Kali had once owned a... home where, at the very least, she had been content.
She was living a harsh life, but to her, it wasn't much.
She had grown smarter than those around her and thought more deeply than others.
Unfortunately, she had always been passively influenced by the native teachings of the Kingdom of Tianzhu... No, it should be said that she was — brainwashed.
So, even though she was very intelligent, her thinking never broke the vicious cycle of the so-called "caste system."
Of course, these things, to her in the past, whether they existed or not, didn't make much of a difference.
After all, with her family's economic situation and the social structure of her country, there was no chance for change.
Young Kali, it was enough just to live with her parents and laugh together.
However, even those small wishes—
For months now, many people have been in the slums of Dahavi.
Forced into it.
Kali was no exception.
Her father, her mother—everyone, in the past few months, had become the disposable resources mentioned in the mouths of those profiting from vile tricks. Consumables used to refine serum.
She herself had nearly been killed by that scum.
That vendetta she stored deep in her heart.
She would take revenge.
But what she couldn't tolerate was the existence of heretical groups promoting false gods and defiling her beliefs.
That pure white hall, that beautiful throne—
She had only stepped foot inside for a moment.
And yet, she had received the redemption of life!
That day, she had survived a desperate situation and discovered, for the first time, that something so beautiful still existed in this world.
Smart as she was, her horizons expanded for the first time.
She was incredibly astonished.
That's why she gave thanks, showed reverence, and worshiped the devas who had given her this chance.
And after that—
"God" answered her prayer.
She gained extraordinary powers, enough to punish the wicked.
She became an "apostle of God" who could fight evil in His name.
Through the knowledge imparted by "God," she became wise and learned that the mysterious things used by heretics to deceive were called "Divine Keys."
They were tools created by humans usurping divine powers after apostles of gods from other worlds and timelines had been eliminated.
To Kali, this too was an unforgivable blasphemy.
Therefore—
"I must grow stronger."
Kali prepared for a long escape.
She would lie low… patiently, "until—
"I am stronger than them."
Having made this resolve in her heart, Kali began racing through the slums of Dahavi.
She wore no shoes.
She didn't like shoes anyway.
In any case, her body already surpassed that of normal people.
The body of a Herrscher was indeed very durable.
Normally, even a stab from a needle or a knife could be ignored.
Kali was running faster and faster.
It was strange.
Given her now-skilled footwork, she should've been escaping inland and blending into the crowd — that would have been the best strategy.
But at this moment, her escape route was leading directly to the port.
Finally—
She reached the sea.
Without the slightest hesitation—
She leapt toward a spot near the water, full of small boats.
Based on her understanding of her own powers… the way "God" told her to use them…
That direction — was her safe zone.
Unfortunately, for a moment—
"???"
As expected, the sensation of returning to the sea did not come.
Kali froze.
At that moment, an arm wrapped around her waist.
"Tap\~"
Footsteps echoed.
The uninvited guest, holding her with one hand, landed on a crude, walled-off dock.
The person threw Kali down.
"You—"
"!!!"
As soon as Kali hit the ground, her small feet flailed and she scrambled backward.
"Ah\~ don't be so nervous. I won't hurt you."
"The other person seemed lost," she noted.
Her hand froze mid-air, neither reaching forward nor pulling back.
Only then did Kali look at the person who had come.
It was a tall woman… with purple hair.
"Hello, little sister."
She didn't seem particularly good at smiling — clearly trying to be reassuring, but only pulling awkwardly at the corners of her mouth, revealing a rather unsightly expression.
This expression was rare.
But Kali sensed something… not quite right about this woman.
The mind of the girl was still simple.
And that wasn't something she could help.
Her age, her knowledge — all limited.
At this moment, her faith was unwavering.
But, precisely because of her intelligence, she was in the habit of thinking more deeply.
"The only thing that feels wrong is this strange kindness I rarely feel," she thought.
Maybe… not all humans are bad?
The blasphemers… just kill them cleanly in the future.
Others might live happily—
Under the grace of "God!"
"唪\~"
A light of fire fell from the sky.
Kali's heart was filled with alarm, and her thoughts were suddenly cut off.
Because that burning light — which she failed to detect in time — had come from the sky behind her, from her blind spot—
And struck her directly!
At that critical moment—
"Boom!"
It was "the woman with purple hair who radiated kindness toward her." A long blade suddenly appeared in her hand and blocked the fatal strike.
Kali was frightened for a moment.
Just barely, so close—
She almost lost the body her parents had given her.
And just then—
"Step aside, Raiden Mei."
A cold male voice entered her ears.
Kali quickly got up and looked in the direction of the voice.
In her line of sight — a young man with white (?) hair, dressed in a black trench coat and holding a flaming sword, faced the purple-haired woman with a grim expression.
"So her name is: Raiden Mei."
Kali remembered the name.
But at the same time—
"Divine Key…"
She saw the white-haired (?) young man wielding one.
This was another blasphemer!
Hatred flashed in Kali's eyes.
At this moment—
"Kevin, why are you here?"
The purple-haired woman… Raiden Mei asked in a low voice, "Why?"
"Why am I here?"
The white-haired (?) young man… Kevin stepped back, raised his left hand, and pointed to Kali. "She is the newly born Herrscher."
"The story has changed."
Kevin's tone was grave. "The Third Eruption didn't occur in Changkong City as expected, and she… is not the Herrscher of Thunder."
"No, she definitely isn't the Herrscher of Thunder."
Kevin looked directly at Raiden Mei and corrected her. "Because that man (Ling Ke) said — the position of this Herrscher has always been reserved for you."
Kali: That person? Who?
Raiden Mei still didn't respond.
Seeing her like that—
"Raiden Mei, I once gave you access to World Serpent's confidential database."
"You should know — the Herrschers of my era had no humanity."
"I too made this mistake once — believing…"
"I know."
Raiden Mei finally spoke.
Something in her emotions seemed… off. "Because Alicia hasn't given up on what she called a better hope."
"She's still there and hasn't sacrificed herself yet. So the Herrschers of this era can't abandon their humanity."
Kali: ???
What are these two talking about?
Recovering humanity? Sacrificing oneself?
She didn't understand, so she said nothing and simply listened.
Only — her feet slowly moved toward the water… what she considered her "safe zone"... she began to retreat…
"Ah\~"
"Eh?"
Her vision spun.
In Kali's stunned eyes, she saw—
That "headless body."
And—
"Sorry."
The woman with the scabbard and purple hair—
Raiden Mei!!!
She had struck without warning.
"Plop\~"
Kali's head fell into the water.
Her fallen, headless body bled profusely.
Soon, the surrounding waters were dyed red.
At that moment—
"I truly am sorry."
Raiden Mei's tone—
It wasn't as if she were explaining to someone else.
Rather… she was speaking to herself.
And strangely so, as if she were trying to "convince" herself.
The feeling—
To others, it appeared even more bizarre.
Only this could be heard:
"'She' will come soon."
Raiden Mei looked at Kali's headless corpse and slowly spoke. "You are a Herrscher — an uncertain factor that could affect her."
"I didn't want to hurt you."
"But now, Kevin is here. He's here…"
"I can't take you away. I can only destroy you immediately."
"I wanted to save you too…"
"I'm sorry!"
"!!!"
At that moment—
A certain "surviving consciousness, even without a physical body, emitted intense emotional fluctuations."
Can't accept it — about to be destroyed?
So it turns out—
So saying "I won't hurt you" really was—
"Liar!"
"Die, die!!"
"DIE FOR ME!!!"