When the plot-skips players into the game world

Just as the ritual began, Aiwass felt as though something had blocked his throat.

He was completely unable to speak or even make a sound.

It was as if he were in a dream where he had lost the ability to use language.

Should he forcefully resist the effect of the Ritual Magic Circle, trying hard to speak, he would only end up struggling for breath.

Clearly, Aiwass wasn't the only one restrained. Apart from Sherlock, who was already unconscious, the other three who were awake also fell silent instantly.

...A group Silence?

Aiwass knew that with so many teammates guarding him, General Karl, who was on his own, probably didn't need his concern.

So before General Karl arrived, Aiwass walked to the window, looked up, and focused on the ritual above, seriously studying its effects.

A ritual set up by a Transcendent of the Fifth Power Level was obviously beyond his ability to stop since he did not possess Transcendence. However, he could still see if there were any parts that could be utilized.

The vermilion runes in the sky formed three concentric circles—with text from the Helasal Empire intertwined with Elf script, spellcasting a triple-layered incantation.

From the outer to the inner circle, they rotated at a slow, extremely fast, and fast pace, in a clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise fashion.

Like grinding millstones, the bloody runes spun, emitting an increasingly loud buzzing sound, akin to a machine starting up.

Those words, upon rough analysis, could be translated as:

"We beseech the Eternal Self, the holy one of the singular number, the god who begets life in death, the God of Enduring Obscurity/We respectfully call upon the Blood Celestial Marshal, the eternal celebrant, the ceaselessly yearning Celestial Marshal/We respectfully summon the Spirit Amber Celestial Marshal, the marshal of memories, the engraver."

"He who covets death shall reign as the King of Kings in eternal life."

"Binding: those who have lived beyond 119 years are forbidden from leaving this place; Chaos: flames here shall overpower any other; Engraving: utter silence."

—This was not any existing ritual.

It was a trap specifically tailored for Shafiya by General Leo Karl, who was a Demon Incarnation of the Fifth Power Level!

Usually, these kind of area rituals lack the ability to differentiate between friend and foe. Or to put it another way, any ritual that incorporates such discernment tends to lose a lot of its potency due to not being absolute.

The more absolute the requirements of the ritual, the stronger the binding force. Just like the terms of a contract.

Therefore, the best strategy is to incorporate a condition that just covers the target and results that minimally affect oneself.

This ritual was designed to invoke the power of the Eternal Self, Blood Celestial Marshal, and Spirit Amber to prevent anyone over 119 years old from escaping the area.

Whether it be General Karl or that powerful individual from the Path of Dusk, they were nothing more than ordinary humans. Even the Star Antimony Queen Consort was the same—although she was an undying Son of the Moon, her age wasn't all that great. Even counting the years she lived as a human, she was just slightly over a hundred years old.

Shafiya, being a half-Elf, happened to be just over one hundred and twenty years old this year. Hence, this restriction would only affect her. Or rather, this number had been drawn specifically for her based on intelligence gathered.

Barely meeting the criteria, the ritual's suppressive power on her was the strongest.

At the same time, this Ritual Magic Circle also granted "flames" a priority boost of half a grade—unable to penetrate higher-level defenses, but always able to overcome those of the same rank. Shafiya didn't have fire-type spells; her specialty was in counter and Binding Spell types.

Therefore, she couldn't benefit from the ritual's enhancement effect at all but would instead be silenced by it.

When everyone was silenced, the Legal Mage, who relied on spoken components for casting, suffered the most—certainly much more than a Demon Incarnation.

—Prohibition from fleeing, flame penetration, group Silence.

If Shafiya had been the only one here, this was essentially a checkmate trap.

In the game's storyline, this might have been Shafiya's cause of death—she was able to send Isabel away but couldn't protect her all the way to the Holy Nation. Those Gryphon Knights dared not pursue her... so it could only mean that she had safely sent the princess away only to turn back and fall into the trap herself.

But in this world line, things obviously would not develop in that manner.

After issuing his threat, General Karl did not immediately appear.

About ten seconds or more had passed before a burst of abnormal heat suddenly emanated from the Queen Consort's royal chamber.

The surrounding space gradually became blisteringly hot and distorted, while the plants in the room began to emit white smoke and withered rapidly.

Then came the papers.

They emitted bluish smoke, turned black, curled, and crumbled to ash.

Next were the light gauzes that tore open with black holes in the middle. They burned up in an instant like spider webs consumed by the flames.

Then came the wooden structures of the floor and the beds, which now bore blotches of char.

The sunlight in the sky had become more dazzling and intense, and the increasingly powerful heat caused the air to steam and distort. The waters of Glass Island, exposed to the outdoors, turned scorching yellow, churning with earthy-yellow whirlpools, gradually evaporating and drying up; the greenery wilted and turned yellow, and a stronger and stronger smell of sulfur began to permeate the air.

Shafiya took a deep breath and gripped her mage's staff tightly.

—For Her Majesty!

—For Avalon!!

She muttered in her heart as a silvery-white glow ignited in her eyes. Within her original deep blue pupils, a silvery-white ring appeared, and her wavy blonde hair moved as if by an unseen wind.

The people who had been thrown into chaos by the abnormal phenomenon quieted down once more.

Silvery-white rings appeared deep in their pupils, and a clear directive formed in their minds:

Evacuate from the Hall of Silver and Tin!

Above each street lamp, the silver triangle emitted a sacred silvery-white light even under the daylight, refracting the light of authority. They were like iron triangles, ringing out clearly and orderly, like signal towers broadcasting Shafiya's will continuously.

If one looked down upon Avalon from above at that moment, they could see an expanding circle of earthy-yellow traces of drought, radiating outward from the Hall of Silver and Tin.

The Hall of Silver and Tin was located on Lake Heart Island, and the gem-like clear and deep blue lake around it had turned earthy yellow. The crowd flowed out like ants before the rain, orderly splitting into thin black lines as they moved away.

Neither Shafiya nor General Karl had used any spells.

This was a natural phenomenon induced by the power of the Fifth Power Level Transcenders on the Resonance Path.

The next moment, a section of the wall, reinforced with Preservation Arts, suddenly bulged and discolored. This wall, which could withstand the full force blow of a Fourth Power Level Transcendent and was stronger than steel, now curled like scorched, twisted metal.

After that, it finally shattered completely with a crashing sound!

Innumerable streams of flames roared in, surging in like a tsunami.

—Karl had been very cautious and did not attempt to enter through the main entrance, but instead completely enveloped the entire royal chamber in scorching flames!

His golden pupils burned fiercely, and the upper part of his clothing was entirely ignited by the fire.

His right fist was clenched tight, and his unusually bulging muscular arms were exceptionally large, even disproportionately so. The veins protruding on his forearms and backs of his hands glittered with the purple radiance of Transcendence.

On the aged body were both withered, wrinkled skin and clearly defined muscles. His body was covered with scars that resembled wounds caused by burning swords.

At that moment, all of Karl's wounds opened like portals, like doors wide open.

Golden-red flames flowed out from them like bodily fluids, streaming and crawling along the walls like living creatures. From those wounds, one could still see the deep red glow of embers.

—That was the Flame Demon power being continuously drawn from within him.

If completely released, his self-destructive power was enough to destroy the whole of Glass Island.

Even without awakening as a Demon, merely by drawing power from the inner Demon, he could still be considered an absolute powerhouse.

But when Karl broke through the wall and stepped into the room, the cruel smile on his face suddenly froze, and he was momentarily stunned.

…Why are there so many people?