Karne, the mother of the Omen, is skilled in covert operations.
But this was not a talent she had awakened from the beginning.
Karne had always been like a mere backdrop to the world, her only joy in life watching her children thrive.
The ability to conceal her presence was simply a natural skill that emerged in the process.
[4★ Ashen Knight Morgen activates the skill ‘Burning Premonition’.]
Meanwhile, the 4-star Calamity, the Ashen Knight Morgen, prowled the streets, his ominous eyes scanning his surroundings.
Sensing civilians who had failed to reach the shelters in time, the knight raised his sword and mercilessly cut them down.
Countless Awakened rushed in to stop the knight’s slaughter, but their Calamities could barely hold him back for a brief moment.
The gap between a 4-star named Calamity and those below 3-star was that stark.
‘He seems to have lost his sanity.’
Instinctively, Karne understood that the knight before her was not in his right mind.
The Ashen Knight Morgen she had encountered at the Actor’s base was never such a violent Calamity.
Rather, he was like a child who respected and even revered her.
‘How strange.’
Even as doubt crept into her mind, Karne slipped closer.
None of the Awakened surrounding the Ashen Knight noticed her approach.
And it wasn’t just the Awakened—Morgen himself was no exception.
His detection skills failed to pierce Karne’s stealth.
[5★ Mother of the Omen, Karne, cancels the focus of the skill ‘Phantom of Nothingness’.]
Finally, as Karne leaped above Morgen’s head, she released her covert skill.
Pffft.
The shroud covering her body dissipated like mist, momentarily blocking all vision around them.
And for Karne, that brief moment was all she needed.
[5★ Mother of the Omen, Karne, activates the skill ‘Shadow Harvest’.]
In an instant, a black scythe materialized in Karne’s outstretched hand.
Morgen twisted his body at the last moment, sensing the attack, but Karne did not miss his vitals.
Thunk.
With a sickening sound of flesh being torn, the scythe plunged deep into his shoulder, cleaving through his lungs.
Morgen’s eyes widened as he glared at his assailant—only to realize it was the face of his benevolent mother.
“Morgen, you foolish child. Why must you oppose the Actor… and this mother of yours?”
Karne’s soft murmur.
At the same time, the remnants of nothingness that had enveloped the area melted into the air.
Before the Awakened could comprehend the situation, the black wings at Karne’s waist fluttered once.
[5★ Mother of the Omen, Karne, activates the skill ‘Phantom Moonwalk’.]
“What the—?! Where did he go?!”
One of the Awakened shouted.
But their cries could no longer be heard.
A unique space, severed from the world—this was closer to an authority that Karne alone possessed.
“Now, let’s check your condition. Correcting a foolish child’s deviation is also this mother’s duty.”
In a gentle tone, Karne twisted the scythe.
The sound of bones snapping echoed.
Morgen’s health rapidly dwindled, but he could no longer resist.
In this space, only Karne could move.
Only she could reap life.
With great effort, she plucked out a small fragment hidden within the Ashen Knight’s body.
“Asteria… It’s you.”
Karne’s expression hardened as she examined the fragment.
[5★ Queen Who Swallowed the Stars, Asteria, watches 5★ Mother of the Omen, Karne.]
What Karne held was none other than a shard of a shattered crown.
Beyond its smooth, severed surface, Asteria’s pink eyes stared back at her.
Their gazes met for an instant.
Karne, the Mother of the Omen, was once a mythical beast who had attained divinity—but she was nothing before this cosmic entity.
Karne averted her eyes.
Yet, in that brief encounter, she recognized the madness and obsession swirling in Asteria’s gaze.
She knew it better than anyone—after all, she had once worn the same look herself.
“You’re still as bothersome as ever.”
With a deep sigh, Karne pocketed the fragment.
As she harvested Morgen’s life, she once again activated Phantom Moonwalk.
All the Awakened who had swarmed the area found was an empty clearing.
“What the hell?! What just happened?!”
One of the Awakened shouted in frustration.
No one could explain the phenomenon before them.
*
Ding.
[4★ Ashen Knight Morgen has been defeated!]
[Rewards: 150 Exp / 4★ Ashen Knight Morgen]
A satisfied smile spread across my face at the message before me.
The Mother of the Omen, Karne, had flawlessly executed the assassination of the Ashen Knight.
As if in response, a bewildered voice crackled over the comms.
[This—this is Squad 4! Confirming the sudden disappearance of the Ashen Knight Morgen! Currently conducting a search!]
From the sounds of it, Karne had completed the assassination without anyone noticing.
I cheered internally, but another status message soon appeared before me.
[4☆ Shattered Crown Fragment has been acquired.]
“…Huh.”
A jolt of realization shot through me.
It seemed that the Ashen Knight Morgen had been carrying a fragment of Asteria’s crown.
That meant my initial suspicions were correct.
Asteria was manipulating the rifts, sending down both the Ashen Knight Morgen and the Thorned Colossus, Terrakas.
In other words, the massive Calamity before me—the Thorned Colossus—likely also carried a crown fragment.
“H-Hey! Nam Jooyeon! Help! Heeelp!”
Incidentally, Guild Leader Yoo Junseo, despite his proud declaration earlier, had spent the entire day desperately dodging Terrakas’ branches.
His Calamity, the Guardian of Scarlet Flames, was a fire-attribute Calamity—Terrakas’ natural counter.
Under normal circumstances, a head-on fight would have been an easy victory for the Guardian.
But Terrakas, true to its nature as a named Calamity, was cunning.
Instead of engaging its natural enemy directly, it decided to avoid combat altogether and target the Calamity’s master.
The Guardian of Scarlet Flames was slow.
Terrakas was relatively fast.
Though the Guardian unleashed waves of fire, Terrakas shrugged them off and charged straight for Yoo Junseo, who had taken refuge inside a building.
“Ahhh! The Guild Leader!”
Seo Yerin panicked and ordered her Awakened subordinates into action, but their 3-star Calamities were no match for this mass of destruction.
The situation was spiraling into nothing but meaningless casualties.
“Heellpp!”
Yoo Junseo’s screams didn’t even need the comms—they were loud enough to be heard clearly from outside the building.
I sighed and opened my status window.
“Well, he probably has a crown fragment too.”
At the very least, I needed to take care of him for the sake of farming fragments.
Not that I was completely without morals.
Since I was the one who had talked Yoo Junseo into this, I figured I should at least take some responsibility.
“I’ll let him have the last hit.”
I exchanged glances with Selene, who was watching from the rooftop in her hoodie.
As I summoned the Earth Shatterer from my status window, I gestured to Selene.
She understood my intent and landed on the Earth Shatterer’s shoulder, cloaked in her obsidian shroud.
At the same time, the Earth Shatterer swung its massive fist, and Selene drove her Blazing Stake straight into Terrakas’ heart.
Perhaps it was because the Guardian of Scarlet Flames had already whittled down its health, or maybe Selene’s damage was simply overwhelming—either way, Terrakas collapsed without resistance.
Crash!
“Ah! It’s down!”
Seo Yerin shouted, and the Awakened forces brightened, focusing their fire.
They all shared the same thought—If I land the final blow, maybe I’ll be recognized as an S-rank Awakened.
A foolish hope.
Of course, none of them were faster than Yoo Junseo himself.
The moment Terrakas began to fall, Yoo Junseo had already ordered the Guardian of Scarlet Flames to unleash its strongest attack.
[4★ Guardian of Scarlet Flames activates the skill ‘Iron Maiden’.]
A massive suit of armor enveloped Terrakas before exploding in an instant.
“Whoa.”
No matter how you looked at it, that was a horrifying suicide move.
Already weakened and now hit with what was essentially a kamikaze ultimate, Terrakas vanished on the spot. Yoo Junseo cheered as the status window appeared before him.
“Yeeeehawww!”
Even as the world descended into chaos, Yoo Junseo remained perfectly sane—likely because he perceived all of this as nothing more than a game.
Assuming that counted as sane in the first place.
“Nam Jooyeon, you saw that, right?! I got the last hit! Now it’s not ‘Dragon Emperor and Flame Emperor’—it’s ‘Flame Emperor and Dragon Emperor’!”
“Sure, think whatever you want.”
“Wait, no—should it be ‘Flame Emperor’? Or ‘Wood Emperor’?”
While Yoo Junseo agonized over titles, distress calls continued flooding the comms.
Seo Yerin and the other Awakened didn’t even have time to celebrate before rushing off to another sector.
This rift outbreak was unprecedented in scale. Even during the Disaster Order, this many Calamities had never poured out at once.
Just then, a telepathic message arrived from Mirien, the Storm of the North Sea.
[Actor, be careful. This isn’t over yet.]
It seemed Mirien had already used her tracking skill to observe the sky above.
[More Calamities are coming down. Not as many as before, but still a lot.]
Normally, the first wave of a rift outbreak was the strongest, with subsequent waves tapering off.
But this time was different.
Looking up, I saw the next wave pouring from the rift.
Their numbers were at least three times that of the previous outbreak.
“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”
If the Queen Who Swallowed the Stars, Asteria, were here right now, I’d have one thing to say to her:
Just call yourself the Rift Sovereign and be done with it.