The rise of a legendary warlock

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When the three portals representing the dragons, the wolfskins, and the beastskin appeared, the leaders of the already arrived armies - the human army, the elves, and the vampires - had no strong reactions as they had anticipated this. It was the individuals behind them who expressed curiosity and awe.

"Th-that golden-colored portal with red tints."

"Wait, who's coming out of the silver portal?"

"Hmm, the beastskin are also here, look at that blue portal."

For most of them, witnessing the gathering of multiple races in one place was a first-time experience. Apart from celebrating victories in wars that required them to unite against common enemies, they had never seen anything like this.

Today was turning out to be an unexpectedly significant day. For all six races, the ones typically leading the world, to converge in this place could only signify one thing – the return of the dreaded demons, potentially causing more trouble than good.

***

From the golden portal with red tints, a man emerged. He had fiery red hair, eyes closer to bright orange, a strikingly handsome yet stern face, and two horns that added to his charm. His aura radiated power, nobility, calmness, arrogance, and, most prominently, pride. Everything about him exuded pride, from his aura to his very bones.

Perhaps it was his mastery of magic, his excellence in combat, or his exceptionally strong physique that contributed to this pride. This was the Dragon King, one of the most feared monarchs in the world.

As he drew closer, he observed his surroundings without reacting to the admiration and respect directed at him.

***

From the silvery-white portal, twelve individuals clad in dark blue hoodies stepped out. These hoodies concealed their faces completely, making it impossible to discern their identities even if one maintained eye contact.

Their eerie, ghostly manner of walking, along with the sinister, bloodthirsty auras they emitted, sent shivers down the spines of those present. Despite most knowing who was beneath those hoodies, it did little to calm their unease. Some even lost their balance and ended up sitting on the ground upon sensing their presence.

***

In the blue portal, a handsome man in oversized blue robes appeared. The robe's size did nothing to diminish his attractiveness, and his friendly, slightly playful smile added to his appeal. With brown hair and a face free from imperfections, he was the kind of man many women would dream of.

With narrowed blue eyes, he observed his surroundings with a carefree expression. He was the last to arrive, joining the circle that had formed, as the Dragon King and the others arrived in this world.

***

When these three leaders reached the scene, they maintained a considerable distance from each other, just as the humans and vampires did due to their larger spaces, with the elves standing slightly closer to the humans but still maintaining a respectful distance.

They all found their places and stood in silence for about five minutes. Then, the Beastskin King took the lead in speaking.

"So, I guess we're all here. How have you all been lately? It's been a long time since we last met in this place, the Infinity World," the Beastskin King said, his enthusiasm evident from his slight smile.

Seeing an opportunity, the Elf Queen, who had left the seven humans unnoticed, replied respectfully,

"I've been doing well, thank you for asking. It has indeed been a long time since our last gathering here. I hope the Beastskin race is recovering well from our last battle against the demons."

"Oh, drop that formal tone, you know we are all allies here. I want you to let go of that tension and act less like enemies. It's quite irritating," he said, addressing everyone casually with a slight expression of disgust.

He was well aware that addressing everyone in such a familiar manner, as if giving orders to subordinates, might come off as arrogant. However, the six leaders, who had fought countless battles together and faced various types of death, understood that he was merely trying to lighten the mood. What they were here to do today was far from simple, and their lives were far from guaranteed.

His earlier words had an immediate effect as the slightly tense atmosphere began to relax.

Then, as if remembering something, he turned his gaze to the group of humans, who had yet to say anything.

Feeling his inquisitive stare, the one in red stepped forward and spoke respectfully,

"His Majesty stated that he would oversee the defense of our humble city since two of our scout birds were found dead with a dark aura emanating from their legs and wings."

When the three kingdom kings from the arrivals heard this, their expressions turned grim. The individual leading those under the cloaks trembled for a brief moment before regaining composure.

"That's strange; they don't typically attack this early. Are you sure it wasn't some other creature?" one of them inquired.

"It was confirmed by our troops that a small village belonging to our kingdom was destroyed, and the survivors of the attack identified those cursed demons as the culprits," the person in red replied.

This revelation left the five leaders present with displeased expressions.

"In that case, we need to hurry and commence this ritual. Where is the Inscription Master?" the Dragon King finally spoke in a loud, resonating voice that, had he not been restraining himself, might have ruptured some eardrums.

Even the seven humans from the group felt their heads buzzing, and they had to create mana barriers to protect themselves from the powerful sound.

"Apparently, he is preparing his materials and will be arriving shortly," the same individual in red informed them.

"In that case, we had better hurry and summon our people," the Vampire King suggested.

All the others expressed their agreement, and moments later, more portals opened where the kings were positioned.

The Dragon King tossed two golden rings high into the sky. Before anyone could count to three, a portal opened, and dragons of all sizes flew out at high speed, transforming back into their human forms after landing.

The Beastskin King extended his hands slightly and snapped his fingers twice, creating two blue portals. People with fox-like tails and cat-like ears emerged and began to walk, stopping behind their king while observing the world with astonishment and curiosity.

The individuals in dark blue hoodies, maintaining an eerie silence, suddenly howled skyward. A silver portal materialized, and figures with fur, tails, claws, and wolf-like ears in human form stepped out. An army of these beings, each with different eye colors, surveyed the world with mild interest and curiosity.

The Vampire King sliced his palm with his left fingers, allowing blood to flow. He turned his hand in a precise motion, and the blood changed shape, forming a red magic circle. Activating the crimson inscriptions on the ground, he summoned creatures with pale skin, long sharp nails, sharp fangs, and red eyes from a red portal, introducing them to the world.

***

From a two-dimensional perspective, the sight was terrifying – a massive black heap that could have covered everything from the observer's point to the horizon if this world were not at least ten times larger.

A closer look revealed that this mass of black was composed of people, separated into six different sections. In each section, individuals sat in the legendary Chinese meditative lotus position, while others lay on the ground, gazing up at the sky with blank stares.

The mana density in this separate space was over two hundred times thicker and denser than in the outside world. Therefore, the leaders decided to strengthen their foundations by studying mana.

(Hint: Mana... a topic for future exploration.)

Hours passed unnoticed as they delved into their studies, until the holder of this space finally revealed himself.

Space distorted not far from where everyone was resting, prompting them to open their eyes. What they saw was a bronze-colored portal spinning in the open space.

Finally, the one they had been waiting for had arrived – the Inscription Master.