A turquoise aura surged from Serpina’s body, piercing through the labyrinth’s walls.
Then—
Ssssss...
The surroundings shifted.
This was still the labyrinth, yet at the same time, it wasn’t.
Despite being deep underground, Seong could now see the sky above and feel the air change.
Immediately, he understood.
What he was witnessing was likely nothing more than an illusion.
Just like when he had summoned Valtar and Drakanos before—
This was an event scene.
Fwaaaah—!!!
Darkness blanketed the world.
The turquoise light, which had pierced the ceiling just moments ago, vanished like a mirage.
Now, the only thing that filled the space was the night sky, devoid of stars or moonlight.
A void of pitch-black emptiness.
Then—
Cracks formed in the lonely and desolate sky.
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Crack. Crackle.
The fractures widened, spreading like shattered glass.
And then—
Just like a wind-swept storm cloud, the fractured void began to dissolve.
Swooooosh—!!!
A brilliant, breathtaking, yet melancholic moonlight filled the world.
A cold northern wind swept through, making the moonlight feel even lonelier.
Beneath that solitary light, a woman gracefully approached.
Click, click, click.
The sound of heels echoed.
With every step she took, the moonlight scattered like shattered glass, dispersing into the wind.
She emerged from within the radiance.
Then, before Seong—
She knelt down.
Lowering her head, she parted her lips in a soft, reverent voice.
"The dark night has ended, and beneath the windswept moonlight, I am reborn. Serpina Nightbloom greets you."
A calm, poised presence, laced with quiet confidence.
As Serpina made her oath of loyalty, a system message appeared before Seong.
[『Homunculus, Entity Name - Serpina Nightbloom』 has evolved into 『Witch of Wind and Moon, Serpina Nightbloom』.]
"So she evolved from the Night Witch to the Witch of Wind and Moon."
That explained why the scene played out this way.
Seong quietly marveled at the power radiating from Serpina.
He would need to check more carefully, but—
Based on what he could sense:
"She’s stronger than Anemore but weaker than Kalisha."
She surpassed Anemore, the Legion Commander,
But wasn’t quite on the level of Kalisha, who had not yet taken that title.
An immense power indeed.
But wait—
"What about Helena?"
As Seong turned his gaze to Helena’s body, he saw—
She was completely enshrouded in light, like a pure white cocoon.
Had she not finished evolving yet?
Was she absorbing power?
There were no system messages, so should he just wait?
As that thought crossed his mind—
Crack, crackle.
The cocoon of white light began to shatter.
A turquoise glow burst forth—
But unlike Serpina’s transformation, this wasn’t the same scale at all.
"Kh—!"
The blinding light was almost impossible to face.
Even squinting, Seong could barely endure it.
From the shattered cocoon of light,
turquoise energy collided with a dark, eerie aura,
While pure celestial radiance intertwined with it.
What was this?
The chaotic fusion of colors resembled—
The birth of a god in myth.
"Ah."
Seong barely exhaled the word of awe.
Light consumed everything,
And then—
Fwaaaah—!!!
The world shifted again.
Unlike Serpina’s transformation, which had merged with the labyrinth,
This wasn’t just an illusionary change.
This felt as if the entire world had been rewritten.
Kugugugugu—!!!
The ground trembled.
The very fabric of space quivered.
Yet, despite the shaking—
The world itself remained intact.
From above, a pure, divine white light rained down.
But below—
The abyss stretched forth, greedily reaching for that light.
Dark hands clawed endlessly, trying to consume the radiance.
KWA-GAGANG—!!!
WHOOOSH—!!!
SPLAAAASH—!!!
Between the opposing forces of heaven and abyss,
It felt as if Seong was witnessing the birth of a new world.
The filth of the abyss.
The purity of heaven.
And between them—
A dreamlike, pale pink blossom.
Neither stained by the abyss nor consumed by divine light.
Instead, the flower absorbed both forces,
Growing larger and larger,
Consuming both radiance and darkness alike.
Ssssss—
And then—
At the very moment when the luminous bloom reached full bloom—
A mysterious woman emerged.
She looked like a primordial goddess,
Yet also like a demon of old.
The world quaked as she stepped forth.
Zzzzzzz—!!!
Kuuuuuu—!!!
Was this a blessing?
Or a curse?
No one could tell.
The very fabric of existence seemed to shake in response to her presence.
Her crimson hair shimmered like bloodied moonlight,
While her eyes, black as the abyss, gleamed with unreadable depth.
Slowly, she approached Seong.
"......."
Seong simply watched her in silence.
She smiled, tilting her head slightly.
Then, in a voice laced with alluring charm, she greeted him.
"Hello? It’s nice to see you again."
Exactly like their first meeting.
And, just like before—
Seong responded instinctively.
"Hello, Helena."
[『Homunculus, Entity Name - Helena』 has evolved into 『Lord of Heaven and Abyss, Helena』.]
The Lord of Heaven and Abyss.
She had transcended the Overlord class,
Yet—
She remained a ruler.
A being who encompassed the world.
A sovereign who placed all beneath her feet.
Seong smiled slightly.
"Helena is still Helena, after all."
As he admired the transformation,
The next system message appeared.
[The Overlord’s Authority has been bestowed upon 『Witch of Wind and Moon, Serpina Nightbloom』.]
[『Witch of Wind and Moon, Serpina Nightbloom』 has received the Blessing of the Undying.]
[『Witch of Wind and Moon, Serpina Nightbloom』 has transcended her previous power and obtained new strength.]
[The Undead who have transcended death will continue to evolve indefinitely as their master grows.]
[The Overlord’s Authority has been bestowed upon 『Lord of Heaven and Abyss, Helena』.]
[『Lord of Heaven and Abyss, Helena』 has received the Blessing of the Undying.]
[『Lord of Heaven and Abyss, Helena』 has transcended her previous power and obtained new strength.]
[The Undead who have transcended death will continue to evolve indefinitely as their master grows.]
With the transcendence process complete, Seong could now fully sense Helena’s power.
Compared to his other subordinates—
"Is she on par with Drakanos?"
Drakanos, the ancient demon knight, had overwhelmed all his other subordinates in sheer power.
Now, Helena stood on the same level.
Despite being created through Transcended Death and Homunculus Synthesis,
She had reached the might of a primordial demon knight.
It was incredible.
And unlike Drakanos, who suffered from the burden of age,
Helena could remain active indefinitely.
A truly unstoppable card in his deck.
And yet—
"It feels... lacking?"
Even with this power—
Helena was just on the level of Drakanos.
Seong had witnessed Helena’s true past strength before.
So this felt underwhelming.
"Hmm."
"Huh? What’s wrong? Do I not live up to your expectations?"
Helena’s half-lidded gaze settled on him—
A mix of playful annoyance and mild irritation.
Seong didn’t bother denying it.
There was no need to sugarcoat the truth.
He nodded honestly.
"Yeah, kinda."
"Hmph~ What about you, Serpina? Do you think the same?"
"W-What? T-That’s...!"
Serpina flinched, her body trembling as she hastily answered.
Her fear was evident.
The hierarchy was clear—
Even with her newfound power, Serpina couldn’t compare to Helena.
And then—
"No, Seong is right."
Helena grinned, but this time, she agreed.
She wasn’t just playing around anymore.
She acknowledged the truth.
Even if she had regained her title as a ruler,
It was undeniable—
Compared to her former self, she was still far weaker.
"I guess I’ll just have to think of this as a fresh start. Not much I can do about it."
She shrugged, but there was a lingering edge to her voice.
Still—
There was one silver lining.
"At least now, my soul won’t fade away anymore."
Seong smirked.
"That’s a relief, then."
"Hmph. Flattery won’t get you anything, you know."
Despite her words, Helena’s mood lightened.
The two continued their banter,
Until—
Seong’s subordinates, who had been keeping their distance, finally approached.
They had sensed that the Homunculus Synthesis was complete.
When they noticed Serpina’s strength, they were shocked.
"A new powerful subordinate?!"
"As expected of our master!"
But then—
Their gazes fell on the woman standing beside Seong.
- W-Wha...?! H-Helena?
- H-Helena!!!
"...Helena?"
Their eyes trembled.
They had expected Seong to create a new body for Helena.
But they hadn’t imagined that it would be done so soon.
Even though Helena had remained a presence among them—
Even speaking through Leonic at times—
Now, she was truly here in the flesh.
Yet—
They hesitated.
Because now, their master was Seong.
Showing too much reverence toward Helena could be seen as disrespecting him.
After all—
What would it look like if they immediately ran to Helena and worshipped her?
Wouldn’t that be an act of betrayal?
But Seong—
He simply stepped aside, silently giving them permission.
Helena, watching them waver, chuckled.
"Ahaha! You guys are still acting like kids?"
- H-Haah! Helena!!!
- I-I never thought I’d see you again...!
- ...It’s been so long...
Though they had known she existed,
They had missed speaking to her directly.
However—
Just as they were about to dive into nostalgia,
Helena cut them off.
"You’ll have plenty of time to chat later. Are you seriously going to do this in front of Seong?"
Their expressions stiffened.
They knew what she meant.
- T-That is...
- A-Ah...
Then—
Helena’s voice dropped slightly, her gaze turning sharp.
"Remember. Your master isn’t me anymore. It’s Seong."
She didn’t need to finish the sentence.
Her cold stare said enough.
They instantly remembered—
The punishments of the past.
The sheer discipline Helena had instilled in them.
The consequences of stepping out of line.
They swallowed hard, their bodies trembling slightly.
Even though years had passed,
Even though they were now far stronger,
Some things never changed.
They had no intention of ever experiencing that punishment again.
Seeing them instantly straighten up,
Seong sighed, shaking his head.
"That’s definitely Helena."
"Ahaha! Well, as long as you understand, let’s move on."
Helena clapped her hands, then turned to Seong.
"So, Seong."
"Yeah?"
She grinned.
"Shouldn’t we test out our new strength?"
Seong knew exactly what she meant.
Without hesitation, he nodded.
Helena’s grin widened.
"Ordinary monsters would be boring. Let’s go hunt a Raid Boss, shall we?"
Her sultry smile carried the same dangerous charm as ever.
Seong smirked in return.
"Now then, where should we go?"
"Time to see just how strong a Witch and a Lord truly are."
Oh, and while he was at it—
"I should probably go live again."
1.
Watching from afar, Belmor, the branch leader of Overpalace,
Could barely contain his emotions.
Seong—
The sole heir of Overpalace.
A being destined for greatness.
And now—
He had created Homunculi of unimaginable power.
Serpina had been remarkable, but—
Helena?
Helena’s existence itself was beyond comprehension.
Her black dress, as dark as the abyss.
Her skin, as pure as divinity.
And the undeniable presence of a ruler.
Such a transcendent being had now become his heir’s subordinate.
At that moment—
Belmor realized the truth.
"A-Ah...!!! Ahhh...!!! {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} AHHHHH!!!"
His entire body trembled.
This was confirmation.
Seong was not just the heir—
He was the true ruler.
But before he could spread the news—
There was something far more important.
"I must prepare an offering for our master."
And so, with renewed purpose,
Belmor followed his liege once more.