Vaulting across one roof after another, Bryn rapidly closed in on his mission objective. He belonged to one of the Sybillan military's secretive black operations' special forces and had been allocated an even more off-the-books task this morning. Not only was he decked out with beyond state-of-the-art equipment that would expertly conceal himself and assist him in a multitude of other ways, but his own capabilities were also beyond excellent.
Irrespective of where he went, he was like a ghost–nobody took note of his existence, despite his travelling speed. As the cities passed by, he eventually spied his target on the horizon.
'Porthneath... it looks perfectly normal to me. But I can't let my guard down just yet.'
This being his hometown, his strong familiarity with the place had made him the prime candidate for this particular mission. Although he didn't understand why it was of such high importance, he knew well not to voice any unnecessary questions.
'The Matauc family, huh? Can't say I ever heard of them. Even the data I have been presented with paints them as completely normal individuals. Yet, all three of them need to be spied on... Oh well, I'm getting paid regardless, so who really cares about the higher-ups' true goals?'
For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what unfortunate twist of fate might have garnered these people the big shots' attention, but it was ultimately no skin off his back.
Proceeding prudently, he quickly decelerated, blending into the shadows at every opportunity. No technology could capture even his outline, and most experts' senses would get fooled by his equipment as well.
'That over there is their residence. The father and son are currently upstairs, while the mother is in the basement. From what I can see... they seem to be packing their things, and preparing to move. Why wasn't I informed about them having such plans?'
A bit confused, Bryn carefully examined every item in the house with his perception, yet he couldn't find anything of note, or even in good shape. Clearly, this trio had lived relatively poor lives compared to the majority of the populace.
'So they didn't pick up something that they shouldn't have in the prior chaos either... Therefore, the people themselves have to be special enough to necessitate our involvement.'
Scrutinizing the adults first, as they were the most likely to have any hidden secrets, he was left disappointed. They were truly entirely average.
'This is just going to be a long-term, routine observation mission, isn't it? Safe, but boring!'
Slightly disappointed, he couldn't help but mentally prepare himself for a grand old waste of time. That was when his gaze finally closely swept across the young boy of the family.
Out of nowhere, an unprecedented fear overcame him, shattering his mental resilience as if his thousands of years of training were like cotton meeting a wildfire. There was a hint of resistance, but it slowly unravelled, leaving him a complete mess.
He had been exposed to a number of powerful cultivators during his time, but even the strongest amongst them had never elicited any comparable reaction from him. But whoever the person paying attention to him now was, his mere undisguised glance made him feel like an ant being thrown into the sun.
Yet before he could cry out in horror and pain, the sensation disappeared exactly as instantaneously as it had come into being. Falling to his knees in exhaustion–both mental and as a result also physical–he caught his breath for a few minutes.
'... that was definitely a warning. But from whom?! What did those bastards at HQ fail to tell me!?'
Drenched in sweat, he didn't date to spread his perception all the way to the Mataucs' residence any longer. Being only in the beginning realms of the Dawning Numen Stage, both his mind and his body were unable to put up any fight against his superiors' foe whatsoever.
'Screw this, I'm out! Why did they send someone as unqualified as me here to begin with? Is it... because they're too afraid to go themselves? Heh, cowards!'
Sneering at those who saw him as nothing more than expendable cannon fodder, he slowly rose to his feet again. Fortunately, he had chosen to spy from atop a rooftop, which was why no passersby had noticed his embarrassing display.
Although his steps were still a bit unsteady, he nonetheless quickly dashed away, returning to the base which he had left but tens of minutes earlier soon thereafter. Because he was a very talented stealth expert–and considering all of the resources that they had already invested in him–his failure didn't cost him much, he simply had to endure a scolding. Fortunately, he brought back some worthwhile intel.
Piggybacking on his discoveries, a few more hapless chaps were sent out, their cultivation stages constantly increasing. From the Holos Acclimation Stage all the way to the Energy Sublimation Stage, they all came back in more or less the same state.
At this point, even if the military and government wanted to continue, they would have to send out their foremost experts... who all didn't dare to take such an extreme risk. Who knew if the Advanced Ascension Stage was sufficient to guarantee their survival? It might even compel that powerful Heaven's Chosen to strike back at them!
Rhain Matauc and his parents were important surveillance targets for them if they wanted to keep track of some of Theodore Winter's movements, but they hadn't become outright enemies just yet. Therefore, why should they continue to poke the bear? Eventually, it might simply swat them aside like annoying flies, obliterating them in the process!
The three people who had been observed remained none the wiser throughout all of this, excitedly preparing to leave their old home. With Rhain's teacher having promised to take them under his wing, they knew not to worry overly much about matters which they were unqualified to partake in.
A bit more than a day ago, before Theodore and his people had set off for the Grand Tholos, he had sent the small family back to their property, asking them to get ready to move to a new place within a few days. Having been promised his own residence in this world, he intended to resettle his personal Students and their loved ones, so that they could all stay nearby.
Even though Rhain was a bit unwilling to part at first, his spirits soon rose again as he imagined the bright future. To an excessively curious kid like him, nothing was better than having someone who could resolve all of his doubts, as well as introduce new and interesting ideas to him.
'I'll have to work out which disciplines fascinate him the most. Then, I can begin to draw up a plan for his education.'
Naturally, the one who had been watching over him was Theodore. Considering Rhain's age, he wanted the transition from his regular life to the days to come to be as smooth as possible. Because of that, he hadn't simply ripped him away from everything that he had ever known, instead providing him with an opportunity to 'say goodbye' in a less rushed manner. This way, his mind would experience as little of a negative impact as possible.
'I've got to admit, though: My Attribute Point donors' antics are quite amusing. None of the shot-callers have dared to enter the limelight themselves. Do they genuinely think that they can hide from me?'
Recalling the manifold minions who had each earned a small little punishment, he shook his head. There were both hints of enjoyment and exasperation evident within his gaze, which soon landed on the hidden fortresses and underground bunkers that the peccant elites had long fled to.
'If it wasn't for the fact that the Sybillans' Voidfaring Vessels are practically under lock and key, unable to be utilized easily, then I wouldn't have been surprised if some of them would have long since fled from this world.'
Fortunately, his own Subordinates did not suffer from such restrictions anymore. Due to the plentiful civilizations and ancient ruins that they had plundered, they had a lot of these crafts at hand. If it wasn't for the fact that they took a while to ramp up in travelling speed, then he would have attempted to make use of one to escape the grey light during his past tries too.
Well, he had actually made an effort, but it had been useless–as anticipated. That was also why he was intimately familiar with their main problem.
'Up until now, Vigi hasn't requested any help, so all should be going fine.'
Once she had set his newest Compound Array Disk as her Anchor, his right-hand woman had set off with more than 40 of the guards. They split up into their respective squads and made it all the way to the various ends of this starting world. Making use of their allocated Voidfaring Vessels, they ventured into the Lesser True Void beyond, where they then activated some older Array Disks of his.
To cause as little alarm as possible in the surrounding civilizations–if there were any–the version of the Lesser Void Scouting Array that they had been provided with was extremely discreet. It could inconspicuously gather a lot of superficial intel, the analysis of which would yield just about enough data to allow making some preliminary judgements.
'Of course, those results won't account for possible Heaven's Chosen. My fellow competitors could easily turn an otherwise 'harmless' world into a perilous deathtrap. And considering that the peak powerhouses of this event venue might have ascended and become 'divine', that risk can't be underestimated either.'
Based upon the exact amount of Energy that his incorporated Energy Veins were now actively exuding into the world, he could determine the next true limit, which made it possible for him to mentally prepare for what was certain to come.
'With this number of Energy Veins at hand, in the next round, their Energy production will fall short. But... I've already got a plan for that.'
Smiling slightly, he refocused on his current circumstances. Thinking ahead was great, yet he shouldn't overdo it. First, he would have to survive long enough to be capable of implementing all of those ideas.
'Where there's one attack, there will be more. For now, I'll continue to focus on fully resolving this danger as soon as possible.'
He hadn't merely passively restored the damage which the light beam was constantly causing to the PLID, he had also infused the device with almost all of his surplus Energy on top of that. This, in turn, slowly but surely reduced the severity of the 'wounds' that needed to be healed.
Although he would have loved to relax with his lovers, the entire day had yet again been spent on feeding Faavi and his creation with all his might. Still, in a week at most, he should be able to practically ignore the confined light. At least, that was his best estimate.
'I wonder if Nye Owain is going to try anything funny–I kind of want him to.'
Right as this casual, fleeting thought crossed his mind, a very distant, vague sense of unease settled in, but only momentarily. His instincts had spoken, and the message was clear.
'... oh? I knew he was up to something, but whatever it is can actually threaten me? From what I can gather, I should still have plenty of time, but the danger is considerable... How intriguing.'
His brows furrowing ever so slightly, his smile widened somewhat. Despite remaining mostly casual, a hint of murderous intent began to brew. Admittedly, he hadn't truly considered this insignificant figure to be anyone of note–but it looked like he had been wrong. Whatever method Nye had employed, it could actually force him to get a bit serious.
'Killing him now would be too late. I wouldn't have got a warning if his trump card wasn't already in play... Good, good!'
There was a hint of anger in his heart, but also some anticipation. Now that this upcoming headache couldn't be avoided without returning to the past via another death, he looked forward to what gains it would bring him. After all, great perils were frequently accompanied by ample rewards!