There were four of them. Three were Awakened, and the other was a Luminous. Just like the body outside the shrine, they wore masks and called each other by codenames matching those masks.
That, once again, made Eiros feel like his System was toying with him. Sure, he’d grow stronger if he pulled off the mission, but why did his missions always end up involving enemies stronger than him?
And this time, on top of that, the enemy wasn’t just strong — they were extremely strong, and outnumbered him too.
’This makes no sense.’
Eiros carefully tried to trail behind them. All he could do was hope none of them had any way to sense their surroundings or any particular sensitivity to it.
"Hmm, is this really okay? Crimson’s sneaking into the Imperial laboratory all by himself — the security there is insanely tight..."
"That guy’s insane. Don’t lump him in with us. While the rest of us are still using codenames, he’s already got his own name, one that has nothing to do with the mask codes. That says everything about his position."
’Crimson? He’s here? No, wait, he’s at the Empire?’
Eiros felt his heart pound. He remembered the first time he’d met Crimson, and how badly that encounter had ended for him.
He held himself back, taking a few careful steps and slipping behind one of the massive pillars in the tunnel. Fortunately, he didn’t need to be too close to hear what they were saying.
The tunnel was so enclosed and quiet that even the smallest sound bounced off the walls loudly.
"Hmm... What about us, though? You think we’ll really be fine here? What if someone’s stalking us?"
"...Funny you mention it, I always feel uneasy being down here. Like something’s been stalking me."
"Haha, just say you’re scared of ghosts. Anyway, speaking of which, it should be about time. The Abyss Rift should already be open in the capital. Once that happens, we’ll be able to move around a lot more freely."
’An Abyss Rift, open in the capital?’
"I heard today was picked on purpose, once we got word from our spy inside the Academy. You know, that student who’s been embedded there. Thanks to that intel, the higher-ups decided to launch an attack targeting a few specific figures — I don’t know the details, but apparently it’s just a diversion. The real target is still whatever’s in that laboratory."
"Haha! And what if one of the targets actually ends up dead?"
"Even better, that’s just a bonus, hahaha."
’....’
Eiros felt his breathing slow down as it all sank in. He hadn’t expected the scale of this to be so large, but seeing as his System wasn’t urging him to rush off and save the main characters, that probably meant everything was still under control.
Right?
It had to be.
Eiros let out a small breath, took a step, and without meaning to, his footing came down a little too heavily, sending a faint tremor through the air along with a quiet sound.
It was tiny. But it was enough.
"Who’s there!?"
A man in a gorilla mask manifested in an instant, forming a bow and drawing back the string. At the same time, an arrow made of Soul Essence took shape.
Whistle! Whistle!
He drew and released the bowstring twice, sending two arrows flying at tremendous speed, leaving trails of pale, glimmering light behind them.
Baam!!
The arrows tore straight through one of the pillars. The explosion was deafening, kicking up clouds of dust along with a small collapse of debris.
All four of them stood tense, braced for the possibility of an enemy lying in wait. But once the dust cleared, there was no one to be seen.
"Was that just me...?"
"...I think you need some sleep, man. You’re being ridiculous. Cut it out."
"Yeah, seriously, you’re being way too paranoid."
"Ahaha."
The four of them turned and walked on. None of them noticed Eiros creeping slowly along the ceiling above, cold sweat dripping down his face.
’Damn it, that was close.’
He’d almost been caught.
He hesitated, calmed his racing heart, then moved again, landing softly and continuing on with far more caution.
***
Tremor! Tremor! Tremor!
The capital of Augusta shook violently, and every resident was gripped with panic. Evacuations were carried out in a rush, soldiers shouting out directions, their voices drowned out by the screams of terrified civilians.
The Awakened and Luminous under the Empire’s command, along with the Tower Keeper of Wisdom, gathered in a hurry to figure out what was happening.
And the answer was deeply alarming.
"It’s an Abyss Rift! The point of emergence is right at the beach where the first-year Stigma Academy students are currently staying!"
"What!? Then what about the students? What’s the Abyss level?"
Someone answered hurriedly, his face pale.
"They... they’ve... vanished! Most of them are nowhere to be found, and a few got left behind on their own, lucky enough to have gotten away just in time."
In an instant, on a night when the capital had been running through its usual routine, its usual rhythm, everything collapsed into chaos at a danger level that couldn’t be determined right away.
But a single Abyss Rift alone was more than enough to level a city without sufficient Stigmata users to defend it.
What no one there knew, however, was that several other Abyss Rifts had already opened around the forests surrounding the capital.
And in those forests right now, every single student had been forcibly teleported there, scattered and separated from one another.
And it wasn’t just the students. The supervisors and professors were caught up in it too, pushing the whole situation into a full-blown emergency.
"Get me a report! Now, someone call the Tower Keeper."
Someone shouted from inside the Tower of Wisdom, his gaze fixed on a woman trying to reach Estiel. But the result was...
"T-there’s no answer...! There’s no one on the top floor at all."
Panic spread quickly across every face in the room. Unease crept in, but fortunately, an experienced Luminous man stepped in to take charge.
"Quick, ask the other towers for help."
The woman nodded rapidly, trying to connect to every location under the control of the other Tower Keepers.
But with every call she made, the faces around her grew grimmer and grimmer. Because:
"T-there’s no answer from any of them..."
***
Viena opened her eyes and found herself in the middle of a forest. She was alone, with no one else around, and in an instant, worry and fear washed over her.
"W-where is this?"
’I was just... wasn’t I just with everyone else at the beach? Why did it suddenly...!’
Her memory suddenly flashed back to the moment a blinding light swallowed her body, along with a violent tremor that sent everyone into a panic. After that, once the light had taken over completely, Viena finally woke up here.
Her face went pale. For a moment, she remembered the terror she’d once lived through. It had left her traumatized, and this might well be yet another one.
She could barely move, but...
"KYAAHHH!!"
A woman’s scream rang out in the distance. Viena’s breathing turned short and rapid, cold sweat soaking her face.
She bit her lip, steadied herself, and forced her body to get up.
’I’ve... I’ve already prepared myself for the day something like this happens to us again.’
If she let fear take over now, what was the point of everything she’d been through, everything she’d prepared for? What was the point of lying in the name of the Goddess?
On her body, Viena wore several pieces of jewelry. A necklace, earrings, a ring, and a few other adornments.
She turned toward the direction of the scream, then reached out into the air. Her ring dissolved into light, forming a gleaming bow.
’I’m determined to help. Not to be helped.’
***
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