Outside, amid the dissipating smoke and the chaos that was beginning to settle, an old man in tattered robes crawled among the corpses.

Eldertree.

His breath came in gasps. His aged, weary eyes were now wide with terror. Around him, bodies lay scattered with gaping holes in their chests, heads, necks—all marks of light arrows that had appeared from nowhere.

He recognized this attack.

Zephyr.

Only the Saint Archer could do this. Only he had the ability to see every target from a distance and teleport his arrows directly into his victims’ bodies.

And if Zephyr was here, that meant... that meant he already knew. He already knew about his betrayal. He already knew Black Dragon wasn’t the only one.

Eldertree gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the panic flooding his mind. He’d been trapped. He’d been followed. And with Zephyr’s strange eye ability, his location was surely being watched right now. Every movement, every breath, probably visible from afar.

But why wasn’t he dead? Why hadn’t those arrows struck him?

The question flashed through his mind, and the answer came instantly.

Zephyr wanted to capture him alive. For interrogation. To find out how deep his betrayal went, who else was involved, and what the Abyss Syndicate’s next plans were.

Eldertree shuddered.

Better to die than be captured by the Guardian Council. The punishment for traitors was never light. They’d extract every piece of information from him in the most painful ways possible, then execute him publicly as a warning.

But... But he couldn’t escape either, let alone fight back. Zephyr alone was enough to finish him. Not to mention there might be other Guardian Council members involved—the Star Witch, or even more.

He had to hide. Even if it seemed impossible. Even if Zephyr had probably already seen him. But rather than face them directly, better to try hiding and hope for a miracle.

Eldertree crawled behind a pile of corpses, trying to make himself as small as possible. His tattered robes helped him blend into the darkness. He held his breath, his heart pounding wildly.

Hopefully... hopefully they won’t see me...

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Above, on the fourth floor of the abandoned building, Zephyr frowned.

His four-split eyes could usually see life energy with perfect clarity. Every living being emitted a unique aura, like an unfalsifiable fingerprint. But now...

Now, from that underground chamber, life energy was spreading rapidly in all directions. An immense amount of life energy that suddenly appeared and disappeared in chaotic patterns. Like a fog enveloping the entire area, making it impossible to distinguish one from another.

Zephyr recognized this ability.

Ashen Tide. One of the Abyss Syndicate’s highest leaders, with the ability to transform his body into smoke. But not just that—his smoke also carried his life energy, creating chaos that rendered Zephyr’s sight useless.

That man was truly his natural enemy.

Zephyr gritted his teeth, frustrated. He couldn’t see Eldertree now. Couldn’t see Yumi. Couldn’t see anyone amidst that energy chaos.

He pressed the earpiece.

"Star Witch," he called, his voice remaining calm despite the situation spiraling out of control. "Ashen Tide is using his ability. I can’t see the targets inside. Kill him. Quickly."

"Understood," Delilah replied on the other end.

"I’m coming down to help," Zephyr added.

He leaped from the building, his body gliding through the air before landing lightly on the rooftop across the way. Moving quickly like a shadow among the abandoned buildings, approaching the battle site.

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Inside the smoke-filled room, Delilah observed her surroundings warily.

Thick black smoke filled every corner, rendering sight almost useless. But she was no ordinary fighter. She was the Star Witch. Rank SSS. One of the strongest Awakeners in the world. She didn’t need to see to sense their presence.

She could feel their auras—their energy, their breath, their heartbeats. But as the smoke spread, their auras began to blur. They moved, scattered, trying to escape.

Delilah smiled faintly.

"Running away?"

Both her hands raised. Around her, six light orbs the size of baseballs appeared, shining brightly in the smoke-filled darkness. The orbs spun rapidly, creating small vortices that began clearing the surrounding smoke.

And instantly, the orbs transformed into gleaming silver spears—six spears with sharp tips radiating golden energy.

Delilah swung her hand.

The six spears shot in all directions, each pursuing a different target. They weren’t random—they chased those blurring auras, the auras of the Abyss Syndicate leaders trying to escape.

SHINK!

One spear found its mark. In the corner of the room, the red-haired man with the massive sword on his back froze. His eyes widened. From his chest, the silver spear’s tip protruded, dripping with fresh red blood.

He fell. Dead before his body hit the floor.

SHINK! The second.

The pale-haired young man with dark circles under his eyes crawled near the wall, trying to reach an emergency exit. But the spear was faster. It pierced his back, striking his heart from behind. His thin body slammed against the wall, then slid down, leaving a trail of blood.

Two dead.

The other two—the wolf-tattooed man and the clawed woman—moved faster. They’d already reached the door, ready to flee.

Delilah intended to pursue.

But from the center of the room, the black smoke began to churn. Gather. Form.

Ashen Tide emerged from within the smoke in a half-smoke, half-solid form. Around him, dozens of weapons formed from black smoke: swords, spears, axes, knives—all hovering in the air, ready to launch.

"STAR WITCH!"

His roar echoed through the room, full of rage. His hand—or whatever resembled a hand—swung forward, and dozens of smoke weapons shot toward Delilah.

Delilah didn’t panic.

One of the light orbs around her moved quickly, expanding, forming a transparent golden shield before her. The smoke weapons struck the shield one by one, all shattering into pieces, reverting to ordinary smoke.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

But that was just a distraction.

Behind the shield, Delilah had already moved. Her flying broom shot forward, carrying her gliding through the rain of smoke weapons. In her hand, one silver spear was gripped tightly.

The clawed woman had just reached the door, her hand on the handle, ready to open it—

SHINK!

Delilah’s spear struck from behind, piercing her body right between the shoulder blades. The spear’s tip emerged from her chest, drenched in blood. The woman stopped. Her eyes widened. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.

She fell, and dead.

Ashen Tide watched it all. His rage peaked, but beneath that rage, despair began to creep in.

His plan had been simple: release the smoke, scatter his energy, disrupt Zephyr’s vision, then let his comrades escape while he distracted the Star Witch. But this Star Witch... she knew exactly what to do. She ignored his attacks, focused on the more important targets.

And now, of the five, only two remained: Yumi and the wolf-tattooed man.

Delilah stared at Ashen Tide. The man was still in his half-smoke form, powerless to attack again. But she had no time for him.

She understood Ashen Tide’s plan clearly—release his smoke to disrupt vision, so his comrades could escape while he served as a distraction. But Delilah wasn’t fooled. She let Ashen Tide attack while continuing to pick off his targets one by one.

Delilah shot away, leaving Ashen Tide in the room.

Ashen Tide could only watch, angry, frustrated, but helpless.

He knew he’d lost.

The Star Witch was Rank SSS. Same as the Abyss Syndicate’s supreme leader. He was only Rank SS. Fighting her directly was suicide. His only advantage was his smoke ability, which made him difficult to capture. But once his energy ran out... he’d materialize in his true form, vulnerable, and defenseless.

And the Star Witch knew that. That’s why she ignored him. She’d return after finishing with the others, and Ashen Tide wouldn’t have the strength to escape.

Ashen Tide gritted his teeth. No choice. He had to run now. Before his energy was completely exhausted. Before the Star Witch returned. Before Zephyr arrived.

With his remaining strength, his body transformed into smoke again, spreading, creeping out of the room through small cracks, leaving the empty chamber filled with corpses.

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Zephyr dropped into the underground chamber through a large hole in the ceiling. His feet landed lightly on the floor, covered in blood and body parts.

Around him, black smoke still billowed, but not as thick as before. His four-split eyes swept across the room quickly.

He couldn’t see life energy clearly because of the chaos Ashen Tide had created. But his eyes had always been sharper than ordinary humans’. Smoke couldn’t completely block his vision.

He saw corpses scattered everywhere. Twenty, thirty, maybe more. In the corner, two distinct bodies—a bald man with a sword, a young man who looked like a thug, and many others.

Zephyr walked through the corridor, his steps calm but quick. His red and blue eyes kept moving, searching, scanning, raising his bow whenever he spotted a living Abyss Syndicate member.

FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!

One by one, light arrows shot forward. One by one, screams echoed.

And one by one, bodies fell.

Then, through the smoke, he saw something.

A shadow. Moving quickly, trying to hide behind debris. But not fast enough.

Zephyr aimed, and his arrow struck the figure.

Then a scream rang out—a scream of pain that, strangely, sounded pleasant to his ears.

Zephyr walked toward the source of the sound. The smoke was thinning in that area. And behind a pile of debris, he saw her.

A blonde woman. Olive skin. A beautiful face he’d often seen, often talked to, often... thought about.

Yumi had fallen, her hand reaching for her left leg, now pierced by an arrow.

Zephyr approached her slowly.

Yumi felt his presence. She stroked her wounded leg, and quickly, the wound began to close—her extraordinary regeneration ability. But before she could rise and run again, Zephyr’s shadow loomed over her.

She looked up.

And for the first time, she saw Zephyr’s face without the cloth covering his eyes.

She was stunned.

Those eyes... beautiful. Blue on the right, red on the left. Shining with an almost painful intensity. But around those eyes were scars—deep, rough, jagged horizontal slashes crossing his forehead, his temples, his upper cheeks. Scars that made the eyes look shattered, yet still beautiful.

Yumi was speechless. Couldn’t find words.

This was the first time she’d seen Zephyr’s true face. The man she’d been seducing and approaching all this time just to toy with.

Yumi never expected to meet him again under these circumstances.

"Zephyr..." she whispered, her voice trembling.

Zephyr stared at her coldly.

"Yumi," he replied, his voice flat. "Nice to see you again."

Yumi didn’t answer. Just stared at him, with mixed feelings.

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In another corridor, Delilah continued pursuing her final target.

The wolf-tattooed man ran fast, passing corpses, passing iron doors, trying to reach the exit at the end. But Delilah was faster. Her flying broom shot behind him, just meters away.

The man realized he couldn’t escape.

He stopped. Turned. And in an instant, his body transformed into a giant wolf.

Thick black fur covered his entire body. A long snout with sharp fangs. Yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. Massive claws on both hands and feet. His height was now over three meters, far larger than his human form.

He roared. A roar that echoed throughout the corridor, making the walls tremble.

Then he lunged.

Delilah controlled her broom effortlessly, dodging the first attack by spinning sideways. The wolf’s claws only struck air.

Second attack. Third. Fourth.

Each time, Delilah dodged with elegance. Her flying broom moved like part of her own body—spinning, twisting, rising and falling—avoiding every scratch, every bite, every charge.

The wolf-man grew increasingly frustrated. His roars grew louder. His attacks grew more brutal, but Delilah remained calm.

She remembered Zephyr’s order: capture alive. So she couldn’t kill him. Had to incapacitate him carefully.

Two silver spears materialized beside her. Not thrown, but controlled by thought. They hovered in the air, circling, searching for an opening.

The wolf-man lunged again, his claws swinging with enough force to tear through steel.

Delilah dodged. And at the same moment, both spears moved.

SHINK! SHINK!

They slashed the wolf’s hind legs. Blood sprayed. The wolf roared in pain, his legs collapsing, his body crashing to the floor with a loud bam.

He still tried to crawl, still tried to attack, but his legs could no longer support him.

Delilah leaped down from her broom.

The wolf roared, swinging his claws with whatever strength remained. Delilah dodged easily, then—

THUD!

Her fist struck the wolf’s face directly on the snout. The massive head snapped sideways, blood and saliva spraying. His huge body trembled, then went limp.

One punch. One punch was enough to bring down this monster. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Slowly, the wolf’s body began to shrink. The fur vanished. The snout shortened. The claws transformed back into human hands. Within seconds, the wolf-tattooed man lay on the floor, naked, unconscious, with two gaping wounds on his legs.

Delilah exhaled, smoothing her slightly disheveled hair.

"Zephyr," she called into her earpiece. "Three remain. Ashen Tide, the wolf-man, and one woman—I don’t know who she is since I already killed one of the women. Maybe she’s Yumi, or maybe someone else. But I’ve got one, the wolf-man."

"Good," Zephyr replied. "I’ve got Yumi too."

"Where’s Eldertree?"

A moment of silence. Then Zephyr answered, "He’s hiding. But I’ll find him. Bring your prisoner to me here and chase after Ashen Tide. He’s fleeing."

Delilah nodded, then looked at the unconscious man before her. She bound him with light ropes that materialized from her hand, then dragged him onto her broom.