“We are too late.”

A cloaked person bent down and touched the ground. There were signs of battle in this place, the place where Ciel struck down an assassin. Viers had just left a short while ago.

“No blood trail… Can you still track her?” Another assassin asked.

“I can try to sniff the poison’s trail but someone has tampered with the scene. It will take more time.”

“Then leave it,” the leader said. “We’ll use the Silver Legion as our hunting dogs.”

The group of five used the Arte Fade in Shadow to disappear under the moonless night.

***

“They are there,” the woman with a northern accent said.

“Don't come closer. Whoever has Ciel might find us if we do,” a man in his late twenties wearing civilian clothes said.

Rose gulped, seeing the ordinary house.

After seeing the signs of battle, Mita, Conn, June, and Rose, the four went out to investigate. It wasn't condoned but battles in towns or cities happened. When they did, there were often massive civilian casualties. Rose and the other went to provide support and contain the damage, as they had done many times before.

They didn't think they would meet another group of Silver Legion.

“Vestal Mita? Thank the Radiant Lady you’re here… Rose, is that you?”

“Seniors,” Rose dipped her head. “What happened to you?”

Rose had met them in the past, in Luxore town. It was brief but memorable. They brought her to Sephoria from her little town.

Four people -two men and two women- led by a Level 3 man named Damon, looked like they had been in intense combat for a week. They didn't wear their Legion uniform to attract less attention in the city.

They respectfully greeted the senior legionary and briefly explained that they were seeking a member of their group who was targeted by the cultists of Banbenxi. They were ambushed a few days ago and were separated. The lost member was still alive and the trail led them to Valkut city.

“We must hurry. The cultists were not pulling any punches. Ciel’s life sign is already faint,” said Rachel.

“Ciel?” Rose gasped. How could she forget the woman that introduced her to the Silver Legion in the first place? “Master-”

“Of course we’ll help,” Mita said. “Lead the way.”

Lady Ciel, please hang in there, Rose prayed as the group of eight traversed the streets of Valkut.

Rachel used a magic curio that was keyed to the location of the other member of the group, standard-issue Legion equipment. It led them to somewhere they didn't expect.

“The brothel district?”

“Damn. There’s a lot of people here even at this hour.”

“Found her. Ciel’s over there,” Rachel pointed to an unremarkable house.

“I’ll lay down a Hidden Boundary,” Mita said. “Wait a bit.”

It was to prevent other people from getting involved and as a precaution for the assassins' interlopers.

“Don't use buffs. The other party might realize a spike of Victa and become alert if we do,” Damon said. “The priority is Ciel’s safety.”

“Damn dirty cultists. What are they doing to Ciel in a place like this?” Bryan gripped the handle of his two swords on his hip.

“Oh no, dark energy is invoked from the house! I suddenly feel Ciel’s in grave danger,” Wendy perplexed.

Someone dashed like a meteor, breaching the house’s wall with a shoulder charge. Damon tried to stop Bryan but he didn't make it in time.

Amidst the dust of clouds, Rose still managed to see the half-naked unconscious Ciel. There were two ghosts with familiar faces that hurriedly went into a man touching Ciel’s forehead.

Wha-!?

“You bastard,” Bryan unsheathed both of his swords. “What are do you think-”

***

“-you’re doing!?”

Two things flashed through Viers mind. The first was that he’d fallen to the standard trope of problems caused by a woman that had plagued more than half of the Fables in his entire library. The second was how much lethal force he should unleash from the get-go to break through the encircling net.

Farley knew Viers’ attention would be on the sudden intruder so she pulled Paina’s arm and flew back inside Viers. Their identities were sensitive so they shouldn't be seen.

But it might be too late, Farley cursed.

Viers didn't even think he should talk to the intruders first. His powers, fists, and Artes would do the talking instead. Two people entered the room after the first while the rest stayed outside. Viers looked from the hole in the wall and found the wall breaker’s friends.

He saw Rose.

That meant the people here were with the Church.

And she might have seen Paina and Farley despite their quick retreat.

Next to Rose was a short woman who was most likely a Level 4. The hostiles were formidable Level 3s, and with a Level 4 in play, Viers was in a dire crisis.

Either way, the fact that he was able to use ghosts was already found out. Therefore using his soul Artes came with no disadvantage.

The gears inside Viers’ brain turned like gears in a clock.

And slashed the first intruder using his sword. The sound of sword clashing rang clearly like the sound of a metal bell.

Bryan grunted at the heaviness of the blow. The slash was swung with the lightness of a feather but the force was like an avalanche.

Damon, Rachel, and Wendy acted, launching attacks from three sides while Viers was busy.

“Detonate.”

A blast of the exploding array that Viers set up destroyed the house in a flashy manner. Ciel’s friends were blown away by the blast.

“Cieeeel!” Wendy shouted, worried about Ciel who was inside the house.

A sentiment that was shared by all. But when they saw Ciel was protected by a barrier that Viers cast, they felt relief.

“Why is he protecting her?” Rachel communicated with the others using mind talk.

“He’s not with the assassins?” Wendy said.

“Doesn't matter. He’s a necromancer. We’re taking Ciel back! Formation C!” Damon ordered.

The brief respite was beneficial to Viers. A minor injury by the blast was a worthwhile trade.

“Girls, we’re going all out to escape. Ciel will be fine. These are her friends. Let’s move!”

“Yes!” The Viers’ Angels replied.

Horizon, Unreality Field, Overclock Mode, Combat Overture, in a moment, Viers’ battle strength multiplied.

Mita, the only one that saw through the change in Viers, was very surprised at the degree of strength increase.

Damon and the other three attacked Viers with coordination and synergy that had been polished for years. The four were Level 3 high Pathseekers, two small realms higher than Viers’ cultivation base.

Paina’s Anima Symphony, the music buff that raised Viers’ physical capability, moved straight into Accelerato after the Overture, increasing Viers’ speed significantly. It allowed Viers to evade and do his own counterattacks.

With Farley functioning as another brain, Viers Artes could be cast faster and stronger. Not only that, when Wendy moved towards Viers’ blindspot, she acted on her own to protect Viers like an automated defense system.

Arte - Unseen Waterwire Crisscross.

Farley had taken Oscar’s Unseen Lightning Crisscross Arte and made it hers. In an instant, she made very thin wires behind Viers that were almost undetectable. If an enemy approached unguarded, they would be cut and diced by their own movement momentum.

But these people were not common bandits, they were members of the Silver Legion.

Wendy the Winter Wind cut the magic wires using cutting wind blades.

Viers followed up with a spinning roundhouse kick and blew Wendy away.

Damon raised his broadsword overhead, the blade was glowing with a magical metallic shine. Suddenly, he felt his body wasn't listening to his command.

Viers put a stop to his movement with a gaze.

Combining Spirit Supremacy, Euryale Sight, and Clarissa’s own Arte, Viers created a sight-based technique. Those under Viers’ gaze would feel as if they were a frog glared by a snake, paralyzed! Since the foundation was Viers’ soul cultivation that was above most Pathseekers and Clarissa who was a former Level 5, the technique was virtually unblockable. They could only minimize the effect.

Viers called this new Arte Medusa Gaze, a set with his Euryale Sight.

Ideally, Viers wanted to be able to turn people to stone but he lacked the means. Still, an unblockable stun ability by only seeing? Viers would take it. A powerful and versatile weapon joined Viers’ arsenal.

Clarissa’s inability to join Viers in battles was eating her from the inside. Paina and Farley could do it because of their water affinity but when Paina used her music sound to create a soul effect for Viers, Clarissa thought she could do something similar.

Not only that, as the most experienced among them, Clarissa kept her senses focused on the Level 4 in case she tried something. At the very least, she could warn Viers before the attack landed.

Rachel moved next to Ciel and covered the body with a blanket from her storage item. Since Viers’ objective was to escape, she met no obstruction. She then helped her comrades suppress Viers by launching long-range attacks. The four were very persistent in taking Viers down.

“You’ve got what you came for. What more do you want?” Viers parried Bryan’s twin swords.

“You won't escape, necromancer assassin!” Bryan answered.

“I’m not Banbenxi’s fanatics.”

Viers tried running to the left but Damon bared his way after shaking off the paralyze status effect.

“What did you do to Ceil?” Wendy shot a blizzard from her palms.

“Rghh,” Viers grunted from behind his water barrier. “I saved her. Now I’m leaving her to you. Go away and tend to her.”

“You’re coming under custody,” Damon said.

“Stubborn bastards,” Viers scoffed, his precious Victa was burning away each second these people stood before him. “Take heart, even now, this is me being reasonable!”

Viers unleashed his soul power, not bothering to hide it any longer. The air felt like razor blades slicing the Silver Legionary's skin.

Sensing Viers' power, the expression of the four turned grim.

Inside Viers' soul space, Paina’s Anima Symphony reached its fourth verse, giving Viers four active buffs.

Overture, Accelerato, Bravura, Fortissimo!

***

“Everyone, hurry! Over here!”

“Move quickly but calmly! We’ll protect you!”

Rose, June, and Conn were told by Mita to evacuate the people inside after the Hidden Boundary enveloped the thirty meters surroundings. They wanted to help fight Ciel's captor but Mita said no.

Unlike the four who were attacking the mysterious man, the three wouldn't be able to synergize well when fighting as a group. Slipshod teamwork would be detrimental instead.

“You three are not ready for this level of enemy yet.”

At first, the three did not believe Mita. The enemy was a Level 3 low, the same as them, but they weren't ready?

Only after witnessing the battle unfold did they realize the difference between Damon’s group and them.

And the stranger was fighting them on even ground despite being alone.

“That’s the last of them,” Conn said.

“...What a terrifying enemy,” June watched the stranger pinning Wendy to the wall after stabbing her on the shoulder with a sword, front kicked Bryan in the face before sending him flying to the next house, and broke Damon’s broadsword with a punch.

Rose was contemplating in silence. She didn't recognize the stranger but she knew she wasn't seeing things.

The spirits before… They were Paina and Farley… Could it be?

The strongest Pathseeker in the area was splitting her attention on the ongoing battle and her surroundings.

The Hidden Boundary was an alternate form of Level 4’s Domain ability. It wasn't for attacking or capturing the enemy but to close the area from civilians. After seeing the boundary from the outside, the sensible ones wouldn't venture inside and expose themselves to danger.

It also gave Mita awareness if there someone made an entry from the outside.

She thought Ciel was caught by the assassins. She erected the Boundary to quickly snuff out assassins’ reinforcements. She was expecting a battle with multiple cultists that would have no care for collateral damage.

But it turned out it was only one man and the stranger, despite his dangerous use of unsanctioned soul power, didn't seem to aim for Ciel’s life. He also denied being an assassin of Banbenxi.

The Boundary had been up for a few minutes. Outside it would look like a gigantic black egg to those with the qualification to see it. If there were no assassins in the area, the Boundary would become a beacon for the assassins targeting Ciel.

Mita must make the call. Should she subdue or let the stranger go? Should she take the risk to prolong this battle and increase the risk of the assassins coming?

If the Assassin’s Guild were truly aiming for someone as important as Ciel, they would not send unskilled and untested assassins. They might have sent a Level 4, or several. Worst case scenario, even a Level 5.

After the kill contract was made, the target must die. The Bone Ravens had maintained that policy for millennia and become a fearsome organization that very few people dared to cross.

The stranger forced Mita’s hand. He was a tough nut to crack. She was about to put a stop to the battle and mediate peace before someone lost their life or suffered an unhealable injury.

Then Mita sensed a foreboding feeling of danger.

The 155 cm tall Level 4 stopped the shadow blades that were aimed at her heart and head.

From my shadow!?

From the shadows of other Legionaries, other assassins also emerged and unleashed lethal attacks.

They were hiding in our shadows all along!

“Vestal Mita, a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” the Level 4 woman who emerged from Mita’s shade said.

“Lykin the Lighteater!”

Mita struck her with her palm but Lykin negated it with her own palm strike.

“Correct. Allow me to demonstrate,” the dangerous beauty with a striking red eyeshadow made the entire area inside the Hidden Boundary become pitch black.