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[Volume 9: Throne of War](/Volume-9-Throne-of-War-12-30)

[← Previous chapter: 2170 Two Princes](/2170-Two-Princes-02-14)

Although the Valor compound seemed the same on the surface — apart from the
retainers and mundane workers employed by the clan being strangely subdued and
on edge — the situation underground was different.

The level where Anvil... the anomaly... was kept remained quiet and peaceful.
Very few people were allowed access there, and usually, it was just young Lady
Gwyn and a few loyal Knights keeping guard.

However, the levels above and below the temporary containment floor were
different.

There, dozens of Knights were gathered, waiting for something to happen in
tense anticipation. Not all of them even knew what it was that they were here
for, since the existence of the anomaly was still being kept secret. They had
just been told to be prepared for anything.

Pulling so many powerful warriors away from their duties was stretching the
resources of Clan Valor thin, but there was nothing Jest or Madoc could do
about it.

Currently, Madoc was in Bastion, holding down the fort.

Jest was here, dealing with the powerful figures of the human world.

Even though he had done everything in his power to prevent the news from
leaking, it was impossible to stop it completely. Therefore, there were
strange rumors going around the Legacy clans about the Valor family. Most
people just treated these rumors as idle entertainment, but those who held
actual influence were stirring.

After all, there was no fire without smoke.

So, Jest had spent the entire day talking to old acquaintances and lying
through his teeth.

Everything was fine.

Nothing had happened.

There would not be a new ruler in Bastion.

Things were under control.

...But things were definitely not under control. In fact, things were getting
more and more out of control. Both here and in Bastion, eerie and
unexplainable events kept happening, and while no one had perished, it was
only a matter of time.

Because in the world of the Nightmare Spell, sinister signs always led to
disaster.

Jest was not naive enough to expect anything less.

'Ah... I'm regretting getting rid of all those cults now. It feels like we
need an exorcist...'

He was currently in a small room under the Valor compound, reclining in an
office chair tiredly. The video walls were turned off, plunging the room into
darkness. The only source of light were the screens in front of him, which
bathed him in pale light.

One of the screens displayed the security feed from the level where Gwyn was
watching over the anomaly. Currently, she was reading him a book —the young
man seemed quite content, listening to her voice curiously. If one did not
know the truth, they would have looked like a happy married couple.

On the second screen, the reports and papers that Clan Valor had quietly
commissioned from various researchers and specialists were displayed. Jest had
been reading through them slowly, trying to find some sort of explanation for
the current situation.

Sadly, they were proving to be useless, for now —he had learned about all
kinds of Aspects that could create an illusion of a person, Nightmare
Creatures that could mimic human behavior, and mysterious locations where
bizarre occurrences had been documented to happen for naught.

The anomaly had passed every test they had come up with based on this
research. The new Anvil was not an impostor using a rare Aspect to fool them,
a Nightmare Creature, or a Dream Realm phantom. For all intents and purposes,
the young man was Anvil of Valor in the flesh.

...The third screen displayed the Obel Scale telemetry, as well as the reading
from Anvil's sleeping pod.

Jest rubbed his eyes tiredly, and then turned back to the research papers. The
human domain in the Dream Realm was relatively small at the moment... but far
north, beyond the impregnable mountain chain serving as the boundary of the
eastern human enclaves, an even more fearsome mountain range was rumored to be
located.

According to reports, those mountains were perpetually shrouded in mist, and
that mist displayed strange and terrifying properties...

As Jest read the exploration paper, written by some audacious guy named
Julius, something suddenly attracted his attention. Turning his head, he
looked at the feed from the containment level... and flinched.

The anomaly was still listening to Gwyn, but he had shifted his gaze and was
looking directly at the hidden camera now.

Almost as if looking directly into Jest's eyes.

A subtle smile twisted the young man's lips, making Jest shiver for no reason.

'What...'

In the next moment, the sound of alarm resounded from the speakers. Jerking
his head in the opposite direction, he stared at the third screen, where an
urgent notification was displayed.

It took Jest a few moments to realize its meaning. He leaned forward.

"It's gone!"

Nightmare Gate C2-167 had just disappeared. Since he had set up the system to
notify him immediately if its condition changed, he was probably the first
person in the world to learn of that fact.

There was some lag to the Obel Scale, but it must have happened minutes ago at
most.

While Jest was digesting the startling piece of news, there was another alarm.
His eyes moved, and then widened.

Anvil's vital signs were going crazy.

'Crap!'

Flying out of the chair, Jest rushed outside.

By the time he reached Anvil's sleeping chamber, there was an audible boom,
and its heavy armored door suddenly folded like paper. The metal walls groaned
and bent inward.

Jumping over the deformed alloy, Jest entered the room and looked around
wildly.

It looked like a violent implosion had happened inside. The armored walls had
broken, revealing the framework of the compound beyond. The iron sarcophagus
had turned into a small jagged sphere of torn metal. The lights were blinking
chaotically.

In the middle of it all, Anvil was standing like an unnecessary tall
sculpture. He was naked, his flawless build and chiseled muscles revealed in
all their glory. His dark hair had grown long, and was sticking to his
handsome face in wet strands.

His calm, steely grey eyes were peering at Jest steadily.

Even as a Master, Jest suddenly felt oppressed by the weight of that gaze.

'He... he definitely Ascended...'

As a whirlwind of scarlet sparks surrounded Anvil's naked figure, forming into
a set of knightly armor, he raised an eyebrow and asked in an even tone:

"...Are you going to continue staring?"

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