In White Helm Academy that same evening.

Professor Conti was seated in his office, enjoying a steaming hot cup of herbal green tree while basking in the light of the enriching moon.

He was dressed in casual attire, his entire demeanor relaxed and calm as if the problems of the world had been drowned out by the beautiful night sky.

The evening was calm, the sky was beautiful, the stars were twinkling and his heart was at ease.

To him, there was almost nothing that could soil this serene atmosphere, or so he thought.

BAM!

The door to his office abruptly flung open, causing him to almost topple over the cup in his hand.

He looked towards his door with a mix of astonishment and annoyance, wondering who would have the guts to just barge into his office without prior permission.

His gaze fell on the disheveled image of Professor Windsor, noticing the grave expression on the otherwise taciturn instructor.

Professor Conti instantly had an ominous premonition, causing him to adopt an otherwise formal demeanor.

"Yes, Professor Windsor? Is anything the matter?"

Professor Windsor took a moment to steady his breath, highlighting the fact that he had been on a full sprint to the director's office.

Only after did he realize that he had barged in without permission, causing him to offer his sincerest apologies. "I apologize for the abrupt entry director. It's just that the current situation calls for it."

"A freshman group was dispatched to the event currently being held by Baron Cohen as their first commission assignment, and by the reports reaching us from one of your dispatched 'Fictional Familiars', the event was just attacked and the estate building is on fire, essentially trapping them inside."

Professor Conti listened to all of this with a straight face, before sighing casually and taking a sip from his tea.

"Is that why you barged into my office so urgently? Because of a simple case of robbery and arson? Cases like these are quite common around here, so let the police force handle it as they usually do."

Professor Conti felt a bit annoyed. It was just a simple case of robbery and arson by a group of poor and brave souls, it wasn't even that serious. Why not let the police do their job, what did it have to do with him?

Professor Windsor maintained his cold look, his voice hoarse but direct.

"Well, sir the thing is, your familiar reported that the assailants were draped in dark vermilion coats. We suspect that this attack was perpetrated by the Bloody Independence."

Professor Conti's expression froze, his voice uncharacteristically deep and menacing.

"Those war and blood addicts dare to stage an attack on Estica? Are you sure about this Windsor?"

Professor Windsor nodded.

"Yes sir."

The dark office instantly became silent, the only form of sound coming from a moon owl hooting on a tree close to the window.

Professor Conti took a moment to contemplate, before regaining his usual lazy, but formal disposition.

"I doubt their leader or any of their upper echelons would dare to step foot on the island, so I'm sure it's just some of their members being daring and ambitious again.

"The solution is obvious, just send someone to report to both the Council of Uncommons and the DSS. It is their responsibility to ensure the safety of the island and its inhabitants after all."

Professor Windsor nodded, maintaining his poise.

"Already done, sir."

"I see." Professor Conti took a sip from his tea. "So apart from reporting this little incident to me, what else could be your objective in coming here? It looks like you still have something more to say."

Professor Windsor didn't disagree.

"Yes, director. I would like to ask for permission to be dispatched to the scene, sir."

"Oh." The director hummed, clearly intrigued. "This doesn't really warrant the intervention of a man of your caliber though. I'm pretty sure the students will be able to survive until the Carriers rectify the situation, so why do you want to be personally involved?"

Professor Windsor reflected silently, before revealing a rarely seen hint of softness and vulnerability.

"The reason is quite simple sir. I guaranteed my students their safety, promising them that we the professors would protect them from any risks that might occur during their commissions."

He then paused, as if reminiscing. "I have already failed to uphold a similar promise in the past, I do not want to go through that once again."

Professor Conti gazed into his eyes, observing the hint of resolve and unwillingness reflected deep within those deep dark pupils.

The amused academy direction then smiled lightly, before speaking in a casual tone.

"Then there is no need for me to stop you. Do as you wish."

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Professor Windsor released a long-held sigh of relief, before bowing in gratitude.

"Thank you, sir."

And with that he scurried out of the office, leaving Professor Conti to have a faint smile on his face.

"The world is honestly such a funny place. Redemption often comes to those who act like they don't need it, and healing looks for those who try as hard as they can to avoid it."

He turned towards the door, raising his cup of now lukewarm tea to the moonlight.

"Even those pitiful souls who feel the need to be punished may sometimes find their much-needed forgiveness in the place of punishment they seek.

"Such an ironic world indeed."

...

Elias and Damien looked towards the approaching figure with a mixture of apprehension and dread, as the smoke-filled corridor acted as a misty veil for their incoming assailant.

The dark vermilion robe seemed to paint the corridor in blood, as both Elias and Damien were instantly overcome by a cloud of fear.

The figure finally became clear, revealing the mocking face of a young girl of about their age who was playfully, but skillfully spinning a set of steel knives.

She regarded Elias and Damien with a slightly confused expression, an expression akin to that of a hunter who didn't understand how an unassuming dear had escaped their trap.

Her gaze alternated between the two young men, eventually settling on Elias as she noticed him clutching Damien on the floor.

"You... How did you dodge that?"

Elias felt his heart skip a beat, realizing that this was an altercation he could not avoid.

He gently helped Damien up by the shoulder, whispering to him in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"It seems like a fight with her is unavoidable. You go ahead and run to the main hall to make sure that both Aamiya and Yves are safe before assisting them to ensure the safety of the others. I'll hold her off and join you in a bit."

Damien turned to Elias in shock.

"What do you mean by that Eli? Can't you feel the pure and unrestrained bloodlust coming from her? It would be better for us to attack her together."

Elias kept his gaze on the playful girl, standing his ground.

"That won't work. Judging by her attire and confidence, it's safe to say that the assailants barged in here as an organized group. That means that the girls will need your help in restraining the others.

"This is an optimal solution in ensuring general survival, as spreading apart our numbers will help us to stall for more time, at least until the relevant authorities are informed and mobilized."

'I can also tell by the amount of raging ether she is giving off that this girl isn't someone a newly advanced Disciple can handle. Having him here will only limit the utilization of my abilities, as I still have to keep my unique Apostolic Path a secret.'

'Besides, I'm quite sure that there must be some Apostles mixed into the attendees. Having the three of them together in the hall is also a safe way of ensuring their survival.'

Damien went silent, his gaze filled with worry. It was clear that Elias's argument wasn't really convincing.

"Aren't you afraid?"

Elias was slightly stunned, before breaking out into a laugh.

"Of course I'm scared, my heart feels like it's about to leap out of my chest!" He then loosened the bow tie on his neck. "But being scared isn't going to save our lives, now is it?"

Damien gave Elias a long, hard look, before abruptly dashing towards the main hall.

He passed by the vermilion-robed girl at a swift pace, with the latter showing no signs of moving to stop him.

Elias sighed in relief.

He stood up while patting the ash from his expensive suit with a pained expression, a sight which caused the assailant before him to seem quite surprised.

"You don't seem to be bothered about your impending death but are instead worried about the state of that suit of yours. What a weird one you are."

'Maybe if you find out how much it costs, you'd be worried as well.' Elias shrugged helplessly, posing a question of his own. "Why did you let him go? Seems to me like you could have attacked him anytime you wanted to."

The girl's expression suddenly morphed into a maniacal laughter.

"Why should I bother when he is going to die anyway? Dying here, dying there. It is all the same.

"It's the same reason why I didn't stop you both from conversing just now. If you are going to die anyway, why not let you both enjoy one more conversation or allow your friend to exert one last desperate struggle."

She then cut herself with one of her knives before licking the blood clean off the blade.

"Murder is somewhat more enjoyable when it is followed up with a lot of anticipation and effort."

"I see."

Elias took a long breath. This was his first fight with a fellow user of the supernatural, and he would only be deceiving himself if he claimed to not be scared or worried.

He decided to take on the more dangerous role because he had the abilities to back it up, but also to try and see how his abilities could be used in actual combat.

His immediate objective was to stall for time, which meant that he wouldn't engage in direct combat but focus on parring and dodging, only attacking when he noticed a lapse in her defense.

'First of all, how about I check what Echelon she is from and what abilities she has? She doesn't seem to be a Disciple, so she must be an Apostle Deacon at the very least.'

Elias slowly focused his senses on his inner Wisp of Blessings, slowly activating his Runic Invocation of Identification which caused his eyes to become as deep as a dark abyss.

Disgruntled pieces of Information made their way into his mind like a stream of data, fully taking root within his mind and consciousness.

Elias slowly opened his eyes, his gaze one of stark confusion.

'Huh? What the hell is a Crest of Wrath, and why is she a user of it?'

The information Elias had gleaned by using the Identification Invocation was simply that the girl before him was a user of the 'Crest of Wrath', additionally stating the only ability she could utilize was labeled as 'Bloody Berserker.'

The rune didn't give out additional details on what the Crest of Wrath was but did draft out the information regarding the latter specific ability.

According to the rune, the Bloody Berserker was an ability that allowed its users to get more powerful as their anger grew during the period of its activation. It additionally also depends on the amount of blood afflicted on or by the user, converting both the blood and intense emotions of anger into a raging ether pool of fury, further increasing their murderous aura and intent.

This made it a direct opposition to a battle of attrition, causing Elias to become quite worried, especially since his current Apostolic Seat was more utility-based than it was battle-oriented.

The case of the unfamiliar Crest of Wrath was then pushed to the back of Elias's mind, as he took up an offensive stance and readied himself to swiftly activate his Finger Lines rune.

The symbol of a silver lunar moon slowly took shape on his forehead, one which caused the girl in front of him to seem quite confused.

'Huh? A silver moon? This doesn't represent the Totemic Tattoo of any of the 6 known Echelons. Is he making use of some weird artifact, or is he a user of one of the Blasphemy Crests as well?'

She instantly became vigilant, sparing no time to lunge at Elias like a violent tempest, not giving him the chance to pull off any tricks as her eyes reddened with rage and fury.

Elias lunged to the side, narrowly avoiding her abrupt attack which left slashes on the wall behind him.

He then took a deep breath.

This was an actual fight, a fight involving his life and death.

...

Meanwhile in the Main Banquet Hall,

The previously ablaze ballroom was now covered in stretches of icy enclaves, as the entire dilapidated hall was assaulted by an intense wave of northern air.

The ground was covered in thin layers of ice, with small particles of snow lingering in the air, as if the entire villa had been thrust into the dead of winter.

Standing in the center of this scene were two sisters placed with their backs to each other, their hair a unique snow white shade as their eyes reflected the intense wave of winter.

Standing around them were numerous figures in vermilion robes, making them seem like winter lilies surrounded by a bed of thorny red roses.