The WAS office was elegantly furnished, with two leather chairs and a table at its center. Flower pots added a touch of sophistication. Two men sat in the chairs, while two others stood before them, clad in black suits and sunglasses.
Zelazny Zoldrak, a muscular man with a granite-chiseled build, sat in one chair. His expensive black shirt strained against his broad shoulders, and his biceps and triceps bulged beneath the fabric. A 1st-grade sorcerer badge adorned his tuxedo suit. Beside him sat Glock, dressed in a blue suit that matched his dark hair, his deep blue eyes narrowed.
"A demonic legion appeared at Azura?" Zoldrak asked, his commanding tone demanding attention. One of the standing men nodded. "Yes, sir. The security official reported that demons suddenly appeared, attacking people."
Glock's interest piqued, he sat up straight. "This doesn't add up. Demons can't just appear out of nowhere." Zoldrak's expression turned grave. "You're right. This suggests one of two things: either a powerful stimulus or a summoner."
The air thickened with tension as Glock's eyes locked onto Zoldrak's. "A summoner would mean we're dealing with an upper-class demon. That's a whole different ball game." Zoldrak's voice was low and serious. "We can't afford to underestimate this. If an upper-class demon is loose, the consequences could be catastrophic."
Glock's face tensed, his mind racing with the implications. "We need to find out what's going on, and fast." Zoldrak nodded, his jaw clenched. "I'll mobilize our teams. We can't let this situation spiral out of control."
In the world of sorcery, demons were ranked by Anti-tenzen level:
- Lower class: Anti-tenzen rating -2 to -30
- Mid-class: -31 to -70
- Upper-class: -71 to -99
- Special-class: -100 and above
- Special disorder: Unknown
Only demons with an ATR above -70 could summon, meaning upper-class or beyond. Glock's skin crawled at the thought of what might be coming their way.
The silence was suffocating, the air thick with unspoken questions. Zoldrak's sudden inquiry shattered the stillness: "Did they report any strange encounter?" The man's response was immediate, his voice steady despite the tension. "No, sir. By the time they arrived, the demons were already dead."
Glock's skepticism was evident in his raised eyebrow. "Dead?" The man nodded, his eyes cast downward. "Yes, sir. The demons were already eliminated."
Zoldrak and Glock exchanged a tense glance, their faces inches apart. "Was it Ackerman?" Zoldrak asked, his voice low and gravelly. "No, sir," the men replied in unison, their voices barely above a whisper.
Glock's curiosity piqued, he leaned forward. "Then who?" The man's explanation was measured, his words chosen carefully. "A team of five sorcerers, made of four teens, and one man. The female sorcerer was 4th-grade, and one 5th-grade sorcerer."
Zoldrak's alarm grew, his brow furrowed in concern. "Kids?" The man's voice remained steady. "The man's grade is unknown, but he obliterated the demons." Glock's expression turned thoughtful, his eyes narrowing.
Zoldrak pressed for more information, his persistence unwavering. "Who were the kids?" The man replied, his voice clear. "Hina Hoshino, 4th-grade, and Uchiage Nara, 5th-grade."
The men's worried glances hinted at something unusual. "The man and one girl have no registered tenzen signature here, but they have one on the universal Tenzometer," the man added. Glock's interest spiked, his eyes locked onto the man.
"And the last person?" The man's response sent shockwaves through the room: "He's an unknown... no tenzen signature, not even in the universal Tenzometer." Zoldrak and Glock's reactions were instantaneous, their faces tense with surprise.
Glock's follow-up question was laced with skepticism. "Are you sure?" The man's affirmation sent the room into a heavy silence, the weight of their words settling in.
Zoldrak's thoughts were racing, his mind reeling with possibilities. "This is strange," he thought, his eyes fixed on the floor. "We might be dealing with something very bad here," he said aloud, his voice low and serious.
Glock nodded in agreement, his face grim. "Yeah, this is bad." Zoldrak's caution prevailed, his voice calm and measured. "Let's not jump to conclusions. Continue the investigation."
As the men left, Glock's speculation began, his voice barely above a whisper. "This could be him; the person we're looking for." Zoldrak's thoughtful expression mirrored Glock's concerns, the tension in the air palpable. "The only survivor?"
The room seemed to vibrate with anticipation, hinting at massive revelations to come. The silence that followed was oppressive, the weight of their discovery hanging precariously in the balance.
***********
A Forest in Kaida, Easton
Trees loomed around, their branches like skeletal fingers grasping for the sky. The moon cast an eerie glow, illuminating the twisted silhouettes. A faint breeze rustled the leaves, and suddenly, a figure emerged from the darkness, shrouded in shadows.
As the figure drew closer, its presence became palpable. A black silhouette, dripping with toxic anti-tenzen aura, seemed to corrupt the very air around it. The trees nearest to it began to wither, their leaves turning brittle and gray. The once-lush foliage died, as if poisoned by the figure's mere presence.
The figure's approach was deliberate, its movements fluid despite the darkness that shrouded it. Its aura seemed to seep into the surroundings, leaving a trail of death and decay.
The figure glided toward a towering tree, its branches twisted in a macabre dance, reaching for the moon like skeletal fingers. The figure stood before it, radiating an aura of malevolence. "Come out already," it rasped, its voice like iron scraping against stone.
In that instant, two demons materialized, their dark auras suffocating the air. The first demon was gaunt, its eyes glowing like embers in the darkness. Its pointed ears and razor-sharp fangs seemed to gleam with an otherworldly hunger. It clutched a ruby cube, the gemstone pulsating with a dark, malevolent energy(Chapter 11).
The second demon was a grotesque mass of eyes - six glowing orbs on its face, a larger, malevolent eye emblazoned on its chest, and smaller eyes on its palms. Both demons exuded an aura of darkness, casting a shadow of malevolence over the surroundings.
As they approached the figure, they bowed, their voices echoing in unison. "Lord Khaos!"
Lord Khaos turned to face them, his commanding voice ringing out. "Rise!" Both demons lifted their heads, their eyes locked on their master. "Where is it, Krator?" Khaos demanded, his hand outstretched. Krator hastily dipped his hand into the ruby cube, and withdrew an ominous object - it was a finger. The finger was long, and had a sharp nail. On the finger were markings in red, which gave it an ominous feeling. Krator approached Khaos, deposited the finger into his hand, and retreated.
Khaos's eyes gleamed with malevolence as he gazed at the hair. "Beautiful! This power shall be mine alone!" After a moment, he raised his head, his gaze piercing the darkness. "I met the Zero." Voidius and Krator exchanged bewildered glances. "Do not fret, he's weak," Khaos assured them.
His voice thundered through the forest, a chilling command: "Voidius, Krator, bring me the zero – dead or alive!" The demons trembled beneath the weight of Khaos's roar, which was followed by a deafening laughter. "Yes, Lord Khaos!" they echoed in unison as their master vanished into thin air, leaving the forest to shake off the darkness.
Voidius and Krator lingered for a moment, their silhouettes fading into the shadows as they vanished into the woods, swallowed whole by the darkness.
***
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