"R-Roland dear? W-what are you doing? It hurts..."

"..."

Roland clutched his newlywed wife by the neck and continued to exert pressure. Although the sound of her pleading voice sent shivers down his spine, he understood that this was not Elodia. Thanks to his debugging skill and his Eyes of Truth, he could see through the illusion. This entity was nothing more than the spell he had been studying for the past few months, and he found himself ensnared within the occult obelisk's illusion.

'How did they manage to get this close without triggering any alarms? Do they possess a means to conceal their presence? Shouldn’t the failsafe have been triggered or is the time dilation at work now?'

He had invested countless hours scrutinizing the runic diagram he had acquired from the village. This relic emitted a concealed, inaudible soundwave capable of incapacitating individuals, and it could also be triggered by mere visual input. In light of this revelation, he had developed numerous sensors to counteract the soundwave, but he remained uncertain about the visual trigger.

As he became engrossed in the allure of his wife, a few possibilities crossed his mind. Either he had become too distracted to concentrate on potential adversaries during their wedding night, or he would soon be roused from this dreamlike state by his failsafe mechanism. It had been less than a minute when he discerned that something was amiss. His body and mind were so deeply attuned to this illusory state that he instantly sensed that something was awry.

‘I can’t panic, I predicted as much… If it’s anything like the two previous times, then not even a second has passed by in the real world.’

The abyssal relic operated on several rules that Roland had already deduced. One of these rules involved a form of time compression, where individuals ensnared by the spell found themselves trapped within their own minds. Inside the illusion, time seemed to move more slowly, but in reality, a person's cognitive processes were accelerated. They inhabited a dream world where they perceived the passage of an hour, but only a few seconds or minutes would elapse in the external world.

Roland had devised several countermeasures to shield his mind from the signal, primarily implemented within his runic helmet. Creating a device capable of enveloping all of his lands was currently not feasible, especially with the presence of multiple occupants. Therefore, he concentrated on safeguarding his personal living space and the workshop below.

He believed that if he were in his full armor, he would have been less susceptible to being incapacitated. Now, he had to either wait for the sensors within his home to trigger an alarm or free himself, a process he had successfully accomplished twice before. The advantage he held was discovering the spell when it was directly activated, theoretically granting him time to counter it.

‘What should I do…’

His mind raced, the culmination of years of preparation suddenly thrust upon him as the cult arrived at his doorstep. His top priority was to ensure Elodia's safety; the timing of their intrusion couldn't have been worse. However, he couldn't discount the possibility that the cult had orchestrated this attack without a proper plan. While it initially appeared advantageous for them to strike during a wedding, they were venturing into unfamiliar territory and couldn't anticipate all the variables at play. There were people like the Guild Master here, a person who was part of an organization that they might not want to stir up.

As Roland grappled with the illusion, his mind raced to formulate a plan. He couldn't allow this intrusion to jeopardize the safety of his loved ones or unravel the hard-earned peace he had constructed in his life. While he was deep in thought, the entire dream world began to tremble. It appeared that his fail-safe mechanism had finally activated, and the illusory realm was collapsing. He needed to prepare himself, as upon regaining his senses, he could find himself face-to-face with the enemies.

The illusory image of his wife transformed into a bizarre and grotesque being before the entire world crumbled around him. Roland was left in darkness, and he kept his eyes shut. He was well-versed in the cult's methods by now and he knew he had to remain cautious. They must have tracked him from the village, possibly using some unconventional means since he was meticulous about covering his tracks. It was also possible that they were searching for anyone connected to the discovery of the monolith, which meant Senna and the others involved could also be their targets.

When Roland regained consciousness, he strained his ears, listening for any signs of the abyssal cultists in the vicinity. Instead of hearing conversations or movements, he only heard the sound of the wind turbines spinning nearby. This could mean several things, but it also indicated that not all hope was lost, and he might have some time to prepare. His eyes opened, and he found himself in the bedroom with his wife, Elodia. She was still unconscious, deeply asleep, her face resting against his chest, just as they had been before this ordeal had begun on their wedding night.

‘She’s alive and well, did they set off the trigger from outside?’

For a moment, Roland hesitated, knowing that using any mana could potentially trigger a series of attacks. There was no way of knowing exactly who he was dealing with, and if there happened to be a skilled magic user among the enemies, they could easily discover his position if he used any conspicuous spells. The way to combat the cultists had always been through subterfuge. They consistently lowered their guard whenever their relics were in use, unable to fathom that anyone or anything could resist them.

Roland cautiously placed his hand around his wife while attempting to assess the situation. It appeared that he was likely the only person who was conscious. Through his research, he had learned that the spell targeted specific mana wavelengths, and everyone had their unique mana wavelength. To awaken people from the spell, he would need to target this specific, unique wavelength in each individual. Given the limited time, he could only focus on his own with a universal solution not being immediately attainable. The only countermeasure that would work for everyone would involve blocking out the signal before it could take effect.

Not everything was lost though as he was informed about a lot of mana patterns of the people involved with him. It was actually possible for him to awaken people like Elodia, Armand, and Lobelia whom he had analyzed before. The only thing he would need to do was to get to his armor or find one of his exchange helmets. With a small tweak he would be able to jolt them awake.

‘It’s either that, or I’d need to destroy the source of the signal…’

Previously, Roland had managed to hack into the runic device that maintained the illusion for everyone. Back then, it had been a massive monolith, the size of a grown tree, but he was fairly certain that the current cultists were using a more portable version. Wrestling it away from them would be no easy task, and he had more pressing concerns than directly confronting them. Children and non-combatants lay unconscious throughout the entire compound, and he had no idea of their whereabouts or how close the enemies truly were. Before any confrontation began, he needed to ensure the safety of as many of them as possible, and he would start with his wife.

It was time to take action, and fortunately, Roland's paranoia had led him to keep weapons in his bedroom. Despite it being his wedding night, he had managed to conceal a replacement runic helmet under his bed, along with two gauntlets. Silently slipping out of the bed, he finally had his usual display in front of his face. Although he was apprehensive about using flashy spells, the entire compound he had created served as one extensive spell database. His first step was to activate the mapping feature and perform a scan, but to his surprise, the results showed nothing unusual in the vicinity.

‘Are they outside the range? No that’s impossible…’

His runic sensors were placed everywhere. Stuck into trees and buried under rocks in the forest area and outside of it. He had placed them all around his lands and there were many of them inside of the city. After the first scan, he didn’t discover anything out of the ordinary, the guests were being registered within his home and none of them seemed to be injured or deceased.

It was evident that his enemies had come well-prepared. They were fully aware they were attacking a magic user's stronghold and had implemented measures to disrupt the runic sensors he had created. However, Roland's defenses extended beyond just his runic sensors; he had also devised alternative means to circumvent anti-magic and disruptors. Even he knew some spells that could shroud him in darkness and avoid detection which gave him an idea of how to discover people using them.

After activating several of his golemic creations, he instructed them to scan for heat signatures, movement, and even fluctuations in mana wavelengths. Within a few moments, his efforts to set up such an extensive network of scanners paid off. The sensors detected a group concealed under a large dome-like spell, making their way toward one of the back walls of his compound.

‘There you are. They haven’t made it inside yet, I might be in luck but…’

Roland swiftly discerned that the area the cultists were approaching was closer to where the guests were situated than to his own residence. They might have been under the assumption that he was still among the guests, or their intended target was possibly located there. With Elodia in his arms, he began making his move, delving deeper into his home. The entrance to his workshop opened even before he reached it, and his destination was one of the specially designed rooms he had prepared in case of a home invasion - a panic room.

Although he wouldn't be staying in the panic room himself, he deemed it a safer place for a non-combatant like Elodia. The room was equipped with supplies, monitors displaying the situation outside, and a small command center he had created for scenarios like this. After placing her down, he fitted her with the helmet he had been wearing, not so that she could use it, but so that he could remove the illusory charm that had been placed on her.

Roland's mage hand spell was already working overtime as he propelled his battle suit onto his body. Thanks to all the precautions he had taken, he was given this opportunity to catch his enemies off guard, and he was determined not to waste it. Utilizing his multiple minds trait, he simultaneously worked on figuring out the correct wavelength to free Elodia from the spell. In just a few moments, he achieved a breakthrough and heard her voice, confused but freed from the illusion.

“W-what? Why… what…?”

“Calm down, I know it’s confusing the first time but I don’t have much time to explain. You remember the Abyssal cult right?”

“Yes?”

“Good, you have been under their illusion spell and I carried you here to the panic room.”

Elodia, while initially confused, quickly grasped the explanation and understood the situation. Roland had somewhat prepared his wife for such an eventuality, and she was already aware of the existence of the panic room. In the past, she had rolled her eyes at his pedantic worries, but now she realized he had been right all along. Without raising her voice, Elodia removed her helmet and examined the crystalline magical devices that Roland had fashioned to somewhat mimic a square monitor.

“Are they all?”

“No, they are just sleeping but the cultists are getting closer, I need to go.”

“W-what are you going to do?”

“I need to wake everyone up and for that, I need to get closer but don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

"But what if something happens to you? Roland, please, promise me you'll be careful."

Elodia's voice trembled with worry, her eyes filled with concern for her husband's safety. Roland reached out to gently cup her cheek, his eyes filled with determination. He understood what she was feeling as if the roles were reversed he would not be able to stand still.

"I promise, Elodia. I won't let anything happen to me, it might not look like it but I actually like my life. We'll get through this together, just like we always do."

After a reassuring kiss on her forehead, Roland placed his helmet over his head. While he was going out into the open battlefield it didn’t mean that Elodia couldn’t help him out with a few things. The panic room was one option but there was also the escape tunnel that could bring her within the city limits.

“Listen closely, I need you to contact the guard captain, he should be in the barracks.”

“The City Guard Captain?”

“Yes, tell him that the abyssal cult is here and that they need to contact the church of Solaria. Can you do this?”

“I… Of course but what should I tell them?”

Elodia possessed enough knowledge to operate all the runic items in the room. One of them was a communication device capable of reaching the soldiers' barracks. While it would have been more efficient if Arthur were present, he would have moved after receiving instructions based on a secret code. However, the city's forces needed a more straightforward explanation, and Elodia was the ideal person to provide it. Roland knew that he was not alone in this battle and that relying on the city forces was a strategic move from a knight commander. Nevertheless, before the cavalry arrived, he needed to stall his enemies.

“Tell them that Lord Arthur Valerian is here, that should be enough to make them move.”

“I will but please, be careful and…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone hurt the children and not like I’m alone.”

Elodia nodded, her expression resolute as she understood the gravity of the situation. Roland finally left the room while she quickly activated the communication device. Her fingers danced over the runic symbols to make the display present her with some options. There weren’t many places that she could call and placing her digit over the right rune activated the device. It wasn't long before she had the City Guard Captain on the line.

After leaving the room he sealed it behind himself. Elodia watched him go, her heart heavy with concern but also with trust in her husband's abilities. She knew that Roland was resourceful and skilled, and she had faith that he would do everything in his power to protect their home and their loved ones.

Roland navigated through the silent workshop, making every effort to conceal his movements. The sensors he was utilizing emitted mana, so his enemies were likely aware that something was amiss. Fortunately, amidst the array of runic devices, it would be challenging for them to distinguish him from any other device, affording him some time to gather reinforcements.

“I’m glad that this shipment didn’t head into the dungeon yet…”

One of the storage facilities opened, and in the dimly lit room, a multitude of red eyes sprang to life. The sound of mechanical legs echoed within as Roland activated the golemic reinforcements hidden within. The entire workshop resonated with the clatter of metal as he set into motion every conceivable countermeasure he had previously assembled…

…

Outside, the group of approaching cultists had nearly reached their destination. Their advance had been concealed by an occult shield of mana, which dissipated to reveal the multiple individuals within as they neared the wall. Before they reached their intended target, the person wielding a peculiar staff with a skull head on top shouted out a command.

"Stop! The mana around this place is shifting..."

"Oh, did the secret relic fail to work?"

"That can't be!"

Two others among the group voiced their questions and concerns, while the man with the staff shook his head to deny it.

“No… this mana is within these walls, they are all tools, just as we expected!”

“Is that all? I hoped for at least some fun…”

A woman's voice called out from the approaching group, her tone tinged with boredom as she covered a yawn with her hand. The others didn't respond as they began to spread out, encircling the broad and towering walls. Their mission was to bring whoever was behind that wall closer to their god, either by slaying them or bestowing upon them the great honor of becoming one with their abyssal parasites...