The Author's POV

Ka Mankut.

Within the confines of Melandoir lies a city that resides next to the world tree. It was once a prosperous and magnificent city that belonged to the elves; some even contend that it was the most powerful planet within the Hoag Galaxy, located approximately 600 million light years from the Milky Way Galaxy.

The city was primarily known for being next to the world tree, a colossal tree that bore special fruits every year and granted the elves unrivalled sensitivity to the mana in the air.

[Astra year - 1T08]

On this date, the planet that was once hailed as the most powerful planet in Hoag's Galaxy was conquered, and the world tree became corrupted, bearing fruits of something known as the devil fruit, a fruit that granted demons the magical property of purifying their bloodlines and the ability to surpass their natural bloodline limit.

From then on, demons became an unstoppable force in the universe, and galaxies trembled at the mere mention of their names.

*

The journey toward Ka Mankut was fairly unobstructed, and rightfully so.

Aside from the fact that we were humans, there was nothing else that particularly stood out about us, with the possible exception of our ranks.

In spite of this, the fact that we were all now capable of absorbing demonic energy was sufficient to prevent the nearby forces from becoming interested in us.

Not that they would pay any attention to us, to begin with.

Given that we had a map that was only partially detailed, navigating around such locations proved to be as easy as breathing, and other than the fact that it increased the amount of time it took for us to reach Ka Mankut, there was absolutely nothing that could be faulted about the situation.

Two days after arriving on the planet.

"We're near."

After coming to a complete stop and clearing the area in front of me of any vegetation, I reached into my dimensional space and extracted a few black hoods, which I then passed out to the others.

"Wear this for now. Although it is highly likely that we're not the only humans on this planet―granted that there probably used to exist a planet similar to earth in this galaxy―It is still best if we wear this to hide our faces. You might never know what happens."

In this world, one could find more than just demons.

It was widely known that this planet was one of the most significant in the known Galaxy, and there are likely to be a great number of contractees living on the planet.

As a result, it wouldn't be all that surprising if the four of us were able to move freely about the city without being bothered by anyone.

However, I knew that it was best to remain on the side of caution.

I knew too little about this planet to take any risks.

"Make sure that your face is covered enough that people don't see it. We wouldn't want trouble coming our way the moment we step into the city."

"Alright, alright."

Melissa snatched the robe from my hands, annoyance evident on her face.

Sadly, it seemed as though the effect of the contract was taking place, and Melissa was returning to her old self.

I couldn't say I was very pleased.

"..."

"Give it here."

Jin and Amanda were also not excluded from the effects of the contract; Jin's words became cruder, and Amanda became even quieter.

With a sigh, I also put on the hood.

'This trip is going to be longer than I expected.'

As soon as I was certain that it covered every part of my face, I turned around to check on the others to ensure that they, too, were wearing the robe.

"Let's get going."

After confirming that they were prepared, I pulled down the hood a little further and headed in the direction of the city marked on the map.

We only had to travel a short distance to reach our destination—about two kilometres—and by the time the thicket of trees began to thin out, we could already make out the silhouette of a sizable city in the distance.

We all came to a stop the moment that the city became visible for everyone to see.

"This is not what I expected..."

"What sort of design is that?"

"It looks like we've gone back in time."

Like Jin stated. As soon as I was able to make out the silhouette of the city in the distance, I had the unmistakable impression that we had travelled through time.

If one were to try to describe the appearance of the city, one might say that it had more of a medieval feel to it, despite the fact that there were no massive walls surrounding the entire city.

"Are those carriages?"

"They are..."

Because of Melissa's mutterings, I turned my attention to the large path that led toward the city, and I noticed that there were indeed carriages heading toward the enormous city in the distance.

Of course, they weren't carried by horses because the monsters that carried them were much scarier and larger than horses could ever be... but it was still strange to see carriages moving about on the pathways.

If that had already impressed me, when I turned to look at the city in the distance, I was left even more bewildered.

Richly hued walls, colours, and engravings adorned the walls, arches, and pillars of many buildings, lending them a medieval appearance.

I could see from a distance that some of the doors' arches were carved with zigzags and adorned with animal faces, while the pillars' heads were carved with scalloped curves.

Those were the smaller structures, while the larger structures were constructed as cathedrals with steeply pitched roofs or dome shaped roofs.

"What do we do? Should we go in?"

"Yeah."

I nodded my head at Amanda's words, snapping out of my short lived reverie.

"Let's go in for now. We will have all the time we want to admire the city. For now, let's go in and familiarize ourselves with the place."

What was important at the moment was to gain as much information as possible by roaming the city.

Everything else came later.

"Let's go."

Making sure that my hoodie was lowered all the way, I headed for the main path that led to the city in the distance.

The others followed me from behind.

***

Alliance headquarters, Earth.

"How should we proceed from this moment forth?"

Octavius asked, standing in front of Kevin's desk with an expressionless look on his face.

His eyes were currently looking down on Kevin, who was quietly sitting on his desk, pen in hand, and scribbling through a series of documents.

Silence filtered through the room after Octavious's question, and at the exact moment that Octavious's brows started to furrow, Kevin set the pen down and looked up.

"This is our next course of action."

He slid one of the papers across the table.

Extending his hand, Octavious picked up the paper and slowly read through it.

Upon reading the document, his expression slid into a serious one, and he cast a sidelong glance in Kevin's direction.

"How accurate is this information?"

"Fairly accurate."

Kevin reassured, reclining on his chair, his expression calm.

"Those are the locations in which the mana compressors are located. Please inform the members of the alliance to gear up and get ready to fight."

"...What should the grade of those that will be deployed be?"

Octavious asked, setting the paper down, his face grim.

"For now, a couple of <S> rankers per team will do. There are a total of eight mana compressors... so a specialized team with multiple <S> rankers will do."

"I understand."

Octavious gradually nodded his head, not refusing Kevin's order.

"I'll quickly inform the others of your decision."

"Thank you."

No longer leaning against his chair, Kevin interlocked his hands in front of him and rested his chin on top.

His expression never once changed throughout the whole time, which was somewhat unsettling for Octavious, who decided to take this opportunity to excuse himself and leave.

"If there is nothing else that you need me for, I will go and seclude myself."

"Finally about to reach <SSS-> rank?"

"Not quite, but with your help, I should be able to reach it in less than three months."

"That's good to hear."

Kevin smiled happily, his eyes sliding into thin crescents, further unsettling Octavious, who had now reached for the door of the room.

"Okay then, I will now take my leave. If you need anything from me, just tell one of my assistants. I will try my best to do whatever is assigned to me...Alliance leader."

"Alright then."

Kevin stood up and gave Octavious a slight wave of his hand as he was leaving the room. Octavious acknowledged Kevin's gesture and then opened the door.

Clank―!

When the sound of the door closing faded, so did the smile on Kevin's face. He was currently exhibiting a demeanour that was far different than a couple of minutes ago, almost as if he were a completely different person.

Lowering his head to glance at the stack of papers before him, Kevin set the one that he had given to Octavious aside and took out another one and gently placed it in front of him.

To; Kevin.

From; Ren.

The location of the mana compressors is as indicated in the map that I sent you. There is no need to doubt the accuracy of the information since I had Ava directly use her skill to find their location. If you want to get rid of them or have an idea of where they are, you know where to look.

However, after thinking about it for a bit, I would advise against sending anyone to the locations. Although I'm unsure, I have a feeling that it might just be a trap.

It is unlikely since the extent of Ava's ability is not known, and putting the two and two together is hard, but I do think that it's something that should be taken into consideration.

In fact, if this is really a trap, then it is highly likely that they have set up multiple executives in each station, which would actually bring rise to a great opportunity that you can exploit by directly attacking the Monolith headquarters, which would be more exposed than usual. In any case, the decision is up to you.

I wish you the best of luck.

Ren.