ocean-life Chapter 106: Ancient Blood Wizard (1)
Chapter 106: Ancient Blood Wizard (1)
Inside the dark chamber.
The air was heavy and damp.
A faint beam of light filtered through cracks, but it was far too little to brighten the space.
There, a man wearing a deep hooded orange robe sat at the central table.
Resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands tightly together, he spoke in a low, resolute voice.
“Do you know that we are being tracked?”
Tension filled the air, and the man who answered was another wearing a similar orange robe and of similar build.
He also hid his face beneath a hood.
“That’s precisely why we gathered here before an important matter, isn’t it?”
Around them, a group clad in similar attire sat in a circle surrounding the ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) table.
Each lowered their bodies and held their breath silently, watching the conversation closely.
They had all gathered here for a single reason.
“At a time like this, shouldn’t we hurry to see the one we have long awaited?”
“How long do you think the ritual will take?”
“The preparations are already complete. This is the long-cherished goal we have waited decades for.”
“But if we are interrupted in the middle, the tower we’ve built for years will collapse in an instant.”
Opinions were exchanged swiftly in a short time.
Everyone present knew that a quick decision was needed.
If they delayed, the situation would only worsen.
Eventually, the discussion began to lean in one direction.
“First, we deal with those bastards, then quickly perform the ritual.”
“We should handle it quietly, shouldn’t we?”
“Impossible. We don’t have enough people to do it quietly.”
“Then... we must bring that one out first.”
As the conversation reached its conclusion, the man who had been silent since opening the discussion spoke again.
His low, weighty voice captured everyone’s attention in the room.
“Does anyone know how our trail was discovered?”
The reply came from a man with a hoarse voice.
“Probably after our communication magic circle was found out.”
“....”
A moment of silence passed.
Then the hoarse-voiced man spoke again.
“After those hiding in the Valley of Souls were wiped out. That’s likely where the trail was picked up. I remember something — a man named Nadel in that branch was supposed to contact us secretly, but the connection was cut without a word. Shortly after, we heard that branch was annihilated. That’s when everything went wrong.”
“The one who connected back then...”
“Can we catch him? Whoever used that magic circle would be in the main base of those tracking us now. Even if we solve it today, the chase won’t stop.”
“I’m no Azkan; tracking with such a brief connection is impossible. And we don’t have the situation for it.”
He sounded negative, but then suddenly changed his tone.
“However... when our god resurrects, then...”
He left the sentence unfinished, but everyone there understood.
“So we have to keep running until then?”
“After dealing with those who have already reached right before us.”
“Well, at least the priorities are clear.”
With that, the group ended the meeting and quickly rose from their seats, scattering in all directions.
Their footsteps vanished into the darkness, leaving the chamber to deep silence once again.
As his training to reach the pinnacle of occult arts neared completion,
Leon was summoned by Arpina and went straight to meet her.
Recently, the only reason Arpina would call Leon was about the blood mages.
If it were a trivial matter, she would not have summoned Leon during his important training.
When he arrived at the tower, the atmosphere was tense.
More mages than usual flew across the sky, and the streets were crowded with mages moving hurriedly.
This bustle was not just routine preparation.
It was similar to the tension felt when preparing for Teneron’s invasion in Widia.
Leon realized something had happened.
By now, it was impossible not to notice.
His pace quickened.
Inside the tower was rather quiet.
It felt almost empty compared to the noise outside.
Normally, mages would be focused on re
Azkan was the transcendent mage Leon had seen from the imperial council.
He clearly had profound knowledge of rituals.
“Of course, that’s their side. The ritual itself is very unstable. Whether it will succeed or fail, no one can know without trying it.”
“So... the ritual failed?”
“That’s how it seems.”
The elder’s expression was not good.
He rolled up his long sleeves covering his hands and continued.
“What they resurrected... was not their ancestor as they had hoped. It was a monster unrecognizable as anyone.”
“A monster...”
Leon muttered and asked,
“Where is that monster now?”
Arpina understood Leon’s intent and took up the elder’s words.
“The problem is that we no longer know where the monster is. They were all annihilated.”
“So the ones pursuing them were all...”
“Yes, dead. The blood mages must have found our traces on their corpses.”
Leon asked again with a hardened expression.
“Can the blood mages control that monster?”
“We don’t know exactly, but it’s very likely. The last report from the pursuit team said that monster attacks only those it can identify.”
That explained the busy mages outside.
They might be preparing for an assault here, as the monster destroyed the entire pursuit team.
They were getting ready for battle.
“Do you mean there’s a possibility they will attack using that monster?”
“Yes. That’s why everyone is on alert now.”
Receiving the clear answer, Leon fell silent.
“....”
A feeling of doubt rose within him.
Even though the monster was not the result the blood mages expected, they would not accept it so easily.
No, would their careful actions have ended so futilely in creating a monster?
Perhaps from their point of view, such a tragic outcome had occurred...
But all the circumstances were ominous.
Judging from the letters they exchanged and the unfolding situation,
Leon strongly felt it was unlikely the thoroughly prepared ritual would end so meaninglessly.
It seemed far more reasonable that their plan contained a deeper hidden purpose.