Legacy of the Dark Sage

Based on the information from Oceanus, the Blade Dancer Clan's Immigration Office was situated on a floating platform just outside the periphery of the plane's defensive barrier.

Its location was not surprising since most large clans had the same arrangement. Doing so allowed them to deal with unexpected situations concerning troublemakers entering their plane without the risk of them escaping into the city.

This arrangement was particularly beneficial for Kyran. If the office were located in the city, he would have trouble blending in with the crowd immediately after leaving. This was especially true when he was actively concealing his aura.

He was well aware of the presence of large Array Formations in every major city inside a plane, each with unique formulas that could potentially expose him if he was not familiar with their effects. Thus, if the level of that array were high enough to detect his concealment, then he would be exposed the moment he stepped out of the office.

Ogen Clan was a neutral faction. Though they were a medium-sized clan, their information on the Blade Dancer Clan could only be considered so-so— it was not as extensive, to the point that they had information on what the Blade Dancer Clan's city array formations do.

At least, if the office was outside the plane, Kyran had time to observe while blending into the space outside. He might have to deal with the plane's barrier, but since it was outside if a worst-case scenario happened— where his presence was discovered by The Emperor— he could warp without having to worry about being trapped inside the plane.

Kyran's resourcefulness shone as he used ready-made short-distance transmission arrays to move from one blind spot to another. While it would have been easier to teleport, he was mindful of not leaving any remnant magic energy whenever he used the Void. So, he resorted to this move, a strategy that others might have considered a huge waste of resources.

But Kyran, with his Void magic, was able to use only the magic energies in the surroundings to create them, making it a cost-effective and efficient solution.

Of course, Kyran could not create the transmission arrays on the spot because that would leave Void traces. He created them during his free time on their way to the Junction Port.

Like the marks Kyran used on the Blade Dancer mages at the receiving area, the ready-made short-distance transmission arrays he possessed were limited and thus, he had to be careful when using them.

Kyran recalled the maps of the Blade Dancer plane from his memory and confirmed his location. Once he got a rough idea of where he was, he made his way toward the transport area where mages visiting the plane using transport ships were being checked.

After observing the clothes of one of the visiting mages, who disembarked their transport ships to talk with an Immigration Officer, Kyran changed his coat according to their uniform. He left his hiding spot, went past them, and entered their transport ship while nodding at one of the security mages checking a few cargo boxes.

The security mage looked at him and nodded his head in response, not even realizing that he was not part of the visiting mages.

After waiting for a few minutes, the visiting mages and their transport ship were given clearance and allowed to enter the Blade Dancer plane.

Meanwhile, Kyran hid in one of the empty compartments at the back of the ship, which was close to the storage. He waited until the transport ship docked at its destination before slipping out when the visiting mages opened the storage to take out their goods.

While Kyran was staying at the compartment, he discovered the visiting mages were merchants delivering imported Alchemy materials. To be honest, he was tempted to take some of their materials. But thinking of the aftermath that would follow made him stop.

There was no point in having the Blade Dancer Clan security tighten their security in case of theft. That would only make it harder for him to move around.

Kyran did not leave the port at once. He first observed the clothes of some of the walking around outside before changing into another attire. He also changed his facial features and hair color before blending into the crowd.

After walking around the port, Kyran learned the name of the port he arrived at was Port Dusk. It was one of the biggest ports in the Blade Dancer plane located at the east.

Kyran recalled the map of the plane he got from Oceanus's information in his mind's eye and remembered the name of the city Port Dusk was located.

City of the Blade Chakram.

'This city is governed by the Chakram Blade House...' Kyran recalled with a frown.

It would have been nice if he arrived at the city governed by the Sound Blade House. In that way, he could gather information about their situation right away. But he ended up arriving at the Chakram Blade House, which was on the opposite side of the Sound Blade House's city.

In the end, Kyran decided to find a place to stay first. He had to get Leif, but before that, he had to make preparations. He also needed to contact Shiloh and Uilleam and tell them he had arrived.

It would have been nice if he could have extracted information about the current situation in the main mansion. However, they were supposed to be in a coma and should not have been capable of moving around. The information they could get was limited to what the servant mages mentioned when looking after them.

Kyran found an establishment that rents out a full-house lodging. He picked a house near the city outskirts, far from the residential district.

The mage accomodating him was looking at him strangely. But after seeing he was not a local, he dismissed it as Kyran being a socially awkward visiting mage.

Kyran did not care what the mages around thought of him. He simply accepted the map provided by the mage through his tablet and left after receiving the access rights to the lodging.

It did not take long for Kyran to find the house.

The house itself was not that big, with two bedrooms and a connecting living room and kitchen. However, it had a nice porch overlooking a small garden. Since the house was rented out, it was maintained properly. It was also fully furnished, and Kyran only had to worry about food and other daily necessities.

Of course, those things were not Kyran's priorities. They were not going to stay for long anyway.

Kyran entered the room to the right and started his preparation to bring Leif there. Since he wanted to maximize his time, he contacted Shiloh and Uilleam while working.

But then.

FOOOOM!

Kyran felt a cold chill run down his spine as a frightening pressure enveloped the whole place. He initially thought a powerful mage had come to the lodging without bothering to hide his pressure.

However, he soon realized that the pressure was not affecting the lodging alone. It actually spread all over the city. In fact, he had an inkling that the pressure had covered the whole plane. He felt that way after finally recognizing the pressure.

'This pressure... it's coming from The Emperor!' Kyran thought cold sweat trickling down his face.

He stopped whatever he was doing at once in case The Emperor suddenly used his Divine Sense to see the everything in the plane.

What Kyran was working on might not leave any Void traces, but the fact that he was creating a transmission array targeting a specific location might pose a risk if The Emperor felt or recognized it.

'Why is The Emperor suddenly releasing his pressure?'

As soon as this question flashed through Kyran's mind, he sensed another presence that made his blood run cold.

'This... no way!'

His eyes widened in shock as he looked toward the direction where the presence was slowly becoming evident.

'Why is he here?'

*

The Emperor used his movement spell and arrived directly where he sensed the familiar presence. His face distorted as soon as he saw the silhouette of his prey hovering above the Blade House Inner City.

"To think that you'd come to me directly... Is it bravery? Confidence? Or, simply stupidity?"

The figure hovering before him did not say anything. He only looked at him under his black hood while the air around him crackled. It was as if a small movement from The Emperor would result in him using his magic to warp away.

The Emperor narrowed his eyes. He only had a glimpse of his Void mage prey back in the Land of Desolation because he kept on teleporting whenever he got close. Right now, he confirmed that the figure before him had the same stature as his prey. However, there was something different.

The vigilance his prey had shown back when he was chasing him was not there. Then again, his prey's vigilance might have been due to his life being in danger while escaping from his pursuit.

Crackle! Crackle!

One after another, the executives of the Blade Dancer Clan arrived and surrounded the figure in black.

The figure, who did not react when The Emperor had appeared finally reacted. He tilted his head, which allowed The Emperor and the others to have a better view of the lower half of his face.

A sinister smile appeared on the figure's face as he said, "It's been a while. How have you been? Lucian."