A deep smog, like an unsolvable mystery, weighed heavily upon Split Mist Town.

Treading on the first rays of morning light, Burges kept his head down, following his squad into the heavily guarded Split Mist Town.

The Forbidden Messengers stationed deep within Split Mist Town, beings with all sorts of traits far from the ordinary, were not people they could casually stare at.

A few days ago, a Knight had stared for just a moment too long at one of the Forbidden Messengers’ lower bodies—a serpentine form like jade-colored marble.

As a result, that Forbidden Messenger had petrified him on the spot.

The statue was still placed at the entrance.

These important figures, with their terrible tempers and bizarre methods, were not people that low-level Knights like them could afford to provoke.

As he stepped into the viscous gray mist, a sudden chill swept over him for no apparent reason.

Burges’s coarse eyebrows knitted together slightly.

As a Level 3 Church Knight, he had long since ceased to fear extreme heat or cold.

But this inexplicable, strange feeling left him feeling a little uneasy.

He arrived at his patrol area, his gaze sweeping toward the hazy, golden silhouette of the sun deep within the thick fog.

The power of the Holy Fierce Sun reflected in his pupils, and after it resonated faintly with his own power, he finally felt a little more at ease.

He had previously been a Knight stationed in the Steam City-State to the south.

But... he had received orders to lead his squad to Ogrande City to stand guard on the streets and maintain order.

In the last few days, he had been transferred to Split Mist Town, supposedly to counter the risk of a potential ritual.

Although his superiors hadn’t said it outright, they all knew.

War! It had begun!

Even though he was a Level 3 Knight, a Sir Knight who seemed powerful and influential to ordinary people.

But in this corner of the world, where it was impossible to see the full picture of the war.

Knights like them were just pawns, completely devoid of their own will.

He was just about to find a sunny spot sheltered from the wind to bask in the sun for a bit.

Suddenly, the once-drab gray mist was stained with a strange, crimson hue.

It wasn’t just him. The other Knights stationed nearby also noticed this bizarre and grotesque scene.

"What... What’s going on?"

Burges held out his palm, waving it through the strange, crimson-gray mist before him.

For a moment, the unease in his heart intensified.

The strange crimson hue grew richer and richer.

Many of the Knights raised their heads one after another.

At some unknown point, the once-glittering fierce sun had turned completely blood-red.

"A blood-colored sun!"

Burges couldn’t help the lurch in his heart.

As his anxiety grew.

WHOOSH!

Not far away, a mere Level 1 Knight suddenly burst into flames.

A strange, scorching blood-flame billowed out, enveloping his entire body and soaring more than ten feet high.

But strangely, the Level 1 Knight neither cried out nor seemed to be in any pain from the searing flames.

The young Knight even raised his hands in astonishment, looking at his own burning hands.

"What... What’s going on?"

He looked blankly at the other Knights beside him, still able to speak.

Several other Knights on guard couldn’t help but step forward to take a look.

But the flames seemed to be contagious.

The moment they got close.

WHOOSH...

All five or six of the Knights were ignited.

This strange, blood-colored flame burned without causing the slightest sensation of pain.

They tried to extinguish it, but it was impossible to put out.

Although they felt something was wrong, they couldn’t put their finger on what it was.

Just as the men were about to report the matter.

The face of the Level 1 Knight who had first caught fire began to ripple strangely.

"Help... help... me..."

He stretched out his hand with all his might, a desperate struggle like a man about to drown.

SHHHLUUURP~~

The Level 1 Knight melted in an instant like wax, his blood and bones flowing all over the ground.

The strange, blood-colored flame continued to burn on his remains.

’This is bad...’

Burges was terrified.

The blood-red silhouette imprinted itself ever more clearly deep within his pupils.

But in that moment, it was as if his fear had been stripped away, and he stood frozen in place for a second.

His survival instinct, however, still drove him to flee.

Burges scrambled desperately toward the buildings of Split Mist Town.

But as he ran.

WHOOSH...

He, too, was ignited.

Blood-red flames enveloped every inch of his body.

There was no pain, not even the slightest hint of fear.

But the more this was the case, the more a chilling cold spread through Burges’s heart.

"Why is this happening... Why is this happening..."

He gritted his teeth and roared!

As he sprinted, Burges saw his former colleagues fall one by one, melting into puddles of wax.

He bit his lip until it bled, but a strange smile hung on his face.

His colleagues were all dying in this bizarre event.

He realized he was about to die, too.

Yet instead, he felt a comical urge to laugh.

"Hahaha... hahaha..."

"They all melted like candles."

"Hahaha..."

Just as he was about to reach the houses of Split Mist Town.

BANG!

Burges slammed into an invisible curtain and was forcefully thrown back.

"Let me in... Let me in!"

He beat desperately against the invisible curtain.

But the people inside the curtain just watched him with cold indifference.

They had no intention of letting cannon fodder like him inside.

Looking at those cold, indifferent faces, Burges suddenly felt tired. Incredibly tired.

He wanted to sleep, to fall into a deep, deep slumber.

HUFF... HUFF...

He gasped for breath, leaning against the invisible barrier as he slowly slid to the ground.

He struggled to lift his head and widen his eyes. The blood-red color pierced his Sequence, and he saw his own Death.

The moment the Crying Blood Sun rose.

SQUELCH...

He collapsed completely.

The blood-flame burning on his flesh and bone remains shimmered in concert with the Crying Blood Sun, becoming a single spark in an endless sea of blood.

When the Crying Blood Sun ascended,

All Fiery Sun Cultists became kindling!

Vast and mighty!

An eerie, vast, sacred, and terribly ponderous Crying Blood Sun, five times larger than the original Holy Fierce Sun.

At this very moment, it was slowly ascending.

All of Ogrande City, the Autanston Republic, the Saint Grelle Empire.

The mist-shrouded mountain plateaus, the endless Northern Border Icefield, and even the Arctic Ocean, which was also part of the Northern Land.

At this very moment, a vast and magnificent Crying Blood Sun rose over them all.

The blood-weeping song of the Sun Goddess, laced with endless grief and rage, stained the entire dome of the sky.

The light of a god, at this very moment, shone upon the earth!

A crimson tide... swept over everything.

The Crying Blood Sun.

She had already risen, completely and utterly.

......

"Damned blasphemers and heretics!"

"Dammit... They all deserve to die..."

"That damned bitch! She clearly pledged allegiance to the great Holy Fierce Sun, yet she dares to use her song to pollute the great Holy Fierce Sun."

"Kill them all... Anyone who believes in that damned bitch must die."

"Hiss..."

「Deep within Split Mist Town.」

Many of the Harvesters glared at the blood-red sun, which was unusually stable and ascending step by step.

Outside, the Knights were ignited one by one, turned to kindling, and became nourishment for the Crying Blood Sun.

But these people, using the "Gray Mist Sun Ceremony," had completely blocked the radiance of the Crying Blood Sun.

They knew very well that using this "Gray Mist Sun Ceremony" could not only effectively obscure the Crying Blood Sun, but also harness the power of the Ancient Ruins to fight off external invasions.

Ogrande City was a tough nut to crack.

As long as they could suppress the Extraordinary Power here, Ogrande City wouldn’t be able to turn the tables once victory was achieved on other fronts.

On the other hand, if Ogrande City—this Steam Industrial City-State in the Northern Land, located near the gray mist and rich with mineral resources—was allowed to operate like a crazed war machine, shipping out war resources ship after ship, then the war in the Northern Border Region would become exceptionally difficult.

Therefore!

Even though the Crying Blood Sun had already risen, they had to use their powerful ritual to hold this place and keep Ogrande City from becoming operational.

Originally... the great task of disrupting Ogrande City’s steam power had been given to the Torlask Steam Train.

But unfortunately!

That steam train was sunk by a minor noble named Zorn Corick. He used a rerouting plan to sink the Torlask Steam Train just as it was about to take off.

It was said that when this news reached Saintisman, the Empire’s congressional chamber fell into a long, cold silence.

And now, no matter what, they had to hold this place.

And completely suppress Ogrande City.

......

「Outside Split Mist Town.」

Marquis Albert watched the magnificent, blood-red sun ascend and couldn’t help but exclaim with emotion.

"This Crying Blood Sun is truly a magnificent sight!"

Beside him, Saint Retaf, the Dark Tree Shepherd, gazed at the towering, blood-red sun. His expression was unusually calm, but deep within his eyes, ripples of emotion bloomed.

He had been defeated and forced to flee Ogrande City back then.

Now!

He was finally going to kill his way back in.

"Aren’t we starting yet?"

Saint Retaf glanced at Marquis Albert.

"If we really wait for Andre to escape, we’ll be in big trouble."

"No need to rush!"

Marquis Albert smiled.

"We still need to wait a moment for the other side."

"Besides, Andre can’t escape."

Although he wore a smile, Albert was also slightly worried.

When it came to countering rituals, the only person in all of Ogrande City with enough authority and confidence to be put forward was probably Zorn Corick.

But Zorn was, after all, only Level Five.

The enemy, on the other hand, had at least thirty Level Six Transcendents.

Seven or eight Level 7 Transcendents.

One at Level 8.

There was even a powerful ritual supported by a Level 9 Transcendent.

He didn’t dare say how effective Zorn’s Evil Spirit Calamity would be.

But having some effect, no matter how small, was better than nothing.

If they sent anyone else, it would be better not to even try.

Just as Marquis Albert’s unease had yet to subside,

Abruptly.

A towering, massive shroud of Death bloomed swiftly above Split Mist Town.

This cloud of Death was so towering, vast, and heavy that when it bloomed, it even blotted out the crimson light of the Crying Blood Sun.

Immediately after, a dense downpour of deathly rain began to fall.

The terrifying destructive power contained within the Level 7 deathly rain hammered against the massive ritual curtain below.

It made even Level 8 Transcendents like them feel a slight palpitation of fear.

As for the Level Six and Level 7 Transcendents on the side who were preparing for battle, their brows were all tightly furrowed.

If they were caught in this outburst of Death, even if they didn’t die, they’d be skinned alive.

"An Evil Spirit Calamity, and a Level 7 Evil Spirit Calamity at that."

"To think Ogrande City was hiding such a terrifying Evil Spirit."

"If this power were to radiate outward, the entirety of Ogrande City would probably be destroyed on the spot."

Sensing the terrifying power of the Level 7 Evil Spirit Calamity—like a descending apocalypse of Death—even the Level 8 Saint Retaf found his brow tightly furrowed for a moment, a trace of fear stirring in the bottom of his heart.

"A... a Level 7 Evil Spirit Calamity!"

At this moment, Marquis Albert was also utterly astonished.

He had originally expected Zorn to be able to summon a Level 5 Evil Spirit Calamity, or at most, a Level Six one.

He never, ever would have expected Zorn Corick to pull off something this huge.

He had actually summoned a Level 7 Evil Spirit Calamity.

’He’s only Level Five... This kid has way too many tricks up his sleeve!’

The more this was the case, the more satisfied Marquis Albert felt.

Previously, when the intelligence from Autanston about the formation of the Steam Empire arrived, he had been slightly dissatisfied, mainly because Ogrande’s voice was too weak.

But he also knew that influence wasn’t something that was given. It had to be earned through fighting.

That was why... he had to join forces with Zorn.

In this ritual confrontation, they needed to demonstrate Ogrande City’s strategic value and establish their own influence within the new generation of the Steam Empire.

And the battle had only just begun, yet Zorn Corick had already used a Level 7 Evil Spirit Calamity to sound a thunderous response from Ogrande City!