Frostfire Legacy

After clearing the first wave, Faeloria led the other two upward, heading for the surface. They were cautious of two things: avoiding getting surrounded or cornered, and avoiding close contact with someone from the Aracelli race.

As the alarm blared, it was only a matter of time before someone would come to try and "brainwash" them too. It became a race against time, whether they could reach the surface before someone got to them!

"Intruders! Kill them!"

"For Goddess Lorelai!!!"

The brainwashed guards showed no fear, charging straight at Faeloria's team with guns, spells, and whatever weapons they had on hand. However, the level gap between them and Faeloria's group was too vast, making the enemies look like headless chickens running to their doom.

"Keep up!"

Faeloria was doing most of the killing, being the highest level and wielding the strongest firepower. Like moths to a flame, the brainwashed sentries and guards were mowed down, leaving none alive.

Even with enemies blocking their way, the 25-minute trek from earlier was now covered in just three minutes!

'Weird...'

But instead of feeling relieved, Faeloria felt even more pressure. Besides the cannon fodder, none of the "top brass" had crossed their path. Their escape was going too smoothly, making her worry it was a trap!

'But we can't miss this chance!'

She resolved herself, expanding her perception range just in case. "You two, we're rushing outside at once!" she called to them with a hint of worry, before leading the charge.

The three of them slipped out of the prison quickly, stopping at a nearby corner. As she expected, they were already surrounded! "This is bad..."

They overwhelmed the enemies in terms of level, but sometimes, quantity beats quality. Given the sheer number of foes, it would be difficult to fight while staying alert in all directions. The three of them were suddenly in a tight spot!

"Raise the signal," Faeloria commanded immediately.

Kelek, hearing the order, nodded and quickly pulled a small tube from his belt holster, pointing it toward the sky. A moment later, a flash of sparks shot into the air, rising about a hundred meters before exploding into green sparks.

That signal not only sent an audio-visual alert to the other teams but also released a unique frequency picked up by the communicators of their allies.

Right then, the communicators of all ten members received the signal, playing a pre-recorded message on cue.

[Objective achieved. Retreat immediately.]

Faeloria didn't request reinforcements but instead ordered a full retreat. The situation made it hard for them to wipe out the enemies, who were positioned all around them. However, they weren't crazy extremists like Zena, so there was no need for an all-out battle anyway.

"I'll create an opening. You two, cover me!"

All they needed was to focus on one point, create a gap, and slip through! With Faeloria's heightened senses, she quickly identified the weakest link and charged forward. As she moved, bullets rained down from all directions, making it hard to even see ahead.

"Stone Wall!"

"Gravity Shift!"

But the two behind her quickly acted, blocking both sides with thick stone walls and redirecting the bullets from behind with a powerful forcefield that shifted gravity in the opposite direction of the projectiles.

With their defense secured, Faeloria was able to focus on the enemies in front of her.

"Kyuin Noxis Sirreo Gala Spicht! Shadow God's Wrathful Impaler!"

She used the same skill as before, but this time, shadows all around her formed spikes, impaling every single enemy in her path. Controlling the "spears," she swept the impaled bodies to the side, creating a wide path for them to pass through.

"Go!"

As soon as the opening was clear, they sprinted at top speed, escaping the encirclement. Bullets, spells, and various other projectiles flew after them but were perfectly blocked by the two mages. Not a single shot touched them!

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Kelek, however, wasn't as calm as the situation might have suggested.

His Gravity Shift required complex calculations before he could cast it, and it was a miracle that he had blocked all the attacks up to this point. It just so happened that the bullets had the same mass, volume, and kinetic energy. If not, his mind would've been overloaded long ago.

Of course, Faeloria noticed this. "You two, go ahead!" she shouted as soon as they made it out of the encirclement.

"Yes, Chief!"

Without looking back, the two guys continued running forward. Meanwhile, Faeloria skidded to a stop, keeping a watchful eye on the large number of enemies chasing them. Projectiles rained down nonstop!

"You all should just stay put for now!"

Faeloria clapped her hands before spreading them apart. A ball of blue light appeared between them, starting as small as a thumb but quickly growing in size. Given that they were deep in enemy territory, she didn't need to hold back.

"White Eclipse!"

After calling the skill's name, she clapped her hands again, compressing the small sphere. A powerful explosion followed, erupting in the middle of the enemy formation and flooding the area with a blinding flash of white light.

For a moment, it looked like midday!

When the light faded, nothing was left in the blast zone. Everything had been obliterated, leaving a massive crater spanning over half a kilometer. Not only were people gone, but even the surrounding buildings had been "deleted" in an instant.

"..."

Faeloria stared at the destruction she had caused, then turned around and chased after the other two. She was a proud member of the Hit Squad of Orinfeld City, and scenes of destruction and death were a norm for them.

Still, that didn't mean they felt no guilt.

'Killing is a sin, no matter what pompous ideals you're fighting for.'

She recited her creed silently, offering a prayer as she ran. However, she couldn't relax just yet.

The entire time, they had encountered no members of the Aracelli race. Their absence left Faeloria imagining the worst-case scenario, sending a chill down her spine.

"Let's return to the city quickly. I have a bad feeling about this."