RISE OF EROS

Things seemed strange. War, while normal on the continent, cannot be said to be without reason, and these were. Countries allied with each other, or at least on good terms, suddenly exploded into battle.

This, although delayed, was noticed by many. Everyone believed it could be one of the Purgatory organization's plans. They may have lost strength with the death of their leaders, but they still existed.

Their threat was not great now, and some even thought they were dead, but the reality was that the people who held true power and leadership on the continent were not so optimistic.

It was true that they knew Purgatory had lost a lot of power, but they were not finished, and a wounded beast is sometimes more dangerous than a ferocious one, so none of the world leaders were careless.

Noticing the inconsistencies in these three wars started by the fallen angels, everyone began gathering information. They wanted to know the truth about what was happening, but it was surprisingly difficult.

Everyone had ways of finding out what was happening, but no one could find the cause. Even Andrew, who didn't have a large, powerful intelligence-gathering organization, received news, but nothing important.

It was obvious that something strange was happening, but no one could find out what it was, and that made it even more terrifying. It was this very reason that alerted Crhono. As the most powerful warrior and even the guardian of the world, he was always on the lookout for events like this.

Unfortunately, he's not omniscient or omnipotent, so he couldn't be on top of everything, but he always investigated anything that seemed strange, especially anything related to divinity, the fallen god, spirits, and Purgatory.

He still didn't know the fallen angels were behind this, as he didn't even know of their existence, thanks to Samanuel and the other angels hiding it. Crhono thought it could be one of Purgatory's plans, as most others believed, and that alone was worth investigating.

Unfortunately, like everyone else, Crhono gathered a lot of information, but it wasn't important. Apparently, the wars were started by betrayals, mistrust, and past debts, but to Crhono, this seemed even more suspicious. He hadn't lived so many centuries just to be old.

It's true that the dragons lived in isolation for several centuries and only recently reappeared on the continent, but that doesn't mean they're unaware of how the continent and its history operate.

Perhaps not all dragons have intimate knowledge of what happened and is happening on the continent, but Crhono and a select group of dragons he trusted weren't in the same situation.

They weren't so arrogant as to believe that, by simply isolating themselves and strengthening themselves, they could protect the remnants of the fallen god that the gods entrusted to them after the war.

The pride of the dragon race is well known, and they are often portrayed as arrogant and self-centered, but with age comes wisdom, and Crhono had several centuries under his belt before the war a thousand years ago.

By the time the chaos ended, he was already an ancient dragon with great wisdom, so he did not neglect gathering information even when they were allied. Sereda and the arcanists she commands might boast of knowing the world's history and magic best, but it's really because they don't know the true Crhono.

Having been around for millennia, surviving several wars, including the one a thousand years ago against the fallen god, and even becoming a divine beast, Crhono was unparalleled within the world.

Even Terra, Aqua, and his spirit sisters on Comers were no match for him in this regard. They may be older, but they have been in this world since the beginning of the war. By that time, Crhono had been in this world for centuries, so he cannot be underestimated. Even in terms of power, no one could rival Crhono, for while spirits are inherently more powerful, Crhono had surpassed them.

He is now a divine beast who absorbed the divinity of his fellow god when he died, so his power is nothing to sneeze at. Unfortunately, he cannot use it to its fullest potential, as he would have to leave the world, but if he were to unleash it, not even Terra, Aqua, and the other spirits combined would be his match.

A being like this would not be fooled by such simple tricks as those the fallen angels were playing. Crhono might not have been able to find them in the first place, but hiding them was impossible.

The enemy was unknown, but it was obvious, at least in Crhono's mind, that someone was pulling the strings. It didn't take long for him to notice the influence of corrupted magic in these wars.

It was different from the magic of Purgatory, the fallen god, and even the beast he had defeated a while back. This made him more alert, as a new magic appeared, and worse, corrupted.

This only showed that there was danger, and he couldn't find it. Not wanting to be negligent, he summoned his allies. Elidyr, Zaros, Sereda, and even Draneg were invited to participate. He didn't invite Kael, Sasha, and the other demigods, as he didn't completely trust them.

He also didn't summon Andrew, believing there was no need for him to get involved in this. Besides, it was better to keep him apart and protected for the time being. Draneg had been the least enthusiastic and trustworthy of the group before, but that had changed.

His poor manner of speaking and acting in the face of benefits had earned him everyone's guard, but after being offered benefits and even when Crhono saved him from death during the confrontation with the beast, Draneg had changed.

He wasn't exactly an ally who acted with loyalty and camaraderie like the others, but he was definitely more trustworthy than the others. While his qualities didn't show it, he was an honest and straightforward person, which made him more pleasant to work with.

It was easy to tell when he didn't like something, and he wasn't good at plotting in the dark. Make no mistake, it's not that he can't do them; in fact, he's quite capable; he just doesn't like it.

Ironically, despite his appearance, in this respect he's very similar to Andrew, who prefers to be direct and not beat around the bush and play dirty tricks, so Crhono had no problem inviting him.

The most important of this group was still Sereda. Although Crhono is more senior and knowledgeable about the nature of the continent's inhabitants and similar aspects, when it comes to magic, no one surpassed Sereda.

The title of the most powerful and knowledgeable arcanist on the continent is not for show. When it comes to magic, no one compares, and since Crhono had discovered a new corrupted magic rife in the wars, her knowledge was essential.

When Crhono showed them this new magic, everyone was surprised, even Sereda, for even with all her magical knowledge, she had never felt magic similar to what Crhono had collected.

This intrigued and worried her at the same time. She may not be familiar with it, but by feeling and studying it, it's not difficult to understand its attributes and scope. Sereda was worried, as was Crhono, for she had noticed that this new corrupted magic was dangerous.

At a glance, she could tell it was more dangerous than any of the dark magics used by Purgatory, and that was saying something. He wasn't on the level of the fallen god or the beast, but it didn't change the fact.

This alarmed Zaros, Elidyr, and even Draneg. They may be demigod-level powerhouses whose strength had improved thanks to Andrew's recent help, but they could understand the implications.

New, powerful, and corrupted magic was a bad omen. Not being able to find the enemy was another variable that brought danger, and not knowing their plans made it even more terrifying.

Worried about what might happen, they decided to take rational action. Since they didn't know much about what was happening, they decided to retreat calmly. Crhono returned to protect the remnants of the fallen god.

Elidyr and Zaros returned to Cannes to protect the war god's body from the vampire. Sereda returned to study the remnants of the corrupted magic found, to see if she could devise a tracking method.

Finally, Draneg would monitor the wars. He wouldn't expose himself, as they were unaware of the danger, but sending some of his subordinates to gather information wasn't impossible. In fact, he wasn't the only one doing this, as Crhono, Zaros, and even Elidyr sent some people to monitor, but Draneg assigned more people and would be better informed.

Surprisingly, the plan to cause chaos among the fallen angels to take advantage of and infiltrate certain territories ended up causing Crhono and the others to take a protective attitude, which was contrary to what they had expected.

Fortunately for them, they weren't looking to mess with Crhono and the others, as they had their eyes set on the kingdom of the elves, the beastmen, and surprisingly, one of them was watching over the angels.