She is not an investigator.

"I should stay here to protect you..."

But she seemed to have her own plans.

"I do not…"

Clang—

A sharp metallic clang and a rapidly approaching shadow interrupted Igris's words. Before the shadow could collide with Igris, countless white threads intercepted it and gently placed it on the ground.

"Emilida?! Didn't I tell you to leave? Why are you still here?"

The one that flew over was Alex. She didn't look well; the stick in her hand was broken. Although there were no particularly obvious injuries, her breathing had become somewhat erratic.

"I jumped out of the car and came back..."

She didn't want to explain to everyone; it would be a waste of time and unnecessary.

"...We'll talk about this later."

Alex coughed lightly, picked up the broken iron rod from the ground again, and ran towards the center of the battlefield.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

“Phantom… I thought you were the one who should support me the most, but I never expected that we would end up on opposite sides. What drove you to make this choice? Was it everything in this era that you couldn’t give up, or were you only thinking about yourself from the beginning?”

"...It's really impressive to have three mouths talking."

Isabella's one arm hung limply at her side, while her other hand gripped a grappling hook gun tightly.

"Don't you understand? The gap between me and you won't be any use if we keep dragging this out. You're just prolonging your suffering as much as possible."

His enormous body writhed and spread, and in his three different faces, the same mockery and contempt were revealed.

He never looked down on humans who tried to fight back; in his eyes, they were as ridiculous as ants with weapons.

He was happy to spend more time with these people, since they couldn't change anything.

"While I'd love to waste everyone's time by spouting some trash like you, I have nothing to say to someone like you who's willing to abandon even himself."

"Hahaha…"

Boom—

A muffled clap of thunder boomed overhead, and a barely perceptible crack appeared in the gloomy sky filled with dark clouds.

The clockmaker's head was looking at the sky, while the other head was looking at Isabella in front of him.

"It seems that the pocket watch is about to run out of time. Even at this point, you still don't intend to give up."

"give up?"

Isabella smiled contemptuously and used her only movable hand to give the middle finger.

"I've never known how to write the word 'give up' in my entire life."

"..."

He said nothing more, but simply raised his arm and slammed it down hard on the insect in front of him.

But Isabella's grappling hook suddenly shot out, instantly pulling her body away and narrowly avoiding the attack.

A muffled rumble of thunder sounded again, and a slight cracking sound abruptly broke the silence of the battlefield.

A cracking sound?

The watchmaker and Isabella simultaneously looked up at the sky above.

The cracks that were barely visible before were suddenly magnified and spread infinitely in that instant.

Muffled thunder rumbled incessantly in the clouds, and countless raindrops fell from them, yet remained suspended in mid-air.

Like an ocean.

A sea hanging upside down in the sky.

"...You made this?"

"Haha... Looks like you didn't expect that, did you?"

Isabella laughed with a hint of sarcasm. Although she didn't understand what had happened, that didn't stop her from mocking her.

But the watchmaker ignored her.

He looked up at the ever-deepening ocean above him, and at the darkness that had gradually spread from a small crack to half the sky, and became somewhat angry.

All three of his faces turned to Isabella, and he loudly questioned her.

Do you know what you're doing?!

Isabella did not answer, because she truly did not know, but even if she did know, she would not answer.

Gradually, the rumbling thunder stopped, and the rain stopped too.

But the darkness that stretched across the sky became incredibly conspicuous at that moment.

Click.

The clearly audible sound of shattering rang out again, and something was faintly revealed in the darkness that almost swallowed the entire sky.

"...No, no...! I have to get out of here, I have to escape... I can't just stay like this..."

His expression turned to terror, and his arrogance vanished without a trace. He waved his limbs like the most primitive and inferior creature, trying to find a way to escape.

But gradually, his movements stopped.

A sharp claw slowly emerged from the black hole, followed by His majestic appearance, His body, and everything about Him.

He came across time, and around him were countless terrifying phantoms.

An indescribable roar reached everyone's ears, and this pursuit that transcended time and space thus landed on the one who coveted the throne.

"No...no...no...!"

The clockmaker's sorrow and wails were blocked by time. His bloated and powerless body collapsed to the ground, while the giant wolf, which represented horned time, also turned its gaze to every creature that did not belong to it.

He is... the Lord of Tindaros.

—Msisha.

The Gods' Fool - The Rain: Chapter Fifty-Seven, The Wild Hunt

fear.

It originates from that unseen body, from that incomprehensible power, from that extraordinary arrival.

The watchmaker lay prostrate on the ground, like the most faithful believer choosing to pledge allegiance to Him, attempting to gain His forgiveness in this way.

But His figure disappeared into the sky and then flashed in front of him.

The claws pierced the watchmaker's body in an instant, and the sharp fangs tore at him as if he were committing a blasphemy against time. Countless mysterious white substances on his body tried to resist the erosion, but they were powerless against His fangs.

It wasn't until a loud bang and a bolt of lightning struck that everyone snapped out of their daze, realizing they had been drawn back to the being that had traversed the universe to reach this place.

But without prior arrangement, everyone also laid down their weapons.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched silently as He tore the clockmaker's body apart, crushed his head, dug his body open, and erased everything about him.

Until the clockmaker's existence was completely erased from this time, until his remains didn't even leave a trace.

He raised his head again, his fierce and violent gaze sweeping across everyone's face.

Slowly, He began to walk, slowly passing by Isabella.

Her body was incredibly stiff, every cell was trembling, and sweat poured down like rain, making her already fragile mental state even more tormented.

He walked slowly past Isabella, almost touching her body, and looked at Alex.

He lowered his head slightly, revealing sharp fangs, but then turned his head to look at Igris.

His figure vanished from the spot and in the next moment appeared beside Igris, his head slightly lowered as he gently inhaled her scent.

That...taste that once desecrated time.

He roared fiercely, and his claws stabbed into Igris's defenseless body without hesitation.

But in that instant, several pure white silk threads pulled Igris's body away, barely managing to evade the attack.

Before Igris could react, countless white threads tightly bound her together, and Amelida's figure appeared in front of her, staring intently at the giant wolf before her.

What sets her apart from humans is that she has never experienced fear.

"..."

The giant wolf stared intently at Emily, but Emily refused to back down, firmly protecting Igris behind her.

That malicious gaze seemed to pierce through Emily's frail body and fall upon Igris, who was wrapped in layers of silk threads.

Then, He pounced directly on Amelida, breaking through her blockade without hindrance amidst the countless rapidly gathering white threads, and arrived before her.

Those laughable threads were as fragile and vulnerable as spider silk before Him.

It was as if He was mocking, toying with His prey.

He could have killed the man before him at any moment, but He simply extended his claws and laid them upon Emilyda's body.

The sharp claws snapped the countless threads that were trying to protect Amelida instantly, and landed on her tender skin.

A drop of red blood fell from her body, and the giant wolf tightened its claws, continuing to pierce her flesh.

Countless threads tried to pull out the ever-deepening claws, but were snapped instantly. The ever-growing wound and the continuous flow of blood caused her expression to become contorted with pain.

"Ugh..."

The claws quickly pierced her body, almost stabbing a large hole in her, but they still didn't stop.

The intense pain finally made her groan softly, and a spark suddenly ignited behind her.

The flames instantly ignited the silk threads wrapped around her, and Igris slowly rose to her feet and came to Amelida's side.

He then raised the pistol in his hand.

boom!

The bullet struck the giant wolf's head instantly, causing it to turn its head and look at the creature that dared to attack it.

He abruptly withdrew his claws, ignoring Amelida lying in a pool of blood unable to get up, and looked at Igris.

A malevolent gaze was fixed on her, on the marks she had left when she traveled through time, and on the faint sound of the waves that surrounded her.