The Befallen Crown was perhaps the most powerful faction in the world. If it werenât for Queen Elisa and the Second Rank Phantoms, itâs quite possible they would have attempted to destroy the Citadel hundreds of years ago, and they might even have succeeded.
No other faction or territory in this world possessed such power or had as many members as they did.
The Renegades ruled over the Tarnished Lands, but only a deep part of it. They did not control every inch of land, but were rather carefree overseers who intervened only when something extraordinary occurred that could harm the entire Tarnished Lands.
They didnât even have a known leader. Someone held that position, but their leader acted only occasionally and did not seek control over the world or even the members of the Renegades.
The Old Light and the clans in the Primal Lands were also not a single major power. They had few members, though all possessed overwhelming strength and knowledge.
The Hollow Lands remained a secret to many. Only the K4-Phantoms knew of this place and the two main and only organizations there: Blade Eclipse and Dome Eclipse.
Because Adam had been in the Hollow Lands, he knew that Kaerno and Esâaha were the strongest monsters there. If necessary, they could agree and act in unison.
Potentially, these were among the strongest lands, though Adam did not yet know what the actual members of the Renegades and their secretive leader were capable of.
However, neither the Hollow Lands, nor the Tarnished Lands, nor the Primal Lands could compare to the Dark Shore, where there were two distinct factions.
Adam was familiar with the representatives of the first. The first time he arrived at the Dark Shore, two monsters helped him: Kenward and Saegar. They were the first Lords Adam had ever met.
Each of them was a True Lord, possessing the highest power level among monsters. Saegar had no organization. He was the ruler of his own territory and cared only for his people and their safety.
But Kenward was a completely different case. He was a member of the Free End, a faction that had no leader, no base, nothing. All members of the Free End were loners wandering the world. The only thing that united them was their ideology.
They believed the world should remain as it is. That the First Star and Last Star must collide and the World Wipe must occur, resetting the world time and time again.
But the Befallen Crown differed from all other factions, including the Citadel, the only home for humans.
The Befallen Crown were full of ambition. They sought power and complete control over the world.
The Befallen Crown had the largest number of members. Most of the Dark Shore was under their control, and their ranks included hundreds upon hundreds of Lords.
"The Befallen Crown?" Adam asked, looking at Aiden. "Why? How could they be the cause of the Zero War?"
Aiden rested his palm on the table, lost in thought.
"Theyâve long considered us humans a problem. Now that thereâs speculation that the next World Wipe might be the last, that this time the collision between the First Star and the Last Star will be so powerful it will destroy the entire world, the Befallen Crown decided it was time to act."
He slowly raised his head, staring intently at Adam.
"Their leaders believe that humans are the root of the problem. That if we werenât here, the Befallen Crown would have taken control of the entire world long ago, or at least been able to form an alliance of all monsters. They believe that in this way, theyâll be able to gather enough strength to withstand the next World Wipe, or even stop it."
As soon as Aiden spoke those last words, something in Adamâs gaze changed.
Strangely enough, one of the Befallen Crownâs potential goals coincided with his own. He, too, wanted to stop the World Wipe and was ready to do anything for it.
âNo, Adam, pull yourself together.â He shook his head inwardly. âThereâs nothing surprising about that. Iâm sure many who know about the World Wipe would like to stop it. But no one has been able to do so yet.â
Then, Adamâs expression grew more serious.
"So, are you saying that the Befallen Crown wants to use the World Wipe merely as an excuse to finally get rid of all humans and take over the world?"
Aiden nodded.
"Something like that. Of course, there are many more details youâll learn later, but basically, yes. However, Adam, you mustnât forget that these are all just possibilities. Maybe the next World Wipe will be no different from all the previous ones, and the Zero War wonât happen."
In response, Adam frowned. He didnât like the conclusions his mind had reached at all.
"But even you canât be sure of that? And yet you believe more in the possibility of seeing a Phantom equal in power to Damien than in this?"
Aiden spread his arms wide.
"Unfortunately, thatâs true. Iâm not giving you any guarantees, Adam, but youâre one of the most talented pretenders on my list, even though you ended up here by accident. You have to move forward and get stronger, for my goalâs sake and for your own."
For Adam, it wasnât the best way to put it, but if the Zero War could actually happen, Aiden was right.
Aiden folded his fingers in front of his eyes.
"Still, I let you come here for another reason. I decided to tell you all this so youâd understand the situation better."
"Agh?"
Aidenâs eyes grew brighter.
"I will help you reach the barrier of the First Circle, Adam Vinter. You have only one condition left to create the Third Grand Star, donât you?"
Adam nodded.
"Bottomless Void."
He decided to answer immediately, to test the limits of Aidenâs mind and his knowledge.
"That is the name of my final condition."
Aiden blinked slowly.
"Very good. That is more than enough."