In contrast to the looming darkness, the fox’s flame-red fur appeared bright and eye-catching.
But compared to this, what shocked Greya most was the beast’s behavior. It was wearing a violet skirt, which shimmered in the dark, and there was a harp in its paws, which looked as big as the animal’s body.
Wait... a harp?
Greya gazed intensively at the instrument that was creating that ghostly music when it was being plucked.
She sensed something familiar from it. It was a particular energy signature, which she felt before when Angor created a Mystery item under Dark Castle.
That’s a Mystery item!
What remained of her anxiety immediately turned into greed.
Thank goodness I returned here or I might have missed it! She already considered the harp as her trophy. It’s just a fox! I’ll kill it and take what’s mine!
The fox noticed Greya’s thirsty look and slowly gave her its own, disdaining look.
“Such a beautiful night... Why are you so uptight, my dear friend?”
With another move, the fox created several white strings from its harp, which it aimed at Greya.
...
Meanwhile, several figures appeared outside an elegant building several kilometers away from Greya’s position.
Any wizard or apprentice would quickly recognize the emblem on the building that showed a giant tree—the Tree of Eternity. This was a mark that represented the operation base of Brute Cavern.
This group of people was led by Douglas. After covering his body under a shining armor, he rushed into the unknown darkness just so that he could travel around the “agencies” of different organizations and take the survivors away.
He already rescued a number of them, and the base of Brute Cavern was his last destination.
Brute Cavern stationed one wizard, Filo, at Sleepless City. When Douglas arrived, he saw Filo having a hard time resisting the evil energy that tainted people’s minds even though the latter was standing inside a protective bubble.
The light brought by Douglas reached Filo and eased his burden.
“Get over here, Filo! We’ll gather our strength and force open a plane passageway so that we can escape!” Douglas called out.
“Mister Douglas! What is—”
“I don’t f*cking know!” Douglas bellowed. “Ask questions AFTER we get out of this mess!”
“The darkness had taken over the entire outer city. If not for Mister Douglas’ assistance, none of us would escape the corruption of desire.” The speaker was a wizard from Foreboding Forest and Filo’s friend.
“Whatever it is, we’re not strong enough to resist it.”
“Fanatics of Sinister Mischief, I reckon! These heretics want nothing other than utter chaos. They have gone too far this time!”
Douglas’ forehead was covered in sweat, and he found it harder and harder to defend his mind from such evil energy.
“Stop it! Let’s open the passage NOW!”
He didn’t know who or what caused the evil energy, but he did know that his field of light, which kept everyone safe until now, was going to buckle at any moment.
And when that happened, every wizard would become fully vulnerable to the dangerous effect outside.
After he explained the situation, the quarreling wizards thought about the consequences should they get controlled by their own desires and quickly united.
“I’ll keep the protection working for as long as possible. You all get to the passage!”
As the wizards did their best to construct a dimensional path, a woman with a slim body and a large bamboo rain hat suddenly approached Douglas’ barrier.
The dark aura lingering around her body suggested that her desires were fully aroused. Despite that, she would still occasionally show sanity as if she at least had some form of protection.
“I-I can’t hold it back anymore, Mister Filo. Can you take me with you?” the woman asked in a weak and tender voice.
Unsure of what to do, Filo looked at her and then at Douglas.
Douglas also checked the strange woman who appeared rather enticing under the effect of corrupted desire.
But she was still a common apprentice.
“She’s the student of ‘Deadman’s Redemption’ Ness. She got talent—”
“Enough!” Douglas interrupted Filo’s explanation. “You’re the last one I can hold in my barrier. Take anyone else and the protection will fail, and we’ll be in great trouble!”
Filo remained quiet. The woman was not his own student. He did not wish to risk his own life for her.
Hearing their words, the woman’s evil intention worsened.
One extra and your pretty barrier will break, huh?
Controlled by both despair and elevated immorality, the woman moved to force her way inside the barrier.
“Let me in or NOBODY GETS AWAY ALIVE!!”
As all the wizards were busy controlling the plane passageway, no one could spare the strength to stop her.
However, before she could reach the barrier, another mad-driven voice was heard shouting from a distance, “You will die right this moment!!”
Another woman with short, curly blue hair and a magic ward that looked like pure water suddenly appeared and began to attack the first woman aggressively.
The rain-hat-wearing woman was forced to back away from the group of wizards. “Dripping River... you lunatic b*tch!” she cursed while looking left and right.
If Shiliew is here, the other two are probably somewhere nearby!
As expected, she caught a glimpse of another bulky shadow in the dark, which was probably Shan’s servant.
“They’re opening up a plane passageway! How about we get out first before you do whatever madness you meant to do?!” she yelled to her enemy.
Yet Shiliew didn’t listen as she seemed lost in her hysteria.
“Damn you all!”
The maddening music suddenly came to a halt. At the same time, Shiliew lowered her hands as she calmed down, while Douglas also felt relieved as he no longer had to sustain his barrier.
“Pathetic...” He gazed at the woman with the rain hat in disgust. “You want to die so much?! I’ll help you with it and Ness is not going to stop me!”
With a frown, Filo watched Douglas gathering energy for an attack. However, he did not say anything.
Before Douglas could finish his move, however, everyone was attracted by another strange energy surge above their heads.
The black vortex at the center of the “dome barrier”, which was the culprit that brought all the darkness, was changing again.
It was releasing a type of energy that no wizards could neglect.
“That’s...” Douglas’ fury instantly became greed. “No doubt about it. This is Mystery energy!”
Is this disaster caused by the appearance of a Mystery item instead of someone’s attack?! Most wizards had realized the same thing.
They all once read a book named Wonder Worlds, composed by Feinwerder the Traveler Wizard. The book contained a certain story that described how a Mystery item was created in a foreign plane. It happened when Feinwerder was observing a curious fish in a plane full of seawater. The treasure came into existence all of a sudden, without any warning.
And this strange occurrence appeared so alike.
Now that the Mystery energy was almost within reach, people could no longer refrain from openly showing their coveting looks. Such a treasure would undeniably grant a whole new level of strength to anyone who managed to get their hands on it. And if by some miracle, the item went well with its owner’s ability, he or she would be free of any obstacles on their path!
A yet stranger voice suddenly came and disrupted their fantasies, “Croak! Praise the Queen, Praise our Shava! Praise—huh?! Why are you here?”
Following these words, the same vexing music came again to foment their evil emotions.
Douglas fully activated his barrier once again. “Whatever that is, we need to run! Now!”
The plane passageway was finally prepared. Most of the survivors glanced at the source of the Mystery power reluctantly before leaving.
Once all the wizards had left, the passage was shut off behind them, preventing anyone from actually getting back.
With the wizards gone, the woman with the rain hat and Shiliew were left on the streets of the outer city.
The woman with the rain hat did not get a chance to enjoy her peace because Shiliew was getting mad again under the strange music.
Shiliew was no longer the only threat. From the corner of her eye, the woman with the rain hat saw a giant shadow approaching their position. There was another smaller individual who was sitting on the shadow’s shoulder.
Similar to Shiliew, Shan’s eyes had turned red due to uncontrollable rage.
The woman with the rain hat jerked her head to one side when she sensed a violent air current coming from behind her.
Next, she saw yet another feminine figure in a bright metal armor walking toward her. This woman was obviously responsible for the missed attack.
“Nausica...!”