The night in Apitoyu is not as dark as one might think. That was the impression Dark Elf Tasha had upon arriving in this world and looking at the sky. The night sky, though dark, was clear and filled with stars. When the full moon rose, as it did today, one couldn't say that the darkness was complete. Of course, it didn't compare to the brightness of the midday sun, but Tasha thought that the shadows of the forest made the earth seem darker than the night sky.
"...What is this?"
But now, she had stopped in her tracks and looked back. She wasn't the only one. All the Dark Elves had stopped. A chill ran through their bodies.
Something horrible could be felt in the air.
"Captain, this is..."
Her subordinate's voice trailed off, and Tasha spoke.
"...Black Despair."
It was the terrible liquid created by the Mogoru Empire's Alchemy Tower.
"This is worse."
Something more terrible had appeared. Her instincts were sending her a warning. And she understood the source of that warning.
A figure was outlined against the light of the full moon.
A Dragon wielding blue mana.
The 1-Star Dragon, Ryan.
"Damned..."
She could see the black liquids he handled like a cloak. That liquid had surged from so deep that Tasha couldn't see its source.
‘As if...’
He looked like the only flame burning on the altar of a black mountain. That was how Ryan appeared. A Dragon trying to become a God. Why did that idea suddenly come to her?
‘I need to regain my composure.’
Tasha forced herself to regain control. What was certain, anyway, was that this black liquid was the one Cale had mentioned, and they needed to eliminate that dreadful thing.
"Captain!"
At that moment, Tasha turned her head.
"!"
Not only the Beast People but also the residents of Ryan's Castle were evacuating from the castle. Due to the large number of people, it was difficult to move everyone to the caves, so the elderly and the weak headed to the caves, while the more mobile adults, under the protection of Tasha, the Dark Elves, and other allies, dispersed through the forest.
"Ugh..."
"Grr!"
Naturally, there were Beast People under Tasha's protection.
"Oh, heavens!"
"Oh, no..."
They started to fall suddenly.
‘It’s different.’
This wasn’t like the unleashed Berserk Transformation from before. There wasn’t that violence this time.
‘...Fear?’
They were now terrified.
"I don’t want to hear anymore!"
"Stop, stop!"
They covered their ears or hugged themselves, crouched on the ground.
"What is happening?"
Tasha felt greater anxiety than during the unleashed Beast People. Somehow, she felt that this situation was worse.
Ouuuuu---
Then, a sound similar to a beast howling was heard. Tasha turned her head and saw Ryan.
Swoosh-
He extended his left arm. The black liquid moved with his hand like an unfolding cloak.
The black mantle covered the stars.
It seemed as if the night around Ryan was different from the rest of the sky. While the sky around was shining with stars and moonlight, the night under Ryan was pure darkness.
"!"
Tasha trembled.
-Aaaaaahhh---
A scream was heard.
‘Where is it coming from?’
She didn't have time to wonder.
-Aaaaaah!
-Save me!
-Please, save my child!
-Aaaa, my, arm, aaaaah---
The screams of pain, despair, and fear echoed everywhere. While recognizing those sounds, Tasha felt that Ryan's black mantle was approaching, as if enveloping her.
‘What is this?’
Her heart was pounding.
‘What is happening?’
Tasha felt trapped in darkness, hearing the screams of many.
"Huuh, huuh."
Her breathing was accelerating. That was when...
Do you want relief?
A voice was heard. Among the screams, that voice was clear. Somehow, she wanted to rely on that voice. Tasha's breathing became more labored.
At that moment...
Whooosh—
A breeze passed by Tasha.
"!"
Sensing the refreshing fragrance mixed with the wind, Tasha came to her senses.
‘What was I about to do?’
And then she realized.
‘-Do you want relief?’
That voice, she had heard it before.
‘Ryan.’
It was his voice. Remembering that fact, which she hadn't perceived before, gave Tasha chills. Then, a voice sounded in her ear.
"Ah... It’s Rin’s voice!"
A heart-wrenching cry was heard. One of the Beast People women lifted her head from her crouched position. It was a young woman. Tasha held her.
“Rin?”
And she asked. The woman did not look at Tasha. She was shouting into the air.
"You died with so much pain! Ah, I didn’t know your suffering, I didn’t know. How could I...?"
Although her eyes were open, the woman's gaze was dying. And then...
Auuuu---
Grrrr----
The animals started to howl again. Tasha looked around. Not only the Beast People but also the common residents and even her Dark Elf subordinates were panting and suffering.
Tasha murmured unconsciously.
"...Howls."
All these screams/howls heard now were the voices of the dead Beast People. The black liquid. The pain, despair, fear, and terror of those who died submerged in it as sacrifices. As Ryan's black mantle rose higher into the sky, as the shadow of that black mantle spread over the forest, he was trying to plunge everyone's minds into that despair and trap them in darkness.
"...Domination."
Ryan's voice, extending from that darkness. This was the Domination he was attempting to create by becoming a God.
No, this was hell.
"Damn it!"
Tasha's face twisted.
Whooosh—
The wind enveloped her. She extended her hand. It wasn't that her wind had any special power. But perhaps someone, like her, would regain their composure.
So...
"Stir it all up!"
The wind began to spread through the forest. Additionally, Tasha approached her subordinate.
Slap!
And she slapped him.
"Ah, uh? What?"
She spoke to her subordinate, who looked at her dazed.
"Regain your composure, idiot! Is a Dark Elf going to let themselves be dominated by Dead Mana?"
In reality, that black stuff was worse than Dead Mana.
"Ah, ah—"
The subordinate, regaining his composure, murmured without realizing it.
"What are we doing?"
His face was pale. Tasha, unintentionally, turned her head instead of responding. And then she smiled.
"Of course."
On this night. The brightest color Tasha could see was shining intensely. No, burning. Like a sun.
"Hey. Take care of the people. Tell the others too."
Tasha gripped her spear and ran towards Ryan's Castle.
"I'm going to help the Young Master."
With the reddish glow as her reference point, Tasha ran towards the black mantle.
"Mary must be coming too."
She murmured, and no longer heard the screams. Of course, her heart was still pounding. In her onyx-like eyes, the growing and glowing red light was reflected. As if her own eyes were burning.
"Huh?"
Then, Tasha saw another flame.
"What is that?"
A golden-red light and a blue flame. Near them, a small blue spark could be faintly seen. She couldn't distinguish what it was. It was too small compared to the other two lights. But that blue light, strangely familiar, made Tasha focus on it unconsciously. And she stopped.
BOOM! BOOM!
With two thunderous explosions, she saw figures rising into the sky.
"It's chaos!"
Tasha shouted as she struck the ground. However, there were still many who couldn't move.
Among them,
"Huuh, huuh."
A huge body staggered.
Bang!
A white body collided with the wall of a building and was buried.
"Huuh, huuh."
It was the White Snake, Wisha. She frowned.
-¡Graaah!
-Save me!
-Mom, dad! It hurts, it hurts!
The voices of the dying. They were the Beast People. She knew it instantly. It was painful. Amidst this, the damned voice of that bastard could be heard.
-Do you want relief?
Ryan. The voice of that damned bastard was heard. The White Snake ignored the voice. The more she did, the darker her vision became. More precisely, she felt her mind sinking into a black swamp.
Despair, fear, and terror enveloped her, highly contagious emotions consuming her.
‘Why—?’
She had been through many experiences. That's why she wasn't swayed by this kind of illusion. Why was she now completely immobilized?
‘Is this the power of someone trying to become the God of the Beast People?’
The last thing the White Snake saw was Ryan holding a Sacred Object stained black, facing Cale and Lock.
‘Ah.’
She thought of Lock. He was near Ryan; would he be okay? The more one submerged in darkness, the more strength their body lost.
She herself felt how she was becoming powerless.
-Do you want relief?
She felt that she would soon follow Ryan's words.
‘No.’
Relief? Of course, I wanted relief.
‘I can't!’
But she mustn't do it yet. Lock. Though he considered himself an adult, to the White Snake he was still a child. He looked like a boy. And thinking of that boy, the White Snake remembered her own child. That child—
‘That child has to live longer!’
So, I can't seek relief! The White Snake forced her body to regain strength. Then...
Fzzzt, fzzzt.
A strange sound was heard. It was the sound of lightning.
Immediately after.
Rumble, rumble—
The sound of the sky crying was heard. As if thunder was about to fall.
"Ah."
And through her darkened mind, she strangely saw a reddish glow. Realizing this, the White Snake understood that she still had her eyes open and simply hadn't noticed what she was seeing due to fear.
"Ah—"
She couldn't speak. Ryan, wrapped in a dark blue mantle. He wasn't the only enemy.
Swoosh—
A human with white hair and strangely shaped black wings.
Bzzt—
And a dragon surrounded by yellow mana, deploying numerous magic circles. None of them seemed like easy enemies.
An impossible-to-defeat enemy.
The White Snake knew it just by seeing them. However, the despair began to slowly fade.
Rumble, rumble—
The sky cried. And she saw her allies.
The Ancient Dragon, Eruhaben, surrounded by golden dust, was next to Cale. And Choi Han was slowly rising into the air. His body was also surrounded by a dark aura.
"Have you regained your composure?"
And she saw Witira and the Beast People warriors extending their hand towards her. Of course, the enemies were also returning to the castle instead of chasing the fleeing ones.
Auuuu—
Grrrr—
Of course, those enemies were beasts. Wisha had returned to her human form after coming out of the Berserk state, and she extended her hand to take Witira's. Witira, with a frustrated expression, murmured.
"I can't get any closer to that area."
"My head really hurts. Haha."
Gashan murmured bitterly. The Beast People on Cale's side wanted to attack Ryan, but they couldn't get closer while that black liquid was there. They barely maintained their composure.
"But why—?"
The White Snake spoke unintentionally.
Among the lights next to Cale, the smallest of all.
"That boy, especially that boy—"
Lock.
"Why is nothing happening to him?"
