Only with power can one adjudicate the world

Eleya gazed at the heavy weapon, [Judgment], clutched tightly in her hand.

This weapon had been a gift from Luo Wei when they first met during her days as a priestess. She never imagined that four years later, she would wield it again.

Back then, she hadn’t understood why such a crude and unwieldy blunt weapon bore such a name. But after losing Luo Wei, it suddenly made sense—

Only those with power could judge the world. Without strength, she was nothing.

Eleya had become an unapologetic believer in power, and that conviction had driven her first steps on the path to godhood.

Recalling battles of the past, she swung [Judgment] with practiced ease.

A single, seemingly unremarkable strike tore through the air with a terrifying crack, instantly reducing a royal mage in her path to a mangled corpse.

As Eleya joined the fray, Tilis—surrounded by the royal mage corps—flashed her a grin. "Four years apart, and you haven’t lost your touch with that hammer!"

"This was always who I was," Eleya retorted, glancing at Tilis, who was effortlessly cutting through enemies with her staff. "Though I’d say a mage who can bludgeon foes to death is far more surprising."

"Who says mages can’t be good in a fight?" Tilis shot back, carving her way through the crowd before locking eyes with the disheveled Hawkins. "Our hidden order even has a school specializing in close-quarters combat!"

Roens had already investigated for her—this man had aided the emperor in slaughtering many of their fellow mages and even assisted the Wignar Church in their brutal "witch hunts." This traitor to the magical world had to die today, or the consequences would be dire.

Seeing Tilis charge toward him, Hawkins hastily raised his staff to block.

Though the emperor’s anti-magic field rendered his spells useless, the same applied to her. Victory would come down to "external means."

The moment their staffs clashed, the embedded magic crystals flared to life, activating pre-inscribed defensive spells that shielded Hawkins.

Not only that, the entire mage corps under his command pooled their magic, weaving an impenetrable barrier of force.

Watching Tilis get flung back by the barrier, Hawkins finally exhaled in relief.

As members of the royal mage corps, their staves were priceless artifacts—embedded with rare crystals and intricate spellwork precisely for emergencies like this.

"That witch can’t touch us now!" Hawkins barked. "The city guard will surround this place soon. Hold the line! Prince William’s army will crush them all!"

"But the Church’s saint is coming!" a royal mage cried, pointing ahead in panic.

"Don’t falter!" Hawkins snarled. "Drain every last drop of magic from your staves! Hold the barrier!"

Despite his bravado, his confidence wavered as the expressionless saint advanced. Instinctively, he maxed out his staff’s magic output.

"Eleya, the city guard is here," Luo Wei called from the street corner, already prying open a sewer grate. "We need to go. Leave this to Tilis."

As planned, Tilis and the hidden order’s infiltration team would keep the guards occupied here. Eleya couldn’t afford to linger—this wasn’t her battlefield.

"Fine." Eleya nodded, then glanced at Tilis. "One last assist."

Wielding [Judgment] again had rekindled old memories, and she realized just how much she still enjoyed solving problems with "physical" methods.

Her cold eyes fixed on the shimmering barrier, Eleya raised [Judgment] and brought it down with devastating force.

BOOM—!

The deafening impact tore a gaping hole through the barrier. The shockwave rippled outward like an earthquake, shaking the entire street for several seconds.

Tilis stared at the devastation, momentarily stunned. She’d expected strength, but Eleya’s raw power still left her reeling. Four years playing the "gentle saint" hadn’t dulled the woman’s brutality one bit.

"Thanks," Tilis muttered under her breath, already calculating.

No way I’m winning a fistfight against her. Better keep my distance next time we argue...

"Anytime." With that, Eleya vanished into the streets with Luo Wei.

The shattered barrier left the front-line royal mages exposed—several were pulverized instantly, their remains strewn across the bloodied ground.

"What... what kind of monsters are you?!" Hawkins roared through gritted teeth, his face smeared with blood. As the royal mage corps’ chief, he’d never faced foes like this.

"Prince William! Your Highness!" Hawkins scrambled toward the far end of the street, his voice shrill with relief at the sight of the advancing city guard. "Fire! Open fire! Don’t let a single enemy escape!"

"About time," Tilis muttered, eyeing the rows of rifle barrels. She ducked into the labyrinth of alleys just as gunfire erupted behind her.

The street became a storm of bullets and explosions.

Dodging the barrage, Tilis surveyed the chaos—the block around St. Karlen Cathedral swarmed with soldiers. Even with the hidden order’s reinforcements, the coming battle would be a brutal, drawn-out slaughter.

She took a deep breath, offering a silent prayer.

I’ll do my part. The rest is up to you.

Luo Wei... don’t let us down.

...

The underbelly of St. Karlen was as damp and dark as ever. Luo Wei navigated the sewers by the glow of a magic crystal, swiftly consulting a map of the drainage hubs.

"You and Tilis are the emperor’s biggest threats, but you’re the priority," he said, striding ahead. "Your death would cripple the Church, giving him the perfect chance to declare war."

"So the main force will hunt us," Eleya deduced. "But thanks to Tilis and the hidden order, they’ll have to split their troops. That lightens the pressure on us."

"There’s a choke point on the way to Carlton’s stronghold—Hagelitz Palace." Luo Wei pointed to the map. The moat and drawbridges between the eastern and administrative districts would be their battleground.

That place was originally designed as the last line of defense for the imperial palace, but now, Luo Wei could turn it to his advantage, completely isolating the emperor from the outside world. After all, who could have imagined a "steam Gundam" squatting there when it was first built?

"You have allies?" Eleya raised an eyebrow. "Seems like your plan is well-prepared."

"It's Helena," Luo Wei replied, turning to see the surprise on her face.

"Helena? Just her alone?"

"One is enough," Luo Wei said.

"Never would have thought..." Eleya murmured. "That timid little girl from back then can now hold her own against thousands, even if the city garrison splits its forces..."

"You'll see when the time comes." Luo Wei folded the map. Compared to the labyrinthine underground, he knew the streets and alleys of St. Carol like the back of his hand. The sewers couldn’t lead to the palace, so he’d have to take a special shortcut to reach his destination.

"What comes next... it’s beyond your foresight, isn’t it?" Eleya suddenly asked.

"Why do you say that?" Luo Wei glanced at her.

"I see a flicker of tension on your face," Eleya smiled. "I’m not as skilled as Ophelia at reading expressions, but even you—everyone’s emotions are wound tight. I’d guess what lies ahead carries unpredictable risks."

"Everything is under control," Luo Wei said flatly.

As long as the other side of Eleya’s divine nature remained, Luo Wei wouldn’t reveal the full truth. No matter how she acted now, half of her was still the enemy.

Above all, he couldn’t let slip that he had only one chance left. Though their temporary alliance had brought out a rare kindness in her, what if her personality shifted in an instant, dominated by her divine side? Luo Wei wasn’t willing to gamble on that.

"Fine." Eleya could sense his wariness, and an inexplicable bitterness settled in her heart.

"That ability of yours... you’ve foreseen other outcomes, haven’t you?" Eleya pressed. "Can you tell me what happened between us?"

"Between us?" Luo Wei chuckled. "Too much to count."

Recalling their past battles of wits, he said bluntly, "We’ve each had our victories, but in the end, we both lost. The Weston Holy City fell, the Sacred Mountain was destroyed, and all your efforts over the past four years turned to dust."

"What?" Eleya gasped. "Even the Sacred Mountain was destroyed? How could that happen?"

No matter how powerful the Vignar Empire’s military was, pushing into the highlands to reach the Sacred Mountain should have been impossible. Could it really be, as Luo Wei said, that everyone had been fooled by Charlton II? Did that man hide some even more terrifying power or trump card?

"It’s all Carlton’s damn fault!" Luo Wei spat with fury—though he dared not mention his own role in directing the witch to destroy the holy city...

"Is that so..." Eleya whispered.

She hadn’t dismissed the possibility of Luo Wei’s involvement in the Sacred Mountain’s destruction. She knew her plans weren’t flawless; the vast faithful were her vulnerability. Yet, deep down, she couldn’t believe he would do such a thing.

Because in her heart, Luo Wei wasn’t that kind of man.

Since the day they met, he had always been saving others. He had shown her that this dark world wasn’t devoid of hope. He had once been her light...

"If that’s the case..." Eleya’s voice took on a sharp edge. "Charlton II has to die."