...
The entire Eastern Sea Region of the Soaring Continent was currently a busy state due to the multiple events. But at the same time, there was also a high tension lingering in the air, seemingly hinting at the impending doom that was about to descend.
Ace City, Magic Ace Academy
At the gates, the guards that were on duty were diligently standing on their respective posts while sharply sweeping their gazes in the surroundings. They had just gotten instructions from their superiors to keep their guard up, especially when most of the powerhouses of the academy were conducting a special assignment.
Most of the faculty members were accompanying the students who would represent the academy in the exploration of the cultivator's tomb while some of them were investigating the recent incidents that harmed their students.
At this moment, the academy was at its weakest state. But there were still experts left to guard it. In fact, the strongest people were stationed in the academy.
One of the reasons was the current state of the entire region, where a lot of activities from the underground organization were taking place. The other reason was because of the World Research Center. They had to guard that place from the greedy people eyeing it, particularly the research materials that they had.
One of the guards at the front gate of the academy yawned lazily while stretching his body. He did not believe that anyone would dare to attack the academy given the background it had.
"Hey! What are you doing? Lazing around? Don't let the supervisor see you, or else you will be fired in a heartbeat," said one of his colleagues before adding. "The tension surrounding the whole place is at its peak, so you better not let your guard down before something happens."
"Hah! What can happen?" laughed the guard before waving his hand. "Don't worry. I am not slacking off. I am just trying to stretch my body a little bit because it is getting too stiff for standing here too long."
Rumble!
While the two of them were chatting, they noticed that the sky suddenly turned dark. When they cast their heads toward it, they saw a huge cluster of clouds gathering above the entire city.
Boom!
Not long after, a thunderous explosion erupted followed by a descent of a huge column of light that fell at the center of the city.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Immediately after that, they saw a gigantic net forming above the city and a transparent barrier forming a dome alongside side it.
"What is that!?"
The two were too stunned to react when they noticed people in black cloaks walking toward the gate of the academy.
The two guards reacted quickly as per their training. One of them leaped forward and pulled out his weapon while the other fished out a device from his pocket and pressed it without hesitation.
"Who are you guys!? What is your business here?" asked one of the guards as infused his sword with his energy and swiftly summoned his Qi Armor in the process.
It was clear that he was a Void Manifestation Stage Expert, who could solidify his Natural Force and turn it into full body armor.
His partner was also on the same level as he quickly formed his version of Qi Armor right after sending the emergency signal to the higher-ups of the academy.
They knew that thing that they the elders were expecting finally arrived.
Unfortunately for these two Void Manifestation Stage Experts, the leading figure from the opposing side belonged to the peak of the Domain Realm.
"Tsk! They are too fast to respond. We don't even have the time to stop them from sending the signal," said Boris as he massaged the muscle between his shoulder and neck.
He then turned his head and looked over his shoulder while instructing the people behind him. "You guys know your assignments. Proceed as planned and leave the rest to us."
"Yes, Sir!" shouted the group in unison.
As for the two of them, they were responsible for robbing some treasures from the Headmaster's Office, particularly the ones that they had been keeping their eyes on for quite a while now.
Of course, they had also brought quite a few weaker Domain Realm Experts along with some Artificial Mutants with physical strength comparable to that level. These guys were responsible for keeping the faculty members and alumni of the academy busy.
Manuel looked at the pair and the Artificial Mutants that they had brought. He seemed to have remembered something before shaking his head. "So, you are the ones that messed with our people recently."
"And now, you are plotting something against the academy," he added as he slowly leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees.
"It seems like we are far too silent these days that you guys dared to mess with us repeatedly. It seems like people have forgotten us the moment we decided to settle down and retire in peace."
Bang!
A heavy and suffocating pressure was suddenly released from his body as he glared at the two under the shade of his general's hat.
Boris and Butcher, who were both peak Body Practitioners in the Domain Realm, had encountered someone who had a stronger physique than them and by no margin at that.
"So, this is the level old monsters have reached," mumbled Boris with a confident grin before adding. "Fortunately, we don't come here alone."
With a simple gesture from his hand, the Artificial Mutants quickly went into a battle formation while Buther took out his signature weapon, a huge butcher knife, and stepped forward.
Boris equipped his steel gauntlets and bumped his fists, producing a loud 'bang'.
Seeing the opposing side had no intention of backing down, Manuel pressed his hands on his knees and slowly stood up.
Bang!
Boris and Butcher felt like a giant suddenly woke up from its deep slumber and stood up. It was as if it was staring at them from high above, looking at them as if they were some sort of bug.
...
World Research Center
Belladonna and her people were standing outside the tall tower in front of them while looking at the group blocking their path.
She slightly tilted her head to the side as she looked at the person leading the opposing side. "This is unexpected. We are not expecting the Warrior Sage to greet us right after we arrive at this place."
"On the contrary, you guys have made us wait for quite a while," said Elias Stuart as he glared at Belladonna and her people.
He did not care why an independent assassin like her joined the Black Serpent Mafia. All he knew was that everyone from the opposing side was enemies that he had to slaughter.
"You people from the Black Serpent Mafia have owed my family, especially me, who have been waiting for this opportunity to come," he continued as a storm of Spiritual Force formed around him, which instantly turned into a huge tornado taller than the researcher center behind him.
He was trying his best to suppress his rage, but whenever he recalled the incident that happened to his family years ago, particularly the suffering that his eldest daughter had suffered at the hands of the Black Serpent Mafia, he could not help but lose himself in madness.
Fortunately, as someone who was in the Venerable Realm, he was able to suppress the strongest urgers of his negative state to an absolute degree. But this did not mean that he was already free from losing himself. If he let his guard down even for a moment, he might lose himself and start slaughtering everyone regardless of whether they were friends or foes.
This was the consequence that he had to face due to his guilt of what happened to his eldest daughter.
Even though he also felt that there was a chance that she was still alive, he could still not shake off the guilt in his heart due to what had happened during that time.
Clenching his fists, he glared at Belladonna and her group with full ferocity. "This time, I will make sure that you will pay for what you have done."
......