He became the White-Haired Evil God after wearing the Seven Curses Rings.

"..."

The air suddenly fell silent.

Nafili looked at the golden crystal, and suddenly stopped struggling.

Although she didn't recognize what it was, judging from the reactions of the two people opposite her, it was probably the stolen item they were looking for.

But why would this thing end up in the hands of the Shadow World?

As it happens, she is currently the ruler of the shadow world, which means that she is absolutely inseparable from this stolen item.

The problem is that she has never even seen this thing before, let alone tried to steal it using the Shadow World.

Then the answer is obvious.

"Ugh... Ugh!"

Neferi immediately became agitated and frantically kicked her hands and feet toward the shadow.

She desperately wanted to yell at the Shadow World for setting a trap to harm her, but due to the black cloth covering her mouth, she could only manage to whimper through her efforts.

Seeing this, Cecilia mistakenly thought that she was angry because she had been exposed, so she took out a bundle of rope, tied her up, put her on the ground, and patted her head.

"Little sister Nafili, don't be so angry, okay? I'll just shut you up, consider it a favor you owe me."

After standing up, Cecilia pulled two withered brown daggers from her bosom.

[A withered branch of the World Tree]

In an instant, an aura of decline filled the surrounding air, causing the two facing off to suddenly feel a tightness in their chests.

Nemo's expression changed, and he shouted at Kelos, who was standing to the side.

"The opponent is an assassin; be extra careful when fighting at night."

In response to Nemo's concerns, Kylos calmly replied.

"Don't worry, they're just assassins. I've dealt with them plenty of times when they were being hunted by the Assassination Association, and I've learned from my experience. Just watch me..."

Before he could finish speaking, Kelos suddenly saw Cecilia rush straight up to him.

Without any attempt to conceal themselves, they simply swung the dagger at him.

"Clang!"

After landing the first blow, Cecilia's speed increased dramatically, and her sword swings became almost a blur, forcefully shattering the armor on Kelos's chest.

Faced with this scene, Kelos's mind went blank for a moment.

No, aren't you an assassin?

Why did they just barge in like that?

She wielded the dagger like a pair of swords; if Nemo hadn't told him the enemy was an assassin, he probably would have thought Cecilia was a berserker wielding dual swords.

The incident happened so suddenly that Kelos didn't react immediately, but he quickly figured out Cecilia's tactics and began to face her as a warrior.

"Clang—!!!"

Kelos parried Cecilia's dagger the instant his armor shattered.

Faced with Cecilia's fierce attack, Kelos began to try to fight back.

But as time went on, he soon discovered the problem.

If the normal assassin's strategy is to use high attack and speed to find the right opportunity and deliver a decisive burst of damage to the enemy.

Cecilia relies on her high attack speed and bursts of power to deliver explosive attacks, maintaining her strength while becoming ridiculously fast.

As time went on, even with Julius's special training, he was almost at his limit.

Cecilia was no less shocked than Kelos.

"Why is this guy so hard to beat? Normally, two hits should be enough to finish him off. His stamina and vitality are ridiculously high, and why does he seem like he's about to break through to the next level..."

Despite the shock, Cecilia's speed and power remained undiminished.

Realizing that Kelos was no ordinary person, she secretly withdrew some of the water she had released, and her attack instantly became twice as fierce as before.

Just as the two were fighting more and more fiercely, three figures quietly descended on a nearby tower.

Ivy and the others arrived, guided by the pocket watch.

Watching the fierce battle below, Ivy's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Keiros? What's he doing fighting someone so late at night, and the other person is actually dominating him..."

Ivy looked puzzled until her gaze fell upon the golden crystal behind her and the bound Neferi, at which point she seemed to understand what had happened.

No wonder there have been so many rumors about the Fate system lately; it turns out there really is someone targeting the Fate system!

Thinking of this, Ivy finally felt relieved.

At that moment, Hiti nudged her and asked tentatively.

"What do you mean, do you want me to just go down there and wipe them all out?"

Upon hearing this, Ivy immediately reached out to stop her.

"No need, it's just a small problem, my students can handle it."

Hiti suddenly paused, startled.

"A student? That guy wielding a greatsword is your student?"

"Yeah. How was it? Pretty fierce, huh?"

"Hmm... He can fight opponents far stronger than himself, so his strength seems decent. He's powerful in close combat and has a fairly comprehensive grasp of magic. But why doesn't he possess much power related to fate?"

"Uh... cough cough, that's just one of my considerations, you can't fathom it. But another student of mine is quite accomplished in matters of destiny, you can take a look at him."

Ivy removed her finger from Kelos and pointed instead at another person on the battlefield, Nemo.

He was concealing his presence and taking advantage of the standoff between Cecilia and Keros to sneak towards the rear.

Finally, under the watchful eyes of Neferi and Ivy, he took the Fate Contract Stone from the ground in this manner.

Presumably in order to catch the culprit and bring him back for interrogation, Nemo took advantage of Cecilia's lack of reaction and immediately hoisted Neferi onto his shoulder and fled the place.

After Cecilia discovered that Neferi had been captured, she kicked Kelos aside and immediately chased after Nemo.

As Nemo and the others disappeared into the distance, Cresos suddenly spoke.

"The other student is also quite capable, and has considerable courage. Even when there's a significant difference in ability, he manages to find a way to achieve his goal... He must be one of your star pupils, right?"

Upon hearing her assessment, Ivy squinted and turned her head away.

"I'll take that as a compliment..."

After saying that, she waved to the two of them, signaling them to follow in Nemo's direction.

After everyone had left, Kelos reached out from the collapsed rubble and freed himself.

"Phew... Who exactly is that person? Why is he so strong? He seems to be on par with Julius's master. I can't beat him at all..."

Kelos was panting heavily on the floor.

Five seconds later, he dragged his body, which had almost recovered, back to his feet.

Just as he was about to catch up with Nemo, a wide, dark trail suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

Looking up, the dark trail stretched towards Nemo and the others, seemingly without end.

Upon seeing this, Kelos suddenly felt that something was very wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly was amiss.

Just then, a deep voice sounded behind him.

"This is a rift torn open in the Shadow World. When the time is right, the entire Shadow World will descend into the mortal realm through this rift. Even if the Shadow World itself has no ill intentions, the entire Western Continent will probably be unsuitable for habitation."

"Cecilia's original plan was to use this opportunity to advance to the level of a Shadow Demigod, and at the same time, resolve the disaster caused by the Shadow World. However, it seems that the Shadow World doesn't welcome her, and at least with her current strength, she is not capable of subduing it."

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Kelos quickly looked behind him.

"It's you! Master Julius, I didn't expect you to appear at this time. I couldn't find you when I was looking for you before, I thought you..."

Before Kelos could finish speaking, Julius came up to him and extended his hand.

"Want to come with me?"

……