Chapter 221 - Renegades (4)

Atein, who had been revived, had given his declaration. Afterwards, a fierce maelstrom of confusion and chaos swept over the Plain of Darkness.

The leaders of each faction hadn't made their intentions clear yet. They knew it was useless to hide, since the Great Darkness existed. Despite knowing this, the leadership group went underground to avoid the eyes of Atein. They held a meeting, and a fierce debate was still ongoing.

The leadership group was supposed to give orders to the outside members, yet they were in a meeting. Of course, confusion erupted amongst the outside members. The Guardian Shadows had caught sight of this, and this was how they were able to detect the fracture occurring within the Plain of Darkness.

After Atein made his intentions clearly known, he remained within the Dragon Demon palace. He wasn't showing any signs of moving. In his heart, Atein knew how the leadership group would act. He could see deep down into their heart, yet he gave them the opportunity to make their own choice.

If this happened during the Dragon Demon war, the Dragon Demon King's army would have been torn asunder. Originally, Atein had focused on gathering Dragon Demons, who had their own kingdom. That was how he had created his alliance.

Currently, Atein was a living god to the Dragon Demon king worshippers. The leadership group within the Plain of Darkness had propped up their power structure by relying on the worship of the Dragon Demon king. If they left the Plain of Darkness, they would have nothing.

In the end, their decision had been made for them. The leaders of each faction knew this truth, yet they were hesitating to take that last step.

<She's so spirited even in this mess…. Is this the difference between the young and the old?>

The one to ask the question was a Dragon Demon Undead magician. He had been a tall Dragon Demon. Only his skeleton was left, and he wore a fancy robe, which he had worn when he was alive.

A darkness appeared in front of him.

A frightening wave of Dragon Demon magic was emitted from his dangerous spell. However, the Dragon Demon Undead looked relaxed.

<It is true that she possesses excellent abilities compared to her age. However, she is still too

green to be called his heir. Her talent is excellent, yet her achievements are unremarkable. As expected,the fault lies with her teacher.>

Pah-jeek! Pah-chee-cheet! Pah-jee-jee-jeek!

The spells that he was manifesting at high speed were neutralized by the darkness. Another Dragon Demon Undead spoke to him.

All three Dragon Demon Undead, who were conversing, were magicians.

They were fighting against a Dragon Demon female with long black hair. It was Niberis.

After the revived Atein gave his declaration, it had shocked everyone within the Plain of Darkness. Niberis' mind had went blank for awhile. She couldn't even think.

It allowed her to have a devastating moment of enlightenment.

'What have I been doing up until now?'

She considered it her duty to fight at the front line since she carried the blood of the Dragon Demon king Atein. As she waited for Atein's return, she put her life on the line to fight in his name. It had been a point of pride for Niberis.

She had built her entire life on a belief system, yet her faith was denied by none other than Aten.

She had been tormented since Azell had brought her Saibein's message. She could no longer take it. She had put her life on the life for the cause, yet she knew that everything she had worked towards had been all a lie. How could she not despair?

'I want to meet my father.'

She had abstained from food and drink for the past couple days. On impulse, she ran away from the Plain of Darkness. She didn't have any plans when she made that decision. It didn't take too long for the pursuers to appear.

Of course, it resulted in her wiping out her pursuers. However, another group of pursuers appeared before Niberis could arrived at the Albatan forest. They were powerful foes that would be a little bit too difficult for her.

'They are strong.'

The Dragon Demon Undead magicians were very skilled. When they became Undead, they had lost their Dragon Demon magic. However, in terms of quantity of magical energy, they were on par with Niberis. Moreover, they were a bit more skilled in using their magic.

Niberis was able to last against these three opponents, because she possessed the Book of the Dark Soul. Moreover, they had probably been ordered to catch her alive. If they had attacked her with the intent to kill, she would have been dead already.

'As expected of those that had participated in the holy war, they are skilled.'

These were beings that had been part of the Dragon Demon king's army in the Dragon Demon war.

They believed Atein would be revived someday, and they had wanted to greet him when Atein returned. They had turned themselves into the Undead, and they had put themselves to sleep.

When the waypoints to the Road of Emptiness started being attacked, the leaders of the Plain of Darkness became desperate. The Undeads were awakened. Unlike those alive, they didn't feel any moral dilemma. They just followed Atein's will.

They were part of the group that had turned the Plain of Darkness into a cult of madness. However, they were unlike those that had spent their time collecting power within the Plain of Darkness. They believed Atein to be the absolute being. The method to reach Atein's ideal had changed a bit from what they attempted during the Dragon Demon war. However, they would willingly give their powers to the cause.

While two fought a magic battle with Niberis, the third magician took his time to prepare a great magic. Niberis used her Book of the Dark Soul as she tried to interfere with their spells. She tried to overwhelm them through sheer number of spells, but their defense was like a steel wall.

-Followers of the Black Death!

Niberis had seen this spell in the records of the Dragon Demon war. However, she hadn't been allowed to inspect or learn this great spell yet. Evil energy gathered from the nearby region, and it formed into twelve giants wearing armor.

It was the black magic familiars called the Corrupted Beings. Niberis used it occasionally. If there was a difference, these Corrupted Beings didn't possess a physical body. They were made through the essence of magic, and a very powerful spell was placed on them.

Hoo-uhhhhhh……!

The Corrupted Beings raised their enormous swords as they headed towards Niberis. It was as if they were sliding across the floor. They moved at a surprisingly high speed.

"Koohk!"

Niberis sent a fireball towards them. After halting their charge, she planned on sending out consecutive spells….

Pah-cheet!

"Ah……!"

The result was so far off target that Niberis paused for a brief moment. Her flames just slid past the surface of the Corrupted Beings.

Kwahng!

The sound of an explosion rang out as her barrier magic shook. She had been startled, and it created an opening. The Undead Dragon Demons to attack her.

"Ooh-oohk!"

Niberis desperately restored her destroyed barrier magic. As she did so, she activated the spells stored within the Book of Dark Soul. She attempted to block the movement of the Corrupted Beings.

Hoo-uhhhhhhhhhh……!

However, it was useless. She had tried to unravel their essence by sending curses towards them, but they were all swallowed up. Moreover, any magic that created physical damage slid right off the surface of their skin.

Niberis observed the phenomena, and she came to an answer.

'This magic is used when trying to hunt down a black magician.'

The power of the curse and destruction were eaten by the Corrupted Beings. The power was purified, and it was pumped into the Corrupted Beings. Flames and lightning, which created physical damage, were deflected by the anti-magic spell placed on their skin..

This black magic constructs were created with the purpose of capturing a black magician. It was the worst type of attack for Niberis. Her power was based on darkness, and she was most skilled in black magic.

Of course, there were limits to their abilities. However, the 12 Corrupted Beings were moving as one, and three magicians, who were as skilled as her, were supporting the Corrupted beings. She was being quickly overwhelmed by their number.

It happened at that moment. A vivid red flower petal floated past them. It was a sight that was disparate from their surrounding.

<Mmm?>

They had participated in the Dragon Demon war. They were taken aback by the unexpected development, but they immediately realized what was going on.

-Blood Flower Garden!

Afterwards, several thousand red flower petals invaded their surrounding. It was dizzying.

If they were normal beings, they would have died from the ambush. However, they had seen countless instances where the power of the Bleeding Star during the Dragon Demon war.

The two Undead magicians quickly formed barriers to slow down the completion of the Blood Flower Garden. The third magician used the extra time to finish his spell, then he flicked his finger.

Afterwards, two Corrupted Beings exploded.

Puhhhhhhhhhng!

The wave of magical energy swirled like a storm as it blew away the flower petals, which had been forming the Blood Flower Garden. When the completion of the Blood Flower Garden was thwarted, Kieren appeared from within the petals.

The Dragon Demon Undead magicians were surprised when they caught sight of Kieren for the first time. Unlike Kieren, the Undead magicians continued their attack.

A cursed beam impacted on top of Kieren's defensive magic. At the same time, a Corrupted Being closed in on Kieren.

"You dare!"

Kieren responded with rage. He detonated the ground as he flipped over the Corrupted Being.

Gwah-roo-roo-roong!

He followed this up by sending a lightning bolt towards the Dragon Demon Undead. The surprise attack obstructed the view of the Undead magicians, and red petals started to appear around them once again. The Dragon Demon Undead magicians revealed their surprise.

<Shit. Did he already acquire blood before coming here?>

Dragon Demon general Baldazark's Bleeding Star controlled the nearby blood. If one bled from a wound, the blood would float into the air, and it would be sucked into the Bleeding Star. The absorbed blood was used as a source of magical energy, and an overwhelming amount of spells could be formed using this method.

In other words, the Bleeding Star couldn't display its full potential unless a source of blood was obtained. During the battle between the Dragon Demon Undead and Niberis, all life around them was destroyed. Not even corpses were left behind, so the Dragon Demon Undead assumed that the Bleeding Star wouldn't be able to use its true power.

However, Kieren had conducted a mass slaughter before he came here. He already had a reservoir of blood. This was why his Dragon Demon magic was continuing to climb higher. It was as if his Dragon Demon magic was uncapped.

It was the most dangerous technique that could be used on a battlefield They were able to block the Blood Flower Garden, but Kieren was too powerful. If he teamed up with Niberis, it was up in the air as to whether the Dragon Demon Undeads could win again them.

Suddenly, one of them spoke.

<I'll do it.>

<I'll have to sleep for a while, but it'll be worth it if we are able to retrieve their Dragon Demon weapons.>

At the time of the Dragon Demon war, the Dragon Demon Undeads had learned all kinds of technique from Atein and the Dragon Demon generals. Even if one wasn't a disciple of the Dragon Demon generals, it was easy to learn techniques from them. It had been like that during the Dragon Demon war.

The young generation of the Plain of Darkness had grown up with the techniques forbidden to them. They only gained access depending on their achievements and rank. The Dragon Demon Undeads possessed a broad breadth of knowledge. One of the Dragon Demon Undead used a spell that had been hoarded in this era.

"No way."

Niberis' eyes widened when she saw it. Unlike the Followers of the Black Death, she knew this spell very well.

-Queen of Darkness!

It was a the great magic that Niberis could manifest, but she needed to borrow the power of the Book of Dark Soul to accomplish it. When the Queen of Darkness was completed, a tidal wave of Darkness washed over them. In the middle of the Darkness, she saw the Dragon Demon Undead, and its eyes was emitting light.

The Queen of Darkness explosively amplified the power of magicians that used magical energy of darkness. It was such a powerful magic that it took a very long time to manifest, yet the Dragon Demon Undead was able to complete it in short order. It was completed way too quickly..

It wasn't as if the Dragon Demon Undead possessed a Dragon Demon weapon. As a magician, he wasn't superior to Niberis. It meant that he had given up a great cost for being able to manifest this magic. If their previous conversation was any indication, it seemed the Dragon Demon Undead would lose time. He would have to go back to sleep for awhile.On the other hand, the cost incurred by the Dragon Demon Undead didn't help Niberis and Kairen in any way right now.

Kieren looked tense as he spoke.

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