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The Netherworld—a realm overlapping with the real world, yet belonging more to spirit than flesh. It's the area of the Astral Plane where souls drift after death, and where Heretic Gods retreat either when weary of the mortal realm or when seeking concealment.
The Netherworld is dangerous: those without magical protection find their strength and magical energy steadily drained until death claims them. Only Campiones, with their divine stamina, can endure its depths without any preparation.
And here, in what looked like an old apartment building with no elevators, stood a land called the Oberon.
A figure slowly emerged from the haze. Red hair, blue eyes, dressed in a tattered black tailcoat scorched with burn marks, the back ripped open, and the double-layered helmet on her head shattered beyond repair.
It was Annie Charlton—who had barely escaped with her life from Leo Pemptos (The Lion of Gold).
"Ugh…"
Blood gushed from her mouth, but Annie only wiped it away, forcing herself to crawl upright and slump against a tree.
"Damn it… that blonde brat was way too strong."
Pemptos' speed was impossible to track. Other than the golden light that flashed from her fingertips, Annie hadn't seen a thing.
And to match that speed, the girl's attacks carried a weight that defied imagination.
A single strike like that could probably reshape the continent.
If not for her Authority, Formless Spawn, triggering at the moment of near death, Annie would've been finished.
"And then there was that woman…"
Her mind went back to the last figure she saw: a woman cloaked in pitch-black divine power. Possibly a Heretic God, though she couldn't be certain.
But compared to the golden-haired girl, even that goddess seemed weak.
Annie pulled out several restorative potions, downed them all in one go, then smirked. "Good thing I had a bad feeling beforehand and set up contingencies."
Annie's fighting style had always revolved around information.
Her Authorities were all powerful in their own way, but each carried flaws.
Which meant the key to survival was collecting intel on her enemies, then exploiting their weaknesses with her ever-changing powers.
Every escape route, every safety net, had been prepared in advance. That was why she'd managed to live.
"Still, that blonde girl… she probably stayed behind because she wasn't used to that golden Authority yet."
Annie, who had mistaken Pemptos—the fifth Familiar—for a Heretic God, frowned thoughtfully.
She also couldn't help but wonder about Asherah, who had been bound in chains.
Was that part of a ritual? Or was she just imprisoned?
And if so, which side were those two supposed Heretic Gods really on?
Unable to make sense of it, Annie stopped overthinking and focused on letting her body recover.
Once her strength returned, she pushed herself up and headed deeper into the forest.
Ahead lay a faint silhouette of a temple, built in the style of ancient Greece.
Before long, Annie reached the temple gates and found an elderly man waiting there—his hair white as snow, clad in a simple white robe, holding a bronze quill.
"The Watcher of Time… I didn't expect you to be the one to greet me. Normally, you refuse to show up until I've become unbearably annoying."
"You finally came, Annie Charlton."
The man, known as the Watcher of time, Plutarch, was staying in this Netherworld domain with the fairies.
The domain original master had been Oberon, the European King of the Faeries mentioned in scattered myths and tales.
But Oberon was long dead—slain by Annie Charlton. She had claimed his Authority Lord of the Elves and even usurped his dominion over this land, the Oberon Forest.
The Watcher sighed softly. "Here to pry into history again?"
"I've run into opponents I can't deal with. Especially that golden-haired one. I can't think of a single way to beat her."
Annie spoke, though her gaze drifted toward the temple behind him.
"But if I use the vault beneath the temple, I might find an answer."
In this world, the past, present, and future of humankind were all recorded in the Netherworld.
Its physical manifestation was the Memories of the Void. Anyone who gained access to it could glimpse the secrets of all living beings.
Annie was one such person—a Campione who could see the Memories of the Void.
Annie fell silent for a moment, then spoke with a trace of curiosity. "And there's another man I'm really curious about."
"You mean Ryo Yagami?" The Watcher opened his eyes, fixing them on her.
"I do. He intrigues me," Annie admitted with a nod.
"Peeking into a young man's secrets again? You really are a shameless woman."
The Watcher muttered the insult right to her face, leaving Annie uncomfortably embarrassed.
After his grumbling, he sighed once more. "But if it's him you want, best give up."
"What do you mean?" Annie frowned.
The old man explained: "The Memories of the Void holds nothing on Ryo Yagami. As for two others connected to him, their records exist, but they're vague—blurred beyond use."
"What? Even the Memories of the Void can't record him?"
Annie's brows knit tighter, her doubts piling higher.
"If someone wields an Authority tied to fate, or comes from another world, or has power over causality, it's possible for them to erase their presence from the Memories of the Void."
The Watcher shook his head slowly before continuing. "Before you came, I looked into your future. All I saw was a void."
"Tracing that void back, I found its source—this man named Ryo Yagami."
"In him, I saw the imprint of Victory. I saw Causality. I saw Destiny. Most likely, it's because of his Authorities that the Memories of the Void cannot record him."
Annie scowled. "Then what about the two strange figures I fought today?"
"Those two? I can't see them clearly either, but I can guess."
The Watcher chuckled lightly and explained: "Their fates have been devoured by something. That's why they can't be observed. Most likely, they're destined to fall at Ryo's hand."
"So even without me, he'd take them out eventually?" Annie groaned, feeling a headache coming on.
She took a deep breath to steady herself before asking: "In that case, I need intel on Asherah and on one of the Divine Ancestors."
"You mean to hand that information to Ryo Yagami, as payment?" the Watcher asked at once.
"You even foresaw that?" Annie's surprise showed.
"Yes." The old man's voice grew heavy, almost sorrowful. "And I foresaw something else as well—the end of this world."
His eyes dimmed with grief as he said: "This world is doomed to perish. And the only light that can save it… rests with Ryo Yagami."
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