Chapter 16: The Evildoers will make Their Move
When morning came, Ely returned to the magic academy to inquire more about magic and investigate yesterday's encounter. That mage's black aura was definitely worrying.
The air felt slightly chilly, and overcast clouds covered the turquoise sky. Ely shivered a little from a cold gust of wind. She looked up and muttered. "Today is still early, but why is the sky so cloudy? A storm is approaching?"
"Yeah, the weather has been a bit unpredictable lately. I hope all is well." Lily-Mae felt a bit worried because of her grandfather's words yesterday. He gave no further detail and only reassured her, making her uneasy, especially because the holy saintess was here.
"Shall we go to my study room, Lady Miko? You can learn more about magic with a cup of hot cocoa." Lily-Mae invited with careful consideration..
In fact, she needed to figure out why this exalted one in the cultivation world was interested in magic. Her wild thoughts said the holy saintess was trying to create an extraordinary technique involving magic and cultivation.
"With pleasure~ I will be in your care, Miss Lily." Ely appreciated the consideration.
She looked at Michael and nodded slightly. He put his hand to his chest and gave a slight knightly bow, then turned to leave.
"Lady Miko, why did you send your knight away?" Lily-Mae needed clarification. It would be fine if he tagged along. He was so handsome, and she wished to get to know him better too.
"Mika-kun has some business to attend to. He will be back soon." Ely grasped her hand in front.
"I see." Lily-Mae nodded in understanding. It was probably the unavoidable nature call.
They then went to the special study room on the fifth floor of the academy's main building.
Meanwhile, Michael entered the restroom and used teleportation to go rendezvous with the other Apostles.
*Zap*
Michael teleported to a secret meeting room. The other nine Apostles were already there, with a material for discussion placed on the table.
"You have arrived, Michael. Please have a seat, and we can begin our meeting." Gabriella turned on the projection. "In our first major operation, our master pinpointed three main factors that would guide us to the real mastermind. Around this Lumina City lurked an organization that moves in darkness. They plan to awaken or summon the Heavenly Demon."
The map of Lumina City was displayed in the projection. The three markers show the Luponia Magic Academy, the Holy Chruch, and the city lord's mansion.
"Fifth sister, please continue from here." Gabriella passed the projection device to the girl next to her.
"Then, I, Uriel, shall lead this meeting." Uriel's light purple eyes faintly flashed.
She then presented the detailed data about the city lord's mansion from their investigation to everyone. However, the pressing matter occurred at the magic academy, and they would first handle the 'demon' and a particular group's suspicious activity.
As for the situation in Holy Church, they needed to wait for their master's decision. They couldn't infiltrate there unnoticed because of the holy magic protection. Besides the surface information, they barely had any data on what might be hidden beneath the Lumina City's Holy Church. n/)o.(V/-e-(l(-b).1..n
"I see, so we'll handle the one suspected of being one of us, right? However, I don't think it's that simple. The suspicious movements in this city have become more troubling since our arrival." The fourth brother crossed his arms.
"You mean the suspicious movement in this city, and their agenda has accelerated since our master's arrival? Please elaborate further with us, Azrael." Rafaela made a steeple of her fingers.
"All right, they will target our master and the mages in the magic academy. I used shadow search before coming here and found a surprising secret conversation around the academy. Do you know what I got?" Azrael replied with an evil grin.
"What is it?" Gabriella's expression turned cold. It didn't bode well for her.
"They changed their plans slightly. Initially, they intended to make the entire academy as a sacrifice to summon a powerful magical demon from the world above. They planned to kill the holy saintess and make her blood the primary offering to their God. Due to our arrival, they hastened their plans, and none of the citizens will be spared when that demon descends upon this world." After saying that, Azrael summoned his little shadow clone and played the audio recording he got this morning.
As he said, the situation that awaited the Luponia Magic Academy was more complex than it seemed. A greater scheme of evil from an unknown demonic cult had been lurking in this city for years. Those people decided to move soon because of the arrival of the holy saintess and hundreds of mysterious experts in this city.
Not to mention their master's blatant action as a healer and holy saintess. Several major forces had already sent their representatives to greet her and establish good relations.
Instead of being purged by the combined forces, those terrorists from a particular demonic cult decided to carry out their plan today. They were desperate to summon their God as soon as possible.
"A Demon God... that thing and its worshippers dares to target our master? A mere magical demon dares to challenge the almighty one? It's funny since they'll turn to dust once they dare appear before our master. Since they have a death wish this early, let's grant it to them." Michael grinned confidently. He could slaughter anyone below 8th Rank and rival the Emperor-level expert if he went all out.
As for his master's realm, he knew no one could measure how strong his master was. She was fond of living a serene mortal life. However, all her disciples knew their master was omnipotent and above True God's level. Because of the Heavenly Demon revival plans, his master was forced to put aside that simple yet relaxing life.
"Our master eliminated one yesterday, and another one will appear today? The sky has indeed changed, just like what our master said. However, we need to act before our master need to make her move. We need to prove ourselves in this operation." Uriel twirled a lock of her silver-white hair.
Their organization never had a direct encounter with an existence above Emperor-level. Still, the powerful ones appeared one after another when their master stepped out of the Northern Realm's mountain region.
"It's better if we eliminate those demon worshipers first. Preventing the Demon God from descending into this world is better for reducing the casualties of innocent people."
"Whether it is related to the Heavenly Demon or not, we shall eliminate them."
"I assume it's a great demon lord from the upper realm. Do they have a way to open the gate and connect the sealed path?"
"We don't know what will happen, but they plan to sacrifice more than a thousand talented seedlings in the academy. If they are confident, we need to be vigilant."
"Yeah, prepare for trouble, and make it double."
"No, I reckon it's a massacre because they have chosen death!"
"Wait, what about the situation at the city lord's mansion? The Lumina Family has their disgusting case."
"They are not more important than this pressing matter. We will deal with them later as they can't escape either. The teleportation out of the city has also been sealed by higher-ups. They are aware that the storm is approaching. They will be useful later, hehe~"
The discussion between Ely's core disciples heated up.
Gabriella then distributed the tasks to each Apostle, and they immediately made their moves in the shadows, unnoticed by any third party. If possible, she wished to handle the incident without her master needing to step in.
The brighter the light, the darker the shadow. The Guardian of Dream's members didn't care how much 'evil' would come into existence. Their master was the eternal light, and they served their master with all their hearts to fulfill her wish and eliminate obstacles in her path.
The Luponia Magic Academy had been infiltrated by more than two hundred unidentified people. Regardless, the Guardian of Dream also had already made their move.