Only a few hours had pa.s.sed since the Allfather had unleashed his reign of terror upon the four Spirit Saints. His message sent, the Hegemon of Darkness returned into his new home, Mythpoint Reach, and settled down within the ominous-looking Tree of Death. The nine Payircis that protected the dangerous nucleus structure were each populated by one of the Nine Coloured n.o.ble Beasts. At the same time, the chains that connected Mythpoint Reach to all of the remaining Payircis in the world continued to strengthen themselves and no matter what methods the Alliance tried, they still remained unbreakable.

These few hours were vital not only for the Black Masks but for the Alliance as well. For the first time since the war began, the Black Masks had taken the initiative. Usually, it would be the Alliance attempting to seek and destroy as many of the criminal syndicate's bases as they possibly could. Alas, the Black Masks, particularly the upper management of the organisation, were too well-prepared. The Allfather had planned his master scheme for hundreds of years now. He had calculated every variable, detail and possible scenarios for each move on his chessboard. There was no way that the Alliance could compare with that.

Thus, Raphael and the three superpowers always found themselves to be a step behind the Black Masks' guerilla tactics. Villages would burn, and small towns were overrun by Spirit Beasts. By the time help arrived, the damage had already been done. Though there were times where the Alliance would find a handful of Black Mask bases, they had never been able to figure out the location of the Allfather… Until now, that is…

"..."

Seated on his wooden recliner, Raphael had both his elbows rested on the huge oak table in front of him that was littered with scrolls and reports. There were mountains upon mountains of doc.u.ments that he had to review, and thousands more were just waiting to be wheelbarrowed in. However, none of his personal aides dared to disturb their red-haired leader at this vital time. His forehead was held up by the two clenched fists that he had, and the Spirit Venerate seemed so ghast and broken. Raphael didn't want to speak. How could he want to? Over a hundred of the Alliance's most powerful White Knights had been eradicated by just one being. And to rub salt to the wound, the Allfather only used his spiritual pressure to kill them.

An unheard-of feat. There was no ent.i.ty living today that could replicate what the Allfather did. Yet, the facts were the facts. Saint Longyu Tian sat with her legs crossed on the sofa nearby. Her teeth were busy chewing down on those elongated fingernails of hers. It has been a long time since the Spirit Saint had felt this nervous. Her worries about s.h.i.+n had faded into oblivion after that one interaction with the Allfather, which says a lot about the enigmatic leader's power.

The other three Spirit Saints were in a similar boat. Saint Geom and Firebird's faces were ashen. They leaned upon the windows of the chamber, their eyes still affixed on the distant east, where Mythpoint Reach once laid. Saint Thor was standing as well, though not stationary. He paced up and down, creaking the wooden floorboards of the Alliance Head's office. It was annoying to listen to, but no one stopped him. How could they?

The Alliance… No, the three superpowers had just lost the centre of the earth to the Black Masks. It was a heavy blow not only for the Alliance but every single human living in the world. Mythpoint Reach wasn't just a regular town for commerce and trade. It was a symbol of peace for humanity itself. War was rife in the world, and ancient civilisations rose and fell throughout human history. In the end, the founding fathers of the three superpowers decided that enough was enough, and they placed together a peace treaty that banned all war for eternity.

For the Himmel Empire, the Lantis Republic and the Kori Federation to thrive, there was a need for the constant killing to stop. Hence, the peace treaty was signed, and harmony was restored to the world for a significant period of time. There would be the odd skirmishes, but since wars were banned, there weren't any major conflicts that would rapidly kill thousands of lives. Disputes were settled diplomatically, and the Neutral Lands planned a crucial role in that process.

The Neutral Lands were not only geographically ideal, but they were home to the three major organisations as well. The Healer's a.s.sociation, Mercenary Guild and Blacksmith League all had their headquarters comfortably located in the peaceful lands. Yet… The Land of Dreams… Mythpoint Reach… They were all destroyed by the Black Masks. And the worst thing was…

There was nothing the Alliance could do to stop them…

The four Spirit Saints remained silent as the Cikai Mirrors continued to connect to the other side. The first image to appear was the familiar white-faced woman that led the Lantis Republic. She had tied her grey hair up into a bun with a whale-shaped hairpin. On the surface, the woman seemed to be dressed well, but even the mighty Jingyu Shenxian wasn't immune to anxiety. Strands of hair stuck out, and the back of her head was slightly askew.

The next image to pop up on the Cikai Mirror was a young man who looked no older than twenty. Though he looked young, those piercing eyes of his just screamed wisdom and experience, something that few leaders had. Prime Minister Duncan of the Kori Federation looked at Saint Geom through the Cikai Mirrors and gave the Dalgeom Sect's Spirit Saint a humble bow. There were only four Spirit Saints in the Kori Federation. Even if Duncan was the Prime Minister of the biggest government in the world, he was still an infant compared to the elderly swordsman.

Finally, the last person to connect to Raphael and the four Spirit Saints was a middle-aged man. His Imperial presence hasn't waned in the slightest, and the man seemed comfortable upon his emerald throne. However, even His Majesty, Tenno, couldn't comprehend the bitter truth that was the Allfather's real power.

"Is it true?" Prime Minister Duncan's solemn voice broke through. It was low and moody, just like the atmosphere of the office. "Did we really just lose… Mythpoint Reach?" That was the report that had been flown over to his home, rudely disturbing his sleep. It was printed in black and white, but it was just that hard to believe.

Everyone in Raphael's chambers lowered their heads. A few hours ago, the Alliance was having a typical day. Reports came from all over the globe about how one Black Mask plot was thwarted or how deep a White Knight unit had plunged into a distant Payirci. And in the span of just a few hours, the world changed drastically.

Mythpoint Reach fell… The Allfather had shown himself and defeated four Spirit Saints with ease… and most frightening of all, the Black Masks had now created a central hub right under the Alliance's nose. If this wasn't a defeat, Prime Minister Duncan didn't know what was.

Longyu Tian was unable to hold back anymore and leapt out of her chair. She slammed both of her wrists upon the coffee table that held her untouched tea and cried: "The Allfather… Who the h.e.l.l is he? How on earth is he so powerful?!"

Only the four Spirit Saints survived the onslaught of the Allfather. The White Knights that were sent to a.s.sist them, the spear that would lead the Alliance to victory… Had all perished.

"We lost a hundred Spirit Kings and Emperors just by his spiritual pressure alone..." Saint Firebird narrated, filling in the questions in the minds of the others. "His darkness element has reached perfection. He can condense other elements out of darkness itself… He controls millions of Spirit Beasts, some of which are Tier 9 or Primordial Beast! I have never heard of someone like him… Ever!"

"..." Every single one of them fell silent. They were all Rank 80 Spirit Venerates or Rank 90 Spirit Saints. They stood heads and shoulders above the average cultivator and had the power to bring millions to grovel at their feet. Nonetheless, none of them possessed the power that the Allfather had. Not even the Himmel Empire's Ancestor could break the earth and kill Spirit Emperors just by unleas.h.i.+ng his spiritual pressure.

Tenno looked straight at the red-haired man who was voted the leader of the Alliance. "What information do we have on him?"

Raphael threw his head back and heaved out a deep sigh. "Not much… We know that he has some links with Spirit Immortal Dream that ascended five hundred years ago but other than that, we're completely blank."

"Is he even human?" Jingyu Shenxian queried. "If he can control Spirit Beasts, wouldn't it be more likely that the Allfather is a Primordial Beast?"

"A reasonable conjecture, but it's highly unlikely..." Raphael shook his head and replied negatively.

"Why not?"

"Primordial Beasts are exceedingly rare, even more so than Spirit Saints. It takes thousands of years for a Tier 9 Spirit Beast to ascend up, and to do so, they would eradicate any adversary that stands in its way, creating a huge commotion in the process." Raphael explained. "Every nation has recorded all of the Tier 9 or Primordial Beasts that live in or near their borders. Even ancient texts from fallen civilisations would speak of which Spirit Beast is most likely to become a Primordial Beast. Unfortunately, even with our extensive database, there has been no mention of a Darkness-Type Spirit Beast that was this powerful..."

"I see..." The Lantis Republic's Chancellor grabbed onto her small chin and nodded in agreement. Just as Raphael had mentioned, the Lantis Republic had recorded every single sighting of a Tier 9 or Primordial Spirit Beast. It only made sense since those monsters posed a significant threat to the prosperity of their nation.

"So, you're saying that he's a rogue Spirit Saint that lived in Spirit Immortal Dream's era?" Jingyu Shenxian suggested.

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"That's our best guess for now..." The Alliance Head didn't deny that claim. "An average Spirit Venerate's lifespan is four hundred years. With cultivation, Spirit Saints should be capable of extending it even further. Also, the level of cunning that the Allfather possess, the patience to wait until his forces were built up and ready for war… It's all too human-like..."

"A Spirit Saint that went under the radar, huh?" Saint Geom, the oldest man in the chambers, fell into thought and stroked his white beard. "That does make the most sense. If he spent most of his time in hibernation or stasis, perhaps that would explain his long life."

"But that doesn't explain why he's creating all of this mayhem!" Saint Firebird argued. "If he's at Rank 99, why should he create a criminal syndicate and use them to spread death and destruction?! Shouldn't he just ascend into the Immortal Realm?!"

"That's right..." Longyu Tian replied with furrowed brows. A brief silence descended upon the room until the Saint of Time finally broke the ice. "Hah, whatever the Allfather's motives may be, it doesn't change the fact that he's killing us left and right. He is very well the most powerful being in the world right now. With the Spirit Beasts under his disposal as well as the criminals that he empowers, the Allfather could very well match the three superpowers on his own!"

"..." A tall statement, but no one really dared to argue.

"We need to tighten our defences. It is no longer a war against some terrorists, but a battle for the human race. All villagers, townsfolk, regular civilians… They need to be moved into larger towns. Concentrate our defences on the bigger cities and build up our armies. We will need to replenish the White Knights as well! Please send some powerful Spirit Kings and Emperors over to the Alliance!" Gone was the timid Alliance Head that had to stammer to get things done. Now, Raphael was basically ordering the leaders of the three superpowers to do as he demands.

"We have to defeat the Allfather! No matter what the cost!"

✵✵✵

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