The first to peek their heads above the black water were the demonic beasts.
The lake’s ominous energy was growing darker and denser by the second. Ugh—one of the vanguard, unable to withstand the overwhelming miasma, doubled over in a fit of dry heaving.
“Demonic beasts…? But they’ve never shown up here before! Why now of all times?”
Kyle muttered in a flustered voice, but Adrian answered immediately. His eyes weren’t on the lesser creatures crawling across the lake’s surface—they were fixed on a dark vortex thrashing wildly, something trying to force its way out.
“They’ve realized it might not make it through.”
“…Realized what?”
“That the bastard might not succeed in crossing over to this world.”
KRAAAAH!
As if it could hear Adrian speaking about it, the beast beyond the dark rift let out a bone-chilling scream.
“For the weaker ones, it’s good news. If that thing fails to come through, they get to hog all the black mana here for themselves. That’s why they’re running wild with excitement.”
BOOM!
Another deafening roar shook the surface of the lake, sending waves rippling in all directions. The rift had widened further, but the creature’s massive form still couldn’t squeeze through.
‘It must’ve tried to recreate a familiar environment here before crossing over from the Demon Realm.’
Black mana was the source of a demonic beast’s power. If that thing managed to pass through the rift and consume all the lake’s mana, it would become monstrously powerful—no one would be able to stand against it.
Adrian’s gaze shifted to Mikhail, who stood with sword in hand and a grim expression on his face.
‘Still, we got here in time. That thing must’ve sensed Mikhail’s power and panicked.’
SKREEEEE—KYYAAAAAA!
The screech tore at their ears. The members of the vanguard winced, covering them in pain.
Demonic beasts on small rafts slowly approached, now fully revealing themselves. They didn’t seem the least bit afraid of the monster beyond the rift. Without hesitation, they guzzled mouthfuls of mana.
Gulp, gulp. The sound of their throats swallowing carried all the way to the people on the raft.
At first, the beasts had been small. But after one gulp, then another—and another—each drink was followed by a spine-chilling zzrrkk, their bodies grotesquely expanding. Claws and fangs grew long and razor-sharp, and tiny scales sprouting from their backs bristled into stiff, pointed spines. They were evolving.
For those feeble demonic beasts, the rich and pure black mana saturating the lake was nothing short of an elixir—amplifying their power many times over.
Mikhail caught on immediately and shouted in a booming voice.
“Take them out before they grow any stronger!”
Thankfully, none of the beasts appeared to be of a high enough rank to pose a major threat—at least not yet. The only strange thing was how they glided across the surface of the mana-covered lake as if it were solid ground, like it was their natural domain.
Hmm… Adrian hesitated for a moment, then extended his arm. He’d been curious about something for a while now.
“Hold up, everyone. There’s a spell that’s perfect for this situation.”
At the same time, he raised his arm into the air. The golden pupils of his dragon eyes flared brightly.
“Lightning Field.”
A spell so all-encompassing that even dragons had rarely dared to use it—it targeted everything within the caster’s sight.
The moment the dragon’s resonant voice rang out, the once-clear sky turned black in an instant. Thunderclouds surged in from all directions, filling the heavens with a deafening rumble.
Rrrrmmmmmble—
The demonic beasts remained oblivious, still too busy sucking down mana. Adrian’s golden eyes scanned over them. Then, with a swift motion, he dropped his raised hand and slashed it downward.
CRACK!
Faster than the sound that followed, a bolt of lightning tore down from the blackened sky.
KYAAAHHH!
A beast threw back its snout and let out a tortured scream.
The lightning bolt had slammed straight into it, impaling the creature that had been greedily chugging mana from the lake.
And that was only the beginning.
CRACK! Another flash lit up the sky. As lightning tore down from the dark heavens, it struck through two demonic beasts mid-battle, skewering them both as they fought while slurping mana.
“Ugh—” Mikhail shielded his eyes with his sleeve against the blinding flare. He had never seen lightning fall so close before.
One after another, flashes of light and the wretched screams of monsters followed in relentless succession.
Adrian was the only one who watched the entire scene unfold, eyes unblinking, until he finally let out a low murmur.
“…As I thought.”
Mikhail lowered his arm at the sound of Adrian’s muttering voice.
Had they wiped them all out?
Those aboard the raft cautiously opened their eyes to check, and what they saw were the charred corpses of demonic beasts, blackened beyond recognition.
“Magic’s useless here,” Adrian said flatly.
What had been bothering him from the start was that cursed black mana.
His brow furrowed slightly. The spell he used had been a wide-range, devastating attack, but every time a beast went down, it instantly absorbed the surrounding black mana and reconstituted itself.
Normal attacks wouldn’t cut it.
The dragon’s gaze quietly lifted toward the sky.
At some point, the monstrous presence that had been pounding at the narrow rift on the other side had gone still.
“……”
They had to find a solution before that thing came up with a new one.
Adrian curled his lips in a crooked grin and flicked his fingers, summoning a chain of golden light. He wrapped it tightly around the dark passage several times to hold it in place.
It was only a temporary fix.
***
“That kind of attack’s not gonna cut it.”
“I’m doing the best I can!”
“That’s your best?”
SHRRAAAK—! A beam of light from the dragon’s fingertip sliced cleanly through the torsos of several slithering demonic beasts. The heads separated from their bodies let out sharp shrieks as they toppled backward.
But it only lasted a moment.
Sword strikes and spells could damage them—but the black mana pooled beneath their bodies was the real issue.
The beasts simply absorbed it, pulling the mana up into themselves and regenerating in an instant before lunging forward to attack again.
“If this keeps up, it’ll never end. We have to get rid of the black mana itself.”
“……”
Adrian glanced sideways to check Mikhail’s expression before continuing.
“Use that power you tapped into earlier.”
“You think I’m holding back because I want to?!”
Mikhail snapped, swinging his sword in a wide arc. It was an impressive move—for a human. But what they needed right now wasn’t that kind of force.
The golden chains Adrian had wrapped around the dark rift rattled with a skin-crawling metallic screech.
KRAAA-BOOOOOM—!
A deafening sound erupted from the rift above. The lake, which had fallen silent for a brief moment, was now once again filled with a thunderous roar.
If that thing managed to come through—even just its head—the vanguard’s raft wouldn’t be the only casualty. The entire continent would be reduced to ash.
Adrian turned his eyes to the only person who could change that outcome.
Mikhail Luce Inehart.
The chosen hero Ordinas had risked everything to protect.
“If you can’t control that power inside you… there is one way.”
Adrian’s golden eyes gleamed.
“…What way?”
Mikhail asked cautiously, unsettled by the glint in the dragon’s eyes. Adrian extended a single finger toward Mikhail’s forehead.
Truthfully, this was what Adrian had wanted to do from the moment he first saw him.
“I’ll make you a Sword Master.”
Tap. A brilliant light radiated from the tip of his finger. Wait—what did he just say?! Before Mikhail could protest, the blinding light swallowed his vision. It was magic.
When the searing glow finally faded, Mikhail slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times before Adrian came into focus. With a puzzled look, he raised his hand and flexed it experimentally.
Adrian asked, “Can you feel anything?”
“……”
At that, Mikhail suddenly lifted his head.
“…No?”
He muttered, confused.
Nothing had changed.
“Impossible,” Adrian replied. “The change is too great for you to perceive right away. Close your eyes and focus.”
“……”
Prompted by Adrian’s unwavering tone, Mikhail reluctantly thought, …Is that so? and closed his eyes again. He began circulating mana like he always did.
Within the darkness, he tried moving his own mana— Then opened his eyes once more. His expression was still full of bewilderment.
“Seriously, I don’t feel any different.”
Lmao they really took a different way w the manhwa