In the castle, the Witch Queen, Wisteria Hallbach, paced back and forth instead of sitting on her throne.

"Is there still no news about them?"

She asked her ministers, who could only shake their heads in the negative.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but we still couldn't contact Sir Axel and Princess Ethernina..." one of them said, his voice overflowing with worry and guilt.

Wisteria sighed, frowning deeply.

"I see..."

It had already been two days since they were forced to retreat in an emergency.

However, among everyone, only Axel and Nina failed to return. Their current well-being and present location were both unknown. Not only those at the top, but even the soldiers and ordinary people of the city were starting to worry.

Of course, Wisteria tried to reach out to Axel using the chat function of the Interdimensional Shop, but even that remained unseen.

Only the fact that it was marked as "sent" was a good sign, showing that Axel, at least, wasn't dead just yet.

"What is the search squad doing? Can't they find those two yet?!" Wisteria grumbled, stomping her foot hard.

"That... they're doing their best, Your Majesty. However, with the search location being the Red Zone..." another minister explained, her voice growing grimmer with each word.

Wisteria, as Queen, understood what was left unsaid and sighed. There was nothing else she could do at the moment.

"I know..." she whispered. "I know."

She calmed her nerves and sat on her throne, staring ahead.

"So? What did you come here for again?" she spat.

However, nobody was present in her line of sight—no, there was one. They were standing behind the large doors to the throne room, hidden from sight.

"Oh~? How unfriendly of you, my Queen~!"

A voice echoed, loud and clear, as the doors swung open.

Young and playful, exuding great familiarity with Wisteria herself.

"Even though I rushed to come here as soon as I heard about one of the Four Heavenly Kings appearing~!"

The figure was a man... no, a woman... somewhere in between.

She stood with great poise, pride, and dignity evident in her posture. Her hips swayed, arms waving casually.

Her body looked as though her skin had become a drawing board for a group of children. Nearly every inch was inked with tattoos of various designs. From simple lines and shapes, to complicated images of animals like an eagle, a wolf, or a serpentine dragon.

Not only that, her face was filled with piercings.

Her nose, ears, lips, and even her tongue had one attached—a "style" that was the complete opposite of witches, who sought to maintain a clean and pure image.

"Rushed?"

Wisteria didn't humor her at all.

"If taking two days to arrive from a place one dimension away counts as rushing, then everyone in the universe is rushing all the time."

The other party placed a nail against her lips, acting coy. "Aww, I was busy, so I had to delay my travel. You're not the only one facing a demon invasion, you know, Wise-chan?"

Wisteria raised a brow, displeased with the nickname.

"Enough bullshit, Viola..." she growled, glaring at her. "So? Why did you come here at this time? There's no way you'd lend us support to fight one of the Four Heavenly Kings, right?"

"How upsetting, Wise-chan!"

Viola squirmed dramatically, hugging herself.

"That's exactly why I came after two days. I made sure to clear our frontlines so our elites could help without worry~!"

Viola clapped her hands, and five figures appeared behind her—five warrioresses.

All five women had bodies inked just as heavily as Viola's.

Their piercings, however, were less exaggerated—only a few on their ears and small nose rings. Still, every one of them exuded a powerful aura, causing Wisteria's elite guards to tense.

Even Wisteria couldn't help but feel awe.

Those five were clearly stronger than the average elite witch. Hand-picked, cream of the crop.

"They do look powerful," Wisteria admitted after a pause. "However, I doubt they could help. Even my daughter, the Second Princess Ethernina, could only order a retreat instead of facing the enemy."

"Please..."

Viola shrugged, clearly thinking Wisteria was underestimating them.

"My Elites once pushed back an enemy on par with the Four Heavenly Kings. I'm sure they can handle it. Want me to prove it to you, Wise-chan~?"

The two stared at each other, sparks flying.

Wisteria and Viola were no strangers. Their relationship was born from age-old competition. They could be great allies at times, but more often than not, they were rivals who picked fights whenever they met.

To them, this level of provocation wasn't even considered serious.

"Rosaria," Wisteria commanded. "Go and humor them for a bit."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Without hesitation, Rosaria stepped forward, standing before the visitors from another dimension. Her attire was the equipment Axel had given her—a full set designed to maximize her strength.

Wisteria knew this, and also why Rosaria was chosen.

"Rin-chan, go and show them our Shaman's strength~!" Viola urged, pushing one of the five women forward.

"Yes, Chief!"

The woman called Rin answered with a masculine tone.

Both sides sent a fighter forward. Now, it was time to see their strength.

"You go first." Rosaria shrugged, conceding the opening move. "I fear it would be over in one attack if I move first."

Rin merely grinned. "Arrogant as always!" she said, taking a stance reminiscent of a Shaolin martial artist.

The next moment, one of her tattoos—a fierce tiger—began to emit an eerie black glow. It squirmed over her skin before leaping into reality, manifesting as a real, three-meter-tall tiger.

"GROOOOWL!"

It was no illusion, but a real, living beast.

"Then show me how you'll handle this!" Rin shouted as she leapt forward.

The tiger matched her speed, circling behind Rosaria. A pincer attack from opposite directions.

"I knew it..." Rosaria remained unimpressed.

Normally, facing a Totem Race Shaman would result in a close battle. They were roughly equal in strength, after all. The victor would only be decided at the end.

But this time, the balance tilted sharply.

"Sorry, but you can't reach the current me."

Rosaria stamped her staff against the ground. In the next instant, three curses were cast simultaneously. Normally, Shamans could resist weak curses—but this time—

"N—!"

Rin and her tiger froze mid-motion.

They were struck by Paralysis, Weakening, and Silence Curses all at once. None was resisted.

"Match decided..."

Rosaria sighed as she walked away, completely unbothered.

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