Tumultuous waves of fury rose within Adam's heart.

When he witnessed dust and chunks of stone falling from the ceiling, he couldn't help but gnash his teeth in rage.

The underground laboratory was supposed to be the safest place in the entire manor. Yet, the walls and ceilings were already crumbling down.

If that was the case, then how was the rest of the manor above ground faring?

Not good.

Not good at all.

This manor, this estate, was more than just stone, marble, and timber. It was his sanctuary, his first true home, built and shaped to his very liking.

He had poured his heart and soul into it, cherished every hall and corner.

Although he did not spend as much time in this manor as he would have liked to, he still loved this place very much. He knew how much trouble and effort Rowan had to go to for weeks—months even—to have this place built from scratch.

And now… it was being torn apart before his very eyes.

He took deep breaths, trying to control the raging emotions swirling in his heart.

This was war.

He couldn't let emotions cloud his judgment. Not when countless powerful Magi and a towering flesh golem were waiting for him above ground, ready to pounce on him.

If that grotesque abomination was able to break through the enchanted exterior of the manor, it meant that it was very strong.

And not just that, Adam could sense that the golem's toxins were highly corrosive. They were able to decompose through stones that had been inscribed with runes by him.

He didn't dare to battle the golem head-on. Seeing as how even the cultists were avoiding it, Adam, too, chose to avoid it.

His physique was augmented several times over and was more durable than the average Mana Vortex Magus. But even then, he did not wish to go toe-to-toe with the towering abomination.

He knew that this was just the first of many battles he'd have to fight tonight. He'd have to be efficient in how he dealt with his enemies.

But still… the flesh golem had to be brought down.

The bastard was destroying his home!

Unforgivable!

As the ceiling came crumbling down, instead of heading above ground, Adam walked deeper into his laboratory. His eyes were cold, but deep within… they were seething with fiery rage.

Now that the young Magi—his friends and students—had been teleported away to safety, he could go all out.

Walking to an unassuming part of the laboratory, he crouched down and placed his palms on a slab of stone. The moment he injected mana into it, the stone separated, revealing a small, secret compartment.

Adam looked at the instrument hidden within for a few moments. It was something he had been working on earlier, meant to be used as a contingency.

He never expected to one day use it, but deep down in his heart, he probably knew…

The raven-haired youth took another deep breath, closing his eyes.

What he was about to do next meant that he would have to completely destroy his home. But it had to be done. He needed to do it.

"They were going to destroy it anyway," he muttered under his breath as he opened his eyes and gazed at the spherical instrument.

His dark eyes flickered with resolve, and he sent a pulse of mana into the sphere, activating the mechanism he had enchanted it with.

***

Outside the manor, the group of Mana Vortex Magi stood at a distance, gazing at the towering flesh golem wreaking havoc on the opulent property.

Behind them stood about a hundred Mana Liquefaction Magi, and more were coming in from the breach in the barrier. They had extremely pale expressions on their faces as they saw the golem smash the house apart, its venom further corroding everything it touched.

Standing at the forefront of the group, the rider of the twin pheras had a triumphant look on his face as he saw the carnage in front of him.

"Leeroy, what do we do if the Dark King appears?" Asked a cultist standing beside the rider. "Our orders were not to bring any harm to his—"

The rider, Leeroy, waved his hand nonchalantly. "Don't worry. A little bit of poison won't corrode the bastard's skin. If he was so easily hurt, they would not have called him the Dark King."

"But—" the cultist tried to protest, but Leeroy interrupted him.

"Or are you suggesting we deal with him without the aid of the flesh golem?" Leeroy turned to him and added flatly, "The golem will weaken the Dark King, and then all of us can swoop in and capture him."

The fact that it would take a monstrous golem at the peak of Mana Vortex Rank to severely weaken the target, and even then require an entire army of Mana Vortex and Mana Liquefaction Magi to get involved and capture him, left a bitter taste in their mouths.

But that was exactly how things were. The Dark King was no ordinary Magus. He had already killed several Mana Vortex Magi from the Cult and was designated as a highly dangerous target by the Inner Circle.

Such precautions were not excessive. They were necessary.

Just as the cultists were discussing the battle plan among themselves, the atmosphere shifted. All of them simultaneosuly turned towards the manor, feeling cold dread grip their hearts.

Even the flesh golem, who was supposed to be a mindless, murderous creature, stopped in its tracks and involuntarily took a step back.

Then, something shocking happened…

The ground rumbled as the manor groaned and buckled under its own weight. But rather than collapsing in ruin, each falling stone and shattered beam moved with eerie, mystical precision.

The walls folded in, the roof caved with accuracy, and the rubble twisted unnaturally, pulled by an invisible magic.

Dust scattered everywhere as the remains of the once opulent manor fused together, rising in a spiral of debris.

Moments later, the outline of a massive figure emerged…

A towering stone golem, forged from Adam's beloved home!

With a deafening boom, something shot out from the shoulder of the stone golem. It was a streak of black light soaring skyward. As it rose, it began to grow, expanding rapidly until it was large enough to be wielded by the golem itself.

Then, with perfect timing, the golem extended its massive arm.

Clang!

The enlarged black staff slammed into his palm, gripped tightly by stony fingers.

The Staff of Calamity!

The stone giant now stood tall, weapon in hand, as it faced the grotesque flesh golem before it.

Then, with a thunderous roar that echoed across the estate, the stone golem lunged forward!

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