The air turned tense in an instant, the four of them were in a situation where they sat on a stack of dynamite and the other person held a torch in his hand.

“Ah, but where are my manners. You may call me Hugo. It’s not my real name of course, but surely you people understand the necessity of using an alias.” The man introduced himself as Hugo wore a rat’s mask and black cloak.

“Blackswarm Hugo, I’ve heard of you,” Scarlett replied.

“None other, I’m humbled to be recognized by Scarlett the Bloody.”

“Who’re the other two gentlemen? You’re supposed to be the only level 2 in Luxore’s branch of Teorph’s cult.”

“Guests from afar, they won’t be staying here long. Meet Boros and Telos.”

Boros was big and muscular while Telos was average in terms of physique.

“Unfortunately, the Faith Water is in this church is ours. Your Faith water must be somewhere else.”

“Oh, what a dilemma. To tell you the truth, we really, really need that water. I suppose there’s no way we can negotiate the ownership of the item?”

“Not possible, why don’t you try your luck in the neighboring town?”

Oh for fuck’s sake would they get this over with already? All this prologue chatting before a fight is killing me.

“Ehem…” Jor coughed to get their attention. “Apologies for interrupting you all, but the chains binding the priest uncles will be broken in a minute.”

“Huh? Why?” Azure startled.

“I messed around with the magic item and managed to bind them instead of you but whatever energy powering it, is finite.” Jor showed her the pocket watch in his hand, pointing at the time with his other hand.

“Then the time for pleasantries is over. I’ll take the level 2s, you three will have to deal with the other seven somehow. Breakthrough as one then make your escape, don’t worry about me.” Scarlett’s voice resounded in the other three’s head.

“But Scarlett…” Azure spoke with her mouth, it seemed she couldn’t do whatever Scarlett did yet.

“Start running after I tie them down. Leave me and run, that’s an order.” Scarlett’s telepathy reply was short.

“Just to clarify, we’re allowed to kill them this time? No ban on that?” Jor spoke.

Scarlett only nodded.

“Finished saying your goodbyes? Let’s heat up the paaarrrtttyyy!” Hugo appeared to be in high spirits. The cultists of Teorph blared with Victa and the Dumuzin’s cultists didn’t fell behind, the dynamite’s fuse was lit.

The level 2s started first.

“Blood Beast! Flying Blood Swords!” Scarlett conjured a red-colored bear and seven swords levitating around her.

“Hahahah, Black Rat Assault!”

“Dancing Leaf Shield. Wind Missile.”

“…”

A rat with the size of a bear appeared in front of Hugo, all of its body was black except for its red eyes and the white teeth. It emitted faint black gas.

Rat? Hugo? Wow, the coincidence…

Telos created five plate-sized leaves hovering around him and shoot a focused gust of wind with his bow. The projectile was shot without an arrow but Telos still made the motion of pulling the bow’s string and releasing it anyway.

Boros crossed his arms and did nothing.

“ROAR!”

“HIISSS!”

The wind missile hit the blood bear first, it made a gaping hole on its chest but mended by itself in a few moments. The bear and the rat wrestled like two beasts vying for supremacy. The bear opened combat by a vicious paw strike to the rat’s head. It created five lacerations on its forehead area. No blood came out, black smoke seeped out instead. The rat was unperturbed as if it didn’t even felt it. It pounced on the bear and buried its incisors to the bear’s neck area.

The seven swords swam through the air and targeted Hugo and Telos. Five swords were stopped by the leaf shields but the remaining two went straight for Hugo’s head and heart.

“Dark Tentacles!”

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From Hugo’s shadow, octopus tentacles came out and met the swords. The two objects cut a few tentacles before strangled and stopped, the swords disappeared like a puff of blood mist. The mist covered the area where the three level 2s were standing.

“Blood Vein Binding!” Scarlett twisted her wand down.

The blood mist in the air congregated to Hugo and the others. It swiftly enveloped them and seemed to be entering their bodies. When the mist was all gone, red veins pattern could be seen on their skin, pulsing.

The bear melted and enwrapped the black rat in red liquid. It tried to struggle free but couldn’t, somehow the rat became smaller and smaller until not a trace remained of both beasts of blood and darkness.

“Maaan, she got us. Boros, what’s the reason for your inaction?” Hugo couldn’t move his body but his mouth was unaffected by Scarlett’s Arte.

“…I never gang up on my opponent. Let alone on a woman.”

“Aw look at you, a big softy killer.” Hugo cooed.

“Sorry Hugo, that’s the way he is.” Telos tried to shrug his shoulders but it became an awkward body movement instead.

“Go!” Scarlett fell on one knee and rasped the order, she became very pale under her red mask. There was a cost she had to pay for invoking powerful Artes in quick succession.

“Oh crap, I didn’t sign up for this shit. I expect a raise in my pay, Water Barrier! Rapid Water Steps!” Jor invoked two Artes as he unsheathed his sword, dashing forward.

“Wrong, this is exactly what you signed up for. Don’t die, you won’t get paid if you’re dead! Riverdash! Water Waltz!” Azure ran at his side.

“Fuckin’ heretics, Windrunner! Wind Barrier!” Soris was a bit behind, he let the front liner go first.

Three versus seven, again. Teorph cultists were five level 1s and two level 0s. Azure and Soris had to fight two opponents at the same time once more while Jor got two level 0s and the remaining level 1. Realizing this was not the time to joke around, Jor focused his mind and sharpened his instinct to the limit. His face behind the mask was no longer carefree and uncaring but determined and full of killing intent.

Jor hoped to remain a fake level 0 in everyone’s eyes if he could but if his life was threatened, he had no qualms of showing his true power. As long as his Arte power didn’t pass the level 0 threshold, the bracelet would mask his aura just fine.

The level 0s were mage-type and warrior-type respectively while the level 1 was a close-range combatant. The mage stayed in the back while Jor fought the two warriors.

Naturally, Jor chose the level 0 first as his target. Jor stepped in with such speed because of his Arte and the level 0 wasn’t able to react quickly enough, the boy only had time to hold his sword in a defensive posture. Jor’s cut through the sword and severed his arm easily.

The now one-armed cultist screamed, Jor didn’t expect it would be that easy but he couldn’t think, the level 1 went after his neck with a slash of steel. Jor defended with his sword but lost in power, he got knocked back to the side. The mage’s level 0 Arte reached him at this time, three blades of wind hit his body. The Water Barrier Arte was already diminished by the level 1’s attack and unable to stop the wind blades completely. Blood splattered as his body got wounded.

But Jor was no stranger to pain. He paid his superficial wounds no mind and dashed to the mage and let loose a slash of water from five meters apart.

“Arte — Water Moon Fang!”

A crescent-shaped blue sword beam cut through the mage’s hastily erected barrier and bisected his head cleanly in the middle. The Teorph cultist saw his vision split apart left and right moments before he died. His head was split vertically until his neck area but the head was still attached to the body. Blood was flowing and the body fell to the floor.

The Arte was actually just a modified Water Slash, but for variety’s sake, Jor gave it a new name.

The level 1 didn’t even give Jor a second to enjoy his victory and attacked Jor again. Jor fought with the sword user and to his surprise, found himself not as outclassed as he thought.

The first reason was the Cult of Teorph Path-seeker was even weaker than the church’s Path-seeker. The second reason was their equipment was also in lower quality.

The Cult of Teorph in this town must be very poor. No resources mean slow Mana-mastery and trashy equipment. In contrast, I got a one-hundred-something Mana crystals super sword! That’s why the level 0s can’t hold a candle to me despite I used the same power level as them. This level 1 is also quite weak, weaker than any of the six church uncles earlier.

Jor stole a glace to Azure and Soris, they too overpowered their opponents. Jor pretended to be on the back foot fighting a level 1 but made sure the level 1 couldn’t fatally hurt him. The now one-armed level 0 also joined the fight but could only harass him from the side. Jor stabbed him in the heart because the clear amateur with little fight experience showed him an opening.

The enemies are weaker than I thought, this might not as bad as I think it is.

The moment Jor thought that, six pursuing uncles came out from the deeper part of the monastery.

“There they are! The bastards are still here!”

“They’re fighting each other?”

“No, the other group is a different cult!”

“Attack them all, take back the holy water!!”

Ativan and the others joined the fight and make the situation more chaotic.

“Go!” Scarlett released her Arte. Jor, Azure, and Soris had sufficiently broken through the enemy’s line. Now the four of them could run while defending themselves from the pursuers of two different groups.

“Oh crap! Round two!” Jor cussed as he ran.

“Ahaha, never a dull moment huh?” Azure seemed to be in a good mood despite their situation.

“After them!!” Someone roared, from church’s side or Teorph’s side, Jor didn’t know.

“Huahahah! Greetings, head priest Ativan. My name is Boros, fight me!”

“Hurgh!? You…”

Boros and Ativan fought each other right of the bat. Ativan had to weather Boros’ attacks but still pursued Scarlett. To protect Azure and the other two, Scarlett had to invoke defensive Artes now and then.

The four cultists of Dumuzin successfully emerged from the monastery but pursuers were still hot on their tail.

“Scatter, regroup at the base after you shake them off. Good luck.” Scarlett went to the east.

“See ya later boys.” Azure went to the west.

“Hmph, get my money ready.” Jor went to the south.

“…” Soris followed after Jor to the south.

The pursuers also split up to three directions with the level 2s went after Scarlett. Since both Jor and Soris went in the same direction, five people in total were chasing them. Two from the church and three Teorph’s cultists. Of course, one of the church’s pursuers was Angelo.

“We don’t have the water, why they still come after us? Idiots. Oi you, stop following me and go somewhere else.” Jor spoke to Soris after they had been running for some time.

“Hehehe, good luck then.” Soris took out a gem, it shined green then he disappeared.

“!”

With Soris’ disappearance, the five level 1s only had Jor as their target.