I, Kurumi Tokisaki, Am a Wanderer

As the most powerful Eighth-Tier Magician in Elf history, the greatest compiler of spellcraft, Lady Shinku wore a savage grin as she extended her right arm, fingers splayed wide.

The power of the God of Forest? It was merely a convenient tool.

"Behold... the moment of victory has come," she declared.

Her cerulean hexagonal pupils locked onto Kurumi's exquisite golden clock-like gaze. Lady Shinku's outstretched hand suddenly clenched tight, and with a twisted, maniacal smile, she awakened the Thorned Throne slumbering beneath the ground.

When it came to fighting on her home turf, Lady Shinku was confident she would lose to no one. And here, in Nina's estate, the battleground was entirely hers.

"O Silent Wind, O Imprisoned Leaves, bear your name…"

"First Blessing of Motion."

Eighty-six thorned crystal pillars erupted from the ground below, weaving together to surround Kurumi in layered entanglements. Each thorn bore the God of Forest Kainath's divine runes, forcefully extracting and harnessing power in a manner as crude as it was tyrannical. Such was the fundamental nature of the so-called Ruinous Artifacts: a blatant perversion of a god's blessing.

To Lady Shinku, the so-called Creator was nothing more than another foolish entity obsessed with the Throne of the One True God.

The Thorned Throne ensnared Kurumi completely. Yet to Lady Shinku, the crystal formation didn't resemble a mere prison. Instead, it appeared like a foundation—a grand pedestal.

"Third Blessing of Finality."

Suddenly, a flower bloomed beneath Kurumi's feet.

A luminous, translucent lotus unfurled its enormous crystalline petals, spinning gracefully outward. In total, there were 137 petals—each flawless, shimmering, and pure.

And in the next instant, the petals closed, sealing Kurumi inside.

To an ordinary observer, it appeared as though the flower simply materialized and captured Kurumi in a single seamless motion. But for those who understood time, the process and result of the flower's blooming and closing occurred simultaneously, its compressed temporal curve achieving perfect synchronization.

The most beautiful of prisons—this was the essence of the Ruinous Artifact.

Unlike Nina's earlier artifact that required a network of magicians to function, Lady Shinku's home-field version was the real deal. Powered directly by Kainath's blessing, it was an ultimate killing move without equal.

Inside the flower, Kurumi clapped her hands sincerely. This Elf genius had truly impressed her. Lady Shinku's understanding of time had reached the threshold of mastery—she was undoubtedly a prodigious talent of unparalleled brilliance.

But to Lady Shinku, that applause was nothing short of mocking. It grated against her nerves like the sharpest of insults.

Still... what did it matter? Victory was hers.

Lady Shinku walked forward with measured grace, a radiant smile blooming on her face. She extended her index finger toward the crystalline lotus before her, gently pressing it as if to caress Kurumi's cheek through the barrier.

Her expression was tranquil, but her message was one of cold finality.

"Perish," she whispered.

The Third Blessing of Finality had originally been designed as a surefire kill spell against the Dwarves. When the artifact confirmed its target was a Dwarf, it would ignite a bloom of unparalleled beauty—an inferno of truth designed to obliterate their essence entirely.

However, over the past twenty years, Lady Shinku had meticulously altered its parameters. The spell no longer targeted just the Dwarves but any spirit-based existence within the prison.

As Lady Shinku began her incantation, the radiant flower erupted into brilliant flames.

The end, it seemed, had come.

Lady Shinku's hexagonal pupils reflected the incandescent blaze before her. In their depths was the faint satisfaction of a victor witnessing the culmination of her plans.

Kurumi had expected a grand, devastating spell after all that buildup. She'd even prepared herself to pop a few Revival Elixirs just in case.

And yet... it was this again? The same Ruinous Artifact from before?

Really? The exact same thing Nina had used, except... significantly more powerful?

The expression "it runs in the family" couldn't be more fitting. The difference was a matter of scale, not originality.

But no matter how mighty the spell was, Kurumi was a being without Spirit Corridor—a foreign entity to this world. She remained entirely unscathed.

Her only reaction? A faint sense of warmth in her stomach, as though she'd eaten something rich.

With an elegant flourish, Kurumi swung her longsword. Under Lady Shinku's disbelieving gaze, she tore through the fiery prison as though it were paper.

"Well, well... it looks like you've lost," Kurumi teased, resting the scorching blade against Lady Shinku's neck. With a sly grin, she leaned in close.

Lady Shinku glared at her adversary with a mixture of frustration and confusion. That golden clock-eye, so unreadable yet so mocking, seemed to pierce straight into her soul.

"What do you want?" Lady Shinku finally asked, exhaling deeply.

"I thought I made that clear from the beginning," Kurumi said, smiling faintly. "I just wanted to play a game with you."

Lady Shinku hesitated, then extended an invitation.

"Follow me," she said, gesturing for Kurumi to join her.

Outside the estate was a private hot spring, a tranquil setting perfect for their discussion.

As the two women departed, the King's Leaf Division arrived belatedly at the scene.

"Flower Lord, may I ask what transpired?" The elderly commander bowed deeply, addressing the petite genius with reverence.

"Nothing serious... merely a minor issue during the revision of the Ruinous Artifact," Nina replied nonchalantly. She held up the collar of her robe, careful not to let it slip. Her crisp, bell-like voice carried a subtle tremor, betraying her residual nerves.

Her flawless, petite frame peeked out from the ill-fitting garment, exposing glimpses of alabaster skin. The sight caused several infatuated members of the King's Leaf Division to stare intently.

"Flower Lord... please, I urge you to exercise greater caution," the commander implored, his voice heavy with concern.

He suspected that Nina's words were a cover-up but knew better than to press further.

"Understood," Nina replied simply, her tone curt and dismissive.

In a small pavilion nearby, Kurumi and Lady Shinku played a simple dice game.

True to Kurumi's word, she only wished to play a game with Lady Shinku.

Except... the game board was modeled after the world itself.

And every time they rolled the dice, both of them rolled sixes.

Kurumi's serene smile never wavered, yet the overwhelming intensity of the board's layout grew more evident with every move. The stakes were undeniable.

This was not merely a game. It was a clash between two kindred souls who viewed the world as their playground.

Or so Lady Shinku thought. And yet... there was something different about Kurumi.

"Are you my enemy?" Lady Shinku asked.

"No," Kurumi replied confidently.

"Then... are you my ally?"

"Not that either," Kurumi said, throwing the final dice.

"I'm simply someone playing by a fool's rules, hoping that fewer people have to die."

If one were to view this fragmented, grotesque world merely as a game, it might feel just a little simpler.

The interwoven chessboard divided the world into neat segments.

To Lady Shinku, the ones holding the chess pieces should have been herself and Lóni Drauvnir. No matter how powerful the top six races were, the real contenders for this war's ultimate victory were the Elves and the Dwarves.

White and black pieces, interlocking and entangled.

Yet, staring at the alluring phantom reclining before her, Lady Shinku found herself uncertain.

No casualties in this world? Don't make her laugh. Whether it was wails of sorrow or screams of elation, whether despair in defeat or ecstasy in victory, they were all merely notes in the grand symphony of this world's orderly chaos.

And yet... why did it feel like this phantom meant what she said?

"Well, well... you lost."

A black piece knocked Lady Shinku's chess piece off the board.

HP -100.

Kurumi declared Lady Shinku's defeat with a smirk, her teasing gaze tinged with mirth.

"As punishment for the loser~~ take off that cumbersome robe," Kurumi commanded lightly.

Lady Shinku froze for a moment, her normally logical mind catching on a single snag. "You never mentioned there would be a punishment."

"Oh, I didn't?" Kurumi rested her chin on her palm. "Well, I'm mentioning it now. Take it off."

What kind of unreasonable person was this?! Lady Shinku fumed internally, but she couldn't argue—let alone fight back.

Fine... it was just clothing. A Elf never backs down.

Even in defeat, Lady Shinku carried herself with an air of regal pride, treating the act of removing her robe like bestowing a gift. She shed the garment, revealing her flawless figure beneath.

Her skin was smooth and pale as snow, her curves sculpted like the peak of a snow-capped mountain. The delicate dewdrops of her form rivaled perfection itself.

Just one misstep. Kurumi regretted her demand instantly. She had miscalculated.

Teasing clumsy types like Athena or Liliana and watching their flustered, bashful reactions was fun. But provoking a seasoned veteran like Lady Shinku? There was no thrill in that.

A misstep indeed.

The game continued.

Every roll of the dice still resulted in a six, leaving the game without variation. With the steps merely repeated, Lady Shinku's defeat was inevitable.

Rick's Fourth Covenant: "No method is considered cheating."

Because as long as no one noticed, any cheating wasn't cheating.

Biting her lip, Lady Shinku scrutinized the board.

The phantom before her wasn't someone idle enough to waste time on repetitive games. Such a "supremely wicked" individual surely had her own agenda.

"Hurry up~~ I'm going to grow old waiting," Kurumi teased, her tone languid.

Lady Shinku deliberated before rolling the dice again.

The points expanded, warping the very rules in real-time.

After slaying a god, Kurumi had obtained a trump card called "Left Hand of Misrule," which allowed her to manipulate any game within the established rules, shaping its outcome however she pleased.

But an absolute, inevitable victory held no appeal. So, Kurumi had left Lady Shinku a slim chance—a glimmer of hope—for the sake of encouraging her junior who had only just stepped into the realm of temporal mastery.

Time's web stretched wide, and the dice seemed to tumble endlessly before settling.

In the end... a solitary crimson dot faced upward.

"Legion Commander—Duel"

Your chess piece challenges an opponent's piece. Both parties' attack values are determined by the current roll multiplied by 100.

HP -500.

Another loss.

But this time, Lady Shinku glimpsed a shift, a flicker of hope.

Next time... she would win.

"Let me check something," Kurumi mused.

Before Lady Shinku could respond, she watched in horror as Kurumi retrieved a pink cat-tail prop.

"That… that's absolutely off-limits!!!"

After losing three consecutive matches, Lady Shinku finally struck down the "demon king."

But the cost of her victories had been steep: forfeiting her robe, allowing strange words to be inscribed on her inner thigh that couldn't be erased for a month, and pledging to wear only her undergarments for thirty days.

"Well, you finally did it," Kurumi yawned, lazily stretching.

"So... here's a little hint: I hold information crucial to the Elves, even vital to their survival."

"The Dwarves' 'Ultra-Mass Destruction Weapon.'—The one created by that man who lingers so deeply in your thoughts."

"What will you ask for?"

"The survival of the Elves has nothing to do with me, and whether that fool can claim the Throne of the One True God means even less," Lady Shinku declared with unshakable conviction. "If he can't sit on it, then he can just sit on a toilet for all I care."

"My sole goal right now is simple: YOU! Strip down, now!" she roared.

"Excuse me? Are you sure?" Kurumi asked, eyebrows raised.

"Of course!" Lady Shinku's voice dripped with vehemence as she confirmed her choice.

From the day she was born, she had been hailed as a genius.

Every word she spoke was obeyed; no spell was beyond her reach. Even the Dwarven man she couldn't forget had merely taught her what failure felt like for the first time.

But the figure before her? She had inflicted loss after loss, humiliation after humiliation. Lady Shinku swore to make her pay.

And yet, under her furious gaze, Kurumi swapped her elegant gothic gown for an off-shoulder black dress.

???

This woman had another outfit beneath?! Who plays like this?!

Kurumi, of course, wasn't playing around.

She was simply changing attire—who would ever know?

Estimating the time, Kurumi noted that nearly an hour had passed. Shubi must be growing impatient.

With a smirk, Kurumi quipped, "Shall we continue? You have one last chance."

"Of course."

Would she win?

Lady Shinku hesitated.

She placed a trap six squares ahead. If Kurumi rolled another six, victory would be hers.

But... could she only roll a six?

Lady Shinku threw the dice, her heart pounding. Two rows and three columns of dots faced upward: another six.

"Congratulations, you won again," Kurumi murmured, leaning forward.

Her delicate off-shoulder dress, adorned with red embroidered roses, fluttered slightly as she shifted. Her delicate skin seemed to glow in the dim light.

"So... what would you have me do? Anything~~~ is on the table," she whispered, her sultry voice like a spell.

"But remember... this is your final chance."

Lady Shinku clenched her fists, lowering her gaze. This woman was doing it deliberately.

Her final opportunity. Her last move.

"Tell me... about the Dwarves' weapon."

Kurumi was already gone.

"Marrow Bomb (E-Bomb)."

Leaning against the side of a hot spring, Lady Shinku stretched out her legs, scrubbing furiously at the humiliating black writing on her inner thigh while pondering the implications of the information.

Triggering dormant godly marrow to unleash a continent-level explosion… its principle was strikingly similar to her own creation, "Void Zero Protection," which detonated imaginary beings to trigger devastating spirit-energy explosions.

As expected of her greatest rival.

Unraveling the threads of the world's fate in her mind, Lady Shinku deliberated. Almost unconsciously, her scrubbing grew more forceful.

Then she heard hurried, hesitant footsteps—soft and clumsy, like a startled deer.

Looking up, she spotted Nina, her face as red as a drop of fresh blood.

"I'm so sorry, Senpai," Nina stammered, fumbling backward.

"I didn't realize… you were… um, doing that…"

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