Chapter 13: The Yeonhwa Gala (Public Execution)
[Infiltrating the Beacon]
The Yeonhwa Academy Founders Gala was the annual showcase of Seoul's elite, held in the academy's grand, heavily shielded auditorium. The venue shimmered with concentrated Light Mana, a natural defense against the city's endemic mana contamination. For Rudraunsh, cloaked and moving among the shadows of the evening, the intensity of the Light was like walking through a physical wall of repulsion.
His U-Rank mana signature was an anomaly here, threatening to trigger every passive sensor.
"Security is precisely as predicted," Sera messaged, her tone calm despite the proximity to danger. She was stationed in a secure, high-rise apartment two blocks away, operating the digital side of the infiltration. "The decoy Dark Mage activity has pulled most of the B-Rank task force to Gangbuk. Only Captain Ahn's personal, trusted D-Rank detail remains."
Rudraunsh, maintaining a steady, low-level dissipation of his dark mana to avoid detection, reached the ventilation duct above the main auditorium stage. He carried only two items: the customized Data Projection Device containing Ahn's medical files, and the Dark Mana Filter, which would concentrate his Necrotic energy for the crucial exposure burst.
He could feel the presence of his two Steelbone Warriors resting in the Immortal Sepulchre miles away, ready to be summoned in an instant if combat became unavoidable.
Below him, the auditorium was a blinding sea of white and gold—the formal colors of the Stellar Halo. At center stage stood Captain Ahn Joonsung, immaculate in his ceremonial Paladin armor, already basking in the applause.
[The Set-Up]
The first twenty minutes of the Gala were dedicated to tedious praise of the Stellar Halo's purity and heroism. Rudraunsh waited, his focus absolute, channeling a trickle of Undying Authority to keep his body absolutely silent.
Captain Ahn stepped up to the crystal podium, ready to deliver his keynote address on "The Unwavering Light of the Future."
"Citizens of Seoul, it is a privilege to stand before you," Ahn's voice boomed, amplified by the podium's Light Mana enchantment. "The Stellar Halo promises absolute—"
—Zero tolerance for the corrupting darkness— was what he was supposed to say.
Rudraunsh acted. He gently lowered the Data Projection Device through a vent directly behind the main holographic screen. Sera, monitoring the auditorium's wireless network, instantly took control of the projector.
The massive screen behind Captain Ahn, which had been displaying the shimmering Guild logo, violently flashed. The logo vanished, replaced by an anonymous, clinically detailed medical scan: an X-ray of a young child's spine, clearly showing the corrosive effects of chronic low-grade mana sickness.
[The Public Ruin]
The auditorium froze. Confusion rippled through the elite crowd. Captain Ahn himself faltered, staring at the screen with an expression of pure, visceral horror. He knew those scans.
Simultaneously, Sera's work came to fruition. A second, smaller text window appeared beside the scan, displaying the payment logs: "Transaction to C.W. Black Market Healing Network, 20 Million Won. Service: Dark Mana Filtration Therapy (Monthly)."
The crowd didn't need context. The words "Dark Mana" and "Black Market" displayed next to the Paladin's face were enough to create instant, toxic suspicion.
"What is the meaning of this?" Captain Ahn roared, his voice cracking with fear and fury. He tried to override the screen, slamming his hand on the podium, but Sera's lock was perfect.
At that critical moment, Rudraunsh activated the Dark Mana Filter. He directed a controlled, potent surge of his U-Rank energy through the device, which converted the generalized Necrotic mana into a focused, targeted pulse.
The dark mana was released directly into the air around Captain Ahn. It was non-lethal, but utterly palpable.
Every Hunter in the auditorium—from the D-Rank security guards to the high-ranking Guild officials—felt the raw, cold presence of forbidden Black Magic slam directly into their spiritual senses. It wasn't the fleeting scent of a minor spell; it was the heavy, suffocating aura of the Immortal Dao.
Captain Ahn, the Paladin of Light, was now physically reeling, his white armor momentarily dulled by the oppressive darkness, his body trembling from the spiritual shock of the Catastrophic energy. The evidence was irrefutable: He was compromised by the very Darkness he swore to fight.
[The Escape and the Catalyst]
Captain Ahn, realizing his life was ruined and believing the Necromancer was physically present, abandoned his post. He bypassed the stage, sprinting for the exit to hunt the assailant, his Light Mana flaring with desperate, cornered rage.
The D-Rank security team surged toward the screen, but they were too late. The damage was done. The crowd was in mass hysterics, the images of the dark magic payments and the corrupted Paladin burned into their minds.
Rudraunsh was already retreating through the ventilation system. His escape was interrupted by a single, encrypted video call from Sera.
"Ahn is running! He's panicking! He knows he's ruined, and he's heading straight to the secure Stellar Halo vault to retrieve the Soul Chain Core to pay off the Crimson Weaver before his assets are frozen!"
Sera's foresight was brilliant. The theft of the relic was a desperate, final move.
"Intercept him, Rudraunsh! The vault is below the Guild Hall—I've sent the coordinates. You have ten minutes before the B-Rank team returns from the decoy!"
Rudraunsh shifted his escape route, dropping silently onto the academy roof and sprinting toward the Guild Hall—a towering fortress of Light.
He reached the exterior wall of the vault entrance just as Captain Ahn, tears streaming down his face beneath his helmet, emerged from the sub-level entrance, clutching a small, iron box. Ahn looked utterly broken, his Paladin armor tarnished not by dirt, but by shame.
Ahn was too consumed by his shame and the spiritual trauma to notice the single shadow detach from the corner.
Rudraunsh materialized the two Steelbone Warriors directly behind Ahn. The obsidian figures were heavy, silent, and radiated the relentless cold of the Undying Authority.
Ahn, feeling the wave of Necrotic power, spun around. He raised his Light Sword, prepared to fight to the death for the only remaining value in his life—the relic he needed to save his children.
"The Black Sentinel," Ahn choked out, recognizing the terrifying, immortal signature from Kang's suppressed report.
"The Crimson Weaver requires his payment," Rudraunsh stated, his voice distorted by the cold mana surrounding him. "The relic you stole. Surrender the Soul Chain Core, Paladin."
Ahn hesitated, his sword shaking. He was ruined, but he was a desperate father. "I need this! My children—"
"Your family's secret is safe with me," Rudraunsh assured him, the promise of moral restraint cutting through the chaos. "Your career is over. Your children are protected from the hypocrisy of the Stellar Halo. Do not force me to destroy what remains of your body."
Captain Ahn, faced with absolute ruin and absolute, terrifying immortal power, made his choice. The Paladin dropped his light sword, which clattered loudly on the granite floor. He tossed the iron box at Rudraunsh's feet.
"Take it. Just... leave my children to their peace."
Rudraunsh ordered a Steelbone Warrior to pick up the box. The mission was complete. He looked at the broken Paladin, who was now weeping into his hands, and gave a final, chilling order.
"You will disappear, Paladin. Do not seek the Light again."
Rudraunsh vanished into the shadows, dismissing his Warriors and leaving the ruined Paladin to face the incoming Stellar Halo task force alone, clutching only the wreckage of his life.
[The New Catalyst]
Back at the Immortal Sepulchre, Sera met Rudraunsh, her eyes wide with triumphant relief.
"The scandal is everywhere. Ahn is destroyed. The B-Ranks will hunt him for tarnishing the Guild's image, not for the relic. You are a genius."
Rudraunsh ignored the praise, focused only on the prize. He opened the iron box. Inside, resting on dark velvet, was a single, fist-sized crystal that glowed with a deep, pulsating, venous red—a mesmerizing, terrible color.
> [System Alert]
> Forbidden Artifact Detected: The Soul Chain Core (Grade 4 Necrotic Catalyst).
> Potential Use: Undying Authority recognizes material as catalyst for Grade 2 Evolution: Shadow Legionnaires.
>
Rudraunsh gripped the crystal. The energy was raw, powerful, and utterly different from the earthy stability of the Ossuary Fragment. This was concentrated soul energy.
"The Soul Chain Core," Rudraunsh whispered, feeling the thrilling promise of the next stage. "Now, we evolve."