Brunaulf POV:

“We may need to change our plan. I sense a number of enemies tracking us.”

Beatrix moved towards the front of the carriage, allowing her voice to reach me faster. For now, they wouldn’t make a move recklessly, but the situation wasn’t looking good.

“There are four more checkpoints left. They could intentionally let us pass to make sure we have no means of escape.”

“Exactly.”

I had to make a decision now. The walls were fortified with Ki, and judging by the fact our senses weren't being distorted, my earlier theory became more provable. They looked strong enough to block ordinary attacks from practitioners at the Shin stage, but I was confident I could break through them.

“Beatrix, listen to me closely. I’m going to directly head to the estate through the middle. The commotion will be enough to alert all the mercenaries in the area. Continue down the outside route and break into the estate.”

“...It was never my intention to use you as bait.”

“That’s not important right now. Stick to the plan, get what you need and get out.”

She remained silent for a while as the number of enemies increased at an alarming rate. Beatrix had given me this opportunity to take my sister back, and it was a debt that I couldn’t easily repay.

“Since you insist, I will go with your plan.”

“Thank you. Stay in the carriage and erase your presence as much as possible.”

I jumped down from my seat and stroked the horse gently. It wrapped its neck around my shoulder before nudging me away.

I threw the merchant attire to the ground and released my Ki. My lips curved upwards as my eyes widened; I was glad it turned out this way. I ignored the throbbing pain in my head and dashed towards the reinforced wall.

My fist smashed through it, causing a loud explosion to occur. I wasted no time and darted into the next layer as dozens of mercenaries surrounded me instantly.

“Well, well, well... Our little merchant friend here has finally showed his true colours, eh?”

One of the men stepped forward as he sneered. The others chuckled lightly while they cracked their fists. It was hilarious that these idiots actually thought they had a chance against me.

“..Kehehe...”

I cackled lightly. My hands shot forward as I fanned my fingers open, using each one to manipulate the air around their necks like a rope. I bent them inwards, causing the mercenaries to fly towards me against their will.

“Let this be a warning.”

I crouched down as the force of my Ki crashed their heads into the ground around me. I kicked off the patch of grass and bulldozed my way through the next wall.

The dozens quickly turned into hundreds that blocked me from reaching the 6th layer. I stood in the centre and snapped my fingers. Blasts of air ricocheted off their heads, making them drop like bowling pins all around me.

“None of you will be leaving here unscathed.”

The air contorted around their limbs, shattering their bones like the violent crackling of lightning. Screams of pain and curses intertwined to form a melody of sweet music to my ears.

The tempo only increased as they flocked towards me. I weaved through their amateur-like attacks and countered whenever there was a suitable opportunity.

I needed to break into the 6th layer, but I could sense a number of powerful Ki's waiting for me patiently on the other side.

‘Hmm.’

I stepped backwards, avoiding the knife of a man who lunged forward. I grabbed him by the throat and dashed him against the wall. He tore through the air, smashing any mercenaries out of the way of my intended trajectory. Unfortunately, his body crumpled once it hit the reinforced wall.

‘What a shame.’

I clicked my tongue and grabbed another man by the neck. He looked at me with fearful eyes as he shook his head violently. My lips curved upwards as I launched him towards the same spot on the wall again, causing his arms to shatter from the force of the impact.

“!!”

“Kehehe... Don’t stop now. Keep coming.”

My eyes lit up as I dashed into the mobs backing away. I grabbed them one by one and hurled them at the wall, filling the air with the sound of bones breaking, followed by bloodcurdling screams of anguish.

By the time 50 of them had suffered the same fate, the others began to run away.

“No you don’t.”

I splayed my hands on both sides, creating a wall of air that pushed them towards me as they screamed in despair.

“Don’t worry so much. You won’t die so easily.”

My fingers ripped through the air as a powerful blast of wind crashed down on everyone within the area, repeatedly smashing their bodies deeper into the ground.

I sensed the powerful Ki's become more agitated as my smile widened further. I cackled inwardly. Not a single person here was going to escape my grasp.

I narrowed my eyes as my blood boiled with an unquenchable rage. My pupils dilated as I jumped high into the air and split the wall in front of me in half.

Whether they were from Enigma or Chaos, whether they were ordinary mercenaries or not, it didn’t matter at all—they would pay.

I dropped down in front of dozens of powerful Ki practitioners around the lower Shin stage and released my Ki even further. They all got into different stances as they charged toward me.

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My eyebrows dropped all the way to the top of my eyes. I gnashed my teeth and glared at them as the corners of my mouth rose.

“Are you sure you want to make The Night Owl your enemy?”

Most of them hesitated, but a man with a large build stepped forward. He cracked his neck multiple times and peered down at me.

“Do you think you can bluff your way out of this beating you’re about to receive? If you’re really with The Night Owl, she can come pick up your remains. I’ll make sure I grovel before her when she’s in front of me, until then, your face is going to have a serious talk with my fist.”

His Ki flared as the others regained their confidence and moved forwards. Shin was a stage that couldn’t be compared to Uso; the gap caused by the variable known as abilities were far too large to close via normal means. The mercenaries in front of me couldn’t be compared to those in the 5th layer and below.

“I commend you for volunteering to be knocked out cold first.”

I stood up straight and smirked at him. The veins on the side of his head bulged as he dashed in. Flames wrapped around his arms, rapidly increasing the temperature in the immediate area.

“It’s always fun beating the brakes off guys who like to run their mouth too much.”

“You’ve described yourself perfectly.”

He roared as we met each other head-on, causing a burst of air to explode around us. My eyes darted around while I kept track of the mercenary's positions—this wouldn’t be easy at all.

***

Beatrix POV:

I erased my presence to the best of my ability as I stayed put. The sounds of explosions and people screaming bellowed all around me. He had caused such a scene that almost no one bothered to check on the carriage.

My impression of him had changed more and more as I got to understand who he really was. The curiosity I once had fizzled away when I saw just how broken he was on the inside, yet he still struggled desperately to be better.

It was a strange feeling. Every time I looked into his eyes, it was like he was always engaged in a constant battle, but he still managed to keep his composure—to force a smile.

My hand rested over the rose eye patch. Today will be another test for him again; a man can only be broken so many times.

“Ha... Let those idiots fight. I’ll fight in my own way, if you know what I mean, heh...”

A man's voice drifted in through the sealed door as I crouched down. He sounded similar to the guard at the first checkpoint. The ideal situation would be for him to find nothing in the carriage and spread the word.

He placed his hand on the door handle, ripping it off its hinges as I exited the carriage through the other side.

“...Not here? Tch. Dammit! Was it all just a bluff? Arrghh!!”

He repeatedly kicked and smashed parts of the carriage. It was rather embarrassing watching a grown man throw such a tantrum. I licked my lips as I felt urges leaking through my eye.

‘...’

I adjusted the eye patch, causing the sensations to disappear. The man turned his anger elsewhere and ran off. I waited a few more minutes before I made my move.

“Go straight to Nana.”

I took the harness and straps off the horse and gave her clear instructions. She neighed softly while rubbing her cheek against mine. She beckoned her head towards where he was fighting.

“Worry not. We will leave together, even if I have to drag him out of here by force.”

I stood up straight as my lips spread into a thin smile. The horse neighed and galloped back the way we came. I placed my hand over the eye patch as I crouched down.

“Let’s get to work.”

The air around me rippled as I bolted down the road, leaving a trail of flame marks that scorched the earth. The third checkpoint came into view, and without decreasing my speed, I scaled the wall by manipulating the air currents in order to jump over the gate.

I landed as light as a feather before bursting off again. By now, he would have already taken care of everyone in the fourth and fifth layers. The real problem would be from the 6th layer onwards. Fighting against so many opponents at the Shin stage would be difficult.

‘I will have to slip by while he’s fighting.’

I reached the fifth layer in no time and picked up a few of the hundreds of motionless bodies sprawled out on the ground. Blood died the orchard a dark shade of red as I dashed along the wall.

My speed drastically decreased once I entered the sixth layer. I watched him get pushed back as he struggled to keep up with the dozens and dozens of Shin stage mercenaries assaulting him.

‘He doesn’t want to use his ability. Is he stalling?’

I observed his movements carefully and noticed that he was deliberately creating openings for his opponents to take advantage of. The corners of my mouth rose while watching his mastery of space be displayed.

‘Not bad. He’s leading them into the fifth layer, but I won’t be able to get through unnoticed like this.’

“!”

He kicked off the large man's back and soared high into the sky. I watched him examine his surroundings before abruptly crashing back down to the ground. They pounced on him like prey caught in a trap when a massive gust of wind descended from the sky, trapping everyone within the area.

‘I see. He was counting.’

My eyes lit up as I dashed forward out of the bush I had been hiding in. I threw the bodies towards the blockade of wind while lowering my sense of gravity. Flames erupted out from the ground around me as I jumped up into the air. I spun while manipulating the flames to encase his wind, causing a violent firestorm to shoot up into the sky.

I kicked off the air and cut through the flames next to the wall while simultaneously keeping my presence hidden. The sheer confusion caused by the two large-scale attacks made it easy for me to slip by unnoticed.

After a couple more minutes of running carefully, the sixth checkpoint came into view. The commotion caused from the first to the sixth layer wouldn’t be enough to make the true threats move. I could feel their presence leaking out as they tried to suppress their Ki.

‘Upper Shin... And he is here too.’

I smirked while passing through the sixth checkpoint. They wouldn’t be able to sense me—hiding my Ki was one of my specialities.

My first priority was getting my hands on those documents. Second, find his sister. Third, get all of us out of here alive.

The final wall disappeared, and a large estate with tall bushes arranged in a crisscross pattern that sectioned off the front garden revealed itself. A huge fountain stood in the middle of the open space past the bushes between the estate.

I avoided the detection of those keeping a close eye on the area and crouched down behind some shrubbery. The sun had begun to set, casting an orange curtain of light down on the garden.

Once the coast was clear, I darted to the side of the building. Despite the modifications and expansions that I couldn’t account for, there should still be a side door that would grant me access to the inside.

‘...Not here.’

I looked around but couldn’t find anything in particular. The walls were flat with no signs of entry. I stayed calm and continued moving, my hand constantly pushing against the wall.

*Click*

The sound of a door opening slightly caught my attention, but not just mine. A few of the people keeping watch heard the small disturbance in the air and instantly began closing in on my current location.

Without a moment to waste, I dashed inside and closed the door behind me quietly. The reason I had failed to locate the door was because they had painted it over, removing the door handle in the process.

‘Close.’

I stayed perfectly still as I sensed them comb through the area multiple times. I focused completely on erasing my presence, not wanting to risk moving and causing slight fluctuations of my Ki to be noticed.

Some came close to the door, but continued on when they were unable to sense anyone new entering the building until a number of them gathered right in front of it.

“!!!!”

Explosions shook the whole area, followed by the sound of a wall bursting apart. My lips rose as their presence rapidly disappeared.

‘His timing is phenomenal.’

The room I had entered appeared to be used for storage. There was little light, so I took extra care while manoeuvring my way to the stairs that led up to one of the main hallways.

I opened the door once no one was around and stepped out. The break-in was a success. I darted down the hallway, hiding behind walls, empty rooms, or even utilizing the ceiling while heading towards the Baron's office.

‘Another person.’

I hid behind a nearby wall as someone closed a door behind them about 50 feet away from my current position. Their footsteps grew closer, and I narrowed my eyes.

‘...’

A minute later, a maid passed by. She had chestnut hair tied up neatly in a bun, and her black shoes seemed a little too big for her feet. I lowered my centre of gravity as my body flickered forward and back in one motion.

“!”

My hand wrapped around her mouth while I pressed my back against the wall again. I put my finger to my lips as she looked up at me with fearful eyes that suddenly widened with surprise.

“You have got a lot of explaining to do, Christina.”