At a distant point within the raging storm, sheltered behind a colossal rocky mound that cut through the wind, five figures gathered in silence.
Four men and one woman. They radiated an unmistakable, putrid, and corrupt aura, wrapped in black robes with deep hoods that concealed their faces in shadow.
Without them noticing, a stealthy shadow approached the perimeter. Completely concealed, Priam slipped within a safe distance, keeping his senses sharp to absorb every word.
"Are you absolutely sure those two unforeseen targets were eliminated?" one of the men’s harsh voices cut through the air.
"Absolutely. The squad leaders swore that the targets escaped, but the poison was already in their veins. By now, they’re nothing more than decomposing corpses," the woman replied in a cold, emotionless tone.
"Good. And what about the distress signal we received two days ago? Did you find out whether they managed to contain the situation?"
A contemptuous snort echoed from beneath another hood. "They failed miserably. The entire squad was wiped out."
The atmosphere between them instantly froze.
The figure in the center clenched his fists, consumed by fury.
"Information about our Corrupt Beasts is now at risk of leaking. Even if those pathetic Mages aren’t strong enough to confront us directly, if they’re lucky, they could organize themselves and cause trouble at the critical moment," another lamented.
"Not exactly," the third man interjected disdainfully. "According to the reports I gathered, the group of Mages that discovered our operations and caused all this chaos belonged to the 11th Branch."
The woman let out a low, vile laugh. "That’s a relief. That idiot Dioma, together with the Sect’s largest branches, is ruthlessly hunting down every Mage from the 11th Branch. They won’t even have the peace to organize a response. At the final moment, the survivors will be stabbed in the back without even understanding where the attack came from."
The other four nodded in agreement.
"Those worms from the Sect promised us a lot this time. I know they’re not trustworthy, but if they dare betray us, we have more than enough firepower to wipe them off the map. This alliance, combined with our army of Corrupt Beasts, will guarantee the mission’s absolute success. We can’t allow any more unforeseen events," the leader declared authoritatively. Then he turned toward one of the men.
"What exactly happened in that massacre? Tell me what you know. We need to avoid similar failures until the final phase."
The Sorcerer in charge of the information snorted before explaining:
"We got lucky. A Mage from the 8th Branch was nearby and witnessed the outcome of the battle from a blind spot. He gave me a detailed description... and believe me, the ones who destroyed our entire Grand Battalion were a single group of approximately 49 Mages from the 11th Branch."
"What?!"
"Impossible!"
Shock and disbelief spread among some of the group. A properly structured Grand Battalion contained more than two thousand bloodthirsty Corrupt Beasts. It was absurd to think that so few Mages had eradicated such a force.
"To be more precise," the informant continued, "there were 48 Holy Mages—all women—led by a single male Arcanist Mage."
"They launched a surprise attack, surrounding the Battalion with that ridiculous number. That’s when the Holy Mages invoked some bizarre magic. Two-thirds of them specialized in healing and purification. Those same Mages projected a shimmering white aura that expanded, enveloping the entire group. Any miasma, corruption, or elemental energy that touched that light simply dissipated into the air, evaporating on the spot."
He paused dramatically before continuing:
"It became clear that it was some kind of energy defense. Acting on direct orders, the Corrupt Beasts charged en masse, relying on sheer physical strength. That’s when the remaining Holy Mages—the ones specialized in the defensive wood element—triggered another anomaly. Their very appearances transformed, as if they were incarnate avatars of nature. The ground tore open, and a chaotic tangle of roots and gigantic trunks sprouted in every direction, raising a living fortress that was absolute and impregnable."
He took a deep breath, his voice trembling with frustration:
"In the end, these Holy Mages created a perfect symbiosis between magical defense and impenetrable physical defense. That spectator claimed those Holy Mages looked like the most terrifying beings he’d ever seen in his life... but they had absolutely no offensive capabilities..."
"That was when the Arcanist Mage took action. He acted like a true God of Flames. The guy set the horizon ablaze, turning the battlefield into a burning hell and single-handedly incinerating the entire battalion of Corrupt Beasts, as well as slaughtering our squad leaders."
The man concluded his report with a grim expression:
"As an Arcanist, he would’ve been a vulnerable and easy target to take down in an open field. But protected by that living fortress... he became untouchable. The entire massacre lasted barely ten minutes. After that, the survivors cleaned up the area and disappeared without leaving a trace."
The aura of the Sorcerers hearing the report for the first time fluctuated with pure shock and bewilderment.
They knew the concepts of common magic inside and out, precisely so they could hunt Mages efficiently. But that description sounded like some insane delusion.
A single Arcanist Mage capable of eradicating two thousand beasts in ten minutes?
A handful of Holy Mages sustaining an unbreakable physical and magical defense against an entire army? All of it violated the fundamental logic of Mages.
Holy Mages of the wood element were shockingly powerful defensively, but only in brief confrontations. Wood manipulation consumed enormous amounts of Ether. Against the heavy advance of thousands of beasts, a wooden barrier wouldn’t last a minute before being torn apart. On top of that, wood offered mediocre protection against pure magical attacks—that was its well-known fatal flaw.
As for the healers... they shouldn’t have any direct defensive capabilities at all, much less the ability to erect a shield of absolute purification capable of neutralizing miasma and elemental energies. The whole thing sounded like some ridiculous legend.
The two Sorcerers exchanged glances, fear clearly visible in both their eyes.
"So... this insane story is actually true?"
The one who had reported the massacre nodded heavily.
"At least most of it, yes. We got unbelievably lucky... one of the Mages from our secret alliance was close enough to witness the tragedy and tell us about it. Without that, we could’ve been caught off guard at the worst possible moment."
The leader of the group took a step forward, exuding an icy aura.
"The 11th Branch really did give rise to some monstrous figures this time. The rumors weren’t exaggerated... However, none of them will leave this realm alive. We’ve already confirmed that several of them have been hunted down and executed over the past few months. In the end, we’ll finish exterminating the survivors ourselves and complete the mission without a hitch."
"Are we really going to split the treasures and spoils with those Mages?" The woman’s voice sounded dry and suspicious beneath her black robe.
The leader let out a calm, mocking laugh.
"When we return to our world, those Mages will do everything they can to make sure this alliance never comes to light. The weakest among them will be executed by their own leaders, or forced to sign Soul Contracts to keep their silence forever. They’re pathetic, untrustworthy scum, but making this pact was the only way for us to fulfill the will of the Sovereigns."
He paused, and a dark, guttural laugh echoed beneath his hood.
"...we could never take the Corrupt Beasts back with us. Once the mission is completed, the orders from above are clear: we’ll sacrifice all the beasts at once and massacre the remaining Mages. Since when did we become friends with pathetic worms? They’re nothing but cattle and disposable insects that we use to build our own power."
The other four smiled sadistically, nodding in complete agreement.
"..."
In the shadows behind the great rock, Priam clenched his fists so tightly that his joints cracked and his nails dug into the skin of his palms. Killing intent began to boil in the depths of his soul.
The 8th Branch had not only betrayed the entire order of Mages by murdering people from another branch, but had also formed an unholy pact with the Sorcerers.
Throughout all those months while he had been isolated in the abyss, his comrades had been hunted down and slaughtered like dogs.
Priam’s fury reached its boiling point. That blind knot of greed and betrayal had dug its own grave in hell.
Those bastards seemed to be asking for death. If they wanted a game of hunting and slaughter... Priam would make himself the worst calamity to wipe them all out.
"WHO’S THERE?!"
Suddenly, the Sorcerer leader roared.
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