A martial warrior who relies too heavily on outside aid, such as a weapon, lacks the foundation for greatness. That kind of reliance will one day be that warrior’s downfall.

~Lugh, God of Battle and Craft

Crow didn’t take long to heal, and by the time he was in fighting condition, they had already repelled the beast tide. During his rest period, the girls visited him regularly, and true to his word, the elder made sure Crow didn’t suffer any repercussions for his actions. In truth, no one reported him, so there wasn’t even an investigation. The only thing that upset the elders near where Crow was stationed was that they didn’t obey. Although upset, not one of them complained because they gained a lot of merit from what happened that day.

Even the warriors that became Crow’s front-line fighters became famous. They were called the Impenetrable Shield and honored the living and the dead for their achievement. Leadership gave the surviving disciples a patch they could wear on their robes to show their achievement. It was surprisingly effective in boosting morale, and Crow had to admit the action was very devious. Those people had every right to hate the elders that sent them to their deaths, but just a single patch was enough to turn their hearts. He could only smile bitterly at how obedient those warriors were.

Crow, Minnie, and Leila all had the badge because they were the rallying cry that saved over a thousand disciples. Crow’s was a little different from the others because they outlined it in gold filigree, which elevated his status above those people.

However, none of that affected Crow because he had other goals. He’d already acted on some intelligence during his ‘recovery’ time.

“What is that noise?” Zoe complained as she climbed out of bed, her naked body slid out from under the covers, and Crow couldn’t help staring at her lithe curves. She didn’t have large breasts or butt, but they were perfectly sculpted for her more petite frame. Her soft, pale skin always had a shine that would make any man lust after her. Minnie moaned and shifted as the warm body next to her moved away, so she rolled over and pressed against Crow to sap his warmth. With Leila pressed against his backside, he couldn’t move without waking them both. It surprised him that Leila insisted on joining them, as she was the most skittish of all the women in the coven.

“Minx,” Crow muttered in Minnie’s ear but smiled at Zoe, as he was sure he knew what was happening outside.

Zoe stood at the window listening to the people shouting, and her eyes narrowed at seeing the sect’s elite guards taking charge. It was as if someone had assassinated one of the clan leaders. But upon hearing the people on the street discussing the events that happened through the night, she felt it was more shocking than having a leader murdered. It was uncommon, but elders died mysteriously all the time. This was the heart of all Hex powers, so it happened. However, in all the time she’d been in this sect and from all the stories she’d heard, the events of last night had to be a first in the sect’s history.

Minnie was very in tune with her High Priestess’s emotions, so feeling both shock and awe emanating from Zoe, Minnie instantly sat up. Before rushing over to the window, she didn’t forget to give Crow a light kiss on his cheek.

“What is it?”

“Someone burgled a clan’s vault.”

“That’s impossible,” Minnie blurted out, but Crow could see she was getting excited from her erect nipples. The tiny buds hardened the more they talked, and Crow couldn’t help but admire both their bodies. Minnie wasn’t nearly as beautiful as Zoe, but she made up for it tremendously with her unconstrained personality.

“The thief left a… gift.” Zoe’s voice trailed off as she thought of something.

“What kind of gift? C’mon, don’t just go silent on me! I want gossip,” Minnie bounced excitedly because this was the most interesting thing that’s happened in the sect since she’d arrived here. “Wait, they raided which branch? It wasn’t ours, right?”

“Durex,” Zoe said, and her head slowly turned toward Crow.

“What was the gift!?” Minnie nearly shouted. Out of all the branches of the Unhulde sect, she hated the Durex clan the most. She’d almost been raped by them a half-dozen times before Crow came along, and Leila was one of their victims. Those bastards barely left her alive by the time they were done. Somehow, the marriage ritual fixed most of the cultivation-related damage. The more she thought about it, the more she found Crow mysterious.

Zoe stared at Crow, who was trying not to smile. “What did you do?”

Minnie turned her head and stared at Crow. Hearing Zoe’s accusation, she realized this theft wasn’t so simple. Her clever mind spun the details she had with Zoe’s accusation at the forefront of it all. She only now remembered that Crow could phase through a Mana Wall. The more the pieces fit, the further Minnie’s jaw dropped until she was positive it now rested on the ground.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you are talking about.” Crow looked away but couldn’t hide his guilty eyes. Minnie’s eyes lit up because she was sure this mysterious man was the culprit.

“Get him!” Minnie shouted and pounced at him. Before Crow could dodge, he felt Leila’s arms and legs wrap around him. Locked in place and unwilling to hurt her, he couldn’t extricate himself fast enough. Minnie latched on to his other side, and then Zoe straddled his stomach. Her eyes bore into his.

“You wouldn’t hurt your dear husband,” Crow gulped. “Right?”

Zoe and Minnie’s triumphant smile told him he wasn’t getting off that easily.

“How did you do it?”

“Remember what that elder said?” Crow asked, knowing these cunning little witches had already figured it out. No point in hiding it anymore. The only problem was he’d have to be more careful when causing chaos later. “The protective formations are mostly activated by spatial anomalies, and Ghosting isn’t based on Spatial Mana. It’s something closer to Ghost Mana, but even that isn’t correct. Best—”

“Don’t care about your theories,” Minnie growled.

“Right, well, they never expected someone to phase into the actual vault, so there are almost no restrictions on someone once inside. I bypassed all their security measures, which shows you should never rely heavily on material like that. When I carried you two through the wall the other day, I realized that Mana Walls augment my ability. Not only can I phase through them, but once inside the wall, I’m like a fish in water. It’s like gravity, friction, and whatever else doesn’t exist. The Mana Wall is even kind enough to supply me with all the energy I need to move at exaggerated speeds.”

“That’s… fucking great!” Minnie pumped a fist in the air. “I’m going with you on the next raid.” Minnie grew pensive and started tapping her chin in thought. “Now, who should be our next victim?”