Genetic Ascension

Casstle Main.

The situation didn't seem as bad as one might expect. The operative word being "seem."

There weren't soldiers knocking down the gates, nor was there the scent of blood or a heavy somberness hanging in the air. But there was no denying one discomfort.

Everything just felt the slightest bit off.

When Sylas walked out from the basement, he found himself greeted by a pair of militiamen who immediately went off to report his arrival to Cassarae.

He didn't say a word, his expression as cool as ice, his hair almost stiffly swaying in tight, thick curls that carried the heft of a mountain.

Sylas didn't wait for Cassarae, heading right to the city walls. His movements looked slow and deliberate, but they carried with them a surprising amount of speed.

If one looked beneath his feet, it seemed as though the earth itself was shifting, Runes spontaneously forming in part before vanishing after a lift of his foot.

This ability was eerily familiar. It was something that Ulrik had done, making it seem like he was walking on a moving escalator that added a great deal to his basal speed.

Sylas' own method was very clearly not nearly as refined. The Runes were choppy, and his speed seemed to jerk in acceleration and abrupt stops from time to time.

But if Ulrik had been here, he would have been shaken to his absolute core.

That was because while it was true that Sylas' methods were far less refined, what he was actually trying to accomplish was far beyond what Ulrik could do… so much so that they couldn't even be placed in the same league.

Lightning sparked and twisted around his feet, beautiful streaks of silvery-blue dancing like Serpentes for just a moment before Sylas vanished, landing lightly on the village walls.

Sylas looked out into the distance.

As expected, everything seemed calm on the surface. The faint echoes of battle reached him first, but they had oddly been stronger and more potent when he had been underground.

It was interesting…

What sort of battle sounds would travel better through the earth than through the air?

Sylas took a breath, and there was a rush of noise behind him. Then someone landed to his side.

He didn't have to look to know that it was Cassarae. He could tell by her scent, and maybe he should have been very happy to see her. But right now… he was really not in the mood.

Cassarae seemed to sense that something was off immediately and frowned lightly. In the end, she changed the words she had been about to say and got directly to the point.

"There is a Quicktime Event active right now. The salt water has eroded the soft soil to the point that the earth is collapsing in several locations."

"And you can't go."

"I can't, no. They've done it on purpose."

"I understand."

"It's definitely a trap, Sylas. They've prepared something for you, and they've only grown bolder because you haven't appeared."

Sylas nodded. They wouldn't know that his absence was nothing more than a coincidental error. If not for accidentally being trapped on the other side and his timer running out, he would have appeared long ago.

But it was clear why his enemies would assume that he was just hiding away, worried about what their trump cards would be.

"You can't react so casually, asshole. This is your life and death we're talking about."

Sylas' lips parted slowly.

"… If they can lay a hand on me now, I might as well die."

Cassarae's eyes widened, but Sylas had already vanished in a flicker of silvery-white lightning. In the blink of an eye, he had appeared high above the Amazonian Wilds, his gaze exuding an eerie calm.

Before Cassarae could say anything, he had already shot off into the distance, his speed blinding.

The City Lady stood in silence for a long while before her brows began to crease in worry.

A part of her wanted to sigh. This was what she was talking about. It was hard for her to give herself over to Sylas because there would be times—precisely like now—where he would shut down without any sort of rhyme or reason.

Had she done something wrong? Of course not. They hadn't had any contact in the last two days, and the last time they had been together in an alone sort of capacity, his tongue had been down her throat.

But as much as she wanted to make this about her, she couldn't help but be worried. Just what happened to make Sylas react like this?

**

"Hold the line!" Olivia barked out orders.

To the back, the husband-wife pair of Twin Moon Healers was probably the main reason they had held on for so long. The support of their Gold Class, especially when they were working in tandem like this, was difficult to put into words.

Especially after gaining the backing of true allies like this.

However, the situation could only be described as dire. They were outnumbered by a considerable margin—Sylas' earlier warning had clearly not made it through to as many as it should have. The sheer number of freelancers and adventurers here dwarfed the warriors of Casstle Main by a factor of at least ten.

And that didn't include the various Generals and Colonels that a certain Warlord had still managed to get to follow him.

[Quicktime Event Triggered]
Stay updated via empire

[Plight of the Amazonian Wilds]

[Level Recommended: 40]

[Description: The sea level has inexplicably risen while the land has begun to erode. The only way to save this beautiful land is hidden away deep within the earth. Find it and claim supremacy.]

[Event Type: Fate Change]

[Clear Requirements]

[Kill Warlord Broussard]

OR

[Kill City Lord Grimblade]

It was a confusing Quicktime Event to be sure. Given its description, why would the clear requirements be killing? Something about this was fishy, and Olivia and the others knew it.

But what else could they do other than fight?