BOOOOOOOOM!
Pandora wasn't sure what exactly happened.
It was just a second ago. No, not even that.
Just an instant ago, a period of time she couldn't even begin to comprehend, that spire was directly in front of her face.
She could still feel the blood leaking from her eye and painting her face.
But…
It was not there anymore.
It was shattered into fragments.
No, were those…flowers?
"I knew you'd be the one to find it, but I didn't expect it to be so fast. Good job, Pandora."
'Hm? That voice is…'
"...Rose?"
Pandora touched her face in confusion as she looked up, seeing the familiar pink-haired figure standing there.
Rose gently descended to the ground, waving her hand in an equally graceful manner.
The deadly spire that was now just a rain of flower petals whooshed to life and blew past her. The vibrant scent of nature filled Pandora's senses, and suddenly, her mind felt amazingly clear.
"Rose, be careful! That thing is–!"
"Yes, I know. The heart of the Irason Empire, a disgusting power that shouldn't exist in this world."
"H-huh…?"
Rose shook her head.
"You do not need to worry about being affected by it any longer. I've cleared that obstacle for you. Now, take hold of it and understand the purpose of this Mystic Realm, so you can stand out as the final winner."
Pandora shakily nodded her head and rose to her feet.
With a clear mind, she suddenly realized everything that had happened in the past few weeks.
Over time, "rage" polluted her perception.
No matter how much she pushed it down, it always came back and occupied the forefront of her mind.
In the last moments before she was almost killed by that spire, that rage had influenced her to the point of forming killing intent against her allies.
She had become a reflection of the Irason Empire.
"Irason…the name is much more literal than expected."
She originally took it as the surname of the Imperial Clan and didn't think much, but looking at it now, it was unbelievably obvious.
Irason, Son of Ira. The Imperials of this empire were the descendants of Wrath itself, something incomprehensible to her.
"Is it…is it actually possible…?" She asked in awe and fear.
"No."
However, Rose's response was clear.
"They didn't descend from the concept of wrath. That's just what they told themselves so they could act boisterously with reason."
A disdainful frown was present on her face as she spoke.
She remembered the last "Wrath" she'd met, that scum who tried to kill her husband.
Just like him, they were nothing more than imitations.
"This heart has nothing to do with the forces of evil. In fact, it's just a mana treasure that was corroded by their bloodlust over time. At some point, instead of letting them influence it, it formed its own consciousness and started influencing them until it led them to their destruction."
Pandora's eyes widened.
Wasn't that quite a story?
"But how do you know all this?"
"Ah…" Rose muttered awkwardly.
"Well, just consider it a secret for now. If you know too much, you'll probably get points deducted when we leave."
Pandora nodded and stopped hesitating, walking up to the treasure.
As Rose watched her, she turned her gaze to the glowing red heart, her eyes cold.
'Behave.'
Imperceptibly, the heart itself shivered, as if it had just met the most terrifying presence in existence.
Rose shook her head and refocused on Pandora.
The current goal was to bring her into the top 10 and replace one of the Nox geniuses, and naturally, Rose wouldn't make such a move without preparation.
In fact, unbeknownst to everyone except Ruyue and Elena, Rose entered the Starry Sky Mystic Realm almost a year ago, and she'd conquered it completely alone.
At that time, nobody else knew it existed at all, and she had to spend a considerable amount of time to clear it.
But during that time, a clone so realistic even its power was a direct representation of hers took her place, and nobody suspected otherwise.
Rose already understood the clearing strategy for this place. The reason it was still open was because she used illusions to escape instead of completing it back then, which forced it to revert to its original form and wait for new challengers.
She pushed Pandora so hard, planting the seed of rage in her heart, so that she could be drawn to this place.
And with that seed, she'd be able to claim the final treasure of this realm.
Pandora, unaware of Rose's reasons, walked up to the red heart and touched its pulsating surface curiously.
She felt its aura pushing into her body, but since Rose told her to do this, she allowed it without hesitation.
There was a certain power taking root inside her.
The power of Wrath.
And now that she'd regained her senses, that wrath wouldn't concentrate on small feelings or temporary rage.
Instead, it would remain fueled by her hatred towards her greatest enemy.
The Nox would be the ones to feel its terror.
Wasn't that perfect?
It was the exact conclusion Rose had been aiming for from the start.
However, this was just the start.
From the rest of the Mystic Realm's tasks to the events that would take place once they left, Rose would have to keep a close eye on Pandora so she wouldn't be controlled by her power.
And if she ever found that the person she chose to inherit it wasn't suitable…
'...I'll have to kill her with my own hands.'
Not only to eradicate the scourge Pandora would become, but also to punish herself for this failure.
'Haa, business as usual.'
Nobody knew how hard she'd been working besides her sisters.
As others moved at the same pace as their enemies in the open, Rose occupied the shadows and made ten moves for every one of theirs.
This was the primary reason for the current war situation, not only on the younger generation side, but also for the older generation.
Imperceptible to even the greatest Demigods, her influence spread through the universe and maintained balance, disallowing the Nox from overpowering the denizens too much.
Of course, she didn't have the power to do this consistently, nor could she control the most powerful entities of both sides, however…
"Huu…"
She exhaled deeply.
She was tired.
Because of her, the universe was still alive.
But she would never get recognition for it. Nobody would ever understand who their savior was.
Yet, to her, that didn't matter.
She didn't do this for them.
She even sacrificed her spot on the Dimensional Leaderboard to provide others with more opportunities.
This had always been her personality, and no matter how strong she became, it wouldn't change.
For the security of the small family she had, for the security of Apeiron and her father there, and for the sake of the future generations who would have to live in the world created by their predecessors, she was willing to do anything.
The overall situation could be described simply.
The younger generation of the universe was taking the lead, and would become a shadow the Nox geniuses couldn't escape with just a few more years.
However, the older generation could at best create a stalemate.
So until Damien succeeded in his personal mission, she had to hold down the fort.
That was her duty as the first wife and a supreme genius of this plane.
