Chapter 270: Calamities
"Get the Hunter Teams ready!" the Team Leader shouted.
Multiple Guilds were assembling all their hunters who were outside the Dungeons to handle the Monster Tide.
All Hunters below A+ Rank were tasked with maintaining the security of the cities, ensuring that nothing would go awry.
"ANNOUNCEMENT: PLEASE GET READY TO EVACUATE THE CITIES IF THE ALERT IS ANNOUNCED."
Announcements echoed through the cities closer to the borders where there was a risk of monsters invading.
Feelings of terror were seeping into people's hearts as the name Zephyr became etched in their minds.
At the same time,
"Did you see the posts on the internet?" Ria asked, glancing at Elena.
"It's not the time, Ria," Elena reminded her as they both looked at Kevin and Raelyn who wore expressions of concern.
"Sigh, I will have some people control the media, so don't worry about it," Reece assured Raelyn.
Ever since the Whiteheart's name had come out in the broadcast, people were blaming them for not stopping this unknown group called Zephyr.
In this moment, people were searching for someone to blame, and currently, that someone was the Elite Families.
Many were even exploiting this situation to instigate the masses towards certain groups.
They were sitting in the Whiteheart Mansion, waiting for Kamden to arrive and provide clarity.
"By the way, is your hand okay now?" Reece asked Kevin who nodded back at him.
Kevin had saved Elena at the last moment, injuring his hand in the process.
Before they could delve into the matter further, Kamden entered the Mansion and sensed the tense atmosphere.
"What happened?" Kamden asked, observing the room.
"We are concerned about the news that's circulating," Raelyn replied as she rose to her feet.
"You guys are still kids, so don't worry too much about all this," Kamden reassured them.
"Just focus on your studies and getting stronger, we adults can handle these things," Kamden advised, looking at Raelyn.
"I will be heading out, so I will arrange your transportation and security for now," Kamden announced before making his way to his room.
Time was of the essence, as they needed to make their presence known.
Dalton Rothschild and many others had already departed for Desmar, and Kamden didn't want to lag behind.
He needed to manage things in Desmar swiftly and watch out for anyone who sought to seize this opportunity.
At the Neville Head,
"Are you sure, Father, that this artifact will keep me safe?" Gavin asked, causing the Neville Head to frown.
"Why are you questioning the artifact that I gave you for your last birthday?" He responded.
Unexpectedly, Gavin interrupted him to ask something urgent.
He had assumed it was related to the Academy, or the fact that he had told him to work with Leonard Tarvian and maintain a friendly relationship. Still, Gavin was asking about an artifact.
"I don't think this dagger will be enough?" Gavin commented, showing him the dagger.
"It can cut even my skin if I don't protect myself with Aura, what else do you need?" the Neville Head queried.
He was an SS- Rank Hunter, indicating that the artifact was at least an S Rank Artifact.
"Will it really work on you?" Gavin questioned, leaving the Neville Head perplexed by his son's behavior.
He was familiar with his son's habit of bullying others, but this was the first time he had seen Gavin so preoccupied with something like this.
'Did the attack at the Gala scare him?' The Neville Head felt a twinge of pity, thinking that his son might have been intimidated by such an event.
"Hand it over," the Neville Head commanded, using his mana to pull the dagger.
"See this," He said, slashing a part of his palm. Blood began to seep out.
"You don't need artifacts inside World Academy, and you have such a powerful artifact. Don't bring shame on my name, Gavin Neville," He admonished in a slightly angered tone.
"Ah, I am sorry," Gavin apologized as he reached for the dagger.
'He's taking this dagger?' The Neville Head became suspicious of his son's movements.
Typically, Gavin would have had someone clean the dagger, but the Neville Head didn't have enough time to ponder this.
"I'll be leaving now, so make sure you follow the security and go directly to the World Academy," the Neville Head instructed as Gavin carefully took hold of the dagger.
"Okay, Father," Gavin replied, watching his father depart.
"Will this be enough?" Gavin wondered, observing the remaining droplets of blood on the dagger.
Far from Somaria, near the borders of Belvoria,
A massive monster, comparable to a 50-story tower, stepped onto the land. The ground around it began turning black and lifeless.
The monster opened its mouth, devouring the mana around it and leaving the surrounding land utterly barren.
Any monster or beast, anything that lived off mana, felt as though they had been stripped of their life essence and died.
A single horn grew on the monster's head as it turned back towards its mana region.
This SSS Rank Monster was currently absorbing mana to prepare itself adequately to venture out.
Not all calamities behaved the same.
Some were aggressive, some were not.
And this particular monster was gradually replenishing the mana it had lost over hundreds of years.
Though it had already absorbed the mana around its region, only one horn grew out of its head.
The monster raised its head, looking in a particular direction where it could sense the presence of another awakened SSS Rank Monster.
Suddenly, the mana around them began flaring. The SSS Rank Monster erased its presence, the black energy causing it to disappear and merge into the barren land it had created not long ago.
This SSS Rank Monster sensed that the other SSS Rank entity was somewhat stronger, so it concealed its presence.
Both of these calamities had become aware of each other but chose to ignore each other for the time being.
With their mana regions broken, they required a source of mana to feed from, and they could sense a significant concentration of mana at a distance from them.
The SSS Rank monster started devouring the surrounding land, as the full moon shone upon the barren land composed of black soil.
At this time, Belvorian citizens were instructed to evacuate from the Border Cities, as the risk was simply too high.
Their only piece of good fortune was that the awakened calamities were from the land, not the sea that surrounded the Belvoria Continent.
In the Main Teleportation Gate of Belvoria, a solitary man stepped out and instantly disappeared, floating above the city.
Farnus glanced behind and sensed the presence of multiple SSS Rank hunters following him.
To assist Belvoria, Osbert Tarvian, Xarax Hargrave, the Watson Family's SSS Rank hunter, and one of the Vice Chairmen of the World Association had arrived.
"It should start now," Farnus predicted, looking in a specific direction as he saw a faint red light beam shooting towards the sky.
One of the calamities had noticed their presence, despite the significant distance separating them, as they were making no effort to conceal their presence.
Everyone flew towards Farnus, who was gripping his spear in his right hand.
"I only need one of you; the rest of you can handle the other one," Farnus declared.
They had decided which SSS Rank hunter would take charge of what Continent.
Nathan and the Cranston Family's SSS Rank Hunter were in Fashia, while Dalton Rothschild and Silvus Grandus were teamed with the third SSS Rank Hunter of the World Association.
"Make sure that you keep the fight away from the cities," Farnus reminded them.
Each of them possessed the power to completely obliterate an entire city within a few seconds. If they weren't careful, the aftermath of the battle might be disastrous.