Celestia changed into fresh clothes before stepping out of the bathroom, letting out a slow breath as she settled onto the bed.
Her gaze drifted to the Codex of Distortion, its weight pressing against her lap like an unspoken burden. What was it, truly? She traced a finger along its worn cover, her eyes scanning the cryptic description once more. Doubt curled in the back of her mind, but she pushed it away, pulling the book closer as she exhaled.
A sudden knock at the door shattered her focus.
Her grip on the Codex tightened instinctively before, in an instant, the book vanished. Rising from the bed, she hesitated for only a moment before cracking the door open.
Tio stood outside, his expression unreadable.
"What is it?" she asked softly, searching his face.
He stepped inside without hesitation, tension rolling off him in waves. Something was wrong.
"There's been a change of plans," he said, his voice edged with urgency. "We need to leave—before the tournament starts."
Celestia frowned, inhaling sharply as she mulled over his words. Leave? Why? The thought pressed against her mind, but instead of voicing it immediately, she let out a quiet exhale and strode toward the table. Reaching for her rapier, she fastened it at her waist before turning back to him.
"Why do we need to leave?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. Then, after a brief pause, she added, "Is something happening?"
Silence.
Tio parted his lips, but no words came at first. The air between them grew heavy before he finally spoke.
"I was walking around earlier... and I overheard something." His voice dropped slightly, as if wary of unseen ears. "They were talking about an execution."
Celestia stiffened.
Tio cast a wary glance around the room before continuing. "An execution order—for all of us. Anyone associated with you." His tone darkened as he added, "An old elf with silver hair... she said she would rid the world of anyone bearing the Solara name."
His fingers curled into a fist as he exhaled sharply, bracing himself before delivering the final blow.
"They said that, despite what happened when a male Solara was here, they would destroy his soul—piece by piece—until nothing remained." His voice turned grim. "Until his body was nothing but a corpse left to rot in the forest."
Celestia clenched her hands tightly into a fist before her nails dug into her palm as she looked towards Tio.
The execution order was for everyone? Why would it be for all of them, and not just her?
Celestia stood motionless for several minutes, her mind racing in search of an answer.
Why now? Why all of them? The elves had no reason to kill anyone beyond her. No matter how she turned the thought over in her mind, nothing clicked.
A slow inhale. A steady exhale.
Her ruby gaze flickered toward the door. Footsteps.
Her fingers curled tighter around the hilt of her rapier. The sound was deliberate—not rushed, not hesitant. Someone was approaching with purpose.
Without a second thought, she moved.
Celestia grabbed Tio by the collar and threw him back with enough force to send him sprawling onto the floor. The motion was instinctual. A second later, her rapier was drawn, its slender blade gleaming.
Tio let out a grunt as he landed. He barely had time to react before Celestia cast him a brief glance.
"Sorry about that." Her voice was quiet but firm, her free hand tightening before she shook her head.
A shadow moved beneath the doorframe.
The footsteps stopped.
Celestia shifted her stance slightly, lowering her rapier just enough to react at a moment's notice.
Would they knock? Would they barge in? Would they try to slip inside unnoticed?
The thoughts raced through Celestia's mind as she cast a quick glance over her shoulder. Rosaline was still asleep.
"Damn,"
She muttered under her breath, her grip tightening on her rapier as she shifted into position.
A sharp, metallic shing rang out from beyond the door—a blade being drawn. From the sound of it, a katana.
Then came the heavy thud of boots, followed by the pounding rhythm of hurried footsteps. The hall outside erupted with movement, metal scraping against metal as more weapons were unsheathed.
A voice cut through the tension like a blade.
"This is an order from the Elders. Come out immediately. They wish to speak with you."
Commander Leo's voice rung out.
Celestia's tongue darted across her lips before she swallowed, her gaze flicking to Tio. "How many do you think are out there?" she whispered.
Tio didn't answer immediately. He reached into the bag slung over his shoulder and pulled out a dagger, his fingers tightening around the hilt. His eyes narrowed as he crouched, keeping low as he retrieved a small pair of binoculars and tilted them toward the window.
A tense moment passed before he pulled them away.
"...At least ten in the hallway," he murmured. "But outside…" His jaw clenched. "There are elves in the trees. Bows drawn."
Celestia inhaled sharply.
"How many?"
Tio exhaled slowly. "Thirty. Maybe more."
The medic perched high in the trees, a specter in the shadows. He inhaled deeply, the scent of damp wood and fresh blood filling his lungs, before a smirk curled across his lips.
Then, in a blink, he was gone.
A gust of displaced air followed his movement as he appeared inside the grand chamber of the Elders, the heart of their council. The ancient ones sat in a semi-circle, their expressions barely registering surprise before his voice cut through the thick, suffocating air.
"Filth."
That was all he said.
His cape tore from his shoulders as he vanished again—a blur of death. The first elder didn't even have time to react before a cold, unrelenting hand wrapped around his throat. The medic's fingers dug in with monstrous force, the brittle bones snapping like dry twigs beneath his grip. Veins bulged, eyes rolled back, and in an instant, the elder's throat collapsed inward, a sickening squelch echoing through the chamber as his limp body dropped to the floor.
Then the others moved.
Thick, twisting vines erupted from the ground, summoned by the panicked elders in an attempt to ensnare him.
He pivoted with unnatural speed, his arm lashing out like a blade. His fist crashed into the face of another elder, the sheer impact sending a wet explosion of flesh and bone splattering across the chamber. The elder's skull caved inward before his skin peeled away from his face, sloughing off like melting wax. His faceless body slumped forward, twitching, spurting blood in pulsing arcs across the sacred floor.
The medic grabbed the convulsing body by the collar, his fingers digging into its eye sockets, sinking deep as he twisted and ripped. The elder let out one final, gurgling shriek before his ruined form was hurled through the massive window. Glass shattered, shards slicing into his corpse as it plunged into the waters below.
The room stood frozen in stunned silence.
The medic rolled his shoulders, crimson droplets painting his pale skin, his grey eyes gleaming with something far worse than mere violence—absolute certainty.
He stepped forward, planting a foot in the expanding pool of blood.
"I have never known defeat since the day I was born…" His voice was eerily calm, smooth, as if he were merely stating a fact.
"The master of nameless, the one who stands above all. That is who I am."
His fingers curled. Joints cracked.
Then, he clapped.
A single, deafening sound.
The sheer force of it rippled through the air like a shockwave, a concussive burst that shattered the remaining windows and sent deep fractures splitting across the marble walls.
The elders collapsed, clutching their heads as the very room seemed to tremble beneath his will. Blood poured from their ears, their noses, their eyes. Some thrashed against the floor, while others simply convulsed, choking on their own tongues.
He grinned and laughed, almost excitedly.
Celestia and Tio stood in the room, Rosaline asleep.
"Are you going to comply with the elders?"
Silence was all given in response.
"Very well." Leo said before a barrage of arrows came flying into the room.
Celestia moved on instinct.
Her rapier slashed through the air in a blur, shredding every arrow that flew toward her. Not a single shot reached her. The force of her parries sent splintered shafts scattering across the floor, the sharp hum of steel echoing through the chaos.
A ripple of liquid energy coiled around her blade, crystallizing into razor-sharp edges along its surface. The moment she exhaled, her ruby eyes darkened into a deep crimson, a cold, controlled fury settling into her bones.
[Tempest Arts] activated.
A raging vortex of wind, and water surged around her, the sheer force cracking the wooden panels beneath her feet. Lightning licked across the edges of the storm, feeding into the maelstrom that now engulfed her blade.
She inhaled deeply.
Then she thrust her rapier forward.
A beam of wind, water, and energy exploded from the tip, tearing through the door like it was paper. The force was so immense that the walls trembled, the impact echoing like thunder as three elves were instantly erased from existence—bodies ripped apart before they even had a chance to scream.
Blood misted the air.
Celestia barely spared them a glance.
The Codex appeared in her open hand.
The moment it touched her fingers, the very walls of the building groaned and crackled with dark energy.
A familiar interface burned into her vision.
━━━『 Villainous System 』━━━
Are you sure you would like to read the Codex?
[Accept/Decline]
Celestia's grip on the book tightened.
"Will it help me win… and bring me closer to my dream?" she whispered, her voice eerily calm.
For the first time, the system answered her.
"It could help."
A vague response. Devoid of certainty. But, what else could she do in a situation where she knows she'll lost eventually?
She exhaled sharply. There was no hesitation in her next words.
"I accept. Both the damn Codex… and the damn quest."
Her voice was cold. Final.
The interface flared to life once more.
━━━『 Villainous System 』━━━
New Major Pathway Quest Accepted.
Title:Bring Genocide to the Elves.
Task:Kill at least 70% of the elven population.
Rewards:
+67 Levels
+24 Levels for [Tempest Arts]
+18 Fear Immunity
+20 Levels for [Dragon's Gaze]
Enchanted weapon forged from the skin of Serakaris
Element: Ice
Element: Blood
Element: Flames
EXP: 8,593
Bounty: 30 Gold
Fear Rating: +990
Warning: Accepting this quest may lock you out of future Nature-element quests, items, and several undisclosed opportunities. Declining will forever prevent you from obtaining the Serakaris weapon, Blood Element, and the remaining Fear Immunity.
[Accepted]
A dark pulse emerged from the Codex.
The skies blackened.
Darkness devoured the skies completely, swallowing the sun and moon in an instant. Streaks of crimson tore across the void, bleeding into the sky like open wounds. Then, from the abyss above, a sun was born—but it was no ordinary light.
A blood-red sun hung over the Elven Kingdom, casting a sickly, hellish glow over the land. The very air shuddered, thick with unnatural energy. The ground itself seemed to pulse, as if the kingdom's soil could feel what was coming.
Then, it appeared.
The Codex—ancient, vast, and monstrous—manifested in the sky. It expanded to the size of mountains, towering over the kingdom. Its pages flipped violently, each turn sending shockwaves through the land.
A voice, neither male nor female, neither mortal nor divine, echoed through the land.
"Death is the only ending for this nation."
As the words were heard, surged of black mana, mixing with red surged throughout the land before seeping into the ground. The voice was absolute. It was as if spoken by the will of Cresbel.
The pages of the Codex flipped with increasing ferocity, wind howling like tortured souls. Then, in an instant, the blood-red sun flickered… and died.
Darkness swallowed the kingdom.
Not just the absence of light—something deeper. Something primordial. The kind of darkness that devours all light, all dreams, all prayers, and all hope one could hope for.
The Elven Kingdom was blind.
Not even the faintest glow of embers, the gleam of steel, or the shimmer of magic could break the abyss.
Then, A sound was heard.
A deep, guttural growl.
Not from a single creature, but from multiple. Growls and roars could be heard everywhere, as claws ripped into the earth.
It rumbled from the shadows, slithering through the wind, crawling under the skin of every elf in the kingdom. It came from every direction.