Land of Death.

A place where life could not flourish, a place of desolation, a place of obsoleteness. Yet, there were those brave enough to dwell in this land, not necessarily because they wanted to, but rather, forced to.

Among the vast space of nothingness, an elaborate castle could be spotted.

thud—! thud—! thud—!

In the throne room, a woman sat calmly, tapping the royal seat's armrests in regular tempos. The room was eerily quiet, prompting the small sounds from her action to spread far.

The woman wore a white shirt with a similarly white jacket draped over her shoulders, a comfortable yet delicate long skirt, and confident high heels. She sat cross-legged, her golden pupils darting to the distant horizon.

One only needed a single look to imagine the overwhelming presence the woman had. The aloofness, the oppressive aura—the signs were apparent.

''Hm...''

August hummed lightly, pondering.

Now that she had entered this strange dimension, she could indeed feel her lover's presence from far away. The cute little lovebird, who had recently entered her rebellion phase, always tried to push August away yet bent right away without fail every time the Sword Empress showered her with love.

The way she forcefully put on heavy makeup just because August preferred the opposite, the way she declared their breakup only to turn mellow and give in when facing August, or the way she grabbed another woman and touted her as a lover. It was all too adorable.

'Coming all the way to another universe... you never cease to amuse me, my kitten.'

August giggled in her heart, freshening her heavy love for Kierra. August knew she was the undisputed number one in Kierra's heart and that she had already conquered the other woman's whole being.

Yet August could not help but be annoyed—so annoyed, in fact, that her sword was ready to destroy a star!

The little kitten had gotten quite bold recently, ignoring her for months on end and now even escaping to this absolute nowhere. Knowing Kierra, it would not be strange if she managed to seduce a dozen women while August was not there to monitor the situation.

If Kierra ended up with some random women again...

''Tch.''

August frowned, unintentionally releasing a cold, murderous aura that scared the cowering people in the room. They—the people in the unorthodox faction—had just concluded a meeting to invade the central land when suddenly, this strange woman came in from nowhere and seized the whole place!

'What kind of punishment is suitable...'

Meanwhile, August was diligently thinking of 'punishments' for Kierra once she caught the archwizard cheating. She tapped the armrests faster and louder, eyes closed.

''You.''

August, using her favorite magical item—the pristine white Gauntlet of Telekinesis—dragged the woman who she thought was the leader to her.

''What is in that direction?''

Her voice, full of authority, rang through the room. Trembling, the woman looked in the direction August was looking at and pierced together an answer.

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''T-That is central land, m-my lord?''

''Call me Your Majesty.'' August narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, and that was enough to make everyone quiver in fear.

''Yes, Your Majesty...!!''

''Now, explain what you are.''

''Ah...?''

(・∀・)? (・∀・)? (・∀・)?

The unorthodox people were confused. She didn't know who they were and still invaded this castle?? Who the hell was this hidden master?!

''Do I have to repeat myself?''

'''' !!! ''''

Facing August's overwhelming presence, they immediately stopped being confused and focused on pleasing this woman first. Just like that, the woman brought forward meticulously explained the situation, not daring to leave out or lie about anything.

''A sea of ice, you say...'' August pondered.

''Yes, Your Majesty. That night, the attack on us was extremely potent, destroying a sizable portion of our infrastructure!'' The woman pleaded. ''In fact, the aftermath of it can still be observed!''

''Hoh? Which direction is it in?''

''That way.''

Right then, August squinted her eyes a little, activating her version of clairvoyance. A burst of golden aura escapes her pupil, burning in the air.

In her vision, the scene of a seemingly never-ending ice landscape appeared. There was no need to take a closer look; August knew immediately that it was Kierra. That girl probably got bored and did this to instigate something.

''You say they want war, are you?'' August asked.

''Yes, Your Majesty!''

Unexpectedly, August's face bloomed with an amused smile. Coincidentally, she was also bored at the moment.

A little bickering wouldn't hurt... right?

'I can't wait to meet you again, my runaway kitten...'

Meanwhile, in White Lotus.

''Pang~! Where are you~?''

Walking leisurely in town with Bai Qing, Kierra took a breather. She had been diligently training in martial arts for the last three hours; someone should praise her!

In any case, it seemed the chubby cat from the other day had disappeared again.

''Has it run away again?'' Kierra casually asked.

''Yes... hm? 'Again'?'' Bai Qing raised an eyebrow.

Kierra totally forgot that she wasn't supposed to know this!

''W-Well, I assumed it.'' The archwizard cleared her throat, pretending to look the other way.

''I see...''

''Still, what a rowdy cat you have got, running away constantly like this.''

''I know, right? He likes to roam around a lot...''

'Quite troublesome for a runaway cat, hm?'

Kierra shook her head. A cat should stay beside its owner, not run away and worry them!

Such bad-behaving cats needed to be punished!

┑(￣ Д ￣)┍

After searching for a bit more, the two eventually found Pang, the fat cat, lying on the same tree branch again. He seemed to have been eagerly waiting for something, resting his face on his paws.

''Pang, it's time to go home!''

''Meow!!''

Pang was heartbroken, yet he couldn't resist his owner, especially when he was hungry!

Being carried like a bag of rice in the air, Pang secretly dreamed of a day when he could meet the beautiful black cat again.

Meanwhile, Kierra had a sneak suspicion, looking at this chubby cat, yet she chose not to believe it. No way.

''?!''

It was then that Kierra suddenly felt a chill running down her whole body. A feeling as though she was about to be overwhelmed...

This time, she didn't even need to speculate to know where it was coming from.

'Hah... how troublesome.'

Kierra lamented. She hated thinking about that woman. It made her heart flutter, and she hated it. She should have forgotten her after so long, yet the blue-haired woman always took a corner of her mind.

Maybe... it was time for a decisive ending for both of them.

That day, Kierra instructed her disciples, and to celebrate a successful session, she went out for dinner with her usual group. They rented the entire top floor of a famous restaurant, one that gave them a full view of the bustling night city.

''All of these are mine!!!''

''S-Shen, have some manners...''

On the long table, Shen proudly hoarded all the steamed buns, chewing like no tomorrow. Beside her, Lan was timidly eating some beans.

''Yu Chen, how was your progress recently?''

''It is going well, master.''

Rarely, Yu Chen came out of her cave today. She and Tian Yun sat next to each other, exchanging ordinary talks.

''Abbess, did you try the infinite mana regulation methods?''

''I did. It was quite useful but required much concentration.''

''Ah, I also tried it!''

In another corner, Kang Shuren, Mie Xieren, and Bai Qing discussed mana, yearning for a stronger self of theirs.

Looking at this scene, Kierra couldn't help but feel her heart being warmed. She turned to the side and gazed toward the city, where lanterns filled the streets, and people were going on with their lives.

'This... is not bad.'

This was not bad. Not at all.

Kierra held her heart dearly, feeling it beat at a regular tempo. She could sense it.

Someday, she would inevitably, surely, and convincingly fall in love with this world.