A dark mist coagulated from the abyss and took the shape of a shrouded figure. His head was covered by a black hood, and his face was wreathed in the same dark mist that came from the abyss. The six Spirit Saints’ all tightened their faces as they prepared to face the Grim Reaper once again. However, unlike the first time that they’ve met, the Allfather didn’t possess the same amount of dread and darkness. Instead, it looked like the shrouded figure lacked even the slightest bit of mana.

“A projection?” Saint Longyu Tian remarked.

[That’s right… You Alliance members sure have given me quite the surprise… Creating such a dastardly weapon from the Paradise Hearts. I had to use all of my mana just to save Myhtpoint Reach from that death ray.]

“You… saved Mythpoint Reach? From the Ray of Hope?!” Saint Thor’s husky voice echoed out, completely stunned by the Allfather’s feat. The Ray of Hope was unquestionably the most powerful man-made attack made to date. Even Spirit Saints and Primordial Beasts could only cower at the might of the weapon. Yet, the Allfather had managed to save Mythpoint Reach from it?!

[Ray of Hope? Don’t make me laugh. How could that beam of pure destruction ever inspire hope?] The Allfather laughed at the ironic name. [No matter… You have my admiration, Saints of the Alliance. For forcing me to this point. But don’t celebrate too early… The Black Masks will find a way to strike back.]

Saint Thor scoffed as he spun his hammer: “Hmph! From what I see you’re Black Masks are already done! We’ll just fire more Ray of Hopes into that stupid abyss! I’ll see how you’ll survive after that!”

[HAHAHA! Are you blind?!] The Allfather’s playful voice echoed out once more. [All of your elements… All of your attacks, physical or spiritual… They’re all useless against my Call of Darkness!]

As he said those words, the numerous hands with slithering arms leapt up from the abyss like water fountains, enveloping the Allfather’s figure. All of the elements excluding the Darkness ones, were greedily ate up by the hands, and the overall spiritual energies of the atmosphere drastically decreased.

The six Spirit Saints were confused. In their long years of living, never had they seen such a unique ability, one that could eliminate all spiritual energies of the world, absorbing them back into the unknown abyss.

[As a reward for creating such an excellent weapon, let me give you a warning… My Call of Darkness is akin to Hell’s Gate. Anything that comes within it would never escape without my will. Even if you fire the beam into my abyss… Nothing would happen. Aren’t I right? Saint of Time?]

“...” Longyu Tian’s face tightened. All the while, she had been using her Future Sight to view the possible methods of defeating the Allfather. Could the six Spirit Saints all band up and launch their ultimate abilities into the abyss? Or could they use the Aether Cannon to destroy Mythpoint Reach once more? Longyu Tian saw the future possibilities, and none of them led to the destruction of the Allfather.

“What the hell is your Spirit?” Saint Atossa of the Mercenary Guild shouted. The Mercenary Guild had, by far, the largest database of information, and that includes the myriad of Spirits that were known to the modern world. However, none of the Spirits they knew could possess the attributes that the Allfather had.

Creating an army of Umbras. Distributing his mana with those that swore loyalty to him. The power to transcend the limitations of space, appearing wherever his mana was present, giving him near omniscience. All of those abilities were utterly absurd, and they were all present on one sole Spirit!

[That’s for me to know, and for you to find out...]

Naturally, the Allfather wouldn’t give away his most valued secret. The Black Masks were now at their lowest point in years. If the Alliance were to gather to attack Mythpoint Reach, everything that the Allfather had worked for would be washed down the drain. Therefore, the Rank 99 Spirit Saint was forced to cast his forbidden spell to create an abyss that could house the Black Masks and all of its operatives, hoping to bide his time for a future resurrection.

“Allfather…” Saint Geom gritted his teeth. They were this close… This close from eradicating the evil from the world and enacting justice, avenging the death of Wangu and so many others that had died in the hands of the Black Masks. Yet, they had managed to blow it at the final moment. “Come out and face me! One-on-one!” The elderly Swordmaster threw out a Hail Mary, trying to challenge the Allfather to a duel.

[What idiocy… Do you honestly think that I would fall for such an obvious ploy?]

“ALLFATHER!!! FIGHT ME!!!” Saint Geom sent a wave of swordlight flying at the Allfather’s image, slicing the dark figure in two. However, like a hologram, the Allfather remained unaffected by the physical damage.

[Don’t worry… You’ll get your chance in the future… But first, let me introduce you to the terror that’s going to come!] The Allfather laughed.

Raising both his arms, the Allfather’s image brought forth a new wave of Darkness, and like a ravaging storm, countless of Umbras emerged from the newly formed abyss. Millions of Umbras emerged from the darkness, taking over the earth of Mythpoint Reach. However, that wasn’t the best bit. As if in conjunction with the Allfather’s actions, newly formed Payircis with a plethora of freshly brewed Umbras appeared in all corners of the globe. It was the next phase of the Allfather’s Grand Scheme.

After splitting the Terre Continent apart, the Allfather would unleash the final act to help evolve the inhabitants of the planet once more. Shin’ growth was staggering, but the Allfather didn’t like to put all his eggs into one basket. He needed to groom the next generation of talent to be capable of matching him in a battle that transcended what Kuro and the six Spirit Saints could accomplish. He needed a potential Spirit-Immortal being to emerge from the despair that the Black Masks were unleashing. And for that… He needed to drop the world to its lowest point in millennia.

“YOU BASTARD!!!” A hallowed cry echoed through the world as the six Spirit Saints attempted to clean up the Umbras. However, the sheer amount of the Darkness Beasts were too much for the exhausted Spirit Saints to deal with. Not to mention, many of those seated within Deus Citadel had already been incapacitated by the Ray of Hope. There wasn’t much that the Alliance could do but watch helplessly as the Umbras charged freely across the seven continents.

Shin was lost among the chaos. His mind was still spinning from the Ray of Hope’s aftershock, and he still had double vision. However, he could still somewhat make out what the Allfather had done to Mythpoint Reach and the entire planet based on the Spirit Saints screams. He wanted to lift his finger and at least provide the slightest bit of help. Alas, the man was still far too weak.

Just remembering the earlier battle between the Saint-level beings sent shudders down his spine. If Shin were to jump into the fray, he would unquestionably be cut down within minutes. Thus, all he could do was look on helplessly, as the Umbras continued their charge towards the mainland. In due time, the Umbras would feast on the flesh of innocents and disrupt the peace of the already unstable seven continents.

‘I-Is… Is there no stopping that man?! How am I supposed to beat him?!’

The Allfather… A being that was beyond comprehension. Even when Shin had thought that he’d pushed the man into a corner, he continued to betray all expectations, taking out trump card after trump card. Shin wasn’t weak. No, he was considered to be exceptionally powerful, even amongst the elites. However, even with all of his might and all of his influence. The Allfather still stood high above him, bringing despair and darkness followed wherever he went.

The Allfather… He was the true…

Villain of the World.