Chapter 14 : The Bait

Night gradually descended upon the continent.

The last remnants of sunlight slipped behind the jagged mountain peaks, leaving a faint crimson glow stretched across the distant horizon. An eerie silence had settled over the devastated land, as though some overwhelming force had swept through and carried away the very sound itself. Deep scars marred the earth like old wounds that had never healed, while shattered bones and dark, dried blood lay scattered across the cracked rocks.

The young man walked alone toward the Mist Rift.

With every step, the world grew quieter. Even the wind seemed reluctant to approach, leaving only the faint crunch of gravel beneath his shoes. Before long, a colossal wall of mist appeared on the horizon, stretching endlessly into the sky. It stood like a pale curtain separating two different realities, swallowing both earth and sky until the distinction between them disappeared entirely.

He continued forward without slowing.

A few moments later, the rift itself emerged from behind the veil of mist.

It was enormous.

Hundreds of meters wide, the colossal rift tore through the space like an ancient scar carved into the continent itself. Endless streams of mist poured from its depths, spreading across the ruined ground before gradually dissolving into the surrounding air. Against something so immense, the young man looked no larger than an ant standing before a mountain.

He stopped only when an invisible force blocked his path.

He extended a hand and stopped just centimeters away from an unseen barrier. The empty air rippled faintly beneath his fingertips, revealing the presence of a transparent wall that could neither be seen nor touched.

The wall of mist had never been created to keep intruders out.

It was an absolute, impenetrable barrier, while the rift itself served as the prison's only entrance—a one-way gate that allowed anything to enter but permitted nothing to leave.

This place was not merely a battlefield.

It had been built to imprison the corruption and prevent it from leaking into the outside world. The corruption beyond these walls had died with its master, but the corruption trapped within them had remained alive.

As for its true master…

He was still roaming free.

Like a lion wandering through a zoo filled with harmless herbivores.

The Great Ruler, the Demonic Spirit.

A faint smile touched the young man's lips.

“So…”

“Nothing has changed.”

He slipped a hand into his coat and pulled out an old yellow pocket watch.

It was the same artifact that had rung while he was eating at the little food stall in Clinton. Its worn copper casing reflected the pale light radiating from the rift as he raised it toward the invisible barrier and waited.

For a moment…

nothing happened.

Then the hands of the pocket watch began to move.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Each precise tick echoed with startling clarity through the absolute silence.

Golden light seeped through the tiny cracks in the ancient watch, flowing into the air like liquid sunlight. As the glow spread, the invisible barrier began to tremble. Intricate golden lines rapidly formed across its surface, weaving together into a massive magic circle.

Ancient magical symbols awakened one after another, rotating silently in perfect harmony before converging toward a single point.

A faint metallic groan echoed through the still air.

The completed spell suddenly shone with brilliant light.

Then…

a majestic golden door slowly took shape from nothingness.

The young man's lips curved into the faintest of smiles.

Finally.

He returned the pocket watch to his coat before placing his hand against the glowing door. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and slowly exhaled.

Damn…

I'm finally getting out of this place.

I'm going to need some time to wash my eyes out and purify them.

Unfortunately, his memories had no intention of granting him peace.

Countless images of grotesque, twisted faces flashed through his mind.

Memories of the years he had spent surrounded by horrifying creatures returned with vivid clarity, sending an involuntary shiver through his body.

Writhing tentacles…

Bodies covered in countless eyes…

And enormous three-mouthed creatures smiling at him while attempting to flirt with him in ways that were both bizarre and utterly revolting…

Damn it.

His face tightened with disgust.

Enough.

I don't want to remember that.

Without another moment's hesitation, he stepped forward.

Golden light engulfed him completely.

When the light faded, he found himself standing beneath a pitch-black sky.

Before him stretched an endless black sea.

Its surface was unnaturally calm. Gentle waves rolled lazily toward the rocky shore, their soft murmuring the only sound breaking the vast silence. The entire ocean seemed submerged in stillness, its peaceful appearance concealing depths far beyond comprehension.

The atmosphere is even quieter than last time.

He walked slowly along the shoreline, passing towering rock formations whose jagged edges had been worn smooth by crashing waves over countless centuries.

After several minutes, he reached the place he had been looking for.

A massive rock rose high above the coastline, overlooking the endless sea.

He climbed to the top and settled comfortably near the edge before touching the ring on his finger.

A faint pulse of mana traveled across its surface.

Several objects suddenly materialized beside him.

The first was a dark crimson cube covered on every side by intricate magical circles. Inside, behind its transparent shell, a thick, dark-red liquid churned violently, twisting and slamming against the walls of its prison as though it were a living creature with a will of its own, desperately seeking freedom.

The second object…

was an ordinary fishing rod.

Without rushing, the young man assembled its pieces with the smooth efficiency of someone with extensive experience.

A small flame of mana ignited at his fingertip, bathing the crimson cube in a warm golden glow. With an utterly steady hand, he carefully traced the paths of several of the outer magical circles engraved across the cube's surface.

One after another…

the seals began to unravel.

Crack.

Crack.

The outer formations shattered like fragile glass.

At once, the sharp metallic scent of fresh blood filled the surrounding air.

Inside the cube, the crimson liquid erupted into violent motion. It repeatedly slammed against the remaining seals, twisting and thrashing as though some living creature were desperately trying to tear its way out of its prison.

The young man watched without the slightest change in expression.

“Calm down.”

His voice was quiet.

Steady.

“You're not getting out of here.”

The blood continued writhing for several moments before gradually settling. Though it still pulsed with unnatural vitality, its violent resistance slowly faded beneath the weight of the remaining restraints.

Satisfied, he secured the crimson cube firmly to the end of the fishing line.

Then, with one smooth and practiced motion, he cast it into the sea.

Splash.

The crimson bait disappeared beneath the dark water in an instant.

The fishing line tightened as the cube sank deeper and deeper into the lightless depths, swallowed by the endless darkness beneath the waves.

Thousands of kilometers away…

Far below the surface of the ocean…

A colossal creature wandered across the seafloor as though the immense pressure of those depths did not exist.

The creature reached out a massive hand and seized a shark several meters long.

The struggling predator had no chance of survival.

Without even slowing down, the creature lifted the shark to its mouth and swallowed it whole in a single bite before continuing its silent journey through the darkness.

Then…

it stopped.

Its nostrils flared once.

Then again.

Something had reached it.

A scent.

Slowly, the enormous creature turned its massive head toward the distant Mist Rift.

The very same creature that had hatched only a few years ago, on a remote, isolated island in the middle of the ocean.

For a single moment, absolute silence settled over the abyssal depths.

Then it took another step.

And began moving toward its prey.