Bzzt. Swoosh. Chop.
Rigor Mortis managed to get past Reva Rain's defenses. It cut through the neck halfway and paralyzed Reva Rain. However, Reva's body disappeared just before the cut was completed.
"What in the world?"
Eren looked blankly in front of him. Confused, he tried to find Reva who should have had her head severed at this point.
There was no mana ripple. No spell activation. He didn't understand what had happened. He looked at his sword and saw droplets of blood still running down the length of his blade. This assured him that he had indeed hurt the Paladin of Pain.
'What happened? Where did the bitch go?'
Eren asked Alephee. The latter observed Eren's surroundings in silence before making a guess.
'I think she carried a space-element rune on her, which couldn't be detected until activated. It seemed like she or someone had already made contingency plans to pull her out of the battlefield in a pinch. They were just waiting for the right moment.
My bet is on Demonmir.
But Reva Rain or Demonmir aren't your problems anymore. We have a more serious problem heading our way.
Get away from Eddinica Arena's epicenter as far as you can. A third side of the coin is about to join the action.'
Eren didn't understand what Alephee was talking about. But he followed up on her suggestion immediately. He felt a distinct mana pulse of a higher-grade spatial magic invocation behind him as he tried to distance himself from the epicenter.
Edinnica Arena's aerial space was distorted. And out came a large group of rankers from that distortion.
Before the spatial distortion, someone or something destroyed the semi-transparent barrier safeguarding the entire capital city, Edin. This forceful breach in security allowed the third force to create an unauthorized spatial channel inside the city- in the heart of the Edinnica district.
The group of rankers who stepped out of spatial distortion was large. The newly appeared rankers were almost twice the number of surviving infiltrators currently active on the battlefield.
However, their strength didn't come just from their numbers. Rankers from the third force stood out simply by their presence.
What's more? Their mana signatures made it clear that they were not normal rankers. They had a certain bloodline energy added to their presence, making them stand out from the rest.
Leading this group was a Sage.
This Sage looked in his early 30s by mortals' standards. He was handsome and charismatic, to say the least.
He had voluminous grayish-white hair. He had grayish-blue eyes and distinct eyebrows. This man had sharp facial featuresâ€" from a chiseled jawline to an eagle-beak-like nose.
He had a tall frame- 6.7ft tall. He didn't look bulky despite packing plenty of muscles. His attitude was relaxed yet confident. He observed the battlefield with nonchalant expressionsâ€" as if the death and destruction caused inside the Edinnica Arena were not up to his expectations.
This man's presence alone overwhelmed low-ranking entities. Even Expert rankers and above would find it difficult to look at him for more than a second or two without feeling some form of trepidation. No matter how close or far away they were from him.
With his hands behind his back in a soldier-like posture, this man observed the silence around him with stoic expression. This was the silence he caused because of his sudden appearance. And it seemed like he was the only one who could enjoy it.
Demonmir appeared near this man. He successfully kept himself safe from the Crimson Ghost's hands. This was an achievement added to his name.
After appearing near the man, Demonmir did something unthinkable even for his lackeys who thought they knew their boss. He got down on his one knee and bowed in front of the young Sage, giving him the respect he deserved. The fact that a prideful creature like Demonmir had decided to humble himself in front of this young-looking Sage spoke volumes about the latter's strength.
The rumble in the sky stopped when a third Sage arrived at the scene. In the next moment, three Sages were seen standing inside the Edinnica Arena.
Three fronts were created when three Sages entered the arena. Hansen Lehan led the first majority. The second side contained the remaining infiltrators whose numbers had dwindled quite some since the battle started. It was led by Gregory Grantâ€" the elf Sage who headed all infiltrators active within Edinburgh's borders.
Of course, the third side was led by this newly appeared Sage. All three sides stood apart, creating a triangle-like pattern with their position. Each side could watch and be wary of the other two sides. There was no indication as to whether all three sides were enemies, or if any two would form an alliance against the remaining force.
Hansen and Gregory both looked fine for the most part. However, their breathing was labored and their faces were red. They controlled their presence somewhat. But one could tell that they were still trying to calm themselves down by their fluctuating mana signatures.
One could say that there was no clear winner between Hansen and Gregory. Their individualities were different but their battle potential as Sages was the same, not allowing them to register an undisputed win over the other.
The introduction of the third force really changed the battlefield landscape and everything took place in mere moments. And it was as if everybody knew what they were supposed to do and acted on their part. It was as if the entire battlefield was a platform created to showcase some form of performance. Rankers were the stage actors in this live show, divided into three teams.
In just a matter of seconds, they were choreographed into three different teams.
Hansen looked at the young-looking Sage with surprise. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it quickly as if choosing his words carefully. He stared at the third Sage quite a bit before finally uttering a name.
"Edgar... JJ Edgar....
Is... Is that you, Jarlath?"
