In a different part of the island, a separate scene unfolded, a group of five individuals their faces set with the cold determination of brutal killers, moved swiftly through the underbrush that illuminated the island, in the distance moments before, a green light was seen through the canopy and all the way into the night’s sky above it, it was an indication that their comrades were engaged in combat with the enemy, their mission was unequivocal and ruthless: eliminate everyone on the island but most of all make sure ‘he’ is dead.

With this singular objective etched in their minds, they advanced with a relentless pace clearly driven by their orders, the group’s five individuals all looked the same with similar armor and clothing on them, and with identical masks.

After a few minutes reached the site of the earlier battle and stopped, the scene that greeted them was one of carnage and stillness, several of their comrades lay dead and sprawled across the battlefield, the sight did not evoke sorrow or reflection from the group, rather one of them coldly scoffed at the losses as gifts, in their eyes, the fallen were not to be mourned, as long as they had inflicted damage on the enemy, they did their duty.

The group started to search the battlefield, their movements calculated and devoid of empathy as they kicked and stabbed the bodies of both friend and foe, they were looking for any survivors or clues that could lead them to any remaining enemy that might have been hidden somewhere, they split up to cover more ground each looking for something on their own.

One of them approached the body of one of the fallen creatures and kicked the creature’s body seeing its belly was cut and the guts were spewed outside, the gesture was one of clear spite, he never liked the creatures the man thought inside himself, they made him nervous to be around, and transporting them made them even more unbearable to be around with.

As they continued their search, they found little of interest just the remnants of a fierce battle that had claimed lives on both sides, to them, this outcome was acceptable, after all, it was their goal, one of them vocalized their mantra "From flesh to dust, from dust to eternity" a saying that the others repeated in unison as soon as they heard it, this is how it should be, and they will join their brothers soon.

During their thorough search of the area, one of the group members found the body of one of the enemy soldiers, to ensure that there were no survivors he coldly stabbed the soldier in the chest once more, he looked on for a moment, but the body did not react.

At that moment their attention was abruptly diverted when a sound emerged from a nearby bush, the movement of the foliage caught their attention as they all prepared for what was to come, but none of them expected this fortune.

The unexpected appearance of a man emerging from beneath the cover of a large, luminescent plant, the figure stepped into view, revealing an unusual outfit and a helmet with a distinct visor running across it, the group of five halted in their tracks, recognizing the man before them as their most reviled enemy, the very symbol of what they had been fighting against here of all places, fortune does favor them today.

Incredibly, fate seemed to have delivered their target directly into their hands, the man appeared injured, supporting himself against a tree and holding his side, a sign of weakness that they had not anticipated encountering, this unexpected display of vulnerability fueled their blood lust and brought a sense of dark satisfaction for what is about to come.

The five men, their faces obscured by masks, advanced towards him with sinister smiles, the prospect of not only killing their enemy but also presenting his body to their master was a tantalizing opportunity, not only to garner favor but to also be the ones to fell this man.

As they closed in on him, the man seemed to accept his fate, slumping against the tree with an air of resignation, there was no attempt to flee or fight back instead, he awaited the inevitable outcome, his surrender to fate made this moment a little sour in one’s own heart, as futile resistance is more fun, one would think.

But the scene did not unfold as they would have believed it, when they got close, one of the attackers raised his sword to deliver the final blow to their seemingly resigned enemy, and at that moment everything changed, the assailant paused briefly perhaps to savor the imminent victory, but as his sword came down it met no resistance, confusion flashed across his face before he realized with horror that his arm had been cleanly severed.

His scream of agony pierced the air as he clutched the stump where his arm had been falling to his knees, in an instant chaos and confusion set the stage as figures emerged from the foliage above them and the tree that the man had been leaning against, these new combatants moved with incredible speed and precision, catching the group of five completely off guard.

Before the men could react or mount any defense, they were swiftly and decisively taken down, each one fell to the ground, fatally wounded by slashing gashes inflicted by their unseen assailants.

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In a matter of seconds, all of the attackers lay dead, save for the one who had lost his arm, he remained alive, gripped by pain and shock, a sole witness to the sudden reversal of their fortunes, oh how cruel fate can be, the man leaning against the tree thought as he looked on.

After it was over Max stood up and looked at the armless man before him who was surrounded by four of his subordinates and himself.

Max who waited for this opportunity, prepared to question the man "Now that I have some questions for you" he stated, looking down at the wounded figure crossing his arms.

However, as the man raised his head to meet Max's gaze, what Max saw was not fear or pain, but an intense and unyielding hatred, it was clear to Max that this animosity stemmed from something much deeper than the physical injury the man had just suffered, and he knew he was responsible for it deep down, the look told him more then enough.

But just as Max was about to start questioning the man the situation turned on its head once again, the man looked as if he bit something in his mouth and almost immediately, his body began to convulse violently, and his veins protruded ominously, as if under immense pressure.

Reacting quickly to the scene Layla grabbed the man by the collar and hurled him away from the group, moments after being thrown, the man's head exploded in a gruesome display, indicating that he had triggered some form of a suicide device.

None of the group looked shocked though each for their own various reasons, Estelle was the first to speak “Was that a Caeruleum overdose?” she asked.

Layla nodded at this “It appears so, they may all have it we should check the bodies” As she finished her suggestion she turned to look at Max and began to explain knowing he lacked this information.

"That was a small Caeruleum in his mouth, probably some kind of a quick reaction device, it uses the Caeruleum crystal as a source of energy to quickly channel 'Mana' through something, this time being his own body," she explained.

Layla then handed Max a dagger from her back, holding the blade towards herself as Max grabbed it and examined it.

Layla then elaborated further on the capabilities of the Caeruleum crystals "There are many uses for these crystals, anything from powering machines to giving various properties to items" she said.

As Max continued to examine the dagger he noticed the small blue-tinted crystal in the shaft, and turned the blade to look a little closer as Layla continued “This one for example makes the blade sharper and allows the edge to be maintained for a longer period”.

After he finished examining the dagger, Max handed it back to Layla, who secured it behind her back, he nodded to her for the explanation and then shifted his attention back to the recent incident with the armless man now also headless further ahead "Shame" Max remarked, expressing regret over the lost opportunity to gather more information through interrogation, he moved closer to the remains of the man, pondering over the last words spoken by the group of attackers.

"Did you hear what they all said?" Max asked Layla and Estelle, referring to the mantra the attackers had recited.

Estelle replied, reciting the phrase, "'From flesh to dust, from dust to eternity' I never heard this one before" She looked to Layla for any sign of recognition, but Layla shook her head “Maybe Marcus knows this one” Estelle suggested.

Max nodded in agreement, considering the possibility "Let’s hope he also brought friends with him" he said, he then turned around and entered the brush again as the others hid in the trees and canopy up above and readied themselves for another hopeful encounter.

Moments before any of this unfolded, Max who assumed the leadership role once again after a quick discussion with Marcus and Layla, who both agreed not only because he was their master but also on the chance that it would incite some memories to come back.

Max then began to plan their course of action for the moment, with Marcus, Layla, Estelle, and Zindah all standing in a circle alongside him.

"Ok, so what we’ll do is this" Max began, addressing the group with confidence, gone was his earlier passive behavior almost entirely.

"Marcus and Zindah, you take your parties and draw anyone you can here, make it look like you’re running away" Max instructed "By this point, most of the close parties should arrive on their own, but make sure to help the lost ones".

Marcus gave a nod understanding the plan and his role as bait, while Zindah, with her characteristic feline expressiveness, meowed in approval, her enthusiasm clear, she seemed eager for the opportunity to engage in any form of combat.

Max's strategy was clear and easy to understand "While the rest of us will stay here and wait to ambush any one of the parties that come here" he explained "It'll be simple" he said, then pointed at himself "I'll be the bait, as it's me they're after. I will act as if I'm injured, and they'll most likely come to either finish me off or take me somewhere".

He turned his attention to Layla and Estelle, detailing their role in the operation "And that is when you two will come in and kill them. Though try to take at least one alive" he instructed, though his lazy tone suggested that it was more of an afterthought then anything else "I would like to ask them a few questions if time will allow it".

Estelle nodded at the instructions but unlike her Layla seemed uncomfortable for a moment, it did not escape Max’s gaze and so he looked at her prompting the rest of the group to do the same, seeing that Layla spoke "It's just… I don’t want to put you in any unnecessary danger, master" she admitted, voicing her apprehension about the plan that involved using Max as bait.

Max responded with a reassuring but realistic outlook "I understand" he said "But we are already in more than enough danger" he was still unsure how much of what he was told was fact and not made up for one reason or another but he knew that right now he needed them, and so he played along.

"And if you’re so worried, then just make sure nothing happens, and we’ll all make it in one piece" he added, his words and trust in her gave her more strength than he knew, but to him, her agreement was enough, Layla took a breath and nodded.