"Kacha..."
In the vast sky, a crack suddenly appeared without any warning, and it looked as if the space itself had abruptly torn apart, causing glass-like fragments to burst forth.
"Boom!"
At the location filled with cracks, the sound of shattering suddenly echoed, sending a multitude of fragments scattering into the sky.
Shortly afterward, a floating fortress emerged from the torn space, entirely engulfed in flames, transforming into a colossal meteor falling from the sky.
"BOOM!"
Amidst the thunderous roar that shook the earth and mountains, the massive airborne fortress landed heavily in a desert, stirring up billows of sand.
Even so, the Red Lotus flames continued to burn within, gradually turning this fortress, comparable in scale to a city, into ruins.
Not long after, several figures flew out of the burning fortress.
Surprisingly, it was Hecate, Sydonay, and Bel Peol, a group of three.
Apart from these three, two more individuals emerged from the sea of fire.
One was Sabrac.
The other was Fecor.
In other words, except for these five, all others were buried in the sea of fire, incinerated by the "Flame of Heaven."
As they gazed at the burning fortress, the entire group showed varying expressions.
"Ahhhhhh... ahhhhh..."
Fecor let out a trance-like and emotional voice, immediately kneeling down and shedding tears.
Bel Peol's complexion was equally unpleasant.
You see, the entire "Bal Masqué" had been managed by these two individuals all along. Now, with Seireiden turned into a sea of fire, crashing to the ground, and almost no surviving members left inside Seireiden, how could these two remain calm?
Hecate and Sydonay, on the other hand, silently watched the burning Seireiden.
Only Sabrac, though not speaking, clearly had an appearance that seemed unrelated to oneself. He gazed at the Red Lotus Karmic Fire covering the entire airborne fortress and spoke in a low voice.
"Is this the power of 'God'?"
—' God.'
This was not an exaggeration.
In the Crimson World, there were three beings referred to as 'God.'
And it was not because each of them possessed powerful abilities, earning them the title feared by those who worshiped them, but because they truly embodied the laws of the Crimson World, and they were Gods in the truest sense.
At least, for the Denizens of the Crimson World, it was so.
They each held their own Authority, exercising their respective missions as 'Gods.'
These three divine beings were known as the God of Retribution, God of Creation, and God of Guidance.
The God of Retribution wielded the Authority of 'Judgement' and 'Condemnation,' capable of punishing all entities in the world, even gods of the same rank, making it also known as the God-slaying God. It harbored a strong sense of mission to maintain world order and balance.
The God of Creation held the Authority of 'Good Fortune' and 'Determination,' widely acknowledged for its powers akin to destroying the heavens and extinguishing the earth. With an intense desire for dominion, it would fulfill the wishes of its believers and create things with its own Authority.
The God of Guidance commanded the Authority of 'Evoke' and 'Conveyance,' being the most transcendent and elusive among the three, almost becoming a part of the laws themselves, never manifesting in the world.
These three gods, embodying the laws of the Crimson World, unquestionably stood as the highest beings in both the Crimson World and the present world. Their status could not be shaken in any way.
Alastor, precisely one pillar among the gods of the Crimson World, is known as the God of Retribution.
Now, the manifestation of this God of Retribution has turned the entire Seireiden into a sea of fire. The members of the "Bal Masqué" who remained within have all been reduced to ashes.
Although it's only a small fraction of the members, the instantaneous annihilation has taken a toll on a considerable number of Crimson World Denizens, offering a glimpse of the true power of this Magic God.
In response to this, Hecate unexpectedly spoke in a soft voice.
"The God of Retribution has not fully manifested; this is only a small part of his power."
"A small part?" Sabrac was slightly stunned, then fell silent.
A small part?
Is it possible for a power to be so formidable with only a small part of it?
"If the God of Retribution were to fully appear, do you think any of us could survive?" Sydonay said mockingly. "After all, that is the true Magic God of the Crimson World, an existence on par with our Leader."
Exactly.
The leader of the large Denizen group known as the "Bal Masqué" is a god on the same level as the God of Retribution. Trinity is the life created by this god. The special Rank Treasure Tool held by Hecate, Sydonay, and Bel Peol, which breaks the rules, also comes from the hands of this deity.
Therefore, no one understands better than Trinity how terrifying gods truly are.
"Unexpectedly, the God of Retribution would appear in our 'Bal Masqué's' base." Bel Peol took a deep breath, calming down, and said, "However, in this case, both that human and the Flame Haze must have died inside, right?"
Since the Magic God slumbering within the Flame Haze has awakened and manifested, a vessel of human caliber would instantly burst and die in the face of such calamity.
As for a human, it is impossible to survive in this indiscriminate conflagration of retribution.
However, Hecate denied Bel Peol's words.
"No." Hecate stared at the sea of fire, unemotionally stating, "That person will not die under such a calamity."
"...Is that so?" Bel Peol seemed to accept Hecate's statement, murmuring, "In other words, did we let them escape?"
"Well, that's how it is." Sydonay suddenly laughed and said, "Even if they didn't escape, I'm about at my limit anyway."
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned, followed by shock.
Sydonay's entire Power of Existence transformed into turbid purple flames, leaking bit by bit. Even his mouth oozed blood, a sight not typical for a Crimson World Denizen.
"It seems it was too much of a strain after all." Sydonay clutched his chest, coughing up blood while gritting his teeth.
"Being struck by that human was indeed too fatal."
Hearing Sydonay's words, everyone recalled.
After Fang Li used Stigma, Sydonay was directly chopped into pieces.
"The parts that were cut couldn't recover at all. Although the remaining parts reformed into a physical body, they still suffered severe injuries."
Sydonay chuckled bitterly. "It seems this is where it ends."
Everyone fell silent once again.
"Heh..." Bel Peol chuckled lightly, closed his eyes, and uttered these words.
"Next time won't be so fortunate, both for the human and the Flame Haze of the God of Retribution."
Upon hearing Bel Peol's words, Fecor had a face full of sorrow, and Sabrac shrugged.
Only Hecate remained, gazing at the burning Seireiden before her eyes, her eyes glittering, remaining silent for a long time.
...