Iska doubted his ears.

“Why is the Revered Founder here when she should be slumbering underground…? No. Why did she awaken…?”

Alice was a direct descendant of Nebulis, and she’d just called this girl the “Revered Founder.”

“The Empire…gnaws away at this planet where the astral power resides…like a plague.”

From her small, childish lips, she issued a curse, the manifestation of a profound hatred.

“…Ngh.”

“You should all simply vanish.” The Grand Witch raised a dainty hand.

As soon as they realized what she was doing, Iska and Alice protected their companions and retreated.

There was an invisible explosion.

As though the unseen hand of God had come down, the atmosphere condensed, and an intense shock wave rippled out.

“Wh-what?! What just happened?!”

“I’m not sure. It’s just…”

Amid the thick cloud of dust, Iska let go of Mismis. He noticed the cold sweat on his back.

“Captain, take cover behind me. I’m not confident I can beat her.”

A dark silhouette stood out in the cloudless sky.

It was the Grand Witch Nebulis. The oldest mage in existence, the one who’d turned the capital into a sea of flames, had just manifested above their heads.