Mira cautiously stepped into the hidden bunker, her senses on high alert. The air inside was stale and heavy with the scent of decay and damp earth, the oppressive darkness illuminated only by the faint glow of bioluminescent moss. The walls were rough and uneven, as if they had been carved directly into the mountain by unskilled hands.
She pressed on, feeling an unseen presence observing her every move. The walls gradually became smoother, and the path sloped downward, indicating the bunker's deceptive complexity.
Suddenly, Mira encountered a fork in the path. She tried using her Soul Sense to detect Dominique's presence but was met with interference.
'What the hell? Why can't my Soul Sense penetrate these pathways?' Mira exclaimed inwardly.
She knew her soul was incredibly strong and was confident that there weren't many things in this world that could hide from her, but it seemed she was wrong.
Frustrated but determined, she followed her instincts and chose the left tunnel.
As Mira ventured deeper into the left tunnel, the bioluminescent moss grew thicker on the walls, casting eerie, dancing shadows along her path. The feeling of being watched intensified, causing the hairs on Mira's body to rise, but because of that, she felt like she was on the right path.
A minute or so later, she noticed the air was growing colder, and her breath formed small puffs of fog in front of her face. The path twisted and turned, the descent steepening until she reached a heavy metal door, partially hidden by a layer of moss and dirt.
With caution, Mira approached the door and examined it. There were no visible handles or locks, just a series of intricate symbols etched into its surface. Once Mira understood that the door wasn't a trap, she stopped acting so cautiously.
She reached out with her Soul Sense once more, trying to understand the door's mechanism, but was again met with resistance.
"I don't have time for this shit!" Mira grumbled and raised her fist.
*BOOOM!*
Striking the metal door with her fist, she left a deep indentation, yet the door remained unbroken.
Mira was slightly surprised that it was strong enough to block her punch, but that was all.
Raising her fist again, she struck it with even more power. She continued this until the door eventually popped open, landing on the ground before her with a loud thud.
The darkness beyond the door seemed to swallow Mira as she stepped inside, her senses on high alert.
She had expected some sort of trap or defense mechanism, but nothing had come to challenge her. The room was filled with an eerie silence, broken only by the distant sound of dripping water.
As Mira adjusted to the darkness, she walked into the room, still trying to use her Soul Sense to examine everything, but failing as something in the room interfered with her ability to do so.
Suddenly, Mira heard noises deeper in the hideout. Taking out her scythe, she rushed into the dark room without caring about any traps or ambushes.
'I'll be there in just a second, Dominique.' Mira muttered to herself, feeling her cold heart beating faster than it usually did. She didn't realize it before, but Dominique meant more to her than she initially realized.
Whether it was because the girl called her 'mother' or something else, Mira didn't want to see her cold dead body lying on the ground.
Soon, Mira saw a faint light not too far away, and she immediately dashed toward it, making it there in less than a second with her strength.
The room was lit by a dim, flickering light, revealing a scene that caused her to pause for a second.
Dominique lay unconscious on a cold stone slab, surrounded by a dozen people. These people all gave off a toxic, filthy aura, more disgusting than anything she'd ever felt. This aura surrounded Dominique, enveloping her entire body.
However, there was something unique about them, other than their aura, that immediately drew her attention.
They wore puke green robes, had shaved heads, and, most importantly, their mouths were sewn shut.
Next to them, a few meters away, stood a person dressed in all black with a scarf wrapped around his face. His calm, blue eyes glowed underneath his scarf as he stared at Mira as if he knew she was going to appear.
"To be honest, I wasn't expecting you to show up so fast. As a matter of fact, we weren't expecting anyone to show up this soon," The assassin said in a neutral tone. His voice was loud enough for all to hear, but the dozen other people didn't move. They just stopped channeling their Qi, still standing around Dominique.
"Zehir was supposed to be dealing with you; I guess he's not as great as the Elders say." The assassin shrugged, not bothered by Mira's growing killing intent.
As the assassin was about to continue his monologue, Mira disappeared from her position, only to reappear before the assassin, her scythe covered in blood. The heads of the dozen other people flew up in the air, all of them dying in the split second after Mira moved.
However, contrary to what she expected, the assassin wasn't fazed by this. He glanced at the dead bodies before turning his neutral gaze back on Mira. He didn't even bother trying to take out his weapon.
He knew when his time was up. As an assassin, his greatest strength was his ability to ascertain a situation, and right now, he understood that he was royally fucked.
The momentum and aura around Mira, combined with the hazy killing intent that filled the room, told him all he needed to know.
He didn't stand a chance.
Thus, rather than acting rashly, he figured that he could extend his life by a few more seconds by not attacking first. Hell, maybe he could talk his way out of death by some miracle!
"You know, I'm quite curious about something. What did you do?" The assassin asked, but Mira just kept staring at him.
The calmness that the man exuded threw Mira off a bit, and as much as it went against her natural instinct, she decided to let the man speak.
Keeping her eyes on him, Mira made her way to the stone slab where Dominique lay. She checked the girl's pulse and gave her a quick once over before sighing in relief.
'She's alive.' Mira concluded and gently carried Dominique in one of her arms.
"What did you do to make the whole Faction turn its attention to you? I know you've caused the Crimson Slayer Sect a bit of trouble, which is something noteworthy, but it's not enough to make the whole Faction move. Did you slaughter the Faction Leader's family in a previous life or something?" The man asked with genuine interest.
He might not be the strongest person in his Sect or someone with high status, but as per his occupation, he had to stay well-informed about current events. And from what he understood, the way the Faction has behaved lately has been weird.
They were oddly focused on an Outer Court Disciple from the Battle Maiden Sect. Not just any ordinary focus either.
It was as if one of the higher-ups had a personal grudge against her! Spies were sent everywhere, and they tried to gather as much information about Mira as possible.
How could he not find such a thing interesting?
Mira's eyes narrowed, and she'd about had enough of this man's nonsense. Raising her scythe, she was about to finish him off like the rest before he raised his hands as a sign of surrender.
"Woah! Okay! You don't have to answer that! Geez." The assassin muttered with a sigh; then he turned his attention to Dominique.
"You might not be interested in that, but I'm sure you're curious about what those 'puppets' did to your little friend." He said lightly.
Mira's eyes turned cold, and she pressed the full brunt of her aura onto the man's body, causing his knees to buckle.
"What do you know?" Mira growled in a low voice.
It was clear to the man that that wasn't a question, and she would get her answers whether he complied with her or not.
"Not much, but enough." The assassin said in a calm voice.
Mira looked into the man's eyes, surprised to see they were as calm as a mountain lake.
'He's ready to die.' Mira concluded, clicking her tongue in annoyance.
These kinds of people were the most troublesome to deal with.
However, Mira understood the hidden message behind his words.
'He wants something and is willing to trade that something for information.' Mira weighed the pros and cons of dealing with this man. Her instincts wanted to rip his body apart, painting the walls with his blood, but her more rational side told her that maybe he was more useful alive.
Looking at Dominique, who still hadn't woken up, her eyes became complicated before turning resolute.
"What do you want?"
While the man's scarf covered his face, she was sure his smile had widened upon hearing her.
However, before he could speak, a booming voice entered their ears.
"Attention all Battle Maiden Sect disciples! This is your Sect Master speaking! As of this moment, we are officially at war with the Crimson Slayer Sect!"
"I repeat! We are at war with the Crimson Slayer Sect! Do not hesitate to kill on sight if you see anyone in their uniform!"
"All disciples come back to the Sect and prepare for war! This is not a request!"
