Journey to Become the Zenith

The Chaos Spirit Descends

”Silika... she’s the one being summoned? Is she really just a Spirit Ruler?”

Diana’s crimson eyes remained fixed on the enormous magic circle suspended above the battlefield.

One ancient rune after another rotated within the circle, each locking into place with the next. Waves of mana rolled outward from the formation, heavy enough to make even the surrounding Spirit Rulers watch in silence.

Diana narrowed her eyes.

”Hmm.”

She studied the summoning ritual for several seconds before finally speaking.

”Judging by the way she’s being summoned... and this pressure...” Her expression became slightly more serious. ”I don’t think she’s an ordinary Spirit Ruler.”

Victor glanced at her.

”What do you mean?”

Diana’s gaze never left the magic circle.

”I think that Spirit Ruler is in the middle of becoming a divine being.”

She paused.

”It’s more accurate to call her a Demi-God than a Spirit Ruler.”

Victor’s lips slowly curled upward.

Demi-God.

The words seemed to ignite something inside him.

His golden eyes brightened with unmistakable excitement as he stared toward the massive summoning circle.

There was no fear in his expression.

No hesitation.

Only anticipation.

Deep within his soul, something ancient seemed to stir.

It was a feeling he knew far too well.

No matter which incarnation he had once lived as—a Hero who had inspired entire nations, a Saint who had protected countless lives, or a Wiseman who had devoted himself to the pursuit of knowledge—they had all shared one thing.

They loved battle.

Not slaughter.

Not meaningless violence.

Battle.

The kind that forced someone to push beyond every limit they thought they possessed.

The kind where an opponent’s strength could crush everything they had built in an instant.

The kind where every exchange mattered and every heartbeat carried the possibility of defeat.

Those were the battles that awakened the fire buried within his soul.

Victor slowly clenched his hand.

Then relaxed it.

His fingers tightened again.

A strange thrill spread through his body.

The mana filling the battlefield seemed to make his blood run faster, his senses sharper, his entire body more awake.

A Demi-God...

Now this was something worth looking forward to.

The corners of Victor’s mouth lifted even higher.

To anyone else, that smile might have looked unsettling.

To Diana, however, it was painfully familiar.

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

”You’re enjoying this far too much.”

Victor let out a quiet laugh.

”Can you blame me?”

Diana raised an eyebrow.

Victor’s attention returned to the summoning circle.

”It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered someone capable of genuinely surprising me.”

His voice carried a trace of amusement.

”I was expecting a good fight.”

He paused.

”But now...”

His smile deepened.

”This has become something even better.”

Diana stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.

”You’re impossible.”

Victor simply chuckled.

He couldn’t help it.

For him, the battlefield before them no longer felt like a place of danger.

It felt like paradise.

...

Not far away, Isabella finally lowered her trembling hands.

Her breathing was slightly uneven.

The last rune slowly rotated into position before settling perfectly into the enormous formation.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then—

The entire magic circle erupted with dazzling light.

The ancient runes flared simultaneously, bathing the battlefield in a brilliant glow before gradually stabilizing.

The ritual...

Was complete.

Isabella’s shoulders immediately relaxed.

She could feel the enormous strain that had been weighing on her body begin to disappear as a large portion of her consumed mana finally returned to her.

Relief flashed across her face.

She had done it.

Only to disappear an instant later.

Another force answered the summoning.

An equally overwhelming amount of mana was drawn away from her without mercy.

Her breathing grew heavier.

Cold sweat trickled down her forehead.

She had expected this.

The Seventh Spirit had always demanded an extraordinary price.

Unlike the other six Spirit Rulers...

She was different.

She governed an element that no scholar, sage, or god had ever truly understood.

Some called it Chaos.

Others claimed it represented possibility itself.

Even among divine beings...

Very few could explain its true nature.

To make matters even stranger...

Her manner of speaking rarely resembled that of an ordinary person.

Many conversations with her left people wondering whether she was joking, serious... or something in between.

The surrounding sky suddenly split apart.

The gigantic magic circle suspended among the clouds erupted with dark radiance.

Black flames burst outward like blooming flowers.

Ancient chains materialized from empty space, rattling loudly as they stretched across the heavens.

Then—

A cheerful voice echoed from above.

”Nyahahaha! Who is the fool that dares summon me! I who dwell in the deepest darkest pit of despair! Why have you summoned me, the Spirit Ruler of Chaos?”

Everyone instinctively looked upward.

A lone figure slowly descended from the center of the massive magic circle.

She appeared surprisingly youthful.

An eyepatch covered her left eye.

Her right hand was wrapped in neatly layered bandages.

She wore a black dress adorned with countless dark chains that swayed gently as she floated through the air.

Behind her...

Black flames spread outward, forming magnificent wings that flickered without producing heat.

Each beat of those fiery wings caused space itself to ripple faintly.

The battlefield fell into complete silence.

Even the six Spirit Rulers instinctively lowered their gazes for a brief moment.

Victor, however...

Simply watched with growing fascination.

”So this is the Seventh...”

He quietly smiled.

The newcomer slowly descended until she floated several meters above Isabella.

Her single visible eye examined the exhausted summoner.

She noticed Isabella’s pale face...

The trembling hands...

The labored breathing...

Then a gentle giggle escaped her lips.

”Oh...”

”So it is my servant that summoned me.”

Her playful expression softened ever so slightly.

Tilting her head, she looked down at Isabella with an almost affectionate smile.

”So why did you summon the great me?” The Spirit Ruler of Chaos(?) who was floating above Isabella looked down on her while smiling gently.