19 Emissary From the Order

Within an unknown room and in an unknown location, several figures clad in black robes stared at glistering mirrors which projected the images of a fierce battle between the various races. Among the thirty mirrors in the room, one of them had projected nothing but darkness. A total contrast to the remaining twenty-nine mirrors.

Meanwhile, the cloaked individuals which numbered in the hundreds, laughed and chatted as they watched the grueling battles. One of the major talking point of their discussion centered on the events that was taking place in James's combat room, which was the only glistering mirror that had no image projected on it. Although they heard sounds of explosions and pleas of mercy from the room, they did not know what was happening in the room.

"What's wrong? Why did we lose the image from that room?"

"What's going on in this room? Is this sorcery?"

"I'm not sure. This is really strange. This is the first time the Oron Mirrors has failed."

"Hmmm… That black mist is not something ordinary. I wonder why the Headmaster has not stopped the bout, the amount of trainees in that venue keeps dropping."

"Hehehe… Who knows what she is planning, maybe she wants only one person from each race to survive…"

While the cloaked individuals discussed with each other, another series of events was taking place in another unknown location. Within a well-furnished room, illuminated by the multicolored glow of various crystals, two individuals sat a few feet away from each other. Just like the other dark room which had several Oron Mirrors, this room also had the same amount of mirrors. Unlike the rowdy discussion taking place in the other dimension, the room was eerily quiet and only the sound of the raging battles echoed in the room.

Taking a closer look at the two individuals, one would notice they gave off contrasting auras. Seated on a green colored chair, was a beautiful lady who looked like an eternal beauty. She had a black flowing hair on her head, which matched her pitch black eyes and succulent looking lips. She wore the same outfit as the supervisors of Kynar, but had multiple red crucifix pendants attached to her robes. Although she looked like a lady in the prime of her life, her eyes had a look of an ancient being. As she watched the events taking place on the mirrors, she had a devious smile on her face which made her look somewhat seductive. Unlike this lady who looked as if she was enjoying the battles being projected on the mirrors, the expression of the second lady was unknown. Because, she had a strange blue mask on her face. The blue mask on her face contrasted with her silver flowing her, which fell on either side of her shoulders. The unique feature about this mask was the strange question mark drawn on its surface. Unlike the other lady who wore a white and black mage's robe, she wore a silver robe which had several eerie-looking red markings on it.

With both individuals focusing on the battle being projected, they did not bother to discuss with each other. Only the sound of cries and screams being projected from the Oron Mirrors echoed in the room. However, the smiling lady broke the silence a few minutes later, when her melodious voice echoed, "Emissary, what do you think of our new recruits?"

"Whether they will become useful to the Order is unknown, but some of them have potential. This news will please the Elders. Good work, Headmaster Piri," The masked lady said. Her voice was a bit hoarse, it was almost as if something was restraining her from using her real voice.

Hearing the words of the emissary, the lady named Piri had a radiant smile on her face as she replied, "Thank you Emissary. Have you taken an interest in anyone of them?"

"Headmaster Piri, I think you should focus more on the battle taking place in room 10. Do you plan on letting all of them die?" The emissary asked. Causally brushing off Piri's enquiry. However, Piri only laughed while having a teasing smile on her face.

"Although they have attained the minimum requirements, I don't want to spoil the fun the children are having. It will be too cruel if I don't let them have a fill, don't you think so?" Piri said. The moment she finished speaking, she stared intently at the emissary with her pitch black eyes, while having a seductive smile on her face.

"I don't give a damn what you have in mind towards those children. Keep in mind that, I must report all events taking place in the screening. So, if you want to kill them all, you better have a good reason for it. I've seen enough of the recruit, I'll be returning to the headquarters," The emissary said as she lazily got up from her seat.

"I'm sorry for the delay Emissary, please don't add this in your report. I'll bring an end to the selection process. Please stay a while, we haven't gotten the reports from the headquarters yet," Piri said in a pleading voice, while having an apologetic expression on her face.

Hearing Piri's words, the emissary who stood up previously sat down for a second time, while Piri got up and made her way towards a strange formation in the room. The moment she arrived at the center of the circular formation, she disappeared from the room. Leaving the emissary behind, but at that same moment, the mumbled voice of the emissary echoed within the room. "What an annoying lady. I wonder what kind of skill generates that black mist, it render even the Oron Mirrors useless. Hmmm… at least coming here is better than searching for Blay De Tovar."

Meanwhile, in the other room where the cloaked individuals watched the battle; they suddenly heard a melodious voice, "The Selection process is coming to a close. Supervisors, you all know what to do. Go!"

"Yes Headmaster!" The cloaked individuals replied in unison. At that same moment, they disappeared from the room.

On the mirrors found within the room, one could see several gory battles taking place, which produced a high fatality rate. The images of some youths who were in the coliseum with James also appeared on the Mirrors, with one of them projecting the image of Rowan killing the young lady who was searching for her sister.

A few seconds after the supervisors disappeared from the hidden room, Piri's voice reverberated within the various fighting rooms, "Congratulations children. You have earned the right to feast on the tables of Kynar. You have three seconds to stop all forms of fighting."

A few seconds before Piri's message, James and the red haired demon were still staring at each other with menacing looks in their eyes, while the sounds of battle rage around them. Unlike James who had a stern expression on his skeletal face, the young demon had a smug look on her face. The reason for this, was because of the three pitch black aberrations swirling above the head of the young demon.The moment these aberrations appeared, James received a system notification.

Looking at these aberrations, they were spiritual entities which looked like vicious devils from the depths of hell. They were pitch black, while also having claws that looked as if it was bathed in blood. The most surprising feature about these aberrations was their striking resemblance to James's damned souls. In fact, they resembled a matured and more ruthless version of his damned souls.

<Ding>

Scanning Item…

Scanning completed!

Warning! Warning! Warning!

Name: Lesser Demons.

Rank: poor.

Effects: Item can devour all Item named - Damned Souls and Army of the Fallen. Item can attack the user.

Limitations: Item cannot possess and assassinating the user. Item is weak against the Skill - Hell Fire Manipulation. The user's Soul purifying flames can refine the Item.

Estimated time for refinement: 20 days!

Odds of the user defeating the item: 90%.

Warning! Warning! Warning!

Changes to the Target detected!

Scanning Target Again…

Scanning completed!

Name: ???

Age: ???

Race: Demon.

Rank: Student and Knight.

Level: 10-27 (sorcerer), 60 (Warrior).

Occupation: Sorcerer, Warrior, Soul Tamer, and Torturer.

Path: Darkness.

Current status: Suffering from Mana Deviation.

Effects: Mana in the target fluctuates between levels and only lasts for 12 days. Target will attain the highest level once it completes the Mana Deviation process. Target will suffer mental and physical pain during the Mana Deviation process.

Limitations: Process can kill the target if it succumbs to the pain. Starting the Mana Deviation process does not guarantee the process will increase the level of the target.

Odds of the user defeating the Target: 30%

<Ding>

After reading the information displayed by the system, James felt cheated. When he first scanned the demon, she was only a level 19 sorcerer and a level 20 knight, while his odds of victory was at 80%. He did not know how the situation suddenly turned against him, even the knowledgeable Blay De Tovar had nothing in his memories relating to Mana Deviation. It also surprised him when he saw the words - Lesser Demons. Because, he had a feeling they were the next rank after the Damned souls. It was usually his thing to act weak to devour his opponents, but this was the first time someone was playing this same trick on him.

"Are you going to let a lady make the first move? Where is your decency? Aren't you a man? Hehehe…" the young demon said in a teasing voice.

However, James said nothing in response. But, he wished he could slap the scammer in front of him.

"What a boring Grim Reaper. You can't…" before the demon could finish her goading words, James's ghoulish voice interrupted her, "Nobody likes a lady who is too clingy. This is your lucky day, I'm willing to let you and your ugly demons go."

Hearing James's words, the young demon had an amused expression on her face. She could not stop herself from laughing when James said would let her go. That James could see her Lesser Demons did not come as a surprise to her. In fact, James not being able to see them would have been the greater surprise. However, the amused expression on her face gradually disappeared. Within seconds, her face turned stone cold.

"Do you think I will let you go just like that? I have never fought a Grim Reaper, let me see if you guys are worth the hype. Don't worry, I will only…" before she could finish her words, she felt a slight heat wave. Originating from two Hell-Fire fireballs appearing on James's hands. As he stared at her, he uttered the word "Come."

At that same moment, Piri's announcement reverberated within the four corners of the room. But, neither James nor the young demon backed down. Before the duo could charge at each other, they felt a slight breeze in the room. Before James could process what was happening, the system display appeared in his mind.

<Ding>

Warning! Warning! Warning!

The user's Skill - Mana Manipulation, is being forcefully dispersed.

The user has 20 seconds until it's deactivated!

Warning! Warning! Warning!

Several Targets above the user will soon enter the room!

<Ding>

'Hmmm… It seems the people behind this Kynar are finally making their move. Well, they came at the right time. I did not want to waste to waste my time fighting such a weirdo,' James mused.

With several unknown people approaching, the Hell-Fire on James's fistdisappeared. Which surprised the young demon, just as she wanted to speak, one of her Lesser Demons relayed something to her in a strange dialect. At that moment, she had of sudden enlightenment.

"We'll play with each other next time, I'll be seeing you around," James said. Before the young demon could say a word in response, the black smog within the room churned, while James's Grim Reaper physique disappeared within the darkness. A few seconds later, the room became brightly lit. Revealing multiple mangled corpses on the blood-soaked floor. Only 28 survivors emerged from the frenzied battle, among them was a young boy with a brilliant red hair on his head. He had a mysterious smile on his face as he stared at a red-haired young demon, whose eyes probed the room in search for someone or something. Meanwhile, members of the other races had miserable looks on their faces. Most of them had just experienced the most gruesome battle of their lives.