Ch.87Chapter 87. The Emergence of Black Magic (2)

“So the Third Elder has been captured.”

“Hmph, that stupid old man. I knew he was trouble from the moment he started showing off.”

“The Founder has entered the ritual.”

“Ugh. Thanks to that, our workload has increased tremendously. Do we really need to worry about Crescen too?”

Two figures, a man and a woman whose forms appeared only as black silhouettes, were conversing in a dark space.

The First and Second Elders of The Nameless Organization.

This was their first meeting since the major incidents had begun.

The Third Elder had been captured, but he had at least achieved the minimum objective before being taken.

The four types of accessories that had been gathered through various means.

Now, if the Founder successfully completed the ritual, it would mark the beginning of the revolution they had been dreaming of.

“How are things on your end?”

“I’m always ready, as usual. We can start as early as tomorrow.”

“Then let’s begin from your side.”

“What about the O’Neil Kingdom?”

“Once the kingdom’s investigation team digs a bit deeper, I plan to strike all at once.”

“Then what should we do about Crescen?”

“Hmm.”

Their conversation paused briefly.

It was not an easy problem.

Originally, the Third Elder should have completed his task cleanly and been the first to take action.

“…I’ll finish my work tomorrow and head there right away. We can’t give up on Crescen. The Undead is there.”

“Yes. I’m counting on you.”

With those final words, the First Elder vanished, apparently having finished their business.

The Second Elder couldn’t help but sigh at the First Elder’s disappearance without so much as a word of thanks.

This organization truly had no sense of teamwork whatsoever.

Still, the Second Elder tried to look on the bright side.

Though they had lost the Third Elder, their plan was still proceeding as scheduled.

And tomorrow, Black Magic would finally be revealed to the world.

‘The need to hide everything ends tomorrow, hoho.’

The massive incidents that had occurred in various countries.

The four incidents were the work of the three Elders and the Founder.

The Founder personally confronted the Goddess Church, the First Elder handled the O’Neil Kingdom, the Second Elder was responsible for the western continent.

And finally, the incident at Crescen Academy was managed by the Third Elder, Landgar.

Black Magic was clearly at the center of all these incidents, but each country was trying to suppress the related information.

They had good reason to do so.

If it became known that traces of Black Magic had been discovered simultaneously across the world, the entire continent would fall into chaos.

“Hohoho.”

The Second Elder laughed pleasantly in the empty space before disappearing.

Tomorrow, the revival of Black Magic users would be revealed to the world.

**

“Captain, over there.”

“Hm?”

Western Arcaria Continent.

A region where numerous small and medium-sized kingdoms coexisted while constantly bickering.

In recent decades, the western continent had entered a period of stability.

The territorial disputes and wars that used to break out frequently had finally settled down.

But now, after a very long time, the winds of war had returned to the western continent.

The protagonists of this war were Flora Kingdom and Laurellai Kingdom, two nations with traditionally poor relations.

They were the two most influential kingdoms in the west.

It all began with the sudden death of the Second Princess of Laurellai Kingdom.

Poison was found in the body of the princess, who was discovered dead in her room, and that poison was one commonly used in Flora Kingdom.

That wasn’t the only evidence.

There was also a Flora Kingdom spy who had been caught in the Laurellai royal palace, and Flora Kingdom emblems left in the Second Princess’s room.

It was clearly Flora Kingdom’s doing to anyone who looked at the evidence, but Flora Kingdom consistently denied any involvement.

The conflict between the two kingdoms finally exploded because of a retaliatory incident.

The assassination of Flora Kingdom’s First Prince.

Moreover, as if to make a statement, the Laurellai Kingdom’s flag was hung in the First Prince’s bedroom with the word ‘revenge’ written in blood.

Enraged by this sight, Flora Kingdom declared war first, and Laurellai Kingdom wasn’t about to sit idle.

Thus began the war between the two kingdoms.

The war that started with the deaths of two people was now about to bring about the deaths of many more.

“What’s that? A delegation?”

The attack captain of Laurellai Kingdom muttered as he watched a group slowly walking toward them from the Flora Kingdom side.

About twenty people wrapped in robes.

Carrying the flag of Flora Kingdom, they approached slowly.

Hans, the attack captain, briefly entertained a hopeful thought as he watched them.

Could it be that Flora Kingdom was finally admitting their mistake and coming to apologize?

If this was indeed an apologetic delegation, Hans was willing to at least hear them out.

His Majesty the King had also instructed them to listen if Flora showed any signs of dialogue.

It was around the time when the robed group had almost reached Laurellai Kingdom’s camp.

Hans stepped forward and shouted at them.

“What is your business! Let your representative come forward!”

“…”

“If you are a delegation for negotiation, show proper respect!”

“…”

Despite Hans’s calls, the Flora Kingdom personnel showed no reaction.

Instead, one of the robed figures slowly began to walk forward.

As the figure approached without saying a word, Laurellai’s soldiers raised their spears defensively.

Yet the robed person did not stop walking.

“It’s fine. It’s just one person anyway.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Right. I wonder why they came separately.”

Hans felt slightly relieved as he observed the delegate who appeared to be unarmed and showed no signs of gathering mana.

Perhaps they really were a delegation for negotiations.

Flap-

“Huh?”

While Hans was thinking this, the robe twitched from within.

Something was wrong.

How could a robe flap so much that it made the back protrude upward?

“W-what is that!”

The soldiers seemed to have seen the same thing.

As the robe twitched bizarrely, the soldiers instinctively thrust their spears forward, ready to strike at any moment.

Twitch- Twitch-

“Uh… C-Captain?”

“What is that?”

The robe was now twitching and flapping in all directions.

By this point, it was clear.

Whatever was inside the robe was definitely not human.

Though it had walked here on two feet in human form.

Riiiiip-!

“Wh-what!”

“What is that!”

Soon the robe tore in all directions, revealing what was inside.

What they thought was a person inside the robe was a completely different creature.

Hans widened his eyes and focused on the sight before him.

What emerged from the robe was an incredibly bizarre creature.

It was definitely a living being.

A black spherical body with four short legs, and a large eye embedded in the body.

“What is that…”

Patter patter patter-

Just as Hans muttered this, the bizarre spherical creature suddenly began charging toward them.

Shiver-

Hans felt a chill run down his spine as he watched the bizarre creature rushing toward their camp.

Not because it was grotesque or creepy.

That thing was dangerous.

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-

“Ugh, aaaagh!”

“E-everyone back! Mages to the front, put up barriers!”

As the spherical creature rapidly approached on its four short legs, it began spewing black spines from all over its body.

Black spines that easily pierced through the soldiers’ armor.

In an instant, nearby soldiers were hit by the spines and collapsed.

“Poison! It’s poison! Everyone be careful!”

“Aaaaargh!”

“Stay calm and stab that thing!”

Hans cast a protective spell around himself and was the first to charge at the spherical creature.

He channeled mana into his sword, quickly identified the approaching target.

Then he swung his sword.

Slash-

“I-I cut it!”

“Captain Hans got it… huh?”

“W-what…!”

Hans quickly retreated while muttering to himself.

The spherical creature that had been cut in half by his sword didn’t die.

Hissss-

The creature that had been split exactly in half began to reform with a bizarre sound.

From one large sphere to two slightly smaller spheres.

Legs sprouted from each divided sphere, and they soon became moving creatures again.

He had cut one creature, but it had split into two.

“M-mages! Get the mages quickly!!”

Hans felt the gravity of the situation as he watched the creature that not only survived being cut in half but actually multiplied into two.

It was already difficult for ordinary soldiers to deal with, and they couldn’t easily cut it.

If they cut one of these smaller ones and it split into two more…

“Everyone, form ranks! Shield bearers!”

At Hans’s shout, the Laurellai soldiers moved quickly.

Soldiers carrying large shields from the inner ranks came forward with their shields raised, while the rest of the soldiers retreated in an orderly fashion.

Patter-

The two spherical creatures briefly stopped moving when the shield bearers appeared.

In the brief moment, these two creatures had caused at least 30 casualties.

“Wait for the mages’ barrier! Their attacks can’t penetrate the barrier!”

While Hans was shouting earnestly, the mages finally arrived from the back, out of breath.

“What on earth are those things!”

Whoosh-

As the mages hurriedly created barriers, Hans let out an irritated cry.

“B-Black Magic…”

“What…?”

“They’re creatures created through Black Magic!”

Flap- Flap-

Someone’s desperate cry served as a signal.

The group of robes in the back began to flutter simultaneously.

Just like the one that had fluttered earlier and transformed into a black sphere.

“N-no way…?”

Everyone’s gaze naturally turned toward the group of robes.

Riiiiip-!

The “no way” that everyone had thought in their hearts actually happened.

All twenty or so robed figures tore apart, transforming into the spherical creatures they had just seen.

It was a grotesque and creepy sight.

The twitching black spheres with legs.

“E-everyone be careful!”

As Hans shouted, about twenty black spheres’ eyes simultaneously turned toward them.

And then, they began to charge.