Chapter 72: The Next Flight
Five hours later,
In the Kingdom of Britannia.
The atmosphere in the royal capital had become extremely heavy.
For several hours already, rumors had been spreading everywhere across the kingdom. Magical messengers kept arriving non-stop at the royal palace, while the military communication networks had fallen into complete chaos. It was a total mess.
Then, finally, the doors of the throne room burst open.
Gosh ran in.
His face was deathly pale.
Even his breathing was unstable.
"Your Majesty!!"
Arthur immediately looked up. Merlin, seated not far from the throne, slowly turned his head toward him.
Gosh spoke with a trembling voice:
"The Kingdom of the Wind… ...…."
He swallowed hard.
"Has been destroyed."
Silence fell instantly across the entire room.
Arthur's brows furrowed sharply.
"What…? But… that's impossible."
Even several knights present changed expressions.
Gosh continued:
"The king and queen are dead…"
"The floating cities have been almost entirely destroyed… though a few still remain according to our sources."
"Arthur, do you think this could be the work of the same people who attacked our kingdom…?" Merlin asked.
"I'm afraid so… But who… who could possibly be strong enough to do this?"
The silence grew even heavier.
Arthur remained motionless for several seconds, thinking. His brain refused to accept what he had just heard.
"This is impossible…"
His mana became slightly unstable around him.
"The Kingdom of the Wind possesses several aerial armies… continental barriers… They cannot lose in aerial combat… Do you have more information, Gosh?"
He didn't answer. There was nothing more.
Because no one truly understood what had just happened.
Even Merlin looked more serious than usual.
Then, slowly, the news began to spread throughout Britannia. The hunter guilds, the academies, the neighboring kingdoms—everyone received the same information.
The Kingdom of the Wind had fallen. It was unheard of.
And Rhea's death immediately caused an enormous shock among the hunters.
Because she was a Class S.
One of the most powerful Valkyries in the world.
…
Very far away,
In a huge coastal city in Solgaleo (Kingdom of Fire)…
A young woman slowly opened a magical letter.
It was Lucy.
The current 10th ranked S.S. hunter.
Her long pink hair swayed slightly in the wind as she silently read the contents of the letter. Then her eyes widened slightly.
The paper trembled in her hand.
"…Rhea? Oh my god… She really was defeated?"
The silence around her grew heavy.
Lucy reread the letter several times.
She hoped she had misunderstood.
But the words didn't change.
Rhea was dead.
Killed during the attack on the Kingdom of the Wind.
Lucy remained silent for several seconds.
Then she slowly lowered her eyes.
A sincere sadness appeared on her face. Because she genuinely liked Rhea.
She had always admired her. Being a Class S for six years, Rhea was more senior, while Lucy had only held the rank for a year and a half. She was fascinated by everything about her:
Her strength.
Her elegance.
Her beauty.
Even among S-rank hunters, Rhea was respected all over the world.
Lucy gently clutched the letter to her chest.
"It really happened… I can't believe it. Aleos and the others must already know."
The wind blew softly around her.
But this time…
The world was different.
Something had truly begun. A real declaration of war…
…
Meanwhile,
In a vast bamboo forest located east of Borealis (a city in the Kingdom of Earth)…
A young boy sat calmly atop a large rock.
Lucius.
The current 11th ranked S-class hunter.
Only fifteen years old.
Around him, the entire forest was silent. The wind slowly rustled through the bamboo as he calmly gazed at the sky.
Suddenly, a massive griffon descended from the air and landed on his shoulder.
The creature carried a military letter tied to its leg, announcing Rhea's death.
Lucius took it calmly and read it in silence.
His expression barely changed. He displayed a disconcerting indifference.
Behind him, a royal guard appeared and immediately knelt.
"Lord Lucius."
The young boy slowly folded the letter and said nothing.
"The students from Etheria Academy have arrived. It took them more than two weeks, but they are here."
The silence lasted a few seconds.
Then Lucius replied coldly,
"Okay."
No visible emotion.
He slowly stood up from the rock.
And very far away…
On the side of the Kingdom of Dragons…
Something else was also beginning.
At the same moment,
In a massive armory located beneath the main palace,
Alma walked slowly between the rows of equipment she had used during her training with Kana.
Hundreds of ancient weapons rested in this gigantic room: draconic spears, enchanted swords, sacred armors, and even several artifacts dating back to the ancient wars were stored here.
The light from the torches softly reflected off the walls as Alma advanced calmly.
But her mind was elsewhere.
For several days now…
She had been thinking a lot.
About Seth.
And about that famous dragon who had become her master… Had Alexander been right? Was he an ally or an enemy…
Alma felt that a battle was about to begin without anyone truly understanding what they were fighting against. But it was only a feeling. Seth had also changed recently.
Everyone seemed to be getting more serious and gaining new objectives.
And her? Nothing new.
It made her nervous. After all, only three days remained before the end of their mission.
Alma slowly placed a weapon back on a metal rack and let out a slight sigh.
"Everything is getting really strange…"
The silence in the room was heavy as lead.
Only her footsteps echoed faintly in the immense space.
At that instant, something moved.
Behind her.
Very slowly.
In the darkness between two gigantic weapon shelves…
A black substance stirred discreetly. Like an organic mass stuck to the floor.
The thing seemed alive.
It moved slowly.
Like thick liquid.
Then,
A smile appeared inside the black mass.
An enormous white smile.
Too big.
Too wide.
And a low voice echoed softly in the darkness:
"Finally…"
The substance continued to slowly crawl along the wall. Without a sound.
And without any detectable magical presence.
"Lord Dominus is still as demanding as ever… She asked me to find the queen's chamber, but instead I found a room full of weapons… And this little girl. What if I interrogated her..."
The smile widened even more.
Then two eyes slowly appeared within the black mass.
They stared at Alma.
Fixedly.
"Infiltrating the Kingdom of Dragons really wasn't difficult."
The creature seemed to laugh silently.
It observed Alma for a few more seconds.
Like a predator watching its prey.
"But if all goes well…"
The black substance slowly began to take on a more human shape. Arms.
A silhouette.
A distorted face.
"I will make this little creature talk no matter what."
Alma still noticed nothing.
She simply continued putting the weapons away, thinking about everything that had happened recently and the various events of their mission.
The creature silently vanished into the shadows behind her.
And at the same moment,
In another part of the palace,
Vulcan abruptly opened his eyes.
BOOM.
The magical pressure released in a single second caused the entire room around him to tremble slightly.
The dragon was sitting in a meditation chamber plunged in silence. His gaze had changed instantly. He had just sensed something.
Something abnormal.
And slowly,
Vulcan stood up.
His expression had become different. He was struck by a violent headache. An unbearable ringing echoed in his brain…
"…Aieee."
A monstrous heat slowly began to fill the room around him. The floor turned red from the temperature.
His eyes suddenly darted in every direction, then turned completely black with red pupils...
To be continued.....