Plop… Plop… Plop…

Somewhere deep underneath the ocean. Bubbles rose up in droves, a feat that was quite odd for an underwater event. The abundant, secretive lifeforms of the deep trenches had all disappeared, possibly in fear of the source of said bubbles. Each time a fish or a whale came near, their flight or fight instincts would kick in and more often than not… It was flight.

None of the underwater creatures wanted anything to do with the mysterious power that laid thousands of metres beneath the surface. Many of them were apex predators or unkillable chunks of meat that couldn’t be downed with bullets and tanks. Normalised by the immense pressure, every single underwater creature was a freak of nature. But none of that mattered in front of absolute power.

About a month had passed since the Black Knight had been awakened into the modern world and it had been making its presence known. Every time it came across an underwater dweller with considerable potential, the Black Knight would slice its ancient greatsword, reaping the being’s soul cleanly out of its body.

Most of the time, the Black Knight’s victim would be eviscerated, turning into millions of particles in an instant. Each time that happened, the Black Knight would somewhat express its disappointment by turning away from the crime scene. The mighty being would repeat the process multiple times, and the result would regrettably be repeated. However, there were a chosen few that were capable of enduring the Black Knight’s ungodly magic.

Ripping their souls away, the Black Knight continued to add to its army. In that short period, the Black Knight had expanded her small legion of undead followers from a measly hundred to almost three thousand. The vast majority of her followers were Magic Beasts or unsuspecting marine lifeforms. Naturally, the Black Knight still had its trusted Skeleton Dragons and a small handful of undead humanoids, but they were its trump cards. If possible, the Black Knight would love to expand its army with disposable lifeforms that could overwhelm the surface if need be.

So even before the month was up, the Black Knight had extended its sphere of influence to fifteen nautical miles. It had ventured far from its underwater S-Class Dungeon and had conquered much of the seabed surrounding it. There wasn’t a marine animal that dared to go near the Black Knight’s territory.

The Black Knight continued on with its rampage under the deepest parts of the oceans unnoticed by the surface dwellers. Well, with their hands full in trying to adapt to the new, evolved world, the movements of an unknown being at the bottom of the ocean was the least of their concerns. Which the Black Knight took full advantage of. The Black Knight was brought back into the living world for a reason, and it didn’t want any pesky beings to get in its way.

But… Just as the Black Knight was about to expand its territory by yet another nautical mile…

It stopped.

Gazing up at the surface, the Black Knight could feel it. The entity that it was brought back to face… The Black Knight could now sense it directly.

When that entity was unsealed, the Black Knight was barely able to feel its presence due to its recent awakening. After a few days, that familiar aura had thinned out completely, making it almost impossible for the Black Knight to feel it even if it were at the surface. Over the month, the Black Knight continued to increase its power and accumulate its sense to the changing world. However, even after becoming as strong as it was, the entity’s presence remained paper-thin.

Until now that is…

The Black Knight continued to gaze upwards. At this depth, there was nothing but pitch black, but the Black Knight could ‘see’ clearly. Just like Aurum, the Black Knight was unable to recall anything about its past. How it came to be? Why was it sealed in the underwater Dungeon? What happened in its past? The Black Knight knew nothing of it.

However, unlike Aurum, the Black Knight was driven by instinct. An instinct that was screaming at it right now. Screaming at it… to kill.

Its grip on the greatsword tightened. The Black Knight no longer cared about expanding its army, it didn’t even bother to go back and call its existing army out. Gathering energy towards its leg, the Black Knight released all of its tension, and like a wound-up spring, it was launched upwards at an astonishing speed.

Feeling their overlord rush away without any warning greatly alarmed the undead beings. But just as they were about to rise up to follow the Black Knight, their bones stopped moving. There was an invisible force binding them towards the ocean floor, and they couldn’t pinpoint what it was. That power was subtle, yet overwhelmingly powerful. As if nothing in the world could break free of its chains.

It was akin to a cry… A cry that was saying…

‘Do not interfere.’

With that in mind, the undead legion held their ground. They could only stare blankly into space as their master rose up higher and higher and into...

The new age.

❖❖❖

Rewinding the clock by a few hours…

Yudonia moved quickly. A few days after Aria signed the custodian contract, the Association President had already bought over her neighbour’s house. Heck, they purchased over Aria’s entire level. Also, a construction crew worked tirelessly afterwards to enhance all aspects of the apartment. The walls were augmented with iron, and dozens of security cameras were installed to monitor Aurum’s safety. At the same time, legions of guards, each one hovering above B-Class, were assigned to the three other apartments on the floor.

The added security did come as a culture shock for both Aria and Yvette, but they quickly got used to it. Although protecting Aurum was their primary objective, as a consequence, Aria’s own personal safety was going to be bolstered. There was no way that Aria would feel uncomfortable about that, especially during these trying times.

The construction moved along swimmingly fast, and it was shocking to Aria that Yudonia had the resources to spend on such an affair. In a mere four days, the apartment was fully furnished and secured. There was even an intelligence room for the lead security detail, wired with a plethora of communication tools. And since construction had been completed, there was no reason to delay the inevitable…

Yvette walked out from the showers, drying her vibrant, golden hair with a white towel while dressed in her negligee. It was still early in the morning so she could afford to be disregardful of her appearance. As she headed to the kitchen to whip up her morning meal, Yvette saw an unusual sight.

Seated carelessly on the sofa, Aria was watching the morning news. She sat with the soles of her feet attached to each other, exposing the soft white thighs that were usually hidden. Her eyes were red, as if the woman had been woken up by a nightmare while her hair was nowhere near combed.

“Wow, Aria you’re up early,” Yvette exclaimed. “Did the sun rise from the west today?”

“I didn’t really sleep last night,” Aria replied absent-mindedly. “Couldn’t really fall asleep.”

The black-haired woman didn’t pay attention to her roommate and continued to glue her eyes to the television. Or so it would seem. Yvette could catch Aria taking short glances away from the television and towards the door. Aria was trying to hide her interest, but it was blatantly apparent to Yvette what she was waiting for.

“Today is the day, huh... Excited?”

“Excited to lose my freedom? I don’t think so.” Aria scorned. “I just want this year to be over soon. You know, like how soldiers deployed overseas count the days to their return home?”

“Oh, don’t be melodramatic. You’re not even fighting a war or anything. You’re just taking care of someone.” Yvette laughed at her friend’s unsuitable analogy. The elf continued to rub her hair dry and took a butt dive onto the same sofa that Aria was lounging on. However, the warmth that radiated out of Yvette’s freshly bathed body was too much for the half-asleep Aria to handle.

“Hot! Move at little to the left, will you? Let me watch television in peace!”

“Hahaha, you should be grateful for this warmth! It’ll make you wide awake in a jiffy!”

“Seriously woman! Stop it! I have a security detail now, and I’m not afraid to call them in!”

“Oh please, they won’t do a thing!” Yvette sinisterly smiled. “How on earth could a healer like me, harm a mage like you? They wouldn’t believe you in the slightest.”

“You...” Aria was tongue-tied. There was no winning against her bosom friend when it came to logic. In the end, all she could do was sigh and give in. “Tsk, do whatever you want.”

“Hehe, score!” Yvette slid closer in, the mischief not abating from her eyes. “Hey, I have a serious question...”

“What is it?”

“... Between Aurum and me, who’s hotter?”

“YVETTE!!!”

Aria’s scream tickled the elf’s eardrums, prompting her to skip away to safety. All while a delighted smile was plastered all over her face. The pair continued their back and forth, bickering and teasing one another with their sharp tongues.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzztttttttt…

“Oh, they’re here!” Yvette’s ears twitched at the sound of their doorbell. “Looks like you won’t have to wait any longer! Your lover is here!”

“I told you, he’s not my… Urgh, whatever.” Aria rolled her eyes and dragged her feet back towards the hallway. Her destination wasn’t the door though…

“Where are you going?”

“To change of course! I can’t let outsiders see me like this!”

Unkempt as she was, Aria was still an S-Ranker and a prestigious member of the scientific community. To welcome a visitor into her abode while she had bed hair flying out from her scalp and morning goo within her eyes… Aria’s pride wouldn’t allow her to do that.

“What, so must I receive them for you?”

“And who was the one that teased me endlessly wasting my shower time?” Aria snorted. “Just stall them for fifteen minutes. I’ll wash up and get dressed in the meantime.”

“Fair enough,” Yvette thought about it for a while before finally relenting. “Hehe, I can’t wait to meet that Aurum guy. Damn, if only Finn and Luke were here! Ah, I know! I’ll take a video, that would do it.”

“You… Suit yourself...”

With a heavy sigh, Aria checked herself into the bathroom as her days as Aurum’s custodian had begun.