Inside the Royal Palace, the atmosphere had become tense.
Several ministers and royal officers were gathered in the main hall.
A guard knelt before the king.
Your Majesty, we have received strange reports from the northern forest.
The king's eyes narrowed.
What kind of reports?
The guard hesitated for a moment.
Some scouts claim they sensed the aura of… evil cultivation.
The entire hall suddenly fell silent.
Impossible…
One of the elders spoke immediately.
Evil cultivation techniques were destroyed and banned centuries ago.
Another minister frowned.
Without the flare signal, we cannot confirm anything.
But the king slowly stood up from his throne.
Whether it is true or not…
We cannot ignore it.
He raised his hand.
Send royal guards immediately.
Investigate the forest.
At the same time…
In a secret organization hidden deep within the kingdom…
Several masked elders suddenly opened their eyes.
One of them spoke slowly.
…You felt it too.
Another elder nodded.
Yes.
A dark aura… similar to forbidden cultivation.
The leader of the organization stood up.
If evil cultivation has truly returned…
It could bring chaos to the entire world.
He turned toward his disciples.
Send a team.
We must investigate immediately.
Not only them…
Even several guilds across the kingdom had received the same rumors.
Inside one guild hall, adventurers were talking loudly.
I heard someone saw an evil cultivator!
That's impossible.
Evil cultivation disappeared hundreds of years ago.
Then how do you explain the aura people sensed?
The guild master slammed his hand on the table.
Enough talking.
Send investigation teams.
If something dangerous is happening, the guild must know first.
Soon…
Teams from the royal palace, organizations, and guilds all arrived at the forest.
But the moment they reached the battlefield…
Everyone froze.
The ground was covered in destruction.
Broken trees.
Blood everywhere.
And at the center of it all…
The gigantic corpse of the Three-Headed Wolf.
One of the investigators whispered,
…My god.
Around the beast were dozens of bodies.
Many cultivators were lying unconscious.
Their faces pale.
Their spiritual energy completely drained.
It's exactly like the records of evil cultivation techniques…
One elder muttered with a serious expression.
They absorb the cultivation of others.
Nearby…
A familiar figure was lying on the ground.
Ketlos.
His body was badly injured, and his energy had almost been completely drained.
He's still alive!
Royal guards quickly rushed forward.
Take him to the palace immediately!
He needs treatment!
Ketlos and the other survivors were quickly taken away.
Meanwhile, members of the mysterious organization carefully examined the battlefield.
One of them spoke quietly.
The evil cultivator was here…
But he disappeared without leaving any trace.
Another replied,
This person is extremely dangerous.
If he grows stronger… the entire kingdom could fall into chaos.
Far away…
In a completely unknown place.
An old monk sat quietly on top of a mountain.
His eyes slowly opened.
He looked toward the distant sky.
The signs have already begun…
He spoke in a calm but heavy voice.
Very soon…
A great calamity will descend upon this world.
This time…
The destruction will be far worse than before.
He sighed softly.
Whether history will even be written after this…
…no one knows.
Because if the world survives at all…
That alone will be a miracle.
Two months later…
Inside the royal palace infirmary.
A young man slowly opened his eyes.
Ketlos had finally awakened.
But the memories of that terrifying night were still fresh in his mind.
The red moon.
The dead beast.
And the terrifying figure who stood above everyone like a demon.
Ketlos clenched his fists slightly.
…Who was he?