Chapter 86: The Vultures Of Vaeloria
"Guild Leader, do you think this is a good idea? Anyone who could have a Mythic-Tier equipment can’t be simple." A lady with a long sword asked, staring at the man standing before them. The air outside the villa was thick with the suffocating pressure of high-tier Awakened, a tense standoff that threatened to level the entire block.
Mythic-Tier equipment is beyond rare, and two times now, their Guild Leader had sensed it; this was actually the third time. But anyone who could use such a weapon must be SSS-RANK, right?
She looked over her shoulder at the other eight members, then at the destroyed gate; as the Vice Guild Leader, she should be rational here... They were all SS-RANK, only the Leader, and her were SSS-RANK. Although their combat power is strong, she wasn’t feeling at ease. The ruined wrought-iron gate lay twisted on the pavement, a testament to their forced entry. A raid on a private estate within Silverspire’s inner districts was an act of war, and doing it without reconnaissance was a terrifying gamble.
"Who cares if it’s a good idea or not! We are already here, our task is to take the equipment and leave... If the person refuses to hand it over, we will use force." He said arrogantly, staring at the guards lying unconscious before him.
’I can’t back down now... When I sensed the energy, my team and I were close by, so we rushed over, taking down anything that stopped us... But now.’ He moved his gaze around the sky. The clouds above seemed to ripple unnaturally, distorted by the cloaked presence of high-level observers.
’We aren’t alone... Even the Awakened Association are hiding in the dark, observing. They didn’t stop me because they also want to see this weapon... But no worries, once I get my hands on it, none of them will be able to stop me. And if I retreat, my guild will lose face. I must succeed.’ He thought, fist clenched. The political vultures of the Awakened world were circling, using his Guild as expendable pawns to test the waters of this mysterious estate.
Going back was out of the question; if he doesn’t take the weapon today, he might lose everything.
BAM!
The two double doors finally opened again, drawing every single soul’s attention. They watched as the guards who ran inside walked back outside, and stood on both sides of the door. Everyone held their breaths, as Juliana walked out, still in her armor.
The moment she took the morning sun rays, her armor glowed brightly, subconsciously spreading its energy all over the estate. The celestial threads of the Tempus set resonated with the natural light, weaving an impenetrable, shimmering domain around her small frame.
".....?!"
The Guild Leader and his members were stunned speechless; they thought it was only one Mythic-Tier equipment, but they were staring at a young woman fully dressed in Mythic-Tier equipment, and with the stable energy from everything, it was a complete set. The sheer impossibility of such a collection existing in one place broke their understanding of the world’s economy.
"Hahahaha!! I struck gold today!! If I can take all those pieces of Mythic-Tier equipment, my Guild will instantly become the number one guild in the whole of Vaeloria. No!! The whole world!!"
The Vice Guild Leader raised an eyebrow; She could tell the lady standing before them was just an F-Rank Awakened, then how the hell can she put on such powerful gears, and still remain untouched?! The backlash should have vaporized a mortal possessing such low base stats.
"Guild Leader!! She is only F-Rank!!" She quickly pointed out, while the Guild Leader looked over his shoulder at her.
"Why are you so worked up?! It’s clear she hid her true strength, with so many Mythic-Tier, she should be an SSS-RANK Mage Awakened. We just need to deal with her, and everything will be ours." He said coldly, and turned back to Juliana, stepping forward with an air of arrogance. His greed completely blinded him to the lethal anomaly standing on the porch.
"Young girl!! I am Richard Nixon, the Guild Leader of Dragon Guild, the top 4 guild in Vaeloria." He raised his hand, rubbing his white beard.
"You are just a Mage... You can’t do anything against an Assassin like me, simply come here, kneel down, spend seven nights with me, and deliver what we are after... If you comply, this won’t end badly. Besides, you can’t defeat us because we are the ruler of Southern region of Silverspire." He said with a smile, already seeing Juliana intimidated, begging him for mercy.
Juliana stared at him in silence:
’Fourth-strongest Guild in Vaeloria.’ She thought inwardly.
If it was the past Juliana, the girl trapped in the dark by her own family, used for profits rather than getting cared for; if she was still that same Juliana, she would be scared, trembling, but now...
The Aetheldawn family had already set their minds to escape their past, so the Juliana standing before them, wasn’t the same Juliana years ago. She had sacrificed her cultivation, shattered her own core, and risen from the ashes with absolute, divine power. She belonged to a new lineage now—one that did not cower before petty tyrants.
She raised one finger, and pointed at the gate, then spoke:
"Who destroyed the gate?" She asked. Her voice was perfectly calm, devoid of any fluctuation of fear or anger.
".....?!"
Richard was stunned; she actually ignored him, and asked about a gate! This was beyond disrespectful, especially to someone in his position as the fourth. To a sovereign of the Southern region, being dismissed like a common vandal was an unforgivable slight.
"How dare you ignore me?!!" He asked, stomping his foot on the ground, instantly creating cracks on the beautiful pavement on the ground.
Seeing his action, Juliana tilted her head to the side: "Seems you are the one who shattered the gate."
Her finger moved from the gate, to Richard, and the next moment, an arrow made of spirit energy appeared. There was no chant, no drawing of a bow, and no fluctuation of energy—it simply willed itself into existence, born from an absolute mastery of elemental creation.
"You dare attack me?!! You’re just an F-Rank!! Your Equipments are powerful, but they can’t bridge the gap between our rank---"
BOOOM!!!
The arrow smashed right into the Guild Leader’s face, sending him flying backward. He moved past his members, and smashed into the ground, rolling continuously until he stopped right outside the gate, covering hundreds of meters in seconds. The sheer force of the impact carved a deep, smoking trench through the manicured lawn.
SILENCE...
"....?!!"
Everyone stared at Richard, who was still on the ground, then at Juliana, who slowly lowered her hand. What sort of skill was that?! It was so fast none of them could even track it. Even the SSS-Rank observers hidden in the clouds flinched at the blinding speed of the projectile.
Behind the scenes, the terrifying mathematics of Asher’s gifts were silently working their absolute magic upon the world:
[Hit rate: +1,000%.]
[Attack Ability Effect: +500%.]
[Cooldown rate: +700%.]
[Ability: Infinite Creation: Use your spirit energy and create any non-living object. User can also use creations to attack, or defense; damage dealt with Creation increase by 200% of magical attack, and +200% in defense. Two second Cooldown. Divine-Tier Skill.]