While the riverbank groaned under the weight of Arak's madness, the Third District of Neue Fiona remained a hive of quiet, industrious sin. This was the industrial heart of the village, dominated by massive structures that resembled oversized apartments from a distance. Up close, the district was a maze of small-business cabins and clothing sectors designed to distract tourists and casual customers.
But behind the racks of cotton shirts and the quaint storefronts lay an underground empire. These factories were the center of an illegal production ring permitted by Chief Zamor's secret orders—a direct violation of the territorial laws. In this land, everything here was illegal from the start. Any commoners within their Lord's territory were not allowed to do these activities unless they received his permission first; those involved faced execution, losing any chance for the council to pardon them.
Rafel Uno, the First District Representative, stood outside one such factory. He had received a direct order from the Chief to bring the supply boxes of their products—potions made from the herbs of the Dark Scily Forest, raw materials collected by the children of their leader—and send them to the storage area at the House of Camelia.
"Sir Rafel, here's your order," the factory owner said, handing over the receipts.
"Thanks. I'm going to put this in the storage area now," Rafel nodded, grabbing the paper. He tucked it into his chest pocket and signaled his men to take the wagon. Two men jumped into the driver's seat and moved the horses. The animals walked slowly while Rafel and his other vacant men remained vigilant.
Suddenly, the representative sensed a powerful aura coming from the west, where the forest was located. He turned his gaze in that direction with a grave face.
"I sense some disturbance. I wonder what the hell is going on out there," Rafel murmured.
"Sir, did you say something earlier?" his henchman asked.
"No, forget about it. Let's bring the stuff to the location. I'm going to report this matter after we deliver the packages," Rafel shook his head and answered politely.
'Two powerful presences were releasing a lot of mana from that direction,' Rafel's face grimaced, lips pursed. 'Those auras were stronger than my own, and I don't think I can win in terms of mana capacity and stamina. I wonder who are fighting right now.'
Spank!
A small hand spanked his back. Out of anger, he turned around to scold the culprit.
"Who's that?" Rafel asked angrily. His eyes opened wide when he saw a young servant of the church in front of him.
"Me," Ylla pointed to herself. "Oi, don't get too sad about it. You're so pessimistic, stupid."
'I totally forgot. She's with me,' Rafel frowned. He placed a hand on his face and heaved a sigh. "Geez, it's the bitch," he murmured.
"B-Bitch? You bastard!" Ylla pouted and hit his back three times.
"Ouch, ouch," Rafel yelped. "That actually hurts, you goddamn lunatic!" He was about to hit her but he halted.
"What? You're going to hit me? Do it," Ylla challenged.
"W-Why are you a piece of... every single time. Gosh, why the chief appointed you as a fellow district representative," Rafel covered his face in dismay.
"That's because I belong to the church. Not only that, I'm more powerful than you, asshole," Ylla pumped a fist on her chest with a proud face.
"Church again. I wonder where the hell the servant of God went to? You're not even worthy of that job," Rafel placed a hand on his forehead and heaved a disappointing sigh.
"Just shut your fuckin' mouth, trash. Just accept the fact that I'm no longer a simple girl from this village with no authority or whatsoever. Anyhow, we need to make haste," Ylla pointed out.
"I wonder where that village girl went to. You were cute back then," Rafel murmured and sighed.
Ylla fumed when she heard it, lips retracted. She hit his back with a hand covered with ice.
"Gaaah, what is it now?" Rafel jumped in surprise and faced her with a glowering face.
"You're spacing out, so I give you a little punch to wake you up," she simpered, playing innocent.
"Gaaagh, whatever," Rafel gave in. "I'm going to check the children in the restaurant of Emorial Inn, so we need to move quickly, okay," Ylla reminded.
"Oi, lady, I am not your escort. Why do you even come with me every afternoon every Monday?" asked Rafel, glowering.
"Oh, well," Ylla placed a finger on her chin and rolled her eyes to the left. "Duuh, your group is heading in the same direction as mine, so you don't have to think this a lot. It's just coincidence," Ylla explained.
"I am not your bodyguard or anything else. But whatever, that explains a lot," said Rafel, calmly.
Ylla grinned. "Oh, boy. I guess this Mr. Asshole ain't happy to be walking around with a beautiful girl. Are you perhaps gay?" inquired Ylla in a foxy tone.
"What the fuc—heck? I ain't gay. Stop accusing me. I'm a straight man. Gosh, let's stop this. Look, my men are laughing at us," Rafel blushed as he explained it.
Ylla bent her body, waved a hand in an insulting way, and covered her mouth with a mocking face. "Oh, silly. Never mind, I believe you," Ylla simpered, standing straight up.
'This bitch. I'm going to challenge you later,' Rafel grimaced.
"Anyway, how's the autopsy of the child you've found earlier this morning?" she asked, doleful.
"Umm," Rafel blinked his eyes as he flinched. "Well, I don't know yet. What I heard from the investigation team was nothing but a disgusting report, so you better stay out of this, okay," he pointed out.
Ylla's hand trembled, showing signs of fear. "I hope the children that died in the canal will be accepted in heaven. God only knows who the culprit is. I feel really bad for the parents who raised them all," said Ylla with her hands grasped together in a praying form.
"Oh, what if the child was an abandoned child? I don't think his parents will feel the same," Rafel shrugged off.
"Indeed, but no matter what they did, the child is still the byproduct of those people. Abandoned or not, they are still the same," said Ylla as she lifted her index and waved it left and right.
Rafel shut his mouth and walked away. "Man, let's forget about this topic," Rafel grumbled.
Ylla tugged his sleeve and stopped him. "Oi, asshole. Am I not allowed to see the child's face?"
"No," Rafel answered.
"Oi, asshole, may I request your permission to see the child?" asked Ylla.
"No, I won't let you," Rafel shook his head and refused.
The air between the two district representatives was thick with unspoken grief and the looming shadow of the forbidden forest.
"Come on, please. I just want to check if the child is one of the orphans that disappeared last week," Ylla pleaded, her voice dropping its sharp edge. She tugged his sleeve twice, her eyes searching Rafel's stony face for a sliver of compliance.
Rafel didn't look at her. He reached down, grabbed her hand, and removed it from his sleeve with a gentleness that contradicted his cold words.
"You can call me an asshole or think of me as a complete bastard. Hate me or not, I won't," Rafel answered, his voice final.
"Why? Do I have to ask for the Chief's permission?" she demanded, her frustration boiling over.
"Even if you ask his permission, I won't let you," Rafel sighed, finally meeting her eyes with a heavy, shadowed gaze. "I have to protect something."
"Why are you so annoying, asshole? Just give me the damn permission! What exactly are you trying to protect?" Ylla demanded as she stomped her foot hard on the ground.
'Because I don't want a girl like you to get traumatized by what was done to that body,' Rafel thought, clicking his tongue as he turned and walked away.
"Geez, you're really an asshole," Ylla folded her arms around her chest and fumed.
"By the way, where is the priestess anyway?" asked Rafel, trying to change the subject.
"She might be in the forest right now," Ylla answered.
"Oh, why is a former victim of kidnapping in the forest then? Is she alone?" Rafel inquired, his brow furrowing with concern.
"That girl needs a day off, though. She ain't alone. She's with her attendant named Mambo, and the man of the hustle called Aljen the merchant," she responded.
"Aljen, again. I wonder who the hell that man is. Ever since he came here, everything is moving out of order. A lot of criminal activities are popping out and we're forced to fix the problem that occurred everywhere," Rafel rubbed his neck as he said it.
"Duuuh, it's not the man's fault if those bizarre things happened out of the blue, though. It's just coincidence," Ylla argued, spanking his back again.
"Ouch," he yelped.
"Oi, asshole, don't blame him for everything. The world is controlled by the wrong people and we're living together with those people at the wrong time. Despite he looks dangerous and he has large money to invest in here, we shouldn't think bad for this man," she corrected. "All he did is part of God's plan too. He's a blessing to all of us and don't forget that he saved our high priestess. Without him, we're no longer protected by the Pope," she added as she pointed her thumb toward Romue.
"Oh, woman. You don't know the world is filled with liars, though. What if this man named Aljen is a wolf in a sheep's flesh. Even if his money helps the village to get developed, it isn't impossible that he's a bad guy. He must be scheming something and right now, his plan is moving closer to his objective," Rafel objected.
"But still, my view of him won't change even if you criticize his action. The Church will stay neutral unless he commits a sin against the Goddess' people. Let's just pray his plan won't bring a large disaster like what happened five years ago. The high priestess has high regard for that man, so I'll stand with her until the end. If she said he's a good man, then I will believe her words," Ylla restated.
"So, be it," Rafel gave in.
While they argued on the dusty streets, the sky above them was being torn asunder. Two powerful mages were fighting without a single break. When one of them cast a forbidden spell, the other would counter it with the same weight of mana.
Believe it or not, both of them used only a small portion of their power. None of them were taking their battle too seriously—which was precisely why their fight was taking so long.
"Oh, c'mon, man. Take this seriously," chattered Justin as he readied himself to shoot with dark magic.
Seraph countered with one shot of his rifle and dodged the others with full speed. Then, he locked his eyes on Justin's position and shot him with three bullets. However, none of it managed to leave a scratch on the butler because of his barrier.
"Man, this is taking too long. You should be the one who needs to take this battle seriously," Seraph smirked as he rested his rifle on his shoulder.
The butler realized he was going to fall, so he cast a fortification spell on the clouds to rest his feet.
"Y'know this is not going to end, so let's just call it off again, Seraph," asked Justin, smiling. He tucked his pinky finger into his ear and removed a small portion of earwax. "I'm gettin' bored of this fight, and I don't want to kill you either. Be thankful that you're still alive and return to hell after what I did last time," he added as he opened his eyes with a grave expression.
Seraph grimaced at first, but he remembered that he had a weapon to stop this man. He took a deep breath and exhaled, looking at his old friend with a determined face.
"No matter how it ends and what kind of bad omen will come, I won't yield to your sweet talk. Oh, man, please open your eyes to the truth! We've known each other before the destruction of the old Empire, the coronation of Queen Victoria, and the liberation of the Unified States of Amerigo from the hands of the Anglo-Saxons, old friend. Why are you so stubborn?" Seraph stormed as he raised one finger.
"Old friend, you don't understand at all. The true lord is inside Hermes Archnemesis. You're making a big mistake in your life. We've been waiting for his return and I want to prevent you from killing him once again. The grand lord isn't trustworthy and he ain't the previous Emperor we've loved and protected against the odds," Justin explained, his face saddened.
"Uh, uh, no, you're completely wrong. He's the true re—Gosh, man!" Seraph jumped away before a powerful artillery shot destroyed his clouds. "What the fuck? You're cheatin' man. Tell me first before you shoot me!"
The two exchanged a powerful Lost Ark spell. The mana released from each side created a large crater on the ground below. The cause of their destructive spells burned the grass and turned the rocks into ashes.
"[Tenebris Flamma]" Justin cast, dark flaming orbs forming spherical bullets.
"Oh, no you don't, [Tenebrosa Aqua]" Seraph activated his trap card and used his arm to destroy the bullets aiming at his life. 'Weak,' Seraph smirked.
"Seraph!"
"What the fu—Gaaaah!"
The assassin almost lost his life, but the butler chose to spare him by switching the angle of his weapon. Only his face got hit by the edge of the sword. The impact pushed him back four meters away through the air. Justin stood his feet on the clouds again, looking down.
High above the scorched forest, before the dance of the immortals reached its jagged, bloody crescendo, the wind itself seemed to freeze.
The Lady in the Blue Cloak stood upon a drifting fragment of mana-saturated cloud, invisible to the eyes of the two combatants. She looked at Justin—the man who had served as the shield for the Archnemesis line for centuries—with a gaze that was both ancient and sorrowful. She raised a pale hand, tracing the air as if weaving the threads of a tapestry that had already been designed.
"Justin... munus tuum ad tempus inane erit. Fata te ab hoc certamine sevocant, ut alius surgat. Obdormi in umbra fati, nam hora tua nondum venit, sed locus tuus vacuus esse debet," she whispered.
(Justin... your role shall temporarily be unavailable. The fates call you away from this struggle, so that another may rise. Sleep in the shadow of destiny, for your hour has not yet come, but your place must be vacant.)
As her words dissolved into the ether, the protective aura surrounding the butler flickered for a fraction of a second—just enough for the gears of the Grandlord's trap to align.
"Be grateful that I didn't kill you, man," said Justin, folding his arm across his chest.
"Shut the hell up, pal. It ain't funny," Seraph spat out some blood from his mouth and wiped it from his lips. 'Damn it, this is not going as per the plan. No matter, I have to buy some time before they arrive.'
"Justin, let me tell you somethin'. Look, we're only wasting our time. You and I don't want to fight each other since we have a history between us. As an old friend and comrade in arms, let me ask again. Please join us," offered Seraph as he forwarded his right hand.
The butler clicked his tongue and chuckled. "How many times do I have to spell this to you? I won't join that ridiculous organization of your fake master."
"He ain't a fake! Oh, the flame of the Grandlord lends me your power. Let this heretic be enlightened, [Redeem!]" Seraph shot powerful artillery, blasting the sky with a full burst of its power.
"Fuck," Seraph panted, "Why are you still standing? This is so unfair!"
On the small piece of reformed cloud, the butler was yawning alone. "Oh, you finished? Man, your powers are getting weaker than before. Maybe it's because you serve the wrong master after all. Take a look, it didn't leave a single scratch around my body. But good job for reshaping the face of the stratosphere. Very impressive indeed," joshed Justin.
Seraph's vein on his forehead appeared. "Shut up, [Dark Burst!]"
The butler used his barrier to counter it and launched a counteroffensive spell, "[Dark Cumunoe]"
"Shit, the forbidden lost art," Seraph jumped away before a small orb of dark aura launched on his former position. "Phew, that was close," he heaved a sigh of relief.
"Man, you should just let yourself go back to hell, Seraph. After all, the origin of your existence came from it," said Justin with a disappointed sigh.
"Shut the fuck up, you demon! You're also one of us!" Seraph pointed his index as he argued.
Hmm? Justin's eyes opened wide. A black shadow appeared behind Seraph and whispered, "It is done, milord."
Seraph chuckled quietly. "Good job, Informant. Do your next task now, proceed to phase 2. Begone," he ordered.
The black shadow—the High Spirit—transformed into a letter and disappeared from the battle zone.
"Wait a sec, is that 'Informant'?" Justin pointed his thumb in the direction where it went.
"Surprise? Only the reincarnation of our lord has the authority to tame them all. The Informant is one of the 'Twelve Great Lost Spirits' of our former Empire," said Seraph, shrugging.
'What the hell? They got the [Informant]. This is bad,' Justin worried with cold sweat.
"Don't tell me, that man tamed the [Paperus] and [Slime]?" Justin readied himself to attack.
"Sorry, talk to my hand," said Seraph, sticking out his tongue.
Slowly, the essence of the High Spirit drifted into the butler's blind spot.
"You bastard! Gaaah—" Justin was suddenly sealed by shadow tentacles erupting from a scrap of paper.
"Oh, my old friend. You completely forgot that the Informant has a mission. Specifically, the pets of the Emperor. You fell again into my trap," Seraph burst into laughter.
"F, fuck! [Teneburus Fuuma!]" Justin cast a spell but it was swallowed.
"C'mon, man. The Informant is a High Spirit that has a powerful passive skill. It nullifies any offensive and defensive spell at once. [Fuuma Imparte!]"
A mushroom-shaped atmosphere formed after the large explosion. Black flames turned the whole place into a dead zone.
"Fuck, I failed!" Justin yelped.
"Oh, Lord Justin, please restrain yourself. Stop resisting," the Informant begged in a haunting voice.
"Shut the hell up, you stupid piece of letter!" Justin raged.
Seraph placed a hand on the butler's chest and cast a spell. "[Ignito]."
"Gaaaagh! This is... where the fuck did you learn this forbidden spell, Seraph?"
"From the Grandlord," Seraph answered.
Seraph showed a small hand with a mirror on its palm. The eyes of the butler scorched like a burning boat in the sea. Justin raged in severe pain, lost his balance, and fell from the sky, crashing into the dirt below.
"Say your regards to the world, my friend. Your life is now in our true lord's hands. Be grateful I still think of you as a friend, so I won't kill you. You're a valuable asset for my next plan," Seraph smirked as he kicked Justin's face upon landing.
"Gaagh," Justin coughed blood.
Seraph stomped his feet on the badly hurt butler and pointed the barrel of his weapon at his face.
"Goddamn it, Grandlord's hand of despair. Why do you possess one of his fleshes? Don't tell me that bastard has already succeeded in making a clone of his body? Impossible," Justin complained.
"C'mon, man. He's the one. He created us. You'll be enlightened soon," Seraph chuckled.
"W, what are you all planning, bastards?" inquired Justin as he tried to open his eyes.
"The plan is simple," Seraph answered with confidence. "It is to create a conflict that will unite this island under one rule."
"Hold on, please I'm beggin' you. Y' can do anything to me, but don't you dare touch my master. He's the real one, Seraph!"
"Shut it, Justin. He's a pathetic and shameful existence. Remember, we are demons. We are the proud members of the former loyal eunuchs of the Great Empire. You're an idiot to swear loyalty to that child," Seraph explained with a sigh.
"Seraph, listen! Informant, release me! Informant, if you truly love our beloved master... go and meet Don Hermes Archnemesis. Cancel your oath of loyalty to the faker, Informant!"
The High Spirit, the Informant, hesitated. "Hermes? But Grandlord said he's a fake. I won't believe you, Lord Justin. Just stay still."
"Hayayay," Seraph sighed. "When will you understand? He's the true reincarnation of our late Emperor. The leader of all races that got erased by that dumb Goddess."
"Seraph, please! He's the one!"
Seraph clicked his tongue. "You don't have to worry, I'll wake up after I kill him. Do it, Informant. Seal his mind and let him take a rest. Send him to the dungeon. Sleep well, old friend," Seraph commanded.
"Yes, milord," the Informant nodded and cast a forbidden lost art.
The butler's body was swallowed by the dark shadow and disappeared. 'Fuck, what a power.'
Seraph raised his head up and closed his eyes. "It is done, master. All hail the Grandlord," he said.