Day by day, the Alliance found that their men were regularly disappearing. Often times, the moment an outpost missed one of their hourly reports, a flying brigade would be dispatched instantly to check on the watchtower. However, by the time the brigade arrived, the outpost would have been wiped clean of any forms of life. There would be no signs of destruction or struggle. Not even a broken glass window. If not for the circumstances, one would have thought that the outposts were originally uninhabited.

Naturally, the Alliance had been forced into a state of panic. They’d lost hundreds of their best men, and they weren’t able to ascertain the reason why. If nothing was done, faith in the Alliance would plummet, and the three superpowers would rescind their forces back to save their lives. When that happens… The Black Masks that had been hiding in the abyss would have many more opportunities to emerge and plant their claws into the new continents.

And that would be just the beginning…

In the familiar Tree of Darkness that acted as the base for all Black Mask activity, nine unique figures stood in a semi-circle surrounding the beautiful statue that was elevated above all within the hall. All of the nine figures possessed imposing auras, ones potent enough to choke any regular joe who stood near them. However, they were all outshined by the central sculpture, that seemed to lack a single morsel of life. Not that any of them cared though.

“Thanks to Kin and Gin… Eight outposts had been taken down.” The black-haired man started the conversation with a jovial tone in his voice. He turned to the blonde and silver-haired twins with a warm smile. “Because of them, the Alliance are starting to feel the pressure from the three superpowers.”

“Rarara! That’s excellent!” A raspy voice bellowed out from the red-haired man leaning against the wall. “Good job, you twats! Finally, there’s some use for you two!”

“...” Kin glared angrily at Akai but didn’t bother to retort. In terms of cultivation, Kin was about equal to the Lion Chimaera. In terms of raw power output though, Akai far towered over anything that Kin or Gin could perform. Naturally, since their talents laid in other areas, the twins weren’t afraid of getting into a head-on battle with the hot-head Lion, and for the most part, they would have a real chance of winning. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop Akai for belittling Gin and her.

Still, it wouldn’t do well to start a feud against another one of the Nine Colours, so Kin endured. “Thank you for the praise.”

“Rarara! Maybe next time you can join in on our missions! Now that you’re useful! Right, Midori?” Akai opened his mouth and bared his fangs in delight. Nudging the Treant that stood by his side, the red-haired man sought some validation.

Alas, his partner wasn’t as enthusiastic as he was. “Akai… Manners… Kin… Gin… They’re strong...” The Treant spoke slowly but sternly. He wasn’t all that amused that Akai was looking down on two of the great Nine Coloured Noble Beasts.

“Rarara, you’re soft! How could they be strong if I exist?! I can burn them at any moment if I wish! Just like I could burn you!” Akai protested, his face turning as steamy as a whistling kettle.

“Alright, alright… Just cut it off...” At that moment, a sultry voice interjected. Every one of the Nine Coloured Noble Beasts snapped their heads to look at the purple-haired woman who had a spider bottom. Her naked human body was on display for all to see and with such perfect proportions, even the most chaste of men would drop their jaws in agony. Alas, her allure didn’t work against the powerful Spirit Beasts in the chambers.

“Rarara, Murasaki don’t butt in. You’re weak too!” Akai spat.

Murasaki wasn’t threatened by the battle-hungry Lion though. Waving her hand callously, she muttered out in disgust: “Ara? I may not be able to take you out in direct combat, but could you survive any of my eight poisons?”

“My fires would burn your poisons in a heartbeat!” The red-haired man hollered back. However, his voice wasn’t as intimidating as it was before. In fact, there was a slight falter in his speech.

“I would like to see you try...” Murasaki’s eight eyes universally blinked, not wavering in the slightest. Among the Nine Coloured Noble Beasts, the only clear hierarchy was at the top of the food chain. Kuro stood heads and shoulders above the other eight as the only Primordial Beast, so there was no questioning his position. Ao and Momo both were in contention for second place, but since they hadn’t fought one another in years, it would be hard to tell who would prevail.

As for the remaining six… The lines were blurred.

If it came to outright destructive power, Akai would top them all. However, a battle wasn’t determined on how physically powerful one was. For instance, Shiro’s innate ability to swap dimensions using his mirrors would prove to be fatal against Akai’s lack of mystic defences. Murasaki’s poison and summoning of all arachnid species was also a headache for the Lion Chimaera. Even Kin and Gin, with their unique powers, would prove fatal against an unprepared Akai. So, none of the six Noble Beasts under Kuro, Ao and Momo held a distinctive advantage over the other, and there was no need for any of them to fear one another.

“Enough! I gathered you here to share the good news, not start an internal war!” Kuro’s angered voice boomed out, silencing all of the dissidents. “If you really want to settle your differences, do so when we all ascend into the Immortal Realm. We’ll have all the time in the world to sort out who’s stronger than who then!”

“...” All of the Noble Beasts’ mouths were sealed shut. Akai was still pent up with rage and was ready to explode at any given moment, but he couldn’t afford to enter into a battle against Kuro. Silenced, the red-haired man returned to his pillar and waited for his next instructions obediently.

“As I was saying… The Alliance has already lost eight outposts, however taking any more would prove to be a stretch.” Kuro proceeded to inform his subordinates about their situation. “The Alliance are now on their highest alert, with Cikai Mirrors being turned on twenty-four hours a day. Based on our intelligence, they’re requesting the help of Guardian Sword, and they should be expected to arrive within the next two days.”

“Guardian Sword… Shin Iofiel...” Hearing the familiar name, Ao’s ears perked up with interest.

“That’s right… Shin Iofiel...” Kuro shared Ao’s frustration with that dastardly name. “Given the circumstances, we can assume that the man himself will be taking charge of the operation. Whatever you do, don’t underestimate him… He’s now at Rank 79, and is said to have reached the Saint-level.”

“WHAT?! RANK 79?!” The Noble Beasts all shouted out in exasperation.

“RARARA!!! Fucking humans!!! They just cultivate too damned fast!!!” Akai was understandably pained. He’d once encountered Shin, back during the raid of Aldrich’s Keep. Back then, Shin was just a powerless soul that he could squash with the back of his hand. Now, in what seemed to be a blink of an eye, the young man had grown into a Saint-level expert, one that was capable of matching his own power.

“Yes… It’s a pity that we couldn’t kill him back when he was weak...” Ao frowned. For the first time, he agreed with his virtual opposite in the form of Akai. “But we deal with the cards we’ve been played… If any of you meet with Shin Iofiel, let me know...”

At that moment, immense pressure was forcibly mounted upon all of the Noble Beasts bodies. A blue aura emerged from the scholarly man’s figure and shrouded the Throne Hall with a feeling of dread and melancholy. It was as if… The Noble Beasts were plunged into the bottom of the ocean, with no way of getting back up. Only Kuro was able to stand amidst the pressure with his arms folded and face smiling.

“Ao, you...” Midori was the first to speak up.

“Yes, I’ve made that leap...” The World Serpent spoke nonchalantly. “I’ve become a Primordial Beast… So, I would like all of you to leave Shin Iofiel to me if possible.”

“You...”

Everyone present knew the vendetta that Shin and Ao had. If anything, Ao hated Junius for betraying the Allfather and the Black Masks. Or to be completely accurate, Ao hated Junius for betraying his trust. The World Serpent had opened his heart up to Junius and treated him like a biological son. Yet, the man trampled all over it for the brother that he could never forget. Usually, Ao would take his vengeance up with Junius, but the man had passed away as soon as he backstabbed the Black Masks. Thus, Ao could only vent his frustration on the other man responsible for his mental turmoil.

“I’ll take care of him… I’ve gotten the Allfather’s permission on this one, so don’t you try to fight with me over this one...”

Fight with him? Which suicidal Noble Beast would dare act against a Primordial Beast, not to mention one that had been living as a Tier 9 Spirit Beast for tens of thousands of years now.

“Well, even if they wanted to steal Shin Iofiel away, I doubt that they have the capability.” Kuro’s lackadaisical voice sounded out as he eyed down all of his subordinates. “They’re now weaker than that brat.”

“... Has he really grown that strong?” It wasn’t certain whose voice sounded out next, but that person’s thoughts spoke for the entire room.

“Are you questioning the Allfather’s information?”

“No, it’s just...”

“Hmph! I know what you’re thinking. How could a mere human grow so powerful in just one decade? However, I would like to remind you that freaks like Spirit Immortal Dream existed. Plus, the Allfather’s plan was to forcefully raise the cultivation levels of all humans after all. We should be glad that Shin Iofiel has reached these heights!”

“That...” The Noble Beasts turned silent. If Shin Iofiel truly was a Saint-level expert, wouldn’t all their lives be in danger?

Seemingly reading their minds, Kuro snorted: “Don’t worry… The last phase is upon us. The Allfather has permitted the use of all the resources that we have now.”

“Wait, you can’t mean...”

“That’s right…” Kuro smiled in absolute delight. He had been waiting for this day for far, far too long...

“All of you are now allowed… to use your Immortal-Grade Spirit Armaments.”