Following that day, the passive approach Niflheim had taken in the growing conflict enveloping the world vanished.
But their actions didn't leave the confines of their own territory.
In the depths of night, a shadow swept across the horizon. In the next instant, it vanished into thin air. The only thing left behind in its wake was a corpse.
The owner of this corpse was an old man. His eyes which used to hold a light of child-like curiosity were now dull and forever frozen in an expression of terror.
This old man was a member of the Moon Squadron that Damien had seen during Bai Xieren's speech. His death wasn't the first, and it wouldn't be the last among those who dared to act against Niflheim.
In the coming days, spies from the Moon Squadron were constantly uprooted and slain. It was as if Niflheim had completely accurate information on their identities.
And in fact, they did.
Naturally, Aishia didn't have such a massive swathe of information in her mind. This information had been provided by a hidden group managed by Niflheim and Asgard together. They were the true shadows of the world.
To this point, the group was unnamed. Their members were unnamed, their fingerprints and even mana signatures burned away using self-sacrificial methods. The only purpose of these individuals' existence was to serve the cause they were given.
And a few months ago, they were ordered by Asgard's executives to keep note of some suspicious personnel who would be landing in the world.
Even Damien and Long Chen had run into an agent from this group, but due to Damien's decision to enter Niflheim before the Moon Squadron, they were saved from suspicion.
Especially Long Chen. While Damien was missing and assumed dead by those who cared, and unknown to those who didn't, Long Chen was a rising hero in the military with plenty of fame and merit. If his status as an otherworlder was revealed, it was unknown how the people around him would react.
But even being spared from the slaughter wasn't something that made Long Chen happy. What he wished desperately was to end this slaughter once and for all.
However, he would only be a fool if he moved alone.
Nevertheless, Long Chen wasn't alone from the start. At the edge of Asgard territory, Bai Xieren stood with a heavy frown on her face.
If she didn't realize there was a problem even by this juncture, she was unqualified to be a leader.
In fact, Bai Xieren understood from the beginning that there was likely a trap involved in this plan. It was simply far too convenient of an opportunity to strike the Nox. From her years of experience, she was well aware of how tricky the Nox could be.
But she still decided to move forward with the operation, as did Tian Yang and the rest of the Cloud Plane's experts. In their long lives, had they ever encountered rewards that weren't accompanied by risks? This was merely reality. Faltering because of something so intangible as risk was the mentality of a practitioner who would never achieve anything.
Yet, her forces were being destroyed faster than she could cope with. The information they'd received and the fears they'd achieved weren't nearly satisfactory yet.
Bai Xieren breathed out a wisp of chaotic air as she steadied herself. If the Cloud Plane's forces were truly going to be targeted by the two largest organizations in this world, they didn't have a chance. Even if they brought a large number of people, their comprehensive strength was only roughly equal to Niflheim at most. Adding Asgard's forces on top of that…they didn't stand a single chance.
But there was no going back now. Before the Celestial and Star Squadrons arrived in a few weeks' time, she needed to set the stage in such a way that victory was a viable path.
And to do so…
[Receiving input…]
[Error!]
[Deciphering encrypted data…]
[Error!]
[Error! The Core Processor has sustained a substantial impact! Please evacuate while the system reboots itself!]
Bai Xieren commanded her mana, turning it into an incandescent white light that showered her body. As it seeped into her skin and came into contact with her bloodstream, the AI voice in her head began erratically sending messages.
But she didn't stop. The ongoing purge in Niflheim was already enough to be considered a betrayal by Asgard. There was no need for her to keep up false pretenses and allow them to control her.
The nanomachines from the AI chip were rapidly destroyed. A powerful stream of light even entered Bai Xieren's brain, encasing it in an inescapable cocoon.
[Requesting aid from the Administrator…]
[Contacting the Administrator…]
[Contact Failed!]
[Reattempting communication…]
[Failed!]
[Reattempting…]
[Failed!]
[Failed!]
[The Administrator is unavailable. Setting temporary Administrator as Bai Xieren.]
Only when she finally heard this message did she stop her assault. Unexpectedly, the AI processor and its nanomachines were quite stubborn. It took nearly an hour before it finally accepted her as the Administrator.
And while having Administrator permissions without access to the control rooms was mostly useless, it had one main benefit.
[Hidden Dragon Group, prepare to move.]
A message was sent to a few select individuals, only ever to be viewed by them. Because it was sent by an Administrator, it was both heavily encrypted and untraceable.
After the first message, many more were sent off in rapid succession. From the missions given to the Hidden Dragon Group members to orders for the regular Moon Squadron members, Bai Xieren gave as much instruction as she could within a few minutes.
Because that was all the time she had.
[Connection reestablished!]
With a light "ding!" sound, the AI processor rebooted itself, returning to its original chain of command.
Seeing this, Bai Xieren actually sighed in relief. Even if the time was short, she'd done all she could. Now all there was left to do was wait and hope that her people could bring her a miracle.
As for those miracle workers…
Five individuals in vastly different parts of the world received five different messages with extremely similar goals.
To kill.
Kill, kill, and then kill some more.
It wasn't a simple mission anymore, it was an order they were given extreme incentives to carry out.
To kill a Researcher was to gain a bit of wealth, but to kill an Executive was to gain a fortune!
The disparity of rewards naturally corresponded to the difficulty of the targets, but it didn't change the fact that many hefty prizes were being offered to them on a silver platter.
Whether it was Li Xiu, Jiang Hualing, Hebi, or even Long Chen, they were all tempted by these offers.
As for the final member of the Hidden Dragon Group…he was a bit preoccupied and missed the message entirely.
As such, four individuals silently made up their minds that night. They'd already heard about or personally seen what was happening in Evotech. Wouldn't the Cloud Plane's people lose face if they took such an insult sitting down?
From today onward, Niflheim would understand…
They would understand why that tiny faction in Asgard actually dared to oppose them.
