"Report! News from the front—Diamond Kingdom's royal capital has been struck by an unknown force. The entire capital has suffered massive damage, with countless casualties!"
Inside the war council chamber, everyone was stunned by the report.
An attack?
What the hell?
Which crazy bastard had the guts to invade another country's royal capital?!
Yami furrowed his brow and asked grimly, "What's the full situation? Any more details?"
The soldier shook his head and replied, "It's the enemy's capital, so our scouts didn't dare get too close. But one said they saw an ancient beast descend from the sky... and that's what destroyed the capital."
An ancient beast?
Everyone turned to look at Hel, the captain known for controlling monstrous power.
"Uhh... Captains, the way you're all looking at me—surely you don't think I did it?"
"Of course not you, but... if you're talking about your Captain, Ethan..."
They remembered it clearly.
During the Nine Squads Competition, Ethan had used that very spell to take the crown. Even the Wizard King had praised its sheer might.
It was the force of nature itself—capable of annihilating a capital city.
"So the old guy's been missing all these days 'cause he went to raise hell in the enemy's homeland? Not bad! Here I thought he'd chickened out and fled..."
"This might be the final blow for Diamond Kingdom. Ethan deserves the highest honor!"
"I propose we mobilize immediately for a counterattack. Their morale and strength must be in shambles after this. We can push them back and even wipe them out entirely!"
The hall erupted in excited chatter.
Though noisy, every face was brimming with joy.
Even though Ethan hadn't participated directly in the war, his actions had completely shifted its trajectory.
With the capital destroyed and their supply lines cut, the enemy's frontline collapse was only a matter of time.
But amidst the excitement, the Wizard King's face remained clouded with worry.
"Do you all remember Saint Grand Mage—Corin?"
At his words, the room fell silent.
Everyone knew that name well.
Over ten years ago, he had once ventured into the Clover Kingdom alone.
His objective?
More or less the same thing Ethan had just accomplished.
Back then, the Wizard King had personally stopped him, forcing Corin to flee with injuries.
But that didn't mean Corin was weak—far from it.
Even with nine squads and the Wizard King combined, he had still managed to escape.
"You mean to say...?" a captain began cautiously.
"That's right," Julius said. "The priority now is to send someone to assist Ethan. As for launching a counterattack—put that on hold."
Julius understood what truly mattered.
Victory could wait, but Ethan's life could not be risked.
If they lost him, there would be no second chance.
"I'll go on ahead. The rest of you follow."
With that, Julius stood up and walked out of the tent.
"Wait—one more thing... hmm?"
As if suddenly remembering something, he turned back to give further instructions—only to freeze.
The tent itself hadn't changed, but several individuals inside were now radiating golden light.
Strange markings had appeared across their faces.
Even his trusted aide Marx was affected.
What stunned him most was the sheer magical energy now emanating from them—it surpassed even his own.
"What's going on? Marx, you—?"
He tried to question him, but instead of a reply, a powerful spell came flying at him.
BOOM!!
The entire tent exploded.
BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions erupted throughout the entire camp.
"They... what is this?!"
Soaring into the sky, Julius looked down at the chaos unfolding below.
Golden light flared across the entire military base.
And former allies... were turning on their own.
"Charlotte, have you lost your mind?! You're attacking us?!"
"Captain Rill, what are you doing?!"
Bathed in golden light, not just ordinary magic knights, but even squad captains were attacking friend and foe alike.
The Green Mantis and the Aqua Deer squads had already killed dozens of their own soldiers in mere seconds.
"Charlotte! Stop! Do you even know what you're doing?!"
Drawing his katana, Yami dashed forward.
He didn't understand what was happening, but he did know it had to be stopped.
[Dark Magic – Black Hole]!
A swirling vortex of darkness absorbed Charlotte's thorny vines mid-attack.
Then he slashed.
[Dark Magic – Nameless Slash]!
WHOOSH!
A crescent blade of darkness tore through the air, but Charlotte had already leapt back, avoiding it.
More thorny vines exploded out from all sides.
"Sorry—but I'm not the Charlotte you think I am. Today, you humans will finally pay for your sins!"
And then—it clicked.
Julius's eyes widened.
This wasn't ordinary magic.
This was forbidden reincarnation magic—but not from the Diamond Kingdom.
It was the Elves.
"So this is the Elf Reincarnation Spell..."
Julius cursed under his breath, filled with regret.
He had assumed that the reincarnation spell would summon the spirits of dead elves back from the afterlife.
But now he realized—he had been completely wrong.
The spell took over the bodies of living humans—a full possession.
"But how...? The magic stones—I gave them to Eth—"
Then it hit him.
With a bitter, self-mocking laugh, he realized the truth.
The one who had taken the stones wasn't Ethan—it had to have been one of the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
He had handed the stones to the enemy himself.
Regret?
Anger?
None of that mattered now.
What mattered was stopping the chaos spreading before him.
"As the Wizard King, I've failed...
But also as the Wizard King—
I will not allow this madness to continue!"
-------------------------
To access 30+ advanced chapters, head over to Patreon:
patreon .com / Samorash
~~Do leave a comment and **avail exclusive discounts**! and check out my new work
One Piece: Legend of the Star Sea!