The Neutral Lands. The New Land of Dreams. Alliance Headquarters.
"So you're saying that we've lost contact with five of them?"
"I'm sorry, Alliance Head…"
Two tired voices sounded out in the chamber, one slightly older, one younger. The younger voice came from an officer, not looking much older than thirty. He held both his hands behind his back while his head was stooped low. Though he looked like a scholar, one could tell from the battle scars littered all over his face that the officer was a man who braved a thousand battles, ones that were fatal enough to bring him to the brink of life and death.
The older voice came from the red-haired man who held his chin up with his hands while resting his two elbows on the ebony desk. He had the face of a thirty-year-old, but his eyes were far more decades clocked into them. Though, even a man who lived a million years would be despondent to hear the news that came out of that officer's mouth.
"Starting from Monday, outpost four, seventeen, twenty-eight and forty-four had gone dark. Today, sixty-six failed to give their daily reports. It's safe to assume that they've been compromised as well."
"Five outposts in five days… They're playing a game with us, huh?" Raphael frowned and dropped his elbows. "Have you investigated the outposts that have gone dark?"
"Only four and seventeen, sir!" The officer clicked his boots together and gave the report. "After we've given the signal, all nearby personnel were dispatched to investigate. Unfortunately, the results were all the same. Every soldier in the outpost has disappeared. No bodies, no blood… No signs of struggle… It was as if they had been spirited away."
"Spirited away… As if that could happen!" Raphael didn't care much for his subordinates description. The men that they dispatched to the outposts weren't just random volunteer soldiers. They were the cream of the crop of the Alliance, many of them have cultivations that exceeded Rank 30. Even if one of them disappeared, it would cause shockwaves around the Alliance. Yet, five full outposts simply vanished into thin air?
"Tsk, any movements from the abyss?" The Alliance Head slammed his fists on the table and asked.
"No, nothing… It has been as peaceful as it was for the past ten years."
"That can't be right..." Raphael dropped his agitated bum down and rested on his comfy chair. There was only one entity in the entire world that could cause the disappearance of so many elites, and that entity had been sealed inside of the abyss for ten years now.
"Have all the other outposts been notified?"
"Yes, sir! I've issued out the command to double the patrols and to establish a connection with headquarters throughout the entire day. If one of the outposts were to miss an hourly report, we'll immediately send our flying brigade over to investigate."
"That's good," Raphael stroked his hairless chin, seemingly falling into a state of deep contemplation. "Wait… When you say flying brigade… Which one is it?"
Realising what the Alliance Head was getting at, the officer frowned and reported the truth: "Flying brigade four… The one with the reduced Aerial Knights."
"... I see."
Over the years, the Alliance's military power had been stretched thin. After all, the three superpowers who had loaned the troops to the Alliance were now in jeopardy as well, they couldn't afford to keep sending elites over as per their agreement during the Summit. The Alliance still remained strong in terms of military might, but there was no enemy to fight. The Black Masks had all but disappeared into the pit, and the vast majority of the common folk had forgotten their dominance throughout the years. Yes, there were traces of the Black Mask era with the darkness crevices littered all over the planet, but overall, most people had forgotten about the Black Masks.
Who could blame them? They were focused on rebuilding their nations to its former heights. Why should they waste their best warriors for the sake of the Alliance which had no enemy to fight?
"Flying brigade four… They don't have the numbers or firepower to deal with a Brahmin. If the cause of the disappearances is indeed the Black Masks, I'm afraid that we would be outmatched..." Raphael mindlessly thought out some grim facts.
"So… What do we do?"
"There's no choice..." Raphael shook his head and reached out to the Cikai Mirror which had a dragon decoration encircling its borders. "We'll have to call Guardian Sword."
❖❖❖
"This is happiness..." A young woman laughed in happiness while surrounded by a thick, bubbling water. Milky white essence emerged from the bottom of the hot spring, blurring out all of the parts she had underwater. Her luxurious blonde hair was tied up into a bun, and her pearly white neck was slowly being submerged deeper into the springs.
"Ah, Gin you've really outperformed yourself this time… Where on earth did you manage to dig up a hot spring in the middle of your Payirci?" Kin, who was still in a blissful trance, asked the naked young man sitting next to her.
"Not long back…" The silver-haired man smiled. "We've been trapped in the Abyss for far too long, after all. I'd thought that I should make a replica of the Moon Springs since we were stuck here anyway. It was hard to make, given the limited materials that we have underneath the darkness, but I somehow got it done in the ten years. Fortunately, the timing of its completion coincides with your mission's ending, so you're getting this good reward."
"You're right… As always, you're the best brother one could hope to have." Kin pushed her petite body closer to Gin and reached out to his neck using her left hand. Holding it in place, the elder sister landed a soft peck on the cheek of the handsome man. "Here's your reward for making me happy."
"Haha, thanks for that." Gin giggled happily, enjoying his sister's lips. However, his smile soon turned into a remorseful frown as a passing thought flashed through his mind. "Though… I would wish to gift you back the Moon Springs itself..."
Kin's smile soon evaporated as well. Just like Gin, her face tightened, not by remorse though… But by a seething rage that burnt even the lowest levels of hell. "Moon Valley… We've been locked out from that place for far too long… If it's not for that fucking rabbit!"
'Careful, Kin… The walls have ears...'
At that moment, Gin's voice sounded out in his sister's mind. Realising her folly, the blonde woman stopped her cursing and swallowed down her anger.
'Tsk, how annoying… Even though we're alone, we still have to keep our intentions hidden.'
'It can't be helped… The Allfather is awake now. We can't be as loud as we used to be...' Gin regretfully sent over. 'No matter what, we're just part of the package for Momo. If we make our intentions known, the Allfather might kill us on the spot.'
'That fucking rabbit...'
Gin's words somewhat cooled the angered Kin down. All she wanted to do was to rip Momo limb from limb, but she was always forced to turn the other cheek. Momo was still more powerful than both Kin and Gin. Not to mention, she had the Allfather's favour. Going against the Moon Rabbit at this point was completely suicidal.
'Don't worry about it, Kin… From what I hear, the Allfather is now weakened beyond comparison. There's a chance that the Grand Scheme might fail and we would gain our freedom!'
'Hmph! The Allfather weakened? How many times has that happened already? Spirit Saints are supposed to only live up to four hundred years, but that man has already passed six hundred! Who knows how many surprises he can pull out from his hat?'
'Good point...' Gin thought back on the many times the Allfather suppressed them using nothing but his mana. Even the most ferocious of Spirit Beasts would roll over and reveal their belly when faced with that overwhelming might.
'So we still have to stick to our original plan? To kill Momo and get back the Key to the Moon Valley?'
'Yes, unfortunately...' Kin spat. 'Now that all of the Nine Coloured Noble Beasts are now active again, we'll have plenty of chances to attack Momo. Though, it'll prove to be difficult with Shiro constantly by her side...'
'No worries, I've honed my abilities to deal with that pesky mirror boy.' Gin sent back with enthusiasm. 'As long as your killing ability is there, we can defeat Momo in a well-timed ambush! Also, with the Abyss opened, we can escape anytime we want now! Everything is set in stone for our success!'
'Hehe, you're right!' Kin sent back with hearts in her voice. Leaning in on her brother's chest, the blonde woman slightly purred.
'When everything's done and dusted… We can return back to the place where we truly belong… And spend eternity together with one another… And Brother Haiiro.'
'Yes… Yes, we can...'
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