Before Spoken and Charbel entered the underground shelter, Cancer and Swerdyes faced challenges in completing their mission.
"Cancer, do you sense it?" Swerdyes inquired.
"I do. Be cautious; we don't know what Thor has planned," Cancer warned.
Separated from their companions, they attempted to gather intelligence from the enemy knights. However, they encountered an immediate obstacle - a language barrier. In this world, everyone spoke a common language, except for non-sentient beings like monsters or animals. The strangers they encountered appeared similar to them, raising questions as to why communication seemed impossible.
Being trailed by enemy soldiers due to a misunderstanding, suspicion grew among the locals towards Cancer and Swerdyes.
"How do we escape this predicament, Swerdyes?" Cancer asked urgently.
"I'm not sure. Perhaps we can blend into a crowd where Thor and his people are gathered to lose them," Swerdyes suggested.
"That's risky! They could easily capture us. We don't want to be trapped like caged birds," Cancer countered.
"True. What if we attempt to evade them through the alleys?" Swerdyes proposed.
"No use. This city is infested with our pursuers. Every alley is watched," Cancer lamented.
*********
"General Lyell...," a soldier addressed
"Report, soldier. Are those individuals rumored to be demons?" General Lyell inquired.
"Yes, sir. Our men have encountered them. Whenever they speak, it's in the language of demons," the soldier confirmed.
"Are there any physical characteristics that confirm their demonic nature?" General Lyell questioned.
"No, sir. However, they seem to possess abilities that allow them to evade capture," the soldier explained.
"Why do you believe that?" General Lyell pressed.
"They attempted to escape using some form of magic," the soldier revealed. Peering into his spyglass to observe the suspects, they suddenly vanished from sight, leaving General Lyell bewildered.
"That was a teleportation spell, sir. They have been using it to elude our pursuit," another soldier named Lilly informed, noting the impossibility of human mages performing such magic.
General Lyell instructed his men, "Find and apprehend them before they evade us again. They could be enemy spies."
"Understood!" the soldiers acknowledged, prepared to track down the elusive suspects.
***************
"It seems like they're making their move," Swredyes observed.
"What should we do?" Cancer asked urgently.
"Stay close to me and keep up," Swredyes instructed.
"Understood!" Cancer responded.
"Good. Now, run!" Swredyes commanded.
Swredyes and Cancer sprinted away from their pursuers. As their adversaries emerged from hiding to give chase, Swredyes cast an illusion spell, creating multiple illusions of himself and Cancer to confuse their trackers. Leading the knights astray, Swredyes strategically split the illusions when reaching side paths, further confounding their pursuers.
"How many are still following us?" Swredyes inquired.
"Ten. Can you create more illusions, Olshan?" Cancer asked.
"I'm already at my limit. I can't do it now," Olshan replied.
"Can you make us invisible with your spell?" Cancer suggested.
"Hmm, good idea. Follow me," Swredyes directed, leading them down a path that ended in a dead-end. The last remaining knight blocked their escape.
"Drop your weapons and surrender! There's no way out!" the knight commanded. Ignoring the order, Swredyes and Cancer scaled a stack of wooden crates like stairs, reaching the rooftop. Casting a spell, Cancer destroyed the crates, preventing the enemy from following their escape route.
"After them, don't let them escape!" The knights scattered in pursuit.
In a hidden chamber, a wall transformed, revealing Sibell and two demons. Swiftly, Swredyes cast a spell of concealment, masking Cancer and himself as walls.
"Alright, that will buy us some time," Cancer nodded.
Swredyes altered their appearances, ensuring their foes would not recognize them. The enchantment would last only 2-3 hours.
Heading to the slums as planned, they felt a sudden chill. Reacting swiftly, they dodged a deadly attack.
Their journey to safety had begun.
As they turned to face their attacker, they saw a young boy, about the same age as Aayam. This boy possessed a power that surpassed those they had encountered before. Swredyes and Cancer remained vigilant, recognizing the threat he posed.
Cancer lunged at the boy, aiming for his throat, while Swredyes prepared a spell to aid in the fight.
Evading Cancer's attack with ease, the boy deflected a fireball aimed at him and used Cancer as a shield. Cancer cried out in pain as he was hit.
Enraged, Swredyes attempted to confront the boy, but he was swiftly overpowered and knocked unconscious.
Disappointed by the encounter, the boy revealed himself as Hinata Kobayashi, a former classmate of Aayam who had arrived in Sigilla just a week earlier. While others engaged in battle, Hinata remained in the city as a guardian against potential enemy incursions.
Excited by the news of enemy soldiers approaching the city, Hinata eagerly anticipated testing his newfound abilities. However, his encounter with the two demons left him feeling disappointed; they were no match for his strength.
A knight approached him cautiously, expressing concern about the unknown threat.
"Calm down, Bobby. I've dealt with the enemies," Hinata reassured, gesturing towards the unconscious demons.
Impressed, Bobby commended him on his swift victory and planned to gather more men. Suddenly, a loud noise interrupted them, prompting Hinata to rush towards the commotion, leaving Bobby to handle the subdued demons.
**************
Just before Cancer and Swredyes could be captured, Crabel and Spoken emerged from the underground shelter, with the enemy hot on their trail.
"O Earth, create an obstacle to halt our pursuers!" Crabel cast a spell to impede their enemies without resorting to destructive measures that could provoke Thor Panting's wrath.
Impressed, Spoken inquired, "How long will this barrier hold?"
"It will give us enough time to catch our breath. Only skilled mages can breach it," Crabel assured, noting the lack of magical adversaries among their pursuers.
As they cautiously moved forward, Spoken swiftly silenced Crabel, alerting him to an approaching group of foes. They remained hidden until the danger passed.
Their luck seemed to hold until a sudden explosion echoed from the direction of the underground shelter. Underestimating their opponent's magical prowess, they realized their situation was more perilous than they had assumed. While waiting for their pursuers to catch up, Carbel and Spoken decided to abandon stealth and flee. However, they encountered another group of knights blocking their path.
The leader of the knights shouted at them, but Carbel and Spoken ignored the command and dashed past them, eliciting calls to halt from behind.
Confusion arose among the knights as they debated their next move. Some were tasked with pursuing the fleeing pair, while others accompanied their leader to investigate the source of the explosion.
As they approached the site of the blast, they came across a disheveled man covered in dust.
"Halt! Identify yourself!" the leader demanded.
The man explained that he was a human like them and had been pursuing two individuals who had evaded capture in an underground base.
Intrigued, the leader questioned, "If that's true, how did you manage to escape?"
"My commander is incapacitated after taking a mana enhancement pill. My teammates are attending to him. The rest are searching for the two demons who infiltrated the city," the man explained.
The leader pondered the information, then turned to the dirt-covered man. "We spotted two individuals heading towards the underground shelter earlier."
Realization struck. "It must be them! We must apprehend them quickly," the leader declared.
The group, along with the man they encountered, swiftly retraced their steps back to the underground shelter.
**************
"Damn it! We were so close to escaping," Spoken muttered, surrounded by enemies on all sides. Twenty-eight soldiers and three mages closed in. Spoken and Carbel brandished their blades, prepared to fight to the end—no intentions of being captured for interrogation. Despite the enemies not appearing formidable, they knew better than to underestimate them after their previous encounters.
Suddenly, the ground shifted as an anomaly created a path, not by their doing, but by Hinata's arrival. The knights ushered Hinata to the center of the circle where Spoken and Carbel stood, sensing an unusual power emanating from the boy.
Incomprehensible words were exchanged, prompting Hinata to draw his blade. In response, Spoken and Carbel readied their swords, resigned to facing this enigmatic figure. The onlookers stood by, observing the unfolding confrontation.
In an instant, Hinata vanished and reappeared in front of Spoken, surprising them with his speed. Spoken blocked Hinata's attack, causing both of them to widen their eyes in astonishment. Even the onlookers, Sopris and the demon, were impressed; Hinata's renowned sword skills were not to be underestimated.
Seizing an opportunity, Spoken aimed to strike Hinata's right eye, but Hinata evaded the attack just in time. Realizing the opponents were more formidable than expected, Hinata prepared himself for a challenging battle.
Spoken and Carbel launched coordinated attacks at Hinata, who deftly parried and dodged their strikes. A rock spear emerged from the ground, aiming for Hinata's foot. Despite getting injured, Hinata suppressed his pain, determined to appear resolute before his adversaries.
With swift movements, Hinata destroyed the earth spears and removed the one impaled in his foot. Ignoring the discomfort, he charged at Spoken and Carbel, but his injury hindered his movements.
Spoken unleashed a fire spell at Hinata, who, due to his injury, struggled to evade the attack effectively.
"Hinata!" The soldiers gasped as their summer hero stood amidst the chaos, determined to prevail. Hinata channeled his magic into his blade, its radiant glow intensifying. With gritted teeth, he lifted his sword high, unleashing a devastating attack. The wind blades sliced through his foes, leaving them wounded and defeated.
"Sir Kobayashi, you've done it! You've vanquished the demons!" The soldiers praised him as he struggled to stay upright, the battle taking its toll. Hinata managed a weak smile before collapsing, his sword the only thing keeping him from the ground.
"Quickly, take Sir Kobayashi to the medical bay! And make sure to keep those two alive for questioning," he instructed, his voice filled with urgency. Amidst the chaos, his comrades sprang into action, carrying him to safety while tending to the fallen enemies.