“Word has it that the Third Elder has been captured.”
“Hmph, that dimwitted old fool. I could see this coming from a mile away.”
“The Founder has entered the ritual.”
“Ugh. Thanks to this mess, our workload just doubled. Do we really need to worry about Crescent Academy?”
In a dimly lit space, a silhouette of a man and a woman conversed.
The First and Second Elders of the Nameless Organization.
This was their first meeting since the operation had officially begun.
Despite the Third Elder’s capture, he had at least accomplished the minimum objectives.
The Four types of accessories were finally gathered.
Now, if the Founder could successfully complete the ritual, their long-dreamt revolution would commence.
“So, how about your side?”
“I’m always ready. We can start tomorrow.”
“Then let’s start with you.”
“What about the O’Neil Kingdom?”
“My plan is to strike once their investigative team digs deeper.”
“And what about Crescent?”
“Hmm…”
Their conversation paused briefly.
It was a tricky situation.
Originally, the Third Elder should have finished his task cleanly and initiated the chaos first.
“…I’ll wrap up my duties tomorrow and head over immediately. We can’t abandon Crescent. There’s an Undead there, after all.”
“Agreed. I’m counting on you.”
With those final words, the First Elder vanished, seemingly finished with their meeting.
The Second Elder sighed at the First’s abrupt departure without even a ‘thank you.’
This organization had no sense of teamwork whatsoever. Still, the Second decided to stay positive.
Despite losing the Third Elder, the plan was proceeding as scheduled.
By tomorrow, Black Magic would reveal itself to the world.
“Ho ho, the charade ends tomorrow, one way or another.”
Huge incidents in various countries had been caused by the three Elders and the Founder.
The Founder directly confronted the Goddess Church, the O’Neil Kingdom fell to the First Elder, and the continent’s West was shaken by the Second Elder’s handiwork.
The final event at Crescent Academy was handled by the Third Elder, Landgar.
Despite the clear involvement of Black Magic in these incidents, the countries were trying to seal the information.
It made sense; if the world discovered simultaneous traces of Black Magic, the entire continent would descend into chaos.
“Ho ho ho.”
The Second Elder chuckled alone in the dark, then vanished.
Tomorrow, the revival of the Black Magician would be revealed to all.
“Captain, over there.”
“Hmm?”
In the western region of the Arkaria Continent, many small and medium-sized kingdoms coexisted, often at odds with each other.
For decades, this western region had enjoyed peace after territorial disputes had been settled.
But now, after a long time, war winds blew again.
The main characters were none other than Flora Kingdom and Lorelai Kingdom, rivals with a history of friction.
The trigger was the sudden d*ath of Lorelai’s Second Princess.
The princess was found dead in her room, traces of a poison used primarily by Flora Kingdom on her body.
There was more evidence — an Flora Kingdom spy captured in Lorelai and Flora symbols found in the princess’s quarters.
Despite the damning evidence, Flora Kingdom denied any involvement.
The conflict escalated when a counter-incident occurred: the assassination of Flora’s First Prince.
In his bedroom, the Flora flag hung boldly, and the word “Revenge” was written in bl**d.
Blinded by fury, Flora Kingdom declared war, and Lorelai didn’t back down.
Thus began a war between the two kingdoms, triggered by the deaths of two people, now on the verge of claiming many more lives.
“What is it? A delegation?”
The commander of Lorelai’s forces watched as a group slowly approached from the Flora Kingdom side.
Around twenty cloaked figures carried the Flora banner.
Hoping against hope, Hans, the commander, thought maybe Flora had come to admit their wrongdoing and apologize.
If this group was indeed here to apologize, Hans was open to hearing them out.
Their king had even instructed them to entertain talks if Flora showed any inclination for dialogue.
As the cloaked group neared the Lorelai camp, Hans stepped forward to address them.
“What brings you here? Send forth your representative!”
“…”
“Stand your ground if you truly seek negotiation!”
“…”
No response.
However, one figure slowly stepped forward.
The Lorelai soldiers instinctively thrust their spears, ready to stab as the cloaked figure continued to advance without pause.
“It’s alright. We only have one adversary.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Indeed. Why have you come separately?”
Hans slightly relaxed his guard. The envoy showed no obvious weapons or signs of magical energy — perhaps they truly were here to negotiate.
The cloaks fluttered.
“Huh?”
Something felt off.
A cloak shouldn’t bulge outward so unnaturally unless…
“What… what is that?”
The soldiers seemed to notice the same thing.
The grotesque twitching beneath the cloaks made the soldiers instinctively press their spears forward, ready to strike.
The cloaks began to move wildly.
“Eh? C-Captain?”
“What is this?”
At this point, it became apparent.
Whatever was under those cloaks was not human.
Despite clearly walking upright on two legs, its shape was far from human.
Screams erupted.
“What the…!”
“Captain?!”
“What the…”
The cloaks were torn apart, revealing their true contents.
The cloaked figures were not humans but otherworldly creatures.
Hans widened his eyes as the horrifying entities stepped into view.
Emerging from the cloaks were grotesque creatures.
They were indubitably alive.
Each had a black, orb-like body, four short limbs, and a massive eye embedded in their midsections.
“What… is that?”
As Hans muttered, the creatures suddenly launched themselves forward.
Cold shivers ran down Hans’ spine as the grotesque beings approached their camp.
It wasn’t because they were bizarre or unsettling.
No, this was dangerous.
They’re dangerous.
Whoosh!
“Ah! Wh-what!”
“Someone! Everyone!”
From all sides, the creatures began emitting black spikes that easily pierced the soldiers’ armor.
The nearby soldiers fell, pierced by the spines.
“P-Poison! Be careful!”
“AAAAAAAAAAAH!”
“Stay calm and attack!”
Hans quickly cast a protective barrier around himself before dashing toward the nearest creature.
The blade flickered with mana as he swung it toward the bizarre creature.
Zap!
“It’s… cut!”
“Captain Hans did it…”
“Huh?”
Hans quickly stepped back, shocked.
The creature, split neatly in two by his sword… wasn’t dead.
Sssssshhh…
The two halves of the creature began to squirm unnaturally.
The one large orb split into two smaller ones.
Limbs grew from each half, and soon, where there was one, there were now two.
By cutting its head, it split into two.
“Magician! We need the magicians!”
Though Hans had cleanly bisected it, not only did it survive, but it also split into two.
These creatures were already a challenge for regular soldiers, and they were nearly impossible to k*ll.
If Hans were to try cutting them again and they split once more…
“Everyone, hold your positions! Shield bearers!”
On Hans’ command, the Lorelai soldiers moved quickly.
The shield-bearing soldiers came forward, raising their barriers, while others retreated in a well-organized fashion.
Zap!
The two creatures, upon seeing the shield line, paused briefly.
Even in that short moment, these two creatures had already caused over thirty casualties.
“Wait for the magicians’ barriers! Their attacks can’t penetrate it!”
As Hans shouted, the magicians finally arrived, gasping for breath.
“What in the world are these things!”
Huuuuung…
Hans growled in frustration as the magicians hastily erected their barriers.
“Black Magic…”
“What?”
“Black Magic-created creatures!”
Flutter… Flutter…
Someone’s scream served as the signal.
Behind them, the rest of the cloaked figures began to ripple.
Just like the previous ones, their cloaks tore apart.
Sure enough…
The “impossible” had happened.
Around twenty cloaked figures all transformed into the same black, orb-like creatures.
The grotesque, limb-laden orbs twitched unnaturally.
“Everyone, be careful!”
As Hans shouted, the twenty-or-so creatures’ single eyes all turned toward the defenders.
And then they charged.
