Chapter 66: The Hidden Threat

The headquarters of World Guidance was in a constant state of motion. Soldiers trained in the courtyards, war rooms buzzed with strategies, and the strongest warriors gathered under one banner. At the highest chamber, seated on a throne of authority, was Jin Shang. Supreme Commander.

He leaned back, scanning the floating holographic screen filled with reports. His fingers drummed against the armrest as he read through casualty reports from the most recent battle. His brows furrowed.

A knock.

"Enter," Jin said.

The doors opened, and Park Hae In strode in, her golden eyes sharp. Behind her were Kaelros and Mr. Singh. Their expressions were grim.

Jin immediately sensed something was off.

Hae In placed a file onto his desk, her voice clipped. "Read it."

Jin exhaled and flipped it open. The first words sent a chill down his spine.

[CLASSIFIED REPORT – CODE BLACK]

Incident: Complete annihilation of World Guidance's outpost in Sector 17.

Casualties: 124 confirmed dead. Survivors – 0.

Perpetrator: Unknown.

Eyewitness Testimonies: No Ranker techniques detected. Presence of unnatural energy confirmed.

Jin's fingers tightened around the paper.

"Annihilated?" His voice was eerily calm.

Mr. Singh nodded. "Nothing left but ruins and bloodstains. It wasn't just a massacre. It was an erasure."

Jin shut the file, his eyes burning. "And we have no leads?"

Kaelros stepped forward, his usual smirk absent. "There's a name surfacing from the whispers."

Jin's gaze darkened. "Say it."

Kaelros hesitated, then spoke.

"The Demonic Cult."

The air in the room grew thick.

Park Hae In crossed her arms. "We've heard rumors, but this confirms it. They're real."

Jin's fingers tapped against the desk. "If they can erase an entire outpost of World Guidance without leaving a trace, then this isn't just some rogue group."

Kaelros nodded. "They're strong. Stronger than the Ranker Association ever was."

Jin exhaled, his expression unreadable. Then, he smiled.

"A hidden organization thinks they can move in the shadows?" His voice was laced with something dangerous.

"They must not know who they're dealing with."

---

Within hours, Jin assembled a strike force. Lilian, Lia, Rin, Chris Walker, Kaelros, and Mr. Singh—each of them top-tier fighters. Their mission was clear.

Find the truth. Exterminate the enemy.

Sector 17 was nothing but ruins and silence. Blood stained the ground, long dried into the dirt. The air was thick with something… unnatural.

Chris Walker knelt and ran his fingers across the blackened earth. "No elemental damage. No mana or ki traces." His voice was grim. "This was something else."

Lia frowned. "A curse?"

Kaelros gripped his sword. "No. This was a slaughter."

Jin stood still, his Byonder-level perception scanning the area.

And then he saw him.

A lone figure stood in the distance. Black robes, face hidden under a hood. He hadn't been there a moment ago.

The air shifted. Something wrong slithered into existence.

Jin's voice cut through the silence. "Everyone, ready yourselves."

The figure lifted his head slightly, and a crooked grin formed beneath the shadows of his hood.

"Ah… so the Supreme Commander himself has graced us."

Jin took a step forward, his aura pressing down like a tidal wave. "Who are you?"

The man chuckled. "Names are meaningless. But if you must call me something… call me Ferris."

Chris Walker cracked his knuckles. "Doesn't matter what your name is. You killed our men. That means you die today."

Ferris let out a low laugh. "Such confidence. Let's test that, shall we?"

Then—

He vanished.

A flicker of movement.

A whisper of death.

Lilian barely had time to react before a crimson blade slashed toward her throat.

CLANG!

Jin caught it with his bare hand.

A shockwave erupted, splitting the ground.

Ferris grinned. "Interesting."

Jin tightened his grip on the energy blade. It wasn't mana. It wasn't ki. It was something else. Something corrupted.

With a flick of his wrist, he shattered the blade into dust.

Ferris chuckled. "Ah, yes. You are strong." His tone was almost playful. "But I wonder… are you strong enough?"

A pulse of black energy exploded from Ferris's body. The ground cracked. The air turned heavy, suffocating.

Then—

BOOM.

A black explosion swallowed the battlefield.

Lia and Rin jumped back, shielding themselves from the force. Kaelros dashed forward, slicing through the mist—

But Ferris was gone.

A whisper lingered in the air—

"Let's see how long you can keep up, Supreme Commander."

And then—silence.

Jin clicked his tongue. "Tch."

Chris cursed. "Damn it. He got away."

Lilian frowned. "That wasn't just a normal opponent. That was… something else."

Kaelros looked at Jin. "Orders?"

Jin exhaled. This was just the beginning.

"Send word to World Guidance." His voice was cold. "The Demonic Cult isn't just a rumor anymore."

His eyes burned with resolve.

"They are real. And we are going to destroy them."