Late at night, in the Seventh District of the Outer City.
Due to the curfew, the usual bustle had vanished, leaving the area submerged in a heavy silence and absolute darkness. Even the streetlights lining the roads had lost their glow, their magic crystals long since depleted.
However, a faint light flickered from the windows of a dilapidated shop that had supposedly been abandoned for years, looking entirely out of place in its surroundings.
Inside the shop, a bonfire blazed. Around it stood over a dozen figures tightly wrapped in black robes, continuously chanting in a tongue incomprehensible to ordinary people.
A crescent moon was drawn in blood on the surrounding walls, and on the offering table below it lay several severed human limbs. As the chanting intensified, the flames leaped with increasing vigor, and the flesh offered as tribute began to wither rapidly, eventually turning into piles of black powder.
The fire grew even more active, the dancing flames seeming to possess a soul of their own as they flickered in time with the chanting. A strange red glow gradually emanated from the blood moon on the wall.
But in the next second, everything came to a screeching halt—the tightly shut door was smashed open by a powerful force, the deafening crash shattering the eerie ritual.
As the dust settled, a slightly lazy voice drifted in from outside.
“A bunch of rats in the gutter, actually daring to gather so openly... Did no one ever tell you how easy it is to get stepped on?”
As the voice fell, Napa, dressed in grey magic robes, appeared in everyone’s sight.
Someone among the black-robed crowd immediately identified him and cried out in alarm.
“Blazing Napa!”
“How is this possible?! Isn’t he supposed to be at the palace?!”
The moment the chaos erupted, some Blood Moon Cultists were already looking for an escape. However, many others chose to strike first; in an instant, a dozen spells and concealed weapons flew toward Napa.
Yet, every single attack was intercepted by his first layer of magic shields, barely causing any loss in magic power. Most of the Blood Moon Cultists here were only Rank 2 or lower, and some were even ordinary people.
Their overall strength was pathetically weak. Even if Napa stood still and let them attack, they would likely drop dead from exhaustion before they could ever break through his defense. Such was the insurmountable chasm created by a difference in rank.
But this did not earn them even a shred of pity from Napa. He slowly raised his palm, pronouncing their deaths with the expressionless air of an inquisitor.
“Incinerate.”
With that single, casual word, a red fire dragon erupted from his palm, and the temperature in the room spiked violently.
Everywhere the fire dragon passed, the flames consumed everything, leaving only ashes in their wake. Even those who were merely grazed by the dragon were engulfed in raging fire, letting out shrill, agonizing screams.
In just one exchange, the Blood Moon Cultists were nearly wiped out. Those not consumed by the flames were left with varying degrees of burns, knocked unconscious by the heat waves of the rolling fire dragon.
Napa had intentionally held back to avoid vaporizing them instantly; after all, this was still a residential area, and it would be bad if there were collateral damage. He scanned the room to ensure they were no longer capable of resistance, then waved a hand toward the City Guard behind him.
“Execute any survivors on the spot. Clear the area.”
“Yes, sir!”
Following the command, a squad of uniformed soldiers filed in and began clearing the battlefield. They moved with clear roles and rapid efficiency, as if they had practiced this many times.
In fact, they had—for the past two days, Intelligence had been providing specific locations, Napa would break in alone to end the fight, and they would handle the cleanup.
While Napa was using his communicator to report the results to Intelligence, the voice of the squad leader suddenly came from behind him.
“Excellency, we found a basement entrance inside.”
“A basement?”
“Yes, the entrance is right under the fire pit.”
The two returned inside. The area had been mostly cleared; the bodies and sacrificial offerings were gone. Accompanying mages were using water magic to wash down the entire space.
There was a tightly shut iron door where the bonfire had been.
Though it looked quite ordinary and might have been built by the previous owner... it couldn't be ruled out that the Blood Moon Cult had installed it as a secret base to store their filthy collections.
Without thinking much, he waved over two soldiers.
“Open it.”
Contrary to expectations, the iron door wasn't locked and was pulled open easily. It revealed a pitch-black hole with no stairs.
Suddenly, a pungent odor filled the air. Napa frowned slightly, a bad premonition rising in his heart.
Just as he was about to enter to investigate, several white electrical arcs flashed at the mouth of the hole. In the next second, a massive torrent of magic power erupted from the opening. The mages responsible for the cleanup nearby were instantly knocked unconscious by the sudden surge.
Even Napa felt the magic power within his body churning uncontrollably. However, those who could not perceive magic power were unaffected.
It all happened too suddenly for anyone to react, but in that moment, an utterly absurd suspicion flashed through Napa’s mind.
Then, in the next second, that suspicion became reality—
A white light as blinding as the sun flashed.
BOOM!
A massive explosion thundered through the sky, the earth shaking like a rolling dragon. Buildings within a dozen meters collapsed one after another, and the dust from the blast filled the entire street.
The two-story shop at the center of the explosion and the surrounding houses were completely wiped out, replaced by a massive crater. Further away, City Guards and mages lay scattered, knocked out by the shockwave but protected by a faint blue barrier.
Though Napa had exerted all his strength to expand his magic barrier at the last moment, he was in a wretched state. Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, and the intense pain throughout his body made just staying upright his absolute limit.
Aside from himself, the people around him had no means of self-protection. Though he had tried his best to save everyone... the power of this explosion far exceeded his expectations.
Everyone else was unconscious. Even with the protection of the magic barrier, it was difficult to fully offset the damage from the physical impact. Whether they survived would depend on their individual luck.
An explosion of this magnitude required at least dozens of high-purity explosive magic crystals. Gathering so many strictly regulated crystals was no easy task; the enemy had clearly prepared well in advance. This was a trap through and through, and those cultists were merely bait.
But why? If it was to assassinate him, they were severely underestimating him. Moreover... he wasn't the only one currently hunting the Blood Moon Cult...
With a grim expression, Napa dragged his heavy body slowly out of the crater and surveyed the surroundings. Amidst the ruins, he could faintly hear cries for help, wails, and intermittent sobbing... These tragedies felt like a heavy stone pressing on his chest, the intense feeling of suffocation nearly making him faint.
Before long, the rapid sound of hoofbeats approached from a distance. The rescue team from the palace was faster than he had expected; that was the only good news so far.
Regardless, saving people came first.
Napa let out a heavy breath and forced his magic power to circulate, beginning to search the ruins for survivors.
Rate on N.U.
