Legacy of the Dark Sage

It was not that Kyran did not have a sense of urgency, like how the female spirit put it. He even had a track record of being reckless in the past because of his seemingly impromptu decisions. But while that was all in the past, and he had gotten better at weighing the situation and prioritizing what needed to be prioritized, his ‘sense of urgency’ was definitely still there.

The only reason it appeared he was not in a hurry was that he was looking for a better approach to resolve the situation in the castle before anything else. Because if he decided to retreat and allow the automatons and Mo and his group of Legendary-level Knights to regroup and be left at their own devices, he would end up losing control over the whole situation.action

Kyran deemed that dealing with the gigantic automaton and Mo and his group was the first priority. Next would be strengthening the sealing formation at the Military District to keep those knights inside. Finally, Malek’s side could still be considered the least priority.

But this prioritization could only be applicable based on Armakea’s situation. If Kyran considered the bigger picture, then the least priority would become his first.

Why?

Because it involved the Macabre Glacier.

Kyran’s reddish purple eyes flashed with a blinding light as he summoned a massive purple disc that covered the whole lowest level of the castle’s underground section.

The castle’s main Array Formation crackled and rumbled as the enormous magic energy from the purple disc clashed with it. Sending ripples of magic energy waves in every direction.

Mo and the Legendary-level Knights, who sensed those ripples of magic energy waves, felt their skin crawl and their insides churn from the intensity.

The gigantic automaton let out a metallic cry, its frustration resounding throughout the underground after it realized that it could not properly control the castle’s Array Formation. All because the purple disc’s magic energy overwhelmed it.

No. That was not exactly correct.

The purple disc’s magic energy not only overwhelmed the Array Formation’s energy but also absorbed it, seeing how the latter continued to flicker uncontrollably while the former’s influence increased.

Armak and Breira, witnessing the whole ordeal, were rendered speechless. Even the automatons that Kyran acquired looked on the massive purple disc in complete awe. It was hard to tell because their face was completely made of metal. However, the flickering of their energy cores, as well as the light in their eyes, were proof of their veneration.

The female spirit was also speechless. Unlike the others, however, her speechlessness was more with her being frightened out of her wits. She suddenly felt regretful for acting impertinent just now.

To think that she forgot who this man she was on was!

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! CRACKLE!

The castle’s Array Formation shattered as a blinding light erupted from within the massive purple disc.

In the blink of an eye, everyone within its range, complete beings, spirit— automatons alike, vanished without a trace.

BOOOM!

Above ground, the Armakea castle collapsed as the ground it was built on caved in.

A distance from the castle, where the Residential District was located, the residents were all shocked at the scene of the collapsing castle. Never in their wildest dream had they considered a day would come when they would witness its destruction.

But the castle’s fall was the least of their worries. After the castle’s destruction, aftershock resounded, sending the whole Larkring to quake uncontrollably.

Filren, who led the other knights that Kyran initially imprisoned in his Void Domain to safety, immediately went to the Residential District, wanting to lead the civilians out of the city. However, with the fierce shaking of the ground, some of the establishments had started to collapse.

For the first time, the Armakeans living in Larkring experienced what it felt like to panic.

lightsΝοvel Noir, Sigma, and the others, who were still engaged in a fight with a few loose knights, were forced to a stop as they also heard the explosion.

Compared to the Residential District, the Military District was closer, which was why they witnessed the collapse of the Armakea castle. Afterward, the aftershock sent all of them reeling, with a few of them falling directly to their knees.

The knights inside the Military District all had a grave expression, realizing how fast the situation had gone from bad to severe. Though they did not believe the collapse of the castle was the end, this meant the rebels had the upper hand.

Fortunately, they could still sense that King Aran was still alive. If not, the pact they had would have long disappeared.

While the castle’s destruction seemed to signify their dire situation, those with higher-level knights saw it as a chance. It was ironic, but because of the aftershock, the sealing formation started showing signs of collapse.

Just as they were thinking about this, a large purple disc appeared right underneath the Military District, covering its entire perimeter.

Upon seeing the disc, Noir and Sigma felt their hearts tightened, both in anticipation and fear. They felt anticipation because they knew who summoned that purple disc and what it entails, but they also felt fear because this scenario was not part of the plan.

If Kyran was forced to use his magic, did that mean something bad had happened?

Recalling how the miniature array and the sealing formation had shown signs of weakening earlier, Noir and Sigma felt that this was likely the case.

In the end, the two could only reign in their fear as they were engulfed by a blinding light.

The Royal Family members, along with their Elders, had been underground, traversing the escape route built in case of emergency when the aftershock happened. The whole route shook, threatening to collapse at any moment.

Immediately, the Elder possessing the golden bell summoned his Divine Armament and created a barrier. Since the size of the barrier he could create was limited, all members and the rest of the Elders had to huddle tightly together.

After what appeared to be hours, but actually only a few minutes, the trembling slowed down. However, before it died down completely, a blinding light filled their surroundings. After which, all of them felt their body starting to call.

The Royal Family members and the Elders wanted to scream, yet no sound seemed to come out of their mouths. Could it be that the blinding light just now came from a powerful magic spell, which killed them off in an instant?

Thoughts along this question flashed through their minds as a feeling of denial filled their hearts.

In the end, they could not even entertain that feeling as their feet landed on solid ground, and the blinding light was replaced by darkness.

The sudden change completely left them disoriented as they failed to adjust their vision. Apart from this, they soon realized that the darkness in their surroundings was unnatural. Not that it was created artificially, but more with the fact that the darkness not only impeded their eyes but also the rest of their senses.

Some of them tried to shout. But no sound came out. They also tried to stretch out their hands, wanting to grab hold of the person close to them. However, they soon realized they could not even feel the motion of lifting their arms— not even their legs.

Soon, their sense of direction also disappeared, with them not knowing where was front and back or up and down.

Fear and panic crept into their hearts as despair filled their core.

Somewhere amidst the darkness, someone was experiencing something different. After all, darkness was something she was accustomed to. But while she was unafraid of it, the lack of lights caused her heart to waver ever so slightly.

This person was none other than Cyneah, and, like the rest that were present in the secret underground shelter of the Royal Family, they were all trapped in darkness.

Unlike the Royal Family members and their Elders, though, they had been trapped in that darkness far longer.

How did it happen?

It happened a few minutes after Ruin showed up in the underground shelter.

At that time, Malek had already lost the assistance of the miniature array and could no longer replenish his magic energy by himself. Like the rest, he was left with no choice but to rely on Cyneah’s blessings.

Due to Malek’s massive demand for magic energy, Cyneah’s magic energy reserves— or, it was better to say— the Macabre Glacier’s reserves started showing signs of insufficiency.

Flos noticed this and grabbed this chance to overwhelm their side with his plant summons. However, with Eikin and Jita around, who did not seem to be relying on Cyneah’s blessings, Flos could not gain the upper hand.

But then, the stalemate made a sudden shift when Flos’s most trusted deputy appeared.

Obstruction.

Seeing how Eikin and Jita were thorns in Flos’s side, Obstruction sealed them.

Obstruction’s move was similar to what he did to Nolan, where he ended up stuck in a space he could not get out of, resulting in a few Sovereigns descending into the Human plane.

Following this, Flos made easy work on the rest of the complete beings, leaving only a few, including Malek, Nahir, and Cyneah, behind.

When Malek was about to sacrifice himself to send Cyneah and Nahir away, Ruin appeared.

With Ruin’s appearance, the situation went out of control.

Ultimately, to avoid Ruin’s strange magic, Obstruction summoned his domain, sending everyone into the abyss of despair.

Before Obstruction summoned his domain, Cyneah decisively used the token Kyran gave her and finally called him.

Unfortunately, when Kyran arrived in the underground shelter, he found no one there.