Night hung heavy over the slums, but inside one of its largest homes, chaos had already taken root.
Two sides of the wall were now destroyed. Various parts of the building were melting from the light bullet that had just hit it.
The dim lamp on the table had fallen over, plunging the room into near darkness.
Yet everyone present could still see – and in that dimness, Lilac slipped into the room with a murderous smile, only seconds away from striking.
The enemies seized this brief moment to form a strategy to bring her down.
They had battle experience after going through Nilo's training, but the only intelligent being they had ever fought beyond C-rank abilities was Jack.
And this beast-like person seemed even deadlier than Jack.
Lilac dissolved into a pool of shadow, confusing her enemies.
She appeared behind the orb-wielder, claws stabbing forward – but the ranger reacted in time, conjuring a barrier.
It shattered instantly, but not before the swordsman rushed in with his sword.
To his surprise, Lilac's strength was overwhelming, her claws even holding their ground against his sword.
As he struggled to restrain her for the orb-wielder, she opened her mouth and sank her teeth into the blade itself, threatening to break it.
As blood dripped from her mouth, the integrity of the sword was at risk, forcing the boy to reinforce it with his skill, Guard Reinforce.
Regaining his balance, he kicked her back, but his teammate still hadn't recovered position.
Before he could fully reset his stance, Lilac lunged past him, forcing him to slash at her back.
However, she didn't pay attention to that pain as she closed in on the orb-wielder.
In seconds, Lilac unleashed a rain of attacks. The orb-wielder barely managed to block with barrier magic or dodge, escaping with only a few shallow scratches.
The swordsman caught up with a kick, but Lilac countered with a crushing forearm.
Mana surged through her body, skillfully reinforcing her limbs as her raw strength and talent guided each movement.
Fighting the swordsman left her momentarily exposed, and the orb-wielder seized the chance.
Aether Dart!
A spear-sized projectile burst from the orb, aimed at Lilac's side.
She was forced to retreat back, positioning herself in a way that the dart dealt way less damage.
Lilac was now bleeding from a slash at her back and a wound at her side, with a stain on her lips.
Unfortunately, the scale of the battle had tilted to the opponents side.
"Cascade Throw."
With her sharp, feminine voice echoing, the orb-wielder invoked a skill from her C-rank talent.
Another spear shot out, splitting into three as Lilac crouched low.
She dodged the first, barely avoided the second, and was forced to clash the third with her claw.
Lilac immediately used her skill, Dusk Veil, to attempt concealing herself to reposition.
But as someone with a teammate with a concealment talent, the orb-lady knew how to handle them.
A bright light shone from the orb throughout the room and the shadows reduced.
Following the momentum, the swordsman saw Lilac running in an arc to attack from the side.
He charged straight at her, and the instant they clashed he invoked his skill, Sword Rush.
His blade flared with blue light, dropping faster and heavier than before.
"Lilac took clear damage, having used a fist instead of her claw, but she ignored the pain and followed up with a savage strike from her other hand.
On a normal day, it might have dealt major damage to the swordsman, but his teammate didn't disappoint as she launched another projectile at Lilac.
Lilac took the projectile head on with her hand, the attack almost piercing through.
Without giving her room to breathe, the swordsman unleashed a storm of slashes laced with feints, while the orb-wielder hurled attacks between them.
Within seconds, Lilac was under relentless pressure.
The only thing keeping her lasting was that Lilac was weakening the blade of the swordsman with each clash, making him use it more carefully.
Until now, Zena had been quietly drinking mana potions in the shadows – but then she turned corporeal.
Her white gown and blonde hair fluttered as a glowing bow and arrow materialized in her hands, aimed straight at the orb-wielder.
Her mana control as an Eight-Ringer was refined enough to craft weapons with Solforge without being noticed.
Only when she charged her arrow did it attract the orb-wielder's attention.
But the orb-wielder was quick-witted as she immediately aimed her orb up.
"Hey! If you attack, I'll blow all the children up there. You want to see if I can do that?
"Atta-"
After everything was ready, Zena launched her attack.
A sun arrow flew across the room in a few blinks of an eye.
The destruction was insane as the arrow detonated like a bomb, blowing the other side of the room as well as the upper body of the orb-wielder.
The swordsman noticed this destruction and clenched his teeth beneath the mask.
He needed to get out of here very soon.
The mana detonation would definitely cause the illusion to be unstable and if he wasn't killed here, he didn't know what would happen if other Union members reached here.
Before he knew it, someone clung to his legs, hugging him tightly.
He slammed the figure repeatedly in panic, even as his sword arm stayed locked on Lilac's battered form.
The more he tried hard to get rid of Einar, the tighter Einar clutched his legs.
Of course, this opportunity would not be taken lightly by Lilac.
The beast girl's body was weak and shaking, her mana exhausted, but she didn't hesitate to sink her teeth into the swordsman's neck.
Her fangs tore through flesh, and the swordsman's desperate struggles turned into a strangled gurgle.
[You have killed Lavenus Teef.]
[You have obtained a 4-star loot.]
It was Jack's teammate's fault for believing Einar and Zena couldn't do much.