I opened my eyes and found myself lying on the sofa, my laptop resting on my belly. I had fallen asleep on the sofa and just woke up.
I looked at the clock and saw that I had only slept for an hour. I turned my head to the window and saw that it was already nighttime—around 10.
My stomach was protesting for food. I went to the kitchen to cook, but when I opened the fridge, it was empty.
I facepalmed at the sight. I had forgotten to go grocery shopping.
With a sigh, I took the coat hanging by the door and went outside.
"Sh*t, I forgot my wallet."
The wallet in question was a sack brimming with gold ingots.
Market Area. Magic lamps glowed, illuminating the bustling market of Orario. This certain market was just one among hundreds scattered across the city.
Even though night had fallen, the city remained as lively as ever, truly a sleepless city that never sleeps.
"There are still too many people at this hour."
I walked on the rooftop, watching the crowded streets and stores below. Witnessing the crowd, my will to gather supplies waned.
There were too many people for my comfort, and they were far too loud for my taste. That's why I always avoided going to the market as much as possible. I always threw the shopping responsibilities to my trusted AI, and if there came a time I had to go, I'd wear a noise-canceling headset before stepping out.
I sat on the roof, watching the scene below. Inwardly, I debated with myself whether I'd go or not.
While I was thinking, I noticed a girl being forcefully dragged by three men, a mile away from my location. The market area was three miles in radius, so that incident was still within it.
'Why are there so many rapists in this city?' With a sigh, I used Creation Magic and materialized a gold coin marked with a Sharingan.
I formed an electromagnetic field around my arm, then flicked the gold coin. The field launched the coin, transferring powerful kinetic energy into it.
The coin flew like a bullet, its speed and lethality akin to that of an anti-material rifle. It struck one of the thugs in the head, killing them cleanly and instantly.
As soon as I saw them dead and the girl safe, I turned my head away.
With a reluctant sigh, I went down and entered one of the stores.
A few minutes later.
"This should be enough for two weeks. What kind of drinks should I buy—juice or soda?"
Somehow, this world had soda. This kind of drink came to be when an alchemist accidentally created carbonated water. Of course, the sodas here had different flavors than those on Earth.
I walked out of the store, carrying the food I had bought. I was about to head home when, suddenly, an explosion erupted in the distance.
Panic began to spread through the surroundings.
People ran in all directions, heading toward their homes or any safe place.
I watched them calmly.
An old man walked beside me, looking toward the direction of the explosion. Smoke began to rise, and fire burned wildly, casting an orange glow over the site of the blast.
The old man said calmly, "That's the Magic Stone warehouse."
I turned my head toward the old man and recognized him. He was the one who owned the store. My eyes narrowed upon seeing him—after all, I could sense that his store gave off the same feeling as Pantheon.
"Old man, you're too calm in this situation."
"It's just age, my boy. Just age."
"Yeah, yeah, age. Can you watch my groceries for a moment?"
The old man gave a thumbs-up.
Seeing this, I didn't hesitate and vanished from the spot, reappearing on a rooftop.
I leapt across several rooftops until I reached the tallest building in the area. Several explosions erupted again, and multiple plumes of smoke started to rise.
On the roads, adventurers were clashing with a group of people wearing black robes. I could see them everywhere within the market area I was in.
A couple of meters away, I saw a robed man charge toward a shop. Then he exploded, bringing devastation to the shop and its surroundings. Half the store was destroyed.
People ran everywhere. Panic began to consume them, ignoring everything around them. But amidst the chaos, there were also some who remained calm. These people began to control the situation and tried to evacuate the others in an orderly fashion.
People in robes were running amok in the city, sacrificing themselves and detonating bombs carried on their bodies. They showed extreme madness.
I watched this wickedness from the rooftop calmly. In my senses, many people were dying—old, young, men, women, and even children—none were spared. They were being slaughtered, raped, or blown to pieces.
With a flick of my fingers, my clothes morphed into golden light and vanished into my storage space. At the same time, a new set of clothes replaced them. When the light subsided, it revealed my new look.
I now wore a long, hooded black cloak with a high collar and a hood that cast my face into shadow, concealing it from prying eyes. This shadow wasn't normal—it was formed from shadow magic, easily manipulated by me. I could use it to hide my face, defend, and even attack. This shadow was a special magical ability of the cloak and only one among countless others. These abilities were all sealed, waiting to be released. Of course, the shadow ability was an exception—I had already unsealed it upon using it.
The cloak had golden lines and a violet inner layer for dramatic effect.
Underneath was a sleek black tunic resembling a combat suit, with golden trims.
Tactical black gloves, black pants, black boots with reinforced toes and heels, and a black belt.
At my waist hung a black long sword. It had a matte black surface that didn't reflect light, but shimmered subtly when viewed from certain angles, like starlight in the void.
A black crossguard, slightly swept downwards like a raven's wing mid-fold.
Inlaid with a glowing sigil at the center.
Its hilt had a metallic core wrapped in leather, long enough for one- or two-handed use. The grip was unnaturally cold, attuned only to my magic and presence. Its pommel was a black gemstone, akin to the endless void.
And a simple black scabbard.
After donning the black outfit, I bent my legs and leapt into the air, launching myself like a ballistic missile. My movement was soundless, unnoticeable—like a ghost.
My ayes turn red and a mysterious pattern begun to form within.
The beautiful full moon in the sky began to change. Its golden hue turned crimson. A mysterious and unique pattern materialized on the moon, giving off an eerie and dreadful atmosphere. The pattern was a 12-pointed star with six magatama within it. When traced with lines, it formed a six-pointed star.
The crimson glow of the moon illuminated the entire world—both the day and night sides—casting its light upon all.
Multiple powerful beings from the Sovereignty looked up at every moon in the universe with different reactions, but all showed only calmness or curiosity.
On the other hand, all the powerful beings in the Old World and the gods in Tenkai displayed horrified expressions upon witnessing the phenomenon.
Fear began to creep into their souls, but even so, they forcefully calmed themselves. They knew they were safe—after all, beings such as the absolutes and those beyond couldn't enter the Old World unless they sealed their powers. And if they tried anything, the worlds would erase them on the spot. So they continued what they were doing.
The Sovereignty, meanwhile, didn't give it a second glance and simply ignored it. They felt the overwhelming power behind it, but in their eyes, it was only average.
But they didn't know that this power could threaten them all—once fully released.