The Terre Continent. The Neutral Lands. Mythpoint Reach. The Tree of Darkness.

Three years had passed since the Allfather unleashed his wrath upon the world. Payircis filled with random elemental energies were littered all over the world. Some were taken down while others stood tall, resisting the attacks of all the Alliance members. However, the most significant change in the world was undoubtedly the state of the Black Masks. Now, one would imagine that having the central base placed so blatantly in the centre of the world would result in the thinning of their forces. However, surprisingly enough, the most wanted criminal syndicate in the world had actually expanded in size.

With the Allfather being quiet, the Black Masks slowly toned down their violent guerilla tactics that had caused the three superpowers significant headaches. Instead, they remained in the shadows and started a mass recruitment. The chaos that was produced by the Payircis had displaced thousands of people from their homes, creating the perfect opportunity to harvest new talent. Vagrants that were turned away by the megacities of the world had no choice but to turn to crime. An orphan might start by stealing bread to sate his hunger. From stealing, it’ll turn to robbery using force. From robbing, they’ll go to gang fights. Gang fights would escalate to banditry. And in the end… The final destination for all criminals was the biggest syndicate in the world.

Over the three years, the number of Dalits increased tenfold. Normal Shudras had also peaked, and more and more talents were making their way up the ladder. Just like a pyramid, the bigger the base, the more stable the structure was. Thus, the Black Masks were now stronger than ever before.

And it wasn’t like the Alliance hadn’t tried to curb the Black Masks’ influence. They surrounded the Tree of Darkness and the nine Payircis surrounding it, making sure no one could enter or leave. They had also planned numerous raids to destroy the barrier protecting the home of the Allfather. However, all of their plans failed spectacularly.

The Black Masks were just too resourceful. Not only did they create the most flawless barrier in history, but they had also used a plethora of Spirit Immortal Dream’s artefacts to dominate the sky, land and oceans. They possess boats that could travel underwater for significant amounts of time. They had control over flying wyverns that could reach altitudes that no one could ever hope to achieve, and finally… The endless army of Umbras continued to protect their lands like dedicated soldiers. However, unlike their mortal peers, the Umbras could just respawn whenever they were killed.

It was a nightmare for Raphael, who had failed to make any significant breakthroughs with his current armies. Though, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the fledgeling Alliance. Youngsters were promoting at a staggering rate and were quickly replacing the positions of the old. Before a Rank 40 Spirit Spectre before the age of thirty was an astonishing feat. However, after the appearance of the Black Masks, the number of cultivators who reached that stage had nearly doubled. Additionally, there were monsters such as Shin and Kanari, who entered the Spirit Lord realm before twenty-five.

The older generation members saw significant leaps as well. Many Spirit Kings and Emperors had passed away during the fight against the Black Masks, and that was a rude awakening call for the others. Centuries of peace had seen those in the upper realms live relatively comfortably, free from any mortal danger. Now, with the threat of the Black Masks, the world had changed drastically. Spirit Emperors, who would typically sit upon their thrones as an elder or a Clan Master, decided to get off their butts and desperately train.

Governments were forced to innovate new methods, be it agriculture or pure weaponry, to deal with the Beast Hordes that the Black Masks could summon. Money was spent into the science and technology fields, led by the President of the Blacksmith’s League. They wanted to create new structures that could match the designs of Spirit Immortal Dream, or at the very least, reverse engineer the objects that the Black Masks boasted to find their weaknesses.

The world seemed to be on edge. Each side, good and evil, were winding up their coils. They were building up their power, waiting for the next spark to ignite the all-out war.

A lone man walked down the pathways of Mythpoint Reach. Tap… Tap… Tap… The man’s footsteps echoed. He wasn’t unusually large, but he was tall and lean. The weight from his body was enough to turn heads around in the humongous facility. Umbras that were supposed to be on alert, simply ignored the man, while any humans who saw his mask all lowered their heads.

The golden crescent moon was ever prominent, and the absurd mana that was pulsating out from his body choked the senses of those who dared come near him. The Kshatriya didn’t bother to observe the weaklings that stood by his side and continued his catwalk straight to the floating Payirci. Like its owner, this Payirci was rife with Water-Elements. However, unlike the oceanic Payirci in the Lantis Republic, this particular floating tower was filled with venomous serpents. Statues of cobra heads towered over the entrances of many doors, while numerous paths were smoked out with green fog.

The man playfully picked up a pebble from the side of the road and gently threw it into the putrid green cloud. As anticipated, the small rock was unable to resist the atrocious properties of the fog and instantly melted away into black goo.

“Poison akin to acid,” the man remarked. “Senior Ao, is there a need to place your home in such morbid conditions?”

The Kshatriya voice rang through the hallways like a resonant bell. There seemed to be no one present, but the man raised his voice all the same. He was undeterred by the dense poisonous gas and was only looking ahead, waiting for someone to answer his call.

SSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!

A vibrant hiss came down, as if on cue, and the green fog slowly receded. At that moment, a tall figure emerged from the depths of the chambers. Blue wavy hair and boasting prominent features that would make any man cry with envy, the towering stud brushed off the green paste that stuck to his skin.

“I have to be prepared, Junius.” The World Serpent reached for a nearby bathrobe, to clean his sweat. Normally, he would turn into his Spirit Beast form to detoxify his body. However, since he had a guest, Ao opted to push that plan for a later hour. “That bitch from the Shenshe Clan actually tried to hunt me down. I still need a little more time before I can become a Primordial Beast. In the meantime, I have to gain more poison immunities.”

Just a few months ago, the Shenshe Clan’s Spirit Saint, Shenshe Zemin, launched a search to find and destroy the World Serpent. And it wasn’t just the Spirit Saint that was out for his blood. The entire Shenshe Clan was mobilised, in the hopes of killing a serpent-type Tier 9 Spirit Beast for their own feasting. For them, the World Serpent was basically the most luxurious meal one could get to boost their cultivations.

Their Spirit, the Champion of the Swamp, the Divine King Serpent, had an innate ability to create deadly venom that could erode rock and burn diamond. Ao had experienced it once before when Shenshe Zemin happened to stumble across him. Let’s just say… It wasn’t a fun event for the World Serpent.

“Hmmm, the Lantis Republic sure is fattening up,” Junius stroked his hairless chin in amusement. “Oh, speaking of the Lantis Republic, another one of their Payircis had fallen.”

“Again?” Ao raised his brow. The last bit of poison was being purged from his body as sweat, and he quickly put on a new set of clothes in his signature oceanic blue colour. “That’s the second one this week. Did they figure out a new method of finding the Paradise Hearts?”

“Unclear,” Junius shrugged. “That’s why I’d come to visit. I was hoping that you could inform the Allfather. We need his clairvoyance during a time like this.” The Kshatriya calmly asked for the Allfather’s assistance. A tall ask from someone at Rank 58, but it was a luxury that Junius could afford.

Junius was the youngest Kshatriya the Black Masks had. Not only that, he was responsible for the development of the western regions and the transport of Spirit Beasts out of the Uncharted Wilderness. In essence, his role in the Black Masks was equivalent to that of an honorary general, or strategist. Junius was one of the few people that could make direct contact with one of the Nine Coloured Noble Beasts anytime he wanted. So, it made sense for him to request the Allfather’s assistance. Unfortunately...

“No, the Allfather can’t casually move now.” Ao shook his head. “At this juncture, the Allfather needs all the mana he can get. When the real war begins, he’ll need to face the Spirit Saints almost single-handedly. We can’t disturb him just because of some minor hiccups.”

“So what do you suggest?”

“...” The World Serpent fell deep into thought. Ideally, the Allfather would provide the Black Masks with whatever information they needed. However, with that option gone, the Black Masks had to come up with some sort of improvisation.

“How many Payircis are left in the Lantis Republic?”

“Exactly thirteen!” Junius replied immediately as if he had a spreadsheet open in his head. “However, they’d all been discovered, and their Umbra population has been maintained. If the Lantis Republic has discovered a method to quickly find the Paradise Hearts, they would all be conquered in the span of a few days.”

“Mmmm…” The World Serpent grimaced. “The Lantis Republic has really exceeded all our estimations. Their explosive growth and superior developments… Their growth in technology is unprecedented as well...” He thought back at the modified warships that exploded into life during a skirmish earlier in the year. They moved as quickly as speeding dolphins and had cannons that could match a Spirit Lord’s barrage. Furthermore, after Shin had ascended, oceanic Spirit Beasts had all turned against the Black Masks and defected straight to the new Prince’s camp. The monopoly that the criminal syndicate had on Spirit Beasts was slowly being chipped away by Shin’s new and improved Celestial Aura.

“Junius, your younger brother is really going to be the death of me.”

“...” The viridian-haired man stayed silent. He looked somewhat disinterested about Shin’s triumphs. “If you lay down the order, I’ll dispatch a team to neutralise him myself.”

The World Serpent snorted, “I wish it were as simple as that. Allfather’s orders… We can’t kill him. At most, we can disable or cripple him. Also, we can’t have you diving deep into the enemy base, particularly when Shin is protected by that Azure Dragon. The Black Masks aren’t some kind of suicide squad.”

“Okay...” Junius kept his neutral face, and no one could possibly hope to read him.

Ao furrowed his brows together, and in the end, a deep sigh flowed out of his mouth. “There’s nothing that we can do. For now, let’s focus on delaying the forces of the Terre Continent. The Lantis Republic is a little too strong now. Call back half of our forces from the archipelago. Tell them to regroup and fortify our eastern front. Since we can’t beat them, let’s just protect ourselves first.” The World Serpent ordered.

“Ha!” Junius saluted with the most dignified poise he had. Just as he was about to leave, Ao’s mighty hand slithered onto the man’s shoulders and held Junius in place.

“Wait,” the blue-haired man said. The business-face of the World Serpent was washed away and replaced with a fatherly smile. “I have yet to congratulate you!”

“About what?” Junius asked, slightly puzzled.

“Both things!” Ao grabbed his protege by the shoulders and brought him in. “Your second baptism is all but confirmed. Soon, you’ll become a Rank 60 Brahmin! Also...” The World Serpent went into a nearby bag and pulled out a lovely wooden toy. It was a drum at the end of the stick with two small balls connected by a thread to its side. A classic craftsman toy made by humans. However, a mighty Tier 9 Spirit Beast had little use for that novelty, and there was only one reason why Ao would give Junius that gift...

“Hehe, I heard about Shia! Congrats! You’re going to be a father!!!”