noct

384. Courtesies and Conversations

The four of them were stopped at the entrance to the ball and announced as one: Miss Scarlet’s party. No one looked up as they descended the stairs, no more than yet another noble contingent obli...

106. Lambs to the Slaughter

“What’s going on over there? Jones? Come out here,” a guard demanded.

Rhys clicked his tongue, tossing the latest body away. The rats swarmed without him prompting, growing used to the ...

383. To The Ball

“So, is everyone ready?”

“As we’ll ever be.”

“Listen. Brightbriar knows you’re coming. He’s prepared. On the other hand, he rarely shows his face. If we don’t strike t...

105. Overthrowing Prison

Rhys pressed a hand on each body, filling them with mana or whatever filthy energy his trash generated, then sat back to wait. There would be rats for the bodies, he knew it. He’d seen it happen ...

382. Emperor's Clothes

They left the rubble behind before anyone could seriously start looking for who to blame over the recent destruction of the homes all around them, and followed Scar back to the merchants’ distric...

104. It Had Begun

The battle was as swift as it was decisive. In a mere night, the Empress overwhelmed the Academy and flattened everything within. Although it sounded as if she bowled over the Academy and showed of...

381. Let's Kill Brightbriar

“It’s not that easy,” Scar said at last, exasperated.

“No? Come on. How hard can it be to find the guy? He’s just a normal guy, who can create a near infinite supply of fake puppet ...

380. Enough of That Ranged Bullshit

Ike closed in. Accais widened his eyes and jumped back, clearly meaning to flee, but Ike refused to let him. He rushed even faster, charging at the archer. Accais’ ponytail swung past his body as...

379. Silver Arrows

Wind gusted all around Ike. It tore at him with sharp lances, bit past Storm Clad, and sought out every inch of him to cut into him and tear him apart. The wind lifted him off his feet and threw hi...

378. Into the Fold

“Go fold yourself, motherfucker,” Ike snarled.

The archer gave him an unimpressed look. He stood with a perfectly straight back, his shoulders squared. Silver hair was tied back into a hi...

377. White House

Ike dashed from rooftop to rooftop, closing in on the white house at speed. He sent his aether ahead of him, already scanning it before he grew close. Instantly, he locked on to the signature and s...

376. Searching for a Tower

Back to the place Scar had led him first. As expected, when Ike twisted the knob (casually breaking the low-Rank lock in the progress), the only thing on the other side was a dusty storeroom. He tu...

375. Make It!

Ike latched onto the door handle and yanked the door wide. The light still poured out. For a split second, hesitation came over him, but he quickly forced it down. Risk-taking was how he got here. ...

103. Cursed Holes

Rhys plunged into the curse power. The curse power was dense enough to become a liquid, but it didn’t support him at all. He sunk straight down into the depths of the well. Curse power poured dir...

374. Get Screwed

Energy signatures rushed at them from all directions. Ike turned to the windows, preparing to shatter through them, then paused. He looked at Wisp and Mag.

“What?” Wisp asked.

“Wh...

102. The Calm Before The Storm

Rhys was full, but only of food. He still had plenty of room for mana. That, and in the afterglow from that fantastic, cultivation-boosting meal, he wanted to try another round with the curse power...

373. The Enemy!

Ike charged at Scar. She stared at him, wide-eyed in shock. At the last second, she drew her sword, and their blades clashed. Caught off-guard, Scar staggered backward. “Ike! What are you doing?�...

101. Dinner Time

The speeches were just as boring as Rhys dreaded they would be. He didn’t even need to sleep any more as a mage, and he still fell asleep a half-dozen times during the ceremonies. Eventually, Bas...

100. Banquet Hall

Purple Dawn Academy was as much a maze on the inside as Rhys remembered, if not more so. He ran over the cobbles as fast as he could, but it felt like slow going anyways. The Academy’s ancient ro...

372. Whip You Into Shape

Scar led them down the hallway. Ike followed, with Wisp close at heel and Mag trailing behind, taking all the shiny things in with big eyes. Both Ike and Wisp had tattered clothes, a stark contrast...

371. It'll Be A While

Scar let out a breath. “Phew. So that’s why you’re here.”

“Yeah.”

“We were worried about Rosamund and the prince, too—and yes, you’re right, he is seeking a political ...

99. Vital Tomatoes

Rhys passed out the second he returned to his room. This wasn’t a sleep like the sleep he’d had the past few days, a sleep for pleasure or for ordinary exhaustion, but a deep, all-consuming sle...

370. Explaining Everything

Across the city to a nondescript door in a back alley. Scar opened it, revealing a dusty backroom. Ike went to step inside, but before he could, Scar closed it again, whispered something he couldn�...

98. Tsunami and a Pebble

Rhys was a pebble, and the mana he’d unleashed was a tsunami, looming over him. He could sense the wave of power rushing toward him, see it closing in with every passing second. It hadn’t hit y...

369. Options

“I still think I should’ve eaten him.”

“I still think you’re a glutton.”

“That’s got nothing to do with the tactical decision to eat him or not.”

“Look, if he ...

97. Powering Up

The banquet wasn’t the next day, but the day after. Rhys checked, but the market was mostly quiet, with only a few stalls bothering to open at all. With no reason to bother making his chips and p...

368. Dark Magic

They clashed. In the blink of an eye, Ike and Arkoz exchanged a dozen blows. Arkoz was fast, but Ike was faster, and Ike was armed to boot. The black energy on Arkoz’s hands emitted a cold, dange...

96. The Tournament is Over

The tournament was over, but not the festivities. There was a festival in the afternoon and a banquet in the near future. As one of the finalists, Rhys received an invitation to the banquet, but he...

367. Who's Your Daddy?

Ike walked into the alley alone, no one anywhere near him. He wandered along, looking around like he was some kind of tourist who’d just happened to wander into a random dark alley. A singular fi...

95. Vs Bast

Rhys wracked his brain, but came up with nothing. Beating Bast wasn’t even on the menu; avoiding getting the shit beaten out of him was the best he could dream of. Even then, there was little he ...