"Ack! What are you doing!?"
Ace who had arrived with Rhea at the nick of time grabbed the blade that was aiming for the captured General's chest.
Before anybody could react to the sudden appearance of the ex-assassin, he sent Rohan flying with a punch.
"What in the world do you think you're doing!?"
"Tsk, it's none of your business." Rohan scoffs as he looks the other side not wanting to make eye contact with Ace. "This is the only way for justice to prevail."
He got back up and wipe Ace's blood that splattered all over his face from when he stopped the sword with his bare hands.
"Justice? You think killing him is justice?" Ace takes a few steps forward till he was standing face to face with Rohan.
"Rhea, what are you doing here? Did you bring the enemy here?"
"Jake, I know this may sound selfish, and I know how far you all went for me and I'm very grateful to you guys. But, let's forget the past and move on."
Jake widened his eyes as he couldn't believe what he's heard. He can understand the others giving up on their revenge, but Rhea?
She was the one who got framed. What's more, her fiancé was killed while she was locked up. It really did a number on her.
But here she was siding with the enemy and asking them to give up on their revenge.
He clenched his fists and approaches Ace.
"You! What mind-warping abilities did you use!?"
He exclaims as he grabs the ex-assassin by his collar.
"Jake! It's not like th-"
Just as she was about to intervene.
"Killswitch!"
Ace had knocked Jake away with his signature move.
He adjusted his collar and dusts his coat as he looks down at the man who grabbed his collar.
"My apologies, but I'm not in a good mood right now."
Jake was foaming in his mouth as Ace turns his attention back to Rohan.
'He knocked Jake out with a single blow?'
"Why were you trying to kill the very person you risked your life to save?"
Ace was angry and it was justifiable. Rohan had made a deal with him that if Ace helps him save his brother he would join his clan.
"It's none of your business what I do with him now, I plan on keeping my word."
Ace wasn't just angry that Rohan had just disregarded their deal.
From his side of the bargain, the deal was fulfilled giving that Rohan had found his brother alive. What he does with him afterward shouldn't have been of concern. But only if it was someone else and not Ace.
"I want nothing to do with a guy that would easily lose his resolve. I don't want you in my clan anymore."
Rohan had popped a vein. If anything, no one feels as terrible about any of this as he does.
Why was this stranger vexing about what he does with the man who was his enemy at one point?
"You were ready to take on me and my friends when you thought that I murdered your brother. Although I don't commend vengeance you were willing to go that far for him."
Ace grabs the swordsman by his collar. "What was it you said? Justice? If you truly sought justice you would have brought your brother back with you to Cronoa and have him pay for his crimes the right way. At the same time absolving Rhea."
That was the case. Rohan had enough backings to have his brother persecuted and at the same time, clear Rhea's name.
He looked down after realizing Ace's point.
"Self-guilt is a terrible feeling, I know that. But to think you'd let it cloud your reasoning and judgment. Pathetic. I'm out of here."
Ace makes his way towards the exit.
"Ace!"
Rohan called out to the ex-assassin.
Ace turns his head and sees Rohan bowing his head and wailing.
"Thank you! I will forever be in your debt."
"Hmph, you're still out of the clan." He walks out. Of the dungeon leaving Rhea who was tending to the unconscious Jake and Rohan alone.
"Now what?"
The one who spoke was Rada Khan as he kept quiet throughout the events that unfold.
"Now, I make you pay for your sins, the right way."
A few moments later, Ace had regrouped with the rest of the team.
"Good to see everyone's okay."
He looked at the once critical Conroy and Vorus as they were covered with bandages and have regained consciousness.
"Yeah well, it's all thanks to Ada's wings. This thing here does wonders!"
Before they left Shoot village, Shuntal had given Ace a sack filled with rainbow-colored wings.
"Whenever one of you youngins is injured, pop this up in your mouth and you'll be fine. Take it as a farewell gift from this old man."
So were the words of the Beast relic user as he gave them the wings.
Reginald had used them to help with Conroy's and Vorus' recovery.
" Say, where's Sir Rohan?"
" Oh, he won't be joining us anymore."
"Huh?"
They all tilted their heads as Ace narrates the events that transpired and how they led to his decision of kicking Rohan out before he could even join them.
"You mean... We risked our lives and fought for nothing!?"
Reginald grabbed Ace by the collar and shakes the ex-assassin excessively.
"Well, I won't say it's for nothing. First, we all participate in heated battles."
Ace says as Vorus grins and nods his head. He seems to be siding with him.
"Of course the big palooza will side with you. You both are power-hungry battle beasts!"
"I agree with Sir Reginald on this one. No offense."
The two "sane" members of the teams glared at their teammates.
"Most importantly though. Regi, Conroy, Vorus."
Ace says as he looks over at the trio with a bright smile across his face.
"You all have gotten stronger. Especially you, Regi."
"Of course I have!" Reginald feeling proud about being complemented began to gloat.
"I, the great Reginald Star have concurred my very formidable foe and rescued my teammates from certain doom!"
As Reginald was about to continue. Ace plops to the ground and fell asleep. The backlash from using shadow apex the previous night and fighting for so long had gotten to his body.
"You know, he kinda looks like a baby when he's not in his murderous state."
"Agreed."
"Affirmative."
The trio bursts into laughter as they shared a drink and could finally call it a night.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the group, someone had been keeping tabs on their battles at the mansion.
"These punks think they can just invade my home when I'm not around and wreck it?" The man who spoke had a sinister aura lurking around him as his eyes flash a purple light.
He finally calms down and the aura subsides while his eyes turned normal.
"Well, there's no point getting excited now. They are both promising rising clans. Let's see if they can reach Ainklad, then I'll have them answer for their deeds."
A week later and the gang was ready for their very first crypt raid together. That too, it was going to be one of the twelve zodiac crypts said to reward successful raiders with puzzle pieces.
They were currently atop a mountain a few meters away from Lily town.
Lily town is a special place for all clans as most clans start their adventures here.
Some fail to solve the crypt's challenge and have to wait three months to re-take the challenge again.
"Huff. Huff. Remind me again why we didn't take the ark and instead hiked all the way here?"
Reginald who looked as if he was going to collapse was barely catching his breath.
"Adventure my friend. Adventure."
Ace pats him on the back as the thief loses balance and slips falling face-first into the ground.
The rest laughed at this sight as the thief picks himself up and begins to dust the snow off his coat.
'Note self: Murder these three when they're asleep. Or better yet, poison them.'
"Wait a sec, don't we need have to be an authorized clan to raid crypts like this?"
Authorized clans are clans that possess a considerable level of honor and fame in the world.
"Actually, zodiac crypts don't require a license or authorization, Sir Reginald."
"Ohh, well, phew! that's that. I'm glad we don't have to run into any more trouble."
Zodiac crypts and crypts that pose an imminent danger do not require authorization before being raided. The latter being allowed for security reasons.
Although this is only the case for crypts that appear in populated areas or areas within the regime of a nation or in some cases, districts.
Anyone is free to raid crypts that appear in remote and isolated places. Many crypts lay dormant in hidden places around the world such as the one Vorus found during his journey.
The authority of a clan is determined by how many zodiac crypts they've raided successfully.
A clan that has raided all A-Rank zodiac crypts is free to raid any crypt that is A-rank and below.
"We're here."
As the four braves take their final steps towards the top of the mountain, they prepped themselves physically and mentally for the next chapter in their adventure together.
"Let's do this thing!"