Chapter 2176: Part 1: Following Richard’s Demise

Forbidden Island

Forbidden Wizard Richard died in an explosion. The aftermath of the blast had yet to settle, as the huge mushroom cloud in the sky had yet to disappear.

In the control room, I raised my eyebrows.

Everything was going according to my plan till now and I had repeatedly warned them not to ask any sensitive questions.

Next, I vanished from the spot and appeared inside the system space.

I saw Lady Caitlin and old man Rock waiting for me. Sensing my arrival, they turned toward me.

"Master Vincent, I’m sorry. I made a mistake while interrogating him," Lady Caitlin said.

Hearing that, I nodded to her and asked, "What happened?"

Lady Caitlin and old man Rock looked at each other. They were ready to reveal shocking information that they had heard from the Forbidden Wizard himself.

Lady Caitlin then raised her eyebrows and said, "He spilled some important information."

After saying that, she continued. She took a few minutes to explain. Meanwhile, the hairs on my body stood up as she revealed the information.

I controlled my racing heart. When she was done with the explanation, I calmed down before saying, "The Mage Union was right about their intel. The Covenant is connected to the old wizard organization."

"They have twelve Elder-level powerhouses. That number is not that overwhelming, considering the Wizard Towers operating under the Mage Union have three or four Elder powerhouses at the top."

"Still, we don’t know whether Forbidden Richard’s information was complete. He might not know everything considering his rank," I said to them.

"What are you going to do?" old man Rock asked.

He was afraid that the young man might go against the Elder-level powerhouses. He was not the only one thinking this; Lady Caitlin next to him also worried that the young man might do something daring again.

At the same time, I was thinking about my next move. I doubted I could continue with the previous plan. The death of Forbidden Wizard Richard must have alerted the wizards on the island.

Specifically, it must have alerted the Elder-level powerhouses. If they monitored the island themselves, I would easily be exposed.

A glint flickered in my eyes. I had to change my plan, starting by eliminating the imprisoned wizards.

"Wait for me here." After saying that, I vanished from the spot.

A few minutes later...

I brought everyone inside. Otto, Patrick, Hank, the Sky Croc Monster, and the Vine Monster were there as well.

Lady Caitlin and old man Rock were not surprised to see the companions, but they had not expected the two monsters to be present.

Then I said, "You can brief them later."

"Right now, I have imprisoned many Magic Lords and Forbidden Wizards in this space. Collect their storage bracelets before killing them. They are already severely injured and on the verge of death; they won’t pose a threat to you," I added.

Gasp!

Otto drew in a sharp breath of cold air. The other members looked at me in bewilderment. Even Lady Caitlin and old man Rock looked at me with surprise.

"I didn’t expect you to make a split-second decision to kill them," Lady Caitlin said.

Hearing that, I smiled and replied, "They have been enemies from the beginning. Nothing good will come from releasing them."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Since we are going to kill them, both of us would like to have their remains," the Vine Monster said.

The Sky Croc Monster requested the same thing.

Hearing that, I agreed to their request. Then I instructed the system to reveal the imprisoned wizards to the group one by one, so that they could kill them without any trouble.

After instructing them, I disappeared from the spot and reappeared in the control room. The Zero Puppet in its original steel knight form stood before me.

My gaze fell on the surveillance mirror, and I saw no activity. I felt an urge to go outside and check. Just then, the system alerted me with a series of warnings.

The next second, I saw a large number of wizards gathering at the site of the explosion. A grim realization dawned on me.

Fortunately, the system had alerted me just in time; otherwise, I would have bumped right into them. I continued staring into the mirror, wondering what was happening outside.

...

Outside, the entire Black Mist Forbidden Island was on high alert. A Forbidden Wizard who was a core member of the Covenant had died in their own territory. It was monumental news to them.

All twelve Elder-level powerhouses had been notified. However, they were all busy with their experiments and could not leave the labs mid-process.

Therefore, they dispatched core members to secure the scene.

That was why so many wizards had gathered at the explosion site. Unlike the wizards from the prison island, these individuals looked healthy and powerful.

They wore the attire of core members, marked with distinctively colored stripes indicating their ranks as Supreme Wizards, Magic Lords, or Forbidden Wizards.

Everyone wore a solemn expression, as none of them knew what had taken place. Looking at the massive crater carved into the ground, a subtle fear settled in their hearts.

They did not know the cause, only that the person who died was none other than a Forbidden Wizard.

The Supreme Wizards looked entirely clueless; they were few in number, but this was not the core members’ full strength, as many were away on outside missions.

At the same time, the Forbidden Wizards nearby discussed the matter gravely, unsure whether this was the work of an enemy.

If it were an enemy, it could be an infiltrator among them, but that raised serious questions. Every outsider who had previously infiltrated the island had ultimately died.

No one had escaped alive except for those who merely scouted the shore; none had managed to slip past the guard posts.

The wizards stationed around the island had slain dozens of trespassers before, including many Magic Lords and Forbidden Wizards.

Furthermore, there were no reports of an Elder-level powerhouse trespassing into their domain.

If the attacker truly were an Elder-level powerhouse, their own superiors would have sensed the intrusion first.