“Urgent news! Urgent news!” Two shouts burst through the silent halls of the Alliance Headquarters, following the loud clanks of metallic armour. A fully dressed knight, crowned with the emblem of the Himmel Empire, loudly banged of the Alliance Head’s wooden doors without any regard of the man inside.

“Alliance Head Raphael! There’s urgent news from the remaining watchers at the Abyss! May I come in?” The knight continued with his frantic voice.

“...” There was no answer from the other side of the door. However, that didn’t deter the knight from knocking once more. Just as his metal gauntlets were about to wreak havoc on the wooden doors, the locked entrance magically opened with no physical assistance. His goal achieved, the knight stormed into the room with a face full of sweat. Alas, the man that he was looking for was nowhere in sight. Not on the familiar desk that he was always at, and neither was he at the couch which served as his bed during peak hours. The Alliance Head’s chambers were completely empty, save the messy documents that were littered all over the tables and floor.

“Alliance Head Raphael?” The knight called out worriedly once more. He needed to relay the vital information that he’d got. Shuffling his metal boots, the knight continued to search for possible locations where the Alliance Head might be, until he stumbled upon the opened glass doors leading to the balcony overseeing the eastern front.

Comically, a trail of papers could be seen leading towards the ornate glass doors, hinting to the true location of the Alliance Head. The knight bolted to the doors, earnestly hoping to relay the terrifying news to Raphael. And sure enough…

“Alliance Head Raphael! There’s urgent news from the Abyss! We-...” The knight saw the familiar red-hair and slim physique of the Alliance Head, standing silently at the edge of the porch. Both of Raphael’s hands were glued to the concrete handrails in front of his body, and his back was facing the agitated knight.

In most circumstances, the knight would deliver the urgent news straight on, without waiting for Raphael’s response. However, as he stepped on foot out into the open, the knight instantly turned silent, just like his highest superior.

The Neutral Lands were divided into two sections. The New Land of Dreams, which was controlled by the Alliance, and the Abyss, which had been housing the nefarious villains that were the Black Masks. Both of these lands were close to one another that one could walk if they wished, but they also weren’t so close that one could see the other from a distance. On any other day, Raphael would saunter out to the balcony, viewing the eastern sky while metaphorically watching the Black Masks’ side of the Neutral Lands.

But on this day… Raphael could actually ‘see’ the evil that sprouted out from the Black Masks’ side.

A withered tree, one that was tall enough to touch the heavens, towered over the entire Neutral Lands, making it the most unmissable landmark in the whole world. The foul energy that it emitted was so deadly that even Raphael felt his blood pressure rising.

“A-Alliance Head...” The knight stuttered, unsure of the right words to say.

“The Allfather has finally made his move,” Raphael sighed. “Such overwhelming power… None of our troops will be able to last a single second within that foul mana field. Our resources will be withered away the moment we march on the Tree of Darkness. Our aether cars will melt, our tamed beasts will die. The Allfather has outplayed us once again…”

The red-haired man gazed up at the blackened sky. It was foreboding a disaster, one that announced that a new era had fallen upon their world. The era of the Allfather...

“The point of the Alliance is to prevent such a thing, and yet… I’ve failed my brethren.”

“Alliance Head! You can’t blame yourself! Who could have guessed that the Allfather was hiding such a trump card?”

“I know...” Raphael bit his lower lip while his two fists clenched up. “But it’s not over yet. We have to destroy the Black Masks, else who can be accountable for the innocent lives lost during our long war?! I KNOW THAT!!! So...”

Raphael stormed back into his chambers, leaving the young knight scrambling behind. He ignored the clumsiness of his supposed elite knight and reached into the thick, reinforced safe, accurately bypassing the security locks within seconds. Feeling the Cikai Mirrors that laid within, the Alliance Head instantly set up his desk in the optimal configuration, tapping on each one of them with urgency in his mind.

Crkkkktttt!!! Crkkkktttt!!! Crkkkktttt!!!

The Cikai Mirrors showed all kinds of static, awaiting the connection to the other side. It took a minute or two, but the Cikai Mirrors quickly lit up, showing the faces of the most influential political figures of each superpower.

“Raphael… What was that tremor?” The Himmel Emperor was the first one to connect, seemingly anticipating the call from the Alliance Head. The Allfather casting his tenth and final spiritual ability wasn’t a feat that went unnoticed. Anyone with a decent enough spiritual level was able to sense the drastic change in the material plane.

“That power isn’t something that any Spirit Saint or Primordial Beast can create,” the Prime Minister of the Kori Federation added. “And since it came from the Neutral Lands… What’s going on with the Abyss?”

The final Cikai Mirror connected and instead of the familiar Chancellor that everyone knew and loved, it was a handsome young man with a flawless, glossy complexion as if he had been reborn with baby skin. “Uncle Raphael, the Neutral Lands...”

“Tenno, Duncan, Shin...” Raphael didn’t bother with the honorifics and solemnly called out each individual by name. He just wasn’t in the mood to play the games of Kings and Queens. It was the first time in his entire life that Raphael felt so helpless, so small… And it was because of the gargantuan Tree of Darkness that towered over all the lands. “The Allfather has decided to go all out...”

“What do you mean?”

“... It’s better to show you.” Raphael made one reverse heel kick, sending a force equivalent to that of a hundred elephants stampeding. The wall that protected the Alliance Headquarters shattered into a million pieces creating a huge hole that was equivalent to the size of a cabinet.

Before any of the high-ranking members could question Raphael’s sanity for breaking his wall, their jaws dropped at the sight that laid on the other side. It was as if a maniac’s painting had come into life…

“That is...” The Himmel Emperor threw his head back, slamming it on the golden throne unwittingly.

“The Tree of Darkness, the Allfather’s Spirit,” Raphael exclaimed, his voice hiding a tinge of wonder and fear. “He has brought the Black Masks out of hiding… The terror is once again… in full swing.”

Raphael wiped off the fear in his expression, steeling his nerves as he gave the three most important figures in the world an… order.

“With the authority of the Alliance Head, I shall ask this from the three of you. Himmel Emperor, Kori Prime Minister and Lantis Prince.”

“...” The three on the other side of the mirrors remained silent.

“Give me all of your resources… No Holds Barred.”