Early morning, nearly six o'clock—

"Chumila! Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!"

"Hmph... hmph... huh?"

"Stop sleeping! Stop sleeping! Get up now! Aaaaaaaaaah!!!!"

"Wha!?"

Clara, on the verge of panic, yanked off the warm blanket. Cold air instantly seeped into Chumila's nightgown. She let out a wail and jumped out of bed.

"W-what the hell are you doing?! How dare you disturb this one's slumber!"

"Please, stop talking nonsense now! A huge crisis! A massive disaster has happened!!!"

"A crisis?"

"It's... it's... someone... dead... dead..."

"Hah?"

"Someone's dead? Are you kid—"

"Look now!!!"

Clara strode to the window and yanked open the curtains. Chumila shuffled over, rubbing her eyes. She took a close look—

"………………!!!"

————————————————

"..."

Unfathomable.

"..."

Unacceptable.

"..."

Unimaginable.

"..."

Faced with this overwhelmingly shocking scene, the thousands present fell into complete silence.

The site was shrouded in deathly silence.

This was the square in front of the Lord's Mansion, the heart of Cassol City.

Beneath the monument at the square's center, flowers bloomed.

The twisted corpse was the stamen.

Splattered blood formed the petals.

Spilled entrails were the stems and leaves.

Butcher, the Battle Spirit known for his ferocity and belligerence, had breathed his last.

His face was frozen in extreme rage and terror. His eyes bulged out, mouth wide open.

His left arm and both legs twisted unnaturally. Only his right hand, relatively intact, stretched forward with fingers splayed, as if desperately grasping for something.

Captain Fulin and the guards stood closest. They were all ashen-faced, as if they'd seen a ghost.

Next were Glori and Ailian. Glori wore a stern expression. Even Ailian, who always had a poker face, showed clear surprise.

Saint Anthony pressed his lips tightly together, hand on his sword hilt. Behind him, Stella gripped her staff firmly.

It happened too suddenly. By the time the body was discovered, the news couldn't be contained. Everyone present—over a thousand people including mercenaries, adventurers, thugs, and speculators, besides the investigation team and Lord's Mansion staff—saw it clearly.

All witnessed Butcher's corpse... too tragic or too magnificent to describe.

"What the hell happened!"

The guards suddenly parted, making way for Lord Sanelis. He rushed over, disheveled, as if just woken up. He glanced at Butcher's corpse, scanned the surroundings, and clicked his tongue sharply.

(Damn it... why did this happen? And now, containing the news is impossible!)

Sanelis shook his head hard, forcing down his anxiety. He shouted at Fulin, "What exactly happened? Explain clearly!!!"

"Y-yes, sir! The body was discovered ten minutes ago! This should be the primary scene!"

"Butcher is really dead? A Battle Spirit killed right in front of the Lord's Mansion? What are you guards doing?!?!"

Sanelis roared. The entire square trembled under his oppressive aura. Fulin almost collapsed, his legs buckling.

"S-sorry! But it happened during the third guard team's shift change. Less than a minute passed! Before the handover, the square... there was no one! Then—"

"Then?"

"An explosion... and light... incredibly bright light! We rushed over immediately. All these witnesses were drawn by the sound and light!"

"An explosion?"

"Light?"

"You mean, in less than a minute..."

"...someone fought Butcher here and killed him within that time?"

"That's likely, but it's strange... the key is that light."

"Light..."

"Seven-colored light. Everyone saw it, like... huh?"

Fulin's expression froze.

He suddenly remembered something.

Seven-colored light?

It felt strangely familiar—

"Butcher!!!!!!"

A thunderous roar suddenly echoed across the square, drowning out Sanelis's voice. Guards were shoved aside; the unlucky ones were thrown flying. Sako, the Great Battle Spirit of the Knighthood, charged in. This handsome middle-aged man had lost all his usual elegance. Like an enraged lion, he radiated terrifying magical waves. Everyone except Sanelis and Glori was pressed down, struggling to breathe.

"Sako, wait—"

"Damn it!!!!"

Sanelis reached out to block Sako rushing toward Butcher's corpse. But Sako bellowed. Solidified magical energy erupted from his arm, forming a blade that deflected Sanelis's hand!

"Sako, you..."

"...give me an explanation."

"Hah?"

"Butcher was a brainless bastard, but he was still one of ours from the Knighthood. To die so miserably in this godforsaken place... I demand an explanation, Sanelis!!!"

Boom!!!!

Great Battle Spirit-level magical energy surged out. In the chilly air, it rose, materialized, and condensed. It formed a giant silhouette nearly ten meters tall behind Sako—or rather, enveloping him! This figure was a bust, entirely silver, resembling an ancient gladiator. In each hand, it held a longsword forged from magical energy. Its face was an expressionless metal mask, radiating cold danger!

"Magic Golem... Sako, are you crazy or serious?"

Sanelis also erupted with magical energy of similar intensity. An equally tall silhouette appeared behind him! But this one was unclothed, lead-gray. Its rugged body seemed carved from bedrock. In its right hand, it held a massive cleaver. Its face was identical to Sanelis's!

Everyone in the square gasped.

No one expected these two Great Battle Spirits to clash suddenly.

And they manifested their "Magic Golems" right away.

Condensing external magical energy into a film that covers the body like armor for defense—this is the essential skill "Mystic Armor" for every Mystic Warrior.

At the Battle Spirit level, Mystic Armor becomes a passive skill, always active 24/7, independent of the user's will. Most of the time, it's hidden beneath the skin, only surfacing when needed. From Battle Spirit onward, Mystic Warriors can gradually detach their Mystic Armor from their bodies, using it as a weapon rather than defense. For example, Butcher's giant hands made of magical energy.

At the Great Battle Spirit level, Mystic Armor can fully detach from the body, grow huge, materialize, and form a humanoid shape. At this stage, it's no longer called Mystic Armor but given a new name—Magic Golem. The form, color, traits, attack methods, and abilities vary per person. Naturally, Magic Golems have strengths and weaknesses; some even possess special powers.

Of course, such a trump card is usually only revealed when battle heats up. But these two hot-headed guys used it right away.

"Both of you, calm down! Don't act rashly!!!!!"

"Indeed. If you two continue, I'll have no choice but to unleash my Domain... Or do you want to destroy this shabby city?"

"...Hmph."

"...Tch."

Sanelis spat and dismissed his Magic Golem. Sako did the same. Both Magic Golems dissolved into particles of magical light. Only an unprecedented pressure lingered over the square, refusing to fade.

"Alright, I'll control my temper for now... However," Sako pointed at Butcher's corpse, "his body is ours to recover. The follow-up investigation is ours too. Don't interfere!"

“““...”””

Sanelis, Glori, and Saint Anthony remained silent.

This incident had doubts from the start.

Why was Butcher killed here?

The Lord's Mansion showed no signs of damage. In other words, the fight didn't start there but began and ended right here in the square.

Put another way—Butcher likely "left" the Lord's Mansion himself, then clashed with someone outside and was killed.

There was a fundamental question.

Why did Butcher leave the Lord's Mansion without permission before being killed?

Even stranger—

"The square isn't damaged..."

Glori murmured to herself.

If Butcher fought here and was killed, why no traces? Did the fight end instantly? Was he killed in a flash? Or poisoned?

"The body... let's examine it first. Tracking magic can wait..."

Sako shook his head in frustration and strode toward Butcher's corpse. His mind slightly calmer, he now noticed—

(...Reaching out? And this expression?)

Noticing these details, Sako's heart rate spiked.

Not just him. Saint Anthony, Sanelis, Glori, Stella, Ailian, and some sharp-eyed among the thousands present all noticed.

Butcher's expression was extremely distorted. His eyes bulged out. Before death, he seemed to glare forward furiously.

Simultaneously, his only intact right hand stretched forward, palm open, as if desperately grabbing for something.

In his final moments, was he trying to grab something in front of him?

Was that thing so precious he'd die trying to get it?

"..."

Sako swallowed hard. Slowly, he drew his sword and reached toward Butcher's corpse—

Clack.

He tapped the torn abdomen with the flat of his blade. A soft sensation traveled through the sword.

The body wasn't stiff. As Fulin said, he'd died recently.

"........Huh? Eh!?"

Sako's expression suddenly changed. He leaned down for a closer look. His pupils contracted. With a swift flick of his sword tip—

Plop!

With his motion, a small object was flicked out from Butcher's abdomen.

It landed with a crisp sound.

Round, only the size of an egg.

Its shell was crystal-clear transparent.

Beneath the shell, particles of light flowed in incredibly complex patterns, shifting between various designs.

It emitted a rainbow-hued aura, dazzlingly beautiful. The magical fluctuations it released were unlike any known object—ever-changing, never fixed.

"This..."

Sako stared dumbfounded.

The other three super-strong individuals were also dumbstruck.

The thousands around were all incredulous.

From within Butcher's twisted corpse, the object countless people dreamed of appeared brazenly in broad daylight.