"President, what do we do now?"
Four subordinates looked to their president in unison, waiting for his decision.
"Search!"
"Search everywhere nearby!"
"I refuse to believe there are no clues at all!!"
"Whoever turned this place into a wreck, I won't let them off!!"
The moment the words fell.
Amid the rubble at their feet, something under the stones erupted with strange magic power.
The mana surged skyward in a dark-purple glow, flinging the stones aside to reveal two concentric rings of bizarre runes etched onto the ground.
"This… is a magic circle?!"
"Someone set an ambush here!!"
"Move—get out of the circle now!!"
The five were shocked; sensing danger, they tried to flee at once.
But before any could leap clear, the soaring mana gathered overhead, forming a translucent, 360-degree, dark-violet cage that trapped them all inside.
[Whoever touches the barrier shall be burned by divine flame.]
Seeing this, one Mage panicked and instinctively sped up.
Too slow—he slammed head-first into the wall of light.
Instantly black magical fire ignited on his head and rapidly spread over his whole body.
"Aaaaargh—!!"
Wracked with pain, the Mage's face twisted grotesquely.
He dropped and rolled on the spot, trying to smother the flames.
But it was useless.
No matter how he thrashed, the fire only blazed hotter, fed by his struggles.
"President… everyone…"
"Help me!! Help me!!"
The Mage crawled toward his comrades, begging for aid.
Yet the others, seeing those black flames, dared not approach and backed away in horror.
Within half a minute the poor Mage lost the strength to scream, uttering only hoarse groans before his limbs went limp and he lay still.
Gulp… The rest stood numb, scalps prickling and hands icy, afraid to test the barrier again.
"This… this is a trapping array?!"
"Touch the wall and you're tainted by a terrifying flame that feeds on mana—the more you resist, the fiercer it burns!!"
Clap… clap… clap… Applause rang from the darkness.
"Worthy of a guild president—still fairly knowledgeable!"
Rustling footsteps followed.
Weston stepped out of the dark with Precht and a hundred soldiers.
He shot Precht a sidelong grin that said: See? Waiting here worked.
"It's… you—Weston Lagrange?!"
"Oh? You know me?"
"Saw you once from afar on a battlefield."
Mark's eyes bulged like brass bells. "A big shot like you in the City of Lawlessness—what a surprise!"
Then his face turned grave. "Don't tell me you're after that power too?"
Huh???
What is this guy talking about?
That power?
What power?
Could the Dark Night Poison Scorpions be hiding deeper secrets?
"Seems not…"
Reading Weston's flicker of bewilderment, Mark exhaled in relief. "Good, I can rest easy."
"If a monster like you had that power, we'd never survive in the Magic World again."
Weston raised an eyebrow. "No idea what 'power' you mean, but you're right about one thing—you won't stay in the Magic World much longer."
"After today, you and every last Dark Night Poison Scorpion will be delivered to the Council to pay for your crimes!"
"Heh-heh-heh…"
Mark laughed mockingly, eyes full of scorn.
"Weston Lagrange, you're gifted—famous across Fiore while still young. Given time you could be a big name in Ishgar."
"But right now you're just a green brat!"
"I'm a Dark Guild president—surely you don't think this little array can hold me?"
Cornered yet acting victorious, he looked supremely confident.
Weston narrowed his eyes.
"So confident—must have an ace up your sleeve?"
"Let me guess: that 'power' you mentioned?"
"Quit hiding—show me what you've got!"
He itched to see the man's hidden trump card.
Mark clenched his fists, glaring at Weston with venomous hatred.
"Damn brat—still cocky on the brink of death…"
"Since you asked for it, I'll oblige."
"Time to test how strong this new power really is!"
The moment the words fell, Mark's body began to change.
First his mana shifted.
Dark magic, already cold and gloomy, now grew a hundred times more so.
A fetid whirlwind of mana swept the area.
"Weston, watch out!"
That mana's not normal!"
Precht shouted a warning.
Weston kept his gaze fixed on Mark. "I know—don't worry about me, cover the others."
Under the foul mana, Mark's physique warped grotesquely.
His head, torso and limbs ballooned; muscles burst his clothes and shoes.
Beastly horns sprouted from his skull; blue fur and scales lined his cheeks, chest and arms; his skin turned azure, each toe thick as a man's foot.
Where once stood a burly man, now loomed a monster!
"He turned from human to beast?"
"This isn't Take-Over Magic!"
"What power is this?!"
Precht stared, forgetting to breathe.
Weston recognized the source at a glance.
"This… is Demonization!"