After secretly preparing a holy magic circle in the park restroom, Simon emerged. He walked at a leisurely pace, as if taking a stroll, and when no one was looking, he seamlessly transferred the holy magic from his hand to the park ground.

Then, he nonchalantly continued walking, observing the people from a slight distance.

’The moment someone reacts is what’s important.’

Ten seconds. Simon’s heart pounded wildly.

’Focus.’

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

A dazzling radiance erupted from the magic circle on the ground, and words of light formed in the air. In the broad daylight, the effect wasn’t overwhelming. The ordinary people who happened to see it reacted with indifference, assuming it was just another Kizen event.

But there was someone who showed a meaningful reaction.

Simon was watching one person in the park. Their hood was pulled down low, concealing their expression, but their shoulders were trembling and their movements had gone rigid. Anyone could see they were startled.

The words Simon had written were none other than:

[You’ve been discovered by a necromancer. Flee this place at once.]

The person didn’t look around in surprise. They simply pulled their hood down further and began to walk away.

But to Simon, that very action was all the more suspicious.

"Excuse me."

Simon boldly approached and spoke. The figure stopped dead in their tracks.

"I’m from the Student Council."

He showed his armband, and the figure slowly turned to face him.

"What is it?"

A young woman’s voice. The suspected fanatic, Ever Kire, was also a woman.

Feeling a knot of tension in his stomach, Simon said, "A report regarding an explosive device has been filed with Kizen. We ask for your cooperation with our investigation."

"...An explosive?"

"Yes. It won’t take long. We would appreciate it if you would accompany us as a person of interest."

"I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding."

Replying in a gentle voice, she opened her robe.

"I am Anna Chalmonte, of the Chalmonte family. Here is my identification..."

Simon, waiting for her to produce an ID, was a moment too late to react as a blinding light poured out from within her robe.

’Holy Light’

"Agh!"

It felt as if his entire body was being scorched by sunlight. As Simon flinched, trying to shield his face with his arm, a new white orb from beyond the light exploded against his chest.

’Holy Buster’

With a deafening ’boom’, Simon’s body flew several meters and rolled across the ground. The woman who claimed to be Chalmonte immediately turned and broke into a run. The sudden explosion sent onlookers screaming and fleeing in a panic.

’Just now, that was definitely...!’

Simon grimaced, pushing himself up.

’White Magic!’

Furthermore, she had attacked first, even after he had identified himself as part of the student council. There was no room for doubt.

"Kajan!"

At his shout, Kajan, who had been waiting in a tree, descended in a flash. He closed the distance with the speed of a wild animal and swung his arm from behind.

But she evaded it with a simple duck of her head.

’She dodged Kajan’s surprise attack that easily?’

This time, the fanatic extended her arm. Another ’Holy Buster’ erupted, and Kajan, startled, leaped back to create distance. A direct hit from White Magic could be fatal for a necromancer.

"Kajan! Keep after her!"

The woman fled, and Kajan gave chase. Simon kicked off a building wall, closing the distance in an instant. He saw the fanatic glance back at him, a bead of cold sweat on her brow.

Her expression screamed, ’How is a necromancer still able to move?’

"Stop right there!"

Simon raised his index finger. Bones floated into the air and shot forward like arrows.

But with another flash of light from her arm, the bones were sent flying erratically, tumbling to the ground out of Simon’s control.

’As I thought.’

Fundamentally, a battle against a Priest was a disadvantage for a necromancer. Realizing this chase wouldn’t end easily, Simon began to prepare his Chaos magic.

"This is K-1! Pursuing a fugitive suspected to be Ever Kire!" Kajan shouted urgently into his communication crystal. "Requesting immediate backup! Blocking her escape route is the priority!"

—Acknowledged.

Meanwhile, the fanatic raced through the park and into an alley between buildings. Simon and Kajan, stepping on Jet-Black at full power, followed close behind.

The alley she was passing through seemed to come alive. The surrounding bricks rose up, transforming into slender, long-fingered "women’s hands" that lunged at them.

Startled, Simon leaped into the air while Kajan ducked low to the ground, narrowly evading the attack.

When they looked up, more than twenty brick arms filled the alley. Bizarrely, all of them wore rings and had long, manicured nails—a design that served no practical purpose.

"An Innate Ability," Kajan muttered, wiping dirt from his cheek. "And matter manipulation, at that. One of the known repertoires of Ever Kire’s ability."

"Let’s go!"

The two immediately kicked off the ground and dashed forward as the ringed hands descended upon them.

Simon used Cloud on a building wall to launch himself into the air, then kicked off the wall for another jump. The wall caved in as his body shot upward at high speed.

Long fingers slithered toward him from all directions like snakes, trying to ensnare him.

’Hongfeng Original – Sword Hand’

Simon’s right hand chopped down with a ’swish’, cleanly severing an approaching arm. He slipped through the opening.

"Kajan!"

Surprisingly, Kajan wasn’t evading into the air but was charging straight ahead. His characteristic movement, like a fluttering paper doll, was on full display, his joints bending at impossible angles to slip through gaps no human could manage.

He flowed along the ground, then launched into the air and held his body perfectly straight.

Two arms shot through the exact space he had just occupied. He unfolded his body again, moving with nimble grace.

’That’s Kajan for you! He’s not someone I need to worry about!’

Spurred on, Simon resumed the chase. Landing on the ground in one motion, the two of them escaped the alley flooded with arms and looked ahead.

The fanatic was running down the path, her right arm extended.

To her right, with the distant sea as a backdrop, onlookers were enjoying teatime at shaded tables.

The ground erupted, and countless women’s arms with long nails shot up from the earth.

"Ugh! What the—!"

"Aaaaaaaaaah!"

Startled screams erupted from all sides.

"The civilians!"

"Simon! There are more on the other side!"

An arm rising from a building wall tore off the entire roof and hurled it toward the crowded tables.

Exchanging a glance, the two of them shot forward like lightning.

"Ah."

A dark shadow fell over the area. People stared blankly, their mouths agape, at the descending roof.

Kajan, having leaped into the air, gritted his teeth and threw a punch.

’Hongfeng Original - Boxer’

The moment his fist made contact, the entire roof shattered into pieces and scattered like dust with a tremendous ’boom’.

Simon followed up by flinging his arms out to the side as if hanging laundry.

’Bone Armor’

’Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack!’

Bone armor instantly formed on the civilians, lifting them into the air and out of harm’s way. The arms rising from the ground swiped at empty air, and the debris from the roof crashed onto the vacant ground.

"Everyone, run!" Simon shouted as he retrieved the Bone Armor.

Kajan, having shattered the roof, was already far ahead, chasing the fanatic. Simon quickly followed.

—This is Crow Alistair.

Just then, a voice came from the communication crystal in Kajan’s pocket.

—A barrier has been set up. We are closing the net to capture the fanatic.

—This is D-Team. Fugitive spotted, engaging!

Hearing the communications, it seemed a Crow was in the rear, and Kajan’s fellow agents had joined the fray.

Simon was inwardly relieved, but then—

"Huh?!"

Something incredible was happening.

Ahead was a rocky area. From the terrain, huge women’s hands were rising one after another, forming peculiar shapes—making an O with their fingers, crossing them.

Floating above them was a massive holy magic circle, the size of a public square. It was a wide-area offensive White Magic spell, designed to expose any necromancers within to raw Divinity.

The backup agents were being taken down helplessly by the unidentified holy magic.

And in the chaos, the fanatic was escaping.

’Damn it!’

Simon drew up his Jet-Black and dashed forward.

"Kajan! Go around the side! I’ll send a signal through the communication crystal!"

"That’s reckless, Simon! Wait for more backup!"

Simon charged alone into the holy domain where a brilliant light was pouring down.

’With this much Divinity in the air, I should be able to hide my own!’

A smile curled Simon’s lips. The moment he felt a tingling sensation all over his body, he flipped a switch.

’I can do anything!’

The Jet-Black in his body faded, and a new energy flooded him. Transformed into a Priest, Simon passed through the domain of light and leaped in.

"Huh?!"

The fanatic, who had been preparing a teleportation magic circle with Divinity inside, stared in horror.

"Impossible! How can a necromancer be inside a sanctuary spell...?!"

"This is nothing!"

Simon slammed one fist into his open palm.

"Too weak!"

A flash of light descended from the sky and struck the teleportation magic circle. The formula, still being prepared, was damaged. The balance collapsed, and other elements began to rapidly fall into disarray.

"...You monster!"

The Priest quickly turned and fled. When her Divinity proved ineffective, she used her Innate Ability to create and swing hands at him, but Simon dodged them with agile movements and gave chase.

[Kahahahaha!]

Pier’s clone, who was watching, laughed maniacally.

[From the perspective of Priests, this boy must be a nightmare!]

The fanatic escaped her own magic to get away from Simon. As he frantically chased after her, he soon found himself surrounded by dense trees and bushes. It was the Forbidden Forest.

"Kajan! It’s the Forbidden Forest! Are you reading my position?"

—Confirmed. I’m going in first.

Simon was running while maintaining a certain distance from the fanatic. This was a calculated move, born from his analysis of her power. Her Innate Ability, which created arms, slowed down the farther they were from her.

A rabbit hunt. Time was now on their side. Necromancers from all over Roc Island were closing in. If she kept running, she would eventually hit a barrier directly controlled by an agent of the Crow class.

’I will catch her, no matter what.’

The Dark Festival was a celebration for everyone. To not only ruin it but to commit an act of terror and take innocent lives was unforgivable.

Just then, the sound of a collision echoed from ahead, followed by the splintering of wood and the thud of colliding limbs. Simon shoved his way through the bushes and stepped into the clearing.

Kajan and the fugitive were trading blows in a fierce exchange. The very air trembled each time their fists met, and the ground caved in wherever their kicks landed. It was a battle between a master of martial arts and a master of holy combat.

Just then, the fugitive snatched Kajan’s outstretched arm and twisted it viciously to the side with a sickening crunch. She stomped on his heel, bending his leg at an impossible angle before slamming his foot into the ground.

"Guaaaaaaaah!" Kajan let out a cry of pure agony.

Her knee snapped up, cracking against his jaw. As his head flew back, she grabbed a fistful of his hair and slammed him face-first into the ground.

With a deafening crash, the impact carved a crater into the earth. The ground around them sank a full story, sending a plume of dust into the air.

’No way!’

’She beat Kajan... in hand-to-hand combat?’

"Do I..." A pure white light shimmered in her pupils as the ground began to rumble. "...look like a joke to you?"

A hundred giant arms rose around her, forming a circle. They crossed and bent, preparing a complex spell. A cold sweat broke out across Simon’s brow as the Saintess of Harvest’s question echoed in his mind.

"But here’s the real question. Can you guys even beat Ever Kireh, ya think?"

A cold sweat beaded on Simon’s pale face as he managed a strained laugh. "...Of course we’ll win!"

Suddenly, Kajan’s joints twisted in a bizarre fashion, and his body coiled around the fugitive’s like a snake.

"Ugh!"

The leg and elbow she thought she had broken were moving perfectly. Blood dripped from Kajan’s lips as he roared, "Now, Simon!"

Veins bulged on Simon’s arm. He seized the purple spear that shot up from his waist, shifted his weight forward, and hurled it with all his might.

’Simon Original - Chaos Spear’

The magic of Chaos shot violently toward the fanatic.