"Well said, Galamand! We’ll never forgive anyone who hurts Semiris!"

  "Merkphis, we’ll definitely stop you!"

  "Hold on, Semiris—we’re coming to rescue you soon......"

  Up on the World Tree,

  Semiris seemed to hear their calls and slowly opened her eyes.

  "Everyone......"

  She saw her companions fighting desperately below, striving to free her.

  "Everyone is fighting for Semiris......"

  "......Semiris has to try too!"

  Semiris struggled, trying to break free from her bonds.

  But her power was completely sealed. Struggling with just her body was meaningless.

  "......"

  Beside Semiris, Hulim stood quietly in mid-air.

  She wanted to reach out to Semiris,

  but couldn’t touch anything.

  Because this was a fixed past—unchangeable.

  Here, she was merely an observer of memories. She could move freely and see everything, but none of it had anything to do with her.

  It had always been this way. Even if she acted on her own will, the direction of the memories never changed......

  Boom! Boom! Boom......

  The massive beast tide led by Rank S Calamity Beasts easily blocked the Seven Sages’ attacks.

  The ground was already covered with the bodies of low-rank Calamity Beasts, but they kept charging forward relentlessly. For Merkphis, these cheap lives served only one purpose: to waste the Seven Sages’ attacks with their deaths.

  "How many times do I have to say it? This is a futile struggle."

  Merkphis stared coldly at the Seven Sages,

  spreading his hands to conjure a magic circle in the air.

  "Did you think this Sacrificial ritual circle beneath your feet was just this?"

  Hum——!!!

  The magic circle covering the land blazed with an unprecedentedly intense red light. The ground seemed to be completely eroded by an ominous aura. Countless pitch-black tentacles erupted from the earth, lashing out at the Seven Sages.

  "What!? What is this thing!"

  The pitch-black tentacles seemed to negate magic, piercing through their defensive barriers. The moment they touched their bodies, they bound them tightly.

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  "Not good—they’re absorbing our power!"

  The group frantically attacked the ominous pitch-black tentacles, but the tentacles were extremely resilient. Ordinary attacks barely affected them.

  Even if they concentrated their power to destroy the ones in front, more surged forward—leaving their numbers untouched.

  The situation grew critical in an instant.

  "Aurora!"

  Avery suddenly shouted to Aurora.

  Aurora understood immediately, unleashing one of her magics with all her strength.

  "Light, dispel them!"

  Hum——!

  A dazzling white light almost overwhelmed the red glow of the magic circle.

  "Hmph, useless!"

  Merkphis sneered.

  When the light faded, Aurora stared in disbelief. The pitch-black tentacles hadn’t been dispelled.

  "How could this be——? Why isn’t it working?!"

  "Hahaha!"

  Merkphis laughed loudly in mockery.

  "Of course it won’t work. Did you really think I’d leave such a simple weakness?~"

  "This circle beneath you now incorporates the power of the World Tree! And the World Tree’s power has no weaknesses!!!"

  "What? Has the World Tree’s power been usurped by these things?!"

  More and more tentacles swarmed the group. Coupled with the hordes of Calamity Beasts assisting, they gradually struggled to hold on, getting hit by the tentacles from time to time.

  The rate at which their internal power drained accelerated continuously.

  "Damn it—how can we be stopped by these things——!"

  But the Seven Sages refused to give up, still fighting desperately.

  "Give up. At this point, no one can stop me~!"

  Merkphis sneered.

  "Give up......?" Sylph shouted. "You’re dreaming! Lady Terra will definitely stop you!"

  However, Merkphis laughed as if he’d heard something hilarious.

  "Hahaha, Lady Terra will stop me? How ridiculous~!"

  "What’s so funny! Someone like you, a circle like this—Lady Terra could destroy it all with one strike!"

  "That’s true~!" Merkphis’s laughter gradually died down, but the amusement in his eyes remained. "Lady Terra could indeed do that. But——"

  "Only if she knows what’s happening here! Haven’t you wondered why Lady Terra hasn’t appeared until now?"

  "What? Could it be that......"

  "That’s right~!"

  As he spoke, Merkphis suddenly pulled out a crystal ball.

  "Exactly what you’re thinking~!"

  "How could this be...... That’s Lady Terra’s magic tool! Why do you have it in your hands!? "

  "Why~? Because Lady Terra entrusted it to me to safeguard, of course!"

  Merkphis stroked the crystal ball in his hand, a sickly, mad look appearing on his face.

  "You should understand now~!"

  "Without this magic tool, Lady Terra can’t sense the abnormality with the World Tree immediately. As long as I lure her to a place extremely far away, my greatest obstacle will be gone!"

  ......

  Meanwhile,

  In the northernmost region of Himmler,

  on an endless icefield,

  Terra wandered slowly.

  Her gaze was fixed firmly ahead.

  Boom, boom......

  On the horizon of the icefield, a black line surged toward her.

  It was a beast tide composed of countless Calamity Beasts.

  Terra raised one finger.

  Pop——!

  A white wave of light spread across the entire icefield.

  The overwhelming beast tide collapsed in unison the moment it touched the light wave, then turned to ashes and dissipated into the air.

  After the beast tide was wiped out,

  Terra’s brows remained furrowed. Her gaze was still locked on the depths of the icefield.

  Then she took a step forward.

  When her figure reappeared, she was already at the innermost part of the icefield.

  The cold here could freeze a creature’s blood in an instant. Even the air had condensed into ice crystals due to the extreme cold, covering the ground.

  Yet in such an environment,

  a colossal beast shrouded in black mist resided.

  The black mist beast detected the figure approaching, and without hesitation, turned and fled.

  Pop~!

  At the moment it fled, a light wave spread out behind it.

  The black mist beast was swept by the light wave and instantly turned to ashes.

  However, Terra’s brows still didn’t relax.

  She looked down at the icefield below, her gaze seemingly piercing through the thick layers of ice to the depths far beneath.

  Down there, a black shadow sensed danger and immediately burrowed deeper into the earth.

  "So this is the true form......"

  Terra raised her right hand and clenched her fist toward the icefield below.

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  The entire northernmost icefield trembled violently at that moment.

  The black shadow fleeing frantically in the depths of the earth suddenly felt a powerful force seize its body. It began to rise uncontrollably upward.

  In panic, it frantically extended countless tentacles, stabbing into the surrounding rocks to anchor itself firmly. While resisting the force, it struggled desperately to burrow into the mantle deeper beneath the rock layers......