The representatives of the Yucatan Empire sat frozen in their seats, eyes widening in shock as they watched blood pour profusely from their comrade's arm. A woman with long pink hair snapped from her daze and rushed to her friend's side.
"Derrick!" she cried out in terror, pressing against the wound in an attempt to staunch the bleeding.
"Arghhh—damn it. It hurts!!" Derrick grimaced in agony, his face contorting under the intensity of the pain.
Melina extended her right hand towards Derrick. Channeling a slight amount of her mana, she froze the air around the wound. In the blink of an eye, a thick layer of white ice enveloped the injury.
The pink-haired woman was momentarily startled by Melina's action, but quickly calmed down upon realizing that Melina's intent was not to cause further harm.
Melina also froze the severed hand lying on the floor, preventing it from decomposing.
"Tch—why not just burn it?!" Seraphina, displeased with her sister's method, clicked her tongue.
In response, Melina chuckled softly, her voice gentle, "If you burn it, he'd turn to dust."
Seraphina shrugged lightly and murmured, casting a sidelong glance at Melina, "Trash ought to be burned."
As they conversed, a guard from the Yucatan Empire had prepared something for a surprise attack.
Suddenly, transparent spheres encased the heads of the Shadowbane squad, including Melina, Seraphina, and Isolde.
"Die, you bastards!!" shouted a burly young man, launching his technique. "Vacuum Ball!!"
In a fraction of a second, the air within the spheres enveloping the targets' heads vanished, causing almost everyone to gasp for breath.
'A surprise attack, not bad,' Seraphina mused internally, a sinister smile forming on her lips.
Seraphina, Melina, and all the captains and vice-captains of the Shadowbane squad nonchalantly unleashed their mana, using their magical abilities to negate the effects of the vacuum spheres.
Seraphina wielded searing golden flames, while Melina employed freezing ice. In mere moments, the strange spheres shattered, allowing them to breathe freely once more.
Isolde, seemingly unfazed, snapped her fingers lightly, shattering all the strange spheres surrounding the officers' heads.
"What is this---?!" The burly young man, who had activated the bizarre technique, turned pale as his power was effortlessly nullified by Isolde.
Before he could finish his sentence, golden flames erupted beneath his feet, swiftly consuming him until he evaporated in an instant, courtesy of Seraphina.
"Capture every one of these scoundrels. Don't let your guard down like before," Seraphina commanded angrily.
"Yes, ma'am!!" the Shadowbane troops responded in unison with firm resolve.
[Everyone, prepare the teleportation artifacts that were arranged beforehand. On my count of three, starting from my signal. Do not rush or activate them prematurely. Leave the distraction to me.]
An elder, cropped-haired envoy from the Yucatan Empire used telepathic magic to relay instructions to his companions.
[Understood, Elder!!] the other envoys replied in unison.
Swiftly, the cropped-haired elder stepped forward to block the movement of the Shadowbane troops.
"Please wait, ladies and gentlemen. I implore you to think with a cool head," he pleaded, his face earnest and sincere.
"You're too dramatic, merely to agree to a proposal like that. I'm sick of hearing it!!" Isolde exclaimed with irritation, activating her Dissolution Magic to dismantle the mental defenses and memories of her targets.
In an instant, the eyes of the envoys turned vacant. With deft precision, Isolde employed her Reconfiguration Magic to manipulate their perceptions, thoughts, and memories.
She implanted directives, ensuring they would agree to the proposal and sign the agreement without the slightest pressure. Isolde meticulously altered their memories, so they would feel no suspicion in the future, believing everything to be normal and devoid of anomalies.
Melina efficiently instructed the Shadowbane squad in preparing the appropriate agreement documents.
In the next twenty minutes, all procedures were completed without a hitch. The SSA representatives seemed indifferent, fully understanding the actions unfolding. Even Brigadier General Selbus turned a blind eye to the event.
Due to injuries, one of the Shadowbane members assisted the envoy previously harmed by Isolde in signing the agreement.
'Such a terrifying power, capable of shattering mental barriers and altering the memories of so many high-level sorcerers, is not something many can accomplish,' Selbus pondered, gaining a newfound understanding of Isolde's prowess.
Shortly thereafter, the process was complete. Rising from her seat, Isolde formally greeted the SSA envoys before departing the negotiation table.
Upon reaching a vast courtyard, Isolde drew her silver katana, imbuing the blade with a substantial amount of silver mana.
"Step back a few paces," Isolde instructed neutrally.
"Understood, Young Mistress," they replied in unison.
Utilizing her Dissolution Magic, Isolde executed a diagonal slash in the air, creating a spatial rift by dismantling its structural coherence.
Employing Reconfiguration Magic, she calibrated the target coordinates to the western side of the Shadowbane Estate. Within nanoseconds, the spatial rift connected to the target coordinates, forming a new portal on the opposite side.
"Seraphina, lead the troops and incapacitate all enemy Combat Sorcerers. Neutralize them if they continue to resist," Isolde commanded softly.
Seraphina smiled, bowing low. "Understood, Young Mistress."
Before entering the portal, Melina waved her right hand at Seraphina, her voice tender and lighthearted, "Bye-bye, little sister. Have fun."
∆∆∆
In the heart of Metropolis, within the hallowed halls of the capital's army headquarters, an assembly of the top brass had convened in a secluded chamber. Their agenda was singular: to deliberate on the strategic goals they were determined to achieve.
"Gentlemen, cancel all our operations aimed at securing the young man," announced the venerable general, a figure who had previously been adamant in his pursuit of Lucius. His declaration reverberated with shock among the military elite.
"Are you certain, General?" inquired a thirty-year-old officer with verdant hair, his voice measured and respectful, seeking confirmation of the unexpected directive.
Before the aged general could respond, the chamber was abruptly plunged into an impenetrable darkness. The click of high heels echoed ominously from the room's right flank. Within moments, the lights flickered back to life, revealing a tall, silver-haired woman with mesmerizing amethyst eyes.
"Y-you?!" The green-haired officer stammered, his expression a tapestry of astonishment and trepidation, recognizing the enigmatic figure with whom he was all too familiar—and fearful.
Yet, his shock was short-lived as the old general addressed the assembly once more.
"As you can see, she is the daughter of one of our nation's most illustrious ancient Sorcerer families. It appears the young man we sought is her brother. I trust you now grasp the situation."
Silence blanketed the room, as the high-ranking military officials nodded in tacit agreement, their understanding crystallized by the woman's unexpected presence.
"Thank you for your understanding, General," the silver-haired woman intoned, her voice a melody of graciousness as she offered a slight bow in gratitude.
The old general rose with deliberate dignity, reciprocating her gesture with a respectful nod. "It is our pleasure, m'lady."
"As I mentioned earlier, the army is entitled to a single voucher for assistance from the Supreme Council of Sorcerous Sovereigns in the future. Please exercise this privilege judiciously," she reminded them, ensuring her gesture of recompense was clear.
With this assurance, the general exhaled a breath of relief, expressing his gratitude once more.
Sensing the matters at hand were resolved, the silver-haired woman vanished from the chamber, leaving behind no trace of her ethereal presence.
"It is fortunate indeed that we did not act rashly at that time. Otherwise, our heads might have long since parted from our shoulders," the old general mused, his voice laced with the weight of relief as he leaned back into the support of his chair.