"Mohr... why?" I asked, forcing my expression to harden, letting anger show even though my mind was already moving in a different direction.
From what I had gathered so far, the prince named Ryan had died the moment that attack landed, and I had taken his place right after. The transition had been clean, almost too clean, and that alone told me enough about the kind of level the crimson zone operated on.
Also, there was no room for mistakes here. If I wanted to survive, I had to play this role properly.
Mohr’s surprise didn’t last long. It twisted quickly into anger, his grip tightening around the sword as he took a step forward.
"Why?" he repeated, his voice rising. "You still dare to ask why?"
His eyes burned with something far deeper than simple hatred.
"Because you Defiers have dragged this world into ruin," he said. "If you had just listened... if you had accepted the gods and shown even the smallest amount of gratitude, none of this would have happened. All this death, all this destruction, this is your doing."
I blinked, not because of what he said, but because of how strongly he believed it. There was no hesitation in him. The intensity oozing out of him was such that it looked like I had personally killed his loved ones and maybe the prince did but I had no memory of that.
Though one thing was clear. He did refer to me as Defier and I assumed these were the people who did not believe in their gods or something. In Blue Spiral, even in the Prime Universe, there was nothing like this. Strength existed, yes, and those who stood at the top were respected, sometimes even worshipped in a sense, but never like this. They were heroes, figures of power, but not gods.
I decided to go along with it to keep the conversation flowing.
"Believe in the gods?" I scoffed, letting a hint of mockery slip into my tone. "Why should I? What is there to believe?"
Even as I spoke, my focus shifted inward.
’System?’ I called out internally.
But received no response.
A faint frown formed as I went through everything one by one, checking out of habit. The Null Core was gone. The Dawn Core was not there. There was no status or talent panel. Even the flow of essence or laws that I could always feel, no matter the situation, was completely absent.
I exhaled slowly.
’So... it’s a complete reset,’ I thought.
"Ahhh... why don’t you just believe?" Mohr growled, his patience snapping as frustration took over. "It doesn’t matter if the orb failed," he added, his voice turning colder as he threw the white crystal to the ground, where it cracked faintly against the stone. "I’ll kill you myself."
He raised his sword and pointed it straight at me, the intent behind it clear.
Before I could respond, the Baron stepped forward, placing himself between us.
"Grace, take the horses and go away with the prince," he said sharply, without looking back. "He’s injured. Head straight toward Kano. Our forces are stationed there."
His grip on the sword tightened as he shifted his stance.
"Let me see how these believers dare follow you there."
Mohr let out a loud laugh, the sound echoing across the battlefield as he spread his arms slightly.
"You think we’ll let him go?" he said. "No one from your side is leaving this place alive."
At his signal, the black-clothed fighters moved instantly, spreading out and closing the space around us, cutting off every possible escape route.
I took a brief look around, assessing what little we had left. Including me, Grace, and Baron, there were three others still standing on our side, each of them moving without hesitation as they tightened the formation, placing me at the center while they faced outward.
I understood there was no way out of this without a fight. Turning my head, I looked at the girl beside me, Grace. She stood close, a sword held firmly in her hand, her stance steady despite everything happening around us. Only then did I notice the pattern more clearly. Everyone on our side was holding a sword, nothing more, while the ones surrounding us wore worn but functional armor. We, on the other hand, were in normal clothing, caught completely unprepared for something like this.
So this really was an ambush.
’Well then... fight it is,’ I decided.
Without wasting time, I pulled my shirt off despite the protest from my body, the movement sending a sharp pain through my side.
Looking down, I saw the cut clearly, deep enough that blood had already soaked through the fabric. I clenched my teeth and pressed the cloth firmly against the wound first, applying pressure to slow the bleeding before wrapping it tightly around my torso, pulling it across my side and knotting it as firmly as I could.
I exhaled slowly, straightening up again.
’It would have to be enough.’ I thought and then looked at Grace.
"Grace, pass me that sword," I said, pointing toward the sheathed blade lying beside her.
She looked at me, hesitation flickering across her face as if she wanted to object, her lips parting for a moment before she stopped herself. Whatever she had been about to say, she swallowed it.
"Yes, Prince," she said quietly.
She bent down, picked up the sword, and handed it to me. I took it without delay, unsheathing it in one smooth motion, the steel sliding free with a faint sound. I held the blade in my right hand and kept the sheath in my left, adjusting my grip as I tested the balance.
"Move aside," I said.
Baron and the others around me stiffened at the command, none of them stepping away immediately.
"It’s an order," I added, my tone leaving no room for doubt.
Baron exhaled sharply through his nose before shifting to the side, and the others followed, opening a path just enough for me to step out of the circle they had formed around me.
I moved forward, ignoring the pull of pain at my side, and let my gaze settle on Mohr for a brief moment before speaking again.
"I’m injured," I said. "So I’ll leave Mohr to you."
Baron looked at me, clearly not convinced.
I turned my head slightly and met his eyes directly, holding his gaze long enough to make it clear that this wasn’t a suggestion. He clenched his jaw, then gave a short nod.
"Ohh, so the prince wants to make a last stand. Your father will be proud of you," Mohr chuckled, his grip tightening on his sword as he watched me step forward.
"We’ll see whose last stand it turns out to be," I replied, keeping my gaze fixed on him.
I had barely taken a step when a sharp ringing sound slammed into my head without warning, cutting through everything else like a blade. My body reacted instantly, a low groan escaping me as I staggered slightly, the world around me distorting for a brief moment.
But I wasn’t the only one affected.
The people beside me didn’t just react, they collapsed.
Swords slipped from their hands as they dropped to their knees, some clutching their heads, others barely able to stay upright as the sound seemed to drill deeper into them.
"What... is happening?" I heard Baron mutter, his voice strained as he grabbed his head with both hands.
The ringing only intensified, rising to a point where it felt like something was tearing through my mind. I clenched my teeth, forcing myself to stay standing even as a warm sensation ran down the side of my face. Blood trickled from my ears, each pulse of the sound making it harder to think.
It lasted for several seconds, then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped.
The silence that followed felt unnatural.
Before I could fully process it, a clear chime echoed inside my head, completely separate from everything else and a blue window appeared in front of my eyes.
[World Orien - Initialization complete]
[Conflict protocol initiated]
[Objective: Save the World]