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nThe three of us stood by the counter for a few minutes, waiting for the return of the receptionist. Although our attire was quite ragged from continuous fighting, it caused a few judging gazes to land on us.

n“Thank you for waiting!”

nThe lady receptionist finally returned, out of breath and covered in sweat.

n“I’ve notified the President, so please wait for a short while.”

nWe’ve been waiting five minutes already, so a few more wouldn’t really hurt. However, unlike our expectations, a portal immediately appeared beside the counter as an imposing but beautiful woman stepped out of it.

n“God Zeshion had sent a message to me?”

nShe didn’t beat around the bush and immediately went for the main point. I wasn’t bothered by her attitude, so I quickly presented the small envelope that I’d received and was to be delivered to her.

n“Here, it’s this letter.”

nAs soon as she saw the letter in my hands, her face suddenly turned blue. Her actions right after were like her panicking, as she dragged me along without saying a word. Minerva and Hekate were both able to quickly follow us before the portal closed, fortunately.

nThe room she brought us to was simple but gaudily decorated. On the table, mountains of papers were lined up, waiting for them to get processed. This place seems to be Yu Na’s office.

n“What’s wrong, Miss Yu?”

nI quickly asked, seeing her being flustered this much for the first time. Still, Yu Na didn’t answer immediately and instead went around the room, closing the windows and locking the doors. As a clincher, she even set a soundproof barrier around us, ensuring the privacy of what she was about to say.

n“Did God Zeshion not explain anything to you?”

nBefore she answered, Yu Na raised her own question. I quickly shook my head in denial since Zeshion literally passed the letter to me without explaining anything.

n“I see…”

nYu Na sighed, lifting the letter to let the wax seal face me.

n“This letter’s content doesn’t matter. The real message is a code using this seal. It’s a private cipher that only a select few know… And if I read it correctly, this one means…”

nAs if hesitant, Yu Na’s voice trailed off. However, she suddenly shook her head, her eyes turning sharper as she mentioned the main detail.

n“It means that the Royal Capital has fallen under the enemy’s control.”

n“…”

nThat wasn’t news to me since I had already guessed it beforehand, given the clues from way back. However, talking about it now wouldn’t really change anything, so I simply listened to her words.

n“If the Royal Capital did fall, then that means the enemy has someone at a god-level too.”

nA god-level enemy… That’s definitely Noir she’s talking about. I still have no idea how he did it, but he’s definitely regained his lost powers, returning to his previous god-level state.

nYu Na then explained this and that to me, but most of her words simply went over my head. Most of them were irrelevant to the current situation, after all. Her talk took a few minutes, at least. Finally, after a long-winding talk, she went to the thing she wanted my help with.

n“Will, I want you to keep watch over the teleportation array leading to the Royal Capital. After all, if it really fell to the enemy’s hands, then that place would be the start if ever they wanted to invade the capital and bypass the barriers.”

nHearing her request, I was about to ask why she would choose me for the task, but then quickly realized her aim. She simply doesn’t want the fact that the Royal Capital fell to be known to a lot more people. If, by chance, that information leaked out, then it would definitely cause a widespread panic.

nI turned to look at the two girls behind me, seeing their slightly nervous looks. However, they still had a fire in their eyes, telling me that they’re willing to do it.

n“Alright, we’ll watch over the teleportation array then.”

nYu Na was a little bit relieved after seeing me agree to her request. Although there are no demons attacking the capital from the outside, if even one of them entered through the array, then the death count would be immeasurable, given the population density of the capital right now.

n“Great. Then I’ll send you there using a portal.”

n“No. No need. We’ll head for the place on foot.”

nJust in case something beyond our control happens, it’s better that we have a grasp of our surroundings.

nAfter asking Yu Na the general direction of the dome where the teleportation array was located, the three of us went out from the window and jumped toward the nearest rooftop. The road was filled with refugees, so it would be faster to travel through the roofs than squeeze through the crowds.

nThe population density didn’t change much even after running for a few minutes. It was a testament to just how many people are currently seeking refuge in the capital.

nAfter a quick survey, we then increased our pace and went straight for the dome, visible from afar. With our speed, it didn’t take too much time to reach it. As soon as we came close, I quickly realized that the usual guards at the front weren’t there.

n“They must be really busy to leave this post unguarded.”

nThere were dozens of soldiers guarding this place before, but after entering, there were only two of them present, standing in attention on opposite sides of the dome’s inner wall.

n“Hey! You! This path is closed. Return whence you came from!”

nTo avoid trouble, I quickly flipped the VVIP card from the king, shutting the two up, and went and explained my purpose.

n“I’m here under Yu Na’s orders to help guard this place. Did anyone pass through here from the Royal Capital?”

nThe two, who were currently saluting at me after I showed the VVIP card, slowly recounted all those who had passed through since the start of the blockade.

n“Other than the messenger and a group of four wearing mantles, probably aristocrats traveling incognito, we didn’t see anyone else.”

n“Messenger? Group of four?”

nI quickly raised my brows, hearing those words. That “messenger” was suspicious, though, since if he really did pass through here, then he must have told Yu Na about the state of the Royal Capital first and foremost.

n“Master, those four…”

nHekate raised her voice, a rare occurrence. Although she didn’t finish her words, I guess we were thinking of the same thing. I nodded my head, assenting to her deduction.

n“Yes. They’re most likely a part of the Twelve Zodiacs.”

n“””…!”””

nThe two guards and Minerva gasped upon hearing our conversation. After all, this means that a part of the enemy had already infiltrated the capital city. They must only be waiting for the right moment to initiate a massacre. 𝓁𝘪𝒷𝘳𝘢.𝒸𝘰𝑚

nJust as I was thinking about what to do, I suddenly felt a powerful wave of energy sweeping through the entire place.

n“Everyone, get down!”

nAs soon as I said so, the earth started shaking wildly as if an earthquake had appeared.

nAt the same time, a powerful purple barrier appeared right below the capital’s barrier. This one emitted an eerie aura, meaning it wasn’t something that Yu Na prepared.

n“D*mn it… It’s starting.”

nAs a customary response, I quickly checked what the barrier’s effect was. My strength didn’t seem to change, so it wasn’t a weakening barrier. When I tried using Shadow Skip, however, the skill failed instantly.

n“…”

nAgain, I tried to teleport, but the portal fizzed away as if melting, unable to even gather and form. With just this much, I could already imagine what the barrier’s effect was.

n“This barrier is meant to keep everyone inside, preventing escape. So most probably, it limits teleportation and physical entry.”

nThe problem wasn’t that the barrier was erected, but rather the implications of it. It was set to ensure nobody escapes; in short…

n“A massacre is about to start!”

nI quickly ran out of the dome, scanning the entire field visually. And as expected, there were four points with extremely large auras that were moving around at a quick pace. They were equally spaced around the capital, as if to ensure that they could have the most efficiency.

nAlthough faint, I could even hear the sound of deathly screams and see the aura of death increasing as time passed.

n“Sh*t! Minerva, Hekate, let’s go!”

nTaking the two, we immediately rushed to the east, the closest one of the three dangerous auras. Along the way, we noticed that the refugees weren’t even aware of what was happening, simply staring ahead of them with a blank gaze or sitting down in a daze.

n‘At this rate, the number of casualties would be immense!’

nIt’s not that I was concerned about their safety, but more about me wanting to stop the Zodiacs from doing any more damage. As soon as we approached enough, we could finally see the carnage that was spread around.

nSeeing that… My blood ran cold.

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