With the wave of panic spreading over the city, Mila didn’t have to worry about being silent. Even without her being enveloped in magic, the desperation of the escaping people submerged everything else.

The cruel, efficient way the Inquisitors slaughtered the civilians was chilling to witness. Mila didn’t doubt the survivors would never have a night of peaceful sleep left in their lives.

That was - if there were survivors after the night ended.

Mila’s black dagger sat comfortably in her hand. She stood unmoving, gauging the distance. Her eyes catalogued every movement her target made, which wasn’t many, admittedly.

The man was dying. The more Mila studied him, the clearer it became. His skin grew paler, his eyes dimmer, and his breathing shallower.

Each time the Inquisitor froze someone to death, his own inched a little closer. The relentless work he did killed him. Yet, his eyes never wavered, and his will seemed to be inexhaustible.

The Inquisitor sang from time to time. In those moments, he showed remorse and begged for forgiveness from his Eternal God. His words were building blocks he used to pave the path towards the promised land.

Mila’s fingers twitched when it happened. The song was so familiar to the one the enemies of her companion sang so long ago. They were still the same, having survived an unknown number of years.

Another person stepped on the icy ground, finding his death. His final, white breath served as a signal for Mila. She rushed forward, stepping over the cold veins covering the ground, reaching a spot closer to her target. There, she stilled herself again.

This was the third time Mila had done this. The closer she was to the Inquisitor, the more aware the man was of his surroundings.

Even though Mila had wished to save as many civilians as possible and not use them as distractions, it had proved to be impossible. She had almost died while moving towards the dying man.

The Inquisitor had caught her with an ice hidden beneath the dirt. Only a warning from her companion had saved Mila’s shoe from being frozen along with her foot.

But the trap had also taught Mila something valuable. The Inquisitor could detect when someone touched his ice - not whether or not that someone survived doing it.

And by observing the silent deaths happening around her, Mila also learned that the Inquisitor couldn’t pay attention to more than one place at a time. Furthermore, the man couldn’t sense those who stood still after making contact with his ice.

So, each time a new person died, Mila had a small window of opportunity to move closer and not alert the man.

Or at least Mila thought the man was not alerted. She couldn’t be sure. The Inquisitor was visibly withering, but something told her it wouldn’t be that easy to take his life.

In addition, Mila had to pay attention to the threats hovering above the city. She was keeping herself out of the line of sight of the two people raining death upon Stilag. The man using the lighting was looking this way from time to time.

It was stressful. Mila prodded her inner companion but received no answer. The ghost seemed to be digesting something and was more reluctant to interact with her than usual.

Then - at a moment's notice, Mila moved again. She managed three steps and hid behind a burning tree. The heat washed over her, not allowing her to stand too close to the trunk.

Then the child died, and Mila had to stand still again. She watched the boy’s body cool, wishing she could send the heath she was weathering his way.

With some difficulty, Mila tore her eyes away from the gruesome sight. From this angle, it was hard to see her target, but he was still there and still dying.

Mila’s stillness mirrored the Inquisitor’s. Until his fingers twitched, and she moved again while another few persons died.

This time, it was a steady influx of escaping people running through the burning city into their icy graves. Mila saw and heard them die while she stole away the precious meters between her and the killer.

There wasn’t much distance left. From the point Mila was forced to stop, she could see the whites of her target’s bloodshot, drooping eyes. He wasn’t looking at her, but she could feel the alertness he exuded.

Mila hesitated. She could make a dash. Try to end from this position. The chances weren’t great, but…

The next wave of people didn’t have to die. They were hesitating to step this way, but the Ice-wielding Inquisitor was crafty. He didn’t leave traces, making it look like the people had simply fallen asleep after stepping over an invisible boundary.

Not that these desperate souls had any other path to take. It was a silent, corpse-filled street or sure death by the hands of lighting or invisible mana bolts. They picked the unknown danger every time.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Mila bit her tongue, forcing herself not to act. The more she looked at her target, the more apparent the trap was.

The slight shimmering in the air indicated danger. After passing the Inquisitor’s position, the wind lost its hot, ashy taste. Mila felt a bit of coldness reach her fingers, stiffening them, stealing away her warmth.

There was no doubt the air around the Inquisitor was a deadly cold. Mila was at a loss. She didn’t think she could kill the man by using her black dagger as a throwing weapon. But nearing him…

Could she survive? Mila wasn’t sure.

It wasn’t like the Inquisitor’s defences were perfect. His condition made him fallible. From time to time, he made mistakes, and there were flaws in his control.

All Mila needed was a chance. Not just the deaths of the innocent. Those would not be enough…

Mila stared at the family, which perished by stepping on an ice vein. Their bodies collapsed without a heartbeat. Four more souls left this plane.

Then, in Mila’s line of sight, something new happened. She raised her head slightly and looked at the barrier.

The distortions were growing. The once impenetrable wall was now showing signs of collapsing. Mila saw momentary holes appear in different places as the barrier lost its cohesion.

It wasn’t fast, but the enclosure around their prison was falling. Mila shuddered as a wave of cold air washed over her. She almost moved, fearing she had been discovered.

Only her steel nerves kept Mila standing still. Her eyes snapped towards the source of the chilling, unfocused hindrance.

The Inquisitor was reacting, his eyes full of disbelief. He tried to move, to step out of the building that guarded him from the preying eyes, but stumbled as his body refused to cooperate.

Mila’s instincts screamed there was a chance, and she moved. Her newly enhanced strength and speed showed its worth as she shrunk the distance between her and her target.

But then, the opportunity was over. Mila stopped mid-step, leaving one of her feet in the air, not daring to let it fall. She felt the Inquisitor use his mana to cast something, and now tendrils of ice spread on the ground, travelling along the ground towards the city, searching for targets.

Mila felt one such tendril pass her foot, barely missing it. She felt more and more mana being poured into the spell as the Inquisitor appeared to be trying to reach as many people as he could and kill them.

Above her head, Mila heard the other two Inquisitors increase their pace as well. Their already numerous attacks become a torrent as they split up and rush towards the walls.

Mila watched them leave, then studied her target’s condition. He was struggling, his breathing growing increasingly quick and shallow.

Despite the cold the Inquisitor generated, he was sweating in exertion as he struggled to finish his spell.

In spite of the deadly nature of the spell, Mila had to admire the intricate way the man wove it. She had never seen anything like this, the spell likely being the man’s life’s work.

It would be knowledge lost…

Mila shuddered, not because of the cold, but because of the realisation. She glanced to the side, searching for the hatable group of people who had come to this place just for that - knowledge.

On one of the rooftops, Mila spotted a familiar figure. The bald man who had defeated her. Behind him, the old healer.

They were watching Mila and the Inquisitor. The healer waved, then signalled for her to continue.

Mila had no doubts they had shown themselves on purpose. Whatever it was, she couldn’t guess.

At least Mila knew why they were here. To take the Inquisitor’s secrets and to evaluate her. She could only guess how much they had seen but didn’t doubt it was most of what she had done.

But it was a problem for another time.

Mila held her breath, not wanting to inhale the chilly air and moved. The spell could not be allowed to travel any further than it already had.

The rapidly vanishing life in front of Mila poured more and more of his essence into his last work. His attention was fully on not letting anyone from the city survive.

And with that, Mila felt the traps he had lied to start to vanish. The smouldering, smoke-filled air pressed down on them, fighting back against the low temperatures that ruled this area.

Finally, Mila could also sense the thin, carefully lied mana constructs hidden on the various surfaces. They were collapsing.

It was almost a sad sight. Mila carefully stepped over the shimmering crystal that formed on the ground. She looked for any signs her approach was noticed, but all she saw was the last struggles of an old man.

Mila continued. She raised her dagger, ready to lunge and waited for the Inquisitor above Stilag to look away. The lighting-throwing man had noticed this old man’s struggles but didn’t come.

It was a relief. Mila could only run if that happened. She noticed a few more people die while running towards this place.

Then, the flying Inquisitor turned away and flew closer to the wall, where he slaughtered more. The very thing that was built to protect the city became a death trap.

Mila hoped Naran, Helly and their subordinates had managed to dig the tunnel long enough. Being near the walls as they surfaced… They would be sitting ducks - not for the guards as they had feared but for something much worse.

While thinking about the best way to escape with Isabel, she finally reached a striking distance from her target.

The man still had not noticed her. Only now, Mila heard him mutter a string of words - a prayer to eternity.

Too consumed with praying and casting, the Inquisitor did not notice the descending dagger.

Until the very last moment, Mila waited for a trap to be sprung.

Yet, as her dagger easily slid into the man’s back…

There was no resistance. Mila penetrated the man’s heart, reaping yet another life and, along with it…

Mila felt more mana join hers. The sizable chunk invigorated her, and she immediately put it to work by reinforcing her body.

The far-reaching spell fell apart, saving countless lives. Mila glanced at the ground as the ice melted and then where she had seen the two members of the Sage group.

There was no one there anymore.

Mila vanished between the burning buildings, not waiting for the lighting-throwing Inquisitor’s reaction. She had to get away before anyone found her.