In a cave filled with darkness.
In a space where not a single light could enter, dozens of people were huddled together, staring at someone.
A mysterious man stood up higher than the dozens of people.
This man was the Dark Sorcerer who, three years ago, had killed all the royal bloodline of the kingdom and had tried to kill the last princess but was captured by some monsters and locked in an underground prison.
Entities that could not be defeated even with the power granted by that person.
Just as the grand plan was about to fail.
“Is there really a chance to survive?”
The Great Mage Tio, who had feared death, was enchanted, leading him to escape.
It wasn’t difficult to enchant him.
With just ‘eternal life’ and ‘unending youth’, he had been swayed far too easily.
Squish.
“It’s time.”
“Ooooo… Finally! Is it really happening!”
“The day we have been waiting for has finally come!”
“When is it? Now? Or tomorrow?!”
The venue buzzed with excitement.
Though they shared the same power, compared to the Dark Sorcerer, the ones before him were mere sprouts just beginning to grow.
They were nothing compared to him, who had lived for 1900 years.
“Silence.”
At the Dark Sorcerer’s single word, the venue fell instantly silent.
As he withdrew the curtain with hands stained by darkness, someone suddenly popped out beside him.
Wait…
Isn’t that…?
That person? How did they end up here…?
The sprouts couldn’t contain their curiosity when they spotted someone next to the Dark Sorcerer, but as they glanced aside, they fell silent once more.
“I will remember that day. The day you dared to imprison us in the underground prison with your twisted and sinister power.”
“……”
“That day was a day of disgrace. The darkness of the great one could not overcome her light.”
However.
Squish.
“Now it’ll be different.”
Someone standing next to the Dark Sorcerer completely revealed themselves.
The former Great Mage of the royal family, Tio.
He dedicated over 200 years to the royal family but ultimately had to give it all up and return to the earth.
To reject the divine mandate from the heavens, he swore allegiance to another sky.
“I, Tio, abandon the name given by the heavens and will receive the will of the great one.”
Rumble…
As Tio knelt, the Dark Sorcerer looked at him, gathering endless darkness into his hand.
The two darknesses within them resonated.
“I, the Dark Sorcerer Pikyum, dare inherit the will of the great one, and by the name of the great existence, ‘Immensus’, I will determine you.”
“I accept.”
“Do you swear to serve the great darkness?”
“I swear.”
Rumble.
Five purple rings etched themselves into Tio’s forehead.
One of them began to fill.
“Will you receive a new name and continue to serve the great darkness even after death?”
“I will serve, even if my soul crumbles to dust.”
The second ring began to fill.
The circles of power filled up.
“Speak what you desire. I am the master of endless darkness, the lion of the Underworld. What you wish for shall surely be fulfilled.”
“Eternal life. And infinite knowledge.”
The third and fourth circles filled up.
Pikyum, the assistant manager of the great being, grinned as he grabbed Tio’s head.
Kyaaaah!!
The darkness that filled Pikyum’s hand was instantly sucked into Tio’s mind.
After an agonizing struggle, he eventually drooled and wore a satisfied expression.
He dragged his disheveled body and kneeled again.
“I have given you my knowledge and power, so your soul is now mine. I shall bestow upon you a new name.”
Wooong!
“Awaken. Or.”
The final fifth circle filled up.
In a flash!
It was not Tio’s eyes that opened, but Or’s.
The great mage Tio, once a pride of the royal family, who would soon crumble to dust within 300 years, no longer existed.
Only the fallen Or, having gained endless immortality and sordid knowledge, remained.
Or took a deep breath.
The dense darkness mana generated by the numerous followers present enveloped him.
All of it flowed into Or’s body, making him feel good.
“Nice.”
“Now, we have become the followers of the great one. Brother.”
“Indeed, very nice.”
“Then let’s proceed with the work immediately.”
“Work? You mean destroying the kingdom?”
Destroying the kingdom.
To offer all the people of this world to the great one or turn them into followers, the kingdom must be destroyed.
That’s why the dark sorcerer Pikyum led the followers to attack the kingdom.
Pikyum shook his head.
“Of course, that would be good. But now, those monsters have infiltrated the royal family.”
“…! Those guys? Are you sure?”
“That’s right. The one who recently became queen called for them. It’s certain from our spy’s confirmation.”
The monsters comprised two women; one was the nymph who commanded many spirits.
And the other was a strange being with such powerful light that it could even dispel entire darkness.
The combat power of those two was beyond imagination.
They could somehow subdue the nymph.
Although it’s hard to understand how a mere nymph could form a contract with the Spirit King, it’s possible if the power of the great one is fully utilized.
But the strange being that uses light? There’s no answer to that.
“There’s no way unless we receive more of the great one’s power.”
“…What if I go?”
“Of course, Brother Or has become immensely stronger than before. You could probably handle a nymph easily.”
But you know the truth, right?
“You must have seen it too, the insane woman’s martial arts.”
“…It was horrifying.”
“Exactly. It’s like a ruthless massacre, treating people like jerky. Moreover, knowing that I spared her life once, if she sees me, she’ll definitely come to kill me.”
“Smacking them down like jerky makes you a merciless butcher. Furthermore, now that I’ve saved their life once and they know it, they’ll try to kill me if they see me.”
“They don’t seem soft enough to let them go twice.”
“So what should we do?”
“Right now, the royal family dominates the world, but they can’t protect everywhere. We’ll use that to our advantage.”
“If they’re holed up in the royal castle, they’ll have no choice but to come out.”
■
“…What did you say?”
It had been 30 minutes since I entered here.
Originally, the plan was to catch the Dark Sorcerer when he came in, figure out his hideout, and wipe it out, but he didn’t show up.
So, Leo had released the spirits to scout the area, and unexpected news came through.
“Yes! It seems that there are increasing numbers of people infused with an unknown dark energy on the outskirts of the continent! Especially, the lord of that territory has completely fallen and is mercilessly attacking the people.”
“Where is that?”
“It’s a territory called Jacques, if you go straight east. However, they haven’t been able to find the person who looks like the culprit…”
“That’s fine. As long as we find a trace, we can go.”
As I examined the underground prison of the kingdom, which had been completely erased of all traces, I was about to head straight out of the royal castle.
If I wasn’t careful, the queen could be in danger, but I had taken some precautions, and waiting inside wouldn’t change anything.
But then…
“Breaking news! Half of the Deven territory has been engulfed in darkness…”
“Residents are collapsing in the Bisan territory!”
“The Atra territory is in ruins…”
There are too many.
It seems the Dark Sorcerer has started multiple incidents simultaneously.
If it’s just a power from the darkness, the royal family could fend it off to some extent, but ‘magic’ cannot be blocked.
[?]
[Oh shit]
[Is this an ambush operation?]
[Attack?]
[Let’s kill them all]
“…Let’s split up our forces.”
Currently, most of the areas under attack are territories where the royal family’s influence doesn’t reach well.
The mission room is based on just one continent, and apart from a few small ethnic groups, it’s maintaining a unified kingdom.
Outside the continent, there’s nothing but endless sea.
Since it’s a kingdom that unified the entire continent, the central area might be well protected, but the outskirts are different.
KABOOM!
The door of the royal castle bursts open and Leo rushes at me with a map in hand.
“Lady Lily! The spirits just reported that people are all covered in dark mana…”
“I know.”
“Oh.”
“Lord Leo, please scout from here to here and let me know or subdue anyone who seems to be the ringleader. I’ll head from this side to that side.”
“Understood. Ah, can I heal people along the way?”
Leo asked as he stirred up green winds.
The wind and the Water Spirit are naturally gifted at healing.
Leo had made a contract with the spirit king of those two attributes.
“If possible.”
But if my predictions are correct, the Dark Sorcerer and his gang possess a type of magic.
If this is correct, the Dark Sorcerer and his group possess a type of magic.
“Those who are infested with magic cannot be healed.”
Once magic attaches to a body, it endlessly devours it and alters its very nature.
“It’ll probably be tough. Still, if it doesn’t work, please find me as quickly as you can.”
“Can’t you do anything, Lady Lily?”
“Well, I’m not sure if that can be called healing.”
“?”
Those who are tainted by magic cannot be cured.
However, if we utilize the characteristics of the holy, we might manage something.
“Purifying the corrupted body and then resurrecting it again using the holy.”
When you think about it, it’s closer to killing and reviving than it is to healing, but there’s no way to heal otherwise.
Even this is impossible if the “soul” is corrupted.
I don’t have the ability to resurrect souls, anyway.
“Anyway, let’s go.”
“Yes!”
■
My body…!
Gahhh…
Save me… Please save me…?
On the outskirts of the continent, Territory of Jacques.
Countless residents scream as they die.
In a moment where my vision darkens due to my eyes and skin turning black, and breathing becomes laborious…
Fwoom–!
Light fell from the sky.
A woman landed softly, spreading her pure white wings.
Immediately, a wave of white radiance spread around the woman, and hundreds of residents vanished in an instant.
Flash!
“What?”
“???”
“What just happened…?”
And then they appeared again.
In the blink of an eye, they had all died, and then all were brought back to life.
The one who finished all of this in a single breath casually looked around.
“…Now that I see, it’s magic. Why didn’t I notice earlier? Ah. She seems to be in the same category as Lady Gabriel. I’ll have to check properly. Fortunately, the souls are unharmed.”
The woman, displaying an absurd miracle, was muttering something to the air.
Is she talking to someone?
Using the darkness implanted within the residents, a disciple who had been hiding his presence from afar observed all of this and contacted the Dark Sorcerer Pikyum.
“…I found the heretic.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“Yes. The white wings you mentioned. And that absurd miracle and power. It perfectly matches.”
The leader of the disciples, Pikyum, learned its identity from the Lord of Darkness after fervent prayers.
“An angel.”
“The angel has appeared.”
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
