Chapter 98: Echoes of War

"Captain Hugin, the investigation into that 'God of War' will have to wait. For now, we need to get out of the Abyssal Depths. Something seems to be going on outside."

"What did Charles write? Let me see." Hugin grew serious. He took the note from Sieg's hands and read it carefully.

"Professor, although I've severed ties with the Ryders and refused to peer into destiny, certain innate abilities and connections that belong to our family cannot be cut off. Perhaps this is what they call the power of destiny, but even so, I don't plan to believe in it. I leave this note for you, not knowing what will happen. If you're reading this, it means that what was once fated has changed—so do something about it."

"Charles might seem unreliable on the surface, but he doesn't joke around when it counts. Captain, since we've gotten his warning, we should change our course," Sieg suggested.

"Yeah... Let's go. There's no point in hesitating. The fact that our trip to the Abyssal Depths to investigate the God of War coincides with the Nightblades' check-in day is strange in itself. However, this should just be a coincidence—someone must've spotted an opportunity."

Sieg nodded. He agreed with Hugin's assessment.

Hugin lit his pipe. Curling smoke rose from the lantern to his side. The grating voice of the smoke demon began, "What's the matter, Hugin? Need your trusty partner's help again? You've been in a lot of trouble lately, huh?"

"Cut the chatter. Clear the path," Hugin growled, shaking his pipe forcefully. The demon dispersed momentarily, its form scattering into wisps of smoke.

"What? Clear a path?" The demon sounded bewildered.

"Carve us a way out—we need to leave."

"Have you lost your mind, or have I? Digging our way out of the Abyssal Depths? Hugin, you must've possessed one too many wraiths. You've gone crazy!"

"I have."

"Alright, fine. Who am I to argue with my good partner?" The smoke demon sighed in resignation, its dispersed form swiftly coalescing into massive smoky claws.

It looked like the smoke demon was about to carry out Hugin's ludicrous order to dig their way out. The next moment, however, peculiar gray smoke surged out of its shapeless body and shot down the corridor at high speed.

The sound of smoke penetrating flesh was followed by a dull thud as a body collapsed.

"So many pests..." the demon muttered disdainfully. "Which noble family's mole are you, hmm? Aleisterre sure has a knack for producing traitors, doesn't it? Eh? What's this?" Hugin's partner was clearly a chatterbox.

Boom! The entire corridor shook as an explosion rumbled through it. The gray smoke quickly retreated, visibly reduced in size.

"How dare they ambush me! I couldn't see which family they belong to. Partner, give them a good thrashing for me! Ugh—" the demon began to whine, only for Hugin to shove his finger into the pipe's mouthpiece, silencing it.

"Sieg the Wingless Dragon, and Hugin the Smoke Demon Knight—or should I call you the Wraith Knight? Finding an opportunity to meet you two wasn't easy," a voice said.

Leather boots clipped down the corridor. A man wearing a wide-brimmed brown hat, his face obscured by its brim, approached leisurely. He was dressed in a casual men's shirt and trousers.

"You may call me... Mr. Colin. If possible, I'd prefer not to fight with you."

"..."

"..."

Sieg and Hugin maintained their silence, watching the intruder with wary eyes.

"I just have a question for you: do you have any leads on the Thirteen Keys? If you do, tell me. You're prominent members of the Nightblades, and I'd rather not kill you unless absolutely necessary." Colin's tone was calm, but his self-assurance was palpable.

"The Thirteen Keys? You're the one collecting them?" Sieg frowned, his gloved hand clenching into a fist.

"Perfect timing. Are you sure you're not here to serve your sentence at the Abyssal Depths yourself?" Hugin took a long drag from his pipe. This time, the smoke demon didn't prattle on. It instead transformed into armor that wrapped around Hugin.

"Oh? It seems you're not interested in resolving this peacefully. Then I have no choice but to take action," Colin said with a faint smile. He clapped his hands.

A crack suddenly appeared beside Sieg. A dagger laced with venom shot out from the rift, its serrated blade gleaming ominously.

Time seemed to freeze as the dagger stopped momentarily before teleporting to Sieg's neck. Sieg, with the appearance of a frail scholar, seemed entirely unprepared for the blade that had already reached his throat.

Clang! The sound that followed, however, wasn't that of flesh being pierced but rather the metallic ring of steel on steel.

A sudden burst of air exploded around them as Sieg's fist crashed into the side of the spatial rift. With a resounding boom, the walls of the corridor quaked. Debris tumbled through a massive hole created by the impact.

"Impressive. Even in human form, Sieg Wilsbach, you possesses extraordinary physical strength." Colin seemed genuinely entertained. Sieg had emerged unscathed and was even still smiling faintly, despite the fact that menace radiated from his draconic slit-pupil eyes.

"It's a pity I didn't manage to squash that little bug." Sieg smiled his signature smile, but his draconic pupils left him looking terrifying.

Beside Colin, another rift opened. Hela leapt out and knelt behind him, her body trembling with barely concealed fear.

"I told you not to underestimate them. Did you think a mere hourglass would help you ambush someone of his caliber? Go refine your skills first." Colin didn't even glance back as he spoke.

Hela lowered her head and bit her lip. "I've disappointed you, sir. I can't accept this failure. I underestimated this ‘scholar.' He's far stronger than I imagined. Such disgrace will not happen again."

"Alright, Mr. Sieg. I take it you won't cooperate with me. In that case, prepare to face death from the void," Colin said.

He sighed, shrugging as Sieg tore a chunk of masonry from the damaged wall.

Sieg hurled the massive chunk of bricks effortlessly.

"So it's come to this," Colin sighed again. With a strange fluctuation, the space around him twisted. The bricks vanished before they could strike their target.

"Dammit, how did he do that? Isn't the void supposed to be sealed here?!"

The missing bricks reappeared and slammed into Hugin's back.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Hugin was still under the protection of the smoke demon. The bricks had shattered on impact, causing the smoke demon to yelp indignantly. This time, Hugin didn't silence it.

"Your so-called void suppression is a joke—a mere patchwork of a solution." Colin sneered, chuckling behind his hand. "Ah, apologies for the rudeness. It was simply too amusing."

Sieg and Hugin didn't deign to respond, but their frowns and serious expressions spoke volumes about their anxiety.

The Abyssal Depths, which were completely suppressed by the influence of the reality anchors, should have been the place where the void was least likely to manifest—but this Mr. Colin seemed to be able to use his wizardry with no problems whatsoever.

As expected of someone pursuing the Thirteen Keys—his understanding and mastery of the void exceeded all expectations.

This thought simultaneously crossed Sieg and Hugin's minds.

"Nightblades are supposed to be the experts on void-related incidents, right? Well, let me show you what a real void expert looks like."

Colin smirked, extending his hand. It vanished as though swallowed by something unseen, only to reemerge holding a weapon—a pitch-black, vibrating object that barely resembled a sword.

"I'm not sure if you know what this is, but it's best not to get hit by it." Colin gripped the blade in one hand and pointed it at Sieg and Hugin, who were poised for combat. The weapon bore a striking resemblance to Avia's former blade, Voidsong.

Back by the capital's inner walls, cracks spewing molten lava rose into the sky, accompanied by faint, intermittent wails—the final remnants of the souls that had been used as fuel. The fissures widened as the gateway to the infernal plane was fully opened.

"Tch. This is just great," Wang Yu muttered. He stood on the edge of the crater created by the reality anchor's massive explosion. Glancing at the ever-expanding rift, he cursed under his breath before turning to run.

What else could he do? The battlefield was now beyond his capacity to intervene in. He had tried to stop the emergence of the Hellgate, but had ultimately failed. There was nothing he could do now.

As the Hellgate opened, a peculiar field began spreading outward from its center. Wherever it passed, ordinary ground ignited, vegetation withered, dust turned to embers, and liquids transformed into flowing flames. This was a phenomenon unique to the infernal plane: scorched earth.

Wang Yu wasn't particularly worried about Aleisterre being in any real danger. A kingdom's deep reserves couldn't be undone by such an event. He was more concerned about the chaos this would wreak on the capital. A massive battle was inevitable, and the main battleground would be left to the capital's true elites.

With a triumphant screech, the first horned winged demon burst forth from the rift. The battle had begun.