Legacy of the Dark Sage

Kyran thought he had learned his lessons. He could judge the situation properly and save his clan by staying calm and not letting his emotions get the best of him. He had judged that staying low and completing his preparations was the top priority. By doing so, he could minimize the casualty on his end after making a move. However, this very mindset made him misjudge his enemies' intentions.

Why did he not try to find the real reason Haylee had not made any move during the first couple of days of the joint military exercise? Why had he accepted it without verifying when he had thought of a possible reason? Why did he waste time building the Conclave's reputation by acting as 'Tyr'?

Because of Kyran's 'complacency,' he neglected a very important point.

While he is busy taking his sweet time preparing, his enemies are also making a move. They will not wait for him.

"Don't think this is your fault."

Mannick's sympathetic voice shook Kyran out of his self-reflection.

Kyran looked at him and smiled slightly. He did not say anything. Instead, he let True Void out of the Void World.

True Void looked at Kyran worriedly. He heard and saw the conversation between them, and for the first time, he was rendered speechless. As someone spiritually connected to Kyran, True Void could sense the self-loathing and silent anger building within the latter. It was not a foreign emotion. During their time in the Tower of Tribulations, there had been a couple of instances that Kyran had felt this way. But most of the time, he managed to overcome them. Or so True Void had thought until he witnessed Kyran genuinely snap. Kyran's state that time was different from when he rid his mind of all unnecessary things. When it happened, he simply 'let go.' It was a state that True Void was afraid of seeing again.

A blood-soaked land and skies filled with corpses, a world of carnage. The thick scent of death that permeated the air called up the Sovereign of Death...

"You brought this calamity... the legacy which you hold will only attract chaos...."

"Kyran..." True Void started.

"Stay here, True Void," Kyran said, not giving him a chance to continue. He looked at Mannick before continuing, "Please help him find a good place to replenish his magic energy."

"Alright."

"Oi, Kyran-."

"Don't worry. This space can hide your presence," Kyran interrupted him again.

But True Void had no intentions of letting him go when he could sense him so close to falling into that 'state.'

"No! Let me and Azaloth go with you!"

"No," Kyran replied, his void dropping to a dangerous tone.

True Void shivered involuntarily as he saw Kyran's eyes. Right now, it was still dark gray. However, his pupils had already turned reddish-purple. A clear sign that he was barely keeping his emotions intact.

"Silas already met up with Byron. After you have enough magic energy, meet up with them. I'll find you afterward."

"Then at least tell us your plan," True Void said in an attempt to make him 'think' and not be rash.

Kyran only looked at him in response. He was still smiling. However, his eyes spoke differently.

Without saying anything more, a dark purple rift appeared behind him.

The moment the rift appeared, the whole room shook, and crackling and grinding sounds echoed as if something big was trying to eat the whole space.

Kyran entered the rift, and as it closed, the noise died down, and the tremor stopped.

*

It was the wee hours in Noser, and the market district was still lively as ever. Lights and banners decorated the streets, and all sorts of people were entering or leaving the shops. Merry sounds of people gathering to drink or eat could be heard outside the pubs. Stalls of every kind lined up the side of the streets with all sorts of people, hunters, and mages alike, looking at the items.

The reason for such a festive atmosphere was that the Noser City had an annual bazaar. During this time, all sorts of goods, foods, and even live creatures could be seen.

Amidst the buzz of activities, a crackling sound rang out, drowning the noise.

People gathered on the streets, whether they were looking at the goods being sold in the stalls or eating some exotic-looking foods, stopped in their tracks to look at the surroundings.

"Did you hear that?"

"What was that noise?"

"There is supposed to be some fireworks, right? Is it about to start?"

Some looked up above to check for any signs of fireworks. However, apart from the night sky filled with stars and the dazzling lights that lit up the streets, they did not see any spark from a firework.

But then, the grinding noise mixed in with the crackling sound, causing some to furrow their brows in confusion.

The hunters nearby felt the hair on their skin stand on ends. Suddenly, they had a bad feeling.

All the mages that heard the noise also stopped in their tracks, sensing a sudden change in the magic energy in the surroundings. They subtly roused their magic and let out their magic sense.

"T-There!"

A middle-aged man wearing a dark gray robe pointed above the tallest building in the street.

Above the building, a small rift had appeared. They failed to see it the first time because it blended well into the night sky. However, they could now see it because a silhouette of a young man, wearing a black windbreaker with eyes glowing reddish-purple, had stepped right out of it!

Those who saw it held their breaths. Others were so shocked that their body froze on the spot.

Once the young man completely stepped out, in a blink of an eye, the rift increased in size! Within the rift, eight huge glowing reddish-purple slitted eyes snapped open.

That was when the hell broke loose.

"BEASTS!"

"A northerner has appeared! There is a northerner that appeared from the sky! Run!"

Frightened screams filled the air as people ran as fast as they could away from the building.

Even most of the hunters and mages ran in fright. The mages' decisiveness was reasonable because the aura those eyes belonged to was unfathomable. As for the hunters, they might be experienced in dealing with beasts, but they were still average humans. If those mages, who had the advantage of using magic, decided to run, why would they stay?

"Hm?"

A group of local city guards patrolling the market district heard the commotion.

One of the older city guards frowned upon hearing the noise.

The Noser City's Annual Bazaar had always been a pain in the ass for them. With hunters and mages dominating the crowd, chances of a fight between them were very common. The cause of their fight ranged from differences in views, wanting to buy the same goods and even small trivial things like whose weapon looked cooler.

"Ugh! Those arrogant mages and stupid hunters are at it again! I swear I'd have them locked up for months if I find they are fighting over something trivial again!"

Another city guard snickered at the older man's complaint and said, "If you do that, the cell will be full in no time."

"Who cares? Those people act high and mighty just because they have the advantage of life-and-death experiences! So what if we are only guarding the city? It is not like we haven't encountered real combat!"

The two younger guards with them could not help but smile bitterly at the older man's ranting. They understood his reasoning yet could not see the connection. In any case, the two decided to remain silent and followed the two as they went toward the direction of the commotion.

However, they had only taken a few steps when several people rushed out from the corner of the street.

"Run! A northerner has come!"

"Beasts on the loose! Call the army! There are beasts in the city!"

The expressions on the city guards' faces darkened at once. Instead of running away with the rest of the people, they steeled their hearts and ran to where these people had come from. Unlike those hunters and mages, they were the city's first line of defense. They could not run. Else, if what was happening escalated, the community district would suffer! In any case, they first had to confirm the situation, after which, if they could not handle it, they would stall for time until the Royal Army arrived.

The older man took out his communication device and immediately reported what was happening to their supervisor. However, since the situation had not been confirmed, the rest of the city guards on duty would still be on standby.

"Yes. We are already near and-."

Rawrgh!

An earth-shaking roar echoed throughout the night, making everyone in the vicinity panic.

Meanwhile, the young man standing on the building's rooftop looked at the people running below with a deadpan expression.

This person was, of course, Kyran.

The beast that had roared just now was the Chimera, whom he had already tamed, but he and the rest were still inside the rift.

"Not yet," Kyran told them. "I need to draw them out first."

He turned to look within the rift. His reddish-purple eyes flickered as he looked at the four beasts waiting within.

The silhouettes inside consisted of two familiar beasts, the Chimera, and the Manticore. However, the other two surprised Kyran.

They were the mutated basilisks he had absorbed in the Valley of Morte.