Mysphia's lips curled into a cunning smile as she replied, "That's certainly true. What you do in your spare time is your business. But, don't tell me you've already forgotten what day it is?"

Delphini scowled, "What are you going on ab-"

​​

"Aegis and Ruin have returned," Mysphia stated.

"Ha? That red-haired brat and baldie are here?" Delphini said mockingly.

"That's right," Mysphia answered calmly.

Delphini briefly fell silent as her eyes narrowed.

A few moments later, Delphini broke her silence and responded, "So what if those two caught up? Since when did we gather every time someone returns? Besides, I'm surprised they have the face to come back here after being done in by one guy."

"Indeed, their blunder set us back quite a bit. But, now that those two have returned the time of us spending our days idle is coming to an end. Also, those two are not the only ones we are expecting today." Mysphia smirked.

At the mention of those words, Delphini's eyes widened in realization. Soon after, she could not stop herself from grinning as the muffled sound of laughter escaped from between her lips.

It was not long until Delphini erupted into an almost hysterical fit of laughter. This went on for nearly half a minute straight before Delphini's laughter died down.

"Ah... I see... I see..! So those two are coming to this place as well?! Why didn't you say so sooner, witch?!" Delphini snapped her fingers. As she did so, the pieces of the shattered orb on the floor began to vibrate.

Clank! Clank!

Suddenly, the shattered orb snapped back into place and formed a perfect sphere before shooting towards Delphini, who caught the orb in her palm. Its condition looked new without a scratch on its surface.

But, the most shocking aspect was the high concentration of dense mana being emitted by the orb.

Delphini looked down at the orb in her hand as a wave of mana swirled at its core. The next moment, the image of a face formed at the center of the orb.

"I'll have to play with you some other time..." Delphini said under her breath as she grinned and licked her lips playfully.

"Let's go, witch!" Delphini tossed the orb to a nearby wooden stand as it landed on a small cushion before she strolled towards the room's exit.

"A foul mouth, as always," Mysphia commented with a light smile as she walked next to Delphini.

She then continued, "Ah, we still have to pick up Lulazali."

"Tch! You should have done that first! Honestly, that girl—how can she do nothing but sleep?!" Delphini scoffed.

Mysphia and Delphini moved further down the corridor as their voices faded. The orb left on the wooden stand remained active with the still image Delphini looked at just moments ago, and the person it revealed was Izroth!

...

'There's still no response.'

Izroth had just arrived at the outer edge of the Hollow Soul Grove as the outpost immediately came into view.

Just as Izroth and Sacred Beasts anticipated, the overall security was extremely lax around the outpost. There were a few guards on patrol, but it was easy to recognize that they were ordinary foot soldiers with one glance.

As for the outpost itself, although Tempest and its allies were able to seize control, the magic defenses around the outside perimeter were intentionally destroyed by Rosentarus before their retreat. It may have been a loss on their part in regards to a financial outlook, but knowing that it would only be used against them, Rosentarus had no choice but to cut their losses. After all, their only other option was to leave it in perfect condition for Tempest and their allies, which was out of the question.

Upon reaching the coordinates he was given, Izroth attempted to contact the other groups once again.

However, with the planned simultaneous attacks on the three outposts set to commence in less than one minute, there was still no response from Meng Jiang or One Shot Brick.

Nevertheless, since Izroth already decided to take action, even if Sacred Beasts failed on their end...

'It's here.'

He would just have to revert to his original method!

...

"Damn, why'd we have to get stuck with patrol duty? It's not like there's anyone stupid enough to attack us out here." A player by the name of Flaming Moth said as he kicked a small rock at his foot.

"Huh? You should be grateful I asked you to tag along. Do you have any idea how difficult it was for me to secure this war objective in the middle of nowhere? Just be lucky we're able to get a few contribution points. All we have to do is walk around for a couple of hours and collect our points." The male player next to Flaming Moth, who went by Reversed River, responded.

"I know! It's just that ever since Tempest took over the Demilitarization Belt, things have been too peaceful. At least when the other side was here, Tempest was a lot less stingy with the amounts of points they gave out." Flaming Moth sighed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You're right. That's why, after we finish this patrol war objective, we'll head north of Amaharpe. A friend of mine told me Tempest is planning something big up there. If we can arrive early, then we'll have our pick of war objectives." Reversed River said confidently.

"Is this the same friend who told you about that rare treasure chest?" Flaming Moth asked with a look of skepticism.

"Dude, that was all the way back in the beginner village. When are you going to let that go? Besides, it's a different guy. Trust me, the source this time is reliable." Reversed River assured.

"Whatever you say- Hm?" Flaming Moth went quiet as he looked towards the sky and frowned.

Reversed River also looked upward in wonder as the sky darkened and gray thunderclouds formed above the outpost.

"I didn't know it rained out here. Looks like it's going to start pouring down soon. Just our luck..." Flaming Moth sighed.

Woosh!

Out of nowhere, a powerful gust of wind blew right past Flaming Moth that caused him to raise his arms instinctively.

From the wind pressure alone, Flaming Moth was nearly lifted off his feet. However, he barely managed to stand his ground and stabilize himself as the abrupt gale subsided.

"What the hell was that?!" Flaming Moth exclaimed. The gust only lasted for a split moment, but it was enough to almost lifted him, a level 32 heavy armor-plated tank, off his feet!

"Hey, Reversed River, you alright! Reverse R-" Flaming Moth said as he looked to his side; however, he was shocked by the sight that awaited him.

Reversed River stood motionless with an expression of disbelief as light particles separated from his body—he had been sliced clean in half from head to toe!

"?!" Flaming Moth trembled as Reversed River's figure shattered into countless particles. He tried to process what just happened. One second, they were casually talking, and the next, Reversed River had somehow died!

But, before Flaming Moth could piece anything together, he felt something brush lightly against the front of his neck. The next moment, his entire world flipped upside down as everything around him turned gray.

Thump!

Flaming Moth's head crashed into the ground as his headless body dropped to its knees before falling over. Just like Reversed River, he had no idea how he met his end! But, they were not the only two who experienced this bizarre phenomenon.

"Ahhh!"

"What's happening?! Are we under attack?!"

"I can't- Gah!"

"My leg...! My leeeeg!"

Chaos was ensuing inside the outpost! Both players and NPCs alike were dropping like flies as a parade of carnage overtook the streets of the outpost.

NPC Name: Order of the Gale Force, Tigran(???)

NPC Level: 60

"Fools! Get back to your positions and prepare our defenses! If I find anyone neglecting their duties, I will personally cut them down!" Tigran roared.

Tigran wore an intimidating, fully plated dark blue and black armor set with a giant two-handed broadsword in his hands. He stood approximately 200cm tall and easily towered over those close to him.

Even though Tigran's face was hidden behind a protective helmet, his mystical cerulean eyes released a blood-chilling killing intent.

Tigran turned his gaze to the sky and locked onto a figure hovering around forty meters above the outpost.

"Daring to attack this outpost when I'm present, how bold—or are you just unfortunate?" Tigran said to himself. He was uncertain whether or not this attack was planned with his presence in mind. After all, he was only paying a visit to this outpost while on his way back to Tempest!

"Either way, don't dream of escaping this place with your life." Tigran tightened his grip on the broadsword in his hands as the weapon became encompassed in a cerulean aura!