On the underside of the sewage tunnels, a small group of injured and exhausted people gathered. The air was damp and foul, and the walls trembled slightly from distant explosions. Their breaths were unstable, their legs barely holding them up.

"We… We… We need to send the message immediately!" one of them said with trembling hands as he passed a folded sheet to the man beside him. His fingers shook from fear and blood loss.

The man receiving it wiped the grime from his face before opening it. As his eyes scanned the contents, they widened in disbelief. His pupils trembled.

"Tell me this is a joke..?" he whispered, tightening his grip on the paper.

"I wish… Cough… Coughh!" The man who spoke earlier leaned forward and coughed out a mouthful of blood. His chest rattled, and his breathing grew weaker by the second.

"Fuck… Why didn't you take a healing potion, you damned idiot?" The man with the note grabbed the injured guy by the shoulder, panic rising in his voice. His face twisted with worry.

"Healing potion… I have already used them," the bleeding man muttered, his voice faint and hollow.

"No worries… Take mine," the other said quickly. He fumbled at his belt and finally pulled out his own potion, his hands shaking as he tried to hand it over.

But before the bottle could reach the injured hands.

Boom!

A deafening sound filled the tunnel. Warm blood splattered across the man's face, drenching him in thick red. He froze in place. His eyes twitched as drops of blood rolled down from his lips and dripped onto the ground.

"What…" he stuttered, slowly turning his head.

Before he could even think of running, an overwhelming pressure fell on him. It was like a mountain collapsing on his back.

BOOOOM!

"ARGHHH!" he screamed as his body slammed into the hard concrete ground. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he struggled to breathe. His arms shook violently as he tried to push himself up but failed.

Behind him, calm footsteps echoed through the tunnel.

A masked man emerged from the darkness. His steps were slow and calculated, almost echoing with a chill that matched the cold damp air. He bent down and picked up the crumpled sheet the man had dropped. He unfolded it neatly with gloved fingers.

On the paper was written.

[The Abyssal Cult is Planning a Massive Attack on Duchy!]

"What a fumble," the masked man said. His voice was eerie and strangely calm. He flicked the paper into the air, and it burned to dust without even touching a flame.

He stepped over the corpse of the first man, whose chest now had a clean hole. The second man's eyes were wide with terror as he looked up. His whole body trembled when he saw the horrifying sight before him. Dark, slick tentacles slowly slid out from the masked man's back, wriggling and twisting in the stale air.

"Sinful man… You should have just laid still, but no… hell no…" the masked man whispered, tilting his head. His voice carried no anger, only a cold disappointment.

"Abyssall Cult…Just wait…Soon,your time will come."

"You have put your legs in between things which we didn't."

The injured survivor tried desperately to crawl away, dragging himself across the floor, but the masked man raised a hand. Invisible force wrapped around the man's body and lifted him into the air like a rag doll.

"Now let me grant you the blessing of eternal slumber."

"AHHHHH!" the man screamed as the pressure around him tightened.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"KYAAAHHHH!"

The tunnel echoed with his final cries.

By the time the scream finished except for remains of blood,all corpses had vanished from sight.

"Use them wisely."

He spoke and walked out but as he passed through,he failed to notice a small crystal like object hidden at the far corner.

.

.

.

Far away, inside the Blank Estate, Ethan sat quietly in deep seclusion. His room was dim, and the only sound was the steady rhythm of his calm breathing. He sat cross-legged on the floor, trying to sense the flow of power inside him.

To break through beyond Master Knight was not a small step. It was a terrifying threshold, and even though Ethan felt he could do it at any moment, he forced himself to stay patient. His brows were furrowed, and sweat rolled down the side of his face.

He knew rushing would only cause disaster. A mistake here could cripple him for life.

"I wish I had some guidance…" he muttered quietly. "Alas… there isn't any."

Just then, a deep voice came from outside the chamber, interrupting his focus.

"My Lord, there is a report."

"Tskkk…" Ethan exhaled sharply as he opened his eyes.

The moment of peace was gone.

Ethan slowly rose from his seated position. His legs felt stiff and his joints cracked slightly because he had been sitting for too long. He brushed the dust off his clothes and took a slow breath to ease the heaviness that lingered in his chest. His eyes were sharp again.

"Come in," he said.

The door pushed open and Ethan frowned as he saw Oliver rushing inside. His breathing was rough and there was a layer of dirt on his armor that showed he had not even stopped to clean himself.

"What happened? Why are you in a hurry?" Ethan asked with a calm but firm voice.

Oliver immediately dropped to one knee with his head lowered. "My Lord… this report cannot wait."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Speak."

Oliver swallowed hard. His hands shook faintly even though he pressed them tightly against his knee, trying to steady himself.

"Our link on the eastern border has been cut."

Ethan's brows drew together in a straight line. A small moment of silence passed.

"…Go on."

Oliver took a shaky breath. "A shadow squad stationed near the lower district tunnels… they were wiped out."

Ethan's expression darkened. The temperature in the room seemed to drop. "Wiped out? How?"

"We found what was left of them a short while ago," Oliver said, hesitating as if the next words were difficult to speak.

Ethan stepped closer. His tone deepened. "Don't stay quiet now. Tell me everything."

Oliver tightened his grip on his knee. "Their bodies were found torn apart, My Lord. The shadow guard found only pieces of armor and blood. There were no signs of the enemy. It looked like they did not even get the chance to fight back."

A cold, heavy silence filled the room. Ethan stared at the floor for a moment, thinking deeply, and his jaw tightened.

"They managed to pass a message to another squad before dying." Oliver reached into his robe and pulled out a small, cracked communication crystal.

Communication crystal..Each one costs around 1000 cold coins because they are produced in the Empire.

Ethan had asked Rina to buy 50.

He placed it carefully in Ethan's hand.

Ethan activated it.

A distorted voice crackled from the crystal.It might have recorded everything but because it was damaged,it wasn't able to relay everything.

"…We… found something… Abyssal Cult… planning massive attack… on Duchy… send—"

The message cut off suddenly. The crystal flickered weakly before going dim again.

Oliver lowered his head even more. "We believe they died right after sending that."

Ethan closed his fist around the crystal. His gaze turned sharp and cold like frost spreading across glass.

"The Abyssal Cult… again," he muttered.

His heartbeat grew heavier. Not because he was afraid, but because anger and tension rose inside him. The cult had been moving in shadows for a while now, yet wiping out a squad so easily was something far beyond normal.

"Do we know who attacked them?I mean who is this person?Any picture or details" Ethan asked, his voice calm but filled with weight.

"No!"Oliver said, his voice shaking.

Ethan felt a chill crawl down his spine. His instincts sharpened instantly.

Ethan's hands clenched at his sides. His heartbeat thumped once, loud and heavy.

A masked, killing without a sound and leaving nothing behind. It was the kind of nightmare used to scare children late at night.

But this was not a story.

It was real.

Very real.

Ethan took a long breath, letting it out slowly as he tried to calm the storm building inside him.

"Ask the shadow squad to stop the investigation and retreat," Ethan said firmly.

"Send a message to Duchess Emma. Inform her of the situation."

Oliver nodded quickly, relief and fear mixing on his face.

"Also, issue the order for the knights to line up," Ethan added. "We might be very well up for a war. So we need to prepare as fast as possible."

Ethan bit his lower lip gently while thinking. His mind spun through the possibilities.

'I should call Rina back. If I leave, she might protect the people.'

He lifted his eyes again and his entire presence felt heavier.

"Quick… Oliver," he said. "It's not the time to waste. We need to act swiftly."

Oliver bowed deeply and rushed out of the room, leaving Ethan alone with the silent pressure weighing down on him.

Ethan wanted to act swiftly but little did he know that it was already too late.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.