Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

The Sansara World's detonation lit up the sky.

It was as if a bright cosmic star had been summoned over the Edinnica Arena. It spread shades of orange and yellow. Soon, the light became so intense that witnesses couldn't process its color spectrum, turning it completely white.

The white noise generated by the detonation made the survivors attuned to their own heartbeats. Their subconscious deemed it imperative to keep track of their heartbeats that attested to their survival.

The detonation also changed the terrain. The audience booth was completely destroyed. The arena sank deeper into the ground before huge craters formed over it.

Most of the survivors of this event couldn't be considered eyewitnesses. That's because they had their eyes and ears closed. They had to lay flat on the ground and hope for the best. As a result of knowing they couldn't do anything, they all closed their eyes to find some comfort in the unknown that unfolded in front of their closed eyes.

Some rankers, who were right below the Sansara World, had broken backs and collapsed ribcages because of the sheer pressure the detonation generated. The arena's safety mechanism mitigated the destruction as much as it could. But there was only so much the safety mechanism could do when Sansara Sage's artifact was detonated in this way.

Still, one could say that the survivors had it easy. All six Sages worked together to contain the detonation impact. It was because of them that the young rankers survived.

Of course, the butcher counted on the Sages' intervention the most. He knew the risks associated with detonating an entire Sansara World were huge. That's why he told Maya to wait for his green signal.

Eren approved the Sansara World's destruction when he estimated it was safe to execute the detonation. He made good use of the Sages in his plan without them knowing anything.

The dust storm reigned supreme after the detonation impact subsided.

There were elemental manifestations surrounding the entire arena. The arena itself looked like a ruined prehistoric construction. It lost its grandeur after Sansara World's detonation.

The entire city of Edin was shaken by an explosion that was suppressed. Various active arrays in the city became haywire because of strong mana fluctuations spreading from ground zero, causing panic and terror.

Citizens considered the Sansara World detonation a terrorist attack. They gathered on the streets and looked towards the Edinnica Arena. Yet, nobody visited the place.

It was as if they were all subconsciously aware of one thing - curiosity killed the cat.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Eren started coughing when he thought the nightmare was over. He tried to get up and soon realized that it was a huge mistake. He had no external harm because of the preventative measures he took before the explosion. But his mana circuit had gone haywire because of being so close to Sansara World's detonation. As a result, his internal organs were damaged and his mana circulation was severely affected. He spat something, a mixture of blood, saliva, mucus, and dust when he tried to get up.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

A collective cough was heard. Most of the survivors had the same symptoms as Eren. They looked at each other with vigilance– uncertain of what action they were supposed to take.

In the end, they all looked up - almost at the same time - as if the nightmare was over. And all they saw was a sea of flames contained in an unknown translucent membrane. The membrane shrank by the second. And each time it did, it generated strong mana fluctuations.

Nobody talked. Nobody tried to attack each other. The survivors looked at the grim and dangerous phenomenon happening over their heads silently.

The six Sages worked diligently and delicately to contain the detonation impacts. But there was nothing they could do for the young generation who suffered the explosion's side effects.

The Sages themselves had it rough handling the situation. They could have never guessed in their wildest dreams that the Sansara Sage's legacy would get destroyed like this. All of them came to the same conclusion– the artifact had been tampered with. And they all started guessing who caused the Sage artifact's destruction.

The detonation impact subsided after a while. The Sages retired to their respective sides, looking at each other with daggers in their eyes.

If only looks could kill…

***

"Pathetic."

Edgar was the first to speak up in anger and frustration. He had the young half-blood survivors standing behind him.

"That was really pathetic, Hansen. Downright insane even. You decided to detonate Sansara Sage's Legacy when you found out you had no way to ensure its safety.

This is the reason I said that you wouldn't be able to understand what the Sansara Sage has left behind for you all. His legacy could have liberated us from our shackles. It could have opened doors to new possibilities– like this world had not seen since the last great battle.

But you…"

Edgar pointed his fingers at Hansen and Gregory before speaking in a grim tone.

"But no… You.. all of you like to stay in the ditch you were born in, preventing anyone else from doing something different. You fear change. And that fear has made you blind."

JJ Edgar clenched his fists and tried to control his bloodline energy. He spat to relieve his stress and show his contempt. It was as if he found his counterparts disgusting to look at.

Hansen looked at JJ as if he had gone mad. He snorted and was about to say something. But a hand was placed over his right shoulder, prompting him to shut up.

Marcus Moretti was also unhappy with the Sansara Sage's artifact getting destroyed. He wasn't angry at Edgar or what he said. He looked at Gregory threateningly before speaking threateningly.

"It was you, Gregory, wasn't it? Infiltrating our kingdom wasn't enough. Killing our young generation wasn't enough. You had to go this far to make a statement.

We are already at war so there's no need for me to say this. But I'll say it anyway. The kingdom of Layos will pay for this."