Chapter 55: The Crimson Veil

An 8th Circle mage was hard enough to believe, but an 8th Circle Master?

Utterly impossible!

Lilith immediately rejected the idea.

But denying it wouldn’t bring Batan back.

She quickly racked her brain.

What scenario, other than an 8th Circle Master, could explain this situation?

Could it be… a dragon?

The first thing that came to mind was a dragon.

A dragon would explain everything.

Nothing else made sense.

But if it was a dragon, there was one problem.

The barrier should be intact.

Every single dragon was in one of the five forbidden zones, Dragonia.

And Dragonia was currently sealed off from the world by a powerful barrier.

Entering from the outside was impossible, as was leaving from within.

Thus, the chance of Gaon being a dragon was near zero.

…

Lilith let out an internal groan.

No matter how she looked at it, the situation was bizarre.

Realizing further thought would only deepen her confusion, she stopped.

She turned to Marlin, who awaited her response.

“Activate all defensive magic circles and prepare for incineration. Follow protocol.”

It was the first time a Division Leader had died.

But there were protocols for such situations.

A grand meeting would soon convene, deciding the fate of the 2nd Division.

Would they send a new Division Leader, or shut it down entirely?

Gaon gazed at Batan’s burning corpse, lost in thought.

What should I do?

He was grappling with a critical decision.

It concerned the cleanup of the 2nd Division.

The 2nd Division was located in the city of Deisrin.

Deisrin was ruled by the Failia family, a count’s lineage.

And, naturally, the Failia family was part of the Abyss.

The problem was that only the Failia family was affiliated with the Abyss.

The royal family of the Maphion Kingdom, along with other noble houses, had no such ties.

Or rather, they had deep connections but weren’t part of the Abyss.

In other words, if Gaon eliminated the 2nd Division and the Failia family, complications were highly likely.

Of course, the issue wouldn’t spiral out of control.

Lamu, who would oversee the Bretan Kingdom’s affairs in Parn’s place, was already working diligently.

Right, there’ll be plenty of evidence at the 2nd Division.

It wasn’t an ordinary branch but a headquarters overseeing numerous branches.

There would be ample information, and with it, Gaon could convince the Maphion Kingdom’s royal family.

And if the royal family was convinced?

Their vassal houses would follow.

If they didn’t?

Then there’s no helping it.

They might rage or seek revenge.

But that could be dealt with later.

For now, the priority was purging the Abyss.

As he made his decision, Batan’s corpse turned completely to ash.

His treasures must be at the headquarters, right?

Batan had nothing on him.

But as a Division Leader, it was unlikely he was empty-handed.

They were surely somewhere in the headquarters.

Anticipating the treasures he’d find at the 2nd Division, Gaon turned around.

He sped toward the city of Deisrin with full force.

In the city of Deisrin, within the Failia family’s inner meeting room.

Three people were gathered.

One was Doman Failia, the current patriarch of the Failia family.

Another was Barsa Failia, the former patriarch.

The last was Marlin, who had become the acting Division Leader after Batan’s death.

“Is that true?” Barsa asked Marlin, his voice laced with disbelief.

His face was full of skepticism.

And understandably so—Barsa knew Batan’s strength well.

Even if the Maphion Kingdom’s two Swordmasters attacked together, Batan wouldn’t fall.

That’s how powerful Batan was.

How could anyone believe he’d suddenly died?

“Yes, it’s true. I’m preparing to activate the final magic circle as we speak.”

“What should we do, then?”

“The one who killed the Division Leader might come to the city.”

Due to the seals, Marlin couldn’t directly leak information.

But the 1st Branch had been annihilated.

The information left there could’ve revealed the headquarters’ location.

Given that Batan, who left from the headquarters, had died, the likelihood of the enemy appearing in the city was high.

“They’ll likely target the headquarters. So we should strike first.”

“…?”

“When the magic circle activates, the headquarters’ location will be exposed. Use knights and soldiers to control the surroundings. Then report to the capital immediately and request Alteyn or Pasul to act.”

Alteyn and Pasul.

They were the Maphion Kingdom’s Swordmasters.

“Pasul, especially, will jump at the chance.”

Pasul had already sensed the Abyss’s presence.

Their relationship wasn’t friendly—it was hostile.

If Pasul learned of this situation, he’d drop everything to come.

“And Pasul could suppress the one who killed the Division Leader.”

“They killed Batan. There’s no way they couldn’t kill Pasul.”

Pasul was strong.

But Batan was stronger.

Could Pasul really suppress someone who killed Batan?

“They might be able to kill him, but they won’t. Their target is us. And if they do kill him, that’s actually a good thing—it’ll let us set a new stage.”

“Oh…”

Barsa let out a soft gasp of understanding.

Swish.

Marlin stood from her seat.

“I should go now. I’ll contact you soon.”

Marlin bowed and left the meeting room.

Then Doman, who had been silently listening, spoke.

“What kind of being could it be…?”

“You mean the one who killed Batan?”

“Yes. Batan once said he was confident he wouldn’t die even against an 8th Circle mage or an 8th-Star shaman… Is this okay?”

At Doman’s worried voice, Barsa could offer no reply.

The situation had been far from “okay” since Batan’s death.

“For now, prepare. He said he’d activate it as soon as things were ready, so it’ll happen within ten minutes.”

“Understood.”

Doman stood, bowed, and left the meeting room.

Left alone, Barsa approached the window.

He gazed at the location of the Abyss’s headquarters, lost in thought.

One more year, and it would’ve all been over.

In one year, the “Grand Plan” was set to unfold in the Bretan Kingdom.

If it had gone as planned, Barsa would’ve become the king of the Maphion Kingdom.

But Batan was dead, and the 1st Branch was annihilated.

Everything had gone awry.

It wouldn’t end like this, but the delay was deeply regrettable.

While lost in thought—

Swish!

A red veil appeared over the Abyss’s headquarters.

It was so thick that the interior was invisible.

Barsa knew instantly, despite never seeing it before.

It was the final magic circle Marlin had mentioned.

Soon, he saw knights pouring out of the mansion.

Time to prepare.

The magic circle was active, and the knights had gone to secure the area.

All that remained was to inform the royal family and get Alteyn or Pasul to act.

Barsa turned around.

“…!”

He froze in shock.

A foreign aura filled the room.

And from that moment, his body wouldn’t move.

Bind?

The first thought was the spell Bind.

But it couldn’t be a true Bind.

Barsa had reached the rank of High-Tier Sword Expert.

Fifteen years ago, no less.

He hadn’t crossed the wall, but his aura far surpassed others of his rank.

Even a 7th Circle mage’s Bind couldn’t restrain his body.

…Shamanism?

Shamans’ powers varied widely in nature.

Perhaps the aura binding his body was shamanic.

I need to break free quickly.

Whether it was magic or shamanism wasn’t the issue.

He needed to regain control of his body as soon as possible.

At that moment—

Swish.

Someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

Barsa was stunned.

He’d lost control of his body, but his senses remained.

Yet he hadn’t felt any presence.

When had this person appeared?

Then, an aura entered his body.

It was the same nature as the one already binding him.

The new aura surged toward his heart.

Barsa tensed.

A seal was in his heart.

If this aura touched it?

It would be over.

At that moment—

“Live a proper life in your next one,” a voice said in his ear.

What…

The aura inside his body exploded.

Barsa perished.

Whoosh!

His corpse began to burn.

The flames didn’t last long.

“Water Ball.”

The one who killed Barsa—Gaon—immediately extinguished the flames.

He headed toward the door.

“Bind.”

A figure arrived at the door, and Gaon cast Bind.

He pulled the door open.

Creak.

A middle-aged man appeared, strikingly similar to Barsa.

It was undoubtedly Doman Failia, the patriarch of the Failia family.

Gaon grabbed the bewildered Doman and pulled him inside.

Creak.

Closing the door, Gaon used Pacheongi to inspect Doman’s body.

As expected, a seal was present.

“Live a proper life in your next one.”

Gaon detonated the Pacheongi.

Doman perished and was thrown beside Barsa’s corpse.

Whoosh!

“Water Ball.”

As flames rose, Gaon extinguished them and approached the window.

Moments ago, knights had poured out of the mansion.

Those remaining were ordinary.

Some among them could be Abyss members.

But Gaon didn’t have time to check each one.

Reaching the window, he gazed at the red veil in the distance, thinking.

It’s been a while.

Gaon knew the veil’s nature.

It was the Blood Wail of Vengeful Spirits, one of the Abyss’s top five defensive magic circles, blending magic and shamanism.

They’re cleaning up, huh?

The red veil wasn’t visible only to Gaon.

Using it so openly meant they intended to dismantle the 2nd Division.

And hadn’t Batan, the 2nd Division Leader, just died?

The Abyss’s choice was perfectly rational.

Gaon stepped outside.

Heading toward the 2nd Division, he thought.

This works out well.

The Blood Wail of Vengeful Spirits was an incredibly sturdy defensive circle.

Even warriors, mages, or shamans who had crossed the wall couldn’t easily breach it.

But Gaon was an exception.

He knew the circle’s structure intimately.

Creating a small breach was trivial.

Hiding it from prying eyes is a favor to me.

No matter what happened inside, outsiders would see only the red veil.

He could act freely.

What’s waiting for me?

Gaon was excited.

What treasures awaited at the 2nd Division?