The Tephit Clan's main headquarters was in shambles.",
In a mere half an hour, the defenses had already been more than just breached. Following the elite team's entrance, a drove of weaker practitioners entered the fray, taking to the stage and slaughtering any Tephit Clan member they saw.
At the forefront of this charge were characters like Feng Qing'er, Lunaria Snow, and Elitra. This trio of women especially stood out amongst the crowd, showcasing their beauty and prowess with grandeur as they bulldozed through the Tephit Clan.
Lunaria's ice was extremely harrowing to these residents of the sea. Compared to those in the Emperor Bone Sea, Aquazyl's denizens were incredibly sensitive to mana, even more so mana they'd never encountered before.
Ice Laws were a variation of Water Laws, and in a sense were weaker. Because ice only accounted for a single state of water, it naturally didn't have the flexibility of pure Water Laws.
However, Water Laws didn't have much attack power. The Tephit Clan was particularly weak to this power.
The Tephit Clan's mana moved similarly to the residents of the unnamed world under Niflheim. Their mana didn't translate well externally, forcing them to use ingenuity to counter this weakness.
They relied on technology more than any other clan, and in most cases, this fact gave them a massive advantage in strength and tactics.
Against Ice Laws, however, they didn't have much of a counter. Ice was perfect for corroding the internals of a machine. Even more so if that machine was surrounded with water as was the case for any instrument in Aquazyl.
3rd class soldiers fell like flies in front of Lunaria. It got to the point where even those at the peak of that level were unable to touch her.
At that time, a sudden change took place.
The Ice Phoenix Runes that surrounded Lunaria's body shifted and morphed into a cocoon that swallowed her whole. A flurry of World Energy rushed in from all sides, trapping her inside an impenetrable barrier.
Lunaria had been fighting without pause for over a week now. In this climate where her ice element thrived, she found her comprehension increasing at a rapid pace.
Her bloodline purity was already more than enough. She didn't have a need to evolve further. Now that her comprehension had caught up to her bloodline and bodily strength…
Her Baptism was finally underway.
Feng Qing'er's eyes widened when she noticed this.
"Everyone! Protect Luna and make sure nothing can bother her! When she finishes her Baptism, we have one more 4th class to lead us to victory!"
Her words were received with a loud hoorah. The allied forces' morale was heightened greatly. After all, who wouldn't be excited to watch a Baptism? Not to mention, the person being Baptized was an ally!
To say Feng Qing'er wasn't jealous of Lunaria's advancement would be a lie. As someone who was desperately waiting for her own opportunity to advance, she would of course feel negatively seeing others reach that benchmark before her.
But this was Luna, this was her best friend. Lunaria and she had been together since they were young. Never once did they separate.
Even when they quarreled, they never let a disagreement stand between them.
This case was the same,
'Luna may have achieved her Baptism before me, but I'll make sure to reach Divinity before she can!'
This was Feng Qing'er's predominant thought. Rather than letting jealousy cloud her mind, she used Lunaria's achievement as fuel for her growth, determination to compete even harder.
She hadn't received her Baptism yet, this much was true. But it was also true that the amount of fire elemental energy in the surroundings was nill. Even if she was already qualified to receive a Baptism, it would be impossible for her to actually undergo it until she returned to either the Sanctuary or the outside world.
Feng Qing'er's mana flared. Her bloodline burned fiercely as she let out flames of reincarnation that even burned through the mana-filled water around her.
She'd been focusing on training by allowing her flames to be suppressed by the atmosphere until now. But with Lunaria taking a major step ahead of her, she could no longer hold back.
Reincarnation Flame, the Flame of Samsara, it wasn't something a mere Aquazyl could suppress. Only if the Sea God himself arrived to stop her would this happen.
Burning Fire Phoenix Runes manifested one after another, painting the sky in a terrifying red light. The water burned, turning into flame.
"If I can't ascend to the heavens right now, then I'll spend my time sending the rest of you to hell. Just be happy it isn't me being Baptized right now."
The surrounding Tephit Clan members looked at her in shock.
Be happy?! With the way she was slaughtering them, how could they ever even consider it?! And based on her words, was the woman undergoing Baptism even more terrifying than even her?
"Destroy the World Energy Barrier!" Someone shouted.
The Tephit forces moved with haste to accomplish that exact purpose.
But their charge only made Feng Qing'er's smile widen.
'I was getting worried since we weren't given Dimensional Beads to use, but this is great. Luna…is the perfect bait to lure these suckers into my trap!'
Feng Qing'er's finger itched. To pull the trigger…she would wait until all available parties were gathered first.
***
The main building at the very center of the Tephit Clan's main headquarters was shaped like a modern skyscraper. Stained glass windows lined its surface, rising up into the sky and painting the word below in a mural of various colors.
This building was usually heavily populated not only with elders, but also common workers who took care of the clan's security in the Clan Head's stead.
But today, only two were present.
They sat at the peak of the skyscraper overlooking the Tephit Clan. Across the table from one another, they calmly sipped tea and watched the ongoing chaos.
"This is interesting…" the larger man said. His eyes panned away from the destruction as if it meant nothing to him. "I knew this day was coming, but I never expected to proceed with such an amusing turn of events."
His eyes landed on the man across from him. That man was indifferent sipping tea, savoring its taste as if nothing in the world could harm him.
"You actually dared to show up. Aren't you afraid I'll slaughter you where you stand?" Tephit pressed on.
"Do you think you have the ability?" The man questioned back casually.
Tephit's eyes widened. His mouth widened into a grin as he struggled to suppress his laughter.
"You're quite the amusing one, though I already said it once. Nevertheless, you must have your reasons for visiting me so cordially. Isn't that right, Mister Damien Void?"
Damien's indifferent eyes glanced over to the Clan Head. "Fine, if you want to skip the small talk, I'm extremely happy to do so. I've come here with a single proposal for you. Your fate resides on your answer."
"How fun," Tephit responded with a smile. "Tell me, then. What is your question."
Damien nodded. With utmost seriousness painting his face, he spoke.
"How do you feel about coming to work under me?"
