"Ah!"
With a startled cry, the red-haired girl who had stolen the manuscript fell from her flight and crashed onto the gently sloped roof of a row house.
The billowing cloak seemed suppressed by something, drooping down and lying obediently against the graceful curves of her back.
"Damn it..."
The girl rubbed her bruised knee and stood up using the chimney for support. The manuscript she'd been holding had fallen not far in front of her.
On the street below, Military Intelligence Nine operatives were rapidly approaching.
They surrounded the building, and some agile ones had already begun climbing. They'd probably reach the rooftop soon.
She had to leave immediately!
The red-haired girl could only endure the pain and stand up, reaching out to pick up the manuscript.
However, before she could touch it, a slender hand suddenly reached out from the shadows of the chimney and firmly grasped the manuscript.
"Who!"
The girl's eyes widened in surprise.
Under the crimson moonlight, from that narrow shadow, a figure appeared abruptly before her, as if squeezed out by the darkness.
He wore a strange straitjacket and looked down at the manuscript, his face expressionless.
"Give it back to me!"
She shouted anxiously.
So the person looked at her.
His appearance was ordinary, except for his eyes, which were quite special.
Those eyes gleamed with azure light in the darkness, and deep within them revealed an indescribable sense of madness and otherness, as if he wasn't human but some terrible monster hiding beneath skin.
The girl was startled by his eyes and involuntarily took a step back.
Silas withdrew his gaze, opened the package, and glanced inside.
It was indeed a manuscript filled with text and various design diagrams, so densely packed it made one's head spin.
Whatever, I can't understand it anyway. I'll just put it away for now.
He secured the package and tucked it inside his coat.
At this moment, the Military Intelligence Nine people had already come up.
Their footsteps trod lightly on the clay tiles, surrounding Silas and the red-haired girl. They appeared well-trained, silent and swift.
"Hand over the item."
The golden-masked leader said, his voice seething with anger.
He hadn't expected that more than one person had been hiding in the shadows, completely undetected by him!
Silas turned his head to look at them.
What pathway did Military Intelligence Nine mainly consist of again?
Recalling the Nighthawks' internal materials, Military Intelligence Nine was an intelligence department under the Loen military, controlling the "Arbiter" pathway's Beyonder sequence.
This pathway was known for order and authority.
"I said, hand over the item!"
The golden mask was enraged by Silas's attitude and roared loudly, his body appearing immensely imposing.
"Buzz!"
A beam of brilliant light shot from the eyes behind his mask, dazzling to the extreme, as if passing through Silas's eyes to act directly on his mind.
Intense pain followed, as if someone was whipping Silas's soul with an invisible lash, or stirring his brain nerves with a knife, stabbing his medulla.
"Mental Pierce"!
The signature skill of the "Arbiter" pathway's Sequence 7 "Interrogator" could directly act on the target's spirit, bringing them immense pain!
However, Silas's body only swayed slightly. He didn't even let out a single cry of pain.
What's this? Far worse than the True Creator's screaming.
He shook his head and, under everyone's astonished gazes, extended both hands.
"Crack."
As if plucking a strawberry, Silas casually pulled off his own finger and threw it at their feet.
"Get back!"
The golden mask shouted.
"Boom..."
The finger began swelling in midair, then exploded violently! The fingertip burst open, transforming into a mass of highly corrosive blood mist that instantly surged toward the crowd.
"Confinement!"
At that moment, the golden mask raised his metal glove again. An invisible wall immediately formed before everyone, blocking the blood mist.
"Hiss..."
The blood mist corroded the roof tiles, instantly producing a large cloud of white smoke.
If it hadn't been blocked, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Good thing we blocked it...
The golden mask had just begun to relax when he saw a crimson fireball rapidly expanding before his eyes.
This fireball seemed to have a mind of its own, quickly bypassing the wall and pouncing directly at him.
"Get lost!"
The golden mask swung his arm.
An invisible whip cut through the air with a lash, precisely striking the fireball and causing the crimson flames to explode midair, transforming into countless scattered meteors.
"Bang!"
As the fireball exploded, Silas's figure leaped out from within!
His appearance completely exceeded the golden mask's expectations. Before he could react, Silas punched him in the chest, knocking him down directly.
"Chief!"
The nearby operatives cried out in alarm. A silver-masked figure wielding a longsword rushed forward, raising his hand to stab at Silas.
To his surprise, Silas didn't dodge at all but let the longsword pierce through his chest and abdomen.
Then the silver mask felt resistance in his hand. His longsword had already been firmly gripped by his opponent.
"Boom!"
Crimson flames generated from Silas's hand. Like vicious living serpents, they traveled along the sword and viciously pounced on the silver mask, instantly devouring him.
"Aaaaaahhh!"
The silver mask shrieked miserably, his entire body transforming into a pillar of fire, his hands flailing wildly.
"Here, forbid... Ah!"
The golden mask lay on the ground, tremblingly raising the arm wearing the metal glove.
Just as he was about to speak, Silas's foot stomped on his arm. With a crack, it broke.
"Flesh magic, and so many Beyonder abilities... Shepherd!"
The golden mask shouted in terror. "You're Mr. A of the Aurora Order!"
Aurora Order?
There's an Aurora Order in Backlund too?
No wait, in such a large capital, it would be abnormal if the Aurora Order wasn't lurking around... Listening to this guy, the Divine Envoy responsible for this area is called "Mr. A." Hehe... He's mistaken me for Mr. A...
Silas only let out a cold laugh, neither refuting nor acknowledging.
He simply conjured a ball of flame in his palm, condensing and compressing it to create terrifying heat and powerful energy.
First I'll finish him off, then leave with the manuscript and pin everything on the Aurora Order. Perfect!
"Thud thud thud!"
Hurried footsteps came from the distance. Looking up, a team of at least a dozen people was rapidly approaching, each wearing a mask on their face.
Military Intelligence Nine's reinforcements had arrived!
Silas looked toward that group and frowned slightly.
The Shepherd's intuition told him that several among those people possessed extremely radiant Beyonder characteristics. They seemed very powerful, exceeding the upper limit of what he could currently handle.
He could only retreat.
"Boom!"
Silas decisively stopped, not delaying even a second. His body transformed into a fireball.
By the time it exploded, he had already disappeared. Only from afar could explosions and firelight be heard from the next block, then silence. Who knew where he'd gone.
"Don't run! Give the item back to me!"
The red-haired girl also called out. Taking advantage of the golden mask's control dissipating, she took flight again, chasing in Silas's direction.
Only a group of empty-handed Military Intelligence Nine members remained, looking at each other in dismay.