Chapter 661: New Generation

The manuscript, a broken-down hardcovered, told of the atrocities. They flew to the guild, the steadiest construction amidst the carnage. Julius and Eira remained reserved for an unknown duration. Words would but hamper the duty ahead. Vanesa held a very gluttonous sneer. The bottom floor was marred by ashes, charred remains fixed into a beg of mercy. After many gentle attempts, the door showed no signs of leeway. Eira impatiently broke through the windows, there, the body of an old man hung over a desk. Two manuscripts rested atop one another. The first and sadly worse lost its ink, pages were burnt. A hardcover binding protected the second, Chronicles of an old man.

"Did you know anything about this?" inquired Igna.

"No…" she omitted shyly, "-I had a vague idea, didn't expect their extent."

"What do we do now?" wondered Julius, "-setting my fears aside, the number of bodies and dark aura in the air speaks of one possible outcome."

"-a plague!" added Vanesa, "-pops, the entities will soon merge into a great curse."

"I know." A shuffled to the window displayed a wasteland, '-what can we accomplish in this situation. Forget about ulterior possibilities, focus on the present. Think…'

"-Shadow Realm," said a whisper, "-use it!"

"I got it," said a sudden reply, "-Julius, Eira, head to the upper floors and check for survivors. Assess the situation, I'll deal with the issue here." 

"As is wished," *clap,* they teleported away. The dejected expression swapped walking to a short sprint, whiteish hair leaped into the dirtied street. A flash conjured the wings, a few flaps and he hovered above the large-scale genocide. '-Regret, anger, and revenge, the passing emotions are strong. The last moments were harmful, everyone held a vindictive thought. The chronicler wanted very little, he watched helplessly and recorded the events.' 

*Knowledge known to only the watcher, I, master and inheritor of Origin, beckon thee; Mantia, Library of the all-knowing – Full Realm Expansion.* Crimson bleached to white, the paleness of his complexion lit, the free-floating hair levitated. A circle expanded outward of his pressed palms, the borders caressed broken buildings and dead bodies; a whiteish flame gave into ash.

'Damn it,' he panted, '-the expansion's limited, I can't surround the whole ground floor. I need more power, bypassing the mana flow isn't sufficient. Dive deeper, let the realm handle the outburst.' He blinked to have the right eyelash in a whitish blaze, the pupils dowsed in vibrant red, '-time to break the seal.'

*Deep slumber, deep rest, awaken for the chance at retribution. Gate of which stands before mine way, open for thy master has come: Nevermore – Hell's Gate.* The heart boomed, pins and needles diffused, '-good,' he smirked, '-the element's affecting Mantia's expansion. Without his knowing, the weather outside tremored at a lightning strike. Nearby monsters and animals fled deeper into the forest. 

*Span across the ages, fear is what held peace, fear is what caused War, fear is the root of evil. I, the harbinger of the ultimate fear, have come to spread and reclaim what is mine of right: Nevermore – Terror Gate.* an outburst of mana bubbled inside the growing sphere. A dark hand pressed against the clearness of the overwise tame Mantian walls.

"Do you sense that?" said Eira abruptly.

"Yeah," he gulped, "-the aura of an apostle evolved into an angel," before they rose the cathedral. 

'More,' he gritted, '-by this point, I would be shrieking in pain. Not anymore, the Shadow Realm's amazing.' 

*Unbound by the laws of Heaven to Hell; unshackle mine power: Nevermore – Annihilation Gate.* death's ancient marks resurface, the chest and back burnt in the flame of the symbols. '-a little bit more,' he gritted and unleashed, *Gateway to the afterlife, gateway to life, gateway of those who live, open, for I order so: Nevermore – Eleo Gate.* The sphere fully engulfed the battlefield. He hovered unbothered by the surge in power, the same couldn't be said about the face, the death symbol lit frivolously in a comical manner, the scythe altered in a pentagram of which circled the left eye. 

'Eleo's gate, a passage into the rank of god. I shouldn't be able to keep the output under control, today's different. I feel better than ever.' Another press solidified the expansion, '-VIth Act of the book of Sinuye. Scripture Xth, life is but the reflection of a higher being. Nothing need make sense, wish it and reality is thine. Arise, rebuilt, restore, all harmed shall be restored, all restored shall perish, tis the payment, tis the fate.' A tringle layered atop multiple buildings, '-Book of Dahalo, from whence Earth, was birthed, naught is to defy the ancient laws. Laws set and set laws, the cycle is it or not will thee think. Real is fake, fake is pure, pure is fantasy, fantasy is fake. Ache, stake, fate.' A close bud of Karia, the flower of life, rose from within the center. 'Vile decrepit creatures of evolution. Thy ultimate end rest singly, mercy shan't be granted for tis becomes weak. Here presents the light, reach and grab, scream and pull, cry and fail. Choose thine fate, those trapped shall be birth a new, souls untouched by death, arise into a new world, arise for my world stand strong, channel thine hatred and manifest, revenge waits.' 

Wisp-like flickers of life emerged from the piles of bodies. Some evil, some pure, and some annoyed, a mixture of emotions gathered underneath a blueish amber. Mantia facilitated the passage between real and fake, what matters was Igna's will. Reality efficiently became his imagination, and in it, he thought the dead were alive and in spiritual form. A connection tied the unfortunate, the amber pulled dimmer lights to a single point. '-First, we revive their bodies.' 

*Once living now dead. O' thee who've lost thine life to fate, thee who held regrets in the mortal world, I grant thee a chance at life. Be one with those who are to serve me, Blood-Arts: Ghoul Revival*

Dismembered torsos, healed, lost bodies parted were attracted to the host. Before five minutes elapsed, an army of empty shells stood along the streets. 'Sadly, they can't exist in this realm, the moment Mantia vanishes, they'll crumble and return to normal. I might not be able to use them as soldiers, but it's fine.'

*Living or dead, I invite all to the realm of absurdity, serve me and my companions, be one of a greater family. Forgo of the past and look towards the future, one in which thou art be immortal and without regret. Box of Soul: Shadow Realm Transmigration.* A tsunami, spawned midair and without support, crashed onto the filled streets, the buildings were unaffected. Souls rejoined to their bodies, the bodies soon merged and dove into an alternate world.

'Where am I?' thought the chronicler, '-the place feels different.' A lush empty field welcomed the astounded party as him. 

"Us, generals of the Shadow Realm, welcome thee to an alternate world!"

Mantia's barrier wavered, the energy dispersed erratically. More alterations would shift reality in a not so amicable way. '-The last spell,' he coughed and focused, *Box of Alche* multiple infrastructures of the town restored, *Realm Expansion: Release.* A clap shuddered the weather – a heavy thunderstorm dowsed the forest cold. 

'I've done it,' he chuckled, the latent death elements ability returned to normal, the gates closed, '-transmigrating a whole town to another dimension takes power,' he fell to one knee, '-my reserves barely made it.' 

*Mana Control: Vortex* the invisible stream of mana gathered onto his index. *Mana Control: Regeneration.* 

"Pops, are you finished?" 

"Vanesa?" he sat cross-legged, "-where were you?"

"I went to check on this," she yawned, "-here," the carcass of a three-headed hound dropped, "-pops, Hades is looking for someone."

"I think I know who," he stood, "-I'm impressed you were able to go and fight."

"Come on pops, I'm not lazy, just a passionate devotee of listlessness."

"Sure, sure." 

Meanwhile, the duo of Julius and Eira stumbled on pretty damning evidence. A hidden laboratory of amber hue. The cathedral's safe didn't inspire much in a holy way. Instead, the creations of an insane individual waited in glass tubes. "What was Lucifer up to?" each step carried a crunch of rocks and dirt. 

"I don't know," she shrugged, "-these are chimeras, and demi-god level ones. He's breeding demi-humans, I think, I mean, the spells are pretty much a log of the experiments."

"One of the tubs is broken. Maybe the reason he left?"

"-Was because he found what he wanted. I doubt it," she exhaled, "-the man I've worked under for long isn't such a shallow person. These experiments were done for the sake of curiosity. Perhaps an acolyte of his found a passion for necromancy?"

"Speculation won't bring us any closer to the truth." Thirty minutes later, the party rejoined before the closed entrance. The town had no stain of the previous genocide, Eira suspiciously hovered to Igna. 

"What happened, the town's return, and the bodies are gone?"

"Does it really matter, I mean, they were dead anyway."

"No lies," she squinted.

"The ascended to a higher plane, is it sufficient?" 

"I guess…"

"What next?" wondered Julius.

"Break the wall, "said Igna, "-we need the capital in working order."

"Leave it to me," a graceful step conjured ice of which swallowed the concrete, a snap crumbled the blockage, "shall we?" she nonchalantly walked through the misty sparkles, "-time is of the essence."

No, soon after, Empire's outpost stood relatively silent on the western coast. A compound enshrouded by tall walls made out of magic. Patrols went to the forest and turn, the guards were conflicted. No evacuation orders were issued to the actual soldiers, once again showing priorities.

"See the antenna, tis the teleportation relay. I activate after a certain amount of mana has been stored. The distance we talking about is rather extensive. The discharge, feel it, the beam was used recently."

"There's only one way out of this," they landed within the dense forest, "-Julius, Eira, we're going on the offensive."

"I can't, my mana's low ever since the transition. The body is yet to be accustomed."

"Big sister," frowned Igna, "-did you, maybe, use the last of the mana to break the bolder?"

"No, I won't."

"Neither can I," interjected Julius, "-I've forgotten my sword."

"Fine, whatever," he broke free of the foliage and hailed the armored patrol.

"STAND DOWN!" said a man in uniform, "-this area is closed off."

"I didn't realize…" a shuffle of the shoulder, *-Ancient demon something arts. I don't care, fall dead,* 

Her words fell onto the man's ears, "-why is such a feeble child out in the wild, honestly, have thee come for rations?" he ran over in sympathy, "-we can't afford donations. The outpost is doomed either way. Head on to Glenda, I'm sure they have supplies for travelers." A sudden headache had him lose balance, the last image was of a little girl. 

"The malady took long to activate," complained Igna.

"I don't know," they casually walked towards the compound. Anywho dares stare was killed instantly. Death packaged in a little girl carried by death himself. Two minutes later, the giant beam stretched to the heavens.

"Hard to imagine this structure to have broken Arda. If not for it, we would have continued our lives without worries. Whatever," *Mana Control: Purgatory Flame Variant – Emral,* a pit of flame swallowed whatever was there. Waves crashed onto the elevated dock, no coral reefs meant the water to be harsh. The dark color gave a profound outlook on the next step. 

"We've cleared Arda from the church."

"Looks like it," they stood shoulder to shoulder.

"From allies to friends," added Julius, "-it truly feels great to have you back, sister."

"Likewise, brother, likewise."

"Don't lower your guards. We might have pushed back the church, the matters of rulership stands." 

"We know, we know," an impromptu group embrace shook Igna.

"Awesome," they laughed.

"I know," returned Igna. Yonder remained bodies, the heartlessness wasn't one to sneer at. Waves crashed, the Haggard's next-generation enjoyed their moment of respace. An anger-filled entity watched, '-he has returned.'