The Chaotic One

In a dark room.

A man laughed while watching a disturbing scene unfold in his crystal ball. To normal people, it would be horrifying, but to him, it was a masterpiece—a twisted and inhumane form of art.

"Hahaha! Shakti, what will you do now? Are you going to kill them or sacrifice yourself to save them? Choose. Whatever you pick, your fate is sealed."

"Is that so?" a voice suddenly interrupted his amusement.

The man was about to move, but his head vanished—leaving behind a headless corpse.

A man in black attire stepped out of the shadows, staring coldly at the body on the floor.

With a thought, he cast fire magic and burned the remains, leaving nothing but ash. The man in black walked toward the crystal ball, and as he approached, the ball's light slowly revealed his face—it was John.

His black cloak fluttered with each step, his sword rested at his waist, and his face remained hidden in the shadows of his hood. Only his glowing red eyes shone beneath it—twelve-pointed stars and six magatama patterns spinning within. These eyes were one of his many Mangekyō Sharingan.

John's gaze settled on the scene within the crystal ball for a moment—and then his eyes rotated.

On the battlefield.

Shakti was constantly retreating, dodging the children running toward her with bombs strapped to their bodies. She was trying to keep her distance so the bombs wouldn't detonate.

Child bombs—one of Evilus's most inhumane tactics. They controlled the kids with magic and forced them to wear explosive devices, turning them into living weapons.

This method was designed to lure in kind-hearted adventurers. They would hesitate to kill a child, choosing instead to try and save them, which would naturally limit their combat effectiveness. That hesitation led to death—either by the bombs or by ambush from assassins.

Many had died because of this tactic.

"Don't get too close to them! Watch your surroundings and try your best to avoid the kids!" Shakti commanded.

The adventurers nodded and followed her orders, maintaining distance and carefully circling the children.

Shakti, meanwhile, contacted Asfi, requesting the item that could defuse the bombs.

"Everyone, subdue the kids—but don't approach! Use ranged binding attacks! Close-quarter fighters, guard the perimeter!" she shouted.

Shakti and the adventurers were about to act—when suddenly, the red pattern on the moon began to spin.

Then it stopped.

The children, once controlled by magic, collapsed unconscious. The bombs on their bodies deactivated.

"What happened?" an adventurer asked, confused.

Shakti noticed immediately and rushed toward the kids, removing their explosives. She quickly ordered the others to do the same.

Not far away, John stood atop a roof, watching the scene below.

"Well, that solves things. Now back to what I was supposed to do. This place is still within the market... The market I was buying food from earlier—it's near a Guild warehouse. It got attacked too."

Because of that, he had been delayed.

"Shakti, huh... She's the captain of Ganesha Familia," he muttered, observing her and each adventurer she commanded.

There were at least a thousand adventurers in that area. Her younger sister was among them too—meaning she had survived Evilus's earlier assault.

Shakti barked orders, her voice echoing across the now-quiet battlefield.

The adventurers split into two groups: one went to support another battlefield, while the other stayed behind for the cleanup operation.

Some of the more important-looking adventurers took something from their pockets—smartphones.

John observed this with interest. All of them had the same model, apparently the latest and best in the Old World. However...

"Sophie's phone is more advanced. Why is that? Her phone can't even be describe as tech from Sci Fi, is way too advanced..."

Unless those guys are involved, John thought, staring at the endless tower-like barrier on the distant horizon—towering at the very center of the Old World.

"Well, enough of that. Let's move on."

With the force of a feather, John vanished from where he stood, heading toward his original destination.

"Is that all you've got, Alise Lovell, Captain of Astrea Familia?" Red Rose said, countless thorny rose veins surrounding her like a barrier. Behind her stood an enormous rose vine, towering hundreds of meters. At its peak, a massive rose bloomed, its diameter stretching tens of meters. It constantly released an invisible, odorless, and tasteless gas, covering a radius of dozens of miles—nearly 1/8 of the city.

The gas was poisonous. Inhalation would weaken the victim, slowly paralyzing them until they lost consciousness.

Only Alise, Ryuu, Kaguya, and Lyra remained standing—barely. Everyone else had already fallen unconscious.

The same was true for civilians and adventurers caught in the poison's range.

Alise stood panting, her body bruised but without serious injuries.

Ryuu knelt on the ground, clutching her wounded stomach. She had suffered a grave injury, but thanks to a recovery potion, the bleeding had stopped and her condition stabilized.

Kaguya had a broken arm and several cuts on her legs. Lyra's arm was broken too.

Their entire bodies felt heavy. Some parts were already paralyzed by the poison. Their strength was at its lowest, suppressed by the toxic haze coursing through them. They could only use 30% of their power—and worse, they were exhausted. Their magic and stamina were nearly drained.

They were now like fish on a chopping board.

Red Rose, on the other hand, was completely unscathed. Any injuries she'd sustained had already healed, thanks to her Healing Rose magic.

Just a single drop of the Healing Rose's sap could bring someone back from the brink of death.

She had used this magic multiple times to restore herself. Even her torn clothes had been repaired by it.

"Any last words?" Red Rose asked calmly.

They didn't speak and only took their fighting stances, preparing for their last stance.