"What did you just do?"
Shatuo had clearly given up resisting.
The black sphere of the Singularity Technique in Reilo's hand had drawn its powerful gravitational collapse inward until it was as still and unresponsive as a black crystal ball, floating quietly in his palm.
He looked at the black-and-white flag in Shatuo's hand, but sensed no threat from it.
Yet the flag had been planted in the witch's body, draining all her life force to complete some kind of sacrifice. It was deeply unsettling, and he frowned beneath the X Mask.
Shatuo was weak, breathing in low, labored gasps.
But the despondency that had overtaken him had given way to calm.
"I was just trying to send out one last cry. It was futile, as always—I couldn't reach Orora. But someone heard my call just now and witnessed my efforts."
Under Reilo's gaze, Shatuo continued, "I once read your treatises, especially the section on classifying civilizations. It was a pretty good idea. But do you know what the Witchers of Orora think of it? Heh. To them, it's nothing more than the simple-minded idea of a lowly, foolish native."
Reilo showed no contempt. Instead, he listened with focused attention.
Shatuo continued, "To Orora, mastering and learning to use the power of space and time is the bare minimum for a civilization. The most basic application of that power is long-distance communication. A race that hasn't even mastered super-distance communications can't interact with other civilizations. It's nothing but a band of primitive creatures. We're nothing but beasts trapped in a cage. If we can't contact Orora, the Blockers will eventually wipe us out. For ten thousand years, the Dark World has done everything it could, but it has never broken through the Blockers or found salvation."
As the witch's life