When Bel threw his luggage on the bed, Amon did the same, and the two exposed the material they would have on hand for this operation. They couldn't bring everything so they would have to choose carefully. Being ill-prepared while facing Holy Knights could spell their end. Both of them took out their retractable sword, but to Amon's surprise, the one Bel took out was different. Sensing Amon's gaze, Bel explained; "This was custom-made for me. It's larger, longer and way heavier. The average retractable sword doesn't suit my build." Amon shrugged and suppressed the chill climbing his spine. The gigantic Bel wielding an oversized sword was the stuff of nightmares.

Amon drew that despite its power, only someone who possessed sufficient physical strength could use it. Otherwise, if every soldier of the Order were equipped with such a weapon, things would be a lot more complicated.

These swords functioned using electrical current; their power source had predetermined longevity. Most swords could last for a few weeks of constant activation before running of power, but such a sword would run out faster. Not that this mattered to most as retractable swords could be recharged with any power socket.

Next, Amon took out several metal tubes, each about fifteen centimetres in length, with a pin at the top. They were very clearly grenades. Although most grenades weren't a threat to augmented warriors, they could still be used to either cover their retreat or create some chaos. It wasn't that the explosive force of those grenades was weak but rather that with the athletic abilities of most augmented, it was easy to either get out of the way or to lob it back at the attacker.

Out of his bag, Bel took out several syringes and divided them into two piles. The first pile was full of a bright blue liquid that seemed to squirm and twist as Amon looked at it befuddled. With a proud smile, Bel introduced the fluid. "These aren't your regular syringes. When I heard we were fighting The Undying, I made a trip to a shop that deals in 'unusual goods.' The liquid in itself is only water but what it contains it rather amusing. There are a plethora of small nanobots that have the sole purpose of disrupting nanotechnological augmentation. Its somewhat rare and expensive and I was only able to acquire two of them.

Amon was shocked to see such a thing in Bel's possession. He knew that these types of things existed, but they were so rare that he never thought he would get to see them one day. Even the Ravens only had a minimal supply of them and would only take them out when dealing with the strongest Holy Knights. For Bel to get his hands on these showed that he had some seriously influential contacts.

-I'm impressed, though wouldn't they be useless against The Undying, after all, he only has physical augmentations.

-I doubt it. If he indeed has such a powerful regeneration, it has to be supported by some nanotechnology. However, this will only disrupt it temporarily and won't get rid of his restoration altogether.

-That's still better than nothing. Couldn't we also use one of those on Stormbringer?

-If you can get close enough to him, though I doubt you'll ever get the chance.

Amon nodded. He knew how hard it would be to get rid of an augmented that could send streams of electricity flying towards them from a distance. Amon pointed to the other syringes and looked at Bel quizzically.

-These are for my personal use only. You'll see if I ever need to use them.

Without another word, Amon took out two dark blue vests from his luggage. The jacket had long sleeves that ended within a fingerless glove with the palm left uncovered. He handed one to Bel and wore the second one. It took him a while to adjust the various straps and make himself comfortable, and when he was done, he saw that Bel was blankly looking at him.

-Aren't you going to wear it?

-Are these body armour? I don't like the way they restrict movement. Plus, they have a hard time blocking strikes from retractable swords.

-These are the latest prototypes and were given to me by my benefactor before we headed out of Cairo. Supposedly they can stop several sword attacks before needing replacement. Plus, they should be so light and flexible that they act like any other shirt would. Wearing it now, I must agree that it's quite comfortable. The one I gave you should be made in your size.

With a skeptical look, Bel wore the jacket and light flickered in his eyes once he was done trying it out. He felt the vest wasn't interfering with his movements. Plus, it was so light that it didn't interfere with his actions. Feeling satisfied, he wore his shirt over it and knew that this piece of protection might very well save his life in this operation. At first, Bel wasn't so confident in fighting The Lion without resorting to some underhanded tricks, but this allowed him to be much more confident. He gave Amon a big thumbs up and proceded to store some of the grenades and his syringes in the few pockets sewn in the jacket. He gave one syringe of blue disruption liquid and left the other for Amon.

Amon also stored his equipment in his pockets before pulling out a couple of knives from his luggage. Unlike the one the captain of the guards had used to stab him, these were made of the same alloy as the retractable swords and wouldn't break on impact. He offered some to Bel who declined and kept all five of them. The length of those blades was only about ten centimetres, but they could be used both as throwing knives and a bad surprise during a close-quarter fight.

The two of them rumbled through their luggage for a while before concluding that this was everything they could bring while remaining inconspicuous. Bel turned to Amon and asked: "When are we setting out?

-Let's head out as soon as we finish here.

It was still early in the day, and they had plenty of time to find somewhere they could have a good view of the mansion while remaining hidden, in the dark or plain sight. A restaurant or public park would be the ideal as they could pretend to idle the whole day through. Since it was Sunday, nobody would think it was weird for people to hang out outside.

Amon tidied up the room and left, Bel by his side. The two of them went down to the lobby and left the hotel. The sky was getting cloudy, but the rays of the sun still found the way to make this day an exceptionally bright one. The two men set out in the direction of the mayor's mansion. Unlike most official buildings, it wasn't in the business district but rather in the first residential district, quite a way from where they were. To avoid walking all the way there, the two men took a bus.

As always, the streets of New-Paris were crowded, and it was no different inside the bus. There were no sitting places left, and they were forced to stand at the front of the vehicle. The two were careful not to brush too close to other people as they did not want other people feeling that they concealed some things under their clothes.

Like all the vehicles in the Order, the bus functioned fully on electricity. The Order was rigorous on matters of pollution and had spent a lot of their resources finding ways to create clean energy. By now, the Order was able to recycle pretty much everything that was thrown away, and there was little pollution emitted by either vehicles or industries.

After about thirty minutes, Amon and Bel had arrived as close to their destination as the bus would get them, so they got off and headed closer. The first residential district was the wealthiest one, and instead of tall apartment buildings and steel skyscrapers, there were large homes and elegant condominiums. The main street in this district was named l'Avenue des Champs-Elysee after a famous street from the old Paris. Even though nobody spoke french anymore, they chose this name as a way to demonstrate the prestige of the first residential district.

The avenue was broad and on both sides were beautifully maintained flowerbeds. Shops rivalling those in the business district lined the streets. However, those shops weren't intended for everybody. Instead, they were luxury shops designed for the upper class of New-Paris. From what Amon knew, the mayor's mansion was situated near the end of this road. As the two of them walked down the street, they managed to avoid strange looks from the locals by simply looking confident. The clothes they wore weren't ostentatious, but they were clean. Plus, since Amon was quite handsome, the two of them didn't appear too of place. Their attitude also helped bridge the gap between reality and what they wanted to project. By looking as if they were entitled to walk here, they seemed the part.

After about thirty minutes, the two of them saw the mayor's mansion in the distance. Even at a single glance, they were able to determine that it was their target.