Chapter twenty
As Uthean advanced into an urban giant, much about it had changed. One such transformation was the Uthean Forest—it was now a third of its original size. Uthean had become a Wall City, hosting eight individually layered regions. Each layer formed a noble domain, and the eighth housed the capital zone.
— Archives of Uthean, The Rising Province by Lea Somvot
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*Midnight – Uthean Forest*
Sizzle.
A blackhole swirled open at the edge of the roadside.
---
*Present Time – Wilbert Domain*
The Wilbert House, in charge of all commercial affairs in Uthean, held territory closest to the main road adjacent to the Uthean Forest.
Karis Wilbert, one of Adrian's distant cousins, sat in her office, massaging her forehead as she read the reports sprawled across her desk.
"An entire caravan… gone? Just like that?" she muttered. "The Public Guard found no clues. No survivors. And the caravan belonged to the Azaar Group, no less."
The Azaar Group ranked among the *top ten merchant guilds in all of Usera*, not just Northern Usera. Uthean already attracted enough enemies as it was—bright flames lured the worst moths. A vanished Azaar caravan would invite nothing but trouble.
Thud.
"Karis, right?"
Adrian strolled in, his smirk sharp as a blade. "Can't believe the Secretary for Peaceful External Relations has reached such… incompetence."
"Cousin, I doubt you should be here," Karis frowned, her pride stinging. "I've yet to find a solution, but this isn't solely my fault."
"The Azaar Group, huh?" Adrian plucked a file from her desk, flipping through it leisurely. "Your failure might just push Uthean into a war with a merchant giant."
"I'm as clueless as you are. Innocent, even," Karis said sharply.
"Did I say I was innocent?" Adrian's smile darkened. "I'll handle this nuisance. You—keep this buried. At least for a week."
If the Azaar Group entangled itself with Uthean's internal affairs, it would disrupt Adrian's carefully laid plans. That, he could not allow.
"Adrian Wilbert, you may wield power in this county," Karis warned, "but our strength means nothing before the world's true stage."
"That's an interesting thought," Adrian said, his grin widening. "I'd like to test it."
Swoosh.
He phased from the room.
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*Wilbert Manor – Adrian's Quarters*
"Chris, you felt the energy wavelength last night?" Adrian asked, reappearing in his chamber.
"Yes, young master. Shall I send Tobey to investigate?" Christopher, kneeling, bowed his head.
"I'll handle it myself," Adrian said flatly. He turned to Valhalla, his permanent summon. "Ever seen anything with this signature before?"
Valhalla shook his head. "I'm from a fictional world. Most creatures I know don't exist here."
"To deal with our first problem…" Adrian's gaze shifted southward. "Character Form: *Giant Canine.*"
The Giant Canines rivaled the Lion Monkeys in intelligence. By programming simple attack coordinates into them, Adrian could replicate the chaos of last year's central invasion—a perfect distraction for the Azaar issue.
"Send Tobey when ready—"
Boom.
A black blur erupted from the depths of the Uthean Forest.
Adrian's lips curled into a twisted smile. "This time, I won't lose."
Swoosh.
Adrian, Valhalla, and Chris vanished into a portal.
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*Deep within Uthean Forest*
A humanoid abomination stood amidst a field of chaos, its dark-violet flames devouring the trees. Beasts fled in every direction, their shrieks swallowed by the inferno.
Arrrrgghhh.
An abyssal screech tore through the forest.
Boom.
Every creature within fifty kilometers vanished—erased. All that remained was a massive crater… and the towering mass of darkness at its center.
"Well, well," Adrian muttered, eyes narrowing. "I thought the disturbance I tracked was a Gyn. To be honest… I don't know what you are."
<< Be careful. >>
Arrrggghhhhhhh.
The darkness vanished.
Boom.
A blackhole ripped open where Adrian had stood only seconds prior—saved only by the Old Fool's warning.
<< Pay attention, boy! >>
"That thing… it's not just energy," Adrian realized, his expression hardening. "It's absorbing everything—every shred of mana around it."
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*Crack.* The trees bent unnaturally, leaves shriveling in an instant. The air thinned, and even the ambient mana began to vanish.
"Valhalla!" Adrian called out, already activating *Flame Sovereign Rewrite*.
The humanoid figure twisted unnaturally, its shape warping like a flickering illusion. It didn't radiate magic. It *devoured* it.
<
*Boom.*
Chris lunged forward, his twin blades infused with runic energy. "Flanking!"
But the creature turned its face—if it could be called that—toward him. Its violet flame pulsed once. The space snapped, and Chris was launched backward, smashing through two trees, his armor sizzling.
"Null Field..." Adrian muttered, understanding dawning. "It's not just absorbing energy—it's rewriting the laws around it."
Valhalla stepped forward. "Permission to engage with *Tier Three Embodiment*?"
"Granted. Use your draconic form," Adrian commanded.
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[Valhalla: Tier Three Embodiment – Form: Ascended Dragon Knight]
From his shoulders sprouted obsidian wings laced with ember veins. A spectral horn curled from his forehead, and golden runes etched themselves into his armor. His blade twisted into a molten great sword of infernal origin.
"ᚱᛟᚢᛗ - Annihilation Protocol."
Valhalla vanished.
*CLANG.*
He reappeared above the creature, striking down with a comet slash. The blade connected—and was swallowed. Eaten.
*Gurgghhh…*
The entity responded, but not with a voice—*with echoes. Adrian gritted his teeth as phantom thoughts tried to invade his mind. *"I devour definition… I consume cause… I erase purpose…"
Valhalla stumbled back. "It's eating intent. That slash didn't fail because of resistance. It failed because it *negated the concept of violence*."
"Old Fool—what the hell is this thing?" Adrian asked.
<
The Anulian began walking forward. With each step, flowers wilted. Insects crumbled to dust. Even *Valhalla's summoned runes* began vanishing mid-cast.
---
Adrian narrowed his eyes.
"Chris, fall back."
"Valhalla, delay it. I'm bringing something older."
He raised his left arm, and a new summoning glyph formed—one not from his usual library of characters.
*Character Form: Wyrm of the Final Flame – "Il'Zethar"*
From behind him, a rift split the air. A creature stepped out—less summoned, more *invited*. Il'Zethar was no humanoid. It was a serpentine dragon of skeletal fire, wrapped in blackened chains. Its eyes were two supernovae locked in a decaying skull.
"Who dares disturb my infernal slumber?" the beast snarled.
"Devour the anomaly," Adrian whispered.
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*Il'Zethar vs. Anulian.*
*Round One: Flame vs. Void.*
As Il'Zethar launched a barrage of entropy flame bolts, the Anulian opened its arms. Every bolt vanished on contact.
But the dragon grinned. "A consumer, are you? Then *feed*."
The next wave of attacks wasn't flame—but *memories of flame, drawn from ancient timelines. **Temporal echoes.* Even the Anulian hesitated.
Adrian's eyes lit up. "He's delaying it... We have a window."
"I need a minute," Adrian said, biting his thumb. Blood magic surged. "If I can't destroy it… I'll bind it."