The Sultan's Magic Mirror (2) - Hades' Blessing

The Sultan's Magic Mirror was a gate that had materialized the battlefields of the First Crusade. As the name suggested, it was a space ruled by demonic energy. Inside the mirror, mana could not be recovered, so if your mana ran dry during the raid, it was over. A hunter depleted of mana would be slaughtered by the specters of Muslim warriors, and the attempt would end in failure. This applied even to S-rank Hunters. Without mana, a hunter was nothing more than an ordinary person with a slightly superior physique.

That was why the Sultan's Magic Mirror remained one of the gates humanity had never conquered. Or rather, it might have been clearable in the beginning, but while everyone looked the other way, the gate had only grown stronger. In any case, the empowered mirror suddenly began its erosion. As its range expanded, half of the coastal city of Cardiff in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠England was swallowed by the gate. The Sultan's Magic Mirror did not stop there. It spread across the globe. Entrances appeared in England, France, China, Korea, Monaco, the Vatican, and beyond, and the erosion began in earnest.

The aftermath was catastrophic. An entire major city in Monaco vanished. China was hit with two separate entrances. The shockwaves rippled across the world.

It's absolute pandemonium.

Taean, now within the influence of the Sultan's Magic Mirror, had descended into chaos. There was still no direct damage, but the terror inspired by an S-rank gate was more than enough to throw society into disorder. Videos of Chinese cities already collapsing into anarchy were flooding community boards and news channels in real time.

Even footage of mounted Muslim specters bursting from the gate and clashing with hunters began circulating. S-rank. It was a disaster that required the entire human race to respond as one. A gate that, if left alone, could bring about the end of the world.

Fortunately, the erosion speed was not yet catastrophic. Only the regions where gates had appeared were suffering. Korea, whose gate had manifested over the sea, was relatively better off. At the current rate, it would still take a full year before Taean County fell into the mirror's domain.

But it was too early to feel relieved.

The status window had appeared simultaneously to every hunter on the planet. After the acceleration message, the mirror's erosion speed tripled. At this rate, dire forecasts predicted Taean County would be swallowed in just four months, and the speed was only increasing. A small French town had already been reduced to rubble. China, burdened with two gates, had enacted a full national lockdown.

When a disaster-grade gate appeared, nations normally joined forces for a unified response. For dark-attribute gates like the Sultan's Magic Mirror, the Vatican had always taken the lead. This time was no different.

People waited with bated breath for the Pope's upcoming announcement, eager to see which powerhouses would join the multinational raid.

“Didn’t they say Monaco and England already had entrances for a while? Why didn’t they respond sooner?”

“These things usually don’t get handled until they’re right on your doorstep.”

“Wouldn’t it have been better to deal with it early?”

Jeanne wore a puzzled expression, but that was simply how international politics worked. When an S-rank gate erupted in a tiny nation like Monaco, the reaction was lukewarm at best. The moment it threatened their own borders, it suddenly became a “global crisis.”

Now that the Sultan's Magic Mirror had become exactly that, the response was shockingly swift. Less than a day after the acceleration message appeared, the conquest force had been assembled and was already preparing for its official announcement.

I sat with Vanessa and Jeanne, watching the television as we waited for the Pope to speak.

The elderly Pope stepped forward on the screen and bowed deeply. A warning message scrolled across the bottom of the screen.

“So much for voluntary,” I muttered.

“Indeed.”

It was mandatory no matter how they phrased it. Once the Pope stepped down, the official roster was revealed. The list was long, but the major players ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stood out clearly.

The Sichuan Tang Clan and Nangong Clan were prestigious murim families from China. The Crowleys were a storied lineage of mages known as the rulers of magic. The Korean Hunter Association and the Bonaparte family, where Rachel belonged, needed no introduction. The roster even included five S-rank Hunters.

Absolutely incredible.

It was a dazzling lineup that reminded me of the original First Crusade. Every nation clearly intended to uproot the threat completely, leaving not even the slightest chance of survival. They should have done this from the start.

While I watched the list like a spectator from across the river, my phone began to ring.

“Your Eminence, with so many distinguished individuals already participating, would my help even be necessary?”

“I will consider it and give you my answer later.”

I ended the call without committing. Since the mirror threatened Korea, it was my problem too. But an enemy that could instantly heal from any attack was far too dangerous.

What about Hydra’s venom…?

The thought came to me suddenly. If the creature recovered from every blow, then preventing it from recovering at all might be the solution. Once poisoned by Hydra’s venom, simply stopping the condition from worsening would be difficult enough. After all, it was the very same venom that had afflicted even Cerberus, the guardian of the underworld.

More than anything, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I wanted to test the new abilities I had gained. If it’s the Magic Mirror, the Blessing of the Underworld should work perfectly. The Sultan's Magic Mirror seemed like the ideal environment to experiment with my new powers.

My phone rang again almost immediately.

“I’m going.”

“The base camp is at the mirror’s entrance, correct?”

“Then I’ll see you inside the mirror.”

After ending the call with Kim Hayun, I immediately dialed another number.

Rachel, the current head of the Bonaparte family, had been scheduled to participate in this expedition as her house’s representative.

“Lady Rachel, would it be possible for me to join as well?”

Since Vanessa and Jeanne had already been introduced as members of the Bonaparte family, traveling with Rachel seemed like the best choice. There were few people I trusted as completely as her.

Three days later, the day of the mirror conquest arrived. I rode comfortably in the Rolls-Royce Rachel had prepared, all the way to the gate’s entrance. Above the West Sea floated the pitch-black entrance to the mirror. It devoured everything around it like a black hole.

Yes.

The space shifted. A misty forest appeared before me. The sky was a deep, cloudy crimson without a single break, exactly like the boundary of the underworld. The entire mirror was saturated with demonic energy. And then…

Hades’ blessing had activated.