[Realm: Uhorus]

[Location: Galadriel]

[Outskirts]

"Okay, this spot should do."

Lucinda’s voice was quiet due to the restless wind as she stepped into a small clearing hidden within a dense section of trees just beyond the outer edges of the capital. The forest around her swayed, even here, away from the heavier crowds and towering walls of Galadriel, the atmosphere still carried that same oppressive tension that had settled across the world ever since the tears first appeared.

Nothing truly felt calm anymore.

Victoria and Agatha stepped into the clearing shortly after Lucinda did, while Cor’nella floated behind Agatha at shoulder height, her tiny wings fluttering rapidly to keep pace. The fairy glanced upward uneasily; even through the gaps in the trees, the tears remained visible.

Lucinda slowly turned toward the others.

"If we want to reach Verdantis quickly," she began, "then teleportation is our best option."

Agatha’s brows furrowed slightly at that.

"I thought teleporting between nations was difficult," she said. "Even for you."

"It is," Lucinda admitted immediately. "Normally, I would need to enter Arcane Ascendance fully just to force a teleportation over that distance." Her expression shifted slightly as she continued. "But recently, I developed another method."

Victoria’s lips curved upward immediately, clearly already aware of where this conversation was going.

"’Partial Ascendance,’" Lucinda explained.

Agatha repeated the name internally.

("Partial Ascendance?")

Even Cor’nella tilted her head curiously.

Victoria stepped forward slightly, smiling with visible interest despite already knowing the explanation.

"It is actually quite ingenious," the blonde chimed in before Lucinda could elaborate further. "The first time I properly witnessed it was earlier today when Lucinda sealed those tears."

Lucinda looked mildly embarrassed by the praise.

Victoria either ignored that or simply enjoyed it too much to stop.

"The principle itself is rather straightforward once explained," Victoria continued, lightly gesturing with one hand as though lecturing. "Arcane Ascendance’ places immense strain upon the body because the user fully manifests a transcendent state through overwhelming amplification."

Agatha listened carefully.

"But ’Partial Ascendance,’" Victoria continued, "seems to instead manifest only fragments of that state, an incomplete amplification. A controlled manifestation rather than total release."

Cor’nella blinked several times. "You people make scary things sound smart."

Victoria smiled sweetly.

Meanwhile, Agatha’s gaze shifted toward Lucinda again, a thoughtful look settled across her face now.

"I have never heard of anything like that before," she admitted honestly.

"Neither had I until she explained it," Victoria mused. "Frankly speaking, most people insane enough to attempt modifying Arcane Ascendance probably explode before finishing the theory."

Lucinda sighed softly.

"That was one failed experiment," she muttered.

"One failed experiment too many," Victoria corrected immediately.

Agatha ignored the exchange and instead focused on Lucinda.

"And this new method reduces the mana consumption?"

Lucinda nodded.

"Considerably." Her red eyes shifted briefly downward in thought before returning to Agatha. "The burden on the body is less severe as well. It sacrifices some overall output, but for sustained combat or long-range casting, it is significantly more practical."

Then, after a brief pause, she added:

"I could teach it to you and Mirabella eventually."

Agatha blinked at the offer.

Lucinda continued before she could respond.

"It would likely benefit you more me. Your mana control is refined enough already." A small smile touched her lips. "And unlike Mirabella, you do not solve every problem by trying to punch through it first."

Agatha’s expression remained neutral.

"That sounds like praise."

"It was."

Cor’nella snorted quietly.

Agatha gave a small nod afterward.

"Then thank you." The gratitude was simple and honest.

Lucinda merely inclined her head lightly in response.

"Speaking of that idiot princess," Cor’nella suddenly cut in, floating forward between them with crossed arms. "Is she seriously not joining us?" The fairy looked genuinely confused. "Another Inheritor would obviously help."

At the mention of Mirabella, Lucinda’s expression shifted ever so slightly.

It was small, barely noticeable, but Agatha caught it immediately.

"No," Lucinda answered after a moment. "Mirabella needs rest." Her voice softened slightly near the end, then her gaze shifted toward Agatha. "You may stay behind as well," Lucinda offered. "If you want to."

Agatha answered immediately.

"I am fine. If the Abyssal invasion in Verdantis is truly as severe as Cor’nella described," she continued calmly, "then refusing additional help would simply be foolish."

Cor’nella puffed up proudly.

"See? Someone appreciates my excellent reporting."

Victoria hummed. "That remains debatable."

The fairy glared at her.

Agatha, meanwhile, held Lucinda’s gaze steadily; one look alone made it obvious. She had already made her decision, and Lucinda recognized it just as quickly.

A small sigh escaped her.

"All right," Lucinda relented. "Then gather close."

Victoria immediately stepped nearer without hesitation. Agatha followed shortly after, while Cor’nella floated downward and lightly landed atop Agatha’s shoulder, her tiny hands gripping the fabric near her collar.

The clearing grew quieter; even the wind seemed to still slightly as Lucinda exhaled softly.

Then she spoke.

"Technique Development: Partial Ascendance."

The change was immediate; snow-white hair erupted into radiant light. Each strand ignited with a brilliant white glow like flames, rising weightlessly as though gravity had loosened its hold upon her. The light did not burn chaotically like ordinary fire. It flowed smoothly, wrapping around her form in currents.

Her red eyes brightened next; the glow within them sharpened.

Agatha’s eyes widened slightly, from sheer intensity. The mana radiating from Lucinda was immense even in this incomplete state, yet unlike any displays of overwhelming destructive force, this power felt refined.

Cor’nella leaned forward atop Agatha’s shoulder with visible fascination.

"Ooooh..." the fairy whispered. "That’s terrifying up close."

Before either Agatha or Cor’nella could comment further, Victoria suddenly raised a finger.

"One important thing first."

Lucinda glanced toward her as Victoria smiled pleasantly.

"Please teleport us somewhere in the air rather than directly onto the ground."

Cor’nella blinked.

"Why in the air?"

Victoria looked toward her as though the answer was obvious.

"If the Abyssal Creatures truly cover Verdantis in overwhelming numbers," she explained patiently, "then materializing directly amidst them would be rather inconvenient."

"That’s one way to put it," Agatha murmured.

Victoria continued unfazed.

"Of course," she added while gesturing lightly toward Lucinda, "you will also be casting a floating charm simultaneously so none of us plummet to our deaths immediately afterward."

Lucinda nodded as she slowly raised one hand; the air immediately distorted. An enormous red glyph burst into existence beneath all of them, expanding across the clearing in layers of geometric patterns and flowing symbols.

The trees surrounding them trembled, with leaves scattering violently outward as pressure surged through the area.

Agatha’s eyes traced the spell formation carefully; even she struggled to fully comprehend its complexity. The precision required for teleportation magic over continental distances was absurd enough already.

Adding simultaneous flight enchantments on multiple targets only made it more difficult.

And Lucinda was casting it casually.

Victoria, meanwhile, simply watched with admiration.

"You really are absurdly talented," the blonde remarked softly.

Lucinda ignored the compliment; her glowing eyes narrowed slightly in concentration. Then the glyph beneath them ignited, and an intense red light swallowed the clearing whole.

They reached Verdantis almost immediately, the transition lasted less than a heartbeat, yet the difference between one nation and the next struck them brutally.

Cold.

Violent, biting cold.

The moment the red light faded, freezing winds slammed against them from every direction, sharp enough to sting exposed skin and whip hair and fabric wildly through the air. The temperature drop was so sudden that Cor’nella let out a startled noise as she instinctively grabbed tighter onto Agatha’s shoulder.

The teleportation glyph vanished beneath them in fragments of red.

Then the full scenery revealed itself.

They had appeared high above the land exactly as intended, suspended in the open skies through Lucinda’s floating spell. Far beneath them stretched Verdantis in all its vastness—a frozen land of endless white.

Snow-covered forests spread across rolling terrain below. Valleys carved deep through the landscape while distant mountain ranges loomed in the horizon. Rivers had frozen over into silver lines cutting through the earth, and patches of dark evergreen trees stood clustered in the heavy snowfields.

Under ordinary circumstances, it would have looked beautiful.

But now it looked diseased, the white landscape was stained black.

"Oh dear..." Victoria’s murmur barely rose above the screaming winds, yet everyone heard it clearly.

Even she sounded shaken.

Lucinda’s Partial Ascendance faded fully as the floating spell stabilized around the group. The blazing glow left her hair strand by strand until her white locks settled naturally once more, while the light in her red eyes dimmed back to normal.

Yet her expression remained fixed downward.

The Abyssal Creatures were everywhere.

Not dozens, not hundreds, there were thousands.

No—

Far beyond that.

The crawling black masses stretched across the snowy land in horrifying quantities, swarming through forests, flooding valleys, pouring over hillsides in grotesque waves. From this height, entire portions of Verdantis no longer looked white at all.

The creatures blotted out the snow itself. The sight was so immense that for a brief moment, even Agatha went completely still.

Below them, those countless Abyssal Creatures surged northward in endless motion. Some moved on elongated limbs, others crawled like malformed beasts. Many lacked recognizable shapes entirely, writhing masses of black flesh and violet markings that spilled across the land like an infection spreading faster than the eye could process.

And overhead the tears pulsed above it all.

Cor’nella crossed her tiny arms immediately, puffing out her chest despite the grim atmosphere.

"See?" the fairy huffed, sounding almost offended nobody had fully believed her earlier. "I told you there were a lot."

"A lot" no longer felt like adequate wording.

Agatha’s emerald eyes narrowed sharply as she scanned the movements below.

"Seems they’re moving with direction," she observed quietly, her expression darkened further. "They’re marching north."

Lucinda followed her gaze immediately.

Verdantis’ northern regions.

Where the majority of the nation’s larger cities were positioned due to terrain advantages and old fortress placements.

Which meant—

"Most of the major population centers lie there," Agatha finished grimly.

The realization settled heavily over the group, even Victoria lost some of her usual ease.

Lucinda’s gaze hardened as she stared downward at the overwhelming swarm. The amount of Abyssal Energy radiating upward from below was suffocating, it polluted the air itself. Even from this altitude, she could feel it pressing against her senses like something rotten trying to crawl beneath her skin.

Her fingers flexed slightly at her side.

Then she turned toward Victoria.

"Should I wipe them out now?"

The question was asked calmly, from Lucinda’s perspective, she genuinely could.

Victoria glanced toward her briefly before returning her gaze to the landscape below.

"Not yet," the blonde answered after a moment. "First we locate Fiona and General Mai."

Her tone remained measured, though the seriousness beneath it was unmistakable now.

"Then we proceed."

Cor’nella blinked.

"Proceed?" she repeated nervously. "Through all this?"

Victoria ignored her.

"Any significant display of power," she continued, "will draw attention from the tears." Her blue eyes slowly lifted toward the fractured skies overhead. "And after what we discovered earlier, I would rather avoid triggering another severe defensive response until we properly understand the scale of this situation."

Lucinda frowned.

"You think another specialized Abyssal Creature could manifest?"

"Possibly worse," Victoria admitted honestly.

That answer silenced the group for a moment. Below, the sea of Abyssal Creatures continued advancing through the snow without pause. From this height, the movement resembled a black tide consuming the land piece by piece.

Agatha watched silently.

The sheer scale of it all was difficult even for her to process. She had fought Abyssal Creatures countless times already, she had seen cities attacked and battlefields drowned.

But this looked less like an invasion and more like the beginning of extinction. And somehow, that realization disturbed her more than she expected.