’It’s mainly thanks to the power of the Tree of the Magic Ring.’

’The power of the Tree of the Magic Ring can perfectly complement my Ancient God’s Hand.’

’I just wonder if the invaders in Split Mist Town have ever witnessed a palm strike descending from the heavens!’

’Hmm... right, the power of the Golden Throne can also be used to empower this Ancient God’s Hand.’

Before long, Zorn had completed the ritual for the Evil Spirit Calamity.

Once he felt that everything was ready, he activated it.

The Evil Spirit Calamity was launched!

The Level 5 Evil Spirit Calamity instantly roared to life, blooming above the Ritual Altar as the vortex rapidly expanded.

When it expanded to the limit of what this space could contain, it entered a stable, balanced state.

The destination for this currently Level 5 Evil Spirit Calamity was clearly not this Secret Land.

Zorn began to contact the Golden Magic Ring Tree, extending its range to the area outside.

It covered a one-kilometer radius centered on Split Mist Town.

While Zorn was preparing his Catastrophe Ceremony, he could also sense something stirring deep within the thick fog that shrouded Split Mist Town.

The forces of the Saintisman Empire, namely the Holy Fierce Sun Church and the Harvesters, were also preparing a powerful ritual of their own.

Since the Holy Fierce Sun Church was already prepared to break with the forces of the Northern Border Region, it was only natural that they would bring out their most destructive powers.

Zorn even suspected, ’These Saintisman lunatics... they might even want to destroy these Ancient Ruins entirely.’

When it came to a clash of rituals, an Evil Spirit Wizard’s Evil Spirit Calamity feared nothing.

Moreover, with Ogrande City still caught in the great tide of the era, Zorn was in a favorable position.

Although he would fall from grace once the heavy snows melted and the first chilly spring breeze arrived, for now, Zorn Corick was still the favored child of this momentous tide.

The power of the Divine Kingdom, the power of the Golden Magic Ring, the power of the Evil Spirit Calamity, the power of the Ancient God’s Hand—powers from all sides continued to stack and converge.

Amid his preparations and waiting, Zorn could even vaguely sense the RUSHING ripples that surged from the depths of Ogrande’s epic historical tapestry.

Zorn worked busily late into the night before he finally felt satisfied with his preparations.

A deep golden halo illuminated Zorn’s face, its light undulating in gentle, layered ripples.

Sensing the faint, RUSHING sound of waves flowing around him, Zorn’s slightly furrowed brow relaxed.

’It would be great if I win, but if I can’t, I’ll only lose two lives. I’ll still be able to hold on to most of my assets.’

This was a confrontation of epochal tides.

A clash between Divine Spirits.

Not even Zorn dared to claim that the Northern Border Region he supported was guaranteed to win.

Even if they did win, there was a vast difference between a crushing victory and a narrow one.

Moreover, situations where both sides fought to a standstill and then both declared victory—a "win-win situation"—also happened from time to time.

What Zorn had to do was secure his own interests in this massive war of Miracle Ceremonies.

’Don’t be fooled by the current cooperation between the Sun Church and Ogrande City; their relationship only seems good on the surface.’

’I might be on a promising path to becoming a Royal Court Mage, but once the political winds shift and they start hunting Evil Spirits, those who aren’t Evil Spirits won’t be pleading my case.’

’They’ll just want to see the gruesome spectacle of an Evil Spirit tied to the gallows and burned to death.’

’And as for my fellow Evil Spirit Bosses, they can’t wait for me to die so they can feast on my corpse.’

’The resources I’ve harvested from the Divine Kingdom and the Ancient Ruins have been excellent.’

’Next up is...’

’...the harvest from the Crying Blood Sun and this Evil Spirit Calamity ritual.’

’Whether the Northern Border Region wins or not, I’m guaranteed to come out ahead this time.’

’It’s just a question of how much.’

Once the surrounding ritual had completely stabilized, Zorn slowly opened his Spiritual Realm.

Next to several clusters of Black Mist belonging to the Lower Rankers, small Black Mist vortexes were swirling.

These small Black Mist vortexes were the ritual prayers and reports sent to Zorn from the Lower Rankers.

Zorn routinely checked on Sanma’s situation.

It was all routine information, nothing too important.

The Sanma had also sensed the approach of war and had made adjustments to their respective Mafia gangs.

But the ever-expanding team of Transcendants brought Zorn a continuous stream of benefits.

This was Zorn’s only current source of "Fighting Essence."

Although this "Mafia Believers" path was quite unorthodox, it was extremely useful in a pinch.

After a moment of thought, Zorn focused his gaze on the Lantern-carrying Elder’s Black Mist vortex.

The war had arrived, and Zorn had previously told the Lantern-carrying Elder to keep a close watch on Duke Mu Huo.

Seeing so many small Black Mist vortexes now, it was clear the Elder had something to report.

"Master, I have acted according to your instructions."

"After this period of searching, I have found Duke Mu Huo’s secret resurrection anchor."

"But you said he has a powerful form of Resurrection, so I have not rashly interfered with it."

"I have pinpointed its location."

...

"Master, Duke Mu Huo achieved a breakthrough some time ago, advancing to Level 6."

"Fortunately, the source flame of the Calamity Candle has completely integrated into the depths of his Sequence, and he has not discovered its origin."

"We must be extremely careful when dealing with Duke Mu Huo."

After reviewing all the information provided by the Lantern-carrying Elder, Zorn nodded slightly.

’Finding Duke Mu Huo’s Respawn Point is a great start.’

’A Middle Rank Level 6 Duke Mu Huo, hmm?’

Zorn gently rubbed his palm.

’Now this is getting interesting. I wonder how many of my Forbidden Curses he can withstand?’

As a member of the Evil Spirit Sequence, Duke Mu Huo was immune to the suppression and lethal power of the "Evil Spirit Calamity."

Even a Level 5 or Level 6 Evil Spirit Calamity couldn’t affect a Level 1 or Level 2 member of the Evil Spirit Sequence.

After all, they themselves were nurtured by the Calamity Black Mist in the Calamity Origin Land.

To kill Duke Mu Huo, relying on the Evil Spirit Calamity was out of the question.

Zorn would have to do it himself.

As Zorn waited quietly, time flew by.

Before he knew it, it was already approaching noon on the second day.

...

The heavy snow that had fallen for days finally stopped.

A blanket of pure white snow covered Ogrande City, shimmering with a brilliant silver light under the unusually bright sun.

「Deep within the Ancient Ruins.」

Zorn, who was in the middle of operating the ritual, suddenly felt something.

He snapped open his golden eyes.

’It’s... coming!’

With that thought, Zorn no longer hesitated and immediately began to sacrifice himself.

This self-sacrifice, performed just before the Crying Blood Sun would rise, would both deepen Zorn’s imprint within the Crying Blood Sun and temporarily boost the level of his Evil Spirit Calamity.

In a blaze of golden light, Zorn sacrificed himself and died.

Zorn was reborn within a whirlwind of Calamity Black Mist. Resurrections remaining: (4/5).

After entering his second Evil Spirit Boss form, Zorn’s silhouette became much more substantial.

The strength of his aura now perfectly matched that of a Level 6.

’Again!’

Zorn sacrificed himself again.

After dying and resurrecting once more, his count was now: Resurrections remaining (3/5).

The strength of Zorn’s aura now reached an astonishing Level 7.

The power of a Level 7 Evil Spirit Calamity could instantly kill a Level 6 Transcendent.

It would weaken a Level 7 Transcendent and slowly kill them over time.

It could also affect a Level 8 Transcendent to a certain degree. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

In the original timeline, when Zorn Corick died, he was at Level 7 most of the time. He rarely reached Level 8, let alone Level 9.

A Level 7 Evil Spirit Calamity already met the criteria for a typical Evil Spirit Wizard to bring pain and fear to the entire world.

Zorn only dared to play this game because he had so many chances to resurrect.

Having done all this, Zorn slowly raised his head to look at the majestic sun in the sky.

The Miracle Ceremony, the Crying Blood Sun, was about to set the entire world ablaze.

The opening battle between the Divine Spirits was about to begin.

And his Level 7 Evil Spirit Calamity would make its debut alongside it.