Just as the First Prince stood there in shock, several sets of footsteps suddenly approached.
Viktor looked up and saw Liya and Gwen hurrying over.
Behind Gwen followed a hooded hunter.
From the comparison of their chest, he recognized her identity at a glance.
Liya looked around at the exhausted nobles, then turned her eyes toward the elves nearby.
Seeing this, she frowned in confusion.
"What happened here?"
The elves' crying was clearly no accident. She could see that some of them had suddenly fallen into pain.
Normally peaceful elves would never show such painful expressions.
She recalled the sudden earthquake from earlier, as if the earth itself had become enraged.
Clearly, it had something to do with what was happening to the elves.
Liya's sharp instincts told her something major had happened.
Her intuition warned her that something unusual was happening here.
But Viktor didn't answer her.
He simply stood where he was and calmly called out, "Cocotte."
"I'm here, I'm here."
A cheerful girl's voice came from the sky.
A fluffy white cloud slowly floated down from above.
It gently stopped beside Viktor.
Cocotte looked with a trace of pity at the elves lying on the ground in pain not far away, pursed her lips, then came back to her senses and said to Viktor, "Looks like our people still got themselves into trouble... So, what do you need me to do?"
Viktor looked ahead, as if watching something in the distance.
Hearing Cocotte's question, he said calmly, "Take Liya away. Bring her somewhere safe."
Liya froze where she stood.
She looked at Viktor with slightly trembling eyes, her voice full of confusion.
"Viktor... what do you mean?"
"Yeah, Mr. Viktor, what do you mean by that?"
As soon as they heard Viktor say Liya should leave, the other nobles also became anxious.
Their faces turned pale as they cried out, "Your sister's life matters, but so do the lives of other commoners. Don't the lives of us nobles matter too?"
"We need protection too!"
Viktor ignored the nobles' protests and calmly replied to Liya, "I mean exactly what I said."
Liya wanted to say something more, but suddenly a wave of exhaustion washed over her.
It felt as if every bit of strength had been drained from her body.
She collapsed backward, unable to even finish a sentence.
'So... so sleepy...'
Her blurry eyes barely stayed open.
As Cocotte's face slowly appeared above her, she felt a soft cloud supporting her body.
Everything beneath her felt soft, and her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
Liya lay on the cloud, trying hard to keep her eyes open.
But in the end, Viktor's black coat gradually became blurry before her eyes.
'Viktor... don't...'
"Brother..."
Finally, Liya closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
The courtyard fell completely silent.
Only after Liya was fully asleep did Viktor turn around and look expressionlessly at Gwen.
"Gwen, work with the hunters. Take these nobles and elves to the central square."
This was the Middle District.
There wasn't enough time to escape outside the city.
Even if Viktor used teleportation magic, moving this many people would consume an enormous amount of magic.
He had to save his magic for the battle that was likely coming.
So there was only one destination.
The central square of the imperial palace.
It was spacious enough to hold a large crowd.
Most importantly...
The safest place was wherever the Emperor was.
Gwen nodded and accepted Viktor's order without hesitation.
She quickly drew the sword at her waist, swung it toward the sky, and shouted, "Everyone, leave this place with me!"
The other hunters immediately moved.
Because this was Viktor's order.
They called for the nobles to leave.
If any noble had weak legs and walked too slowly, they would patiently go over and give them a kick.
The elves had much better treatment.
The hunters carefully arranged for them to ride in the nobles' carriages.
They also helped the injured elves aboard.
Fortunately, the residents of the surrounding Middle District had already been evacuated.
By now, most of them had probably gathered in the central square.
The First Prince stood there blankly, watching Viktor direct everything.
Even he could tell how urgent the situation had become.
Otherwise, Viktor would never have gone through all this trouble.
He could have simply blasted everything with magic.
Finally, the First Prince watched Viktor turn around and look at him and his mother.
"Your Highness, please leave with the Queen."
"You may also go to the central square and help protect the others. But the battle that's about to begin isn't suitable for you."
The First Prince opened his mouth to speak.
But Claudia immediately nodded without hesitation, tightly grabbed his arm, and quickly led him away.
In the end, the First Prince could only watch as Viktor's figure grew farther and farther away.
After the two of them had gradually left, Cocotte looked around.
Now, besides herself and Viktor, the only thing left was the crystal ice statue behind Viktor.
'Poor Erika...'
Soon afterward, she straightened up and spoke seriously to Viktor.
"Viktor..."
"So, can you handle this yourself?"
She could sense Viktor's current state.
He carried a seriousness she had never felt from him before.
Even so, the calmness he showed still made people feel at ease.
"The plan doesn't change, Cocotte."
"Tell the others in the Council to get ready."
Hearing Viktor's words, Cocotte nodded firmly.
She wasn't afraid that Viktor would ask for help.
What worried her was that he wouldn't.
If that happened...
There would probably be no hope at all.
She turned back toward Viktor once more.
Patting the cloud beneath her, she floated high into the sky, preparing to leave with Liya.
Just before departing, Cocotte looked back at Viktor one last time.
"You can handle this yourself, right?"
"We'll be waiting somewhere safe for you to come back."
With that, without waiting for Viktor's answer, Cocotte activated her magic.
Receiving the signal, the cloud swelled up and released a pale stream of air, rapidly carrying her away into the night sky.
The white cloud left behind an elegant curved trail that lingered in the air.
Viktor silently watched the tiny white dot disappear.
Now, only he and Vega remained in the courtyard.
One man, one bird, and Erika, sealed inside the golden block of ice.
Nearly half an hour passed before there was no sign of another living being anywhere nearby.
Standing on Viktor's shoulder, Vega covered its beak with one wing and casually yawned.
"In the end, it's just the two of us again, Viktor."
"Yeah."
Viktor gazed at the empty land ahead and slowly said,
"I originally planned to prepare a while longer. Unfortunately, that crafty little god didn't give me the chance."
"You schemed against him from beginning to end, and now you're saying he isn't allowed to scheme against you?"
Vega said lazily.
Viktor answered calmly, "True."
"But he definitely didn't expect that the trouble he prepared for me is exactly what I've been waiting for."
In an instant, Viktor's eyes and Vega's single eye both ignited with blue flames.
[Connection Established]
[MP: 99,999,999 / 99,999,999]
Behind Viktor, his coat of five colors burst into flames.
Five blazing fires of different colors shot into the sky.
The terrifying flames swayed in the air like the souls of five monstrous beasts.
Beneath the blazing light, an even more violent earthquake erupted again.
But this time...
It was as though heaven and earth were breaking apart.
The empty ground split open completely as chaotic masses of rock burst upward.
Endless dust rolled into the sky like a giant gray curtain.
Chaotic power rapidly spread across the earth.
Wave after wave of rising stone swallowed everything in sight, as though the land itself were surging with fury.
A wall of dust hundreds of meters high stained the black sky a hazy brown.
The once-deep night sky looked as though it had been covered by a vast stretch of land.
Clouds gathered.
The moonlight dimmed.
It looked like a sign that the night sky itself was about to collapse, leaving anyone who saw it uneasy.
As the earth shook, an enormous shadow, like a mountain, rose from the ground.
The earth-brown giant shot toward the sky.
Almost every joint of its body was wrapped in reddish-brown trees.
Its body, larger than a mountain, constantly gave off an unimaginably heavy presence.
Just looking at it made Viktor's heart tremble.
Not from fear.
But from overwhelming excitement.
Four pairs of eyes suddenly opened.
Eight crimson pupils shone with scarlet light.
Like six blood-red moons falling into the deep mountains.
And this... Was only half of its head.
Breaking through the dust and clouds and pushing into the sky, it was already terrifying enough.
But...
"Sorry."
"You can't come out yet."
Five dazzling streams of light flashed through Viktor's eyes as terrifying magic rapidly expanded.
The roars of five disasters gathered together, merging into one overwhelming force.
Countless magic circles of different colors lit up around Viktor one after another.
Enormous rings stacked layer upon layer, reaching into the clouds.
Dense patterns intertwined into a three-dimensional web.
It stood proudly like an intricate work of art.
The patterns locked together and fused, while countless detailed totems and complex runes of living creatures sank into the massive formations.
In an instant, a brilliant realm of chaotic colors gathered together.
A magical space stretching hundreds of miles broke through the clouds and pressed down toward the earth, beginning to cover the chaotic rising ground.
Shockwaves rose hundreds of meters high, tearing through the dry, scorched space.
BOOM!
[War Magic: Five Thousand Wide Area]
The enormous impact smashed into the shattered earth, erupting with a light as bright as day.
The dust slowly settled.
Yet the mountain-like half of the creature's head was completely unharmed.
Even the surrounding rocks remained intact.
Viktor wasn't surprised at all.
Looking at the health bar that stretched endlessly into the distance, he narrowed his eyes.
Even after that terrifying War Magic, the dreadful existence had suffered almost no damage.
But it had successfully triggered combat between them.
Viktor slowly lowered his gaze to the monster's name and level.
[Earth Calamity: Uranos]
[Lv.70?]
At that moment, the corners of his mouth slowly rose into an extremely delighted smile.
"My partner."
His arrogant words shook the soul.
"This will be our greatest battle."