Fire Mage-Chapter 667: Commander Erwin

Chapter 667: Commander Erwin

’Still... it seems the fourth floor connects to worlds beyond Edhen. Up to the third, it was just Edhen. But now? It’s like multiple realms intersect here. Which means others must’ve passed through the same layers to reach this floor.’

As he walked toward the entrance, deep in thought, his eyes fell on the black-haired young woman in silver armor. If he hadn’t sensed the absence of a soul within her, he would’ve mistaken her for a real person.

"Agatha greets Mage Charles," she said, bowing formally. Her mechanical voice, though artificial, carried the tone of a young maiden.

"Guide me to Commander Erwin’s residence," Charles said, curiously observing her face.

"Yes, Mage Charles. Please follow me." She turned stiffly and marched forward like a disciplined knight.

They walked through the gate and down the concrete path. Charles tried to spark a conversation, but her responses were limited to "yes" or "no."

’Feels more like an AI... only capable of obeying one order at a time. No real conversational capacity. Compared to Zera, she lacks any self-awareness.’

Eventually, they reached the fourth street and stopped before a three-story, palace-like mansion. Charles noted that every street in the area converged toward this central square, just like the layout of the War Castle.

He stepped through the compound gate and was immediately struck by what he saw.

Homunculi. Everywhere.

The gatekeepers. Guards. Gardeners. Maids. Butlers. Even the chefs.

All were artificial.

His gaze swept over them with growing curiosity as he passed a marble fountain and ascended the mansion’s porch. Once inside the grand hall, his eyes locked onto a grey-robed man seated in the center.

The man appeared ancient—seventy or eighty at least. Wrinkled face, pale skin, long white hair. Frail, almost on the verge of collapse.

But despite his fragile appearance, Charles could sense it: a refined, unwavering aura of wisdom and power radiating from him.

This man was none other than Commander Erwin, master of the stronghold.

"A guest from another world, huh? I heard you wanted to meet me. Can you tell me why?" the old man asked, crossing his legs as his sharp gaze locked onto Charles.

As he approached, Charles took out a metallic badge etched with a vertical eye symbol and replied,

"I came here on Azgan’s orders."

He tossed the badge to Erwin and added,

"I’m also planning to explore the Soul of Graves."

Erwin’s expression flickered with surprise as he caught the badge.

"Soul of Graves? And when did you meet that ancient demon?"

He examined the ring-like badge closely, as if reading hidden text, then frowned.

"Hmm... you did form an oath through this ring. And the terms seem to favor you. That’s unlike Azgan. He wouldn’t agree to anything risky unless it were truly urgent—or important. Why are you so eager to head into such a dangerous place? If you’re not honest with me, I won’t be inclined to help you."

Charles’s thoughts flicked to an image—humans cloaked in robes marked with eye symbols—and he furrowed his brows.

"Before I answer that, can I ask you something first?"

Erwin was clearly puzzled but gestured calmly.

"Go ahead."

"Are you a follower of the Amber Church from the Edhen World?"

A faint smirk played at the corners of Erwin’s lips.

"Oh? You’ve done your homework. Not bad. I never told anyone I was from Edhen. So how did you figure that out?"

His eyes drifted back to the badge in his hand.

"Let me guess—you saw the eye symbol and connected the dots? But I wonder... are you truly from another world?"

His eyes suddenly turned golden, divine power rippling outward as he stared at Charles.

Charles could feel the power pressing in on him, subtly probing—testing truth from falsehood. Still, he remained calm.

"I’m from a world called Earth," he said plainly.

"Hmm. You’re telling the truth," Erwin muttered. "Which means you must’ve met a member of the Amber Church somewhere in the other layers."

Charles decided to raise the stakes.

"If you help me reach my goal, I’ll help free you from the Sacred Oath."

Erwin’s expression froze. Silence fell like a blanket. Then, without warning, divine energy surged and enveloped the entire mansion, sealing them off from the outside world.

"How certain are you?" Erwin asked, his voice now deadly serious. "This isn’t something to joke about. If you can really help us break free from that damned bird’s grasp, all of us—humans, demons, elves, dwarves—would owe you a debt beyond measure."

Charles didn’t waver.

"I didn’t come to this Layer on a whim. My main goal is the Sacred Oath spell model. Our goals align. If we work together, killing or capturing the Devil Crow isn’t beyond reach."

Before Erwin could respond, Charles added,

"I’ve already given Azgan key information. If he uses it well, he can lure the Devil Crow away from its base. To be precise, the Lord of Chaos himself will come out of hiding and fight the bird."

Erwin raised a hand to stop him.

"That’s enough. Give me an hour. You’ve dumped too much on my head at once."

"I’ll wait at my friend’s place for your answer," Charles said, and with a surge of crimson flames, vanished.

"Teleportation? No... He turned into flame before disappearing? What kind of spatial spell is that?" Erwin muttered, shaken by what he’d just seen.

After confirming Charles had truly left, he reached into his spatial ring and summoned a mirror. Channeling wisdom power into it, he activated the artifact.

Radiant light flared as the mirror revealed a dark, scaly horn.

"Hmm? Human mage? I was just about to call you," came a thunderous voice from the mirror.

The image shifted, revealing the colossal face of a Chaos Dragon—Mirigon.

"It’s been a while, Mirigon," Erwin greeted, wasting no time.

"Why did you give my Sacred Oath Token to that ancient demon? He used it to form a contract with another human—and sent him to me. That human said things... things that shook me."

Mirigon let out a low growl.

"I don’t know all the details. But Azgan’s here. Ask him yourself."

The mirror tilted, revealing a towering, winged demon with goat-like horns. He stood beside the dragon’s head, smirking.

"It’s been a while, Commander. What do you want to ask me?"

Erwin’s jaw clenched. He inhaled sharply, then asked through gritted teeth,

"That human... Charles. Is he telling the truth? Can he really kill that damned bird?"

Azgan shrugged.

"Maybe. Maybe not. I won’t know until I enter the Cave and see that thing for myself."

"That thing?" Erwin repeated, narrowing his eyes. Charles had intentionally kept it secret.

"Hmph. Seems he trusts demons more than humans," Azgan sneered. "I don’t blame him. After all, your kind was the first to betray this Layer’s true Lord and side with that filthy crow."

He paused, then added,

"Just help him. Give him everything he needs. Maybe... it’s time we finally struck back."

With that, he waved a hand, and the mirror connection shattered.

Erwin stared in silence.

"Neither the human... nor the demon trusts me. Hah. Not surprising, I guess."

With a sigh, he summoned ten more mirrors and activated each one.

Moments later, faces from various races filled the glowing mirrors.

"Human wizard? Why contact us now?" asked a cold, golden-haired elvish woman.

"If this is a trick, I’ll declare war on your base," snarled a pale-skinned woman with red eyes and a glowing blue third eye.

"Now, now. Don’t be so harsh. I’m sure he has a reason," said a sharply dressed man in a bowler hat, with red eyes and vampire fangs.

Voices of irritation buzzed through the artifacts until Erwin raised his hand and cleared his throat.

He looked straight at the red-eyed woman.

"The problem started at your base, Pale Knight."

"What are you implying?" she growled, the mirror trembling with her killing intent.

"Azgan is still in contact with the Lord of Chaos. And it looks like they’ve already set plans in motion to lure the Devil Crow and kill it." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"WHAT?! Have they lost their minds?! If they start a fight, we’ll be forced to side with that bird because of the cursed Sacred Oath!" Pale Knight roared.

Similar voices of alarm echoed from the other mirrors.

"Quiet!" Erwin finally barked. "Listen. I propose we ally with the Lord of Chaos. This is our chance to destroy that bird and break the Sacred Oath for good."

"Are you mad?" the elvish woman snapped. "We can’t defy a summon from the Devil Crow!"

Erwin chuckled.

"You underestimate me. The contract says we must respond if summoned. But what if we’re never summoned?"

"What do you mean?" asked Pale Knight.

"The crow uses the contract link to summon us yearly. What if we use a special artifact to weaken the link and isolate ourselves temporarily? If we block the signal, we won’t receive the summon. It’s risky, but if Azgan and the others manage to kill that damn bird, the contract becomes void—and we gain our freedom."

"Is it really possible?" Pale Night asked, his eyes filled with doubt.

"Well, theoretically, yes. Even if we fail, at least we’ll make that damn bird suffer a terrible loss," Erwin replied solemnly.

Though hesitation flickered across their faces, Pale Night, the vampire, and the Elven woman were the first to nod in agreement. One by one, the other commanders followed, cutting off all communication shortly after.

Once again, the main hall fell into an abrupt, heavy silence.