The League Headquarters...
After receiving a ton of warnings from their system, the headquarters fell into chaos.
The usual static blue screen had turned red. Bombarding the headquarters' central monitor were red dots that flashed rapidly and endless messages that kept popping up.
People were busy running around inside the building, reporting everything from one personnel to another. They were all desperate, trying to make sense of all of the crisis.
All the way back on the highest floor, a well-built man sat on his desk with closed eyes, listening to the chaos that occurred in this place. He caught footsteps approaching his office.
When they were close to the door, the man opened his eyes. It was as sharp as an eagle and as blue as an ocean. He had a brush-up haircut, and his jawline was defined.
The man didn't look particularly old. In fact, he looked like he was in his mid-twenties. But no one actually knew about his exact age. One thing they knew was he had been a chairman for 40 years.
"Chairman!"
His subordinate rushed into the office. Her breath was ragged. Drowned within sweat. Despite all that, she quickly regained her form after her superior requested a report from her.
Taking a deep breath, she explained the situation.
Ten minutes ago, they had received messages from all the outposts built around the Dimensional Rift, notifying them that their respective rifts had been cleared by unknown intruders.
All those messages came almost at the same time. And the last of them came from the Wonderland Rift's outpost.
The members tasked to guard the boss area were all killed. Some were found right at the entrance, some around the vicinity, and some inside the boss zone, probably chasing the intruders but getting taken down eventually.
Out of all the rifts, the investigation team found a corpse who was wearing a mask. The mask was similar to the assumed leader, who declared war on them a month ago. But plainer and less fancy.
The Indigo Society.
After listening to the reports, the chairman dismissed his subordinate.
He had never had a change of expression while listening to her. But now, after he was alone. He smashed the desk as hard as he could, breaking it or precisely tearing it apart as if it were a paper.
"You've done it..."
The chairman stood up, turned around, and looked at the cityscape. He was on the highest floor of the tallest building in Haven Liberty, making it possible for him to see the walls far away from the heart of the city.
At the same time, a shadow materialized like a mist. It bowed to the chairman.
"Go and find where they are."
At his words, the shadow vanished.
***
At the same time, somewhere in the Western Hemisphere, Indigo Society stormed one of the cities.
"S-stop! What do you think you are doing?!"
The horrified man was a city lord. Being someone with that title, he should be more charismatic and dignified. But in front of the masked man, he lost his character.
The position of a city lord wasn't something everyone could get. There was a requirement to be one; they had to reach the rank of Saint or Lord. However, since their numbers were very few, an Apostle or Grandmaster could be chosen.
This horrified city lord was, unfortunately, a Grandmaster. Compared to the masked man walking towards him, he was but a frog in the well.
Reaching for the Grandmaster's head, the masked man smiled.
"What am I doing? I'm just helping you."
The masked man's grip on the Grandmaster's head tightened. A black mist oozed from his palm, enveloping the Grandmaster in an uncanny shroud.
"I hope you have a sweet dream, Huantinco's city lord."
After the mist dissipated, the Grandmaster's eyes rolled back, and he fell unconscious. From the look of his chest going up and down, he wasn't dead yet.
The masked man sighed. He walked towards the window and observed the cityscape.
From where he stood, even though the building wasn't tall, he could easily spot the walls surrounding the city.
Rather than a city, it would be more appropriate to call it a small town as it was still in early development and the area was smaller than the average city. There weren't many infrastructures that could describe it as a city either. More than anything, it looked like a village.
Still, any settlement built, developed, and approved was called a city, regardless of size and infrastructure.
"This place is perfect. Reminds me of the old times."
When the masked man was reminiscing about the past, he was interrupted by the noises coming from beyond the door.
Creak...
A moment later, the door opened. Six people entered the room, now accompanying the masked man.
Turning around, the masked man faced them. His expression was as calm as still water. His violet eyes lit up briefly as he examined the six people.
"Have you moved everyone?"
They all nodded.
"Good. Make sure they're safe."
"Don't worry too much, boss," one of them spoke. It was a woman with glasses. "Because of you, we can occupy this city without damaging anything."
"Yeah. Your power is sure convenient. I've never seen that ability, though. Maybe it's a one-of-a-kind ability?" Another one chimed in. This time, it was the shortest guy among them.
"It's better if you don't know. Anyway, we're glad you're back, master!" The twins hugged the masked man.
The masked man smiled as he patted the twin girls' heads.'
"Right? It's been a long time, Marybelle, Anabelle."
"Oh my... I'm so jealous..."
Standing under the shades, a man with black hair was playing with a shadow ball that seemed to have its own life.
"I also want to be hugged by two lovely girls. But it's unfortunate I don't have a charming face."
The twins turned around. They stuck out their mouths at the man.
"Blee! You said it yourself. If you want a hug, then go have surgery, Astor."
Astor dropped to his knees dramatically, clenching his heart as though he had been stabbed by a spear.
"Kugh! You girls are so mean to me..."
The woman standing beside him shook her head. She had dirty blond hair and eyes as holy as a golden halo. She stepped out from the shades and looked at the masked man.
"Null..."
The masked man turned to face her.
"What's wrong, Noelle?"