Chapter 98: The Battle Begins

(I am truly too busy today, so this update is a bit brief, around three thousand words.)

"Captain Shugin, I'm afraid the interrogation of that God of War will have to be postponed. We must evacuate the Abyss-Dweller's Bottom immediately; something has likely happened outside."

"What did Charles write? Let me see." Shugin grew grave, snatching the note from Zig's hand to read it.

"Professor, although I have severed ties with the Ryd family and refused to pry into fate, certain innate abilities and connections within our lineage cannot be cut."

"Perhaps this truly is the power of so-called destiny, but I still refuse to believe in it. So, I leave this for you. I do not know what will happen, but if you are reading this, it means the 'destiny' once set in stone has changed. Therefore, do something."

"Charles may seem unreliable, but he never jokes around when it matters. Captain, since we have his warning, we should alter our itinerary."

"Hmm... let's go. There is no reason to hesitate. It was already strange that our arrival at the Abyss-Dweller's Bottom to audit the God of War coincided with the Night's Blade's general report day. It was likely a coincidence, but someone has clearly spotted an opportunity."

Zig nodded in agreement with Shugin's assessment.

Shugin lit his pipe, and as wisps of smoke curled from the lantern, the Smoke Demon's grating voice echoed again: "What's wrong, Shugin? Need your good partner's help again? You've certainly been having your share of trouble lately."

"Cut the chatter and clear the way." Shugin flicked his pipe sharply. The pipe remained lit, but the force scattered the Smoke Demon just as it began to coalesce.

"What? Clear the way?" The Smoke Demon was baffled, failing to grasp Shugin's intent.

"Open a path for us. We are leaving."

"Have you gone mad, or have I? Digging out of the Abyss-Dweller's Bottom? Shugin, have you finally lost your mind from using too many evil spirits?"

"Yes."

"Fine. I suppose that's what I'm here for, you good-for-nothing partner." The Smoke Demon sighed in resignation, its dissipating form suddenly surging together into a massive, smoky claw...

"Bang!" It seemed the Smoke Demon intended to obey Shugin's absurd command and force a path out, but in the next instant, a peculiar gray mist shot from its amorphous body, streaking across the corridor.

"Squelch." The sound of mist piercing flesh echoed, followed by the thud of a body collapsing.

"Plenty of vermin here... tsk tsk, let me see which family this mole belongs to. You Alastair folks are truly something else; a small nation, yet so many traitors. Hey, what are you?" The Smoke Demon’s incessant chattering drifted from the other side.

"Boom!" With a violent explosion, the entire corridor shuddered. The gray mist flew back, appearing significantly smaller.

"Damn it, a sneak attack! I didn't see which family they were from. Partner, teach them a lesson for me, wuu wuu..." The Smoke Demon’s voice emerged from the pipe, but Shugin quickly plugged the opening with his finger, silencing it.

"The Wing-Clipped Dragon Zig, the Smoke Knight—or should I say, the Spirit Knight Shugin. Finding an opportunity to meet you both has been quite difficult..."

The sound of leather boots echoed from the end of the corridor. A man wearing a brown brimmed hat pulled low to obscure his face, dressed in a casual shirt, walked toward them.

"You may call me... well, just Mr. Colin will do. If possible, I would prefer not to come into conflict with you."

"..."

"..."

Zig and Shugin watched the man who had appeared so abruptly in silence, maintaining their vigilance.

"I only wish to ask: do you have any leads on the Thirteen Keys? If you know, tell me directly. After all, you are prominent figures in the Night's Blade; I would rather not kill you if it is not necessary." Colin's tone was flat, yet the confidence and nonchalance he displayed were staggering.

"The Thirteen Keys? You are the one collecting them...?" Zig frowned, his gloved hands clenching into fists.

"Hmph... just in time. Are you sure you didn't come to the Abyss-Dweller's Bottom to serve a sentence yourself?" Shugin took a drag from his pipe. This time, the Smoke Demon did not chatter in his ear, instead obediently forming a suit of armor around him.

"Oh? It seems you do not intend to resolve my inquiry peacefully. Then I have no choice but to act against you both." With a faint smile, Mr. Colin clapped his hands.

A fissure instantly appeared beside Zig, from which a sharp dagger lunged with lightning speed, its serrated, patterned blade shimmering with toxic light.

Time seemed to stall. After a brief pause, the dagger teleported directly to Zig's throat. Zig, maintaining the fragile facade of a desk clerk, appeared completely unresponsive as the poisoned blade struck his neck.

"Clang!" However, the sound of the dagger meeting skin was not the sound of steel piercing flesh, but the ringing of metal against metal.

Then, a violent gust of wind erupted. Zig’s fist smashed into the spatial rift at his side. "Boom-crack!" As the corridor walls trembled, a massive hole appeared where his fist struck, and the falling debris testified to the terrifying power of the blow.

"As expected of the Wing-Clipped Dragon, Zig Wilsbach. Such physical prowess even in human form." Colin watched with interest as Zig, neck grazed by the dagger but unharmed, punched the wall.

"A pity I didn't hit that little bug." Zig offered his trademark gentle, scholarly smile, though the vertical pupils in his eyes made him look incredibly menacing.

Beside Colin, a spatial rift opened, and Hela leaped out, kneeling behind him, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"I told you not to underestimate them. Did you think you could ambush him with just that hourglass? Go hone your skills before trying again." Colin did not turn back, his tone indifferent.

Hela lowered her head, biting her lip. "I have disappointed you, sir. I am so frustrated. I never imagined the clerk who frightened me last time would be such a powerful entity. This probe has brought shame upon you, sir. It cannot continue like this..."

"Very well, Mr. Zig. It seems you have frightened my dear servant. Shall I ask again? Do you intend to cooperate? Oh, the answer seems quite clear. Then prepare to face death from the Void."

Colin continued to inquire with unhurried grace, but seeing Zig rip a brick from the shattered wall to hold in his hand, he shrugged and ceased his persuasion.

"Whoosh!" The brick was hurled by Zig. The high-density material, nearly half a person's height, felt weightless in his grip.

"Sigh, so we are doing this." With a sigh and a strange ripple, space twisted, and the brick vanished before it could strike Colin.

"Bang!"

"What the hell! How did he do that? Isn't this place supposed to be sealed against the Void? How is he using Void power? Is something wrong with this place!?"

The vanished stone appeared abruptly behind Shugin, slamming into him with tremendous force.

However, protected by the Smoke Demon armor, the brick shattered upon impact. The Smoke Demon began to wail incessantly, and this time, Zig did not stop it...

"Shallow understanding. Your so-called 'Void seal' is merely a crude plug. You call this a seal? It's hilarious. Hehe-ha, apologies, that was rude."

Seeming to find the Smoke Demon's words too funny, Mr. Colin covered his mouth and chuckled, then offered an apology in a mocking tone.

Zig and Shugin remained silent, but their furrowed brows and grim expressions betrayed their mounting tension.

The Abyss-Dweller's Bottom, fully saturated with the field of Reality Stability Anchors, should have been the least likely place for the Void to manifest. Yet, Mr. Colin had utilized sorcery with ease, seemingly unimpeded.

He was indeed the one searching for the Thirteen Keys left behind by the person closest to the Void; his knowledge and control over it exceeded all expectations...

This was the shared thought of Zig and Shugin.

"Isn't your Night's Blade known as the expert in handling Void incidents? Well, let me demonstrate what a true expert of the Void looks like."

Colin smiled and reached out, his hand vanishing as if swallowed by something. With a pull, a pitch-black, constantly fluctuating and trembling object—hardly recognizable as a sword—appeared in his hand.

"I wonder if you recognize this. But I suggest you avoid being struck by it." Colin held the blade, which resembled the "Void Song" once wielded by Avia, and pointed it with a smile at the braced Zig and Shugin.

...

Outside the Abyss-Dweller's Bottom, at the city walls.

Fissures flowing with molten lava slowly ascended into the sky. Faint, lingering wails echoed from the surroundings—the final remnants of the souls used as fuel. The cracks were widening; the gateway from the Hell plane had been breached.

"Tsk, I give up." Wang Yu stood at the edge of the crater caused by the Reality Stability Anchor explosion, glanced at the ever-widening rift, cursed, and turned to run.

What else could he do? The coming battlefield was beyond his intervention. He had tried to stop the Hell Gate before it appeared, but he had failed. So, this was it.

As the Hell Gate opened, a peculiar field radiated from its center. Where it passed, the ground ignited, vegetation withered, dust turned to sparks, and liquids transformed into flowing flame—the hallmark of the Hell plane: scorched earth.

Wang Yu was not worried that Alastair would fall; the foundations of a kingdom could not be toppled by such an event. He only hoped the capital's environment wouldn't become any more chaotic. Well, the prevention had failed; now, the great war would begin. He would leave the main battlefield to the powerhouses of the capital.

As the first horned wing-demon flew out of the rift with a shrill, excited cry, the battle began.