A Few Moments Later

  Gangnam-gu — South Korea

  Gangnam Ex Building — Rooftop

  During the Early Hours of the Morning

  Immediately, the young Nabi—without understanding what was happening—observed around her the many people who were protecting her for reasons she still could not comprehend.

  To her eyes, those people wore white masks that concealed their true identities, yet visibly allowed their hair to show behind the masks covering their faces.

  This provided an even more surreal image to the gaze of young Nabi Yu, who watched the stronger breeze sweep across the entire place, causing the hair and clothing of everyone present to sway.

  Those many individuals, allied with the man protecting her, stared directly at Astaroth—eyes that clearly showed not a single drop of uncertainty or pity toward his despicable existence.

  It was possible to see that many of the members of the Reginae faction's team had completely white eyes, devoid of irises, while others had entirely black eyes, also without irises.

  For reasons she herself could not understand, this gave Nabi Yu a sense of safety in the presence of those people, while the leader of that team—the man so mysterious and overwhelming in presence.

  Stood staring directly into the depths of Astaroth's eyes. That man, who led the Reginae faction's team, was none other than the current right hand of the heir to the Oculi throne, and the leader of the Reginae faction.

  That same man had made his decision after receiving permission from his leader—whom he respected deeply—that should he be forced to enter combat against anyone who dared to harm Nabi Yu.

  He and his entire team would have full authorization to use aggressive methods if necessary against their opponent. However, such permission would be completely denied to him and his elite team.

  If their opponent were none other than a high-ranking member of the Inanis faction—being, in this case, none other than Astaroth himself, the right hand of the Begeneri twins who founded the Inanis faction.

  [Astaroth — Confident & Calm Voice] You know it will be useless to hide her or protect her from us. —

  And then, in the face of the massive presence of that man and his Reginae team, Astaroth smiled in an amused way, appearing to show complete calm and disdain toward everyone present.

  [Astaroth — Confident & Calm Voice] Nabi Yu, at the end of this bloody and entertaining war between Inanis and Reginae, will involuntarily end up in our hands. —

  As he said this, Astaroth simply stared into the depths of the eyes of the man who led that elite group of the Reginae faction.

  Meanwhile, behind him, Nabi Yu could be seen turning around without reaction to what she had heard.

  Still trembling and utterly exhausted—trying to remain standing after the end of the brutal fight between her and Taesuk.

  [Astaroth — Confident & Calm Voice] Even if you refuse to accept her destiny, we will have great fun making use of the many qualities she carries in her now-awakened, so "noble" blood, brought forth at its maximum potential. —

  [Man — Serious & Confident Voice] I invite you, young Astaroth. —

  And before that vile gaze of Astaroth, which conveyed an imposing presence steeped in pure sadism and psychopathy as it looked upon Nabi Yu—seeing her as nothing more than a "test animal" to be used by the scientists of the Inanis faction—

  [Man — Serious & Confident Voice] To try, at least once, to touch with your filthy hands the skin of Miss Yuna's daughter... —

  The man then spoke those words as he faced that disgusting presence, which caused an overwhelming sensation of revulsion within his own body, brought on by Astaroth's contemptible expression and the gaze directed at him.

  [Astaroth — Playfully Hollow Voice] ...Would that be a "challenge"? Do not dare provoke me, for I have direct orders not to remove your head from your body, even though I very much wish to do so, Lord Count. —

  And immediately, one of the members of the Reginae faction lost his patience after the words spoken by Astaroth toward his leader.

  Without being ordered, this ally of the Count rushed toward Astaroth, determined to make him pay for the mocking words he had dared to utter.

  That person, revealed to be the young Sork, surged forward like a bullet slicing through the air, clenching his fists as he charged toward where Astaroth had been seated, successfully striking with his punch the exact spot where Astaroth had been.

  This impulsive action caused what resembled a small explosion, launching several bursts of wind mixed with smoke and small debris outward and off the rooftop of the building.

  [Sork — Whispering, Incredulous & Confused] ...Impossible! —

  As the smoke raised by his attack began to dissipate, it was revealed that Sork had missed and had not struck Astaroth.

  Who had moved to another location in just a few instants, faster than Sork could perceive, using his superior Oculi abilities.

  [Sork — Whispering, Incredulous & Confused] How did that bastard move faster, without me even sensing that he was using his Oculi abilities? —

  A few moments later, the scene shifted to Astaroth landing in an imposing manner, his boots touching down just a few meters in front of the Count.

  [Astaroth — Serene & Hollow Voice] You know this is not a farewell, Lord Count. —

  He stood there before the young Nabi Yu, who was left stunned by the reaction speed Astaroth had displayed in less than a single second.

  [Astaroth — Serene & Hollow Voice] For the war between the Inanis faction and the Reginae is approaching its brutal climax. [A gentle, amused laugh] —

  That single statement seemed to echo through the silence of the place, causing Sork to look back without reaction, seeing Astaroth with his back turned to him, standing before the Count, only a few meters separating them.

  A display of total superiority, without needing to say a single word to Sork, who grew even more enraged, burning with hatred and the desire to destroy Astaroth for treating him as if he were insignificant.

  [Astaroth — Whispering, Deeply Motivated] All of you on this terrace today have luck on your side... [A pleasurable sigh] —

  But Sork was prevented from impulsively advancing again by the Count's gaze directed at him.

  With that single, serious look, the Count made it clear that he would no longer allow any action from any of his allies against Astaroth.

  [Astaroth — Whispering, Deeply Motivated] For I do not have permission from my honored Begeneri twins to... [A pleasurable sigh] —

  At the same time, the young Nabi Yu could be seen, her body freezing in fear for being now close enough to Astaroth, sensing a bloodthirsty presence about to be unleashed from her body.

  [Astaroth — Whispering, Deeply Motivated] ...To annihilate every single one of you at this very moment with my own hands, sparing only the young Nabi Yu. [Pleasurable sigh] —

  She was not directing her fully white, piercing gaze toward the young Nabi Yu; her true target in that place was the Count, toward whom she held a very deep resentment.

  This resentment stemmed from a confrontation many years ago, in which the Count allowed Astaroth to escape out of mere pity, in the face of her then-pathetic strength.

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  [Count — Confident & Assertive Voice] I still think that you, Astaroth... even after being given a second chance to live another day by me that night... [Subtle deep breath] —

  As Astaroth stared into the depths of the Count's black eyes, she smiled, while the pressure around the three of them became visibly surreal.

  [Count — Confident & Assertive Voice] You still long to be killed by me, despite your complete ignorance of the abyss of skill that exists between us. [Subtle, disgusted breath] —

  [Astaroth — Emptily Amused Voice] You claim there is an "abyss of skill between you and me." —

  An invisible, violently rippling force emanated from both the Count and Astaroth as they stood face to face, each displaying absolute confidence in their own abilities and superiority over the other, without showing a single trace of hesitation.

  [Astaroth — Emptily Amused Voice] And I tell you that this is no longer the reality of the present, after everything I learned while serving the Begeneri twins. —

  That manifestation, which affected neither people nor objects on the surface of the building's terrace.

  Was nothing less than the release of the Oculi abilities of both the Count and Astaroth, seemingly creating a resonance throughout the entire environment.

  [Astaroth — Emptily Amused Voice] By standing beside the Begeneri twins, I became something you will never reach in your entire life... —

  [Count — Curious & Attentive Voice] ...And what did you become by standing beside those two "idiot Begeneri," instead of remaining at the side of your beloved heir to the Oculi throne, Princess Lilian? —

  This made the young Nabi Yu realize that her current abilities, even though newly awakened, did not amount to even 1% of their total power.

  [Astaroth — Serious & Hollow Voice] ...I became someone who sees beyond what my own eyes show me, and... —

  [Count — Curious & Attentive Voice] "And?" [Lightly provocative & ironic sigh] —

  At that moment, the two of them were clearly restraining themselves so as not to further damage the already compromised Gangnam Ex building, whose lower floors had been severely damaged beneath the terrace where they stood.

  [Astaroth — Serious & Hollow Voice] And what I see now, in the present before my eyes, behind this pathetic persona of yours as a so-called "savior of humans"... —

  [Astaroth — Whispering, Serious & Hollow] ...Is nothing less than a so-called "benefactor" Count, fated to die by the hands of those he seeks to help in the future. —

  Thus echoed Astaroth's deeply disgusted breath, as his body seemed to scatter like sand carried by the wind, fading from that place in an enigmatic and provocative manner.

  After all, he should have been following the ideas of the Begeneri twins and seeking extermination — pursuing what he considered lasting justice against each and every one of those damned humans.

  [Astaroth — Whispering, Serious & Hollow] After what those damned humans did to our beloved queen of the Oculi, Luna. [Deep, disappointed breath] —

  Leaving the count and the young Nabi Yu behind for being too close to him, what followed was the whisper of Astaroth's final words, directed solely for the count to hear, as he drew near them and his provocative whisper vanished completely from before him.

  [Astaroth — Whispering, Serious & Hollow] On that day when she came to this human reality to try to help them with a problem that would destroy them in the future. [Deep, disappointed breath] —

  [(Count — Incredulous, Stunned Thought) What did those Begeneri twins put into the minds of their followers of the Inanis faction, my god... They are blind in their desire to avenge our former queen Luna at any cost.]

  [Astaroth — Whispering, Serious & Hollow] Miss Luna was mercilessly killed, and as if that were not enough, humans used her flesh to advance their medicine and biotechnology. And knowing all of this, you still stand on the side of the humans, Count. [Deep, disappointed breath] —

  The count was not merely someone Astaroth wished to kill and physically torture for as long as possible when the right moment arrived; rather, Astaroth had made it his greatest life objective to make the count suffer mentally — to destroy everything he loved and fought to protect.

  Faced with Astaroth's words after he disappeared and left that place, possibly returning to the headquarters of the Inanis faction, the count felt his world slow down in the present moment.

  Meanwhile, his friends — members of the Reginae faction — moved forward to begin first aid on the young Nabi Yu, who had been standing behind the count, protected by him from Astaroth's possible actions.

  The daughter of Yuna, young Nabi Yu, began to lose consciousness as her body reached the limits of exhaustion it could endure, following the consequences of the injuries from the previous battle, which had ended only a few minutes earlier atop the rooftop.

  The count recalled in his mind, as the world around him seemed to fade and he was mentally carried through several flashbacks of the past, moments when he had often been seated at the table where the high-ranking members of the Reginae faction would gather.

  In a Somewhat Distant Past

  In the Reality of the Oculi

  Across Several Distinct Moments

  While they were no longer within human reality, but rather inside the very reality of the Oculi—now gathered in the council chamber—the Count perceived everyone debating the Inanis faction and its actions against humans, using humans to pursue the foolish "Eva Theory."

  Everyone present, including Lilian's two older sisters—also heirs to the Oculi throne—the second princess, Urius, and the third princess, Nox, debated their differing viewpoints about whether they should continue to follow their mother's wishes of harmony with minimal casualties.

  At the same time, all of them discussed what the next steps should be, with the central focus being to stop the actions of Oculi—whether members of the Inanis faction or not—from using humans for their own repulsive desires.

  Amid all this, young Lilian sat at the head of the table as the leader of everyone there, having inherited her mother Luna's gift.

  With each new emergency meeting that passed over time, she seemed to bear an increasingly distant and sorrowful expression.

  This was in light of what the death of her beloved mother had caused throughout Oculi society—she who had fought so hard to unify it after the First Oculi War, a conflict that had nearly led to the annihilation of the Oculi race due to prejudice and outdated ideologies.

  Faced with the young Lilian's expression, the Count—being not only her confidant but also her best friend since the time when the first princess, Lilian, was still a baby—already knew.

  Solely from the way she looked at him with a painful smile, the immense weight that the trust of all the Oculi present at the table, and beyond that place, had placed upon her shoulders.

  Lilian, despite being so young, ended up becoming the heir to the throne, and with her older sisters at her side to assist her, this arrangement solidified as time went on.

  The three of them became the founders of the Reginae faction after the Begeneri twins refused to follow Queen Luna's ideals of harmony and instead chose to create and use their own creation—the "Inanis faction."

  Their goal was to seek revenge against humans and to continue the "Eva Theory," which the Queen had spent a large part of her life trying to resolve in favor of halting the "Unitatem" phenomenon.

  For it was these very ideas and desires that led Luna to be killed by the hands of those she was trying to protect from destruction—by the same force that had nearly annihilated her race within the Oculi reality.

  The Count, being somewhat older yet still remarkably intelligent as one of the Oculi prodigies.

  Came to perceive how the Reginae faction had advanced from something that sought harmony and the salvation of humans to.

  In the present—long after the last time in the Oculi reality—becoming nothing less than an Oculi faction that fights against its own kind.

  Their struggle was to prevent them from destroying not only themselves, as had happened in the past, but now also another race: humanity.

  This shift came after humans had killed their queen, Luna, for to humans the Oculi were nothing more than beings similar to themselves—creatures that came from elsewhere, endowed with abilities humans would never possess.

  Returning to the Present

  Rooftop of the Former Gangnam Building

  During the Early Morning Hours

  The Count, after reliving all those memories and facts tied to the past, found himself instinctively taking a deep breath as he gazed at the night sky over the city of Seoul.

  He realized that, even without Luna wishing for another war among the Oculi, the cycle seemed to be repeating itself.

  [(Count — Deeply Melancholic Thought) In the end, the cycle repeats itself once again. But now, I find myself older, and I have the strength to protect your daughter, Lilian. My Queen Luna.]

  It was Queen Luna herself, without realizing it, whose death triggered the spark for a new war among the Oculi. This time, however, a part of the Oculi no longer wished merely to destroy their own kind, as they had in the past.

  [(Count — Deeply Reflective Thought) Lilian inherited your purpose, even at such a young age, and I feel that she will be able to prevent this "Unitatem" from reaching its final verdict, now within the reality of humans.]

  In the present reality, they wished to destroy those who dared to kill the most precious and valuable symbol of the entire Oculi race.

  On the other hand, there were those who wished to preserve what Luna had fought so hard to build until her very last day of life.

  [(Count — Deeply Motivated Thought) And I promised you, after your passing, Queen Luna, as the coronation of your heir, Princess Lilian, unfolded before my tear-filled eyes.]

  Luna sought harmony between the Oculi and all other realities and existences, and she fought to put an end to the cycle of destruction brought by the "Unitatem," something she deeply despised. Luna fought to break the cycle at least once, in any reality.

  This phenomenon affected all existences and every universe that had been created—or that would one day come to exist—seeking, in a forced manner, their total harmony or total disharmony.

  This pursuit caused all existences contained within the reality affected by the "Unitatem" to suffer greatly before reaching their definitive harmony or disharmony.

  In the reality of the Oculi, definitive harmony was decreed, but to reach it, nearly the entire Oculi race had to be annihilated.

  The initial trigger of the "Unitatem" within the Oculi reality and universe was embedded in the very progression of Oculi history, leading up to its verdict and near extinction.

  [(Count — Deeply Confident Thought) I will give everything I have so that Princess Lilian may bring an end to this cursed cycle of death and destruction, in favor of definitive harmony.]

  Definitive harmony meant the continuation of existence, while disharmony led to the total collapse of a reality and its universe.

  In the case of human reality, the verdict was still being shaped at that moment. Little time had passed since the "Unitatem" began in the human reality.

  By irony of fate, the person who most wished to break the cycle of pain brought by the "Unitatem" ended up becoming the trigger for its beginning in the human world.

  The initiating trigger was Luna's arrival from the Oculi reality, back in the 1960s.

  She came to help humans prevent the "Unitatem" from occurring in their still-young reality and universe.

  However, neither Queen Luna nor the Oculi realized that they themselves were the cause of the triggers that, decades later, would lead to the present.

  The final trigger was ultimately activated during the events at Clikerson Farm, where the "Unitatem" began definitively.

  [(Count — Deeply Hopeful Thought) May this cursed "Unitatem," which brings suffering to so many realities and their respective universes, finally be broken—so that they may deserve the free will of their own existences!]