The Devil’s Cage

At dawn, the temperature on Alcatraz Island dropped to its lowest point.

The changing of the tides spread the thick brume inside the reef cave and caused the temperature to drop even lower than outside.

Even the Dark Star Society members could not withstand the cold and started two campfires to warm up.

Those who had just returned from two continuous battles with outside invaders looked even more exhausted than normal.

The invaders were like ants to them. Each Dark Star Society member could crush them to death.

A sea of ants could kill an elephant though, and the invaders possessed more strength than an ant.

All the invaders were special individuals with a particular set of skills. If their number increased, even the Dark Star Society would not underestimate their combined power.

Dark Star Society members understood the situation very well. By choosing to follow Frostrill, they were risking their status as Dark Star Society members.

The island was under attack, and they had no reinforcements to call in. Worrying about the strongest shaman on the West Coast and their former leader Serdenk, who might launch an attack against them, it took a toll on their mental health and made it drop to a new low.

As the flames of the campfire danced, bright light shone on their faces. Every member of the Dark Star Society had a serious expression that reflected their feelings.

One of them was different though, and that was Frostrill.

As the group’s leader, he was sitting beside the campfire calmly. He seemed like he was not worried about the desperate situation before them.

As he glanced around at his men, he saw the seriousness on their faces. It was exactly what he was feeling himself.

Frostrill started to feel anxious when Gilfren Hatch did not return and the greedy invaders kept launching attacks against them.

He knew he needed to stay calm to avoid anything bad happening though. He didn’t want the men he had recruited from the society with such effort to take any action against him.

He knew the sheer pressure from Serdenk and Nikorei alone would be too heavy for them. Any misstep could cause them to rebel.

”Men, these goddamned days will be over soon. Our ally will be back with that fricking ass, and a new era will start. I will ascend to my rightful throne, and everyone here will be able to witness the glory and bright future our new power will bring!” Frostrill said as he stood up, looking at his men one by one.

His words were not fascinating, but they cut into the men’s very core right away.

As his words faded, the men stood up and cheered for their new leader.

Benefits and wealth was what every single one of them was after. They pledged their loyalty to Frostril once more, looking at him to lead them to their envisioned future.

The heavy atmosphere turned merry and lively with cheers in an instant.

The flames burned even brighter with their chanting, and the bright light enlarged the men’s shadows a couple of times. Their shadows looked tall and long, swaying around like dancing snakes and creeping vines.

...

Frostrill’s motivational words resonated with his men, and their cheers and chants could be heard clearly from inside the hall, where the bronze coffin was. Kieran, who was hiding in the shadows, smiled coldly. He was eager to see whether Frostrill would remain that calm and motivational if Serdenk or Nikorei appeared.

Kieran focused on the magic isolation circle as a grenade appeared in his hand.

He pulled the pin out and threw the grenade into the circle.

The mystical power of a magic circle was huge, but that did not mean that it was indestructible, even if it had been drawn with a defensive purpose.

The spell that invoked the defensive mechanism could be extremely powerful, like the one Trumbo had used, but the magic circle itself could still be easy to destroy.

Boom!

The explosion destroyed the magic circle and blasted the floor to bits.

Sparkling powder spread around and instantly made the shadowy hall turbid.

Kieran switched the [Tessirot Blessing] with [Paul’s Conceal], and using his Musou Level [Undercover], he disappeared in the sparkling, dusty mist.

A dozen of nervous footsteps rushed into the hall. Frostrill’s face had turned a solid green color.

He knew what was happening without a doubt.

The sparkling dust flying around was obvious enough. The magic isolation circle he had drawn had been destroyed.

Who else on the island could and would destroy the magic circle he had set up?

Kieran!

There was no proof of his claim, but Frostrill’s instinct made him completely sure.

”You two find that damn rat! The rest of you follow me!” Frostrill yelled at his men as he took big steps towards the bronze coffin.

He could not wait anymore. He had to open the coffin right away.

Frostrill had no idea what had happened to Gilfren Hatch, but considering that Kieran had reappeared instead of his ally, he had to quickly decide his next course of action.

He was glad that he had prepared a safe place in case things went south.

Although he could not dodge Nikorei’s sight for a long time, this would be enough to delay her.

With sufficient time, Frostrill was confident that he could open the bronze coffin by himself.

At that particular moment, Frostrill had no intention of using Kieran’s hand to open the coffin anymore. He just wanted Kieran dead.

Kieran shared the same feeling. He wanted Frostrill dead as well.

A day ago, Kieran had clearly seen the hall where the bronze coffin was kept. The thought of killing Frostrill had come right after the thought of destroying the magic circle.

Yet the destruction of the magic circle had still been his priority. It was a no brainer, considering his habits.

Following his original plan, he had investigated the place where he had been trapped, which had been a dungeon under the island, hidden under the sea bed.

After Kieran had reached the end of the stairs, he had confirmed that he could get to the bronze coffin and other places.

Through some careful investigation of the hidden doors there, Kieran had also confirmed that, unless one could literally tear the island itself apart, no one could reach that place from the island’s surface.

Kieran had used the crystal ball to spy on Frostrill and his men and plan his next course of action.

He had been looking for a pattern in Frostrill’s troops’ actions and a chance to strike.

When he had seen that Frostrill and his men were exhausted from defending themselves against the invaders, Kieran’s original plan to just destroy the magic circle had been altered a little. It had seemed to him that there was room for improvement.

Kieran’s thoughts and actions had been in perfect sync.

He had packed up everything that he wanted to take with him, including but not limited to the books in the secret room, and gotten ready for the upcoming fight.

During the past hour, Frostrill had fought two battles against the invaders. It was the perfect opportunity for Kieran to strike.

He might not have any chance against Frostrill when he was in prime form, but if the man was exhausted, then there was a ray of hope.

Thanks to the destruction of the magic isolation circle, plus his mental and physical exhaustion, Frostrill’s mental state had to be affected. This gave Kieran even more hope.

He also had the [Hatch’s Curse], and the dagger boosted his confidence even more.

In the shadows, Kieran was holding his breath with utmost concentration. He was hiding his presence and killing intention, waiting as still as a rock for Frostrill to approach him.

He was very patient. He had been waiting a whole day for this after all. A few more moments would not hurt him.

Frostrill was getting closer to him. He was walking towards the side, where the bronze coffin was. That was also where Kieran was waiting to ambush him.

When Frostrill halted and his men tried to come forward to move the coffin, Kieran made his move.

He slid forward like a blurry shadow and instantly appeared behind Frostrill. The dagger, which was the size of his palm, approached Frostrill’s throat.

Frostrill’s exhaustion and concentration distracted him and made him slower. He did not even notice the dagger as it got closer to his weak spot.

As the coldness caused chills to form on his skin though, Frostrill was not as numb anymore.

Still, he had no intention of dodging. He did not even make the slightest movement.

An ironic smile formed on his face as he got ready to fight back and kill Kieran with one of his thunderous attacks. It was the only way to save face.

The memory of the doubt and astonishment on his men’s faces when the magic isolation circle had been destroyed was still fresh.

If it was not for his former reverence, Frostrill was sure that his men would have already turned against him.

He needed to redeem himself and save face if he wanted his men to continue to be loyal to him.

He had been waiting for such a chance as well.

As for the slight possibility that Kieran might pierce through his defense and harm him?

That was a joke. There might be some magical weapons that could harm him, but those weapons were too valuable to be in the hands of someone as weak as Kieran.

Even though Nikorei possessed such weapons and she seemed to be very fond of her assistant, Frostrill was sure that she would never give Kieran one of them.

So what was the dagger in Kieran’s hand then?

It was probably some kind of alchemy-produced toy. How could such a toy break Frostrill’s formidable defense?

Frostrill smirked in disdain at Kieran.

”This might be a good chance to capture 2567 and force him to open the coffin!”

The thought bloomed in the man’s mind.

Just as it was close to becoming action though, the gloomy dagger approached his throat, shining dazzlingly.

Frostrill’s seemingly impenetrable Force Field Barrier was pierced by the dagger like paper. His throat was stabbed, almost the whole body of the dagger going in.

Frostrill opened his eyes wide. He died with his eyes open.

Translator’s Thoughts

Dess Dess

What could Frostrill drop?