Sorry for the late release. I fell asleep midway.

*********

The newcomer’s face flinched. Was the intruder that confident? Or was it a bluff? He could not stay unscathed after killing a level 9 circler.

Whatever the case, he decided to play safe.

“Greetings.” The old man returned the bow. “I am General Timothy Sprinter of the Imperial Sentry. How may I address you?”

“Many calls me by many names, but most agreed on one- Ephialtes. So Mister Ephialtes would suffice.” The masked being’s voice was charming- enough to beguile even him in joining the aggressor.

“Mister Nightmare,” the old man said. “Whom do you work for?”

“None.” The mysterious man answered.

“Our Imperial family would welcome you with open arms.” The general opened his arms. “You, Mister Ephialtes, is an extraordinary person- capable of even killing a level 9 in such a short period of time and still be full of energy.” He gave the mysterious being a look. “We will totally forget about this incident. It doesn’t matter if a level 9 dies. And you can even have half of the treasure. Trust me, once you join us- what you stole today would not seem much at all.”

“It’s an interesting offer actually.” Adrian gently rubbed the chin of his mask, keeping in his mind that he was wearing his clothes. “Me and my mistress were actually looking for some fun, and I heard that the Count family actually housed such a treasury. We could not hold ourselves back. It was definitely fun- killing the core of a family, snatching something from the strongest family in the world, running through the grandest city in the world with the spectacular Imperial Sentries on our tail.

“If our new employers could offer these much fun, or of course- anything greater, we will definitely join.”

Adrian’s statement rendered the man speechless.

The old man already began to regret offering the maniac the invitation. “A grand war will be starting in a year, where our mighty Empire would clash against the pesky resistance of the Confederation. You can have your fair share of the fun then.”

“Empire- mighty? Confederation- pesky? Wouldn’t that mean joining the Confederation is the correct choice?” The one called Mister Ephialtes tilted his face.

The general clenched his fist. There was no hope in negotiating with this maniac. Magical energy began to churn in his body.

“But if you can provide us with enough remuneration, we would gladly join you and fight against what you call pesky resistance of the Confederation.”

He stopped circulating his magical energy. “Now we are talking.” The old man said. “If you can contribute enough, his excellency would be more than happy to bestow upon you high grade magic crystals, or even ancient artefacts.” He smiled.

“Ancient artefacts?” Mister Ephialtes rubbed the chin of his mask with his claws. “It sounds like a good deal.”

The old man sighed. “Follow us back to the Citadel, we will go on with the procedures and welcome you to the team. With your power, you can start with a very high rank.”

“Uh-uh.” He shook his head and index ‘claw’. “I was not born yesterday. How can I just trust you? There are sure to be more level 9s there. We will just be walking into a trap.”

The old man frowned. “We will be comrade’s from now on. Isn’t it customary you show us some trust?”

“Trust is a two way process. How about this? You go and fetch all the procedure materials while we stay here?”

The general’s brows knitted even further. “So that you can run away?” He began to circulate his magical energy again as his voice got colder. “You never had the intention to join us, did you?”

“Think what you want, but you need to guarantee us our safety somehow.” The mysterious man said calmly.

The general knitted his brow even further. But the energy inside his body began to dissipate. What was this man trying to do? Was he really going to join them? Or was he just buying time?

He relaxed his frown. He had a way to find out the truth. He brought out a disc not bigger than the size of a palm from his pocket. This would solve everything.

Adrian, who was watching the man’s every action, frowned. Magical energy began to flow throughout his body. “What is that?” He asked, despite knowing the exact answer. Every second he could buy was precious.

“This?” The man fiddled with the disc. There was an intricate magic circle drawn upon it. “Once I activate this, my comrades would know exactly where I am. A squad would come here and we can do the whole employment procedure here, and we can return to the Citadel- a bigger squad.” He tapped the disc.

Adrian’s eyes twitched. An invisible wave of magical energy fluctuated, waving towards every direction.

He began to calculate every scenarios in his mind. If he kept on playing and the reinforcements come, they would have to keep playing along. The newcomers would definitely have a level 9 amongst them. Though he was sure he could kill everyone if Irene could freeze time again. But the question is- would they let her?

She need to maintain physical contact with him. And they would also be close to him. If she begins to cast a spell, the would easily sense the danger and cut her off.

Maybe he could stop one among the Sentries, or maybe even two. But three- that’s outside the realm of possibility. Long story short- he could not do anything once the reinforcements arrive. His only option would be to join the Sentries. Strangely, the old man was serious about the offer.

But the general already had planned to do a background check. But little did he know, that just opening his mask would bring everything out. An investigation was not necessary at all. Hence, their capture or death were assured once more forces arrived.

So he had only one choice- fight!