They sat upon the earth exuded an aura almost divine.
As if they did not belong to this world, merely staying for a brief moment before departing.
The earth's resonance trembled under the weight of their presence, as if it could barely withstand their existence.
The Transcendents of the Primordial Age.
Those ancient beings, who had lived since ages long past, now stood upon the Tower of Magic.
It was a moment teetering on the edge of catastrophe.
The Grandmaster darted her eyes around, assessing the situation and the available forces.
'No matter how I think about it, aside from myself and the Tower Master, there's no one here who could fight them properly.'
Liana and Mu-myeong couldn't even fight in the first place because of the curses upon them.
Besides, the Tower Master had never actually fought against the Transcendents before.
In truth, the only one who could be counted as actual fighting power was the Grandmaster herself.
If one really stretched it, Sharen might be considered as well.
As for the other mages?
They had learned a bit through sparring with Isaac, but the Primordial Transcendents were on an entirely different level.
And among them stood a man with the largest greatsword strapped to his waist—
Her own former master, Mugan.
His gaze was solely fixed on the Grandmaster.
'Even in a one-on-one duel, I can't confidently say I'd win against that man.'
In fact, the Grandmaster coldly assessed that she might even be at a disadvantage.
"Number 10. Let's see how much you've grown."
Mugan stepped forward slowly.
With his black robes fluttering, the pressure and madness in his dark eyes began to engulf the surroundings.
"Mugan, don't forget our objective."
Even at Helik's words, Mugan didn't back down.
His thick hand, resting atop the massive greatsword, growled as if ready to draw it at any moment.
"Forget it. We already know he doesn't listen."
"Just let him do as he pleases. It's been a long time since he's seen his disciple, after all."
Knowing full well they couldn't stop him, the other Transcendents of the Primordial Age simply let it go.
With a sigh, Helik finally stepped back.
Until now, Helik had always seemed to be the leader, even among the Transcendents—
But his relationship with Mugan appeared to be something different.
If one had to define it, it was more of an equal footing, like comrades-in-arms.
Perhaps even closer—old friends bound by a complicated love-hate bond.
They were clearly separate, yet not distant enough to be truly apart.
"Oh my, could that child be…?"
At that moment, one of the Transcendents pointed to Sharen.
With red eyes and crimson hair—
"A Helmut."
"Is it just me, or is she actually cute? I've only known Arandel until now, so to see a Helmut like that…"
At their words, Helik glanced at Sharen and clicked his tongue.
"Pay it no mind. A Helmut without Arandel or Liana isn't worth caring about."
"But if that kid is here, doesn't that mean Liana is here too?"
At someone's question, Helik's eyes widened slightly.
It wasn't entirely impossible.
"That's true. I told the Blood Demon girl to bring her in, but who knows what that woman's up to—"
"I told you, didn't I? Ever since the True Ancestor died, the blood demon clan was already finished. That daughter of hers, at best—"
As they chatted among themselves as if out for a stroll—
"Take this!"
A violent gust of wind swirled between the Grandmaster and Mugan.
Greatswords were usually designed with sharpness in mind.
The Grandmaster's was like that. So was Mu-myeong's.
But Mugan was different.
His greatsword was blunt.
His force was savage, and his strikes were brutal.
He was less a swordsman and more a raging demon wielding a blade.
KWA-AAAAANG!
A storm of dust exploded, and the two person stood, swords drawn.
"Ho…"
Seeing the Grandmaster's sword, Mugan rubbed his chin and grinned slyly.
"So you haven't been slacking off. I didn't think you'd take my strike that easily."
"…Do you still consider yourself my master?"
At that question, Mugan let out a hearty, scornful laugh.
"Hah! Just because you want to deny it, does that make it untrue?
From the very first day you held a sword, I was your master."
"…"
"No matter how much you struggle or hate it, in the end, my sword and my teachings are still etched into your blade."
"You talk too much—"
"How damn annoying."
Rarely did such foul language spill from the Grand Master's mouth. Her sword swung in a wide arc.
Even as Mugan blocked and laughed, the Grand Master's gaze remained fixed on the Primordial Transcendents.
'They're different from the others.'
Only now did the Grand Master start to understand.
They weren't just ordinary Primordial Transcendents.
They weren't merely pure-blooded descendants passed down through generations.
They were, quite literally, the beginning.
The very first progenitors.
Because of that, their numbers were few, but their hatred toward humans was overwhelming.
Even the man standing before him now would say the same thing every day at Crimson Valley:
"Humans are vile."
"Humans are inferior."
"Humans are greedy."
"Humans stole our world."
It had been a kind of indoctrination—close to brainwashing.
Those words still occasionally echoed in the Grand Master's ears.
"How was your glimpse of the world, Number Ten?"
Mugan's voice sounded like that of a teacher testing a student's realization. The Grand Master clenched her teeth.
"Don't act familiar with me, you fool."
"What did you think of the humans you saw?"
Even as their swords clashed, Mugan's lips curled upward, as if the answer was all too obvious.
"Do you remember what I said the day you left? You said you wanted to see the potential in humans."
"…"
"You'd hope, then be disappointed—"
"…"
"—and eventually fall into despair."
BOOM!
Mugan's sword forced the Grand Master back. In the fierce contest of strength, the Grand Master couldn't hold out, though it wasn't enough to call it a defeat—both were still very much ready to fight.
"That's how it was."
The Grand Master didn't deny it.
In Isaac's first timeline, she had likely been disappointed in humans.
That's why she'd shut herself away in the mountains, playing at being a hermit.
She didn't want to admit Mugan had been right, so she spent her days raising disciples rather than facing the world.
"It would be a lie to say I wasn't disappointed, and childish to say I never despaired."
"Heh. In that case—"
"However, I did see potential."
"…"
CLANG.
The Grand Master gripped her greatsword in both hands and brought it up beside her cheek, readying his stance.
"You saw potential?"
Mugan frowned. The Grand Master calmed her breath and replied:
"Indeed. So now, begone."
The sky was starting to brighten.
Dawn was arriving, and the mages were just about ready to unleash their spells.
"I must go greet my dear disciple."
Just as the Grand Master swung her sword with the clear intent of killing at least one of them before leaving—
CLAAAAANG!
Her blade was blocked.
Another sword had slashed along the same trajectory, preemptively intercepting it.
"…!"
Even the Grand Master's eyes couldn't follow that sword.
"Kangwoo—!"
Mugan clenched his teeth and turned his body. He knew exactly who had swung that sword.
Among the Primordial Transcendents, the only other one who wield a sword like Mugan—
With cool, blue eyes and a horn rising from his forehead.
Unlike Mugan's beastly and wild aura, his presence was like that of a perfectly refined blade. He was Kangwoo, the father of all swordmasters.
'That was… an Iaido!'
An involuntary shiver ran down the Grand Master's spine.
She couldn't believe a sword existed in this world that even her eyes couldn't follow.
But in that single swing, so much was packed into it that the Grand Master's head ached from the sheer weight of it.
He was in a whole different league from the swordmaster they'd met previously at Blackson.
He was a swordman among swordsmen.
"Are you here to interfere with the time between master and disciple?"
Mugan bared his teeth and shot daggers with his eyes, as if ready to kill at any moment. But the swordmaster known as Kangwoo remained cold and composed.
"I didn't come here to fight."
"This doesn't even qualify as a fight!"
He shouted that, but the other Transcendents sighed. Mugan's excuse didn't sound very convincing.
'Not here to fight?'
They'd been hearing similar things for a while now.
So then why had they come here?
A faint hope rose in the Grand Master's eyes.
It could be a moment to beg for mercy, but even if it meant bruising her pride, she was prepared to kneel without hesitation.
'Until you return… I will protect this place, no matter what.'
Even with Isaac's fate still uncertain, the Grand Master was determined.
She had to know their purpose.
"I have a question to ask."
The swordmaster called Kangwoo stepped forward. Even with his sword still sheathed, the Grand Master felt a chill at the back of her neck.
He may have missed once, but he wouldn't miss twice.
Even with that certainty, a strange fear shimmered in the Grand Master's eyes.
'Is this what those who faced me must have felt?'
The Grand Master let out a bitter smile.
Facing someone like this, even she couldn't help but feel that way.
'Damn you, Arandel. You should have lived a little longer.'
From the perspective of someone who had once crossed swords with him, it was absurd.
Even back then, when Arandel Helmut had been too sick to fight for long, the Grand Master had still lost.
Ironically, the Grand Master was now starting to understand the burden Arandel had carried.
"No need to be tense. I'm only here to ask."
Kangwoo said this—and then suddenly mentioned an unexpected figure.
"Have you seen the giant? We heard he's here, so we came."
"…!"
The giant?
Did he mean the one buried in the collapsed mine?
The Grand Master took a deep breath and composed herself.
A cigarette would've been nice right now, but she'd declared she quit and thrown them all away. She merely smacked her lips in regret.
"Why are you looking for him?"
"He's an old friend."
"…A friend?"
"No need to be alarmed. Our friend values peace. Just for today, we've set our hatred aside as well."
Though confused, the sincerity in Kangwoo's voice left the Grand Master flustered.
'How can someone I just met bring me such relief?'
Rather than comfort, the Grand Master became more alert in response to the calm settling in her chest.
Kangwoo even seemed skilled at handling people's psychology.
"…He's deeper in there."
Reluctantly, the Grand Master pointed to the entrance of the collapsed mine.
Already blocked by a mound of earth and debris.
"The mine suddenly collapsed. Two humans are also trapped inside."
For the first time, Kangwoo's eyes showed a hint of confusion as he looked at the mine entrance. The other Primordial Transcendents seemed surprised as well.
"The mages are preparing to begin a rescue operation, so if you just wait—"
"Ha. Why wait?"
A sharp, irritated woman cut in at that moment.
"Let's just break it open. Human lives don't matter anyway. That guy is crazy tough—he's definitely still alive."
Break it open?
That place?
The giant might survive.
But Isaac and Marlin would not.
All the Transcendents seemed to agree.
Even Kangwoo, in the end, nodded as if there was no real reason to object.
The Grand Master's greatsword was drawn—
—and at the same time, spells from the mage tower rained down on the Transcendents.