A few days later...
A deeply unsettling discovery was made within the Drifters.
The squad they had dispatched to attack the convoy had been captured by the Vanquishers. The most immediate consequence of this was that the Sons of Calydon's name was effectively cleared.
All of the Drifters' previous efforts had gone up in smoke—but in truth, none of them understood why their leader had acted the way he did.
All they knew was that as long as they followed the leader's orders, their survival was assured. Otherwise, with no place to call home, they'd end up freezing to death in the bitter winds of the Outer Ring.
Now that their plan had been exposed, they were swiftly declared wanted by the local Outer Ring factions, led by the Vanquishers. With no other option, they halted all actions and waited for their leader's next instructions.
What they didn't know was... their leader was now just a puppet dangling from Zhong Yan's strings.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
The leader of the Drifters and Lucius were in the heart of the camp, discussing their next steps.
Suddenly, a burst of Ether energy exploded in front of them without warning. From it, a youth clad in a black robe stepped forth, lowering his hood to reveal multicolored eyes.
One of the Twelve Shields of the Exaltists—having fully recovered from his previous injuries—had immediately sought out the pawns he had positioned in the Outer Ring to check the progress of his plan.
"Milord!" The moment the Twelve Shield appeared, the two men instantly straightened up, dropping their usual arrogance and adopting a posture of submissive humility.
Watching their behavior gave the Shield a faint sense of pride, but he didn't forget his purpose here.
"How are things progressing? That group... the Sons of Calydon, was it? They should be the public's enemy number one by now, right?"
At those words, their expressions froze. The Drifter leader stepped forward cautiously, his voice trembling. "L-Lord... the plan was compromised. We've been branded fugitives by the entire Outer Ring."
That single sentence sent a shock through the Shield—not because the plan had failed, but because of who had caused the failure.
Among the Twelve Shields, one possessed the ability to foresee the future. Though the predictions were vague, one thing was clear: if the plan to frame the Sons of Calydon failed, it could only mean one thing.
External interference.
As for the source of that interference, even the prophet couldn't say. But what he did know was that events were veering dangerously out of control.
Even he couldn't see the origin of that outside force.
The Shield's eyes narrowed. Ever since arriving, he'd felt it—that creeping sensation, like a gaze boring into him from the shadows.
Something wasn't right about the two before him, either. Something... unnatural.
Just as he started piecing it together, a spatial vortex tore open beside him. A hand reached out from within and clamped down on his shoulder.
His entire body began to distort, as if the vortex was trying to consume him.
Just before he was pulled in, a blade made of crystallized Ether shot in from a distance, stabbing deep into the vortex.
As if injured, the mysterious hand recoiled, releasing its grip. The vortex collapsed and vanished.
From the shadows emerged another Twelve Shield—one who had been hiding all along.
Without hesitation, she dispatched both the Drifter leader and Lucius. She had noticed they were under mind control—and in that case, they were no longer of any use. Better to dispose of them.
With the two Shields now reunited, they didn't retreat immediately. Instead, they carefully scanned their surroundings.
Moments later, Zhong Yan appeared before them via Kamui. But his condition was noticeably off.
A deep gash marked his right arm—the result of being struck by that Ether blade during Kamui's activation, when he couldn't phase out in time.
Fortunately, the wound wasn't fatal. And more importantly, everyone he was after was now gathered here.
"Uchiha... My God was right," one of the Shields muttered, their expression darkening. "Even away from New Eridu, you haven't given up hunting us down."
Uchiha's name had long since spread through the Exaltists. He wasn't just the one who had killed a Twelve Shield—he had also slain the most powerful fragment of the Exaltist leader himself.
Although the actions of that fragment had been bizarre, there was no denying that the crisis involving three thousand bombs had been resolved in a way that only Uchiha could have managed.
"You vermin should've stayed buried in the shadows where you belong. Abominations like you have no right to bask in the light beyond."
Zhong Yan, staring them down without a trace of urgency, flung the blood from his wounded arm aside. Then, he brought his hands together and began forming a hand seal.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A torrent of flames burst from his mouth. In an instant, the small fireball exploded into a blazing sea, engulfing the entire valley.
The intense heat incinerated everything in its path. Anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby was turned to ash.
When the flames finally died out, the valley walls were scorched black. But the two Twelve Shields had survived.
At the moment the firestorm struck, they had summoned Ether crystals to shield themselves.
The crystals couldn't fully withstand the blaze, so they were injured—but not fatally. Their combat capability remained intact.
Even so, they were shaken. That technique—if taken head-on—would've annihilated any Exaltist, no matter who.
Fortunately, they had prepared for this. Had they underestimated Zhong Yan from the start, they'd already be cinders.
Now, Zhong Yan appeared before them once again, his tone icy.
"Next..."
"Any last words?"