The truth

"Well? Did you find him? The mage who makes Magic Automatons." The squad leader casually cut down a woman holding a baby, pinned her beneath his foot, and tore off a piece of her clothing to wipe his bloodstained blade. His face twisted with displeasure. They had practically turned Lute Village upside down, yet still hadn't found their target.

"No. Could the information be wrong? We've searched all this time and haven't found a single trace of any automatons." A black-clad man who had just slaughtered a family of five swaggered out with a broadsword resting on his shoulder and answered.

Searing flames consumed the buildings, their bright glow illuminating the entire village and staining even the pitch-black night sky crimson. The pungent stench of blood filled the air. The black-clad men hunted down the villagers still clinging to life and killed them without mercy or hesitation, slaughtering every living person they found.

"Please, spare my child. He's only a baby. He won't remember anything." Fighting the burning pain of the wound across her back, the woman held her crying infant tightly against her chest and pleaded pitifully with the butchers massacring her village.

"How ridiculous. Begging a murderer to spare your life? Don't worry, my blade is quick. I'm not like those savages. I promise you won't suffer too much." The squad leader laughed loudly, utterly unmoved by her pleas, and raised his broadsword to end her life.

Whoosh-

A shock wave shot out from somewhere and sent the squad leader flying, embedding his entire body in a wall.

"Who's there?!"

The sudden attack immediately put every black-clad man on alert. They turned warily toward the source of the shock wave. A man in white robes stood atop a roof beam, one eyebrow cocked as he looked down at them.

Gin Ichimaru's foxlike face still wore its usual smile. He raised his eyelids slightly and glanced over the surrounding corpses. When his gaze passed over several familiar faces in particular, his voice turned chilling. "This isn't a place where scum like you can run wild!"

He hadn't known these villagers well, but he had at least spent several pleasant days with them. That was probably one of the reasons he had stepped in.

Recognizing Gin Ichimaru, the squad leader endured the pain in his abdomen and climbed out of the collapsed wall. He told the others in a low voice, "That man is a companion of the Fifth Hero. If he's here, that means the mage is nearby too. Take him down together."

At the squad leader's command, the surrounding black-clad men immediately gathered, undisguised killing intent on their faces. They fixed Gin Ichimaru with icy stares and slowly closed in around him, forming a ring to prevent his escape.

Hummm-

Before they could act, an invisible, terrifying power kept rising from Gin Ichimaru. Its irresistible force swept across the scene, crushing everyone beneath it. The powerful Captain-Class spiritual pressure he unleashed knocked most of the black-clad men unconscious outright. Only the six Advanced Evolvers, including the squad leader, remained conscious, desperately holding on.

The six conscious Advanced Evolvers were forced onto their hands and knees. Their eyes were bloodshot, and the terrifying pressure bearing down on them left them without even the strength to move a finger. Their nerves and bodies were taut, and sweat soaked the backs of their clothes.

What kind of magic was this?!

He hadn't even moved. Why couldn't we move?

The six Advanced Evolvers tried to speak, only to discover that invisible hands seemed to be gripping their throats. They couldn't make a sound. The unseen spiritual pressure squeezed and battered their bodies and souls.

Under the spiritual pressure Gin Ichimaru had deliberately focused on them, they felt as though an insurmountable mountain weighed upon their hearts. All six trembled with terror. At last, they experienced what the weak had felt when facing their blades, understanding their own weakness and helplessness with unprecedented clarity.

It was a tremor from the depths of their souls, like a rabbit confronted by a jackal or an antelope by a lion. Panic and fear arose instinctively. Their survival instincts warned them to flee at once. This was the law of the food chain, branded deep into their souls and bones-the absolute suppression born of the disparity between higher and lower forms of life.

Artificial spirits formed from the elements floated in the air, picked up the unconscious black-clad men, and flew toward the Mine Base. Only the six Advanced Evolvers remained, pinned in place and able to do nothing but stare.

Beneath the hazy moonlight, two figures slowly approached. Paracelsus emerged from the woods holding Raphael's hand. But the moment she spotted Gin Ichimaru, Raphael quickly pulled free of the kindly older man's hand and ran toward Gin Ichimaru.

Watching Raphael run off, Paracelsus's lips twitched, and a hint of helplessness appeared on his handsome, fair face. But when he caught sight of the devastation in Lute Village, his expression grew somber.

"Extinguish the flames and help the surviving villagers."

A magic circle suddenly lit up on the ground. Dozens of automatons and several water artificial spirits appeared behind him and immediately carried out Paracelsus's orders, conducting the rescue in an orderly fashion.

His gaze then shifted to the six Advanced Evolvers held down by Gin Ichimaru's spiritual pressure. Paracelsus approached them, seized one by the hair, and looked directly into his eyes. His own hazel eyes turned scarlet.

The Advanced Evolver whose hair Paracelsus had seized met those scarlet eyes with a terrified gaze. His body abruptly shuddered, then his expression gradually grew vacant as he stared blankly into the red eyes.

Mystic eyes were eyes possessing magical or special powers. They came in different types with different effects and could actively influence the outside world. Possessing mystic eyes was proof of a first-rate mage, and countless mages had sought them since ancient times.

Although these were relatively low-grade Artificial Mystic Eyes, inferior to the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception that could "see death" or the Mystic Eyes of Distortion that could "distort space," they still bore the name "mystic eyes." Through eye contact, they could read a living being's memories and soul. No secret could remain hidden beneath their gaze. They were one of the proud creations of Paracelsus, the Founder of Alchemy.

After a while, Paracelsus released his grip, his expression turning exceedingly dark and grim. Having learned the truth through his mystic eyes, he now knew who these people were and what their mission was. He hadn't expected them to be after him, seeking the Magic Automaton Manufacturing Method in his possession. In other words, the villagers of Lute Village had suffered because of him.

Looking at the devastation in the village, especially the bodies sprawled lifeless on the ground, Paracelsus felt profound guilt and sorrow rise within him.

"Master, our territory has been attacked..."

His expression cold, Paracelsus used Telepathy to speak to Ye Uchiha, far away in the Capital.