Chapter 19: The Infiltration and the Lie
The Dagon Outpost was a claustrophobic, sunken ruin. Rin's Rending Gale created a dome of air, pushing back the dark, fetid water of the canal. The dome shimmered with focused kinetic energy, a protective bubble of life in a realm of decay.
Inside the bubble, the intimacy was absolute. They were forced to move shoulder-to-shoulder, their breathing synchronized, the only light coming from the faint blue glow of Aiden's Chronos power and the silver reflection off Rin's amulet.
"The relic is housed in the central offering chamber," Aiden whispered, consulting a small, waterproof map generated by his Chronos vision. "Two sentries are patrolling the north access shaft. We must bypass them without killing them; the sonic feedback from the Gale will alert the entire outpost."
Rin felt the tension of the tether, now magnified by the extreme physical proximity. He could feel the residual coldness of Aiden's sacrifice, the rigid tension in the strategist's back.
"Stealth is your domain, Arbiter," Rin whispered back, the sound close enough to be a touch. "How do we bypass them without using the Gale?"
"I will use a Temporal Flicker," Aiden explained, his breath warm on Rin's ear. "A brief, localized skip in time—less than a second—to move us past the sentries during their sight cycle. It's an enormous mana risk, but it's the only way."
Rin's stomach twisted. He knew what a Temporal Flicker cost the Arbiter—an agonizing, brief depletion that could leave him vulnerable to collapse.
They reached the access shaft. Two Dagon Priests—human cultists mutated into grotesque, fish-like forms—were silently patrolling a short corridor leading to the relic chamber.
Aiden took a deep breath, his blue eyes focusing with desperate intensity. Rin pressed his shoulder against Aiden's, offering a silent, physical anchor against the coming mana drain.
"Ready, Rin," Aiden whispered. "On my count."
Before Aiden could activate the Flicker, one of the Dagon Priests turned abruptly, his dead, fish-like eye locking onto the faint outline of their air bubble in the murky water.
"Intruder!" the Priest rasped, his voice bubbling in the canal water, the sound immediately muffled by the Gale bubble.
The Priest lunged, his razor-sharp claws tearing through the water toward Rin.
Rin had no choice. He raised his blade to vaporize the threat, ready to accept the tactical failure.
But Aiden acted faster. He didn't use the Flicker on himself. He used a targeted, brutal Chronos pulse on the Priest's approaching body.
"Chronos's Rebuke: Molecular Deceleration!"
The Priest's body instantly slowed, its movement reduced to an agonizing crawl. The effect was immediate, but the mana cost caused Aiden's body to seize up, his core violently shaking.
The second Priest, alerted by the sudden, unnatural stillness of his comrade, rushed over, his eyes wide. He saw the outline of the air bubble, and he saw Rin's furious, exposed face.
"Who is it? A Blade Hunter? I will signal the Duke!" the second Priest shrieked, fumbling for a demonic signaling charm.
Rin knew the mission was over if the alarm was raised. He knew he had to kill the Priest, but that would use the Gale and doom Aiden's compromised core to further shock.
Then, the Amulet of the Hearth Hestia had given him pulsed, radiating a faint, warm bronze light that momentarily cut through the blue glow of Chronos.
Rin looked at the second Priest, who was staring right at him. Rin did the only thing he could think of—the ultimate betrayal of his own vengeance. He forced his face into an expression of cold, utter disdain.
"I am Mephistopheles's Agent," Rin stated, his voice ringing with absolute, fake authority. "I am here to test the Dagon Duke's security for the Lord Lucifer. The first one failed, and the second one has interfered with my test. Retreat, or I report your incompetence directly to the Arch-Duke Beelzebub."
The second Priest, faced with a Hunter who knew the ranks of the Hells and possessed an unexpected, high-level spiritual anchor (the Amulet), stammered, intimidated by the sheer, cold confidence.
"Apologies, Agent," the Priest choked out, retreating instantly. "I… I will secure the perimeter."
The Priest swam away, leaving his Decelerated comrade frozen in time.
Rin let out a shaky breath, his body slumping against the now-gasping Aiden. He had lied for the sake of the Arbiter's mission. He had used the language of the enemy to protect the one man he swore to destroy.
Aiden, recovering from the Chronos depletion, looked at Rin, his eyes wide with a rare mixture of shock and calculating awe.
"A brilliant feint, Rin," Aiden whispered, his voice trembling. "Utterly non-compliant with your established Hunter personality. You used the exact psychological coercion required. You saved the mission."
Rin pulled away, furious. "I saved the mission, Arbiter, because I needed your mind intact to guide me out of this Devil's pit. You can save your praise for the Arch-Duke."
But as they moved deeper into the Dagon Outpost, Rin felt the terrifying realization: he had just protected the man who betrayed him, not out of strategy, but out of a desperate, protective instinct he could no longer deny.