Chapter 1074: Trozone Trouble (Part 2)
Just as the note stated, there were warriors waiting at the Dark Faction academy base. Although they didn’t look like typical Pagna warriors, Anna’s system allowed her to remember every face she met, whether she wanted to or not.
It would categorize a large number of people she met into different groups, so she recognized the ones in the training center as members of the Bonum Society.
‘Sticking a bunch of hybrids at the entrance. I guess after what happened at the academy last time, they aren’t taking any chances. Although would they be able to get as far as these teleporters without Raze noticing?’
Walking around the place was relatively easy compared to before. Nearly all the students had dropped out of the academy after the events that occurred last time. There were a few that stayed, because there wasn’t a place for them to go, or those that still felt like there was more benefit for them staying in the academy rather than going back to their clans.
However, the academy had essentially been shut down, and now the clans were teaching students from their own bases.
Instead, the academy itself had become more of an official base for the Dark Faction and its leaders to regularly meet.
There would be several clan leaders and talented students arriving to pay their respects to Amir, hoping to meet the Dark Magus, but they almost never did.
While walking around the academy, Anna managed to catch sight of Mantis, who spent most of his time with Amir. He was in the courtyard, filled with various plants, seemingly admiring the nature around him.
Just as Anna was about to approach him to ask about Raze or Zon, Amir appeared from the side.
“Oh, this is a surprise. Out of the first two people to use the permanent portal, I didn’t think it would be you and Zon,” Amir stated.
A calm demeanor surrounded Amir, who wore his regular clothes. He almost looked like a retired warrior, no longer wanting to be involved in the matters of the world.
“Second? So, has Raze not arrived yet then? Or has he not been through here?”
“I am afraid not,” Amir replied. “Fixteen tested the portal and gave me an updated report. He said Raze would meet me to talk about the Golden Globe once he finished dealing with whatever it was he had on his mind.”
“It seems no one knows where he really is, which has me quite curious about what he might be doing.”
“Right, but I can’t imagine Raze being gone long, this time. He knows that time is short,” Anna answered. “As for Zon, do you have any idea where he went?”
“I didn’t converse with the man. He’s one that doesn’t speak many words with others, but there’s one place you might catch him, a place where he frequently is.”
Following Amir’s words, Anna left the main academy area, walked into the outer town, and eventually found herself standing outside the Perfect Noodle shop.
Heading inside, she could see the place was busy despite the travesties that had occurred. She noted that the noodles must have tasted really good for that to happen.
‘There he is, just like Amir said, standing behind the counter giving orders. If people knew this was what the captain was doing now… I really wonder how they would feel or react,’ Anna thought.
Just the thought made Anna break into a smile. She quickly corrected herself and went up to the front.
“One bowl of perfect noodles, please, and, uh, a meeting with the head chef, I guess,” Anna said with a cheerful smile.
It didn’t take long for Zon to come around and sit down. The two of them had bowls of perfect noodles in front of them.
“You know, if the others knew the captain was doing this, they’d think you’d gone mad,” Anna claimed.
“You should taste the noodles before you think that,” Zon replied.
The two slurped up their noodles, and before Anna knew it, hers was gone.
“Honestly, I’d expect nothing less from the captain who aims for perfection,” Anna replied. “So, will you tell me what’s on your mind?”
“You could tell? I had actually been avoiding meeting you on purpose,” Zon said. “If I’m honest, every time I see you, I think about the failure I caused for the rest of the squad.” “What are you talking about? Zon, it was because of you and the All Knowing that we were able to win the war. We did a lot, and there’s darkness we all have to bear.”
“But if we didn’t have you as captain, we’d never have gotten through it all. The war has ended, and the Red Fortis Army is no longer needed… It’s sometimes hard to live with that peace.”
“Right,” Zon said. “Which is why there’s still one more thing I have to do. I’m sure you’ve guessed, but I ran into Red.”
“He’s in this world. When he disappeared completely, I searched and searched. There was no trace of him; the system couldn’t track him whatsoever.”
“I believed he was in this world, and now I have confirmation with my own eyes. On top of that, due to the events I’ve been through, I was able to see it.”
“I witnessed Red kill the All Knowing with his own hands.”
“You saw? Red actually did that? Are you sure you saw him doing it?” Anna asked, her voice almost pained.
“I am sure. The memories we saw were of one’s darkest moments, and in them, Red’s memories showed him killing the All Knowing.”
“I still have no idea why he did it, but my last mission will be getting rid of him. After that, I’ll make sure you can return to Tronzo.”
“And what about you, Zon… What will you do when you finish all this?” Anna asked.
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Chapter 1075: The Most Powerful Alter (Part 1)
Before Rayna was to head to the Neverfall Clan base to answer the summons from her own clan, Dame had asked to speak to her. He wanted to explain in detail everything that had occurred between her father and Raze.
She thought it would be best that she learned what happened from him, rather than that of his brothers, because he was sure that his brothers wouldn’t exactly take Raze’s side, especially since there was no reason for them to be so nice to him before.
Before telling the tale, Dame did inwardly smirk thinking about how Raze must have humiliated them before they tried to attack Brack of all things.
“And that’s everything that I heard,” Dame said standing by a window.
The two of them had gone to one of the rooms in an Inn. Away from the ears of others. “I don’t want you to blame Raze for what happened.”
“Do you think I’m as stupid as you?” Rayna replied. “I know it’s not Raze’s fault. Everything was father’s decision from the beginning. It’s just so strange, that he would trust a stranger for all of this, rather than us?”
“Couldn’t he have given his power to me and you?”
“Do you think it would be better in our hands?” Dame replied. “Honestly, I’m not sure if I would have been able to accomplish the same things that Raze has done if father had given me his power.”
“At the time, I was lost myself as to where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. The only thing I did know was I wanted to build a legacy, one which wasn’t on the back of the Neverfall Clan.”
“Thinking about it, even if he did give me the power, I would have probably refused because it didn’t match up with my morals, but for Raze it’s different, he will do anything to get more power.”
“And that’s why he was picked.”
Rayna started to think when she first met Raze, how with his help, and his limited power back then he had saved her from the Light Faction. She knew he was someone special in that moment, and for all of it to come around to this.
Maybe the special feeling she felt about him was the same as what Belil felt. In the end, she had to admit, why would she have father’s power? She was weaker than her elder brothers, and perhaps even weaker than Dame right now due to his special hybrid form he had.
The power would have certainly been a waste on her.
“Why didn’t father give the power to them?” Rayna asked.
Dame knew who “them” was referring to, it was their brothers.
“I don’t have the answer as I am not father, but Raze told me, he believed… that he had made somewhat of a mistake with the two of them, and he wanted to correct it with us two. In a way, maybe father didn’t give us his power, he didn’t tell us about everything because he didn’t want to burden us with this mess.”
“He wanted the two of us to go on our own paths, and Raze, who wasn’t related to any of this, was the perfect person to select. Someone who didn’t mind being used in return for power.”
There was silence for a moment, and Rayna realized it was the first time she heard Dame talking so nicely of their father. She remembered the distance the two of them had growing up. They didn’t have a close bond at all.
His father would often only call Dame to tell him off, but was that just the relationship the two had on the outside? She was starting to think maybe the two of them understood and were closer than she thought.
“Did you know about him being a Divine warrior?” Rayna asked.
“I had no idea at all… not the slightest. I now feel like the thing I was chasing after was further ahead than I ever imagined.” Dame answered. “So what are you going to do, about them, and the clan? With father gone, the Elders will put them at the helm not you, does that sit well with you?”
“I have an idea that might suit the elders and the whole of Pagna more. He is still part of the clan after all, and is his Son-in-law, if he agrees, the others can’t really say anything.”
“An outsider having that much control of Pagna. An outsider that doesn’t even care about the status of the Clan’s. I do like your thinking.”
The two laughed for a while and enjoyed the silence. Eventually, Rayna walked up to the window, and a bird was flying through the air. She held out her hand, and allowed it to land on her forearm.
Right between its clawed feet there was a small piece of paper.
“A message, is it from the clan?” Dame asked.
Rayna shook her head.
“I asked for someone to come here. Someone who can tell us everything we want to know about Alter and the Light Faction’s strength. What we are lacking right now compared to our opponent is information.”
“They had a giant network right underneath our noses, but with an organization like Alter, there is sure to be slip ups, rumors, among other things of their power, and there is one person that will know more than anyone.”
“Sometimes they are a pain in our backside, sometimes they are a useful tool to get the public on our side. I think you should come.”
The two exited from the main area where the town hall was located and made their way towards one of the gates. Just outside there was a man waiting by a flashy carriage that had a large amount of plated gold on the outside, and as for the person standing in front of it. They too were wearing a large golden robe.
“Welcome, welcome my friends. You called on me, the great information gatherer?” Bubble said, rubbing his hands together.
“Come on, let’s talk inside,” Rayna said as she gestured towards Dame.
“Sure, sure, anything for my friends, is the Dark Magus not joining us today, I would like to thank him for everything he did at the Martial Arts Tournament…” Bubble said.
Bubble, the biggest news outlet for the public, and the man who started most of the rumors that had given Raze the names that spread far and wide. He was an information gatherer, an exaggerator, but right now, they might need that exaggeration to help them out.
“I want you to tell me everything you have heard about these Deleters,” Rayna asked.
****
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Chapter 1076: The Most Powerful Alter (Part 2)
Rayna had come to a conclusion: out of all those they had come across enemy-wise, all of those that they had faced, including those at the top of the Light Faction, the ones that they needed to worry about the most were the Deleters.
They had only met with two so far, but the amount of destruction that had been caused in the Dark Faction alone was a large wound, not just on the surface but in the confidence of all of their allies.
With it being linked to Alter, it was why she had come to the decision to get rid of all members of Alter far and wide. After hearing the story of the others that had come face to face with the Deleter named Red, she still believed that the Deleters were the ones that they needed to be careful about.
If they had known more about the man named Scar, maybe they could have saved some of the students’ lives and had some type of counter-attack.
Right now, Dame, Bubble, and Rayna herself were in the carriage. It wasn’t moving anywhere just yet, as they talked about this important matter.
“You want news about the Deleters… I don’t even know if it’s safe for me to say anything?” Bubble said as he hit the top of his forehead with his index finger constantly, and he was shuffling about.
It was clear he wanted to escape from this situation.
“I mean, I know what’s happening, you guys are clearly gearing up for some type of war. I got the reports of you taking out so many of those from Alter, but you might even know more than me?”
“I doubt that,” Rayna said, folding her arms. “I don’t know you well, but from just a single look, and the fact that you have survived so long doing the job you do, I know you’re not stupid. You likely kept the information to yourself because you didn’t want to anger anyone. You didn’t want them to go after you, so you kept it a secret.”
Immediately, Bubble turned his face to the side and pouted with his lips out. Because she was right. Bubble had found out the links to this group known as Alter and the Light Faction were heavy, and he had a feeling they had been keeping an eye on him for a while.
He had, after all, been given the special artifact that allowed him to record certain events and see everything that was taking place. After doing some research, he figured it could have only come from Alter or the Light Faction.
Alter was most likely due to their jobs of taking artifacts, with it, he also figured that there was a high chance that Alter, or the Light Faction, could also use the same devices he had to see things as well.
They were using him to spy on the Demonic Faction. Allowing him to do their dirty work with none of the blame. Which was why he had decided against using the item so much.
Even though there were times when he couldn’t resist, such as when he saw the Dark Magus face Sha Mo and the Behemoth Clan.
“This is important information that could cost me my life, so if I tell you these things, then I at least should be heavily compensated,” Bubble explained.
“You’ll be compensated with protection,” Rayna said. “As you said yourself, a war is going to start, and it’s not going to be a small one. Do you think you’ll be able to survive? Do you think we will be the only ones asking for information?”
“We’ll let you set up base right here in Flendon. We can protect you and your people, you can continue reporting as you wish, and not having to worry with the Dark Magus by your side. You saw his strength and what he was capable of in the Martial Arts Tournament, right? And the attack from the kingdom.”
“At the moment, this place is untouchable.”
Bubble had to admit with everything going on, he didn’t particularly feel safe. It was a good offer, one that he had to think about, and all he had to do was talk.
“Alright, but as you know, all I can speak about is rumors, so everything I say you have to take with a hint of salt. I heard the man that caused a mess in the Dark Faction was a Deleter, right? So I don’t have to tell you about him.”
Both Dame and Rayna nodded.
“Then, have you heard of the man with red hair? There isn’t much to go on by his powers, but every time a man with red hair and a strange outfit is spotted, people in that town end up-” “Stop!” Dame said, holding his hand out. “We already know about that one as well.” Bubble quickly cleared his throat of embarrassment. He was ready to tell his story in great detail. “Then have you heard of the exploding one?”
The two leaned in closer as Bubble could tell they clearly hadn’t.
“There’s not much detail, but I have heard of places having problems. A mess with Alter, right after the clan had been eliminated, along with a few others in the town. The reports indicated that all of their heads were blown off.”
“It doesn’t exactly sound like a Pagna technique if you ask me. So it has to be some other type of power from a different world, or an artifact, right?”
“So what is it?” Rayna asked.
Bubble shrugged his shoulders. “I told you I would just have rumors. The tricky thing with these Deleters is that we don’t really know how their power works. They wouldn’t be good at their jobs if I knew every detail about them.”
Rayna really wanted to hit Bubble right now, as she felt she was wasting her time.
“Then is there anything you can tell us, what about the other ones?”
“Right… I guess there is one I can talk about. A woman… I think she’s a Deleter, or at least she works for Alter, but this is a strange one,” Bubble said. “It’s stated that she uses the Noctis
Clan’s techniques.”
“…the same techniques as Raze?” Dame asked.
Bubble nodded.
*****
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Chapter 1077: The Deleters’ Power
Both Rayna and Dame were quite stunned with what they were hearing. The Noctis Clan was an infamous clan because it was the clan that the Dark Faction founder had founded. They had grown the Dark Faction to what it was today.
However, they had major issues in the past. After the founder disappeared, it appeared as though the members were targeted. They were killed one by one, and with them, their
techniques had disappeared.
Their techniques were powerful, and for those who had lived a long life, and knew a lot about the Dark Faction, they could recognize them the moment they were used. Which was why they had recognized the skills Raze had used as well back then.
It was also a lie that Dame told himself when he had entered the academy, claiming he was a member of the Noctis Clan. It gave him safe passage for a while, explained why he was powerful, no one knew about him, and why he needed to hide his name.
Now to find out that there really was a member of the Noctis Clan. They thought they would have heard of it by now.
“I know what you’re thinking, it hasn’t been outright confirmed, but I have seen the moves the Dark Magus has used, and the descriptions from people from all over,” Bubble continued. “There is no doubt in my mind that this person is from the Noctis Clan.”
“Also, I believe that there, the only warrior that is from Alter, which is a Deleter. With those techniques, she is quite powerful.”
“She?” Rayna asked. “So this Deleter that uses the skills is a woman?”
“Correct.” Bubble said. “It seems that some men pay more attention when it’s a beauty kicking their asses. At least that’s what I’ve heard anyway. There is one more detail that I should mention, and it’s the fact that this person wears an iron helmet when they fight.” “It looks quite similar to what the empire’s soldiers would wear. Metallic all over, with a feather sticking out from the top on either side, and the ridge blocking the nose.”
“So no one has even seen this woman’s face, and they are already calling her a beauty?” Rayna scoffed.
“Imagination. Some things you can just tell without the need to look further.”
Dame was starting to daydream about the woman in his head, as he stared into the open space, and before he knew it, he was smiling in the air.
“It’s been so long because of these damn gauntlets…” Dame muttered.
“What the heck are you thinking about?” Rayna asked as she kicked her brother’s shin.
“I was thinking why someone from the Noctis Clan would be helping Alter of all things, and what benefit they would have. Surely they would have had to have been close with the founder and knew a lot of their troubles they were going through,” Dame lied, trying to take the subject in a different direction to his real thoughts.
“That is an answer that perhaps only she will know, but I have seen many things over the years so it doesn’t surprise me,” Bubble answered. “Well, apart from one person, the Dark Magus always seems to surprise me.”
“Alright, alright, can we stop talking about the mysterious woman, you said enough about her. I’m sure the helmet isn’t just some fashion accessory either. It has to be an artifact from Alter, so we need to be careful of that. What about the last Deleter then, any information on them?”
Bubble started to think for a while. As he said before, it was hard for him to know what was just strong members, who was part of Alter, and what. He had ideas and threads he could pull at, but he was sorting the information in his head.
That person turned out to be just a wanderer, or that person was part of this group and clan. The tricky thing with Alter was, they also had people that worked for the large clans and were in high positions.
It was the same for Amir who was part of the group in disguise, working as a double agent. Although Bubble didn’t know this.
“There’s one person that I think fits the bill. A mystery figure that seemingly had come out of nowhere one day. Judging from what I know now, I think they might be an otherworlder, perhaps from the same place as the Dark Magus.”
This fact had pulled in Rayna and Dame more. This was the type of information they were looking for.
“One time, the Light Faction were dealing with a troublesome portal outbreak that had occurred. It wasn’t the level of beasts that flooded into Pagna, but the amount of beasts. The nearby village had completely been destroyed, and the beasts were moving towards the center of the continent.”
“They were passing village by village, but there was a rumor that one person had stopped them. A man appeared with round glasses and curly hair. They said that he had the power to move mountains, that he also had the ability to create his own army.”
“Create his own army, what does that mean?” Rayna asked.
“I have no idea. From the sound of things, the moving mountains is similar to moving the ground and such. This is why I suspect they are like the Dark Magus with being able to control elements. The other factor is that the individual is said to use a staff.”
“Not the same type that Pagna warriors use, I should add. This staff was rounded at the top and wasn’t one used in physical combat. I’m afraid though, based on this information, I can only assume they were a Deleter.”
“They have only been seen in the Light Faction, and don’t appear to be linked to any of the other clans. Along with the strange power and what they were able to do, I think that is your last Deleter,” Bubble explained.
It was a lot for Rayna to think about, but she had the information she needed. “I think it’s best if we spread the appearance and skills that they can use to everyone around us. If they notice anything, they can alert us,” Rayna said to Dame, who nodded and went to open the door of
the carriage.
“Right, I’ll make sure the message is out there. This time, we will be ready for them, Rayna, be safe, if our brothers give you any trouble, remember you have a place to come back to. The Neverfall Clan isn’t your only home.”
Rayna gave a sweet smile as she closed the door, and headed for the Neverfall Clan. She wished for one thing though, that she could have at least seen Raze before she headed to the Clan, there was something she wanted to say to him, but no one knew where he was at the
moment.
*****
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Chapter 1078: A New Base Of Operations
Finishing up the teleporter between the town of Flendon and the Dark Faction academy was quicker than Raze had thought. It was thanks to the help he had with Charlotte. Even though she was only a 3-star mage, she seemed to be quite skilled at magic theory.
It made things easier for Raze as he would only have to explain a few things here and there, and she could pretty much go ahead and get the job done herself from there.
Right after the teleporter had finished, there just needed to be a test, and the person they had chosen was none other than Fixteen to stand in the circle. He had two crystals in his hand, and hadn’t quite stepped in.
“Is it really something that I have to test, can’t one of you two step in it?” Fixteen asked.
“We can’t,” Charlotte explained. “The way the spell works is when it detects a particular type of energy, it would activate the circle, but me and Raze had mana flowing through our bodies. It will work with us, but it will use our own Mana rather than the crystals, which is why we called you.”
“And with this, is there a chance of failure?” Fixteen asked. “Like what’s the worst that can happen to me?”
“Your heart explodes,” Charlotte answered with her finger on her lips and a serious look on her face.
“WHAT!”
“I’m kidding. The worst that will happen is it just doesn’t work,” Charlotte continued.
Fixteen didn’t know what to be more afraid of, the fact that Charlotte was joking, or the fact that Raze hadn’t said one thing about how things would work.
“Can you guys do me one favor, if something does happen to me, can you make sure Froma is okay?” Fixteen asked.
A strange request, but now that Charlotte thought about it, Froma and Fixteen seemed to be closer together. She even saw Froma walk behind Fixteen several times, despite her being a part of the Crimson Crane and not the Neverfall Clan like Dame was in the past.
She had no clue why this would be, and as for Raze, he hadn’t even bothered to pay attention to the whole matter. Taking a deep breath, Fixteen walked in. The circle lit up, and after a couple of minutes, they had witnessed him return.
“I’m all in one piece, my heart didn’t explode!” Fixteen said, his hand over his chest.
“I told you it was a joke,” Charlotte explained.
With that done, Raze was already heading toward the door.
“Wait Raze, where are you going, what are you doing now?” Fixteen asked. “Not that you can’t do as you wish, but you know the situation all over is a bit tense right now for everyone. It feels like we could go to war any second.”
“That’s because we could go to war any second. It’s good they feel that way,” Raze answered. “Right, but you know, whenever you go and disappear somewhere for a while, it always feels like something happens. And like you’re not there when we really need you. I think everyone is fine helping you out because it helps us and Pagna, but it’s better with you by our side.”
“What I need to do is important,” Raze answered. “I will be there, I will certainly be back before the funeral and head there with everyone.”
Swiftly leaving the room, Raze’s first destination was to travel to the special cave that was located near Reptum. There was a small message that Raze had asked of Fixteen when he went to the other side, and that was to ask him to destroy the cave located in the Dark Faction.
Since they were going against Alter, it meant they were going against other mages, and the valuable information left behind by the Dark Faction founder needed to be erased, that was what Raze was doing now as well as he destroyed the cave on the Demonic Faction side.
Shortly after, he was traveling back to the town of Flendon. Raze was quite enjoying his travels because he was getting used to using his Qi to the fullest. With a powerful kick of the ground and his added Wind magic, he could glide across the air with ease.
If he added lightning to his steps, he could quickly cut through the area side to side and even the ground beneath him changed. The power he had, it was quite close to him as a 9-star mage.
One thing was for sure, he was certainly more versatile compared to before. When reaching the town, Raze had traveled to the large lake. Not much had been built around the place, as it had become a path for people to walk around.
Rather than just expanding and building buildings on top of buildings. It became a spot where people could enjoy the scenery and walk around. This wasn’t Raze’s choice, but the mayor, Yarlston.
Now though, it was the perfect spot for Raze as he stood on the edge. “The most important thing while using the astral projection technique, is to not be disturbed during it, so this will be best for me.”
Raze started to walk ahead, and began to walk in the water. As he did, the water started to move, and his body started to drop down, and a bubble was around his head.
‘Thanks to all of the Power stones that have been gathered, I have unlocked Water magic, and Earth magic, but I still have yet to get anything with the Fire element or Light element. Although that would be better in Safa’s hands at the moment.
‘As for special elements, I don’t think I’ll get my hands on anything like that just from beasts, not simple ones in this dimension anyway.’
When Raze finally sunk down to the bottom of the lake, he stretched out his hands, and started to freeze over part of the walls by his side, creating a large cube for himself. It was gigantic in size, almost like an underwater ice palace.
Then placing both hands on the ground, he started to shift the ice even more, building large structures, squares on top of squares until. Lastly, he built large cylinder-like shapes on top of the square structure that continued all the way until it reached the top.
“That should be good for oxygen as well. Although as a warrior at this stage, I won’t need it as much.”
Raze walked into the self-made building and was quite proud of his own secret hideout he had created. Now he knew he was in a place that no one would disturb him.
‘It’s time to head to Alterian. I brought my Blazer with Dark magic from there. Which means I should have no trouble bringing high-grade crystals as well, and creating new items for the rest of the Crimson Crane.’ Raze thought.
‘I wonder if anything has changed since the last time I was there.’
Little did Raze know that he was in for quite a shock when he returned. Because, his loyal follower, Harvey, had been working overtime, to make things perfect for him.
****
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It didn’t take long for Raze to set up everything he needed in the new base. There was ample space for him to set up several zones with several magic circles, and he thought even in the future, that it would be helpful for him to set up several teleportation points to different areas in the base.
He could set one up to head to the Neverfall Clan, to the places within the Dark Faction, maybe even to the Lost Clan if he needed to, although he had no idea where the Lost Clan’s base even was and was still slightly confused of how to get in contact with Lince when needed.
For now though, in the center of the room, he had set up what he believed was most important, and that was the magic circle for the astral projection technique.
On top of that, he had linked a magic circle to his trusted Cursed Qi pill that would be used in emergency situations.
’Right now, I don’t think anyone will find the base, but in the future, it would also be best to set up some defensive measures in the lake and the base itself in case anyone decided to try and locate or find me.’
That was for another time though, as Raze was on a bit of a time constraint.
Sitting in the center, Raze was ready. ’It feels like it’s been a while since I last did this. My body has improved significantly, let’s see how it goes.’
Closing his eyes, Raze went through the motions of everything he could. He felt part of his body leaving his body, the connection that he would make.
’What is this, there seems to be multiple connections with Dark energy, a lot more than last time. What’s happened in Alterian, there can’t be this much Dark magic about, can there?’
Rather than risking going towards the connection or areas he hadn’t been before, he picked a place that was familiar, but he realized the energy wasn’t exactly familiar to him.
When using the astral projection technique, one had to think of a connection that connected them to the other world. Raze was lucky that his Dark magic had connected him with Dark Magic users.
Which was why he was finding it so strange seeing so many different connections this time, but in his mind, he could remember the placement of each of the dark connections and the size of each dark connection.
The place and size didn’t match in Raze’s mind, but he decided to go to the same place as he had done before. Reaching out to it, Raze connected, and he could feel himself forming a body made out of magic.
He found himself in the familiar place, the underground, burnt-down, large church-like building. It was the same as it was before, like it always was, but there was a big difference in himself.
When looking at his own body, he could feel next to no leakage in magic.
’This is the power of a high middle-stage body. I can feel everything. In this state, I could probably spend months in Alterian with no trouble at all.
’Although I would eventually still need to head back to Pagna to refresh my magic, and my magic would still lower if I was to use it in a fight, but this is still a giant improvement.’
The issue was Raze was still only able to cast 6-star magic, and although that was better than 90 percent of mages, it wasn’t enough to go after the targets he needed to.
’My body still can’t use Qi either. That seems to be the biggest downside of using this spirit form here. I need the Golden Globe, to be able to fight against them,’ Raze thought.
“I pay great tribute to the Dark Spirit!” A voice shouted from the side.
It had startled Raze, almost making him jump out of his skin. He had been incredibly focused on the energy that was coming out and in from his body, and the noise was so loud and sudden.
’That doesn’t sound like Harvey or Kelly?’ Turning around, Raze realized that it wasn’t either of them at all.
A young man looked to be kneeling down on one knee with his hand towards the floor. A hood covering his face, but it wasn’t an enchanted robe, or at least not a good one because Raze could still see the details on the young boy’s face.
Maybe he was at the age of university, just trying to get out there in the job world, yet here he was underground right here.
“It is great to meet you, Dark Spirit, it is an honor for me to witness your arrival, I never thought it would come!” The young man continued.
“State your name,” Raze said, as he believed right now it was easier to play along with whatever was going on than asking too many questions.
“My name is Yono, and I am a Shadow Acolyte within the Guild.”
“The Guild?” Raze asked. “And Shadow Acolyte.” It was a term Raze had never heard being used before.
“The Dread Magister said that you would be confused, so please allow me to explain!” Yono claimed.
“Since your last visit, the Dark Guild has expanded, and with that expansion, the one who you set in charge had decided to create some order.”
“Mages who are at the lowest level within the Guild like myself, are Shadow Acolytes. We are able to use Dark magic but only at a 1-star or 2-star level.”
“Whether our magic core is actually above that does not matter as our rankings are determined by our strength in the Dark Magic.”
“Above that, we have Voidbinders. They have greater command over magic, being at the three and four-star level. These are the two main ranks.”
“And this Dread Magister you speak of?” Raze asked.
“He is the man who organized, the highest rank in the Dark Guild, the one who gives us our orders!” Yono explained. “Of course, above him, we are all to serve you, the Dark Spirit, and above that, we serve the Dark Magus.”
“Lastly, there is a ranking above Voidbinder, that is the Nightcallers, which is given to our two other founders.” Yono was finished explaining, and he placed his fist back to the ground with his head down.
’The Dark Guild… it’s expanded so much, so much compared to when I was on Alterian myself. So many people now have power over Dark magic?’ Raze thought.
“And… how many members are there in total within the Dark Guild?”
“Including yourself, the Dark Spirit, there are over six hundred members,” Yono answered.
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Chapter 1080: Dark Guild Rankings
Just from hearing of the strange ranking system alone, Raze was pretty shocked. He knew other guilds did these types of things. It gave a reason for members to strive to rise up to contribute to the guild.
Positions gave people power, and it allowed them to help and guide those lower than them, giving them even further room for growth.
The thing was, this type of thing only occurred in guilds that had a large amount of members. The Dark Guild couldn’t have been that large, and the reason was simple.
For one, it was an underground, secret guild. They didn’t have a true base of operations, they also didn’t have funding of any sorts. The regular rewards and prestige that individuals got by joining a guild wouldn’t be achieved with the Dark Guild.
Then there was the biggest issue that was looming over their heads. It was the fact that the Dark Guild was to be kept secret, and the only way to do that.
The only people that were allowed to join the Dark Guild were those that knew how to use Dark Magic. A forbidden magic that if caught knowing it, would force an individual to be taken away by the appropriate authorities.
Raze had given Harvey the order, to grow the Dark Guild secretly. Using the police files and the other techniques and things related to Dark Magic, they would train their members in the various skills.
At most, Raze thought that maybe they would be able to gather twelve, and that was on the high side of his estimate, but for there to be over six hundred members…
They were bigger than some of the medium-sized guilds, and would be a true force to be reckoned with, depending on the star level of the individuals who were in the guild.
‘600 members, what did Harvey do?’ Raze thought. ‘I can only assume that the Dread Magister is Harvey. Only he had the power through his position to locate those that had a chance of learning Dark Magic… so how did he manage to grow the guild in such a short amount of time?’
“Yono!” Raze called out.
“Dark Spirit, please!” Yono shouted back as he lifted his head and placed his hand across his chest. “You are not to call me directly by my name, that is far too embarrassing, and not a position worthy for me, please call me Shadow Acolyte.”
The way these people were dedicated to him, Raze wasn’t used to it. He had never run a guild before. The only thing he was in the past was a professor, and no students were this loyal to their teachers… well, apart from one individual.
“Shadow Acolyte,” Raze called out, feeling a little embarrassed just saying those words, but he continued. “I need to speak to the Dread Magister, and call the Nightcallers here as well. There are important matters that I need to discuss with them.”
There were a lot of questions that Raze wanted to ask about the guild, but he thought it would be best to ask the person directly.
Truth be told, he was half expecting if he had appeared in this strange location that they wouldn’t even be present, since he was arriving at a time unannounced and not their usual meeting period.
“Certainly, sir! The Dread Magister said that you would arrive. Which is why we Shadow Acolytes have been on shift protecting this place and overseeing it.”
“This is why it’s such an honor for someone like me to bear witness to this, this might be the only time I get to see you, Dark Spirit, it was an honor.”
With those words said, Yono stood up, and he had vanished off. Raze figured it might be a while until they arrived, so he started to think about what he needed to find out while he was here.
In his mind, there were three main objectives that Raze wanted to complete. First, he wanted to find more information out about breakthroughs.
He had only been able to achieve his own breakthrough with his Dark Core once. If he was to battle ahead, he would have to further figure out how to use it.
Some time had passed, and he was sure that there might be more information that he could gather, especially from the military, and last time when he was with Kelly at the academy, he figured there might be a person that would be able to help him with certain matters.
As for the second thing, he wanted to find out information about the leader of Alter, Heino. A mage that was able to use time magic so powerfully had to be written down in some books or files somewhere.
Since Raze had no idea about such a person, then it had to have been a mage that was before his time. It didn’t make any sense, since Raze was already an old man, so any mage would be long dead.
But he figured if there was a powerful mage that could play with Time magic in such a way, then it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think an individual could use time magic on themselves. Lastly, there was the gathering of items. This was important because he needed high-level equipment in stones and equipment itself to be used to create items equivalent or at least that would give them some type of edge when fighting against Alter.
This was going to be hard because the easiest way in Raze’s mind was to attack one of the bigger guilds and steal their items. Now, knowing they had six hundred members at their disposal.
Maybe it wouldn’t be as hard as he initially thought.
‘I want to complete everything in two days. The funeral is in three days, but I need time to craft the weapons that are needed.’
After finishing his thoughts, Yono had returned, and he was in the same position as last time.
“Dark Spirit, I announce the arrival of the Dread Magister, and the Nightcallers! I will now take myself out of this meeting. Fear the unseen, for we are always near.” Were the last words from Yono, like it was some type of phrase, and like that, he was gone.
Instead, two cloaked individuals walked in, both of them repeating the same phrase.
“Fear the unseen, for we are always near,” A voice said.
Making Raze wonder just what the heck was going on.
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Chapter 1081: The Dark Guild Moves
Two individuals walked in from around the corner, just behind a large rubble wall. Both of them dressed in dark cloaks that covered their bodies, dragging across most of their body but split at the front, revealing one in a skirt, and the other in long black trousers.
As for the design of the robes themselves that he two of them were wearing, they were different compared to that which Yono wore. Both of them had a peaked cape, making them point more outward while the sides went in more, as if they were cut out, revealing the side of their face.
It gave the two the appearance of a raven of sorts. However, what was special about both of these robes they were wearing were the enchantments on them. Despite being able to see the side of their face, the special enchantment made it so their actual faces were invisible no matter how much one directly looked at them.
As for the one who was wearing the trousers, who Raze presumed was Harvey, his specially peaked cape had a dark purple lining on the edge. A strange glow was shining through it, traveling down his robes until it went around both of his wrists. Almost like a neon light moving around.
Lastly, there was actually one more wearing a robe that Raze only noticed when they got close, sitting on the shoulder of the female. Even the relatively large, fat black cat was wearing a strange black vest of sorts, even though its chest was already black.
“We greet the Dark Spirit!” Although the voice was altered, Raze had quickly gathered that the man was indeed Harvey. Just from the way he spoke and his demeanor.
“We greet the Dark Spirit,” Kelly quickly said, after Harvey had turned her way. Almost as if she was reluctant to do such a thing but had done so anyway.
“It’s nice to meet the both of you. I’m sorry for coming unannounced, but there are things that I need your help with,” Raze stated. “It appears that a lot has changed.”
“Yes!” Harvey answered enthusiastically. “There has been great developments. The Dark Guild that you told us to create, it has expanded greatly in size. Connections, links to the city, and more. The Dark Guild is ready to act whenever you need it, Great Spirit.”
“Right, I gave you a task, and it seems you have accomplished it beyond what I thought,” Raze replied. “But since you know who I really am, why are you still calling me the Dark Spirit?”
“This is a term for the rest of the members,” Harvey answered. “I did as you said, spreading rumors of the Dark Magus’s return, but then there would be questions asking where he is, when would they get to see him.”
“I believe there will be the right moment, where you get to hear exactly what you wanted from time to time. Either way, I am pleased you are happy with my work. Please let me know, what is it that we can help you with?”
The situation that was unfolding was a lot better than Raze initially thought. When he did return to Alterian, there were not just the Grand Magus but the guilds themselves that needed to be dealt with.
Being on Pagna, Raze had learned one thing, a mistake he had greatly made. Why had he succeeded in getting so far in Pagna but had failed in Alterian? It was because of the people around him and the strength of the position he was in.
In Alterian, he had tried to do everything himself, which was impossible with how big the Grand Magus had become. He could see that clearer now.
“Out of everyone, I assume that you should know the power of the Dark Guild at the moment, are they strong enough to take on a top medium-sized guild, or one of the smaller larger size guilds?”
As soon as Raze asked the question, Harvey started to burst out in a belly of laughter.
“So it’s finally happening, the Dark Guild is finally going to make a move! If you want my opinion, we could go after the Cerebus Guild. They have been a pain in my backside for a long time, and are making it harder for me to run my investigation on the Grand Magus. It would be taking out two problems in one.”
“The Cerebus Guild, the one that is connected to Gizin? My worry then is if the Grand Magus themselves get involved. I think it’s better to target those linked to the Grand Magus, so if you can find one of that caliber, but not directly connected, that would be a good choice.”
“We need to attack the main base directly. I need all of their enchanted items and artifacts they have, even down to the last robe.”
“Certainly!” Harvey answered.
“As for you, Kelly.”
“Please sir, don’t use our names while we are like this,” Kelly replied. “Call me Nightcaller.” Her voice was a little shaky as she said the words. She understood the importance of the names, just didn’t like the names themselves.
Surely, in a guild, a new name would grant great honor, but in this situation, when she had been a part of the creation process, it all felt too strange for her.
“Well, Nightcaller, I’m going to need your help in two ways. Do you remember that annoying girl at the academy, I think Aurora was her name? Her brother Alen was in the military. He was a talented mage that worked under Enaxx?”
Kelly nodded her head as she listened.
“Can you get in contact with her, or her brother, and say I wish to have a meeting. The two of us did talk before. I already cast my favor, but maybe you can ask him, did he find out what I said, is the world not as rose-tinted as he first believed, he will know what I mean, I’m sure that will get him to meet me.”
It was a risk, meeting someone so famous and connected to Enaxx, but risks needed to be taken at this point.
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