Chapter Ninety Two, Nightfall.

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The arrival of the Alchemist marked a qualitative change. He arrived in the morning, nearly the break of dawn. By the time the shining star reached it's highpoint, Diana was working at record pace. Arthur was training, breaking in the Demonic Armament, feeding it both information and experience.

Luna, was breaking out of her shell, speaking with Diana about the demon's affairs ever so often.

By nightfall, Luna was openly conversing with Diana and even the Alchemist himself. The Alchemist had assisted Diana in more Alchemical creations, and even sorcerer training. Apart from the work, she ate with him, asked many questions, and was her usual self.

Though, as it got deeper into the night, the women started to train more, accompanied by the Alchemist, while Arthur seemed to be dragged away.

He hadn't passed the information onto his companions, but there were things amiss.

Within an hour of nightfall, he had countless alerts from his military.

Disappearance after disappearance.

In only one hour.

Twelve men, and five women had gone missing.

Arthur took it upon himself to survey the situation. He called upon his swordsmen, putting them to use.

As a king, he was appointed twenty master swordsmen by tradition.

As an Emperor, he had dumped his resources into eight generational talents.

As of right now, his eighth sword was in recuperation, having faced an upper tier cultist.

In all honesty, he didn't feel the necessity anyway. He implored his lower twelve swordsmen to keep watch in the slums.

The silently patrolled certain areas, watching from the shadows.

As for he himself?

He leapt through all of these areas, keeping watch from the shadows within the shadows.

As a level four, he was untraceable.

The night continued to progress, and contrary to Arthur's predictions. It seemed that in every moment where he was not present, things went wrong.

People were going missing right under the nose of his men.

Shocking.

His lesser twelve were all in the second level. Most were not very far in, barely grasping true strength, but that still put them leagues above level ones and average mortals.

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Every time he had come across a Number, they seemed to be completely lost and confused. They could not fathom how people were being snubbed from under their noses. They were watching the entrances to all households, keeping eyes on those wandering the streets, everything they possibly could.

But at some point, there would be a commotion from a house, and someone would exit requesting the militia's help. They would detail an eerie feeling, strange sounds, and then the absence of a loved one.

Arthur stood atop a roof, watching idly as one of his Numbers dealt with a distressed family. With a deep sigh, he titled his head. His feet were hanging off of the slanted tile roof, his brows furrowing as the scene unfolded.

"I didn't think I would have to rely on things beyond my vision." His eyes closed, as his palms sunk into the tiles.

His senses slowly amplified, his nostrils flaring while his ears twitched. With a hardened beat, his heart thumped, sending a wave of energy out into the world.

An old technique passed down through the generations. A sensor ability that scans in a spherical radius. It sends the users energy out in a wave, and it's distance is purely dependent on the strength of the pulse.

With his eyes closed, he felt the energy, feeling as it bounced off space and returned to him from hundreds of meters away.

He inhaled, his brows furrowing further. Slowly, his eyelids retracted, giving way and letting his vision return to what it normally was.

"What the fuck is that?"

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"I truly question your identity sometimes... How can one be so detached from the world? You know so much yet you seem to be completely unaware at the same time..." Diana spoke, wiping her forehead.

"You have such great alchemical knowledge, and you seem to have gathered lots of knowledge in general, yet you're telling me you have little to no battle experience?" She tossed the rag to the ground, looking towards the corner of the training room they had entered.

Luna was laid against the wall, her chest heaving up and down. She had just trained with a level three! Considering the fact she was still level two, this training session was not easy on her at all.

When you add an untouchable alchemist into the fray, it was strange for surely.

He said he was not a fighter, having only been in one battle in his lifetime… Yet his quickness and maneuverability betrayed this thought.

It was cardio trying to hit him. Every punch was slipped, and every kick was dodged.

He didn’t throw a single punch, but he was able to tire out both of this girls without breaking a sweat...

“Eh, who needs fighting experience these days?” He replied to Diana. The woman he spoke to, raised an eyebrow in return.

Hearing what he said, there was a crazy look that grew on her face.

“These days? The days where the Beastkin are still a threat, and one of the lesser kingdoms are trying to stir up inner conflicts within the empire?” She questioned.

“These days where demons are rising to the surface and attempting to take over the world?… You sure have amazingly interesting views Mister E.” She changed her positioning, dropping to the ground and taking a seat.

“Well… I guess all these things are only trivial and interesting to me… Though I do hope you keep growing and continue to combat these demons.” He replied.

“Eridil…” A voice whispered from the side.

Both the Alchemist and Diana turned their heads, lending their ears to the speaker.

“Fuck. Where is the Emperor! We have to go! Eridil- The Vampyres!- Th-The demons! They could attack at any moment!” Luna jumped to her feet, stumbling in the process.

“Take a moment to breathe.” The Alchemist spoke, approaching her and she approached him. He placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling the frantic woman into a stop.

“No!” She fired back. “Eridil said she would evolve tonight! She would welcome true demon blood and the Family would attack the capital!” She gripped his hand with her full strength, unknowingly of course. She attempted to move it, but she was met with a solid denial.

His hand did not move a single centimeter.

“I see your worry. Though rushing into things panicked will not help anybody.” He said.

“I have contacted Arthur. He is in the slums. Dozens of men and women have gone missing. He said he sensed the presence of a level three.” Diana interjected from behind him.

“The level three doesn’t seem to be… full human.” With those words, Luna’s knees buckled.

“We’re doomed…” She mumbled.

“With Vampyre blood out there… Wiping them out is almost impossible!”

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