreversible."

  "At the very least......"

  Terra raised her finger again.

  "I’ll let you pass without pain."

  "......"

  The black mist beast made no move. It knew death was inevitable, so it abandoned all struggle—only staring fixedly at Terra.

  Pop~!

  Another green wave of light spread.

  With this strike, the culprit behind countless tragedies was finally defeated. Not a trace of it remained in the world......