MTLNOVEL Chapter 22: Genius Strategist
The air thickened with a sickening pressure.
A shudder ran through the sky, and an unseen weight pressed down upon the world like a malevolent entity fixing its gaze upon them. The sheer force of the disturbance sent ripples through reality itself—
And the gate hadn't even opened yet.
The Saints sprang into action at once.
Sunny met Nephis's gaze. No words were needed. A nod passed between them before he turned to face the gathered Saints, their expressions tense with expectation.
Morgan stepped forward and bowed. "The pull of the gate is already too strong. We cannot evacuate the guests into the Dream Realm."
Sunny exhaled slowly.
Across the hall, his eyes landed on Cassie moving calmly through the crowd, handing out a blue envelope.
Unlike everyone else, she showed no trace of fear or urgency. As if she had been expecting this.
Sensing his gaze, Cassie turned toward him and smiled. And in the blink of an eye, she was suddenly standing before him.
For a moment, silence lingered. Then, in a hushed voice, Sunny spoke.
"...Since when?"
Cassie simply smiled.
"Three days ago. I had a dream."
Sunny stiffened, his mouth opening as if to rebuke her, but—
Nephis beat him to it.
"Why didn't you tell us?" she asked, her voice calm—too calm, masking the flicker of irritation beneath. "We could have prepared better—"
"Oh?" Cassie interrupted, her tone sharp with barely contained anger.
Nephis and Sunny exchanged glances, taken aback by the sudden shift in her demeanor.
"It took you five years." Cassie stepped forward, raising a hand as if scolding them. "FIVE YEARS of peacetime before you two finally decided to get married. Who's to say you wouldn't have postponed it for another decade—maybe forever—the moment I told you a Category 5 gate was about to emerge?"
Nephis pressed her lips together. Sunny looked away.
Cassie let out a breath, her tone softening—but there was something almost threatening in the way she smiled.
"As for being better prepared," she said lightly, "I've already made all the necessary arrangements."
A wisp of smoke curled into the air before her, revealing a tall, broad-shouldered boy.
Despite his age, he seemed too mature—his sharp, glowing eyes brimming with an untamed, almost predatory energy. A wolf staring down its tamer.
Cassie placed a gentle hand on his head. "Little Ling will take care of the guests."
The boy grimaced.
"Aunt Cassie, I want to fight too," he insisted, balling his fists. "I am strong."
Cassie's smile softened further, her voice light and reassuring.
"I know you are." She ruffled his hair. "That's why we need your strength here. Someone strong needs to protect these people... and your home, don't you think?"
Little Ling hesitated.
Seeing his uncertainty, Cassie leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
"And, apparently, there's a hidden stash of delicacies behind the red door in the basement. Effie's been saving it for a long time. Who knows what might happen to it by the time we return...?"
Little Ling froze.
Then his expression shifted—from stubborn defiance to careful calculation.
A heartbeat later, he huffed, pulled out a red envelope, and marched off towards the guests, explaining them how to use their blue invitations.
Sunny watched as, one by one, the mundane humans, Awakened, and Masters disappeared in bursts of blue light.
And then—
A final surge of crimson light swallowed LIttle Ling.
The hall fell silent. Only the Saints remained. And the three Sovereigns.
Sunny turned to Cassie with a sigh.
"There's still not enough time. We don't know about—"
Cassie cut him off before he could finish.
White sparks of light flickered to life in her palm, coalescing into a shining cube pulsating with shifting patterns.
"My vision wasn't just about the gate's appearance," she said, her tone firm. "I saw the Nightmare Creatures that will emerge from it, too."
Sunny blinked, his gaze snapping to the floating cube.
Above it, a square screen materialized in the air, flickering like a holographic projection. Images flashed across it—detailed profiles of nightmare creatures, listing their strengths, weaknesses, and attack patterns.
Cassie gestured, and the display shifted. Now, instead of creatures, it showed battle formations.
"I've already assigned who's fighting which creatures," she continued.
Sunny studied the projection. Five distinct groups of Saints were arranged against the incoming threat.
The first was an iron wall of power, composed primarily of Valor Saints, reinforced by a handful of government Saints. At the helm stood Morgan, her eyes gleaming like the edge of a blade.
The second, led by Revel, was a lethal dance of brutality and precision—the Blood Sisters, aided by a few government Saints.
The third was a fortress of resilience, formed mostly by government Saints, but having a few from other legacy clans. Among them stood Effie and Jet, under the command of Saint Cor.
The fourth was an ensemble of balance and adaptability—an even mix of Saints from different legacy clans and the government, all gathered under Kai's quiet, watchful command.
And then... the fifth.
A group shrouded in mystery. Figures clad in black, their identities obscured by demonic masks. At their head stood Rain.
As the last image lingered in the air, the hall fell into an uneasy silence. Some gazed in confusion. Others, in shock and realization.
Sunny scrutinized the matchups. Cassie had composed the groups flawlessly, pairing complementary abilities with opponents they countered best. There wasn't a single flaw in her strategy.
It was perfect. But one thing still gnawed at him.
Sunny took a slow breath.
"So we have no choice but to reveal the Shadow Clan..."
The weight of his words rippled through the gathered Saints. A hushed murmur spread like wildfire.
"The rumors were true..."
"The Shadow Clan really does exist."
All eyes turned to Rain.
She remained silent, her gaze locked on the projected formations.
Now that the situation had come to this, there was no point in secrecy. The Shadow Clan could no longer operate from the shadows. To give humanity the best chance against the Nightmare Spell going forward, open cooperation with others was absolutely necessary.
Rain exhaled slowly.
There was a bittersweet pang in her heart, but she had always known this day would come. She would miss the thrill of playing the elusive mastermind of a secret organization. But there was no helping it.
"Oh well," she murmured to herself. "It was fun while it lasted."
A necessary sacrifice.
Cassie's voice chimed cheerfully, snapping everyone's focus back to her.
"We'll handle the Great Nightmare Creatures, and hopefully a few Cursed beasts," she said, pointing at the matchups. "You and Nephis just need to take care of the Gate Guardian and its minions, while Mordret will handle the remaining Cursed Creatures."
Sunny exhaled, shaking his head in something between admiration and exasperation.
"You really planned everything, didn't you?"
Cassie's smirk widened.
"Did you expect anything less from me?"
Sunny chuckled, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"Of course not."
After all—
She wasn't their genius strategist for nothing.
Sunny turned his head toward Nephis, who was staring at the description of the Gate Guardian with an incredulous expression.
"It's just a Cursed Tyrant," she murmured, almost to herself. Then, as realization fully dawned, a wide, almost reckless smile spread across her face. "We can test our new power against it!"
Sunny exhaled and ran a hand through his hair.
"Of course. We can."
It was a perfect opportunity to gauge their newfound strength. But that didn't mean the fight would be easy.
Far from it.
Then again, when had things ever been easy?
For as long as he could remember, the odds had always been stacked against them. The past five years of relative peace had been an anomaly—something fragile, fleeting. This... this was normal.
He was about to speak when the air next to him shimmered. A faint reflection rippled through the space, and from it emerged a tall, majestic figure clad in golden armor.
Mordret let out a dramatic sigh as he studied the projected battle plan.
"So, let me get this straight." He gestured lazily at his assigned opponents. "I have to face a Cursed Devil, a Cursed Demon, and three Cursed Monsters."
Then, he turned to Sunny with mock disdain.
"Meanwhile, the two of you are taking on one Cursed Tyrant. That too, with the assistance of those ridiculous Shadows of yours." He clicked his tongue. "Don't you think that's a bit unfair?"
Sunny rolled his eyes.
"Bastard." He crossed his arms. "Don't you see the countless abominations under its control?"
Mordret shrugged, unimpressed.
"And are you sure you don't just have a sacred reflection or two lying around?" Sunny added, his tone dry.
Mordret chuckled. "I am sure I don't just have a sacred reflection or two lying around." His smirk widened. "But my assistance comes at a price."
His gaze flickered toward the projection, specifically at the masked members of the Shadow Clan.
"For example, that mask—"
"Yeah, yeah, sure," Sunny cut him off with a dismissive wave. "I'll let you analyze the mask later. Now shut up and prepare whatever hidden cards you've been hoarding. This isn't something you can half-ass your way through."
An amused glint flashed in Mordret's eyes. He opened his mouth to respond—
And then he flinched.
A suffocating pressure descended upon him as seven identical figures emerged from the darkness, shrouded in deep, shifting shadows.
Sunny's shadows had arrived. Right on time.
Before anyone could react, the sky ruptured.
A sickening crack tore through the heavens, revealing an endless abyss churning with malice. Reality itself recoiled as space distorted and unraveled, forming a colossal, jagged tear. The Gate was opening.
Dark fissures splintered outward, connecting with smaller cracks across the nearby area. A monstrous chasm now loomed above them—an open passage to the Dream Realm, where countless horrors lurked at its threshold, eager to spill into the waking world.
Immediately, the Saints moved.
As one, they took their positions according to Cassie's strategy. Weapons were drawn. Sparks of white light flared as Memories and Echoes were summoned, illuminating the battlefield like a storm of dying stars.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
No one spoke.
The only sounds were the whisper of wind, the steady grip of steel, and the distant, guttural echoes of the Nightmare Creatures waiting beyond the Gate.
In that stillness, Sunny turned his gaze to Nephis. She was already looking at him. Her lips moved in silence, forming words only for him to see.
Sunny's eyes narrowed as he focused—
And then he froze.
Nephis smiled teasingly, watching his reaction out of the corner of her eye before turning back toward the Gate, her expression cool and composed.
A slow heat crept up his neck. He quickly cleared his throat, forcing himself to focus.
'Well, in that case... we have no choice but to finish this cursed bastard as soon as possible.'