While Lawson and his fellow Mages were thinking about what had just happened, Anthony finally reached Southevile Viscountcy.
He had been informed that Charles had stolen some of the Treasures, so he wanted to see himself just how many Charles had stolen. He was enraged no matter how many it was, but how much he would ground Blake and the others depended on it.
"We greet the King!"
As soon as he entered the Viscountcy, Blake and the other surviving Mages lowered their head and put two fingers above their heart. Anthony merely scoffed at them, and passed them without even acknowledging their existence.
None of the people were happy being treated that way, but none of them showed their dissatisfaction outwardly. They parted when Anthony walked straight at them, and followed him to Southevile Manor.
"It is very quiet here." Anthony looked around, and found men looking either at the sky or the ground blankly. "They have just gotten out of a Bewitchment, huh? It's a pretty strong one it seems. How many citizens have died?"
"Presumably, 9999 people. All of them are young women, Your Majesty."
"That bloody bastard, he stole Red Coffin, didn't he?" Anthony clicked his tongue in annoyance. "It is a little bit surprising that Southevile has—used to have that many virgins though."
"Yes?" Averill, who had been keenly listening to Anthony's words, couldn't help blinking his eyes. "How did you know that all of them were virgins, Your Majesty? Ah, no offense."
"It's the requirement that needs to be fulfilled to activate that accursed Artefact." Anthony waved his hand. "You said that Charles had also destroyed one of the Treasures, didn't you? What is it?"
"It's Red Coffin, Your Majesty."
"..."
Upon hearing what Averill said, Anthony immediately pondered about whether he should ground the Mages for that. Red Coffin, after all, was one of the Artefacts he wanted to destroy because it required a sacrifice to activate.
He couldn't do it because it was a Treasure and an inheritance from his predecessors, so he was actually glad that it had been destroyed. Still, he couldn't show he didn't mind about its destruction, otherwise he would ruin his image as a King.
Upon arriving at Southevile Viscountcy, he immediately opened the Dimensional Gate to the Vault and entered it to look for any other missing Treasures. No one dared to follow him as doing it was punishable by law.
Anthony came out of the Treasure Vault not long after. He then looked at them coldly after he sealed back the gate to the vault.
"You should thank your luck. Only one Artefact is stolen from the Vault." Everyone sighed in relief at his words. "I won't hold you accountable for the death of the citizens, but I need you to bring Charles' head to me."
Representing the others, Blake lowered his head and exclaimed, "Even without you telling us to do it, we will definitely bring his head to you, Your Majesty!"
"Hmph! Sweet words won't get you anywhere. Just prove me your words." As the Mages in front of him lowered their head respectfully, he added, "You should join the others on their quest to look for Charles. Dismiss!"
Blinking their eyes in surprise, the Mages were rooted in their place as they thought about how early the quest was started. They soon realized that Anthony just wanted to dismiss them however; they nodded their head and left the place.
Anthony silently watched them as they quickly disappeared from his view. He knew none of them would immediately look for Charles, and instead participated in the war.
"You can show yourself," he said to no one.
In the next moment, the air in front of him distorted, and a figure that was dressed entirely in white appeared. The figure was one of the agents of The Eyes, who was going to give Anthony the update about the Outbreak.
"I greet Your Majesty."
"Let us cut to the chase." Anthony frowned. "It is really surprising as much as it is annoying that another important event has happened in just two hours."
"The 32nd Obelisk, the Obelisk of Goap has fallen into our hands under the lead of the famous young Dual Principle Practitioner Basil Pacifer, Your Majesty. On top of that, he also managed to capture Charles Blois' only disciple."
Quirking his eyebrow as the agent abruptly stopped speaking, he said, "I didn't know you were supposed to hide informations from me."
"... I am not very sure about how true this information is."
"What is it?"
"Basil Pacifer claimed that he had also heavily injured Charles Blois to the point Charles Blois had to run away, leaving his disciple behind. We haven't gotten the witnesses' testimony yet, so it is nothing more than a mere claim at this moment."
"Hoh? That's interesting." He caressed his beard. "I have met and talked with this lad once, and I can tell he is a quite sincere person. It is hard to believe, but I doubt he is not lying about that." Shaking his head faintly, he waved his hand, "Moving on!"
"The last information is about the sudden disappearance of Jerion, Goap's First Great General from Randalvine, Your Majesty. He was about to demolish Lawson Lansdowne and the other Mages when he suddenly decided it was time to go."
"In other words, the battle in Randalvine has finally ended?" At this question, the white figure kept silent for a few seconds.
"... The battle in Randalvine has been concluded, Your Majesty; however, we also found something concerning in the Southern Sea Region."
"What have you found?" Anthony's eyes darkened.
"We have found Goap, the First Great General Jerion, the Second Great General Bassaret, the Third Great General Calea, and the Fifth Great General Deagel there. Other than Jerion, all of them seem to be performing a Ritual."
Boom!
"Why have you only told me now?!" Anthony shouted out loud as his Mana Pressure created a dent on the floor of the already ruined Southevile Manor. "Don't you know how important that information is?!"
"I beg your mercy, Your Majesty," the white figure said while trembling. "None of us are stationed in the Southern Sea Region, which is an inhabitable place filled with Aquatic Monsters, so we only came there after we noticed an anomaly."
Clenching his fist tightly, Anthony gritted his teeth furiously. He eventually calmed down when he exhaled deeply, and realized that none of the agents of The Eyes were at fault.
"How unsightly of me," he muttered. "Deliver this to every able people in my Kingdom. I, your King, am heading to Southern Sea Region to prevent a crisis, and you are obligated to follow me on this battle!"
Looking down at the white figure, he added, "Notify my sons that they are not obligated to come, but there is a reward for those who do."
"Your command is my wish, Your Majesty."
As the white figure disappeared from his view, he looked at the sky with a frown before clicking his tongue bitterly. He sighed, then dashed outside outside the Viscountcy to Southern Sea Region.
His heart was beating faster than usual. It had been years since he last felt nervous about a crisis, so he couldn't help worrying what kind of abomination awaiting him.
...
Southern Sea Region.
As the news about Anthony going to Southern Sea Region to prevent a crisis was broadcast, the Ritual Goap and his three Great Generals had been performing for the past two hours was closing to its end.
With Goap, the Second, Third, and Fifth Great General were standing in circle on a stone pillar in the middle of the Northern Sea. The previously blue sea had turned pitch black; the aura it was exuding was sickening enough to make anyone dizzy.
Bassaret had an eagle head and the body of a human with a pair of black wings on his back. Like all of Goap's Great Generals he was wearing a Vanadium Armour, and surrounded by a dark and fierce aura.
Calea was Goap's second female Great General. She had a hair that was as red as a flame; a face that was so beautiful, it looked fake; a fair skin tone that made her look like a human female and a physique that every woman dreamed of.
Deagel was the most mysterious Great General; he was entirely covered in Vanadium Armour, so no one could see his face. The only thing one could make of him other than his armour was his protruding horns that were not protected by his armour.
A few kilometers from them, on the land, the remaining Army of Goap were looking at them in anticipation. They couldn't wait to see what would be summoned when the Ritual ended.
"Hmm... To think that creature is still here... I can't believe the humans never check this place for thousands of years."
Jerion; who was floating above the sea, not far from the stone pillar; couldn't help smirking as he noticed the disturbance in the water. The very creature they were summoning was starting to come to the surface.
Turning his head to Goap as he saw Goap facing him, he quirked his eyebrow as he wondered if it was all right to suddenly leave the Ritual like that. Flying at Goap, he immediately kneeled respectfully when he landed on the stone pillar.
"Is there something you need of me, My Prince?"
"How long will it take them to arrive here?" Goap was asking about the human army that Anthony would lead.
"Two days, if they can march at a constant high speed."
Smiling softly, Goap turned to the sea. "Two days is more than enough for our conquest plan to be carried out." The disturbance in the sea was getting more noticeable, and his smile couldn't help getting bigger.
Not long after, Bassaret and his fellow Generals broke the circle and turned to look at the small whirlpool in the sea. The Ritual wasn't actually finished, but it was no more needed since the very creature they wanted to summon had already answered their call.
Crash!
The whirlpool was getting bigger as the color of the aura the sea was exuding got darker. It only stopped getting bigger after it was big enough to swallow a small island.
The whirlpool slowly disappeared, revealing the hole where the water had gone to. It was contracting as if it was alive, and was decorated with thousands of gigantic, sharp canine teeth.
"The human's defeat is closing," Goap muttered in glee.
Charybdis was awakened after her two thousand years of slumber.