All preparations for the operation against the Ashen Legion's underground headquarters were complete. Leading the unit of twenty elite men was the kingdom's Chief Mage, Vaelmon, in person. Knight Commander Alaric, the second-highest-ranking official after Vaelmon, cast a worried glance at the elderly man beside him.
"Sir, we didn't expect someone of your stature to personally take the field," said Alaric.
Vaelmon replied in a cold voice, clutching the enchanted parchment in his hand tightly:
"I haven't retired yet, Alaric. Besides, I have a personal score to settle with this organization. I will finish them off myself."
Alaric could sense the anger in Vaelmon's eyes more clearly than ever before. The Archmage seemed as though he were heading not just to a mission, but to an execution.
Unlike Director Felan's limitless teleportation ability, Vaelmon unfolded a single-use teleportation parchment—one that was both expensive to produce and costly to use. When they activated the parchment using the coordinates obtained from Zephyros, they were pulled straight into the very heart of the headquarters.
When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in a labyrinthine underground facility, completely devoid of daylight, permeated by a damp, heavy musty odor.
When the light mage beside them raised his hand to illuminate the surroundings, they were horrified by what they saw.
This was not a headquarters, but an experimental laboratory. Inside massive glass tubes reaching all the way to the ceiling, hybrid chimeras of a kind never seen before were floating. The organization was also using the bodies of innocent humans as material for homunculus experiments.
Feeling his stomach churn, Alaric muttered,
"W-what on earth is this?"
In the largest tube before him stood a twisted creature that seemed to have emerged from the depths of hell—its skin as hard as armor, its claws long enough to pierce a knight's shield like paper, and bone spines protruding from its back.At that moment, one of the knights:
"My lord, there is nothing in the area besides research notes," he reported.
Vaelmon's brows furrowed: "How is that possible? Could they have sensed our arrival in advance?"The answer came in the form of rhythmic clapping rising from the darkness. Grace stepped into the light, her face twisted into a mocking expression.
"Well, well... What an honor it is for me to host the Kingdom's Chief Mage in this underground lair!"
The soldiers immediately went on high alert. Grace waved her hand in the air
"Ah, don't be so tense! Perhaps we could have a chat over some tea?" she said.
Vaelmon shouted in a loud voice, "Who are you? A member of the organization?"Grace replied with a mocking tone, as if discussing trivial matters:
"Me? I occasionally handle the organization's menial tasks. Let's just say I'm a loyal servant."
"What's your purpose?" Vaelmon shouted. "All these perverted experiments, these massacres... For what?"
Grace burst out laughing.
"Ha ha, our purpose? Take a look around you, Vaelmon! Look at this rotten kingdom, how the nobles crush the lower classes like insects. Your eyes are so blinded that you don't even notice the fire rising right beside you."
"You're rambling!" said Vaelmon. Alaric, gripping his sword,
"My lord, this man has lost his mind—we're wasting time talking to him," he interjected.
Just as Vaelmon was about to strike, Grace snapped her fingers:
"Mana Void Field!"
The ground beneath the team's feet suddenly began to glow with runes. Vaelmon and his team felt the flow of mana in their bodies cut off instantly. The knights could still move physically, but the mages had completely lost their mana.
Vaelmon narrowed his eyes and shouted, "An attack from the Southern Kingdom... Those runes—they all came from under your command!"
Grace asked, "You said the Southern Kingdom?" with a feigned look of thoughtfulness on her face.
"The king of the South was a complete fool; we promised him a bit of power and status, and even though he was a king, he immediately knelt down. Just like you lot—greedy parasites who can't be satisfied with what they have and consume the lives of others!"
Grace raised her hand: "Rete! Release the creatures!"
Rete activated the control panel with that dark smile of his. The tubes shattered one by one. The chimeras inside began attacking Vaelmon's group with savage hunger. In no time, the corridors were filled with blood, and several soldiers lay sprawled on the ground.
Vaelmon shouted, "Alaric! I can't use my spells—there must be a flaw in my formation! Protect me!"
Amid the chaos of the moment, Grace asked Vaelmon in a curious tone:
"By the way, Vaelmon... Have you ever heard the name Kael?"
Vaelmon's entire body tensed. His aura darkened for a moment.Grace said, "Hah, I can tell from the look on your face that he's someone you know! Kael Krowel... I didn't know he was your grandson. If I'd known, I would've sent him a much fancier gift."
"Were you the one who injured him at the academy?" Vaelmon's voice sounded different than usual.
Grace said, "Are you talking about Anul? Your grandson broke Rete's favorite toy. My man was really upset about that, wasn't he, Rete?"Rete muttered, "Damn brat! After you, I'll finish him off too."The organization members had forgotten that Vaelmon was a "Chief Mage"—an ancient power who had even reached the eighth circle. Sparks of rage seemed to fly from Vaelmon's eyes.
"Did you say you'd... finish off... my grandson?!!"
Alaric shouted, "My lord, be careful!" but for a moment, he felt his hair stand on end beside Vaelmon. The old man's aura was now crushing not just the air, but the very soul.
"Wind Art: Zephyr Temple!"
Vaelmon sealed the entire area within a massive wind barrier. Grace and Rete felt, for a moment, as if they'd been cut off from the world. All sound had ceased. Vaelmon, though his mana was restricted, wrapped his fist in a sliver of his own inner potential and slammed it into the ground with such force that the earth shattered. The formation vanished.
Grace was in shock. "What kind of monster are you? You shouldn't be able to use your mana!"
Vaelmon, his eyes wild with rage, used his secret art spell without thinking.
"Mana Overload: Double!"
Vaelmon swung his fist, wrapped in wind, at the chimera charging toward him. The blow tore a massive hole in the chimera's body.
"Mana Overload: Triple! Come at me, all of you!"
Alaric watched Vaelmon in fear; this technique was an art that forced mana into the body. Zephyros could also use the same secret art—in fact, he had learned this technique from his father, Vaelmon.Vaelmon was determined to bring the shelter crashing down on them. He unleashed spell after spell.
"Wind Art: Storm Lament!"
When the wind blades created by Vaelmon merged with the overflowing mana, they transformed into a powerful spell that split whatever they touched in two within seconds. As the chimeras were torn apart one by one, one of the wind blades struck Grace's arm, and within seconds, her limb had been severed. Her arm was cut off so quickly that the pain didn't reach her until seconds after it had been severed. As Grace collapsed to the ground, Lurker rushed to her aid from within the shadows. Lurker used shadow magic to shroud the area in a layer of mist.
Lurker was calling out to Grace, but the field created by Vaelmon was blocking all her senses. In her agony, Grace could only read Lurker's lip movements.
"We're going to Rete. Vaelmon released a shockwave from the wind, dispersing all the mist. When he saw Grace trying to escape, he channeled all his mana into his fist and swung it at her. The piercing spell heading toward Grace was stopped by Rete's top-tier chimera.
Alaric was in shock. "
"D-did that chimera just block Master Vaelmon's attack?"
Rete: "My chimera will distract him. Lurker, take us."Lurker was a shadow magic user; he took the wounded Grace and Rete and vanished into the shadows.
Alaric was stunned; how could that creature block a Grand Mage's full-power attack?
Vaelmon shouted after the fleeing group, "Where do you think you're running?" But the chimera was blocking their path.
When the chimera hurled the elemental magic gathered in its mouth at Vaelmon's group, Vaelmon protected them with a double-layered wind barrier. Vaelmon's barrier, fueled by mana overload, was powerful enough to withstand even the attacks of a 7th-rank mage; yet when the chimera struck, the barrier cracked.
When Vaelmon dispelled the field spell, Alaric began to hear all the sounds again
"M-Master Vaelmon!!"
"I can hear you, Alaric—don't yell right next to my ear! Damn it, we let those men slip through our fingers, and now they've unleashed this chimera on us! How many sacrifices did they make to create this monster?!"
Vaelmon turned around and called out to the mages
"All mages, seal yourselves inside the barrier. Knights, do not step outside the barrier. Channel all your mana into the barrier. Alaric, you enter the barrier too."
Alaric replied in a stunned tone:
"Sir, what about you?"
Vaelmon shouted:
"I told you to get inside the barrier, Alaric!"
"Y-yes, sir."
Alaric and the entire group, except for Vaelmon, entered the barrier.
Vaelmon extended his staff toward the chimera, took a deep breath, and chanted the following incantations:
"Where time is silent, my breath is the law of the universe. May the pillars that bear the heavens be leveled by the wind of nothingness. Fear lies not in the claws of the unseen, but under the rule of silence. 8th Circle Destruction Spell:"
"Silent Apocalypse!!"
The mana gathering at the tip of the staff was swallowing even the light around it. Time seemed to have stopped.