"Cough! Cough!" Heili coughed. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the thick smoke and dust in the area. "What happened, Junior Brother?"
Souta didn't answer Heili's question. Instead, he focused his attention on the surrounding. He had an idea about the attacker.
Murder Society.
It should be them. After all, their people vanished after dealing with the Hundred Face Alliance. If there were another group aside from them, Souta really had no idea. He didn't even know if the Hundred Face Alliance had other enemies.
'Ten S-rank experts and one One Shackled Realm?!?' Souta was slightly shocked at the lineup of the attackers.
At this rate, everyone in this place was going to die.
Souta glanced at Heili. Heili also looked at him. "What's wrong, Junior Brother? Let's stand up and check if we could help our comrades."
Souta shook his head. He swiftly moved his hand and before Heili could react, she already lost consciousness.
"You're a kind woman and I have a good impression of you so I don't want you to die in this place..."
He muttered before he stood up and carried Heili in his arms. Seven shadows rose from the ground and stood beside him.
[Doppelganger]!!
With a wave of his hand, all the doppelgangers had disappeared as they hid in every direction. Souta wanted them to follow the attackers to find their headquarters.
Souta dashed without looking back. He already knew that the Murder Society would attack them but he didn't expect it at this time.
No one realized that he had left the camp of the Hundred Face Alliance.
"Who are you?!"
"Argh!!"
"Why?!!"
"Everyone run!!"
The unknown people started the massacre. Ten S-rank experts were unstoppable. They killed everyone in their sight and even the S-rank of the Hundred Face Alliance couldn't do anything.
The One Shackle expert simply floated above while observing the entire camp. He had an indifferent expression on his face as if the lives of these people were the same as ants.
Thud!
An old man fell on the ground without any signs of life. His face was painted in horror as the energy level around him still lingered. It was clearly the level of an S-rank expert. He was the S-rank expert of the Hundred Face Alliance.
The One Shackle expert shook his head in disappointment. "He didn't know why our squad vanishes after that attack... It seems that there's a hidden expert in the Hundred Face Alliance..."
He turned around and added, "Leave some people alive. Let them spread the word about this incident. I'm sure that the hidden expert will know that we are hunting."
"Yes, Sir!!" The ten S-rank experts nodded at the same time.
...
Souta arrived in a small city. He rented a room in an inn and placed Heili on the bed. He sat on the corner of the bed and recalled the events at the camp.
There's an eighty percent chance that those people were from the Murder Society. To be able to send one One Shackle and ten S-rank experts easily couldn't be more than one of the strongest organizations in Hall Plains.
"Sigh..."
Souta sighed as he glanced at Heili. He checked her pulse and found that she just fainted from his chop. There was no attack that landed on her body while he was protecting her.
'What are you planning to do with her?' Saya asked.
'I'm going to wait until she wakes up. Then, both of us we'll return to Mince Hand.' Souta answered. He planned to continue his training in Mince Hand and achieve the Fifth Stage before he challenges one of the Core Disciples to complete his quest.
Since the [Divine Dark Circulation] was compatible with him, the [Divine Light Circulation] should be the same. He was looking forward to getting his hands on it.
Souta went downstairs and ordered a meal. Although he didn't need to eat, he just wanted to satisfy his craving for food. He sat down and observed the area.
A bunch of people were eating and drinking around a table. Some of them were on the corner waiting for someone. Sounds of laughter echoed in this lively atmosphere.
'It's not bad...'
Souta folded his arms in front of his chest, finding this atmosphere a bit pleasing.
After a few minutes, a waiter arrived and placed his meal on the table. The meal was cheap as it only cost him a few copper coins. Although he didn't have any silver or platinum coins with him, a few gold coins could still sustain him.
"Hey, did hear it?"
"What is it?"
Souta raised his eyebrows as he listened to the conversation around him while eating.
"Some people discover an ancient ruin near the Vantas Mountain Range."
"Wait, for real?!?"
"Yeah, a lot of merchants know about it!!"
"Several factions are moving too! It seems that the ancient ruin is true!"
'Vantas Mountain Range? And an ancient ruin...' Souta was interested in it.
Who wouldn't be interested in an ancient ruin where he could get various treasures?
But Heili was here... Should he bring her back to Mince Hand before he goes to Vantas Mountain Range? He wouldn't have enough time if the ruin.
'I'll just bring her with me. I can't leave her alone when she's kind to me.'
Souta shrugged his shoulders. Heili should be able to handle herself with her intermediate B-rank power level. So she would be fine even if he brought her to the ancient ruins.
Souta finished his meal and returned to his room. He did a few rounds of training and he only stopped when the sun was already up. His attainment in [Divine Dark Circulation] had increased a little bit.
He went to check on Heili and found that she was awake.
"Senior Sister!"
Heili slightly turned her head when she heard someone call her name. She was familiar with this voice so she knew that it was her junior brother.
"Junior Brother, what happened? I remember..." Heili lowered her head.
"I'm sorry, Senior Sister. I decided to save you at that time. It would be useless if we fight with our current strength. We would only waste our lives." Souta explained to her. He told her everything except for a few important details.
"Are we the only ones alive?" Heili asked in a trembling tone.
"I don't know. There's probably someone like us who survives out there." Souta shook his head. He closed his eyes and sensed his doppelgangers. His shadows were still following the culprits of the attack.
"You don't need to comfort me." Heili shook her head.
"No, I'm just telling the truth. If we survive, then there's also a chance that other people would survive." Souta said to her. In fact, he knew that the attackers deliberately left some people alive through his doppelgangers.
"...You are right, Junior Brother, there are people stronger than us so they probably survive too." Heili could only nod her head. She lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. "What should we do now, Junior Brother? When will we return to our home?"
'Home, huh?' Souta said inwardly. He didn't reject her words about her home. In this world, Astros and Dark Oculus were the things he could call home.
"We'll go another way. There's a chance that those people will chase the survivors. So we'll stay out for a while." He found an excuse to check the Vantas Mountain Valley.
"Okay, I'll listen to you, Junior Brother," Heili said.
"Thank you for listening to me, Senior Sister." Souta nodded. If there's a chance, he would help her in the future. After all, he had a good impression of her.
They prepared their things and quickly departed. They went through the most common route. On their way, the news about the incident in Ardous City had spread. Various powers were shocked since the Hundred Face Alliance camp was obliterated. Even their enemy, the Green Vine Pavilion was stunned when they heard the news.
An S-rank expert along with a few A-ranks had perished in just a day. No one had any idea about the identity of the culprit.
The Hundred Face Alliance stopped showing their aggression at the two overlords. They didn't have any idea who they offended so they became cautious.
At this time, Souta and Heili arrived at the small town called Blue River Town. It was a place with a population of less than a thousand. It was usually a quiet and peaceful place but it was different this time. A lot of people have arrived and occupied the inns.
It was related to the ancient ruin in Vantas Mountain Range.
"An ancient ruin?" Heili curiously looked around. She wanted to know more about the ancient ruin as she haven't gone to one before.
"It seems so. Do you want to check it?" Souta asked.
"I'm curious but I don't think we should join. There are countless experts waiting for it to open." Heili answered worriedly. She was just an intermediate B-rank so she wasn't sure if it would be fruitful. The worst-case scenario was that the two of them would perish inside the ancient ruin.
"It's fine. We'll find an inn first." Souta smiled.
