As expected, several staff members were already present at the secret base, but their expressions were somewhat sad. The moment they saw Meredith, their faces showed more hope than joy.

"leader!"

"You're here!"

The staff members ran over as they were talking, but were yelled at by Blatt.

"No time! Get out of the way!"

The staff, suddenly reminded, quickly made way. The group weaved through the staff and headed towards the deepest room in the secret base. At the same moment, they noticed something unusual. Near the door ahead, a large number of Isonia birds stood staring at the door, motionless, without exception, emitting a cry that resembled mournful wailing.

"They flew in from various branches a while ago. Even if we asked them to help deliver the message, they wouldn't move... but it's not their fault."

The reason for the interruption of regular communication was revealed, because they all gathered here, as if they were worried about something and did not move.

And there is only one thing that can make them so concerned...

The ominous premonition made Meredith shudder, and at this moment, the deepest door opened.

There is──

"!? Tim!"

The captain of the messenger team, Tim Rocket, was covered in wounds, and it seemed as if the flame of life would burn out at any time.

Meredy's face changed drastically and she ran towards Tim who was lying on the bed. Oscar and Naz, who had met Tim before, also ran over with serious expressions.

He was in a very miserable condition, with his whole body wrapped in bandages and plaster casts all over his body.

And it wasn't just Tim who was miserable. They also saw Cream, who had lost her wings, sleeping beside his pillow.

Tim and Cream were so badly injured that it was incredible that they were still alive.

There were a lot of empty bottles of recovery medicine on the table nearby. It was obvious that the companions in this branch were desperately trying to keep the dying Tim and Cream alive.

"Sister Mei!!"

"Leave it to me."

Hearing her little sister's cry for help, Mei responded immediately.

A bright light burst forth like the morning sun, illuminating the secret underground base in an instant. The scene was like the sun rising before our eyes. It was a light that symbolized hope.

"I will never forgive anyone who made this child cry, no matter who it is—Jue Xiang."

Anything that cannot be identified should be rejected, even if it is a certain phenomenon.

The word "recovery" is simply not enough to describe it. It is the power that allows one to "regenerate" even what they have lost, even if they are on the brink of death, as long as they are still alive.

The magic of the Age of Gods blocked the scythe of the Grim Reaper!

Not to mention Tim's injury, even Cream's wings were gradually taking shape as if time was going backwards.

"T-Truly astonishing..."

It was Blatt who blurted out these words, and they expressed the feelings of all the branch staff. Everyone's eyes widened, shocked and speechless.

The almost divine scene finally came to an end.

The light of dawn faded along with the miraculous time.

After a beat.

“Wu, wuwu, huh?”

"Tim! It's me, Meredith!"

"Leader?"

Tim's eyes peeked out from between the bandages, full of confusion, and then Cream also made a confused sound, "Gululu?"

Everyone in the secret base breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, that's right, Tim. I'm the leader. Look, Ao and Xiaonai are here too. This is your first meeting with Mei'er, right? She saved Tim and Cream."

Meredith held Mel's hand tightly, with a tearful expression on her face, and kept saying, "That's great, we made it in time."

"Thank you, thank you, Sister Mei!"

"Haha, you're welcome."

Mel used her free hand to stroke Meredith's head, comforting her.

Tim stared at the scene for a long time.

"Thankfully, Tim and Cream are okay."

"What exactly happened?"

After being asked this by Oscar and Natsu, Tim's cognition seemed to catch up with reality. He took a breath and opened his eyes.

"Chief, something terrible has happened. Now is not the time for pleasantries."

Tim ripped off the bandages and sat up, while Meredith jumped in surprise.

Although everyone around him opened their eyes wide in surprise, Tim ignored them and shouted:

“How long did I sleep after that…Ahh, damn it!”

"Wait, calm down, Tim! It's okay! It's safe here—"

"This is a serious matter!"

Tim interrupted Meredith, and with despair and sadness in his eyes, he stated the truth.

"The Raison branch has been attacked. It's already—collapsed!"

Tim's voice echoed in the secret base.

Meredith's eyes widened, Oscar and Nez's faces drained of all color, and Mel's gaze narrowed. A biting cold wind blew through everyone's hearts.

Prequel 03 Chapter 2: The New Age of Gods Magician

In the dim cave, there was a beast that made no secret of its murderous intent.

It was a large wolf, about the same length as a man, sniffing the ground or the walls, as if searching for something.

After searching for a while, the wolf's nose responded.

“…Gurgle!”

Its growl was filled with ecstatic emotion.

The dark red beast's eyes gleamed with murderous intent and appetite as it stared straight at the wall in front of it.

Then, it exerted force with its front legs, ready to bite the foolish prey that was trying to escape its sense of smell by being clever... at that moment.

"The light of judgment illuminates my sword—the 'Light Blade'!!"

The wolf had no time to leap back.

Because at the moment of attack—in a sense, the moment when the prey is most vulnerable—the greatsword seizes that moment and thrusts out from the ground. Moreover, the greatsword is enchanted with auxiliary system magic that increases the power of the slash, which is impossible to use in this place.

The wolf was powerless, its abdomen pierced. No, its body was split in two by a reverse guillotine, spinning in circles in the air.

The body of the branch family fell to the ground almost simultaneously, making a sickening sound. The pool of blood gradually spread, and the light in the giant wolf's eyes disappeared.

After a pause, the ground where the greatsword had pierced began to move, and a hand grew out of the soil.

The scene looked like zombies crawling out of a cemetery.

"Good, the surprise attack was a success."

Only a vibrant voice was heard.

A tough-looking man, about forty-five years old, emerged from the ground while spitting out sand and dirt from his mouth.

His physique is enormous both vertically and horizontally, a true giant. A seasoned warrior, he possesses a commanding presence yet a touch of humor, a man who captivates the senses.

The man patted his short black hair, which was streaked with white, to shake off the dust while speaking to the wall.

But that's not because he's some pathetic middle-aged guy who talks to imaginary friends.

"Hey, you guys can come out now."

I saw a part of the wall gradually breaking apart like an eggshell.

“…Ugh.”

A small figure stumbled out from behind the wall.

"Hey, Ruth, are you okay?"

Ruth didn't answer. He lay on the ground, looking not well at all.

A young girl, also emerging from behind the wall, rubbed Ruth's back, trying to ease his discomfort. This girl had chocolate-colored skin, golden hair, and emerald eyes. Despite her youth, she possessed a certain allure. She was Sixia.

"That's no wonder, since Ruth used magic several times in the Rasen Canyon."

"That's right."

The man was Marshall Diamond, captain of the executive force of the Liberators' Lassen branch. After listening to Sixia's explanation, he looked at Ruth with a smile.

"Actually, Ruth is really amazing, and the rock face is camouflaged perfectly."

"He doesn't look like he's only twelve. Compared to him, I'm so mediocre... wuwu."

The wall next to and opposite the wall where Ruth and others came out also collapsed, and two more men walked out with expressions of admiration on their faces.

One of them was a tawny-haired young man in his mid-twenties, with no distinctive features; the other was an ape-like man with long arms and legs and a long tail, prone to grumbling. The former was Tony Owen, the latter Ivy Morgan. They were both Marshall's subordinates and members of the Lassen branch.

Ruth gave them a thumbs-up after receiving praise from the members of the execution team. However, being on all fours caused him to lose his balance, and he ended up in an embarrassing position with his face on the ground and only his butt sticking up.

So why are they doing this?

Simply put, it is to expel the monsters that have entered the branch.

The "Lesin Branch" was originally the base of operations for Milady before she met Oscar. It is located near the border between the [Beruka Kingdom] and the [Grandart Empire], and exists at the bottom of the [Lesin Grand Canyon].

At the bottom of Death Valley, where magic dissipates, even a pioneering force like Snowbell's would find it incredibly difficult to establish a branch there. Originally, this place wouldn't even be a candidate, but for Meredith, it was a familiar place to some extent; after all, she was "Lessen."

The attackers couldn't use magic, but Meredi could. This was her home turf, so she built it herself. She used gravity magic to dig through the bank and then excavated the cave, a method that relied on brute force.

However, thanks to the artifact Oscar sent, although the range and effect are limited, other companions led by Ruth can now also use magic.

Anyway, because it was such a place, regardless of the attackers, it was not uncommon for monsters from Laisen to accidentally enter the cave.

"Captain Marshall, thank you for allowing me to come along."

Sixia lowered her head, let down her golden hair, and thanked Marshall.

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's not a bad plan, so I should be thanking you."

Marshall said this with a wry smile. His subordinates shared the same expression, for they understood Marshall's feelings perfectly.

In fact, the operation just now was based on Sixia's proposal. She didn't mind using herself as bait. Her courage was really astonishing.

It's a well-known fact that Sixia and Ruth have recently been actively pleading with everyone to allow them to participate in the "Exorcism" operation and absorb various knowledge. Honestly, their growth rate, determination, and ambition have surprised even adults.

"Alright, there's no more demonic presence. Let's go back. Come, Ruth, I'll carry you."

Marshall squatted down in front of Ruth, but Ruth didn't react for some reason. Seeing the determined look in his eyes, he knew he was not unconscious.

"...Captain, look at that."

"Um?"

Ruth's eyes were fixed on the cave's exit. Following his gaze, Marshall also looked in that direction.

"A rat?"

White fur could be vaguely seen behind the rock. Although the small shadow quickly turned and slipped into the crack in the wall, a mouse was indeed visible.

"Where did he come from? It's really rare..."

Sixia tilted her head in confusion.

Indeed, in the [Lesin Grand Canyon] where ferocious monsters roam, it is suicidal for ordinary animals to live here, so there are almost no ordinary animals.

But there are still a certain number of rats, bats, lizards, etc. They either come down along the shore or breed in crevices or caves.

The caves in the Lethen branch, where humans live, are especially suitable places for them to live.

So it was natural for Sixia to feel doubtful when she saw how concerned Ruth was.

"No...it might be my imagination, but..."

Ruth began like this, but she couldn't seem to let it go.

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