The Empire has a Special Task Force known as the ‘Shadow Beast.’
They handle the dirty work that the Empire cannot officially intervene in, and they answer to only two commands.
One is from Emperor Lionheart himself.
The other is from Count Samiocheu Krapi, the Empire’s influential strategist.
He declared himself the guardian of the youngest son among the three sons of the previous emperor, who had the least support, and debuted in the political arena, secretly orchestrating countless schemes.
The severity of his political maneuvers was evident in the reactions of the Empire’s nobles who were involved in the succession struggle at the time.
To this day, nobles tremble at the mere mention of Count Samiocheu, regardless of their rank.
The emperor granted him significant authority for his willingness to undertake the dirty work on his behalf.
The position of Special Task Force Commander was one such privilege.
Today, a portion of the Special Task Force, under Count Samiocheu’s orders, infiltrated the Helpion Duchy.
There were twelve operatives in total.
All were either Sword Master Beginners or Intermediate Swordmasters, making this one of the most lavishly staffed missions the Special Task Force has recently undertaken.
That alone testified to the difficulty of the operation.
“Infiltrate the Helpion Duchy, destroy all evidence inside the building, and return.”
This was a mission into the so-called supreme Helpion Duchy.
Of course, they were not going in without any preparations.
The elite of the Special Task Force, Cruel Pig, was leading an army at the border to provoke the duke.
A formidable force of 40,000 soldiers.
No matter how strong the duke was, he couldn’t possibly face 40,000 well-trained elite soldiers and knights alone.
Of course, the duke’s military might was not the only danger within the Helpion Duchy.
Recently promoted to Intermediate Swordmaster was Butler Apel, accompanied by the senior Swordmaster Sherina, Head Maid, and the Intermediate Swordmaster Chettrox, the chef.
Fortunately, all three were reported to be at the front lines with Duke Helpion.
And right now, as Duke Helpion and Cruel Pig clashed, this was the perfect opportunity.
The Special Task Force moved swiftly to infiltrate the ruins.
“Who’s there… ugh!”
There were mercenaries guarding the ruins, but facing twelve Swordmasters was a losing battle.
They lost their lives without even a scream, and the Special Task Force reached the crypt without resistance.
Inside, they encountered a massive crypt ruin.
This site was the framework and the core of all other ruins.
If it were destroyed, the mana flow in the other ruins would become chaotic, collapsing everything within ten minutes.
The operatives exchanged glances.
They had done missions like this many times; no words were needed.
Colorful sword auras began to form on their weapons, soon flying in every direction.
They completed their task and were about to prepare for retreat.
Until they saw every trace of their sword auras vanish without exception.
“Magic!”
To completely negate the Swordmasters’ sword auras, the mage had to be at least an 8th Circle Archmage.
The strongest mage in the Helpion Duchy was Lady Elsia, an 8th Circle mercenary mage, but she was a 6th Circle.
This meant there was an unforeseen variable in the mission.
The mission was a failure.
If they pushed further, it would be dangerous.
The Special Task Force began to scatter in different directions.
“Where are you going?”
But none of the twelve escaped the crypt.
Suddenly, a green hemispherical barrier enclosed the entire crypt.
And they couldn’t destroy it.
This barrier was a boundary that completely isolated them from the outside world.
Only one person in this world could cast such a sophisticated spatial magic against twelve Swordmasters.
“Talio! Why are you here?”
“Oh ho. There’s at least one with a functioning brain.”
From the end of the path into the crypt, an old man walked in, chuckling quietly.
He was about 180 cm tall, tall and thin, wearing a loose gray robe to conceal his frail frame.
Most peculiar was the gray hood wrapped tightly around his eyes.
He tapped his long staff on the floor as he slowly approached.
“Judging by the acrid smell of malice, you must be the Empire’s filthy beasts. What brings you all the way here?”
“A fair question to ask in return! Haven’t you been hiding out in the countryside of Laguna?”
“Who dares call me a swindler like that?”
“Are you insulting us?”
“What can I do if it’s true? Do you think I enjoy doing this kind of work?”
Talio’s face flushed red at the Special Task Force’s reproach as he shouted back.
It was truly unfair from his perspective.
Years ago, a magic circle he installed at a close friend’s house reacted abnormally and completely vanished.
While magic circles sometimes break or fail, this was the first time in his eighty years of magic practice that one had entirely disappeared.
Moreover, the circle was perfectly designed, embodying the essence of his research.
He rushed to investigate, even using spatial teleportation to visit the Squaret family.
But he was met with a storm of insults from his friend, Duke Squaret—being called a cultist, a libertine, and accused of nearly ruining the family with sloppy magic.
Since the disappearance was a fact, he could only grow annoyed without defense.
Then a letter arrived at the Squaret Duchy.
It was a request to analyze a large-scale summoning magic circle, seemingly drawn by at least an 8th Circle Archmage.
Duke Squaret handed the letter to Talio, asking him to take the job and work there.
Talio wanted to refuse.
Summoning magic was not his specialty, and he didn’t want to help the duke after the earlier insults.
Not wanting to reveal his grudge, he insisted he had to stay and investigate the vanishing magic circle.
Duke Squaret told him the letter’s sender was someone frequenting the library, and that person would know all the details.
Thus, Talio was practically forced to come.
He planned to check the magic circle and the apprentice, but suddenly the Empire’s spawn appeared, aiming to destroy the circle.
And he was forced to take on the protection mission.
With all these complications tangled together, Talio now faced the Special Task Force, and naturally, he was far from pleased.
“Ugh, what am I supposed to do with you lot?”
Talio’s grumbling made the operatives swallow hard in tension.
At first glance, he looked like a lazy old man from the countryside, or if harsher, a gaunt beggar, but in reality, he was an 8th Circle Archmage.
Moreover, they were trapped within the already activated magic field.
If they angered him, all twelve would be wiped out without a chance.
“Talio, we will withdraw for now.”
The mission leader among the Special Task Force cautiously proposed.
“We don’t want to fight here between foreign countries. Our mission is solely to destroy this ruin. If you allow us to complete our task, the Empire will not forget your kindness.”
Talio hesitated.
Honestly, the offer wasn’t bad.
There was no grudge between them, and it was obvious that messing with the Special Task Force would only bring trouble.
The Empire was indeed generous toward those who helped them.
He might even secure generous funding for his blocked research.
“Ahem.”
Just as Talio’s heart began to lean quietly toward acceptance—
“Let’s kill them.”
An irritating voice suddenly cut in.
“Tsk, tsk, such venom in the youth!”
The old man shook his head.
He almost gave in to the offer.
But that wasn’t going to happen.
“I don’t understand why the Magic Tower Lord is hesitating. You’ve seen the magic circle, haven’t you? Is the Empire’s favor worth more than that magic circle?”
“Ahem, still, you can’t just take lives so easily!”
“If that’s the case, they slaughtered countless mercenaries entering the ruin. They have no hesitation. If left unchecked, they’ll keep taking lives elsewhere.”
Talio’s expression showed annoyance.
He seemed almost convinced.
“Sorry, but I’ve heard Duke Squaret is very good at dealing with you.”
“And don’t forget you owe me, old man.”
“Oh, what debt? Stop pestering me! You damn fool.”
“It is a debt. Your cultist magic almost got you killed by the Special Task Force!”
“Cultist? Cultiiiiiist?! You stupid brat, how dare you say such things! Do you know how much effort went into that magic? Twelve top-grade magic stones and 15 kilograms of fairy dust!”
“But it disappeared, didn’t it? If a magic using such materials vanishes, then your skills, Magic Tower Lord…”
Finally, Talio exploded.
“Grrrr! Fine! I’ll show you my power! If you need proof, I’ll show you! Hall of Gravity!”
Talio slammed his staff onto the ground, causing the magical barrier surrounding the twelve operatives to tremble violently.
“Magic Tower Lord! Are you really going to do this?!”
“Taliooo!”
The Special Task Force inside the mana barrier screamed in protest, but outside, no damage could be done.
Their sword auras and sword force collided with the mana barrier and disappeared.
The mana barrier around the crypt slowly began shrinking toward its center point.
It felt like a tremendous suction force was pulling everything in.
The barrier shrank from a ten-meter diameter to five meters, then one meter, then under ten centimeters.
A terrifying sight.
To be honest, I couldn’t watch properly halfway through and looked away.
I hoped the old man wasn’t casting such a dreadful spell because he couldn’t see.
Eventually, all noise inside the ruin ceased, and silence settled.
Lumpen Hound was an Intermediate Swordmaster.
For twelve knights of that caliber to be wiped out instantly by that power…
This was 8th Circle magic…
“Tch, wasted too much power. My eyes feel like they’re rotting, so hurry and lead me to the magic circle.”
“You can’t see, sir.”
“My rotten eyes feel like they’re rotting even more, you wretch.”
Mentally and physically, he was more like a senile old man than an 8th Circle Archmage.
“I sense a disrespectful gaze.”
“Old man, be honest—can you see?”
“At my level, I feel the mana aura around me.”
“You can sense a gaze with an aura?”
“Of course. I can even feel your rude presence tingling all the way here!”
What a nasty and sensitive old man.
I guided him toward the magic circle in the crypt.
“Are you here?”
Lady Elsia and Viscountess Jamie, who had just reached the early 6th Circle, were waiting.
Since this was the most important place, they had stationed two defenders in case Special Task Force operatives arrived.
But twelve Swordmasters showed up…
If enemies had come here, would these two have survived?
A chilling feeling brushed past my chest.
“Oh ho. So this is the magic circle. Let’s see.”
Talio crouched by the magic circle, analyzing it with interest.
He had arrived a day earlier.
I deliberately withheld showing him the circle until now.
If he had an awakening upon seeing it, we’d face a temporary power vacuum.
“Who in the world created such a dreadful magic circle?”
“Can you make any sense of it?”
He must have been an Archmage himself.
Even in this short time, Talio raised himself and clicked his tongue in disbelief.
“It’s what the juniors found. This magic circle summoned the Demon King’s Castle above. But the catalyst is filthy.”
“Filthy?”
“Blood and souls.”
“Blood…”
“They offered sacrifices. At least ten thousand. They summoned the Demon King’s Castle with them as offerings.”
“What does that mean…?”
I understood what the old man said, but my brain couldn’t process it.
Ten thousand sacrifices?
They sacrificed not only blood but souls to open the Demon King’s Castle?
Albatron, what on earth have you done here?
“God…”
Lady Elsia closed her eyes in horror and murmured.
“This is a harmful magic circle, so I will immediately dismantle its function.”
“Is that alright?”
“As long as the mana flow here continues as it is, there should be no bad consequences. Let’s go. Absorb!”
After saying that, Talio struck his staff on the ground with a loud thud.
Suddenly, my vision blurred.
The crypt above was overlaid with images of books and shelves.
This was… the Akashic Record!
Indeed, ruins were the key to entering the Akashic Record!
This time, I had many questions for Albatron.
Why did you create this magic circle?
What was the purpose of the ten thousand sacrifices?
I accessed the Akashic Record, and
“Congratulations on reaching the True Beginning, Transmitter.”
A voice welcomed me.