Chapter 226: Lord Barcas, Everything is Going According to Plan!

Norvigel, suburbs.

Deep within an elegantly designed noble manor, heavy velvet curtains blocked out the bright afternoon sun, and the scent of expensive incense floated in the air.

The demon commander, Shadowhide—who had perfectly disguised himself as a leisurely noble—was flipping through a collection of complex and trivial city intelligence reported by members of the Squirrel Party.

Suddenly, his fingertips paused as a magic item in the room emitted a faint mana fluctuation, a summons from the far north.

Shadowhide immediately stood up with a serious expression, waving away several servants nearby before vanishing silently from the spot.

The next moment, his figure appeared in a secret room in the deepest part of the manor.

With a flicker of a faint blue glow, a figure seated on a main throne within a castle appeared before his eyes.

It was the magic projection of Barcas, the supreme commander of the demon resistance.

Shadowhide immediately dropped to his right knee, his head bowed low. "Lord Barcas."

"Rise," the voice from the projection said, calm and easygoing.

Barcas seemed to sweep his gaze casually over his subordinate, but those eyes were so deep they seemed capable of seeing through everything and staring directly into one's essence.

"Shadowhide, how is the progress of the plan for the mission I assigned to you in Norvigel?"

Shadowhide maintained a respectful posture, but his tone was filled with composure and confidence.

"Rest assured, my Lord, everything is going according to plan!"

"That is good," Barcas nodded slightly. "Continue to maintain contact with Valger from the mutual aid association. At the same time, you must ensure that the upstream channels for the crimson marrowstone remain open. The quantity we need to purchase this time... will be enormous."

Realizing the scene that was likely about to unfold in Norvigel, Shadowhide couldn't help but feel excited.

He immediately responded, "Valger reports to me every time his research reaches a milestone. I will continue to urge him on. Furthermore, the supplier for the main upstream channel of the crimson marrowstone has already agreed to meet with me in person this week."

Barcas's expression remained as still as a deep pool, but a faint, imperceptible trace of satisfaction flickered in the depths of his eyes.

It was indeed very good; his plan was advancing in an orderly fashion.

More importantly, since he had personally taken over and guided all the Squirrel Party's affairs, all actions had been perfectly hidden beneath the surface, without stirring even a single unnecessary ripple in Norvigel.

He briefly praised his capable subordinate.

Shadowhide timely displayed a look of humility mixed with gratitude, his heart filled with even more anticipation.

Once this plan—which was vital to Lord Barcas and the entire demon cause—was completed, his status would surely skyrocket! He would certainly receive even more of the Lord's favor in the future.

The entire plan was indeed practically perfect.

In fact, the resistance had noticed this so-called 'Northern Magic Mutual Aid Association' a long time ago. Their initial contact was merely intended to incite these desperate, bottom-tier mages to rebel against the Empire and cause some chaos and bloodshed.

But Lord Barcas's vision was terrifyingly sharp; he had keenly discovered Valger's potential.

This unremarkable middle-aged mage actually possessed startling attainments in efficient evocation and magic formulas. The structures he designed could cause powerful destructive force far exceeding ordinary explosion magic.

Coincidentally, at that time, the resistance had obtained a special magic mineral of terrifying power through secret channels. Combined with the magic formulas designed by Valger, it would surely exert a horrifying power far beyond imagination.

Thus, the two parties reached an immediate agreement: the Lord, as a mysterious benefactor, would commission and fully sponsor Valger to develop magic weapons matching the properties of the crimson marrowstone.

The Lord's initial plan was to use these magic weapons to create a large enough scale of chaos within the city while coordinating with the demon army and other allies already lurking in the northern snowfields to capture this strategic stronghold choking the northern defense line in one fell swoop.

Once the gateway to the north was opened, the Empire's northern territories would surely fall into long-term war and turmoil.

However... as Valger's research continued to progress, and given the nearly inexhaustible supply of crimson marrowstone from the upstream channel... a fact that even Lord Barcas found somewhat startling gradually emerged—

The power of this thing... seemed to far exceed the scope of 'creating chaos.'

If they could obtain a sufficient quantity of crimson marrowstone and supplement it with Valger's optimized explosion formulas... perhaps there would be no need to plan any complex coordination at all.

A single detonation would be enough to completely wipe this northern stronghold off the map.

After reviewing every step of the plan with his subordinate once more, Barcas's projection gradually faded.

He gave one final instruction: "Remember, all actions must be as low-profile and hidden as a shadow. We must not be discovered by Imperial officials before the deed is done."

"You can rest assured!" Shadowhide promised in a deep voice.

Those participating in the key stages this time were all the most skilled at concealment and disguise among the demons.

Whether it was contacting the obscure 'Northern Magic Mutual Aid Association' or transporting the deadly magic minerals under the guise of 'Safe Magic Crystal No. 1,' no faction had detected them thus far.

"Very well."

Barcas nodded with satisfaction, and then the magic projection slowly vanished into the air.

Shadowhide stood still for a moment before slowly turning around and returning to his study to finish carefully reading through the complex intelligence summarized by the Squirrel Party.

Time passed quietly.

Shadowhide looked up from his contemplation and instinctively called out toward the door, ordering a servant to prepare a carriage.

However, a moment later, the only response was silence.

Shadowhide instinctively frowned.

His first reaction was annoyance, but in the next instant, he suddenly realized something was wrong...

It was too quiet.

A dense aura of darkness gathered in his palm, turning into a pitch-black shadow blade with edges that constantly writhed as Shadowhide slowly stood up.

Just then—

Two mountain-like surges of mana pressed down from above his head without warning. Shadowhide's skeletal joints let out a faint, overwhelmed creaking sound, and every movement became incredibly difficult and sluggish.

High-tier gravity magic!

Shadowhide's pupils constricted. In a life-or-death moment, the shadow mana within his body surged frantically.

His body began to twist as if he were about to turn into a puddle of black sludge with no fixed form and seep into the shadows on the ground—this was the shadow magic he excelled at most.

However, the opponent seemed to have anticipated his reaction long ago...

"Thinking of escaping?"

A grim, cold laugh rang out. Elder Barnes and Elder Matthew appeared soundlessly in the corridor. Their hands were held out, palms down, as the invisible, terrifying gravity locked Shadowhide and the space around him in place.

The next second.

A figure violently kicked open the closed door of the study. Amidst flying wood chips, the former demon hunter Danielle stepped inside, gripping a cross-shaped longsword.

She did not pause for a moment. The instant she burst in, she had already gripped the sword with both hands and raised it over her head. A blinding, blazing holy light suddenly erupted from the blade.

It was a thunderous strike that possessed absolute suppression and deterrence against all demons and dark creatures.

【Divine Smite】

The blinding holy light swallowed Shadowhide's terrified, wide eyes, and this unreasonable slash also turned his body into a mangled, charred corpse.

"Hmm... the coordination wasn't bad."

Elder Barnes slowly walked into the room, looking down to inspect the broken, charred corpse.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Danielle. This former chief demon hunter of the Church was still as ruthless and decisive as ever when she made her move.

The holy light on Danielle's sword slowly faded. She stepped forward and poked through the charred remains with the tip of her sword, picking out half of a mangled head.

"Uh... do we still need to take this back to report in?"

She crouched down, checking the assassination list in her hand, her tone calm:

"Demon resistance, temporary commander of the Norvigel branch, one of Barcas's confidants, code name 'Shadowhide.' Disguised identity: Sir Leslie, master of Oak Manor. Specialized magic: shadow manipulation, Shadow Stealth, disguise techniques..."

"It really is thanks to Ansu's information." Danielle gave a light laugh. "The list even clearly marked what magic he's good at. This file is truly horrifyingly accurate..."

Precisely because she knew the opponent was skilled in shadow magic, she hadn't wanted to waste time and started with 【Divine Smite】.

It was a clean and efficient 'assassination.'

The two elders began to skillfully clean up the traces remaining at the scene. Afterward, the three of them looked over the "assassination list" provided by Ansu.

"Time for the next one."

Throughout the entire day, in different corners of Norvigel, similar scenes played out one after another.

In the Old Western District, deep within the slums, was a noisy underground casino.

A demihuman man with fine scales on his neck clutched the shocking blood hole in his left chest. He staggered two steps and collapsed with a thud.

Crimson blood gushed out, and the sight immediately triggered a wave of terror and panic.

Several hairy, burly demihuman bodyguards immediately rushed over with firearms, only to find the casino owner already dead on the floor, his breath gone.

As for the perpetrators—three cult executors—they had already vanished into the maze-like streets of the slums along with the chaotic crowd, leaving no trace behind.

「Demon resistance outer organization—Squirrel Party, Norvigel West District intelligence chief, John Plant.」

「Deceased.」

At a blacksmith shop in the north of the city, the rhythmic clanging of hammers rang out.

Three men wearing ordinary work clothes, their faces covered in dust and sweat, walked into the shop, seemingly looking casually at the various swords and tools hanging on the walls.

Two workers stepped forward to chat. The dwarven shop owner looked up, scanned them impatiently, and continued his work.

Meanwhile, the other worker quietly closed the shop door and gently flipped the 'Open' sign...

About ten minutes later, an unusually violent burning sound, mixed with crackling and popping, came from the furnace.

A faint scorched smell, different from coal or wood, wafted out.

「Demon resistance outer organization—Squirrel Party, quartermaster and weapon supply node, Gronn Hammer.」

「Deceased.」

In the south of the city, there was the backyard of a shop that ostensibly sold high-end spices but was actually a secret hideout for the Squirrel Party.

At this moment, corpses lay everywhere, the thick smell of blood mixing with the scent of spices to form a bizarre odor.

Three cult elders stood quietly in the courtyard, their cold gazes scanning the surroundings. After prioritizing the assassination of the manager here, they had conveniently slaughtered everyone in the entire hideout.

After the demon's corpse was dragged out, one elder raised his hand, and a mass of corrosive magic churning with a dark green spectral light surged from his palm.

Before long, the demon's corpse dissolved rapidly, leaving only a patch of foul-smelling slime on the ground.

The three elders exchanged looks, their expressions somewhat subtle because they had never executed such a strange and easy assassination mission.

Performing an 'assassination' with the information provided by Ansu, which was as detailed as a personal file, was simply too easy. The three of them knew the targets' specialized magic and weaknesses, and thus they had formulated meticulous hunting plans... from the start, this had been a one-sided massacre.

"Let's go." The leading elder withdrew his gaze. "Next."

"Mhm."

The three figures quietly dissipated, and the shop's backyard returned to silence.

「Demon resistance—Headquarters, South City intelligence node leader, code name: Shadowcorrode.」

「South City intelligence node, all members.」

「Deceased.」

...

While an assassination craze was sweeping across the entire city.

Ansu also had a difficult task on his end.

Late at night, in a high-end restaurant in the center of the city.

In a quiet corner by the window, Vera propped up her small head with one hand, her eyelids drooping as if they were weighted with lead, her whole being drowsy.

Meanwhile, Freya looked out at the night view of the window one moment and then turned her gaze back to Ansu the next, seemingly not finding this long wait dull or boring at all.

"Sister Freya... aren't you sleepy?"

Vera rubbed her eyes. She had been running around with her big brother all day, and by nighttime, her energy was truly starting to fail.

Freya shook her head slightly, her pink hair trembling with the movement.

She was more than happy to be able to execute a mission with Lord Ansu, so how could she feel sleepy?

Vera propped up her chin and struggled to keep her eyes open, glancing at Ansu across from her. "By the way... Brother, your sting operation hasn't been exposed, has it? Why hasn't the suspect from the upstream channel arrived yet..."

Ansu continued to look out at the scattered carriages and pedestrians on the street outside the window.

"They shouldn't have. I'm the most familiar with this trick..."

They needed patience.