The Neutral Lands. The Abyss.

Phhhhhheeeeeewwww!!! Phhhhhhhhheeeeewwww!!! Phhhhheeeeeeewww!!!

Five flying objects whizzed through the open fields of the Neutral Lands, disrupting the peace and quiet of the serene forests. Elk with broken horns all leapt out in frigid fear, leaving their grasslands and seeking refuge in the safety of some random caves. Frogs leapt out of their ponds and found soft holes in the ground to hide their delicious flesh. Not that the flying objects cared for it though.

The two leading shadows broke stone and bark, sending a path of debris bolting right at their pursuers. They were desperate, hoping to slow the aggressors for even a split second. Alas, how could the three chasers be that weak? Without even batting an eye, the pursuers slashed the falling debris and dialled their speeds up to eleven.

“Damn it! How is he so fast?!” One of the two shadows spat.

“Quick, send the message! Sir Seymour needs to know about our failure, otherwise...”

“Otherwise, what?” Before the shadows could even breathe another sentence, one of their pursuers charged forward at an astonishing speed. They could barely react before a colossal tidal wave of pressure fell upon their shoulders, bringing the shadows right down to their knees. The shadows attempted a futile struggle, flailing their arms about while desperately trying to use their Spirits to break free. Alas, the power of their chaser was far too strong. Clenching his fists, a dense water sphere engulfed the two shadows, creating an eternal water prison that they could never escape from.

With his prey secured, Shin could finally breathe easy. At his back, the two silhouettes that were with him finally managed to catch up, their faces red and filled with sweat. One was a teenage girl, who looked no older than twenty while the other was a thirty-year-old man. Two drastically different images in terms of build, but they had one distinct similarity… They both shared Shin’s black hair and gorgeous azure eyes.

“Brother Shin… You’re moving too fast!” Longyu Hai protested.

“Sorry, sorry… I just couldn’t let them escape,” Shin smiled back while his fingers nonchalantly moved his prisoners to the other side. From the start of the chase to the eventual capture of the Kshatriyas, everything seemed so effortless for the Prince. He could even keep his eyes off the prisoners as he made small talk with Longyu Hai.

“Hah… To think that just a decade back, I could fight you on equal grounds… My younger self must have been out of his mind.” Longyu Linji issued some self-deprecating statements while glaring at the Rank 79 Spirit Emperor. The two that followed Shin were the two most promising talents from the Longyu Clan and Shin’s extended cousins.

Shin was considered to be in the same generation as Longyu Linji and one generation older than Longyu Hai. However, his current status was far more prominent than any of his cousins. In terms of power, Shin vastly outmatched Longyu Linji’s Rank 61 cultivation or Longyu Hai’s Rank 38 Spirit Adept power. In terms of influence, there was no comparison. Shin’s words could move the government and force the elusive Spirit Saints to change their opinions, while his younger cousins barely had any control over their own homes.

The only reason why the two of them were considered highly by the Alliance, was due to their talent and association with Shin’s Guardian Sword. In the future, they might grow into mighty beings that could move mountains with their words. However, as they were right now, the two Longyu Clan talents were only operatives for the most popular organisation on the planet.

“Enough with the talking, we need to get these assholes to sing...” Longyu Linji turned his attention back to the duo that were incapacitated by Shin’s water prisons. “What have you done to the outposts? Why are the sentries all disappearing?! What are the Black Masks planning now?!”

“...” The Black Masks kept silent.

“You rascals… Do you think that there’s still a chance for you to escape? You’d better confess else, we’ll put you through hell!”

“...”

“You really!” Longyu Linji raised his arms and spiked his mana output. He wanted to threaten the Black Masks into submission, but alas...

“Wow, Brother Linji... you’re terrible at interrogations...” Longyu Hai chuckled at her elder cousin’s poor use of verbs. “No wonder our Hall of Whispers denied your application twice.”

“You little brat… Must you really bring that up every single time?” Longyu Linji’s menacing facade quickly crumbled, drawing laughs from both Longyu Hai and Shin.

“Hai’er, don’t make fun of Brother Linji too much,” Shin held his smiles while slowly twisting his hands. An array of glorious colours emerged from the depths of his soul and slowly crept its way into the eyeballs of the sealed pair. All colour was lost from their eyes, and in their consciousness, Shin started to glow with a familiar radiance. No, he began to emit a pressure that was far too familiar to their senses.

[Give me your report...]

Using the Mind-element, Shin imitated the Allfather’s voice and aura to significant effect. Mesmerised by the familiar dominant power, the two Kshatriyas turned into lifeless dolls and blurted out everything that they knew.

“A-ah! Lord Allfather! Esteemed Noble Beasts Kin and Gin are now marking the remaining outposts with their idols. We estimate that the plan should succeed in three months.”

“That’s right, Lord Allfather! The Noble Beasts Kin and Gin will fulfil your mission no matter what the cost! They will-...”

Before the Kshatriyas could divulge anything more, a dark presence burst out from the Kshatriya’s bodies. It was dark and murky, much like the power that had been terrorising the continent for the past decade now. Sensing what’s to come, Shin attempted to save the Kshatriyas before it was too late, boosting the amount of pure mana in the prisons to the utmost limit. Alas…

PLOP!!!

Like an inflated balloon that had far surpassed its limits, the two Black Masks erupted into a pool of red. Shin looked on despondently as the bits of flesh rolled around in his water prison. It has been a while since he’d seen a Black Mask self-destruct, but there was no way that Shin could forget it. After all, that was how Junius’ father had passed on right before his eyes.

With disgust, Shin released his hold on the exploded remains of the two Kshatriyas and gave a simple prayer. As much as he hated the Black Masks, the deceased were once innocent humans that had been corrupted through circumstance. The least that Shin could do was to offer up a minute of silence.

Biting on his lower lip, Shin said: “With this, there’s no doubting it… The Allfather is alive and well...”

“Not only is he alive and well, but his influence over the Black Masks has also grown stronger.” Longyu Hai added, her small face flashing a frown. “Everyone under the influence of the Allfather would be constantly monitored by his Spirit. Once there’s any sign of betrayal, the Allfather would instantly ignite his subordinates...”

Ten years had passed, and Guardian Sword hadn’t been idling around. With the help of the Hall of Science and other leading researchers in the world, Guardian Sword had analysed most of the useful data pertaining to the Allfather and the Black Masks. They’d even looked into relics of Spirit Immortal Dream, hoping to figure any information about the man from the previous era. Naturally, there were some breakthroughs when it came to the Allfather’s Spirit.

“Yes… Looks like he’d mostly recovered from the battle ten years ago...” Longyu Linji scowled as well.

“However, at least we’ve got some additional information… The ones responsible for the Alliance’s recent disappearances are the twin Noble Beasts.”

“Do we have any data about them?”

“Not much,” Shin thought back on the Hall of Whispers report on the Nine Coloured Noble Beasts. Of the nine, very little was known about Kin and Gin. The Alliance and Guardian Sword knew that the twins exist, but due to their elusive tendencies, not much is known about the twin Tier 9 Spirit Beasts. They didn’t even know what their true forms were.

Nonetheless…

“Still, it looks like we have found our first prey to hunt...”