"Captain, what happened?" the most hot-headed of them all, Ilay, jumped up immediately.
Pollock scanned the room.
"It's a tip-off," he said. "The letter says a gathering place of evil god followers has been spotted in the Silver Star district."
"Evil god followers!"
Everyone tensed.
"True or not? Where exactly?" Ilay asked hurriedly.
Pollock didn't answer right away, reread the letter carefully again, and said gravely:
"Whether this letter is true or not, we have to check it. This seems serious, and our squad alone won't handle it. You wait here; I'll report to the supreme captain."
He took out his communicator watch, brought it to his mouth, and said:
"Frida, Hargrove, here immediately. Important mission."
With that, Pollock left the assembly room, taking the letter with him.
The remaining three exchanged glances.
"Looks like it'll be an eventful night," Milton drawled irritably.
"Yeah, sigh..." Alberna sighed, but without a hint of resistance, she began preparing her staff and potions for battle.
Ilay, poisoning his daggers, muttered:
"Wonder what's in that letter to worry the captain so much."
"Lohe's followers love weaving intrigues and acting in groups," Milton explained. "Their gathering spots usually have at least three people, so the captain's concern is justified."
At the mention of Lohe's followers, Ilay's face darkened. As a shadow warrior, he couldn't help thinking of Lohe, the god of deceit and intrigue known as the Deceiver. His followers were mostly shadow warriors too, leading many to mistakenly assume all shadow warriors were inclined to worship Lohe, and they were often viewed with suspicion.
"I hope this letter's a fake," Ilay grumbled quietly.
Reyn stayed silent. He'd written this letter himself, so there could be no mistake. During the day, through Zoltan, he'd found an illiterate street kid in the slums and for two silver crowns tasked him with delivering the letter to the Public Security Bureau that evening. After handing it over, Reyn had watched the kid for a long time, confirming he hadn't opened it or passed it to anyone else, before heading to duty. Right on time, the letter arrived at the Bureau. It was written in Reyn's left hand, in a crude scrawl so no one could identify his handwriting. In it, he'd briefly stated: "Traces of numerous evil god followers spotted at 195 Chamli Street"—and ended with the Church of Lohe symbol. That was enough to catch Pollock's attention.
Soon Frida and Hargrove arrived in the assembly room. Hearing about evil god followers, both darkened and silently began preparing for battle.
A quarter hour later, Supreme Captain Davenlak appeared at the Demon Extermination Squad building. With him came another squad— the fourth, under Beverly's command, consisting of seven superhumans.
"Move out," Davenlak ordered.
Clad in heavy armor, with a white steel helmet on his head, square shield, and broadsword on his back, he boarded two open freight containers with the other superhumans, which drove out from the Public Security Bureau. It was Reyn's first time in such an open freight container. It resembled the "Liberation" trucks from his past life, only steam-powered and slower. The roar of the trucks' steam engines shattered the night quiet as they headed to the Silver Star district. No one talked in the vehicles; all silently prepared.
Entering the Silver Star district, not far from Chamli Street, the squads were joined by a group of five mages. Each rode a blue-and-white striped magical leopard. These beasts looked both fierce and graceful, shoulder height reaching that of an adult human, moving incredibly fast and lightly, keeping up with the trucks. From their mouths, adorned with two huge fangs, emanated faint magical energy.
"Secret Fire Guard!" someone from the squad whispered.
"So that's what it looks like," Reyn thought, "the most powerful personal guard of the Silver Star Duchess—the Secret Fire Guard!" It was said the Secret Fire Guard consisted entirely of mages, each an elite from the Tower of Mages, utterly devoted to the Duchess.
He curiously examined the five mages. Leading them was a middle-aged female mage of ordinary appearance, dressed in a black robe with silver trim, gripping a long white staff. But her soul revealed her as a seventh-level elementalist! The other four mages were strong too: one mid-rank and three entry-level. By the strength of their souls, these five mages far surpassed superhumans of the same level. "No wonder they're called Tower of Mages elites!" Reyn thought admiringly.
Still, he was surprised his letter had caused such a stir. He'd underestimated the imperial mages' hostility toward Lohe's followers. Or rather, the Goddess of Magic's hostility toward the Deceiver Lohe. Between these two deities seemed an irreconcilable hatred.
Soon they reached Chamli Street. The two trucks stopped at the street's start. Everyone disembarked. The Demon Extermination Squad automatically split into two groups and moved forward quickly. Since it wasn't very late yet, occasional pedestrians strolled the street. Seeing such an imposing procession, they panicked to the sidewalks, afraid to make a sound, and bolted as soon as the squad passed.
Reyn walked with his comrades, sensing something off. Too much noise. The Secret Fire Guard's involvement might scare off the prey. He glanced up at the Tower of Mages. The Eye of the Spiritual Demon at its peak wasn't scanning this area. Whether it hadn't noticed or had been warned ahead and deliberately looked away was unknown.
Soon the group neared the mansion. Pollock with the third squad took position at the main entrance; Beverly with her squad circled behind. The five mages from the Secret Fire Guard followed Reyn and the others at a distance. Milton and Alberna lagged a bit too, letting Reyn, Frida, and Hargrove go ahead. Pollock stayed central, commanding. Davenlak remained with the Secret Fire Guard, gripping sword and shield, alert. Those were the unwritten rules of group combat: melee fighters up front, keeping enemies from the spellcasters. Some melee fighters also guarded the casters, letting them unleash their long-range spells freely.
Reyn gripped his warhammer. Caution showed on his face, but inwardly he sighed. Using the Voice of All Things, he'd already determined people were in the mansion, but not those evil god followers.
Such a massive raid—and for nothing!
He couldn't understand: had there been a leak? Or had these evil god followers sensed trouble beforehand and fled? Reyn scanned everyone present but saw nothing suspicious. Both squad fighters and Secret Fire Guard mages looked deadly serious, no trace of laxity, as if battle was imminent.
Pollock signaled Hargrove. He nodded, let out a low growl, his skin reddened, muscles swelled rapidly, and in two-three seconds he grew into a small giant. Grabbing a huge axe, he charged and kicked the mansion's front door with full force.
Boom!
A deafening crash echoed as the iron door collapsed inward. The superhumans stormed the house.
Reyn and Frida ran ahead. They crossed the lawn and kicked in the house's entrance door. The whole mansion awoke, filling with voices and lights. Several entry-level superhumans—clearly personal guards—rushed out. Seeing the squad fighters, they paled and dropped their weapons, raising hands and kneeling, showing no intent to resist.
The fourth squad, bursting in from the garden behind, also appeared in the hall.
A middle-aged man in pajamas descended the stairs. He seemed greatly frightened but struggled to keep composure. Standing on the stairs, he exclaimed angrily:
"Sirs, what are you doing here? I'm Ebl, owner of the Sharon trading company, holder of the imperial knight's order! Can someone explain what's happening?"
Ebl named himself, hoping to calm the Demon Extermination Squad superhumans. But no one answered. On the two captains' orders, squad fighters began searching the mansion room by room, herding all residents into the hall. A group of half-dressed managers and servants, gripped by terror, huddled together trembling. Ebl was escorted to the hall's center too. Those mercenary superhuman guards, usually arrogant and superior, now dared not utter a sound of complaint.
Besides these people, nothing else was found. No traces of evil god followers, and the squad fighters' faces darkened. Even Reyn, who had foreseen this, felt annoyed that they'd truly found nothing.
Davenlak in heavy armor entered the hall, surveyed it, and asked:
"Nothing found?"
"No, Supreme Captain," Pollock shook his head dejectedly, but didn't fully deny the possibility, adding: "We haven't searched everywhere yet, but from my experience, something's off here. Smells of sacrifice."
Frida nearby nodded slightly too. As a Holy Swordsman, she was most sensitive to evil gods' auras, but now couldn't be sure.
Davenlak was silent a few seconds, then removed his helmet, approached the crowd, and closely examined Ebl, his family, and numerous guards and servants. His gaze was full of ill will. A oppressive atmosphere filled the hall. Under the high-rank superhuman's aura pressure, several couldn't endure and, not daring to cry loudly, covered mouths with hands and sobbed quietly.
"Your Excellency!" Ebl, realizing from Pollock's address who Davenlak was, mustered courage and asked: "May I inquire the reason for your visit..."
Before he finished, Davenlak waved a hand:
"Take them all in, interrogate each separately."
The squad fighters understood Davenlak's order: clearly, the supreme captain trusted his experience. Hearing this, Ebl cried out:
"I have an imperial knight's order, I'm a nobleman, you can't treat me like this..."
"Sheltering evil god followers is a death sentence, regardless of your title," Davenlak said impassively and left.
Ebl paled as a sheet, lips trembling, unable to utter a word.
Reyn looked at him and sighed inwardly. By his soul's state, this man might truly not have known of the evil god followers' existence or how they'd pulled it off. Tonight's operation was doomed to fail.