While Damien made a beeline for Tephit, the rest of the main attack force split off into their own roles as well.
The Tephit Clan kept a loose structure like the other four clans on the surface, but their actual internal structure was extremely hierarchal. Anyone who fell out of this line would be executed without mercy.
The Tephit Clan had two Great Elders at the late-middle stages of 4th class, roughly around level 330, tens of High Elders at around level 300, and countless normal elders who were between levels 200 and 300 in strength.
The only Law Comprehension their bloodline allowed them was the same Law Comprehension that the other four clans used, just utilized with different methods.
Knowing these two facts made facing them far easier. Firstly, Maximus and Ria would fight against the Great Elders. They were both incredibly strong and held extreme familiarity with the strange laws of Aquazyl. They would take care of the two Great Elders faster than anyone else.
The Sanctuarians were in charge of the High Elders. Their strength lay mainly in the uniqueness of their laws, giving them an advantage during first contact. In a race against time like the current raid, they needed to capitalize on this advantage as much as possible.
The rest of the regular elders of the two clans would fight against the regular elders of the Tephit Clan. With these bases covered, there wasn't much left to do besides carry out the plan to perfection.
Of course, there was one more job. Zara moved silently through the battlefield. Her beast form stood at its smallest height, no different in size than a wolf cub. As she ran, her shadow split from her body and materialized into a copy of her.
The two versions of Zara moved in opposite directions, avoiding direct confrontation as much as possible.
Their job was completely unrelated to everyone else's. In fact, it was something only known to her and Damien.
But in the end, her role in this raid was likely even more important than Damien's, despite the fact that he was facing the Tephit Clan Head himself.
***
Maximus and Ria made it through the beguiling formation not long after Zara. Their steps were light and rapid, their location already set.
Boom! Bang!
A jet of mana and a fist shot out, pulverizing the two Tephit guards who tried to stop them. Passing the secondary defensive line, they prepped themselves for the most terrifying third.
But when they arrived, they only found empty space.
"T-that terrifying black wall is…" Ria muttered.
"M-mm, it's gone…" Maximus said, equally shocked.
They thought they'd grown accustomed to Damien's ferocity, but they were sorely mistaken. The terrifying black wall that used to reside in this space was a harrowing defensive measure and the main reason none of the other clans had been able to invade the Tephit.
That black wall contained a deathly energy that invaded one's body and corroded them from the inside out. This energy was so subtle that it was impossible to notice until the final stages of decay when one's body ceased functioning.
Not to mention, there were countless other dangers lurking within the water wall.
The clans of Aquazyl viewed this wall not as the Tephit Clan's property, but as the mark of the sovereign.
But now, in front of their eyes, that mark of sovereignty had vanished. They didn't know how Damien did it, but it was clearly his doing.
"Tch, it's not a good feeling being surpassed so much by a child," Ria mumbled in complaint.
Maximus smiled lightly and patted her on the head. "Well, there isn't much we can do about that. Shouldn't we just be content that the younger generation is surpassing the old?"
Ria pushed his hand away with a blush, replying, "hmph, don't think I can't see through you. You're just acting nice because you know he can't compete for sovereignty."
"I can't argue with that," Maximus shrugged, "but it's true that I respect him. If this raid ends in success…"
He didn't finish his words. Instead of posing hypotheticals, he'd much rather move into action.
The duo pressed their feet against the ground and pushed off, flying through the water with precision and speed that land dwellers could never replicate. Before even Damien reached the Clan Head, they were already at the Great Elders' abodes.
"Raka, Tilis, come out and fight me!" Maximus yelled.
"Hmm, so it has finally begun. Our time…has also come…" an aged voice rang out from within.
"Time…aye. It has truly been so long." A second voice joined it.
The residence's door opened slowly, revealing the figures of two old men. They were both unremarkable in appearance, but both Maximus and Ria's eyes hardened when they saw them.
"Stop working with Tephit. Join us and get away from his schemes. Only then can you live…teacher!" Ria yelled.
Raka and Tilis, two old men who had lived for untold millennia. They were not only elders of the Tephit Clan, but also the adored teachers of almost every Clan Head alive today.
One day a few hundred years ago, they broke their neutrality and joined the Tephit Clan. Nobody was able to find out why, nor did the two leave any hints.
In the end, the two didn't even help the Tephit Clan in any way. Their actions were incomprehensible.
But still, the two old men didn't budge on the decisions they made. Others…didn't need to understand their reasoning.
Tilis smiled warmly as he looked at the two Clan Heads. He remembered when they were still children who didn't even know how to use mana.
"Seeing how you two have grown…I'm truly overjoyed by your progress. And it seems you've found solace in each other. With the way you used to fight, who would've ever guessed?"
"Ha, your vision is too narrow. I predicted their matrimony long ago, you just never listened to me."
"E-elders!" Ria shouted in embarrassment. She glanced over at Maximus, only to see the dumb smile that had lit up his face.
"What? The two of you obviously want each other. Why are you hesitating so much?" Tilis said slyly.
The blush on Ria's face reddened. The two of them weren't even married yet! It was true they'd had more than just a little fun, and it was true that they cared for each other abnormally, but the Prominence War and their responsibilities didn't allow them to calmly accept marriage.
Nevertheless, there wasn't time for idle conversation at the moment. As much as she wanted to speak to her former teachers, Ria understood her priorities.
The Tephit Clan needed to be exterminated. Until that happened, they needed to delay the two elders. They already knew that defeating them was impossible.
Maximus was the same. Marriage might not have been possible at the moment, he would have all the time in the world to consider it in the future. For now…
The two flared their auras and readied themselves. To fight against the beings who raised them and taught them to fight in the first place…
Whether emotionally or technically, this fight would be extremely difficult for them.
