Chapter : 726

"Backtracking is very boring," Ken thought casually to himself. He sagged his posture. "We already beat the boss. We explored the rooms. The map is fully discovered. The game should give us a fast travel option. I just want to open my map and teleport to the exit. Walking back through an empty dungeon is a massive waste of time."

They reached the massive, sliding steel doors. The doors were bent and broken. They squeezed through the gap. They stepped back into the main computer laboratory.

This room was an disaster zone. The 4th Prince had smashed every single computer terminal. Sparks flew from broken wires. Puddles of glowing green liquid covered the floor. The giant sludge monster was gone. The holy magic turned the beast into harmless gray dust. The dust coated the white tiles.

The red emergency lights still flashed on the ceiling. The loud sirens had finally stopped. The room was eerily quiet.

Suddenly, a loud noise echoed from the far hallway.

CRASH.

A large pile of concrete rubble exploded outward. White dust plumed into the air. Heavy boots stomped loudly on the broken floorboards.

The 13th Unit stopped walking instantly. They raised their weapons. Naomi gripped her silver daggers. Princess Iris held her rapier. Laxmi summoned a bright orange fireball. Zinia raised her large fists. They expected another monster. They expected a group of armed security guards.

A tall, muscular figure stepped through the dust cloud.

It was the 4th Prince, Ares Belmontia.

Ares did not look like a neat, elegant royal. He looked like a complete mess. His rugged combat trousers were torn. His bare muscular torso was covered in dirt, sweat, and dark green monster blood. His spiky red hair was wild. His face had a small, fresh scratch on the cheek.

His Vanguard unit walked closely behind him. The massive fighters carried their giant axes and broadswords. They also looked dirty and tired. They had clearly spent the last hour smashing everything in their path.

Ares stopped walking. He looked at the 13th Unit. He cracked his neck loudly. Pop. Pop. He smiled a massive, arrogant smile.

"Well, look who is still here," Ares roared loudly. His booming voice echoed in the empty laboratory. "I thought you nerds ran back to the surface. You missed all the fun. I smashed thirty security guards. I broke four giant mutant dogs. The entire back sector is ruined."

Princess Iris did not lower her silver rapier. She looked at her older brother. Her violet eyes were stern.

"We did not run away, Ares," Princess Iris stated smoothly. "We stayed behind to complete the Emperor's secondary objective. We conducted an actual investigation. We did not just break things blindly."

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Ares scoffed loudly. He crossed his scarred arms over his chest. He looked at the broken computers around him.

"Investigations are for weak politicians," Ares mocked. He showed his teeth in a confident grin. "I solve problems with my fists. I destroyed their entire operation. I smashed their toys. The traitor will have nothing left to use."

"You almost destroyed the evidence," Sayma corrected politely. She pushed her glasses up. She held her digital tool tightly. "If you smashed the hidden server, we would never know their true plan. Your reckless behavior is statistically dangerous."

Ares glared at the Vice-Captain. His green eyes narrowed into sharp slits. He did not like servants talking back to him. He took a slow, heavy step forward.

"Watch your mouth, bookworm," Ares warned coldly. "I can smash your little computer tool right now."

Naomi instantly stepped in front of Sayma. She spun her twin silver daggers. She glared right back at the 4th Prince. She was not scared of his muscles.

"Do not threaten her," Naomi shouted fiercely. "She is much smarter than you. She actually found the missing artifact. You just found broken rocks."

Ares stopped moving. He blinked in surprise. His arrogant smile faded slightly. He dropped his arms. He looked at Naomi. Then he looked at Princess Iris.

"You found the Ode to a Black Phoenix?" Ares asked. His voice sounded genuinely curious. "Where is it? Did you hide it in your pockets? Give it to me. I want to smash it."

"We do not have the physical artifact," Princess Iris answered smoothly. She lowered her rapier just a tiny bit. "But we found the digital records. We know who stole it. We know where it went. And we know what they plan to do with it."

Ares tilted his head. He looked very interested. He loved tracking down enemies. He loved finding new targets to punch.

"Tell me," Ares demanded loudly. "Who took the shiny rock? Where did they go?"

Sayma looked at Princess Iris. Iris gave a small, confirming nod. They needed to share the information. The Emperor's command applied to all the Royal units. They could not keep it a complete secret.

Sayma opened her notebook. She clicked her silver pen. She looked directly at the muscular Prince.

"The theft was orchestrated by a highly dangerous extremist faction," Sayma reported politely. Her voice was very clear. "They are an ancient cult. They are the Black Magicians."

Ares froze .

He stood perfectly still. He did not crack his knuckles. He did not smile an arrogant smile. He did not mock them. The atmosphere in the ruined laboratory changed instantly. The air grew very cold.

Ares stared at Sayma. He processed the name. The name hit him like a physical blow.

Ken Eliot sat down on a piece of broken concrete in the back. He slouched his shoulders. He pulled out a gummy ring. He tossed it into his mouth. He watched the 4th Prince.

"This is a massive character shift," Ken analyzed casually in his mind. He chewed his candy. "The loud, arrogant rival just went silent. He stopped making jokes. He stopped flexing his muscles. This means we just hit a very sensitive backstory trigger. The Black Magicians are definitely tied to his personal lore. I bet we are going to get a dramatic flashback sequence right now. I should get more snacks ready."

Ares did not speak for a long moment. His Vanguard unit behind him also went silent. They knew their leader very well. They knew this specific name was a massive trigger.

Ares slowly uncrossed his arms. His face changed . The bloodthirsty joy vanished. The arrogant pride vanished.

His expression turned into a mask of pure, unadulterated anger. His green eyes turned cold. They looked like freezing ice. A very dark, dangerous aura radiated from his muscular body.

"The Black Magicians," Ares whispered softly. His voice sounded terrifying. It was not loud. It was deadly quiet.

Princess Iris noticed the sudden shift. She gripped her rapier tighter. She felt the massive drop in temperature. She did not know why he reacted this way.

"Yes," Sayma confirmed nervously. She pushed her glasses up. "The Black Magicians stole the artifact. They took it to the desert city of Albino. They plan to use the artifact to open a permanent gate to the Netherworld. They want to release the Black Soul Sovereign."