CHAPTER 6:
The air inside the mine trembled like a living thing.
Not from heat.
Not from machinery.
But from mana.
A kind of mana no one in this world had ever seen.
The cavern stretched beneath the Vaelthorn domain like a sleeping titan, veins of pale silver light pulsing along the walls, humming with an unnatural rhythm. Even from a distance, anyone with a speck of mana sensitivity would feel it pierce straight into their bones.
Normal mana never behaved like this.
This mana felt alive.
This mana felt wrong.
And it was being stolen.
The Mine, Now Under Occupation
Seventy armed men guarded the front tunnel, each wearing blackened gear marked subtly with a strange insignia. Not the open symbol of the Null Choir, but close enough. Something similar. Something twisted.
They weren't simple mercenaries.
Their movements were too disciplined.
Their aura too tainted.
Inside the deepest chamber, five people worked around a pedestal carved into the rock, where a chunk of crystallized dark mana throbbed like a beating heart.
The extraction team.
Five elites from the Null Choir's mid division.
Four researchers who could handle the power of this mana.
One mission leader whose aura screamed danger.
The man in charge wore a long coat with dark violet linings. His expression held absolute confidence, the kind born from knowing he outranked most.
A mid knight of the Null Choir.
Strong enough to defeat an elite imperial knight.
And he knew it.
Around him, the four other specialists operated a strange artifact. A circular device of black metal, covered in concentric rings and glowing inscriptions. Each ring rotated in a different direction, humming louder as it pulled threads of mana out of the vein like liquid silver.
A researcher spoke while adjusting the device.
"This mana is unbelievable. Nothing like the Empire has ever recorded."
Another nodded, sweat on his brow.
"This amount of concentrated essence should not exist. Are you sure it is stable?"
The leader scoffed.
"It does not matter. We only need enough samples for the Choir to analyze. Once they understand its origin, the revival plan will accelerate."
The room froze for a moment.
The researcher lowered his voice.
"Do not say that word here. If the higher knights discover you spoke so loosely about it, you will be disciplined."
"Tch. You act as if He can hear us."
Even saying the name made the mana pulse violently, as if reacting.
The men went silent.
Then, the artifact surged, extracting another chunk of condensed dark mana.
Behind the leader, a guard rushed in, breathless.
"L... Leader... we have a problem."
The leader did not even turn fully.
"What kind of problem."
"We are under attack."
He stopped working.
"...By who? The Vaelthorn estate should not mobilize this fast."
"I... do not think they are soldiers from the estate."
The leader finally spun around.
"Then who. How many."
The soldier swallowed.
"Seven. Only seven. But they are slaughtering our people like... like they are nothing. Our men cannot even scream before their throats are torn apart."
The leader's eye twitched.
"Seventy men against seven. What nonsense are you spouting."
The guard trembled harder.
"Leader... I saw one of them lick blood off her hands while smiling. These things are not human. They are monsters."
Silence.
Cold. Heavy.
The leader clicked his tongue.
"I'm going. If seven pests think they can disrupt a Null Choir mission, I will slaughter them myself."
He stormed out toward the tunnel.
But what he saw when he reached the battlefield…
…was nothing short of hell.
Blood was splashed across the stone. Bodies were torn. Some were frozen stiff in fear. Some were dismembered cleanly. The floor was red. The walls were red. The torches flickered with the metallic scent of death.
And at the center…
Seven figures painted the scene like demons of myth.
All dressed in black, each outlined in a distinct color representing their Sin.
The Eclipse Order
Breille, Pride, stood tall near the entrance, her black coat lined with dazzling gold, her long white hair glowing faintly as she manipulated elemental threads, slicing soldiers apart with regal disdain.
Selene, Lust, moved with seductive grace. Her black outfit traced with deep crimson shimmered as she touched one soldier's face, whispering something. He dropped dead with a smile still on his lips.
Avira, Greed, danced between bodies, teal-lined coat fluttering, collecting weapons, artifacts and even armor pieces mid battle. She hummed happily.
Celia, Sloth, barely lifted a hand. Her black outfit had dull blue outlines. She simply sat on a rock, half asleep, while floating runes did all the killing for her.
Ivy, Envy, sleek and elegant in a black-and-green-lined assassin's cloak, tore through guards like a shadow made of blades.
Rhea, Wrath, crimson-lined attire glowing with heat, smashed enemies with raw power, laughing as she gripped one man by the throat and tossed him across the cavern.
And then there was Luna.
Cute. Cheerful. Innocent.
Black attire with bright violet outlines.
Currently licking blood from her fingers.
The guard who came earlier pointed with a shaking finger.
"That... that is the one... she..."
Luna tilted her head.
"Mmm. So tasty. You guys taste better than the last ones."
The leader pointed his sword at her.
"You monster."
She blinked, then smiled.
"Monsters taste good too."
He raised his blade.
"I will kill you here."
Before he could charge, Luna turned.
"Ivy. Can I play with him."
Ivy didn't hesitate.
"Just do not kill him."
Luna grinned.
"Luna will just play."
Luna vs the Mid Knight
The man swung first, mana coating his blade.
A powerful attack. Enough to slice an elite knight in half.
Luna dodged by gently leaning back.
His sword cut air.
She giggled.
"So slow."
He gritted his teeth and attacked again. Faster. Harder. Desperate.
But to Luna… he looked like he was moving in slow motion.
She flicked his wrist.
His grip broke.
The sword flew out of his hand.
Before he could react, her foot met his stomach.
He smashed into the wall.
Then she appeared in front of him again.
"Round two."
He coughed blood and swung again using his spare dagger.
She caught the dagger between two fingers.
Two.
Fingers.
The man's eyes widened in terror.
"What… are you..."
"Luna is hungry. But Ivy said no eating today."
She twisted.
His wrist snapped.
The man screamed.
She kicked him up into the ceiling, then punched him back down, cracking the floor.
He tried to stand.
He couldn't.
Another punch came downward, but stopped just inches from his head.
"Surrender yet."
He spat blood at her.
"I will never surrender to monsters like you."
Luna wiped his spit from her cheek.
"Okay. Then Luna will beat you more."
Before she could continue, a calm voice echoed.
"Playtime is over, girls."
The cavern grew darker.
A figure stepped out of pure shadow.
Black. Silent. Cold.
Death Arrives
All the Sins stopped.
All the air seemed to freeze.
The leader slowly turned his head.
A tall boy walked through the blood without getting any on him. Shadows clung to him like they worshipped him. His cloak flowed behind him like living darkness.
Purple eyes glowed faintly.
Death.
He glanced at Luna.
"Selene. Take him. Interrogate. We will get Null Choir information out of him."
The leader's eyes shook.
"Y... you... how do you know about us..."
I shifted my gaze to him.
"I did not give you permission to talk."
He flinched.
I walked past him. The shadows parted for me as if they feared offending me. My focus was on the remaining four researchers in the inner chamber.
They looked horrified when they saw me.
One stepped forward nervously.
"Did you... deal with the leader... who are..."
"Who am I." I tilted my head. "Does it matter."
I pointed a finger at them.
"I will not harm you if you surrender and cooperate. Give me everything you know about the Null Choir."
One researcher spat on the ground.
"Who do you think we are."
"Just some fools who are going to die today."
Death vs the Four Specialists
They attacked at once.
Blades made of condensed mana.
Elemental bursts.
Cursed energy shots.
All kinds of magic.
I walked through it.
Not dodged.
Not parried.
Walked.
Their attacks slid off my cloak like rain on stone.
I appeared behind the first man and tapped his neck.
He collapsed.
The second tried to stab me.
I turned.
Caught the blade in my bare hand.
Shattered it.
He flew backward from the shockwave alone.
The third attempted a curse spell.
I let it hit me.
It fizzled out on contact.
"Pathetic."
I blurred forward and kicked him into the wall so hard dust fell from the ceiling.
The fourth screamed in fear.
"Impossible... what is he..."
They all reached for something at the same time.
Small glass vials.
Filled with shimmering liquid.
***d water.
Refined from the very essence the Null Choir followed.
They drank it.
Their bodies convulsed.
Mana exploded around them.
Their eyes turned black.
Their strength multiplied fivefold.
And they charged again.
Still useless.
I stepped aside, caught one by the throat, and slammed him into another. Their bodies cracked together like dolls.
Another tried to stab me.
I turned and punched him lightly.
His ribs shattered.
The fourth tried to run.
I grabbed his hair and threw him back into the circle.
All four lay broken but alive.
Barely.
I put a foot on the chest of the one nearest to me.
"Now. Tell me everything."
Before they could speak...
A voice echoed inside their minds.
Cold.
Distorted.
Inhuman.
"I did not expect someone this powerful would be there... someone who knew about us... even though we have not acted openly yet."
The four men paled instantly.
"No. No please. Not this. Not yet. We can still retreat. We can still survive."
The voice replied.
"We cannot risk our plan being exposed. You have served well."
"No. No no no please. We do not want to die. Please. Someone save us."
I stepped back.
The Sins watched calmly.
Because we all felt it.
The unstable energy building inside their bodies.
Then...
The Detonation
Their bodies exploded.
Dark liquid splattered the walls.
The floor shook.
The cavern cracked.
A massive blast of mana tore through the mine.
But none of us moved.
The blast washed over us like wind.
When the smoke cleared...
Nothing remained of the five.
Not a body.
Not a bone.
Only blood.
The cavern finally fell silent.
The only sound was the faint pulsing of the wounded mana vein.
Rhea turned toward me.
"My Lord. The imperial soldiers are approaching. They will reach this place in less than a minute."
I nodded.
"Then we leave."
The Sins didn't argue. One by one, they stepped into the shadows that pooled at our feet. The darkness swallowed them naturally, like they belonged to it.
I glanced once more at the cracked silver mana vein. Its glow flickered strangely, like an eye half opening.
A warning.
A whisper.
Or a memory of something that should not exist.
But that mystery could wait.
I let the shadows rise around me.
They wrapped along my shoulders, my arms, my face.
And then I was gone.
Not a footprint left behind.
Not a scent.
Not a trace.
Only death.
Only silence.
Only blood.
Moments Later… The Soldiers Arrive
Heavy boots pounded down the tunnel.
The Vaelthorn soldiers entered in formation, blades raised. Their captain raised a lantern, lighting the destroyed cavern.
Then all of them froze.
"...What... happened here..."
Blood drenched the walls.
Blood soaked the floor.
Large chunks of stone were shattered.
The extraction device was in pieces.
But there were no bodies.
Not a single corpse.
Not even a finger.
Not even ash.
Just... red.
"All seventy mercenaries... missing," one soldier whispered.
"They didn't run," the captain murmured. "Not with this much blood."
"But... who killed them?" another asked. "And why did no one see anyone enter? Or exit?"
The captain slowly lowered his lantern.
"...This wasn't a battle. This was an execution."
The soldiers stood surrounded by blood, yet utterly alone.
No footprints.
No magical residue.
No signs of movement.
Nothing but silent, frozen terror.
The truth of what happened that day never reached the capital.
The Empire's reports remained blank.
And what occurred in the Vaelthorn mana vein became a story whispered in fear:
A massacre without killers.
A battlefield without bodies.
A mystery carved in blood.
A mystery the world was not ready to understand.
End of Chapter 6