Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 739: Book of Enhancement [4]

My ring…?

For a brief moment, my mind paused as I subconsciously lowered my head to stare at the inconspicuous black ring on my finger. I blinked my eyes slowly before raising my head again and staring at the man before me.

His next words made my face freeze.

“That’s the Ring of Nothingness, correct?”

How…?

How did he know?

“It looks a little different from what I remember, but I’m almost certain that it is.”

His lips pulled into a smile as he looked at me.

“So? Would you mind giving it to me?”

I didn’t reply. Instead, I scanned my surroundings. Captain Albas stood nearby, flanked by the Madhound and another figure I didn’t fully recognize. Despite not knowing them, I could feel a subtle yet powerful pressure emanating from each of them, their earlier fatigue now fading away.

As they began to recover, I noticed several runes shifting and warping across the surface of the man’s book.

‘The book can help them recover, too?’

I started to feel a certain itch.

That book…

I really wanted it for myself.

But before any of that…

Raising my head and looking at the man before me, I could only shake my head.

“Unfortunately, this is my engagement ring. If I were to give it to you, I’d probably not be here today.”

“Is that so?”

The man smiled, seemingly not buying my words.

But I really wasn’t lying…

If I really did give the ring away, I’d probably not be able to live another day.

“…How unfortunate.”

*Hom*

The book in his hands began to glow, and the instant it did, I rushed toward him without hesitation. He was the most dangerous presence here, and I knew I had to do whatever it took to eliminate him.

Swoosh—!

But just as I moved, a sharp prickling crawled across the back of my skin.

I didn’t hesitate to turn my head to see several golden streaks heading my way. Pebble stood up, ready to block the attacks, but right as Pebble began to act, something changed.

The arrows…

They disappeared completely.

“Eh…?”

Both Pebble and I looked on in surprise.

This…

What just happened?

Slowly, my eyes were drawn, almost instinctively, to a figure standing unobtrusively in the corner. He was short, thin, and looked entirely unremarkable. He blended in with the surroundings, and as I looked at him, my heart sped up.

Could it be…?

Swoosh!

Before I could even process what was happening, his gaze locked on me. His hand rose, the space before me warped, and the arrows appeared right before my chest.

“….!?”

I hastily dodged back, but it was too late.

BANG—!

The arrows slammed into my chest, driving me back several steps as I clutched at the impact. A burning pain tore through my mind, but I forced myself to endure it, my gaze fixed on the Madhound and the man with the book.

What in the world just happened?!

In one moment the arrow was before me and in the next moment it wasn’t…

That’s…

I looked at the man, and realization dawned on me.

‘Space Elemental Mage?’

SWOOOSH—!

My thoughts shattered at the sound of a sharp whistle, and I quickly turned my head just in time to see a massive weapon hurtling toward me, followed closely by a large figure.

*Hum*

I moved to react at once, but the moment I did, the man’s book flared with light. Captain Albas’s speed surged, his body swelling larger, and in less than a heartbeat, he was already before me.

I knew it was too late for me to do anything.

Thankfully, Pebble reacted in time, pressing its paw against my shoulder as the gravity around us suddenly intensified. The mana within me drained rapidly, leaving me with just a little less than half remaining.

But it didn’t matter.

The captain’s movements slowed, and I took the chance to open my mouth and mumble, ‘Sadness.’

A blue orb appeared in my vision the moment I spoke.

The captain’s body froze for a split second as I pushed my hand up further.

“Sadness.”

The orb grew further, and the captain’s body started to tremble. Just a little push. A little more…

*Hom*

A humming sound echoed in the midst of my actions.

The book glowed, and the blue orb within the captain’s body started to shrink.

‘Shit!’

I clenched my teeth. Although the blue orb was decreasing, it was still at a far lower rate than the increase. In fact, it was nowhere near the same.

So long as I…

Swoosh, swoosh—!

Golden streaks of light appeared in all directions. I thought about leaving them to Pebble, but…

“Human—!”

Hearing its words, I knew that I had to move away. I wanted to use my domain, but it was impossible.

Glaring at the blue orb glowing on the captain’s body, I didn’t step back. Instead, I pushed forward, picturing a red orb forming in my mind. I fused it with the green orb to create a yellow one, feeling my body swell as raw power surged through me.

Before the captain could even react, I punched towards his abdomen with all my power.

*Hum*

A homming sound echoed yet again, but it was too late.

BANG—!

“Ukh!”

The hit landed, and the captain staggered back, his face turning pale.

I tried to follow up, but stopped when I noticed several arrows appear in front of me again. I clicked my tongue before dashing back.

The arrows dissolved before reaching the ground, and I stopped, chest heaving as I fixed my gaze on everyone before me.

“Haaa …”

Although my mana reserves were still decent, the speed at which they were draining was alarming. My lungs burned as I struggled to draw steady breaths. Looking around me, and particularly at the man with the book, I could feel the situation slipping further and further out of my control.

…And this was even after I managed to eliminate two people.

‘That’s cheating…’

I swallowed silently.

In the end, however, I didn’t panic.

Everything…

It was still flowing in the same way that I had originally expected. Despite the sudden presence of the book, nothing was out of order, and it was this thought that made me calm down as I looked at the small cat nestled over my shoulders.

‘…I’ll be counting on you.’

***

It all happened incredibly fast.

In one moment, Julien was pushed back, and in the next moment, he somehow managed to counterattack and turn the tide. The twins of Ronald had officially been eliminated from the round.

A few seconds after Julien knocked them out, their bodies faded from the space as they were transported to a different area.

The fight picked back up from that point. It was relentless, and although Julien was gradually being forced onto the defensive, no one truly believed he was losing. Somehow, he always managed to slip past the attacks at the last moment, striking back with precise counters of his own.

The fight was at a stalemate.

Neither side was giving an inch.

The crowd watched the entire sequence of events with bated breath.

“…Things are getting quite exciting.”

John muttered while staring at the projection ahead of them. Despite the sudden loss of the twins, he looked rather unbothered. It was almost as if it was of no concern to him that they lost.

No, perhaps it truly didn’t bother him at all…

Aoife’s eyes narrowed as they fixed on the same projection. Her gaze lingered on the young man approaching Julien, calmly saying some words that she couldn’t quite make out due to it being a projection. Even without the words, his calm posture and composed appearance made it clear he wasn’t anyone normal.

‘But who is he?’

Aoife’s eyes narrowed further as she turned her attention towards her brother.

Something about the calmness he exhibited was also unsettling.

‘He’s changed a lot since he was younger.’

Aoife carried a few clear memories of her brother. He neither stood out nor was low-key.

He was just…

There.

In his position, he carried himself with calm composure, fulfilling his duties as one born of royal blood.

And yet, he felt completely different from the way he was in the past.

He was a lot more confident and serene.

What could’ve brought the sudden change? Was this how he usually was, or was there something more that she wasn’t aware of?

Aoife’s lips pressed tightly.

If his change was enough to unsettle her, it was nothing compared to the sight of the book in the man’s hand. Aoife was well acquainted with the seven artifacts of evil. In fact, she had even come across one in the past.

Therefore, she recognized it the moment she caught a glimpse of it.

‘How did he manage to get it? Who gave it to him? Something definitely doesn’t make sense…’

Aoife maintained a calm expression while staring at the projection.

However, as if sensing her inner turmoil, John’s lips pulled into a smile.

“He goes by Cain. That’s the name he told me to use. Apparently, he’s a mercenary. That’s all I know for now. If you want more details, you could try asking Marquis Whilshire. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to share everything he knows.”

“…Oh.”

Aoife subtly nodded her head.

“I’ll make sure to do so later.”

She remained graceful, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but become more wary.

Just what sort of organization was backing her brother?

‘No, is it an organization, or an Empire?’

It wasn’t like Aoife wasn’t aware of the fact that there existed secret organizations. She had encountered a couple of times. However, in this case, she felt that this was more of a meddling coming from another Empire.

‘…I also feel that it could be from the Southern Kasha.’

The Kasha was extremely big. There existed many places that had the capabilities of pulling something like this. Especially with regard to the seven artifacts of evil. The people of the Kasha were people banished from the Empire for many reasons.

One notable reason was their ancestors’ potential involvement with the wielders of the artifacts.

It would also explain the sudden appearance of the book.

‘It’s possible, but I don’t have enough information to tell. However, if it is true, then the situation is quite serious.’

The reason why the Nurs Ancifa Empire had thrived for so long was due to their commitment to not having outside power interfere with their control. Suddenly having a power emerge that was backed up by another power was going to shake the very foundation of what they had built.

She couldn’t let something like this happen.

Not—

“Haha.”

A soft laugh broke Aoife out of her thoughts as she turned her head to see her brother, staring towards the distance with a soft smile as he slowly turned his head to look at her.

“…It seems like the situation has changed.”

As he said those words, Aoife turned her attention towards the projection, and her heart sank.

Oh, no…