Victor immediately began walking forward.

The deeper he moved into the city, the colder his eyes became. Countless people lay unconscious throughout the streets while dark elemental mana flooded every corner of the capital like a suffocating sea. Some people were barely breathing while others looked completely drained of vitality as though their life force had been slowly crushed away.

Yet Victor’s mind remained calm throughout everything.

"Diana would never intentionally harm ordinary people."

That certainty existed deeply within him. No matter how unstable she became, he refused to believe Diana would willingly massacre innocent civilians. Something had clearly gone wrong.

Strangely enough, realizing this brought a faint sense of relief to Victor himself. Earlier, he had feared that his growing indifference meant he was slowly losing his humanity completely. However, seeing the suffering around him still stirred emotions inside his heart.

He still cared.

Perhaps not equally for everyone anymore, but he still cared.

Victor’s gaze gradually sharpened afterward.

"What happened to you, Diana?"

The moment that thought appeared, his body vanished instantly. Short Distance Teleportation activated repeatedly as space distorted around him again and again. Victor continuously teleported across the city like a phantom while black mana storms roared throughout the skies above.

Every activation bent space briefly before his figure disappeared and reappeared farther ahead.

Five minutes later, he finally reached the source.

The moment Victor arrived, his pupils contracted sharply.

Six figures stood in the middle of a completely destroyed district while overwhelming mana erupted around them continuously. Every single one radiated terrifying pressure capable of shaking nations. The atmosphere itself trembled beneath their power.

The Six Great Sages.

And in the center of them...

Diana.

Victor’s heart trembled faintly at the sight before him.

Immense dark mana exploded endlessly from Diana’s body like an uncontrollable storm. The pressure alone distorted the ground beneath her feet while black mist spread throughout the surroundings like living shadows. Buildings across the district had already collapsed under the overwhelming force radiating from her existence.

Her appearance had changed completely.

Her beautiful blue eyes had turned blood red while long blue hair floated wildly around her body beneath the violent mana fluctuations. Black markings spread faintly across her pale skin while terrifying darkness wrapped around her like an abyss given form.

She no longer resembled the angelic girl Victor remembered.

She resembled a fallen celestial.

Or perhaps something even darker.

The six sages were desperately restraining her from different directions while pouring enormous amounts of mana into giant sealing formations surrounding the area. Ancient runes glowed brightly throughout the shattered district while the sages continuously reinforced the barriers with everything they possessed.

Even then, the seals were still cracking.

"We cannot continue much longer," Arthur said heavily.

Sweat covered the Federation President’s face while veins bulged across his arms from the strain. His breathing had already become unstable after maintaining the suppression for so long.

"Elyndros, you must decide soon. The Red Dungeon emergence is approaching. Our territories remain unguarded while we are trapped here wasting mana."

The surrounding sages remained silent afterward.

Every single one of them understood what Arthur truly meant. If this situation continued much longer, humanity itself would face disaster. They could not remain trapped here forever while the world stood defenseless.

If necessary...

They would need to kill Diana.

Lyria lowered her head slightly while tears filled her eyes.

"She is completely out of control," she whispered painfully. "If this continues, the capital will become a graveyard."

Her voice trembled heavily afterward.

"She is like my own daughter..."

Unlike the others, Lyria had always treated Diana with genuine motherly affection. She had never married and never formed a family of her own. Over the years, Diana had slowly become the closest thing she possessed to a daughter.

Which made this situation even more painful for her.

Elyndros clenched his fists tightly afterward before roaring toward Diana.

"Diana! Victor may still be alive! Return to your senses immediately, or we will be forced to attack you!"

However, Diana showed no response.

She continued struggling violently like a wounded beast while endless dark mana exploded from her body continuously. The surrounding darkness intensified further as cracks spread throughout the giant sealing formations.

Victor silently listened to everything from the darkness.

Then guilt struck his heart heavily.

He could have returned seven days earlier.

After killing the assassins, he had remained inside the dungeon purely for personal growth. During that entire time, Diana had apparently fallen into this state believing he was dead.

The realization caused an unfamiliar ache inside his chest.

Then suddenly, a calm voice echoed throughout the darkness.

"How dare you threaten to kill my girl?"

The entire area froze instantly.

Everyone’s eyes widened while the violent mana storm itself seemed to pause briefly. Clear footsteps slowly echoed across the ruined district afterward.

Step.

Step.

Step.

Arthur, Elyndros, and Lyria immediately looked toward the darkness while their breathing became uneven.

"That voice..." Arthur whispered.

"Is that really him?" Lyria muttered shakily.

Then suddenly, Elyndros’ expression changed completely.

"Victor!" he roared instantly. "Do not come closer! The pressure around her can kill you instantly!"

Yet the footsteps never stopped.

Instead, they continued approaching calmly through the darkness.

Then finally...

Victor emerged before everyone.

The six sages froze completely.

A breathtakingly handsome young man walked toward them slowly with both hands behind his back. Long black hair mixed with faint purple strands floated around him beneath the violent mana storm while his glowing violet eyes shone brilliantly within the darkness.

However, the truly horrifying part was something else entirely.

The dark elemental mana surrounding Diana...

Was avoiding him.

Everywhere Victor walked, the overwhelming darkness silently parted apart on its own like loyal subjects making way for their king. The violent mana storm that had nearly driven the six sages into exhaustion instinctively refused approaching Victor’s body.

The sages felt chills spread throughout their bodies instantly.

Even Diana’s berserk mana seemed unwilling to touch him.

Victor eventually stopped directly before Diana before looking at her carefully.

The sight pierced his heart painfully.

The girl before him no longer resembled the bright and angelic Diana he remembered. Her beautiful face carried madness and sorrow mixed together while endless darkness flowed from her trembling body continuously.

Most painful of all...

She did not recognize him.

Diana merely growled softly while staring at him with blood red eyes like a wounded beast that had forgotten itself.

Victor slowly raised his hand afterward.

Arthur’s face changed instantly.

"Victor, stop!" he shouted. "Do not touch her! Sage Rank mana can erase your body instantly!"

Victor did not even bother looking at him.

"Shut up."

His cold voice instantly silenced everyone present.

"This is a personal matter between me and my woman."

Then gently... 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Very gently...

Victor placed his hand against Diana’s cheek.

The moment contact occurred, the surrounding darkness trembled violently. The entire district shook while black mana surged endlessly around them.

Victor looked directly into her crimson eyes afterward.

"Diana," he said softly. "There is no need to feel guilty anymore, honey. I am alive."

His voice became even gentler afterward.

"Please come back to your senses. I do not like seeing you like this."

A single tear slowly fell from Victor’s eye.

The moment Diana saw it...

Everything changed.

Boom.

The overwhelming pressure covering the city vanished instantly. The blood red color inside Diana’s eyes disappeared completely before returning to their original crystal blue appearance.

The berserk darkness calmed immediately afterward.

Then Diana’s entire body trembled violently.

"Victor..."

Her voice sounded broken and fragile.

The next moment, she threw herself into his arms before bursting into tears like a lost child finally finding safety again. Her body shook continuously while she clung tightly to him as though afraid he would disappear again.

Victor hugged her tightly in return.

He could immediately tell that her consciousness was still unstable. Right now, she was acting almost entirely on instinct. Yet that only made his heart ache more painfully.

For seven entire days...

She had suffered alone like this.

Victor slowly looked toward the six sages afterward.

"You may leave now," he said calmly. "Save the people across the city. I will handle everything here."

His tone carried absolute authority.

Not even the slightest room for negotiation existed within it.

Shock filled the sages’ faces immediately afterward. They were the supreme powers ruling humanity. Their names alone could shake entire continents.

Yet at this moment...

None of them even felt capable of questioning him.

Elyndros slowly nodded first.

"Alright."

Arthur exhaled heavily afterward.

"We will speak later."

One after another, the sages departed silently.

Soon, only Victor and Diana remained standing amidst the ruined district.

Victor lowered his gaze toward the trembling girl inside his embrace. The world’s strongest Sage currently looked weaker than a frightened kitten. Her soft body felt completely exhausted while her breathing remained uneven and unstable.

Victor could clearly sense that her own mana reserves had long been depleted.

Something else had been fueling her berserk state all this time.

A terrifying unknown power.

Victor gently stroked her hair afterward.

"Rest now, my princess," he whispered softly. "You have suffered enough."

The next moment, immense dark elemental mana erupted from Victor’s body.

Unlike Diana’s chaotic darkness, Victor’s mana felt calm and absolute. Endless black mana flowed gently into Diana’s body while he continued holding her tightly within his embrace.