[At the New Headquarters]

[Zerolith point of view]

"Mr Alaric and Mrs Linda, are you going to the slumbering vampires and giants as well?" [Zerolith]

"We are" [Linda]

"Then let us go together" [Zerolith]

"Then let us make haste. I got information saying Alicia, Kanji and Seo Ah are heading there as well. They will surely appreciate extra hand on their side" [Alaric]

Leaving the Holy Beast of Wind, The Eternal Wind to take care of the canine devils running and causing havoc around the country, the three of us make haste and went to the castle of the country, before moving to their underground chamber that leads to the slumbering vampires and giants that were experimented by Saintess Angela

Along the way, we exterminate any and all canine devils that tries to get in our way, even helping Charlotte's water golem and Karon's clay puppet on destroying the portal stone

While I am beyond grateful that the citizen of the country were already evacuated prior to this event, I can't fathom why Saintess Angela would wait this long? Is there something that all of us miss?

(Think... If I am an evil person, the best course of action would definitely be releasing those vampires and giants even before the heroes arrive, but that definitely wasn't the case here. They generously gave us ample of time to act before launching this "surprise" attack, so is there any specific reason?) [Zerolith]

"Thinking about their reasoning?" [Alaric]

"I am. It just doesn't make any sense" [Zerolith]

"If only Princess Diana is with us, she can definitely tell us her impression" [Linda]

"Unfortunately, she isn't here. We have to use our own brain and not embarrassing her" [Alaric]

Agree. We can't depend on her. We have to show her what we are made up of

"There's another portal stone here" [Linda]

"Allow me" [Zerolith]

Strange. This portal stone that's near the castle seems well hidden as compared to other, plus, the mana source it emitted... No, there are two devilish miasma getting emitted out from it. One for the barrier that is fighting to gain supremacy against the Ultima Iero Fragma, and another one going underground... Don't tell me...

"Say, how many portal stones did we discovered thus far?" [Zerolith]

"What's this all of the sudden?" [Alaric]

"To answer you, we generally found three. One as it name suggest, to open up the portal to somewhere like the devil dimensions, one to set up a barrier like this one, and another to boost their power like what happen to the True Beastman Group back then" [Linda]

"Right, but the portal stone that we destroy just now, it feels like it didn't serve any of the function..., at least not it main function" [Zerolith]

""..."" [Alaric, Linda]

"And isn't it awfully nice of them to wait until all of us are here, more so with one of the holy beast around, like they're expecting it to happen" [Zerolith]

"I see..." [Alaric]

"Alaric, Zerolith, please tell me. What are you thinking!?" [Linda]

"Those slumbering vampires and giants... They aren't to wreck havoc like other, but rather, in a different manner" [Zerolith]

"As in!?" [Linda]

"As in a ticking giant destruction spell that can obliterate an entire country. Like a ticking bomb powerful enough to destroy all in a blink of an eye. To make matter worse, the evacuation center of the citizen and those slumbering vampires and giants are close." [Alaric]

"What! Then that mean, they really wanted to destroy this country once and for all!" [Linda]

"Exactly what we are thinking" [Zerolith]

"Goddess!" [Linda]

I feel like the scattering dots on my friend are all finally connected forming a single track. Sure, the original intention of Saintess Angela here is to experiment on those vampires and giants as an army for the devils, but once she realised that they could also be used as a powerful remote bomb, then they purposely let the hunter devil "chased" after them (while Lara and Nara also involved), only to be placed inside the country. Once everything are in their place, the barrier that they erected serve as the start of the countdown, activating the ticking time bomb spell inside of them before...

"Alicia, Kanji, Seo Ah, what's wrong?" [Linda]

"We can't enter this room!" [Seo Ah]

"Kanji already try different approaches but it simply won't budge" [Alicia]

"Allow me. Dark Magic: Darkness Consume" [Zerolith]

No time to break it with brute force. Just engulf and swallow everything, even the devilish miasma that tries to ward this spell. Consume and return to nothingness

Inside the room. The vampires and giants that were in deep slumber are still sleeping rather peacefully, but the devilish miasma emitted from their bodies tell us all that we need.

"Goddess. So what you mentioned was true" [Linda]

"..." [Alaric]

Mr Alaric, without any slight hesitation, bring out his knives

"Hold it!" [Zerolith]

"Don't stop me! Who knows how much time we have!" [Alaric]

"Still, let us think of something!" [Zerolith]

"Brother! Don't tell me!?" [Alicia]

"You gotta be kidding me!?" [Kanji]

"I won't let you!" [Seo Ah]

Seo Ah uses her body and block Mr Alaric path. It's 4 to 1, and neither side wanted to bulge, and

"Alaric. Calm down!" [Linda]

"We are running out of time Linda!" [Alaric]

"This isn't like you! Are you so consume in grief of not saving Ash that you wanted to just kill your brethren!" [Linda]

"Then what! Zerolith here tried to put them inside his item box magic, but that didn't work out" [Alaric]

He's sharp. That's actually my very first action after entering this room. I thought no one realize it, but I was proven wrong

"And we can't be sure by killing them, it will not detonate!" [Linda]

"Then what are we supposed to do!" [Alaric]

Something wrong. I always thought that Mr Alaric is a calm composed guy? Was it really all grieving that causes him to act rashly, or is there something more

(Mirage mana... Abundance of foreign mirage mana on his clothes... Did he just fought against a group of mirage wolves before?) [Zerolith]

If that was the case, then

"Dark magic: Darkness Consume" [Zerolith]

"!" [All]

Just consume all the mirage mana on his cloth. Judging from his reaction, I could tell he perfectly understand why I do that

"Listen. We are running out of time... The only way out for now is undoubtedly Saintess Rumia" [Zerolith]

Before I talk any further

"Ultimate Time Magic: Chrono stasis" [Zerolith]