Deep in the valley north of Snowfield City lies a cave.
At this moment, a scarlet light shone inside the cave.
A gaunt, middle-aged Magecraft stood in front of the summoning circle.
Inside the box at the center of the summoning circle lies a pure white feather.
The feathers were about twenty centimeters long, with a pearly sheen on the shafts and barbs so delicate they looked as if they were woven from moonlight.
It lay quietly in the Magecraft's palm, yet it exuded an overwhelming, almost overflowing sense of mystery.
Even just gazing at it makes Magecraft's heart race uncontrollably.
What price did he pay to obtain this feather?
King's Key.
That was a sacred relic he had acquired after spending half his life savings and using connections across three generations—a replica of the legendary Key of the Tower of Babel, a supreme catalyst powerful enough to summon kings from the mythical era.
He sold it three days ago.
In the dark room of the United States' underground auction, his hand trembled the moment the gavel fell.
The gazes from the surrounding buyers felt like knives scraping his face, as if they were mocking a madman for exchanging his manhood for worthless paper.
But he doesn't regret it.
In his view, the overwhelming mystery contained in this feather far surpassed that of the key to the King of Heroes's treasure vault.
The King's Key can only summon, at most, King of Heroes from the mythical era.
And this feather.
Perhaps, it can even summon beings that surpass demigods.
"Your form appears before me."
He began to chant.
His voice was hoarse, yet it carried a desperate, all-or-nothing determination.
My fate rests on your sword.
"Subjects of the Holy Grail, respond accordingly."
Seven colors of light intertwined and rushed towards the cave ceiling, casting wildly distorted shadows on the rock walls.
A sudden gust of wind arose within the enclosed cave, causing the Magecraft's robes to flutter wildly.
He squinted, staring intently at the center of the light.
They've arrived.
What he had risked everything to summon has come.
At the moment when the light shone at its brightest, the air inside the cave seemed to freeze.
Then, the light dissipated.
A figure appeared in the very center of the summoning circle.
Short, silver-white hair.
Ice-blue eyes.
A pure white wedding dress-style gown, the skirt cinches upwards along the body's curves, the short skirt blooming like a blossoming flower.
The backless design accentuated her slender shoulders, and a golden crown-shaped ring floated above her head, from which silky ribbons of light extended.
The girl stood there, blinking blankly.
It was that familiar feeling of being summoned again.
She was all too familiar with the experience of her soul being dragged from some distant place and stuffed into a brand new body.
Mayuri —no, she should now be called Origami Tobiichi.
Origami lowered her head, looking at her hands.
She immediately sensed her own condition.
Pure white wedding dress-style Astral Dress, Astral Dress - First Edition.
"Yes, it's Origami Tobiichi's normal Spirit form."
But that's strange.
Origami frowned slightly.
She tried to sense the familiar power within her that belonged to the Metatron Methratton.
No.
Cannot be found.
Instead, another force has taken its place.
Deeper, heavier, darker.
Like a black lake sealed beneath a layer of ice, its surface is calm, but beneath it surges undercurrents powerful enough to swallow everything.
That is... the power of Inverse Form.
Its outward appearance is that of Astral Dress, but its inner power is that of a demon king in Inverse Form.
What's going on?
Before she could analyze the situation carefully, a sudden change occurred.
Swish.
A cold glint flashed from the shadows of the cave.
It happened so fast that the Magecraft didn't even see what was happening.
The next second, his right hand, which held the Command Spell, flew out at wrist level.
Blood spurted out, splashing onto the ground around him.
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"
The middle-aged Magecraft lay sprawled on the ground, clutching his bleeding severed wrist and emitting a piercing wail, his body twisting and convulsing in agony.
Inside the cave, the stench of blood quickly filled the air.
The severed hand traced an arc in the air before landing on the edge of the shadows deep within the cave.
A girl's voice rang out from the shadows:
"Excuse my boldness, but before such a great being, I hope you will grant me permission to appear here."
Footsteps.
Unhurriedly, step by step, they emerged from the darkness.
A young girl in a white dress.
His brown skin gleamed with a warm glow under the crimson light.
Her long, black hair cascaded down to her waist, not a single strand out of place.
Her delicate face showed almost no emotion, and even the girl's eyes were extremely calm.
She walked up to the severed hand, knelt down, and picked it up.
Origami remained expressionless and silent, simply staring at the girl who emerged from the shadows.
She had sensed it from the moment she saw that cold glint.
There is a third person hiding in this cave.
She had been hiding there before she was summoned.
In other words...
The entire ritual, including the moment she was summoned, was witnessed by that person.
The Origami didn't move.
She wanted to see what this person was up to.
Tiné stood up and tucked the severed hand into her sleeve.
The Magecraft was still howling on the ground.
"Who are you?! How can you pass through the barrier I set up?! How can you pass through the barrier I set up?!"
He screamed, his facial muscles contorted in pain and fear.
Tiné ignored him.
She turned around, facing the silver-haired girl in the center of the summoning circle, and slowly spoke.
My name is Tiné Cherke.
The voice was clear and polite, but lacked warmth.
"I wish to take the place of the Magecraft beside me and enter into a contract with you."
She paused slightly.
"Our entire clan is willing to submit to you."
There was a two-second silence inside the cave.
Only the sound of the Magecraft's severed wrist blood dripping onto the ground could be heard.
Origami stared at Tiné, her face expressionless.
Deep down, Tiné was incredibly nervous.
From the moment Origami was summoned, she had never seen any expression on the silver-haired girl's face.
Joy, Wrath, doubt—nothing at all, like facing an exquisitely crafted doll.
What is the other person thinking? Will they accept? Or will they just kill me?
She didn't know.
She has no choice but to gamble.
They were gambling with the rhetoric they had prepared, gambling with their clan's last escape route.
Seeing that Origami Tobiichi did not make any move, she continued to speak the words she had prepared in advance.
"This Magecraft acquired your relic through the United States ' underground channels. And the true source of that relic is a sacred site that our clan has guarded for generations."
In other words, he stole what belonged to us and used it to carry out this summons.
"In terms of the rules, he does indeed have the right to summon. But the rightful owner of the relic is us."
Tiné's voice remained completely calm.
"Therefore, it is reasonable for me to inherit this contract."
Origami frowned slightly.
She glanced down at the middle-aged Magecraft who was still rolling on the ground groaning, then looked at the girl in front of her whose tone was calm to the point of being icy.
Compared to this distorted-faced middle-aged man, the young girl in front of me was definitely more pleasing to the eye.
Origami nodded slightly to the girl, indicating her agreement.