The Syndicate's response to the raid came at dawn, not with soldiers but with magic, three A-Rank mages stood at the edge of their camp and unleashed coordinated area attacks that tore chunks out of the settlement's outer defenses. Earth shattered, stone crumbled, entire sections of wall collapsed under the sustained bombardment, the message was clear, if you strike us, we strike back harder.
Luthra watched from the command post as defenders scrambled to shore up the breached sections, Misha's barriers were holding the critical points but the sheer destructive power on display was sobering, this was what A-Rank hunters could do when they stopped playing around.
"We can't take another barrage like that," Misha said, her face showing the strain of maintaining multiple sovereign space bubbles simultaneously, "my barriers will break if they focus fire, and once they're through there's nothing between them and the civilians."
