Support me and be 30 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/Draco_
For every 5 Patreon memberships I receive, I'll release 15 chapters all at once. Your support means a lot to me.
*****
"Intruders! We have intruders!"
Piercing alarms shrieked throughout the Eye of the Midnight Sun's base. Led by the Third Eye, the high-ranking members scrambled toward the central chamber containing the life tablet. That room was the heart of their operations—the hope for the resurrection of the Elf tribe.
The moment they burst through the doors, they found George, Lumiere, and Secre standing before a hollowed-out stone tablet, the Magic Stones already missing.
"Filthy bugs! You dare steal the Magic Stones?!"
A mage resembling a humanoid lion let out a feral roar and instantly lunged forward.
"Beast Magic: Bear Paw!"
Crimson mana coalesced around his palm, expanding into a massive, spectral claw that swiped down toward the trio.
"Mana levels exceeding a Captain," George noted casually, sitting atop the empty stone tablet. He didn't flinch; he wasn't worried about the attack landing.
The elites of the Eye of the Midnight Sun were formidable, many possessing Vice-Captain levels of mana. The leading trio, the "Third Eye," actually surpassed average Captains in raw power. However, they weren't facing ordinary mages. They were up against the First Wizard King—the man who was world-class five hundred years ago and had just been supercharged with Dragon Force.
Against Lumiere, even if every mage in the base attacked at once, they wouldn't last a second.
"Light Magic: Three Divine Pillars!"
Three pillars of brilliant white light descended, forming an impenetrable triangular barrier. The beastly claw shattered against the light. This was a defensive spell Lumiere had recently developed during his theoretical discussions with George.
"You're... Vetto!"
Lumiere blocked the attack and studied the lion-like man. A look of disbelief crossed his face. "How did you end up like this?"
Though the appearance was slightly different due to the human vessel, Lumiere recognized him instantly. Vetto had been one of the most gifted mages of the Elf tribe. Lumiere had visited the Elves frequently with his sister; he knew every one of them. Vetto, in particular, was always by Licht's side.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Vetto gasped. His full-power strike had been neutralized effortlessly, and this stranger had called him by his true name—a name known only to his leader and his reincarnated kin. To anyone else, he should have been the name of the human body he inhabited.
"It's me, Lumiere."
Lumiere dropped his transformation magic, revealing his true, legendary visage.
"Lumiere! You murderer! I'll kill you!"
Upon recognizing him, Vetto didn't show joy. His eyes turned blood-red, and his mana went into a violent frenzy.
"Forbidden Magic: Evil Eye!"
A third eye opened on his forehead, and his mana surged exponentially. "Beast Magic: Impact Roar!" An attack ten times more powerful than the last hurtled toward Lumiere.
"Everyone, attack! Kill him!"
The other two members of the Third Eye likewise opened their third eyes, unleashing their ultimate spells while commanding their subordinates to open fire. A barrage of elemental magic—fire, ice, wind, and shadow—converged on Lumiere.
"Explanations are useless right now. Let's just subdue them," George suggested.
Lumiere nodded. He was a practical man; he knew they were blinded by five centuries of misunderstood hatred. Words wouldn't work until they were pinned down.
"Mana Zone: Glory of the Avior Lamps."
Lumiere's grimoire blurred as it flipped. Hundreds of brilliant lamps of light manifested above him. As they pulsed, the incoming tide of hostile magic simply dissipated into nothingness.
"Light Magic: Binding Shackles!"
In the next heartbeat, chains of light shot out from the lamps, snaring every mage in the room.
"How is this possible?"
The Third Eye members struggled, but their mana was sealed the moment the chains touched them. They knew Lumiere was a legend, but this was beyond comprehension. They had been training for decades to exact their revenge, and their "Evil Eyes" gave them a massive boost. They believed that, even if they couldn't beat him, they should at least be able to stand their ground.
They didn't realize that Lumiere was already in a different league—and that was before George turned him into a Light Dragon Slayer.
"Vetto, Rhya, Fana... it's been a long time," Lumiere said, walking up to the bound trio with a look of mourning. These three had been Licht's closest friends.
"So it truly was your conspiracy," Rhya spat, his eyes filled with loathing. "You despicable human. You've been deceiving us this whole time. Even your death was a lie!"
Lumiere sighed. "You may not believe me, but the true culprit five hundred years ago was the Word Soul Devil. I carry the guilt of not arriving sooner to save you, Licht, and my sister—but I did not pull the trigger."
"Lies! You expect us to believe that?" Vetto barked. "Who else could have designed the tools to seal our mana? Who else had the Light Magic that slaughtered our village? A 'devil'? Devils are myths! Do you take us for fools?"
"I remember that Rhya has the ability to detect lies," Lumiere said, looking at the man. "He should know I'm telling the truth."
Rhya shook his head slowly. "My ability tells me you believe what you're saying. But five hundred years ago, my ability told me you shared Licht's ideals, and that 'truth' led to our genocide. You clearly have a way to bypass my detection. As the First Wizard King, I wouldn't put it past you."
"If the Prince were the murderer, you'd all be dead by now," Secre added, stepping forward.
Fana sneered. "Isn't he just keeping us alive to find out if our leader truly is Licht, and where he's hiding? Only Licht could ever stand against him."
Lumiere, who had indeed been about to ask if their leader was Licht, was silenced by her sharp retort. George, watching from the sidelines, finally had enough.
"This is way too slow. Let me handle it."
George stepped forward and placed a hand on Rhya's head. Great Memory Extraction.
In this situation, short of Licht himself appearing to explain, no evidence would suffice. The Word Soul Devil's trap was a masterpiece of psychological warfare. The best way forward was to get the facts directly from their minds.
A moment later, George withdrew his hand, looking genuinely surprised. "Well, that's unexpected. The leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun is actually William Vangeance, the Captain of the Golden Dawn."
"Is it Licht?" Lumiere asked urgently.
George shook his head. "No. It's an Elf named Patry."
He summarized what he'd found. Patry, a youth who had idolized Licht, had awakened inside William Vangeance's body years ago. He believed Licht had used reincarnation magic to give him a second chance at revenge. Because William bore a striking resemblance to Licht and possessed a four-leaf grimoire, Patry assumed the identity of 'Licht' and spent over a decade building the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
He used 'Evil Eye' magic to find compatible human vessels for Vetto, Rhya, and Fana. His plan was to use the Magic Stones to trigger a mass reincarnation of the entire Elf tribe. By opening the Shadow Palace—a space between the human world and the Underworld—he intended to complete the reincarnation and wipe out humanity.
"The Shadow Palace connects to the Underworld," Lumiere realized, his face darkening. "If they use the stones there, they won't just revive the Elves—they'll provide a bridge for the Word Soul Devil to manifest his true body in our world."
"Exactly," George said, holding up the five stones he'd taken. "The devil is using the Elves' hatred to build himself a door."
Lumiere, usually so gentle, looked truly furious. But as he looked at the hateful glares of his former friends, he felt a sense of powerlessness. "What can we do? They won't listen."
"Don't overthink it," George said casually. "Just revive the real Licht. Once he's back, the truth will be clear to everyone."
Lumiere hesitated. "But if we complete the ritual to revive Licht, we risk letting the devil through as well. The Word Soul Devil's plan is a 'nine-truths-and-one-lie' deception. The stones will revive Licht, but they will also break the devil's seal. I can't risk the entire world for my personal feelings."
"Lumiere," George looked at him with a flat expression. "I think you need to shift your perspective. So what if the Word Soul Devil manifests?"
He shrugged. "We'll just kill him. It gives the Elves their revenge and solves our problem. Seems like a win-win."
Lumiere froze.
"Yeah... if he shows up, we just kill him."
He had been stuck in the mindset of prevention—trying to stop a five-hundred-year-old plot. But he wasn't the wounded, dying man he was back then. He was a Dragon Slayer now. And the world wasn't just him anymore. He had the Black Drakes, the current Wizard King, and the unfathomable George.
Why worry about a devil's arrival when you're prepared to greet him with a dragon's roar?
(End of Chapter)