From the darkness, 4 people came out and the pressure in the area got tighter. Lobo could feel the power emanating from the 4 figures that came and grabbed the holy grail. His hairs stood on end and he almost retreated a step. He stopped himself when he realized that his members were at his back and they were relying on him.
Out of the 4 figures in the distance, Bang's eyes immediately darted towards a person at the back. This person was tall and skinny but had defined muscles showing from his sleeveless shirt. His face had a distinct upside-down eggplant shape. He would remember that face any time he saw it. It was Andy the blacksmith.
Andy ignored the piercing eyes of Bang and kept his eyes on the holy grail in his hands, almost salivating at the sight.
As the realization formed in Bang's head, his blood started to boil and veins stuck out from his neck. He had been tricked! The blacksmith had given him a mission in scouting out the Dreaded Valley and figuring out the creatures that laid within it. He did not tell Bang that they would be stuck in the Dreaded Valley once they stepped foot in it.
That only meant that Andy's main goal wasn't to scout out the Dreaded Valley, but for Bang and Ligi to go in and be trapped in there. Bang couldn't figure out the reason why he wanted them to be trapped in here. He didn't know their goal. Then he saw the holy grail in Andy's hands and guessed that it was their true goal all along. He figured out their motive but he still didn't know why Andy wanted them trapped in the Dreaded Valley.
He retraced his steps back when he entered the Dreaded Valley and recalled that he met the Defending Tip just before they went inside. The Defending Tip were preparing to venture inside the Dreaded Valley for months and researched the way to get to the holy grail safely.
It clicked in his head and he figured out that Andy wanted him and the Defending Tip to meet in the Dreaded Valley. He just couldn't figure out why or how they even arranged that. Then he remembered that Andy rushed them out of the Suno town and into the Dreaded Valley quickly. Andy told them that the guards were rushing towards them and will arrest them for the death of Tab.
That must have been how Andy was able to make them and the Defending Tip meet in the outskirts of Suno Valley at the exact time. If Andy had not rushed them to go out and into the Dreaded Valley, they would not have met the Defending Tip.
The only other burning question was why. He didn't know the reason that Andy wanted them to meet. They were not a threat whatsoever. He was a nobody and Ligi only had his shield as a power. He then remembered that at a certain part in the Dreaded Valley, they came across the monoliths that shot out black beams that almost disintegrated them. They were able to destroy some of the monoliths due to Ligi's power of reflection.
These were all just speculations swirling around Bang's head. He was wary and cautious of everything because he did not want to be used by someone and his defensive mechanism made him overthink all the possibilities that could happen. If his hypothesis was true, then Andy wanted the Defending Tip to safely reach the holy grail and then steal it for themselves. They must have been following closely.
Bang felt a chill in his back as he felt used. He did not like this at all as his fist curled up into a ball and his nails dug into his palm. He glared at Andy with slanted eyebrows, expressing his hatred for the blacksmith.
"I didn't actually think Gotang could reach this far. I guess intel really makes up for his measly little power."
A man in the middle of the group spoke. His black hair was parted cleanly in the middle and tucked into his ears. It gleamed in the dim light indicating that a special gel and oil was used to make his hair finely combed. He wore a full black suit with black ties and a black undershirt. He had a chain from his waist and his pocket. His arms were long and had a golden laced watch on his right hand. His black pants were tightly sewn together and that accented his long legs. His foot was firmly on the ground with shiny black shoes with a pointed end. He loosened his tie and grinned.
Resi heard the provocation and he immediately raised his head and shouted in anger at the man who just spoke. His blood boiled and his anger got the best of him. His muscles constricted in fury and rushed towards the man. He just couldn't forgive this man for sullying his father's name.
Bang saw that Resi was taunted and tried to stop him but he was just too fast. He couldn't stop Resi from bulldozing his way there.
The well-clothed man looked at Resi with a deadpan face and spoke.
"Stand down, kid."
An unsurmountable amount of pressure bore down on Resi. The pressure forced him to stop and fall on the ground but he tried to resist it. The veins in his temple showed as his head started to become red from the pressure. His knees started to buckle but he used both his hands to stabilize himself from splatting down on the ground.
The black sludge in his heart started to grow and spread into fractals in his chest. His heart started aching as he felt the anger grow in his chest and fury filled his eyes.
Ligi also heard the provocation and his blood pressure started to rise. His heartbeat rose to high numbers as he tried to calm himself down and think properly. He did not know who these guys are and what power they possessed. Barging in without any care would do them no good. Even though he knew that, his body wanted to move and beat the sh** out of the guy who disparaged his mentor's name.
Lobo felt the pressure emanating from the man in the suit and his heart stopped. He had felt this intense pressure from before when he was together with Gotang in of their missions. They came across someone that had the same force of pressure as the guy in the suit and Gotang warned him to never get near them.
In Suno town, this kind of pressure emanated only from leaders, established leaders at that. These were the upper echelon of the groups in Suno town that controlled the critical parts of the city. He had heard of a group that wore black suits as their uniform but he wasn't sure if it was them. He hoped that it was not them.
The only thing Lobo did not understand is the reason why they wanted the relic. A relic is needed to establish the group and own a location. All of the established groups own a location outside the town where most of their firepower is stored. The buildings in the Suno town was merely a place for rest and served as an outpost for them. Without a relic, a group cannot establish a location outside the city, that was just the natural law. This group was already established so they did not need the holy grail. Why do they want it?
"Give...that....back....you....bastard!"
Resi resisted the pressure and forced his vocal cords to spit out an insult to the man. The holy grail was a product of Gotang's hard work and his sacrifice so he couldn't let some unknown guy take it away from him. He didn't deserve it.
"Hoh...don't you know who I am kid?"
The man looked towards Resi and sneered. He could not take the words of the man who couldn't even resist his domain lightly. He turned towards a man to his right and spoke to him.
"Bodt, take care of him."
A buff man wearing a black suit and a bandana on his head walked forwards and showed himself in the light. His muscles were defined properly as his suit wrapped tightly around the edges. His jaw was his most noticeable trait along with his bandana that hid his bald head. He walked forward with swag and the ground underneath him made way for his foot. He was a massive guy and he looked down on the struggling Resi beside his feet.
"Hey! Why can't I do it?"
Then a woman came from the shadows and walked in front of Bodt to speak with the man in the middle who was presumably their leader. She had short hair that was cut to her shoulders. Her suit was more of like a school uniform than formal wear. Her black skirt fell to her knees and she wore knee-socks paired with her black shoes.
Without any warning and indications, she raised her hands and spoke clearly.
"Soot me: Umbrella"
Black powder flowed out from her hands and gathered at her side. It formed a thin long cylindrical handle and created a folded parasol starting from the top. The ends of the membrane of the umbrella formed thin edges acting as blades while the top created a spear-like blade.
She raised her umbrella and pierced it towards Resi.