Unseen Threats

Upon receiving the letter from King Rodric of Bloodstone, the two legendary knights of the Elowen Kingdom immediately set aside their differences and rode toward Bloodstone City without hesitation.

They knew that if the demons succeeded in destroying the Bloodstone Kingdom, Elowen would be next. They all lived on the same island—what affected one kingdom would inevitably affect them all. The demons would not stop at a single conquest; they would ravage everything in their path, caring nothing for borders or treaties.

As legendary knights, they understood the horrors of demonic outbreaks far better than ordinary people. A demon left unchecked would only grow stronger with every life it took. The more blood it spilled, the faster its power would rise. If allowed to continue, it could surpass the legendary rank, reaching Mythic—or worse, even Ultra or Super was not out of the question.

If that happened, the island itself would be doomed.

They had no choice. The demon had to be found and stopped before it could claim more lives.

...

King Rodric of Bloodstone gazed at the two legendary knights standing before him.

To his left stood Edward Elowen, the current king of the Elowen Kingdom. On his right was Georgia Elowen, Edward's great-great-great-granddaughter and second-in-command, often referred to as the Deputy King. These two were the pillars of Elowen—their kingdom's strongest warriors.

In most realms, no one would dare claim such a title as Deputy King, nor would any ruler allow it. Kings were fiercely protective of their power, unwilling to tolerate even the slightest challenge to their authority. But the Elowen Kingdom was different.

Elowen was not ruled by nobles or a court of powerful families. It was governed entirely by a single bloodline. At its head stood two legendary knights, bound not by politics, but by trust. Edward considered Georgia his own daughter and had no jealousy or resentment over her title. To him, her strength only ensured the kingdom's survival.

When it came to ruling, they made decisions together. Their relationship was not one of superior and subordinate, but more like father and daughter.

In terms of raw combat strength, Edward was slightly ahead of Rodric on the path of legendary knight training, while Georgia trailed just behind him. However, in battle, sheer power was rarely the deciding factor. Equipment was just as crucial. A single legendary weapon could turn the tide of a fight, just as lacking the right gear could spell doom.

For example, if one knight wielded a legendary blade while their opponent carried only a golden-grade sword, the outcome was almost predetermined. A golden weapon would shatter against a legendary one, rendering it useless. In such a duel, fighting with a golden sword was no different from fighting unarmed.

The same applied to armor, shields, magical artifacts, and even boots.

Rodric, Georgia, and Edward all possessed legendary equipment—but no one knew the full extent of each other's arsenals. Among legendary warriors, secrecy was everything. The higher one's rank, the more critical it became to hide their skills, techniques, and especially their weapons.

That was why knights of legendary rank and above rarely fought in public. And if they did… they made sure no witnesses remained.

Once a knight's fighting techniques, equipment, and skills became known, they could be easily analyzed and countered by their enemies. That was why, the moment a legendary knight's combat style was exposed, they would quickly make adjustments—altering their techniques to prevent opponents from predicting their moves.

For this reason, legendary knights rarely fought at full strength or revealed their trump cards. Once a hidden technique was exposed, replacing it or refining it became significantly more difficult. A revealed trump card was no longer a trump card—it was a weakness waiting to be exploited.

...

"Long time no see," Georgia said, her voice carrying a hint of familiarity. She had known Rodric for centuries—their history ran deep.

Rodric smiled warmly but kept his tone steady. "Yeah, I missed you. But let's set aside the pleasantries for now." He wasn't in the mood to dwell on old memories.

Once, they had been in a relationship, but it hadn't ended well. They had separated.

Georgia was the mythic talent of the Elowen family, just as Rodric was for the Bloodstone family. At first glance, it seemed like they were a perfect match. But in reality, their shared talent only made things more complicated. They weren't just individuals—they were the hopes of their respective families.

Had their families been on good terms, they might have married, uniting the two bloodlines. However, the Elowens and the Bloodstones had long been rivals. Faced with a choice between love and duty, neither hesitated. They chose their families. And so, they parted ways.

Rodric pushed the past aside and got straight to the point. "Here's what we know about the demonic outbreak."

He handed them two thick books—detailed reports filled with every sighting and incident involving the demon over the past few days.

Georgia and Edward, both legendary knights, began reading at an astonishing speed. Within five minutes, they had absorbed nearly all the information in the dense volumes. Their expressions grew increasingly grim.

The situation was worse than they had feared.

Not only had the demon already broken through the legendary rank, but its whereabouts were completely unknown. This meant they couldn't suppress it even if they wanted to. They had to find it first—but despite Rodric's relentless search over the past several days, there had been no trace of the creature.

That alone was troubling.

The demon was clearly employing some form of technique to conceal itself, as that was the only plausible explanation. Its ability to remain hidden, despite the extensive search efforts, suggested the use of advanced magic or a specific demonic ability designed for stealth. 

None of the three legendary knights even considered the possibility that the demon had left the island.

Demons don't flee. They destroy.

It is their nature, their very essence. A demon would never leave without leaving devastation in its wake. Whether it's burning villages to the ground, decimating armies, or corrupting the land itself, demons are creatures of destruction, not retreat. Their hunger for chaos, for spreading the Abyss, is insatiable. 

To think that a demon might simply leave without wreaking havoc is impossible.

Having finished the reports, Georgia and Edward turned to Rodric, their eyes filled with concern.

Edward, unable to contain his frustration, was the first to speak. "Damn it, Rodric! How did it get this far? A legendary-rank demon—not only growing stronger but also missing? This is far worse than I thought. What if it breaks through to Mythic rank?"

Rodric's face darkened, but he remained composed. "It's not my fault. It happened too quickly. The cause of this outbreak is clearly something far more powerful, possibly beyond Ultra rank. It could even be a Super-rank demonic item."

Georgia shook her head, her expression grim. "If a Super-rank demon is involved, the Flicker Empire might completely seal off Silver Flower Island—or worse, sink it just to erase all traces. I really hope you're wrong, Rodric, because if that's the case, we're as good as dead—either by the demon or by the Flicker Empire."

Edward exhaled sharply, his worry evident. "I can't believe it's a Super-rank item… but an Ultra-rank? That might be possible."

The Flicker Empire was extremely cautious when dealing with demonic outbreaks. If the situation was severe enough, they wouldn't bother fighting—they would simply seal the entire infected area indefinitely, ensuring that nothing from the Abyss could spill into the world. But such a method was only used in the most extreme cases. It was like treating an infection by cutting off a limb rather than using medicine. If they sealed too many areas, it could harm the world's very foundation.

The known power ranks were as follows:

Average → Silver → Golden → Legendary → Mythic → Ultra → Super → Extreme → Absolute → Supreme.

The Supreme rank had never been seen, and many doubted its existence. Absolute-rank beings were rumored to exist, but no one had confirmed it. Some believed that the rulers of the Abyss—Demon Kings and Princes—were Absolute-rank, but even if they were, they couldn't make significant moves in this world. The conflicting laws between realms suppressed them heavily.

The Flicker Empire only considered sealing off space when dealing with demonic items of Super rank and above. Anything Ultra rank or below, they would attempt to contain and purge without resorting to such drastic measures.

Extreme-rank demonic items had appeared in the world before, but outbreaks of that level were extremely rare. It would be an unimaginable disaster if Silver Flower Island was the site of one.

Super-rank outbreaks were more common than Extreme-rank ones, but even they were rare. Ultra-rank demonic incidents, however, occurred much more frequently.

The two major outbreaks in Silver Flower Island's history—one that was successfully stopped and the other that triggered an Ice Age—had both been Mythic-rank.

And now, they faced a demon that had already reached Legendary and was still growing.

The weight of the situation pressed heavily upon them.

Rodric spoke, his tone serious. "With the speed at which this outbreak is progressing, it must be at least Ultra rank. My guess is there's a high chance it's Super rank. There's no way it's Mythic rank. I still remember the last Ice Age Demonic outbreak. That one didn't escalate this quickly. We need to find a way to locate and suppress it, long enough to buy time for the Flicker Empire's Super Knights to arrive."

To eliminate a demonic outbreak completely, one had to find its source. The source was often an object—anything from a book, a sword, animal remains, clothes, or even food. There were no hard and fast rules about what could serve as a demon's medium. Until the source was destroyed, the outbreak would continue, no matter how many demons were killed.

Take the current situation, for example. Even if the demon was killed, it would only be a temporary solution. The item responsible for this outbreak would still be out there, capable of triggering another one.

Rodric's voice dropped lower, his frustration palpable. "It's beyond our ability to find and destroy the demonic item that caused this outbreak. But it would be much easier to track down the demon itself. It's still at the Legendary rank. We outnumber it and can defeat it. It's just a shame we don't have any legendary mages who could trace it." He shook his head, frustration clear in his features.

Edward nodded in agreement. "We should use every resource at our disposal to find it quickly. You can count on us."

Rodric gave a curt nod, his resolve firming. In times like these, survival depended on unity. No matter how deep the grudges or how long the hatred, when facing demons, humans had to stand together.

It had long been common sense and a part of human culture to put aside all enmity in the face of other species—be it orcs, demons, or any other threat to their world.