Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1066: A Better System?

Inside the Light Faction, there was a small village surrounded by vast fields mostly used for growing crops. It wasnʼt large by any means and had a small population of a few hundred people. The lives of the people were peaceful to say the least. It was one of the few villages that didnʼt have a clan representing it or providing protection to the local people.

Instead, it was primarily governed by the empire, with regular soldiers stationed to guard the area. However, because of its size, there were only a handful of soldiers, and since it was centrally located within the Light Faction, the village rarely saw any trouble.

Which had made it the perfect place, for two individuals.

Walking through the village was Henio, a light-blonde-haired man, and beside him, Red. There was a particular smile on Henioʼs face as he browsed the local markets.

He handed over more coins than necessary when trading for produce, and the villagers thanked him heavily before he continued walking.

”Are you going to complain, or what?” Red finally spoke up, breaking the silence. ”Your silence is killing me. Itʼs like when I was a kid, and my dad would say nothing. The torture of not knowing whatʼs going to happen or what my punishment is going to be.”

”Punishment?” Henio replied, tossing an apple toward him.

Red caught it with ease, inspecting the apple before biting through it, crushing it effortlessly.

”Why would I punish you? We achieved our objective. I have the item in hand,” Henio said calmly. ”You did your job.”

”Right, but it was a close call,” Red replied, wiping the juice from his lips. ”There were a few variables I didnʼt expect. Who wouldʼve thought heʼd be here?”

”An old friend of yours, the one who looked like you?” Henio asked, his smile stretching wide, his eyes narrowing to slits. It was hard to tell if the smile was genuine or if it concealed something else something darker.

”I figured as much. For a while now, someone has been visiting several of our bases. They come and go like a flash, accessing our databases and servers.”

”Our programmers were scratching their heads, suspecting it could only be someone from Tronzo. If the two of you were to fight, could you handle him?”

Red didnʼt answer right away. He recalled his last encounter with Zon-the strange yellow energy in his suit. There was no doubt Zon had received some kind of upgrade.

”Yes,” Red said, after a pause. ”Thereʼs something he doesnʼt know. The entire Red Fortis army runs on the same system. The captain is strong, powerful, and can utilize the system to its fullest potential.”

”Heʼs a natural talent, just like me,” Red continued, ”but in the end, they saw me as the more talented one. My system is slightly different from Zonʼs-you could say Iʼm the new and improved version. So, he has no chance.”

”New and improved,” Henio repeated, staring at his apple as they neared a well at the center of the village. ”The way you people from Tronzo talk really interests me. Iʼm sure if your captain ever learned the truth, heʼd be heartbroken.”

Henio flipped the strange paper-like bag upside down, letting the red apples fall into the well with a soft plop.

”I expected disturbances, so I waited on the outside. What I didnʼt expect was for the Light Faction to be so useless in all this. To think, the one causing trouble for the Grand Magus and Alter is a Dark Mage of all things-it takes me back.”

”Whoa, look at you, talking about the past, Grandpa,” Red joked, glancing around. ”Is that why you let him get away? Because you two at least have that in common?”

Henio mostly ignored Redʼs jab, waving his hand over the well.

”Are you coming?” Henio asked, motioning toward the opening.

Hearing those words, Red quickly scanned his surroundings. The people around them appeared frozen in place. No one paid any attention to them, and almost nothing moved. Every time Red saw this, he was impressed. A person with this kind of power could change anything they wanted. They could take whatever they desired. So, why, in the position Henio was in-being in charge of Alter-was he still working at the orders of others?

For the Deleters and the other high-ranking officials, they answered to Henio, not the ones above him. They had no idea what Henio was truly planning, but it was this power-and the entire Alter organization-that had drawn Red toward them.

Red leapt over the well and dropped down into the opening below. Henio followed soon after. Moments later, life in the village returned to normal, the stillness vanishing as if nothing had happened.

Close to the center point where three factions met, in the large mushroom-like base covered by greenery and surrounded by distant cliffs, a mystical array of colors flickered. An opening appeared in one of the massive trees.

Red was propelled out of the tree and stopped himself from falling, and Henio followed shortly after.

”Weʼre finally back,” Red said, his voice tinged with excitement. ”And weʼve got the Golden Globe. So, weʼre finally going to meet these bosses of yours, right? Theyʼre coming over here to Pagna, correct?”

”If all goes well,” Henio replied, walking past him.

The two continued until they reached the bottom of the large tree-like base. The doors opened easily, but as soon as they entered, several men and women in white suits rushed over. ”Programmers on the first floor, whatʼs going on?” Red asked, his brow furrowed.

”Sir!” one of the head programmers spoke, his shoulder marked differently from the others. He knelt, fist on the floor, refusing to meet Henioʼs gaze.

”Things have been chaotic since you left. We donʼt know how to plan the landscape of Pagna anymore. Nearly all of our agents in Alter, based in the Dark and Demonic Factions-theyʼve been eliminated!”

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