This event happened a few hours before the war in the Newgate Country began. Everything started when a door appeared out of nowhere in the Dragna Empire. The door opened and a certain man stepped out of it. The man was half-naked and dressed in rags. His muscular body looked like it was sculpted in the image of a Greek god. His purple hair was wrapped in a ponytail that stretched down to his feet. His dark skin glistened under the sun and his purple eyes held great valor in them.

“I was beginning to think that you’ll never come out of there, Krow.”

Krow turned his head and saw a man dressed in a dark blue suit.

“Raven.”

“It looks like your training was a success. Your strength has grown to new heights. As you are now no one in this empire can stop you.”

“….If you say so then it must be true.”

“You don’t seem satisfied.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll probably never be satisfied.”

Krow snapped his fingers and a purple suit wrapped around his body. He waved his hand to the side and his ponytail was severed at his shoulders and fell on the ground.

“So now that you’re properly groomed, what’s your next move?”

Krow straightened his jacket and looked at Raven.

“I’m sure you know the answer to that. I’m leaving this cursed place.”

Raven sighed and took a case out of his pocket.

“I was really hoping that you wouldn’t say that.”

He opened the case, took out a cigar, and place it between his lips.

“You knew my intentions when I asked to enter the Illusionary Beast Valley and yet you still let me enter. So why are you acting so surprised?”

The cigar lit up by itself. Raven took a puff before taking it out of his mouth to blow out the smoke.

“What was I supposed to do? Our ranks are the same in the clan. If I rejected your request it would give your followers a reason to cause trouble.”

“But now I’m gonna cause more trouble than they ever could.”

“Krow, you’re free to do whatever you like but keep in mind that applies to me as well.”

“You didn’t want to stop me then but you have no problem doing it now?”

“I’m one of the five guardians of the clan, meaning I must protect our clan members even if they’re troublemakers. But it’s different now.”

He dropped the cigar on the ground and put it out by stepping on it.

“You’re officially a traitor now so that means that I can act with the full extent of my abilities.”

Krow smirked.

“So you wish to fight me? Right here in the center of the capital? Do you how many people will die in the crossfire?”

“Not if I move them first.”

Raven snapped his fingers and the sky lit up. Krow looked up and saw a magic circle cover the entire capital.

“A mass teleportation spell, huh? You came prepared, Raven.”

A bright light flashed engulfing everyone in the city.

“Spell Break.”

“?!”

A shattering sound echoed across the country. Raven looked up and watched as his magic circle crumbled.

“What the?”

“You underestimated me too much, Raven. I’ve been planning this for thousands of years, so I’ll naturally have countermeasures set up.”

“….Now, this is troubling. Not only did I fail to evacuate the citizens I even alerted your allies.”

“It’s good that you’re able to follow what’s going on.”

“But it’s the same for us too, everyone now knows that you’re making your move.”

Krow grinned.

“That’s the plan.”

Flameheart Residence, Lushun.

“That magic circle….Krow.”

Darwin Flameheart saw what happened in the sky over the capital. He quickly left his office. Some servants were waiting for him in the halls.

“Orders, Clan Leader?”

“We’re mobilizing to the capital. Tell everyone to get ready for war.”

“War, sir?”

“Yes. It’s going to be a bloodbath.”

He walked past them and headed down the halls. He however soon stopped and looked behind him.

“Why haven’t you went to carry out my orders?”

“No, it’s just that there was a mistake in your orders.”

Darwin narrowed his eyes.

“Oh? Please enlighten me of my mistake.”

“It will indeed be a bloodbath but there will be no war. Just an execution.”

*BOOM!*

The hall exploded and Darwin was hit by a burst of flames. From outside, one could see the building exploding but it wasn’t the only one. The buildings in the residence exploded one after the other. Soon the entire residence was on fire.

“What the hell is going on?!”

The servants and clan members were overwhelmed with shock by the sudden turn of events.

“Lord Ranga!”

Somewhere in the residence, a group of servants and clan members screamed desperately at a burning building.

“So loud.”

A man with short emerald and black hair emerged from the flames with an annoyed look.

“You’re alive!”

“Of course, I am. Who would die in an explosion they started?”

“Thank goodness…Wait, started?”

They looked at the man in confusion. He was indifferent as he walked past them.

“Do me a favor. Tell my father, Joseph, that I’ve decided to become independent. He’s free to hunt me down and kill me if he wishes.”

He waved at them as he walked away.

“Wait, my lord! My lord!”

Ranga ignored them and took a step. When his foot touched the ground he was standing in the capital. He cracked his neck and fingers with an excited grin on his face.

“I guess it’s time to get to work.”

Back at the Flameheart Residence. Darwin emerged from his burning office building with a frown on his face.

“Clan Leader!”

Some clan members ran up to him.

“Status update.”

“All of our buildings have been destroyed and treacherous members have started killing their own.”

“The treasuries and armories?”

“Untouched but all the guards have either been killed or have deserted their posts.”

“So they just wanted to kill us huh?

“I don’t get. This clan should be the last place to have traitors. I mean we love more than the average person.”

“Yes, but we hate just as much. If their hate for us outweighs their love then it’s possible. However, no flameheart can escape the curse that comes with killing a loved one. Was there anyone who showed those signs?”

“None reported, Sir.”

“Then, we’re not their loved ones but that doesn’t mean that they’re not ours. That’s why I won’t order you guys to hunt them down and kill them, it will only destroy you.”

He lifted what he was holding and showed them. Their faces distorted at the sight of the heads before them. Darwin threw them in the fire behind him. The sharp look in his eyes made them retreat a few steps.

“I’ll get rid of them. You guys just dig the graves.”

He walked passed them.

“Krow….Just know that it’s my desire to kill you that’s keeping me sane.”

“If that’s what it takes then I guess it can’t be helped.”

Joseph appeared beside him.

“Master, where’s Lisa?”

“Safe. I have some news to share.”

Joesph sighed.

“It’s about Ranga, that stupid son of mine.”

Saevus Residence, Vera. A man with the Saevus trademark crimson hair was sitting in an office. His feet were on the desk and he had a stack of papers in his hands that he was leisurely going through.

“I see, so this is our profit for this quarter. It’s a little less than I expected but I guess it’s alright.”

He heard a knock on the door. The person came in without waiting for permission.

“Lord Marc, you have a message from Lord Ranga, formerly of the Flameheart Clan.”

“I know the message so there’s no need to say it.”

He stood up from his seat. He threw the papers on his desk and headed outside of the office. He stepped into a hall that was covered with blood and had corpses laying on the ground. Marc looked at the corpses and sighed.

“It hurts me to do this but the clan was just too big. The number had to be diminished a bit.”

He walked out of the building and into the yard. There were thousands of people dressed in suits waiting on him.

“Now, men. While my father is busy let’s go pay my comatose brother a visit.”

They all entered various vehicles and went towards the city. Marc was inside a car looking at the city.

“I’m gonna miss this place.”

He took a remote and pressed the only button on it. The buildings around started exploding. Burning debris crushed countless people as skyscrapers collapsed around him.

“Well, at least I won’t be the only one who’s gonna miss it.”

His car drove through the burning city with the sound of its engine being drowned out by the screams and cries of those around him.

**************

“This is impossible.”

Raven looked at Krow with great shock.

“You had so many allies in the Flameheart and Saevus Clan?”

“As I said, this isn’t something that was planned overnight.”

Krow spread his arms.

“What you’re witnessing is my 10,000-year ambition finally being fulfilled.”

He pointed at Raven.

“You said yourself. No one can stop me anymore.”

Raven clenched his teeth.

“Citizens of Dragna, I’m sorry.”

He took off his jacket and threw it on the ground.

“I need to stop this maniac even if it means sacrificing you of all!”

Krow grinned.

“Now that’s the spirit. I need a good fight to properly gauge my new strength.”

He lifted his fists in front of him.

“One of the Empire’s Trump cards will surely be a good opponent.”

At the same time, someone was standing in front of the royal palace. This person was a young teenage boy with purple and azure hair and the Dragna trademark blue eyes and had a lazy look on his face which gave off an aloof air. It was Alexis Dragna.

“Krow should be keeping Raven busy. The other four guardians will probably go there to back him soon. The Five Branch Leaders will also take action. I’ll stale them. In the meantime, I want you to join with the others and head to the Demon’s Nest to greet our guests. Be careful not to show any weakness, especially in front of the guest of honor. He will kill you.”

He looked to the person standing beside him.

“Do you understand, Gizmo?”

Gizmo looked at Alexis and nodded.

“Understood, Master.”