Aisha didn't need to lift another finger. As soon as the Darkness spell took effect, several more men emerged from various locations around the Mage Tower and plunged into the swirling black mist, vanishing without a trace.
Castorice couldn't see what was happening inside the thick fog, but she didn't need to. She knew the fate of the first five men wouldn't be pleasant.
Her instincts proved correct. Only the Yellow Afro man, sensing danger immediately, tore open a scroll and vanished in a flash of magic, teleporting back into the Mage Tower. The remaining four men were swiftly struck down, their faces registering utter confusion.
The Death Priest hadn't dealt fatal blows, instead inflicting grievous injuries that left his enemies clinging to life by a thread.
The black mist advanced slowly, soon engulfing the entire ground floor of the Mage Tower. The four men who had failed to escape the entrance were now exposed, lying on the ground and groaning in agony.
Aisha approached at a measured pace, her expression icy as she repeated the two questions she had asked earlier: "Do you know anything about the Seven Heroes and their Divine Artifacts? And where is the Black Hand?"
"I swear, I don't know! Spare me!"
"Heroes? Divine Artifacts? I've never heard of any of that!"
"I've never even seen the Black Hand Boss! I have no idea where he is!"
"Ask Brother Hawen! He's one of the Black Hand Boss's four trusted lieutenants. He'll definitely know!"
After questioning them, Aisha learned that while the Mage Tower served as the Black Hand's headquarters, none of the rank-and-file members had ever seen their leader. Only the four "trusted lieutenants" were occasionally contacted by the Black Hand through highly secretive means. He would issue orders, which they would then relay down the chain of command.
Listening to Aisha's conversation with these men, Castorice couldn't help but think of Diablo. The way both leaders managed their organizations was eerily similar, practically identical.
Undeterred by the lack of useful information, Aisha showed no sign of frustration or disappointment. As the lackeys had suggested, she would simply capture and interrogate the Black Hand's four trusted lieutenants. If they also knew nothing, she would ransack the entire Mage Tower. She refused to believe the Black Hand could remain hidden for long.
Aisha gave Castorice a slight bow and whispered, "Holy Maiden, please wait here for a moment. I'll be right back."
With that, Aisha turned and entered the Mage Tower, now shrouded in black mist. Castorice and Kaia were left alone outside. Castorice turned to Kaia and asked, "Aren't you going with her?"
Kaia smiled gently. "I couldn't possibly leave you out here alone. Besides, I have faith in the Archbishop's strength. A mere group of exiles posing as a faction stands no chance against her."
From the outside, the Mage Tower appeared slender and spire-like, resembling a watchtower that couldn't possibly hold much. But when Aisha stepped inside, she discovered the interior was far more spacious than its exterior suggested.
Has the space been expanded? Aisha wondered silently. Inevitably, the black mist that had seeped in earlier had thinned considerably, improving visibility from ten centimeters to about a meter.
The ground floor of the Mage Tower was still bustling with activity. Most of the occupants were playing cards, chatting, or lazing about, their faces a picture of bewilderment as the sudden influx of black mist drifted in.
"What the hell is this?"
"Huh? Dude, where'd you go?"
"Hey! Hey!"
One moment, someone might have been chatting with a companion; the next, their companion had vanished without a trace. Loud shouts went unanswered, leaving only the suffocating, endless black mist. The scene was genuinely terrifying.
Aisha calmly walked through the crowd. As she passed each person, a Priest would materialize from some hidden corner, eliminating the unlucky soul without her needing to lift a finger.
These men were, after all, subordinates of the Black Hand, and their strength was considerable. Most were at least top-tier Bronze-rank adventurers, while a few had even reached Silver-tier. In a military setting, they could likely command a hundred soldiers.
These thugs were no match for professionally trained Death Priests. In this surprise ambush, where every Death Priest was an experienced assassin, infiltrating this familiar environment to eliminate an unsuspecting criminal was practically child's play.
Aisha's gaze swept over the small-time lackeys before her. These were clearly not Lord Black Hand's inner circle. Based on the interrogation of the four unfortunate souls at the entrance, they likely knew nothing of value, making questioning them pointless.
Continuing straight ahead, Aisha soon reached the spiral staircase connecting the first and second floors of the Mage Tower. This staircase, located on the tower's edge, required a full rotation to reach the upper level.
Midway up the stairs, Yellow Afro, who had fled earlier, stood with another man. Yellow Afro pulled out a scroll, tore it apart, and exclaimed, "I finally found it!"
Second-level Evocation School: Gust of Wind.
In an instant, a gale-force wind of at least tenth magnitude erupted from Yellow Afro's position, sweeping down the staircase with a deafening "whoosh."
A Category 10 hurricane, the kind that could snap a large tree in half, would have posed a life-threatening danger to a lightweight person walking down the street in Castorice's past life.
Of course, the danger wasn't from the wind itself, which possessed no inherent offensive power, but from the various objects it might hurl through the air. A heavier person, however, could navigate such conditions safely with caution.
In Castorice's previous world, such winds were common. In this otherworld, where average physical strength far surpassed her old world, a Category 10 hurricane posed even less of a threat.
Yellow Afro hadn't activated the scroll to attack anyone. The sudden gale simply swept away the thick black mist that had filled the first floor. His eyes immediately fell upon Aisha, crouched on the stairs, bracing herself against the wind to avoid being blown away, and the scattered corpses littering the floor.
"Holy shit!" Yellow Afro exclaimed, spinning on his heel and sprinting away. Aisha swiftly rose to pursue him, but the man who had been standing beside Yellow Afro stepped into her path, blocking her way.
The man stood clad in a full set of standard plate armor, helmet included, and wielded a silver-white longsword. Compared to the flamboyantly dressed individuals ahead, the mere fact that he possessed a complete suit of armor spoke volumes about his extraordinary status.
Aisha's expression turned serious. "Are you one of the Black Hand's four trusted lieutenants?"
The knight replied gruffly, his voice muffled by the helmet, "Precisely!"
As he spoke, he pointed his sword at Aisha. "You won't advance another step as long as I stand here! Come, face me in honorable combat and show me your strength... Ouch! What the hell!"
Before he could finish, a Death Priest materialized out of thin air beside him and kicked him in the knee.
Upon closer inspection, transparent outlines could be seen darting rapidly along the wall near Aisha. Before the knight could react, another Death Priest burst through the wall, dagger in hand, and thrust it into the joint between his chest plate and leg armor.
The knight knelt on the ground, quickly regaining his composure. He swung his sword in a swift counterattack, but more Death Priests emerged from the shadows, each delivering a single blade strike before retreating without lingering.
As one of Lord Black Hand's four trusted lieutenants, the knight's combat prowess was undeniable. He was easily on par with a top-tier Silver-tier adventurer. Had Douglas faced him in a fair duel, neither would have gained the upper hand easily.
But this was no duel! This battle held no semblance of fairness. Dozens of Death Priests lurked in the shadows, their eyes burning with predatory hunger.
Forced onto the defensive, the knight relied on his exceptional swordsmanship and plate armor. As a Warrior - Battle Master, he miraculously blocked several surprise attacks from the Death Priests.
Then, a priest approached unarmed, his right hand forming a palm. He pressed it against the knight's back—one of the plate armor's strongest defensive points, where the knight had naturally relaxed his guard.
The priest whispered, "Inflict Wounds!"
In an instant, dark green divine magic erupted from the Death Priest's hands. Though their movements resembled those of an assassin, they were still priests capable of casting spells.
Since there was no direct contact, the Inflict Wounds spell was weakened. Still, a portion of negative energy pierced through the knight's plate armor and struck his flesh. A large bruise immediately blossomed across his back, and an indescribable agony flooded his mind.
"Aaaaaaah!!!"
Reality wasn't a game where characters could hop around with a single hit point remaining, perpetually in peak condition. In real life, any injury inevitably diminished a person's combat effectiveness.
After a few more Inflict Wounds spells, the knight collapsed to the ground, his face contorted in agony. His body twitched like a shrimp tossed into a hot pan, clearly incapacitated.
Aisha slowly approached, planting her foot on the knight's helmet. In a low voice, she demanded, "Information on the Hero and the Divine Artifacts. And where is Black Hand?"
"Hiss—" The knight gasped in pain, his breath ragged. "Huh? What the hell are you talking about?"
Seeing Aisha's increasingly hostile expression, the knight hurriedly stammered, "I... I don't know! What Hero? What Divine Artifact? I've never heard of any of that! As for Lord Black Hand, I've never even seen him. Sometimes I just wake up to find a small knife and orders beside my bed. I just follow the instructions!"
Still nothing? Aisha's face fell in disappointment. She drew her dagger and gestured with it at the man beneath her feet, as if considering where to strike.
"Wait, wait!" the knight frantically protested. "I don't know anything about all that nonsense you're asking, but I do know that Old White and Big Ghost have been searching for something on Lord Black Hand's orders."
"Among Lord Black Hand's four trusted lieutenants, Brother Hawen and I are responsible for maintaining order and defending this place. Old White and Big Ghost are rarely at the Mage Tower—they're always out on missions with their own teams. They only left recently and should be back by evening!"
"Since none of us know the Black Hand Boss's identity, Old White and Big Ghost can't report their findings directly to him. Instead, they write everything down and place it in a box on the Mage Tower's roof. By the next morning, the contents have vanished!"
"In other words, if you intercept Old White and Big Ghost tonight, you can extract the information you need directly from them!"
It was clear the knight was desperate to survive, spilling everything he knew in a frantic rush.
Hearing this, Aisha removed her foot from his head, clasped her hands together, and adopted a pious expression. "Thank you for this information. May the gods forgive your sins."
The knight breathed a sigh of relief. Such words were common in temples across the land.
For instance, when a follower of the God of Life confessed to theft, child abuse, or other transgressions, the Life Priest would smile warmly and say, "The past is gone. If you sincerely repent and strive for good in the future, the Goddess will surely grant you forgiveness."
At first glance, Aisha's words sounded remarkably similar to those of a Life Priest.
But in the next instant, a dagger plunged through a narrow slit in the knight's helmet, piercing his throat. The knight's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
Aisha stated coldly, "Forgiving you is a matter for the gods. My task is to send you to meet them."
The knight's lips twisted as if to curse, but he was already speechless. Watching his life fade completely, Aisha began to strategize. Only "Brother Hawen," the yellow-haired mage who had just fled, remained in the Mage Tower, and he likely possessed no useful information.
She now had two options: first, to blockade the Mage Tower entrance and wait for "Old White" and "Big Ghost," the knight's companions, to return; or second, to continue ransacking the tower, turning it upside down in an attempt to flush out the Black Hand.