The questioning lasted a long time.

A total of 528 players.

A total of 528 questions.

When the final question ended, every Player Relic in the hall ignited fully under the drifting blue lights.

The players immediately dove into checking their relics, and Rita, standing quietly in the corner with lowered eyes, did the same.

She slowly unfurled her painting.

Its texture had changed.

It had already been made from the best material she could get—paper used for SSS-grade skill scrolls—yet now, when her fingertips brushed over it, she could feel magic energy surging beneath the surface.

When the left portion of the scroll opened far enough for Orchid Mantis to come into view, her hand hesitated for a single heartbeat.

But she forced herself to unfold the rest.

Refusing to look was still a form of caring—

And she refused to give that Vineborne god even one more trace of special treatment.

The painting had changed.

Some unknown presence had taken the liberty of adding to it.

The figures were more refined; some inaccurate strokes and colors had been subtly corrected.

But what mattered to Rita wasn't that—

It was the scenery newly added to her world.

[Cat's Ideal] dimmed,

[Wrathful Moon] flared completely,

and the painted world shifted into night.

The thin layer of ice over the river of time thickened.

Snow began to fall within the painting.

Each flake glowed faintly blue.

Her Player Relic had entered its final awakening stage.

She couldn't deny it—

She couldn't lie to herself—

Deceitful Bloom's manipulation had shaken her deeply.

Did she care about that god's supposed fondness?

Did she care about being used?

She did.

She absolutely did.

She was not as "calm" or "clear-headed" as she pretended.

Just like in Dark City—

When every street was barricaded and danger thickened like fog—

The always-cautious Rita had still run straight to the alchemy shop in stubborn desperation for an answer.

Living beings are strange that way.

The more something matters, the more we insist it doesn't—

As if denial itself could keep us safe.

She liked to pretend she expected no one,

but she had never truly turned away those who tried to join her One-Person Party.

Every time the door opened, she still looked up.

Her talent, her ideals, her soul—

They all cried endlessly for power.

Yet, over time, the ones she kept closest

were Nivalis, whose strength no longer kept up,

and the incomplete B80.

She had refused stronger followers for Nivalis' sake.

She had refused L12185511's request to stay for the sake of both Nivalis and B80.

She never asked for much.

Her responses were few and quiet.

But whatever she did give—

She expected it not to be taken back.

And she expected never to be deceived.

As the last glow faded from the falling snow,

her Player Relic's description emerged before her eyes.

[Player Relic: Echoes of the Snowbound Realm] (BS-Rita · Moon)

"Step into my snowbound realm, and all you'll receive are faint echoes. That is all I can give you."

[Skill 1] Echoes of the Snowbound Realm

Randomly summons one being from the painting to fight for you with their full will.

They retain the combat instincts, divine talent, and abilities from the moment they were painted.

All stats match the summoner's.

They fight until their HP reaches zero.

Casting time: 5 seconds.

No cost.

Usable once per Starsea day.

Cooldown cannot be reduced by any means.

[Skill 2] Falling Starry Sky

Summons a storm of falling starfire.

Damage is based on the sum of Intelligence + Agility.

Projectiles can be redirected in mid-air.

Hit targets have a 5% chance of suffering mental collapse.

Duration: 1 minute.

Casting time: 5 seconds.

Cost: 2000 MP.

Cooldown: 15 minutes.

[Skill 3] Aria of the Setting Sun

Releases a ring-shaped shockwave centered on the caster.

Damages and knocks all other beings back 10 meters.

Targets below 20% HP have a 5% chance to be executed immediately.

Casting time: 0.1 seconds.

Cost: 3000 MP.

Cooldown: 5 minutes.

[Skill 4] Freeze Again

Select an area.

Force-freezes all targets inside for 30 seconds.

This freeze cannot be dispelled.

Each attack on a frozen target shortens the remaining freeze duration.

Casting time: 3 seconds.

Cost: 5000 MP.

Cooldown: 15 minutes.

[Skill 5] No Escape

Enters complete invisibility: undetectable, untargetable, unable to be harmed.

Attack power doubles.

Duration: 10 seconds.

Cost: 5% MP per second.

Cooldown: 2 hours.

[Skill 6] Mutual Ruin

Skill costs reduced by 80%.

Attack speed doubles.

Casting time reduced by half.

Damage taken doubles.

Duration: 10 minutes.

Cost: 5% MP.

Cooldown: 1 hour.

Note: A Player Relic is part of the player.

It cannot be destroyed, stolen, taken, or dropped.

Only if the player dies permanently will it reappear somewhere in the world.

It is not bound by Divine Game rules.

Its tier reflects the player's tier at death.

Six skills.

Five attack-based.

The only non-attack skill was still an offensive tool—

Had her inner violence really been this strong?

Each spell carried a unique effect: mental break, frozen control, execution chance, perfect invisibility…

All practical. All deadly.

But the strongest was clearly Skill 1.

She read the description again.

And again.

And again.

The more she read, the more she regretted not drawing every powerful person she'd ever known.

But then—

Where were the skills she sealed into the relic originally?

As soon as the thought formed, understanding dawned.

She rolled the painting closed and opened it again.

The relic description changed.

This time, [Cat's Ideal] glowed bright.

[Wrathful Moon] dimmed.

The world in the painting shifted back into daylight.

[Player Relic: Aria of the Setting Sun] (BS-Rita · Sun)

"They rose and fell in your world, each sunrise and sunset becoming another aria of your journey. You walked past them, step after step, but once you left, some songs were played On Repeat again and again."

[Skill 1] Unchanged Fate

[Skill 2] Sin of Arrogance

[Skill 3] Mystic Force

[Skill 4] Romantic Tourist

[Skill 5] Lightchaser Moment

[Skill 6] On Repeat

Her relic…

had two modes.

Sun and Moon.

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