Fire Mage-Chapter 688: Doomsday Avatars

Chapter 688: Doomsday Avatars

Charles’s eyes narrowed. "And what’s this? A secret deal with an organization called the Divine Order?"

He stopped and gave Benedictus a long, hard look before stepping closer.

"It’s been a while since I heard that name. Why would a Life Church Cardinal ally with an evil group like them? Hm... It seems the relationship is mutual."

The Cardinal opened his mouth to refute, but the words evaporated before reaching his lips.

"Oh? Count Vossenburg is a member too? Interesting. I had planned to use you for my own ends... but I’ve changed my mind."

Without hesitation, Charles cast [Purple Consciousness], beginning to erase the Cardinal’s memories.

Though Benedictus briefly regained awareness and attempted to fight back, Charles gave him no chance—he followed up with [Burning Thoughts], severing his mind’s resistance.

A moment later, Charles unsheathed his sword again and struck.

Both of Benedictus’s hands hit the floor, blood pooling around them.

"Didn’t someone say he didn’t want to stain the floor with blood earlier?" Runeth commented dryly from behind.

"I had planned not to. But after learning he was tied to the Divine Order, I decided to dig deeper. I’ve encountered that group multiple times, yet I still haven’t uncovered anything concrete about Project Z... or Edhen’s Children’s real motive."

Charles pressed further into the Cardinal’s inner world. One by one, hidden memories surfaced.

The first to catch his eye was information about specific high-ranking members within the Divine Order cult: the Doomsday Avatars.

They had infiltrated nations long ago, holding positions of power equal to that of kings. Some were already ruling kingdoms and quietly amassing forces.

Even the newly crowned monarch of Arc Kingdom was a Doomsday Avatar—his strength on par with a Legendary Powerhouse.

The word Avatar immediately brought Sasha and the Fate Professor to Charles’s mind.

Wait a second... The Divine Order members in Miracle City didn’t try to kill everyone—they wanted control. Their goal has always been total eradication of life on this plane, hasn’t it? Then why would they aim to rule instead of destroy?

He remembered Sasha’s attempt to take over Rhea.

Could it be that the rulers of other kingdoms have already been replaced by them too? Just what are these bastards planning?

A grim look settled on his face.

As he dug deeper, Charles uncovered more: the Cardinal had been conducting human experiments—fusing humans with nightmare creatures to grant them temporary strength.

He had ventured into the Nightmare Realm seeking a powerful ally and stumbled upon something far more dangerous.

Nightmare Soldiers.

The process resembled the Warlock Method, but with catastrophic side effects.

Fusing with a Nightmare Creature granted a human enhanced abilities, strength—and even fragments of the creature’s memories. But over time, the creature’s will would take over, turning the host into a mindless humanoid beast.

Still, even an ordinary human could maintain rationality for up to two years post-fusion.

Seeing a chance for profit, the Cardinal had begun mass-producing Nightmare Soldiers, selling them to nobles like Count Vossenburg.

With Ethan’s territory now in the Count’s control, human experimentation had become disturbingly easy.

So far, over 200 Nightmare Soldiers had been created. Another 5,000 were already on order.

A large-scale war? Charles frowned in confusion.

After thoroughly erasing most of the Cardinal’s memories, Charles gripped his neck and snapped it with a brutal twist. The body twitched briefly before going still.

He dragged the corpse out into the yard and flung it beyond the forcefield.

For a moment, silence.

Then chaos.

"My God!"

"Murder!"

"Call the guards!"

As Holy Knights and priests drew their weapons in panic, the civilians shrank back in fear.

"Tell the Life Church—this is what happens to those who oppose me," Charles declared coldly.

At that moment, Mary stepped forward, sword drawn, eyes blazing.

"What about my father? Where is he?!"

"Oh? You must be Reynolds’s daughter," Charles said, eyeing her for a moment before shaking his head.

"He’s gone. I tried to save him... but he didn’t make it."

"Y-YOU!"

Mary’s eyes burned red with rage.

"You killed my father too?!"

She enveloped her blade in a crimson aura and slashed at the forcefield.

But it didn’t even flicker.

She struck again and again—then dropped to her knees, tears falling freely.

"When you become strong enough to challenge a Legend Rank," Charles said calmly, "come find me at the Rebirth Tower. You can try to avenge him then... if you’re powerful enough."

With that, he turned and returned to the living room.

"She’ll hold a grudge," Runeth muttered.

"I’ll tell her the truth when the time comes. If she knew it now, she’d go charging at the demons and die in some alleyway. I couldn’t save that greedy man, but I can still honor his final wish."

Charles let out a long breath.

"My work here is done. As much as I want to capture the Count and dig deeper into the Divine Order, now isn’t the right time. They’re already embedded deep in the world’s power structures."

"And if your theory about the Lawful Gods is correct, then Edhen is already under their thumb," Runeth said gravely. "All that’s left are the Azure Federation, Rogue Throne, Blood Empire, Iron Kingdom, and Miracle City."

"Anything could happen there, too," Charles replied. "I don’t know what the Divine Order is planning... but I’m going to ruin everything they’ve built—using this Chaos Era."

His eyes gleamed with cold fire.

"Let’s head to the Ember Kingdom and finish our business."

"I’ve been waiting all day for that," Runeth grumbled as he stood.

Charles raised a hand, manipulating false flame to create a swirling portal.

They then stepped through the portal and vanished.

...

18th August, Year 6418, Second Arcane Era

City Outskirts, Royal Hope City, Ember Kingdom

Two figures suddenly appeared more than two kilometers from the towering city, surrounded by an immense fortress wall.

One was a blue-haired young man. The other, a brown-haired middle-aged man.

"Hmm. Best not to use your wisdom power here, lad," Runeth warned, his gaze lingering on the distant city walls. "Unlike other kingdoms, this place houses many legendary powerhouses—and even one Demi-God."

Charles nodded silently. As he stepped onto the grassy land and made his way toward the paved road, he asked,

"Can you tell me more about the Nightwind Family? How many members do they have? Who is my grandfather? Who’s the Patriarch?"

"I figured you’d already gotten that information through the wisdom link," Runeth replied with a short chuckle. After a brief pause, he added, "Still, while I don’t know which branch you belong to, I do know a few things. Listen closely."

"The Patriarch of the Nightwind Family is an old man named Diego. He’s around 1,200 now. A cunning fox—dangerous, even by this city’s standards. To stay in power, he killed two of his brothers and crippled his younger sister a thousand years ago. Anyone from the Branch Family who shows promise beyond the average mystic either gets dragged into politics... or quietly disappears."

’Ruthless...’

Charles frowned, the corners of his lips tightening.

"Harry Nightwind—he was one of Diego’s victims too, wasn’t he?" he asked.

"Harry? Your biological father? That’s very likely," Runeth said, then nodded thoughtfully. "Eddie once told me Diego tried to eliminate him, too. Fortunately, Eddie joined the Withering Shadows early on. That saved him from the other assassination attempts—and helped him rise to Legend Rank. He could’ve cleaned house in the family... but chose to stay out of it. Said meddling in family affairs might cost him his life. Honestly, I think he’s just a scared cat."

’No... I think Eddie stayed out to protect the ones he cared about.’

Charles understood all too well. He’d made similar choices once.

’From what I know, the Patriarch and the Elders hold absolute control over the family. They wouldn’t dare touch the only Legend Rank Mystic otherwise. And if my info is right, the Patriarch might even be a puppet of the Truelords—doing anything to maintain his position.’

"How big is the family?" Charles asked as they walked the paved path. "And if Diego’s so twisted, why hasn’t anyone stood up to him?"

"There’s a strict hierarchy here—especially among noble families in the Ember Kingdom," Runeth began. "You need to know who truly controls this place. Three factions hold power over the kingdom."

"The first is the Royal Family faction—comprising royalty, some nobles, and powerful mages and mystics. They’re the strongest force and practically own the kingdom."

"The second faction includes five noble lineages called the Guardian Houses. Each house has deep roots, deadly secrets, and powerful trump cards. Even a Legendary powerhouse would think twice before crossing one."

Charles’s eyes sharpened. "The Nightwind Family is one of them?"

"Exactly. The Nightwind Family is a ’Margrave’ Rank Noble House—one of the five pillars."

"And the third faction?" Charles asked.

"The Cathedral of the Wisdom Church. This is their headquarters. Back when I lived here, they kept to themselves—but that’s changed lately."

’The Wisdom Church...’

"What about the other Guardian Houses?" Charles pressed. "And do you know anything about the Truelords?"