The "assassins" who charged surrounded them, but they were not armed, and instead of holding bloodlust, they were calm. They soon spoke a few words, with solemnity and earnestness pronounced in their speech.
"We…."
"…Are the Arcane Seekers."
"Strangers to this land, travellers seeking a path of destiny. We wield the incantations of the ancient order, and strive to find the ancient secret, buried beneath the earth."
"We speak this, as the goal of our leader, Duran!"
The beady eyes that stared down at them spoke eerie, ominous words, and suddenly, a booming roar that echoed to the stars and back was heard.
Those hidden in shadows revealed themselves, covered in capes and black cloaks, all of them with purple, twilight eyes that sparkled in the grace of the moon, and yet, this was because of a foreign power.
A foreign power who hid himself for quite a while, only revealing himself in this instant, jumping into the small valley in which the group had made their campfire.
A short-haired figure, wearing silver, silk robes, with a height that extended over ten, or perhaps even twenty feet, jumped down, followed by many others.
This was the very same Halfblood Giant they were talking about. The president of the Street Gangs of Fols had come down to meet them himself.
Duran.
"How… how was I not able to notice him?!" Kyōji exclaimed before Shuku muttered, "I wasn't able to notice him either…"
"No, I'm sure none of us were able to," Lilac whispered back.
"…I'm sure you all have heard the rumours… but, let me tell you, they are all…"
"False." The president, Duran, declared as he revealed himself properly, the moon shimmering on his body.
He was enormous, with dark eyes that resembled a void, and pale skin that loosely resembled iron. And he was also incredibly well-spoken for even a Halfblood. They could all see that the rumours about him in particular were an understatement, and a large one at that.
"…You are a Giant, yet, you speak our language?" Lilac asked.
This was because, in the entire Eastern Continent, due to the limited contact with other Continents, differing intelligent species from humans just referred to their language as, "humanish", with the only differences in the language in various countries being the accents. And yet, what was more confusing, was that the Giant spoke in a "perfect accent", which everyone could understand.
"Of course. But, I know that may not be the only question you have at the moment."
"Yes… why has the president of a street gang come to meet us in person?" Lilac asked, stepping into a defensive position, "And, why did you call yourselves, the 'Arcane Seekers'?"
Duran replied,
"It is the name of our actual organization. For we are a band of fools, seeking an arcane truth. And, you may all know it as, 'Destiny'."
"You're… seeking destiny?"
"Don't we all? But, I seek a deeper truth than even that. And, there is a certain item that will allow me to gain such an understanding. Allow us to enter the 'Starless Void'."
"…Then, why have you decided to take over a city?" Rei asked, "I'm sure there would be effectively no reason to do that."
"There is. We needed a cover, and after the governor escaped, we used the vagabonds and criminals that were left lurking on the streets to find the item we needed without any distractions coming forth."
"Wait, the governor escaped?" Nuru asked, "I'm a little lost now…"
"That is fine. I don't expect any of you to understand anyway," Duran stated as he sniffed the air, "But, I could smell the scent of the Resistance Hunters as I followed your tracks."
"They are far bigger fools than I, believing that we are a street gang and yet also believing that we are interfering with destiny itself. But they do not realise that is impossible. For destiny is intertwined with the Elden Gods themselves, the divinities that exist beyond the veil of which we can't reach..."
"Yes, yes…" Bōshi interrupted, "But, why have you come to us so suddenly? We have no involvement in your plans, and in fact, this is the first time we have gone so far from the mountains."
"Of course… but, it seems, even regarding that fact, that you all are destined for something. My Twilight Eyes have marked all of you as 'Destined Ones'."
Duran, with his proficiency in incantations, once cast one of the most powerful divine incantations on his own eyes, one that could cause enough pain to inflict shock or even death in most cases for Giants, but, he declared that it was worth it, for a reason only himself knew.
"So, now I come to you all with a proposition. Come with me, to retrieve the Divine Item, and enter the Starless Void. It will be worth your time."
"Ah… unfortunately, we cannot-" "Let's go."
Rei immediately went to deny the proposition, but Seiji was eager to accept it. Something that was very, very rare.
"Seiji? But, why?"
"We must. Or else, our journey and our lives, which are intertwined and entangled with destiny, will not continue."
"Seiji, but what will happen to what Father commanded us to do?" Hinote asked, "I'm sure he won't be pleased…"
"Of course, we will conquer the Black Dragon Manor, but after this has been done. Trust in me. This will change things, and help distort our perspectives in ways we would not even be able to comprehend."
Bōshi glanced at her and then nodded. Shuku interpreted this as him telling her that she needed to tell him of things beforehand, or else he could end up confused. He did somewhat understand that they were working together from just observing, after all.
"Alright, I think we're ready then," Bōshi spoke up, "Where should we head now-"
The sound of a blade slicing through the air was heard, and, in the next second, a Resistance Hunter impaled Duran's chest.
"What the fuck?!" Kyōji yelled first, caught by surprise.
"You are a vile stain among the lands, trying to interfere with what you cannot. I pray that the 'Hunter of Supreme Arrow' shall smite you in the Underworld!" The Resistance Hunter declared, shoving the blade in deeper.
It was not Sparrow, but it seemed to be another Resistance Hunter that was quietly assigned to watch them, watching and waiting for a moment such as this to arrive.
But, Duran's breath did not falter even for a moment. Unfortunately for the hunter who had stabbed him, Duran was still a Giant, regardless of his diluted blood.
Duran grabbed his head, and with little to no effort, crushed it into bloody bits, leaving his headless, lifeless body to fall onto the snowy ground.
"Such a feeble attempt to take my life. I am Duran, and all Arcane Seekers know of this fact!" He roared, and all of the shadowy presences around him followed suit.
Meanwhile, Shuku wondered, I couldn't notice his movements. Just like with Sparrow, who did not intend to kill me but was still equally matched against me, and this Giant who stands in front of me…
How much stronger is the outside world in comparison to me?
He glanced over at the body, which Kyōji and Hinote seemed to be poking at.
"What stupidity. They believe in such nonsense." Duran muttered, staring at the corpse lying in the snow.
"What nonsense?" Hinote asked.
"Hmph, that the Cerulean Royal Family of the North, who has the divine name of their God, the Hunter of Supreme Arrow as their family symbol, sent them a message within the stars, telling them to get rid of the heretics who seek out 'arcane knowledge'."
"That is why they have been constantly interfering and declaring us as filth. They have been doing it to 'heretics' for decades, proclaiming such acts as a 'resistance' against evil."
"Fortunately for them, I have no intention of fighting. Else I would've torn them all to shreds," Duran said, "Anyhow, we have no reason to stay here for much longer since the fire has gone out."
"Let us head back, and prepare for the Starless Void."