The Mysterious Black Magician

Rea was flabbergasted when Crimson asked her that he wanted to enter her painting for a brief moment.

She was skeptical of his request, though she agreed when she saw his gaze.

In her painting, the time zone was different from the real world.

The Rabbitman kid was staring at the painting with question marks floating above his head, wondering what it was. Especially when the big brother goes inside it. "Big sis, where's big brother go? Please let's hurry! That person… he's going to kill my sister," panicked the kid, which she understood.

Rea placed her dainty hand on top of his head and whispered, "He will come back in a moment, don't worry, we are going to save your sister," said Rea but bit her lips after. As she too was anxiously waiting for Crimson to comeback.

She tried herself to sound normal to not worry the kid further, but it only took half of his worry as the frown on his face was still there.

Rea created a small version of the painting they used in the competition.

Just a few seconds had passed when Yman came out of it after he entered. It was enough time to beat himself. (Lol)

"Dang it, that almost killed me many times," he whined after coming out of the painting. Rea showed a puzzled face. She wondered what he did inside for him to whine like that.

In truth, he had to suffer a self-creation tribulation to satisfy the need for preparation of activating his Black Miasma and Skill Modifying ability!

Aside from him looking a little exhausted, she could not figure any changes from him. She could spy on him inside her painting but she did not do it. He strongly warned her that he would be doing some private matter.

She wondered if he went inside to poop. Did this man's cunningness go over heaven and now even her dimensional world was being used as his convenient toilet?! She wanted to cry at the thought. And what made him whine like that? Perhaps, he was fighting a big poop? Rea blinks her beautiful eyes many times before she decides to kick the thought out of her mind.

Considering that she was a princess, It was inappropriate for her to think of such a thing! With a slight redness on her face, she opened her mouth but stopped when Crimson took something from his storage. 

High in the air,

The scout bee that he let loose a while ago was hovering above and was perceiving several presences below. All of it was being transmitted to him.

Through his scout bird's shared vision, he saw some people battling silently around the corner of the Back River.

'Hmm, I see,' Yman finally understood. They must be a secret group of high-level experts sent to secretly monitor the area. Or perhaps, to guard her?' He thought as he glanced at Rea. Yman wasn't sure about it, but he was sure about one thing. That they were not their enemies.

Not far from them.

The second scout bee was following another group of people. But the link was cut when one of those people detected it.

From the back of a burly man, wearing green leather armor. A sharp greenish ray of light took a form like a giant needle. After the man pointed his index and middle fingers towards the fluttering bee, the giant needle shot and pierced the bee in an instance.

Yman frowned. 'This person is truly a high-level expert!' He thought. But he didn't feel any bad intent from them. So he didn't give much care about it.

In any case, it was a big discovery for him that a person of such caliber could perceive the tiny oscillation of mana on his Enhance Fire Doll. He must be careful next time.

"What was that, Captain?" Precarious asked.

"I don't know, but I felt a slight mana fluctuation from it."

"Eh, that's weird."

"Regardless, how are the others? Did they successfully secure the place?" Captain Bbear asked.

"Captain, I received a report, they are currently engaging with the enemies!" One of his men shouted.

"What? How did—"

"Looks like one of the enemies is an experienced scout!"

"Hmm, I see, let's hurry!"

"Yes, Captain!" 

(Woosh woosh woosh…!)

Everyone increased their speed as they crossed the street with a huge single leap towards the opposite roof. 

Some people below glanced above them but most of them only saw some shadows in a brief moment. Then they returned their attention to what they were initially doing.

"Let's begin."

Rea and the kid were puzzled about what he meant. But after whispering those lines. She realized that her initial thought was wrong.

Because from out of thin air, seemingly from his dimensional storage, a creature came out. A bug, or an ant with a pair of wings. It has the size as big as the scout bee. It has unique colors of black and lines of crimson across its bulging stomach. Even its antennas are crimson in colors. 

"Version 2 Ant-model, hehe," he grinned as he said it. After witnessing what the high-level expert did to his scout bee, he came to decide to choose this one.

Rea and the kid turned their eyes to dots.

She already knew that it was he who made those black creatures that seemingly looked like summoned Spirit Beast. But seeing one in person, Rea could not help wondering how this thing was made!? Miss Cinde only explained that it was made by mana, Mana Coating, and other abilities. Anything aside from that, only this person could explain.

He noticed the agape of the girl beside her. "What?" He asked.

"N-Nothing…" she wanted to ask him to teach her. But there's a more important issue they needed to settle first.

After letting the Version 2 Ant-model, it flapped its transparent black wings and flew unhurriedly towards the direction of the Back River ahead of them. They saw it turn right when it reached the corner. 

"Let's go…" Yman urged them. The group then chased after it.

At the riverbank, a person was sitting in front of a tied Rabbitman girl kid. Unaware of what was happening around him. He was sharpening his curvaceous sword using an unknown stone.

In front, the kid was lying on the dirty pavements, wriggling her petite figure to get rid of the rope. But her struggle was in vain. She doesn't have the strength to get rid of it. She couldn't even scream as her mouth was covered by a piece of cloth.

The hostage-taker was staring at her with a grin.

"You lass just stay obedient. Well, I don't care. Go on, struggle more. You idiot."

Kekeke! He laughed at other's demise.

At this moment, his ears picked a flapping sound of wings. But based on the sound, it must be coming from an insect.

He glanced at the left-front of him to where he passed by a while ago. There, a small figure of an insect was fluttering towards his direction. 'A bee?' His thoughts.

'Wait, what kind of bee is that?' He thought again after realizing that the bee had a different figure than the bee he initially thought.

(Woosh woosh woosh…!) It continued flying until it reached the distance at which he could reach it at hand.

"Sho, sho!" He tried to drive it away by waving his hand to it.

But the insect just evaded his hand and did not fly away.

"Eh?!" 

"Is this little thing showed mana fluctuation?" He muttered upon noticing slight mana from it. It was easy to figure it out. After all, he was already a Star-2 Real Path Expert.

"Damn it!" The guy felt annoyed and used his sword.

The sword made a gleam in an instance when it cut the insect in half.

But, after he cut it, black smoke exploded.

"Cough cough cough…! The heck was that?!" He whined. Then he noticed his vision swirled a little.

He used his forearm to brush it. Then he blinked his eyes to clear his vision. After it was convenient enough, he looked in front and his eyes instantly shut open when saw a person in shining silver armor rushing towards him!

No! He was already in front of him! "Damn it! Who's this man!?" Without a warning, he lifted his sword and made a horizontal slash from down left to the upper right of the person. The figure was cut horizontally.

But he grimaced. Because he could not feel a cutting sensation from his hand. It was like he was just cutting an empty air.

Right.

After the figure was cut, it slowly faded away like a mirage.

Then his killer instinct screamed for danger from his back.

But after he turned around, there was no one on his back.

'Weird,' he thought.

A moment later, a cold sensation was felt by his arms. It seemed like a cold wind brushed on it.

He further grimaced when blood-spattered and gushed out like fountains. On top of that, he could not feel his arms anymore. Then he saw them flying away from his body.

GUAAAAAAHAAHHHHHH!!!

He screamed.

After the Black Miasma invaded his body, Yman rushed forward without wasting time. It altered the enemy's DatS and erase his presence from his enemy's vision. 

Actually, before rushing, he drank a small bottle of Strength and Speed Booster Elixir. The enemy was more level ahead of him. He could not assume that he was stronger just because his Attributes were higher than his peers. 

Yman knew that it would last for a few seconds only, so he immediately leaped forward using his fastest speed.

Just right when the enemy regained his vision that he arrived in front of it, the Illusion Magic from Black Miasma took effect. Leaving the clone of him in front of the enemy while he used Rapid Leap and landed behind him. 

But the enemy was quick to react, it already got rid of his illusion when he landed. However, Yman used his Time Warp ability before the enemy saw his silhouette.

And he appeared to be in his illusion's position.

He then used his two silver daggers in hand to disarm the enemy. The literal disarming. Because he cut both of them.

He could not kill him as it would lower the Like Value of his Deity towards him. But cutting both his arms was enough to accomplish his mission.

The enemy wriggled in pain on the ground while blodd gushing out from its wound.

Rea ran to the enemy's side. And let it drink a small bottle of Middle-Tier Health Elixir. Although it could not regrow his arms, it could clot the wounds.

Just then the crying stopped.

Yman did not react to her action.

"Sister!"

"Moooi?" Her words could not be understood because the cloth was covering her mouth.

The Rabbitman boy rushed to his sister's side and took the sword to free his sister.

"We can't stay for long, let's go!" Yman urged them. 

Witweeewwww!!! He whistled. 

A moment later, Kyahh! Whoosh! Thump! A huge Transport Bird landed in front of them.

It was his Hell Chaser Bird. Yman was surprised to see it. It became so huge.

'Did this guy eat a whole cow to become like this?!' He doubted.

Aside from that, they needed to hurry! 

Rea darted her eyes to him and the Hell Chaser bird. It was clear that she wanted to say something. But before she could open her mouth. She was pulled by him and thrown on the Hell Chaser's back.

Kyaaah! She yelped.

He rushed towards the kid.

"Who are they, Moi?"

"....." before Moi could reply. He and his sister were rudely picked by that guy.

"We need to escape this place!" He only said then jumped on top of the bird.

The Hell Chaser bird flew right away.

A moment after they escaped, a huge beast landed on the ground. But it only saw an armless man on the bloody ground. It then picked the man and tossed him away.

Yman decided to escape because he felt a strong presence nearby. An out of ordinary presence.