Chapter 80: Killing Other Garbage

Two hundred kilometers north of the southern region, a man in a black cloak sat cross-legged inside a desolate cave nestled between two arid mountains.

His face was both handsome and mature—at least, it would have been, if not for the sword scar that ran down the right side, marring his otherwise striking appearance.

His short hair was gray with streaks of black, and his well-built, slightly muscular frame was hidden beneath the black cloak he wore.

At that moment, a deep frown creased his brow as a sudden, inexplicable pain gripped his left chest.

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of blood spilled from his lips, and he gasped, clutching his chest.

"Damn it... What happened? Who interfered with the Demon Emperor’s resurrection?" His eyes snapped open, blazing with fury.

He glanced around the barren, lifeless surroundings—nothing stirred, not even an insect.

Taking a deep breath to suppress the pain, he began casting healing magic.

After a while, the pain gradually lessened, though it didn’t fully disappear.

"This makes no sense," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "The resurrection plan—an incarnation through Orlan Caltheron’s child—was supposed to be completely hidden. So how was it discovered, and more importantly... stopped?"

One question after another flooded his mind, but no matter how hard he searched for answers, none made sense.

"The old woman is dead too, which means the culprit knew about the Demon Emperor’s resurrection plan," he whispered, pulling a black, five-sided token from the pocket of his cloak.

A name was inscribed on it in an ancient, unreadable language—but it slowly faded, then vanished completely.

He clenched his teeth in hatred, his eyes flashing with rage.

"Let me find out who dared interfere with this plan," he growled, his voice heavy with menace. "No matter who they are, I—Lord of Death—will kill them!"

With that, he pressed his hands together and closed his eyes.

Whoosh!

A black aura seeped from his body, drifting into the air and filling it with a suffocating tension.

Moments later, the swirling darkness took shape, forming a mirror that hovered silently before him.

It was large and tall, matching the height of a grown man. The black-cloaked figure opened his eyes and fixed them on the dark mirror.

"Mirror of Death," he said coldly. "Reveal the one behind all this."

Buzz!

The mirror let out a faint hum. Its surface turned cloudy—then slowly cleared.

But instead of his reflection, it revealed a room bathed in soft pink.

At the center, a little girl with an adorable face lay fast asleep.

Beside her stood a tall young man, his forefinger resting lightly on her forehead.

He wore a black robe, and the aura around him was calm yet cold—like an invisible barrier that kept the world at a distance.

The black-cloaked man stared at the figure in the mirror. For a moment, his heart skipped a beat.

What? The culprit... is this young man?

He muttered in disbelief, eyes widening. He even rubbed his face, as if doubting what he was seeing.

At first, he had assumed that his plan had been thwarted by someone from the Imperial Palace—a powerful figure with overwhelming strength. But it turned out to be... just a young man?

"Wait a minute..." His body stiffened, and his gaze sharpened as he focused more intently on the young man’s face. His heart began to race once again. "That... isn’t he the sixth prince of the Great Velmora Empire—Nolan Lorian?"

Although he didn’t live within the Empire’s territory, he had gathered a considerable amount of information about the imperial family: Aldric, Cedric, Adalen, Seira, and several other princes and concubines.

And of all those names, the most familiar was Nolan Lorian. But Nolan wasn’t known for his achievements—his notoriety came from his reputation as a lazy and worthless prince.

"How could that be? Did the Mirror of Death really make a mistake?" The man asked, his voice laced with disbelief.

But he quickly dismissed the thought. The mirror had never been wrong since the day he first used it. There was only one conclusion—Nolan was the one responsible.

"How terrifying," he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Someone believed to be weak and useless... hiding such immense power. If the Imperial Family found out, it could plunge the empire into chaos. I also recall that the battle for the throne of the Great Velmora Empire began just a few days ago. One of the contenders was a princess named Elina Lorian—apparently, she’s related to Nolan Lorian."

His fists clenched tightly, and his jaw locked with rising tension.

"I’ve had enough. Since you, Nolan Lorian, ruined everything... I won’t let you live," he growled, fury burning in his chest.

"Oh? That sounds interesting. In that case, let me kill you first—so I can catch up with your friend."

A playful voice echoed from directly ahead, making his body tense.

He looked up—and saw Nolan staring back at him through the mirror, a mocking grin on his face.

"What?" The black-cloaked man flinched in shock. "You... how can you see the Mirror of Death?"

Nolan simply sneered. "Underworld Gate members really have a talent for asking the most annoying questions, don’t you?"

"You—!"

Infuriated by the mockery, the man growled in rage.

"Enough. Now die," Nolan said coldly.

He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his pupils had changed—one resembled a star, the other a blazing sun.

Whoosh!

Black flames exploded from every direction—left, right, front, and back—rushing in all at once.

"Argh!" The man screamed in agony, his body thrashing like a worm doused in salt.

"Impossible! This is impossible! How can you possess those eyes?!" He howled, half-mad with fear.

Terrifying possibilities swarmed his thoughts. With trembling hands, he pointed at Nolan in the mirror.

"You... are you the Singu—"

Before he could finish, the black flames devoured him completely, reducing him to nothing but ash.

To make matters worse, the flames didn’t die out. Instead, they surged outward, devouring the entire cave and the mountains surrounding it.

In just minutes, two mountains—each hundreds of meters tall—were reduced to nothing but piles of black ash.

...

"Tsk! What a troublesome guy," Nolan chuckled, lightly shaking his head.

When he turned to Alicia, he noticed the frown on the little girl’s face had gradually faded—a sign that the memory erasure of Melissa and Nina had worked perfectly.

"Good." Nolan gave a faint smile. "If everything’s in order, let’s go meet the Demon Emperor’s shard incarnation. I’m curious about the powerful figure who once plunged this continent into chaos."

With that, he pressed his middle finger to Alicia’s forehead. In an instant, both of his eyes lit up with a brilliant purple glow.