—The wastelands in the southern Akinashi Domain.
"Is the handover of a special-grade grimoire truly happening in a place like this, yes?"
She sounded dubious. Linlin Raafan, a brown-skinned girl with her black hair styled in double buns, furrowed her brow as she addressed the black-clad figure kneeling behind her.
"We have confirmed that all the grimoires circulated on the black market are genuine special-grade items. Furthermore, we have verified that Rosemary Loto Amelia, First Princess of the Holy Amelia Kingdom, is staying in this city, and that Lost Forest, the world's largest magic syndicate, and Akegarasu, the most terrifying assassination syndicate, are massing around the Akinashi Domain."
The subordinate answered with measured gravity.
"So the Three Great Underworld Powers are fully assembled, yes. That practically guarantees the truth of it, yes."
A grimoire desperately sought by the three greatest organizations of the underworld... This was no ordinary struggle for a magical tome. It was no exaggeration to call it a war to determine the future sovereign of the underworld.
"What are your orders?"
"What will we do? That's obvious, yes. We kill them, yes. Anyone who opposes our Tao Family will be cut down, leaving not a single blade of grass behind, yes!"
Linlin's rallying cry echoed across the southern wastelands of the Akinashi Domain, and the group in black moved silently into action.
—The mountainous region to the north of the Akinashi Domain.
Screams echoed through the air. A lone operative marked with a snake tattoo was bound to a chair, his entire body pierced by countless iron spikes.
"Tch, to think a mere errand boy for some kingdom count would try to horn in on a clash between us Three Great Powers."
A slender, blond man wearing baggy crimson robes, a tattoo of a sun and a crow etched onto his right cheek, and small, round spectacles developed by an otherworlder—Oboro—spoke in a buoyant tone to the dying Snake Blood operative.
"K-k-kill... me..."
To the Snake Blood operative pleading for death,
"Huh? As if I'd let ya off that easy."
He replied, his voice dripping with malice.
"Boss, everyone's in position."
A male confidant dressed in the same blood-red, baggy clothes as the round-spectacled Oboro announced that preparations for the slaughter were complete.
"Now then, ladies and gents, what begins now is the battle for the throne to decide the true king of the underworld. Only one shall stand victorious.
Who's gonna be the one to win, eh?!"
Oboro cupped his right ear with his right hand and shouted.
"It shall be us, Akegarasu!!"
Stamping their feet, they bellowed at the top of their lungs.
Oboro nodded with satisfaction several times before continuing.
"We are kings. And kings must be merciful. Only kill the resistin' amateurs cleanly!"
"Yeah!!"
"Then what about you lot in the same trade?"
Oboro placed his hand to his ear once more.
"An agonizing death!!"
Men and women in baggy robes screamed so fiercely their throats threatened to tear.
"That's right, no mercy for those in our trade. Slaughter every last one of 'em, women and children alike!!"
A roar rose into the night sky, and the group in baggy clothes marched into the Akinashi Domain.
—The forested mountainous region to the east of the Akinashi Domain.
A group wearing pointed hats and green robes observed the city from within the forest.
At their center stood a girl with the appearance of a twelve- or thirteen-year-old. She was none other than the leader of the world's largest magic syndicate, Lost Forest—Alice Renren Lorelei. A former member of the Lorelei royalty, she was an unconventional mage who had been exiled from her homeland after dabbling in the supreme taboo of immortality in her pursuit of magic.
"The highest-tier dark magic grimoire... It contains legendary dark magic on the level of ancient manuscripts."
No matter how hard she tried to suppress it, sheer delight seeped into her voice.
Light magic and dark magic. Both were considered spells of the mythic realm, representing the absolute pinnacle of the craft for any mage. And this was the highest-tier dark magic among them. Acquiring that magic could truly be called the ultimate culmination of a mage's journey.
"It appears Akegarasu and the Tao Family have also joined this struggle."
"This is the one battle we cannot afford to lose. We will claim the grimoire by any means necessary!"
"Understood!"
The green-robed mages saluted in unison and began infiltrating the city of Akinashi one after another.
Thus, the curtain slowly rose on the nightmare orchestrated by the monster.