"What the hell is this?" Xarax Hargrave said, frowning.
"I expect many people don't know about Zephyr," the masked man said as the snake traveled towards his right hand.
"I thought that stealing from the vault under the Whiteheart Family would be enough," he continued.
"But it seems I was wrong," the masked man added.
"How is that possible?" Silvus asked, his eyes fixed on the screen.
He was shocked by the sight of a human taming a monster like the masked man they were watching.
"I don't think it's real," Dalton Rothschild stated, understanding Silvus's reaction.
"Well, unfortunately, it seems the Elite Families don't want the truth to be announced," the masked man said.
"Vault, Zephyr? What the hell is happening?" Ria Adler asked, turning to look at Eva, who seemed even more shocked.
"Did you contact Sir Kameron?" Cristina asked via the communication device, her intent to stop the broadcast clear.
Every single person in the White Castle was confused. In the history of the Kalvas Gala, such a situation had never occurred.
The masked man tilted his head, his right finger caressing the snake's head.
"So I decided to give the whole world a gift that will etch our name in your minds," the masked man announced.
"Pillars of Humanity," he continued, "I have a little challenge for you all."
"This world has remained peaceful for far too long. People have forgotten the things they should fear," the masked man said.
"So to make it a bit more interesting, I have presented a little challenge from my side," he added.
At that moment, the bracelets of the three SSS Rank Hunters of the World Association started glowing red. Osbert Tarvian immediately reacted.
"Chairman!!" The man on the hologram shouted, shifting the attention of every single SSS Rank Hunter.
"We have heard the news that the Calamities have awakened," he announced, a pale look on his face.
"Which one?" Osbert asked, his question causing every single person on the third floor to frown.
"It's not o-one b-but multiple-" the man stuttered, but the connection cut off before he could finish.
Osbert's bracelet then started displaying footage of the masked man.
"You might have received the message, but for those who didn't, let me tell you about it," the masked man said.
"The challenge is quite simple. I have awakened a few calamities around the world. Your task is merely to survive," the masked man declared.
"Just until our Pillars of Humanity arrive and save you all," he added.
The word 'Calamities' was enough to silence the entire White Castle.
"What are calamities?" Livia asked, not understanding what was happening.
"I-I will tell you later," Sylvie responded, looking just as shocked.
"As I have announced the gift first, let's talk about the message," the masked man proposed.
The chat around the streaming platform went crazy.
< IdkArsc : Hey, is this some sort of prank? >
< Hareth1234 : Vault? Whiteheart? What is he talking about? >
< Lilyflower : Hey, this is a joke, right? He's not talking about the Calamities we know, is he? >
< WtcJason : How did they gain access to this broadcast? >
"I am sure that many of you are not satisfied with the current way society functions," the masked man declared.
"But we can't really do anything against the Elite Families. It has been this way for far too long," he added.
Suddenly, the snake turned, its blood-red iris staring into the screen.
"Those who wish to join us, even those who have hidden themselves due to circumstances, you're welcome," the masked man said.
"TURN THIS OFF!" Osbert bellowed, his clenched fist causing the room to shake.
"Turn against this world. Join Zephyr," the masked man said, a small flame appearing in his hand.
"Burn along with the world, or be the one that burns it," the screen changed, showing footage from Operation Tower.
"This can't be real," James Rothschild muttered, staring at the screen.
"I need to go meet father and the others," James declared, standing up as Filia nodded her head.
A similar scene unfolded as all the seat holders and family heads moved towards the third floor, where all the SSS Rank Hunters were present.
The twins were left alone with Nate, gazing at the footage, unsure of what it meant.
"Do you know what the Calamities are?" Lucas asked Nate.
"Of course, there's only one thing considered as Calamities," Nate replied, catching Livia's attention.
"SSS Rank Monsters that were hiding in the lands left deserted for hundreds of years," Nate explained, causing Livia's eyes to widen.
"Is that very bad?" Livia inquired.
"Yeah, there's a reason those monsters were left alone and those lands were deserted," Nate said. However, he himself didn't know what kind of disaster SSS Rank Monsters represented.
As he had never fought them, only those in SSS or SS Rank who had encountered these monsters could truly comprehend the gravity of the situation.
"This is what I wanted you to join," Asher told Alyssa, looking at her.
"Well, it's time to go back. There will be a car waiting for you," Asher said, his eyes still on Alyssa.
Alyssa looked at the screen, which had now turned black.
"Burn the world..." she muttered, realizing what Asher was asking of her.
"I will join you," Alyssa replied, meeting Asher's gaze.
"Don't regret it," Asher warned as he moved aside, allowing Alyssa to leave.
Asher glanced around, spotting Gavin standing alone in shock.
A little further away was Sam, sitting in his seat while Jack stood on the center stage.
Suddenly, Sam received a message on his personal device.
< Asher : Meet me at the Greville Mansion >
Sam looked up to see Asher heading towards the center stairway.
"What's happening?" Sam wondered aloud, not understanding the situation.
While the whole White Castle was steeped in confusion, those who had seen the broadcast began contacting various authorities and filling the internet with questions.
But more importantly, instead of curiosity, their queries were laced with a palpable sense of fear.
Deep in the lands near the border of Fashia,
"Hey, how much further until we reach that dungeon?" a man carrying weapons asked the guide.
"Be patient. Do you think that an Illegal Dungeon would be near the border? We're not at a place where we can encounter any SS Rank Monsters," the guide responded.
"How can you be so sure?" One of them challenged.
"Ask your organization. I've traveled to this Dungeon for the last 35 years and I've never seen or heard of an SS Rank Monster near this region," the guide retorted.
These men were associated with organizations that dealt with illegal activities, and they were headed towards an S Rank Dungeon that was not under the jurisdiction of the World Association or any other guild.
"Strange, we are so deep in these abandoned lands, I was sure that we could encounter an SS Rank Monster," one of them mused.
"Be glad. We get the same money for a place less dangerous," the guide said.
"This is much better than working in the cities where the World Association or other forces are always on your tail," one of them responded with a laugh.
Far from them, in the deepest corner of the Abandoned Lands, a monster that had remained dormant in its surroundings for the last 600 years had awakened.
The behemoth of a monster stood up, causing the land to shake.
Its eyes shone red as it looked in a particular direction.
BOOM!
An explosion occurred around the massive monster, further disrupting the mana region around it.
The monster glanced at the explosion that disturbed its mana region, which only served to enrage it more.
SSS Rank Monsters didn't like to venture outside the region where the SSS Rank Dungeon they originated from had exploded, as the mana was much thinner there.
But various explosions around the mana veins in its region started occurring, further enraging the monster that had stayed still for hundreds of years.
"VRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAARRRRRR," the monster roared, and the sound of its roar demolished the surrounding area, crushing trees and breaking mountains.
Many kilometers away from the monster, a group of S Rank Hunters, who had been on the move, suddenly felt something but it was already too late.
"Wait, what-" Before the man could finish his sentence,
Including him, the rest of the people around him felt their skin being ripped apart as their bones were crushed, killing them instantly.
There was a reason the area around here was avoided by the SS Rank Monsters. They knew about the existence of the SSS Rank monster that would devour them, as SS Rank monsters were the only creatures that could satisfy an SSS Rank Monster's hunger.
The rest of the time, it would stay inside the Mana Region and sleep because other monsters were not worth the effort for it to step out.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m