Chapter 85: Order of the Dark Dawn

The O.D.D were a global terrorist organization that emerged just a few years after the discovery of mana cells. But they comprised entirely of humans without mana cells. They viewed magic and abilities as a genetic impurity, a plague that needed to be eradicated. They operated in total secrecy, and were based somewhere that was entirely off the map; untraceable and impossible to find, emerging only to execute mass murders of awakened humans or cause some sort of commotion and disruption in the magical society. The global leaders along with Triad have been trying to stop them for decades now, but the organization have proven to be very difficult to defeat over the years. They were incredibly fierce and formidable, even though they had no abilities.

And now, they were right here in the museum.

The leader was a tall, lean man with a scarred jaw and eyes like flint. He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the unconscious guards scattered across the floor before settling on Xavier with cold recognition.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" He chuckled, his voice dripping with contempt. "The legendary S-Rank mage, Xavier Marshal. I didn't expect to find you here today."

Xavier gritted his teeth, forcing himself to his feet. His body trembled with the effort, his muscles screaming in protest. "Dark Dawn,"he seethed.

"Yes, indeed." The leader's smile widened. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Agent Matthew, and these are my colleagues. And we are the children of the light."

The other five agents fanned out, forming a loose semicircle around Xavier and Scar. Their weapons were raised, their movements synchronized and deliberate.

Matthew gestured toward the unconscious guards. "I believe you must have noticed the sudden… loss of your strength," he chuckled darkly. "You see, the wave you felt earlier was actually a suppression beam, one designed to temporarily deactivate mana cells."

Xavier eyes widened slightly.

Scar furrowed his brows, humming to himself. That explains why I wasn't affected, he thought.

"It's quite unsettling, isn't it?" Matthew continued, laughing diabolically. "A device that can take away your power. Take away the only advantage you have." He turned back to Xavier. "Not so big and strong anymore, are we?"

Xavier clenched his fist in rage, cursing under his breath.

Matthew eyes finally landed on Scar. And for a brief moment, his expression broke into confusion. Scar hadn't collapsed. He hadn't been weakened or paralyzed. Out of everyone struck by the beam, he was the only one still standing straight.

Matthew was baffled. He tilted his head, staring deeply at Scar with an irritated interest.

Why isn't that one squirming on the ground like the others? he thought.

Scar said nothing. He simply held the man's gaze, waiting to see what he would do.

But just then, Xavier suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Go," he grunted.

Scar looked down at his hand, raising a brow. "What?"

"Get out of here." Xavier said sharply, his muscles trembling as he looked back at Scar. "Run. Save yourself. I'll buy you time."

Scar stood perfectly still. "I can't."

"You have to!" Xavier insisted, his voice strained as the ODD agents advanced. "Get out before your cells are completely deactivated!" If only he knew Scar didn't have a single mana cell in his body. He looked at Scar, basically pleading with him to run away. "Come on, kid. You have to leave, now. If anything happened to you, Felicity would never forgive me."

Scar frowned. "Quit being pathetic, old man. I can handle myself," he muttered before glancing at the O.D.D agents one by one. "Besides, if I leave, who's gonna watch your back."

Xavier's jaw tightened. But before he could retort, Matthew turned to one of his agents—a lean, wiry man with blue eyes. "Agent Kael. Go. Find the artifact."

The man nodded, broke away from the squad, and sprinted toward the far end of the hall, disappearing down a side corridor into the restricted sections of the museum.

Xavier's eyes narrowed, turning his to face the Dark Dawn leader. "What artifact?"

Matthew looked back at him, his expression cold. "That is none of your concern," he spat. "See, we came here for a specific purpose, and we will achieve it." He paused, a cruel smile spreading across his face. "But perhaps we'll add one more thing to the list."

"What?" Xavier growled.

"Kill an S-Rank mage." Matthew's eyes glinted with sadistic pleasure. "Your reputation precedes you, Xavier. The man who fought in the Mutant Attack. The man who lost everything and still stood tall. It would be a great honor to add your name to our list of victims."

Xavier's fists clenched, his expression darkening. "You'll die before you get the chance."

"Will I?" Matthew laughed, the sound echoing through the hall. "Right now, you are but an ordinary man. You are weak, powerless, and barely able to stand. What exactly are you going to do? Growl at me?"

Xavier didn't say anything. He simply stepped forward, took a combat stance, and motioned for the agents to come at him.

Scar watched in complete awe. There was no way Xavier could win this fight. Not like this. His abilities had been suppressed, he had been weakened, and his physical strength was rapidly deteriorating. The man who had casually fought magical beasts with his bare hands had been reduced to something close to an ordinary human.

And yet, he was still willing to stand between Scar and five armed terrorists.

Dammit, old man, Scar clicked his tongue, suddenly feeling the urge to act.

Just then, one of the O.D.D agents—a bulky man with a tattooed face and a serrated combat knife in his hand—stepped forward. He twirled the knife, its blade gleaming under the dim lights. "Let's see how tough you are without your super strength."

Then, he lunged at Xavier.

He closed the distance in a heartbeat, the knife slashing toward Xavier's throat. Xavier, despite his weakened state, twisted his body to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade. He drove his elbow into the man's ribs, but the strike was weak. The bulky man laughed and backhanded him across the face, causing him to stumble the side.

But Xavier wasn't going to give in yet. He recovered quickly, stood up straight, and charged. Two more agents moved in and intercepted him, swinging the butts of their plasma rifles with brutal force. Xavier blocked the first strike, but the second caught him in the face, sending him crashing into a display case. He crumpled to the floor, blood trickling down his temple.

"Pathetic," Matthew sneered. "How the mighty have fallen." He chuckled. Then he gave a subtle nod to the bulky man. "Finish it."

The bulky man grinned. "With pleasure,"

Scar watched from the corner, his blood running cold. He could see the desperation in Xavier's eyes, the knowledge that he was about to die.

The bulky man turned toward Xavier, raising his knife high. "End of the line, Marshal." He whispered, before bringing the knife down on Xavier's neck.

But before the blade could make contact with Xavier's skin….

[Accelerated Perception Activated]

[-5 Ep]