The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: What an Unfortunate Night

The abandoned fortress stood at the edge of a wooded valley, its old stone walls almost completely swallowed by vines and moss.

From the hill overlooking it, the view was surprisingly peaceful.

The evening sun had begun to sink behind the mountains, casting long shadows across the valley. A river passed quietly through the forest below, reflecting the orange light of the sky, while birds occasionally flew between the distant trees.

It was the sort of scenery that would have been worth stopping to admire.

Unfortunately, the fortress below belonged to a bandit organization.

And according to the information they had gathered, it was a rather wealthy one.

Zyra rested one of her twin long daggers against her shoulder while looking down at the fortress.

Her battle suit was distinctly different from the uniforms worn by ordinary Eclipse members. It was designed specifically for movement, fitted closely to her body without restricting her limbs, with dark fabric reinforced around the areas most likely to take a hit.

Vorlan stood beside her.

The Eclipse power surrounding his arm had already taken the shape of a massive morning star. A dark metal sphere formed at the end of a chain made entirely from condensed power, hanging loosely beside him.

Behind them stood three women from the Second Order.

All three wore the standard Eclipse battle suit, although each had modified it slightly according to personal preference. Their weapons were also different from ordinary swords. Each blade was formed and maintained through Eclipse power, allowing them to summon, reshape, and dismiss their weapons whenever they wished.

The three had already earned their place among the organization’s elite.

They were not Reapers.

But they were strong enough that ordinary members rarely had a reason to question their abilities.

The woman standing on the left, Mira, looked toward the fortress.

"So that’s the place."

Beside her, Elira narrowed her eyes.

"According to the report, the bandits have been operating for more than ten years. Their numbers should be somewhere between two and three hundred."

The third woman, Serah, quietly examined the walls.

"And they have enough wealth to maintain a fortress this large."

Zyra smiled.

"Which means?"

Serah looked at her.

"We’ll take everything."

"Correct."

Vorlan chuckled.

"I like the way you think."

Mira glanced between them.

"How much did the reconnaissance team find?"

"Enough to make the Four Black Roses interested," Zyra replied.

That immediately changed the mood.

Mira’s expression became more serious.

"The Four Black Roses?"

"Mm."

Zyra twirled one of her daggers between her fingers.

"Gold, weapons, magical materials, gemstones, and several crates of equipment. They apparently weren’t simply robbing travelers. They were also receiving payment from merchants who didn’t want their goods officially recorded."

Elira raised an eyebrow.

"So they’re running an underground trade network."

"Looks like it."

Vorlan looked at the fortress again.

"And here I thought we were going to have an ordinary mission."

Serah gave him a sideways glance.

"You’re disappointed?"

"Of course not."

The morning star in his hand slowly rotated.

"I’m just wondering how much trouble I’ll have carrying everything afterward."

Mira laughed.

"You don’t have to carry it. We have members assigned to transport."

"Well you’re right."

Vorlan smiled.

"But complaining beforehand makes the work feel shorter."

Zyra shook her head.

"You’re strange."

"I’ve heard that before."

For a moment, none of them spoke.

The five simply looked down at the fortress.

Smoke rose from several chimneys.

The bandits were preparing their evening meal.

From this distance, they could hear faint laughter drifting through the valley.

"Such a beautiful scene, wasn’t it?"

Zyra said, her gaze lingering on the valley below.

The others followed her gaze. From their position, the entire valley stretched beneath them, bathed in the fading light of the evening. The distant mountains were painted in warm colors, while the ruined village below seemed almost peaceful from this height.

Almost.

"Yeah," one of the women replied.

"A shame it has to end here," another added.

Zyra smiled.

Not the gentle kind.

There was a faint excitement in her eyes as she watched the bandits moving through the village below. The sight of so many opponents seemed to have awakened something in her.

"Then shall we?"

The three women moved at the same time.

Zyra reached behind her and drew her weapon, the long daggers sliding free with a clean metallic sound.

There was no need for another discussion.

The five moved at almost the same time.

The bandits noticed them only after the distance had already disappeared.

One of them reached for his weapon, but before he could properly draw it, a blow sent him crashing into the ground. Another turned around after hearing the commotion and found someone already standing in front of him.

The reaction spread through the village almost immediately.

"What—?!"

"Enemies!"

"Get your weapons!"

The bandits scrambled to their feet, but their confusion quickly turned into panic. They had expected an ordinary group of intruders, perhaps adventurers looking for trouble. What they encountered instead was something they couldn’t properly understand.

The five didn’t fight like people who were struggling against a large group.

They simply moved through them.

Zyra was especially troublesome.

She had always enjoyed fighting a little too much, and the larger the number of opponents, the more obvious it became. Every time another bandit approached, her expression brightened as though someone had just given her a present.

"Sigh. There she goes again."

One of the others muttered it almost out of habit.

Zyra didn’t heard her.

Or perhaps she simply didn’t care.

She slipped past a swing and struck the bandit’s side, sending him tumbling into two of his companions. Before they could recover, she was already moving toward the next group.

There was no wasted motion in her movements, but there was also no urgency. She looked almost as though she were enjoying herself.

The bandits were not.

Their confidence disappeared with every passing moment.

Some tried to surround the five, only to find themselves thrown apart before they could close the formation. Others began backing away, realizing that numbers were no longer an advantage. A few simply dropped their weapons and ran.

On the other side of the village, Vorlan was dealing with the same problem in a considerably simpler manner.

He swung his weapon through the group in front of him, and the impact sent several bandits flying at once. One crashed against a wooden wall while another rolled across the ground, taking two others with him.

Vorlan glanced at the result.

He had probably used a little too much strength.

It didn’t seem particularly important.

The remaining bandits were already terrified.

They had come here believing that they were the ones people should fear. Now they were desperately searching for somewhere to escape, while the five continued advancing through the village as though this were nothing more than an ordinary evening.

Still, not everyone had lost their composure.

Among the retreating bandits were two men who hadn’t moved from their positions.

They had been watching the fight from the beginning.

Unlike the others, neither appeared particularly frightened.

One was a heavily built man covered in scars, while the other stood quietly beside him, his eyes carefully following the movements of the five.

Behind them stood the bandit leader.

His expression had finally changed.

The amusement was gone.

He had originally believed that the intruders were simply overconfident fools who had wandered into the wrong place. After watching his men get cut down and thrown around without being able to fight back, however, even he could no longer maintain that assumption.

The two men in front of him were the only ones he trusted to stop them.

Zepyra noticed them as well.

Her eyes shifted toward the pair, and the smile on her face became noticeably wider.

Finally, there were opponents who looked like they might actually be worth her time.

"Those two..."

She took a step forward.

Her excitement was obvious.

The others noticed it immediately.

Another quiet sigh escaped from the group.

Zepyra was already enjoying herself.

And the two men were finally moving.

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