The black sun hangs high

Chapter 207 "The Right to Choose"

"General Boots, would you mind if I took care of some potential threats lurking around you?"

The moment Hughes uttered those words, the Iris Guard who had been lurking beside General Boots took action. He drew his Demon-Slaying Silver Blade and lunged forward, aiming directly at General Boots, who was sitting in the armchair.

The turn of events was so sudden that neither the other Iris Guard nor the mage advisor standing next to General Boots could react immediately. However, the moment Hugh used the Black Sun Scepter to recognize the other party's identity, he had already prepared a response.

As the magic runes rapidly formed, a sturdy magical barrier instantly separated the Iris Guard, who had already joined the Black Sun Society, from Boots. A buzzing sound rang out as the sword forged from Magna Silver collided with the magical barrier. The Magna Silver's inherent properties began to take effect, and the magical barrier hissed under its strike.

But this brief obstruction successfully bought Boots time. The manager of Iris Street showed his decisiveness as a soldier. He leaped forward, got off his chair, and when he got up, he had already grasped the crystal gun he carried with him.

"Don't be impatient."

Hugh's voice came from the side. At the same time, an extremely unsettling and terrifying aura erupted in the reception room. Countless tentacles covered with hard black keratin suddenly rolled out from the void. They rushed forward and instantly sealed off the space around the Iris Guard, cutting off all his escape routes.

In the Kingdom of Delan, although the Iris Guard are extremely powerful swordsmen and veterans, they are still far from being as skilled as the sword-wielding hermits of Merlinle. Against ordinary mages, they can indeed gain an advantage with their equipment and skills, and even kill their opponents with a quick attack.

However, Hugh was not a "traditional" mage.

Both the lethal methods he used and the combat experience he possessed were far beyond what ordinary spellcasters could match.

The Silver Blade of the Grim Reaper swung incessantly in the hands of the Iris Guard, attempting to cleave or repel the black tentacles approaching him. However, the Kalron Tentacles were no longer what they had been when Hugh had first acquired them. The black keratin covering their surfaces had long since acquired astonishing toughness and hardness, and the Silver Blade of the Grim Reaper alone could not successfully break through this layer of protection.

Watching the figure struggling to stay afloat amidst the encirclement of the Touch of Karl, Hugh silently shook his head.

He still vividly remembers the humiliating chase he endured in the city of Seren...

As a member of the Black Sun Society, this Iris Guard had obviously witnessed some so-called "miracles" firsthand. Therefore, the moment the Touch of Calron was summoned by Hugh, he was already plunged into deep despair.

Under Hugh's manipulation, a tentacle successfully broke through the defense line built by the Iris Guard with its long and short swords. The sharp segmented limb suddenly thrust forward, but was successfully blocked by a semi-transparent arcane barrier that appeared just before it was about to hit his body.

This appears to be some kind of protective measure that the Black Sun Society provides to its members.

The member's face began to tremble violently. He seemed to have made some important decision in an instant. Then, Hugh saw the man suddenly raise his hand under the protection of the shattering magical barrier and stuff something into his mouth.

"Ok?"

Hugh frowned, because at that moment, he suddenly sensed an aura that was extremely similar to that of the Dark Abyss offspring.

The next instant, the protective barrier shattered under the continuous impact of Karron's Touch. Then, several black tentacles with sharp limbs rushed forward under Hugh's merciless command, piercing and lifting the target's body with extreme ferocity.

Logically, this sudden battle should have ended there, since one of the tentacles had completely pierced the body's chest. However, Hugh did not relax. Although he remained seated, the mist of the Messenger in the Mirror had already filled his eyes.

In Hugh's magical vision, the Iris Guard, who had just swallowed something, was undergoing an extremely strange transformation.

General Butz, who had escaped death, was about to speak when he saw the humanoid figure that had been successfully pierced by Karl's Touch suddenly begin to change drastically. Everyone present saw that the human body, which was originally dripping blood, began to "melt" at an alarming speed. In the blink of an eye, its skin and flesh were covered with a nauseating black color, and a suffocating, strange smell began to spread in the room.

After a brief two breaths, the Iris Guard's body had completely turned into a disgusting mass of dark "mud," which fell from his pierced clothing and crashed heavily onto the floor of the reception room.

The next instant, the clump of mud began to "reshape" at an eerie speed. In the blink of an eye, a terrifying black figure appeared before Hugh and the others. It looked extremely similar to the Iris Guard who had just been "killed" by Hugh!

In this situation, General Butz once again demonstrated his accurate judgment. He silently moved behind Hugh, using the young mage as his "shield."

Although the magic that Hugh had previously displayed was equally terrifying, it at least showed that he had the ability to deal with and handle the current emergency.

Having undergone a transformation, the Iris Guardian still possessed human thought. The constantly twisting mud-like humanoid looked down at its own body, seemingly feeling extreme horror and pain at this change. Immediately, a piercing scream came from within its body.

The sound was extremely piercing and unpleasant, even enough to impact a person's mind and magic. The other Iris Guard standing at the door of the reception room was affected by this strange shriek and fell into a brief daze. As a result, the clump of mud immediately surged and rushed towards the direction of his former comrade.

Unfortunately, whatever it wanted to do, it was destined to fail.

The moment the humanoid form completed its transformation, Hugh had already confirmed its essence through his magical perception. Although Hugh did not know the exact composition of the "drug" that the Black Sun Society distributed to its members, it could indeed transform a living person into something similar to a Dark Abyss offspring in a very short time. Unlike those offspring who pursued feeding and hunting, this transformed monster seemed to still possess its original intelligence and consciousness.

Hugh was determined not to let this special and precious "sample" escape from his grasp, so the mist from the Dark Abyss Palace immediately surged out from under Hugh's feet. Before the monster could touch its target, the black wave had already reached its side and quickly climbed up its flowing body.

The Mirror Messenger's power against these magical creations was once again perfectly demonstrated. The flow of magic was forced to stop, and the circuits in operation were forcibly severed. Meanwhile, the Touch of Karron, which had been waiting nearby, swiftly moved forward and, under General Butz's trembling gaze, instantly shredded and disintegrated the already crumbling humanoid form. Immediately afterward, the Mirror Messenger's mist rapidly activated, absorbing all the power and memories of this newly born and frail offspring.

As the mist gradually dissipated, only a few slowly writhing black fragments remained on the ground. Hugh raised his eyes and winked at the mage advisor who was standing there dumbfounded. The latter shuddered; he had sensed an aura of death that Hugh had just cast that he could not withstand. So he immediately obediently summoned a ball of magical flame and threw it at the debris.

In the flickering firelight, General Butz asked in his somewhat hoarse voice, "What...what is this?"

Hugh waved his hand, dispelling his hideous magical abilities.

He then slowly stood up and looked at Butz beside him: "If you're asking about the monster I killed, then I can assure you that it was a close relative of those 'sludge' creatures in Seren City... It was transformed through the ingestion of some special drug. Although weak, it possessed intelligence far exceeding that of ordinary monsters. You could even consider it a person wearing a monster's skin."

He paused, then continued, "And if you're asking about the guard from before, then my answer is—he was one of the 'spies' planted here by the Black Sun Society… General Butz shouldn't need me to explain the name Black Sun Society too much, right? After all, you should have been in contact with them before the armistice celebration."

"To be precise, it should be called cooperation... I offer certain members of the society shelter in the city of Seren, and in return, they are willing to help me transport some things and push for Seren to join the Kingdom of Delan."

Boots did not deny it, and he spoke frankly about his past relationship with the Black Sun Society. Then, with a dark expression, he said, "But I never knew that this wild mage society could have such a great influence!"

At this point, the mage from the Legal Committee said in a low voice, "I've also heard of the Black Sun Society, but I remember it was just one of the most ordinary wild mage societies on Merlinle's wanted list."

"That's in the past."

Hughes sighed: "The current state of Seren City and the war that is taking place outside are all the work of this so-called 'wild mage society' you mentioned... The royal families, political circles, and even the Legal Committees of various countries have long been infiltrated by the Black Sun Society, which is also an important reason why the Black Sun Society has remained undetected."

The recent events and Hugh's words had a significant impact on Boots and the others.

Now, even if they don't trust Hugh, they have to accept the facts before them.

The situation in Iris Street and Seren City was far worse and more complicated than they had imagined, and the young mage before them indeed possessed magical abilities far exceeding those of ordinary spellcasters.

As for the relaxed demeanor that Hugh displayed when casting spells and killing the monster, it instilled in Boots and the others the idea that within the closed city of Seren, probably no one was more adept at handling this situation than him.

Hugh took out his pocket watch, glanced at the time, and then returned to his original calm and indifferent demeanor.

"Alright, General Boots... I've shown you what you wanted to see, and I've answered what you wanted to hear."

He shook his cane: "Now, it's your turn to give me an answer."

"Do you want to be the savior of the survivors in Seren, or the 'food keeper' of those monsters...? Do you have an answer now?"

When he said those words, Hugh didn't even try to control the magical mist flickering in his eyes. Although his posture was relaxed, it was filled with a strong sense of aggression and threat to onlookers.

Looking into the pair of eyes that shimmered with an eerie black mist, Boots felt a chill run down his spine. He finally realized the biggest mistake he had made today: meeting this young man in such a confined space with only a handful of people.

Boots' face twitched violently twice, then he spoke with difficulty: "What, have you given me the chance to refuse?"

Hughes grinned: "Ha, General, of course you can refuse... after all, the decision is always in your own hands."

Yes, the choice is indeed in Boots' hands.

But he must also bear the consequences of his choices, a simple truth.

Intuition told Boots that if he made the wrong choice at this moment and gave Hugh Ernst an answer he didn't want to hear, he might very well follow in the monster's footsteps. After all, judging from the magic used by this young man, there seemed to be a power within him that was even more ruthless, bloodthirsty, and brutal than those monsters.

"Don't worry, General. You can still rule Iris Street, and you are still the manager and protector of the survivors here... I will only offer advice and will not interfere with your specific decisions. After all, I am just one person, so you don't need to worry or be too afraid."

With that, Hugh clicked his pocket watch shut and put it in his pocket: "In my opinion, Iris Street's plan to expand its territory can be stopped. Your efficiency in clearing out those monsters is not high, and the expansion of the territory will also increase your defense and patrol burden... Shrink the defensive line as much as possible, consolidate the districts that are already under your control, do not disturb those monsters, and do not cause unnecessary deaths and sacrifices."

He stared at Boots and said slowly, "Also, please stop using those children and old people as bait. They're just causing me trouble, understand?"

…………

Another year older, SAD.

Tomorrow, my partner and I are going back to our hometown to pay respects to our ancestors. Since we're in the mountains, the signal might be extremely weak. Although I'll be bringing my laptop to write, I'm not sure if I can update regularly. Just letting everyone know in advance!
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(End of this chapter)