CHAPTER 197: THE AFTERMATH

The cries of panic and shouts of confusion rose around them.

For a moment, Gabrant thought a nearby volcano had erupted and felt his stomach tighten.

Then his arm was grabbed, hard.

He turned and saw Quintus’s face pale and stiff with fear, his eyes bloodshot with tension.

"This...! This feels like that time!"

"What? Isn’t this an eruption?" Gabrant demanded.

"No! It’s the awakening of an ancient magic circle!"

"What? The one from Dalmasca? You mean it’s happening here?"

"There is no mistake!"

"Then we must act immediately! I will lead the troops. You rally the knights!"

Quintus didn’t even pause to answer before barking orders at his aide.

"First and Third Divisions, secure the palace and its surroundings! Fourth Division, defend the capital! The Fifth Division is stationed in the northern mountains, yes? Good. I will personally lead the Second Division to the site. Tell the Knight Commander to take full command of the operations!"

"Yes, sir!" the aide snapped before sprinting off.

Gabrant had already finished giving his own orders to his own aide.

Time was critical.

Speed and mobility mattered above all.

He ordered the main unit to head straight to the site and assigned the rest of the divisions to guard the palace and the capital.

As for himself, he would not wait for the troops—he intended to go ahead at once.

After confirming his aide had rushed off, Gabrant sprinted toward the military stables.

When he noticed Quintus running in the same direction, Gabrant shot him a sharp question.

"Quintus, Dominic is in the Second Division, isn’t he? Why are you leading them instead?"

Quintus glanced sideways at him, a sharp grin tugging at his mouth even as they ran.

"Dominic was with Shiao Yi. Those two are probably already there ahead of us."

"Why? Wasn’t he supposed to be at the magic stone factory?" Gabrant demanded.

"It’s Shiao Yi’s special power," Quintus replied quickly, not slowing his run. "He can use something like a transfer magic circle instantly. It’s called teleportation. He and Dominic were the ones who destroyed that ancient magic circle before. There’s no way they would fail to notice this disturbance. I’d wager my life—Dominic is already at the scene."

Gabrant was so shocked he stopped in his tracks.

A special ability? Dominic had never said anything about such a thing.

He stared after Quintus as the man ran into the knights’ quarters.

Dominic... already at that place where that terrifying torrent of magic was raging?

He had read the reports on the ancient magic circle at Dalmasca.

It had been a frequent subject of debate at the council meetings when discussing Dalmasca.

And now, could the same kind of runaway phenomenon be happening here—while Dominic was right in the middle of it?

Without wasting another second, Gabrant rushed to the royal stables.

He mounted his own horse, the powerful black stallion named Nightblazer.

The horse was larger than most of the horse, with a white star-shaped mark on its forehead. Fierce-tempered, yes, but brave and steady, a trusted companion who had never faltered in battle.

Nightblazer thundered forward, undaunted by the shaking ground or the oppressive waves of magic that pressed down on the city.

Gabrant urged him on, galloping at full speed through the capital toward the source of the swelling power.

Along the way, he encountered messengers sent by Aaron.

From them he confirmed the exact location, then ordered them to relay the information to the knights and soldiers who would be following behind.

He himself pressed on ahead, spurring Nightblazer faster.

If Dominic had already realized what was happening, then surely MVundo would have realized it too.

There’s nodoubt by now Mr. Vundo was gathering mages and heading toward the site.

The defense of the capital and the proper handling of the situation could be left in their hands.

For Gabrant, the more urgent matter was Dominic’ safety.

The place where the old noble estate had once stood was now nothing but a barren wasteland, it was littered with rubble and earth, the mark of terrible destruction.

The ground sloped inward toward a central point, uneven ridges of earth radiating out in a pattern like cracks.

At the very center, the ground bulged slightly, as if something beneath was pressing upward.

Beyond the wasteland, here and there, twisted blue-black beasts writhed.

The knights had already rushed to the scene and were battling the monsters to hold the area.

Gabrant turned his horse in that direction, searching for Dominic among the chaos.

But instead, by the broken base of a massive stone pillar—likely the remains of the mansion’s foundations—he saw a man.

The man was covered in dust and dirt, but his long silver hair was unmistakable.

He was seated on the ground, staring blankly at the bulging center of the wasteland as if in a trance.

"Aaron?" Gabrant called out.

At the sound of his voice, the man’s shoulders jolted violently.

For a moment he remained frozen, then suddenly collapsed forward, pressing his face and hands into the earth.

And then he began to weep—loud, raw sobs tearing out of him uncontrollably, as if he could no longer restrain the grief within.

"Aaron. What happened here? Did you see Dominic?" Gabrant demanded, his voice sharp.

"Shiao Yi... Dominic... it’s my fault! Aaaahhh!" Aaron screamed, crying violently.

He was incoherent, only sobbing and wailing and Gabrant’s frustration boiled over.

He grabbed Aaron by the front of his tunic, hauled him up and slapped him hard across the face.

"Explain what happened! Crying won’t tell me anything!"

Aaron hiccupped and sobbed but somehow began to force out words between tears.

"When the fragments of the ruins were combined... the giant magic circle began to activate... and then, Shiao Yi and Dominic appeared... appeared..."

"And then what happened?" Gabrant barked.

He shook Aaron, rattling him so hard his head nearly snapped back and forth.

Aaron finally began to speak again while choking on his words.

"They broke through the barrier of the magic circle, into the center... Dominic fired his magic discharge into the hole that opened into the demon world, and Shiao Yi pushed it down... the magic circle, the fragments, the floor, the ground—everything—was being sucked in together into the opening. It happened so fast... layer after layer peeled away, covering them, collapsing on top of them, dragging them down, with Dominic and Shiao Yi inside... down into the earth... aaahhh! Shiao Yi! Dominic!"