"Nohrell Voss Fenrith had fallen…"

  Ziyue’s voice chimed like a divine bell of revelation. Her purple eyes gleamed with dead seriousness.

  Silence swept through the alleyway. Zetius and Friederich exchanged a hesitant glance, scepticism and questions floating in their minds.

  "W~what do you mean? How?" Zetius stammered, stepping forward.

  "Long story short, Astral Empress Aurora has returned to her throne. Before she passed out, she mentioned defeating Nohrell in mortal combat at Namvie. Our intelligence agents are currently working to confirm Nohrell’s death," Ziyue replied, brushing her fingers gently against Zetius’s chest.

  "The holo particles that rained down during our mission were caused by the immeasurable clash of mana. Who would’ve thought the strongest arcanists would collide at roughly the same time?" Friederich interjected, sharing his keen observation.

  Ziyue nodded solemnly. "Some people call it the ‘Mana-fall’ phenomenon. Surely, the thread of fate has a way of orchestrating events with such horrific beauty."

  Confusion etched on Zetius’s face. He muttered as his thoughts raced, "The war is over, then? Why are they still here?"

  She shook her head. "Worse. Dunkelheit forces are now fractured. Scattered as they are, most operate for their own gain. A different ball game, to say the least!"

  Crossing his arms over his chest, Friederich spoke up, "Like when the Dunkelheit faction at the north fortress tried to strike a deal with former magistrate Tien Long before news of the fallen empress surfaced. They were being strategic in their own right." His voice was steady, his manner composed.

  Zetius listened carefully, trying to wrap his head around the political games. He nodded along with Friederich’s analysis.

  "Keen observation as always, Friederich," Ziyue praised, reaching to pat his head, only for him to dodge away.

  "Without direct orders from Astral Empress Nohrell, wars are erupting everywhere," Ziyue added with a shrug.

  Zetius’s expression darkened. His thoughts tangled, and words failed him.

  War begets tragedy, and tragedy begets death…

  And the cycle continues…

  Endless… His mind spiralled.

  "Zetius, let’s focus on our mission to rescue Aurelia first," Friederich’s voice snapped him out of it.

  He jolted upright and nodded vigorously. "Right—sorry."

  ***

  Late night…

  The absence of the moon left the entire fortress reliant on its scattered, sparse spotlights. It was a perfect night for a stealth operation.

  The covert team arrived at the perimeter, keeping low and hidden behind the shrub. Ziyue climbed a tree branch with ease to gain visuals for the team.

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  "What do we have here?" She mumbled.

  A solid modular wall, made from composite alloy, surrounded the compound. Inside, a large yard for Armatus storage sprawled to the left, now filled with nothing but scraps and damaged parts.

  Next to it were rows of modular accommodation units. At the far end of the compound, a battlecruiser over 300 metres in length thrummed faintly in the distance. Oddly, only a few patrols moved about.

  Ziyue dropped softly beside Zetius. “Hm, Lady Luck is on our side.”

  "It seems they’re evacuating at first light. They must’ve caught wind of their failed deal with Tien," she whispered.

  They nodded, then slipped toward the fence.

  Zetius examined the alloy wall, three metres high, thick and solid. "Are we really going to climb this?" he asked, uncertain.

  A faint smile tugged at Ziyue’s lips. She shook her head. "Watch this."

  She drew her arc blade, its edge patterned with wavy ridges. Spinning it into a reverse grip, purple flames ignited along the metal.

  With a few swift slashes, she carved a manhole through the wall. The metal collapsed into the dirt with a muffled thud.

  "Wow… that’s awesome," Zetius said in awe. It was the first time he’d witnessed such a powerful arc weapon, other than Lupus’s golden arc boots.

  Ziyue crouched and snuck through the opening to the nearest storage box, using it as cover.

  After scanning the area for threats, she called, "Clear!" and motioned for them to follow.

  She led the team to the right, toward the scrapyards, where the area was darker and less guarded.

  Zetius crouched behind one of the Armatus remnants, which looked like a long shaft. Once his eyes adjusted, he realised, "This was Pael’s cannon… the one I damaged during our battle," he murmured.

  The discovery reinforced their belief that Rhok and Aurelia were here.

  As they moved from cover to cover, Ziyue abruptly halted and raised a clenched fist as her signal to stop. Friederich and Zetius froze.

  "What a tedious job. We shouldn’t even be out here patrolling," a male voice grumbled as two figures emerged from the shadows, their torches integrated into their suits.

  "I just want to go home. This war’s dragged on long enough," the other said, frustration evident.

  They were just as tired of the senseless fighting as everyone else, but duty still called.

  "Tsk…" Ziyue clicked her tongue, raising her arc blade—

  Grasping her hand, Zetius leaned in and whispered, "Wait, Ziyue. Let’s knock them out."

  Her hand’s freezing… like a corpse, he noted internally.

  "We don’t have time for this," Ziyue argued, but he didn’t let go as they locked eyes intensely.

  "We make time. Unless absolutely necessary, we knock them out. Their helmets aren’t even on," Zetius said firmly, standing his ground.

  "Jeez… You owe me one for making this harder than it should be, Zetius," she muttered, but finally relented.

  As the patrols approached, walking lazily, two shadowy figures slipped behind them.

  "Ah—!" With swift chokes around their necks, the two patrols went limp.

  Ziyue pushed one into the dirt, while Zetius gently lowered the other before dragging both behind the scraps. The unconscious bodies were tucked out of sight.

  "See? Nice and easy," Zetius whispered with a grin. He hadn’t expected to actually convince her.

  Ziyue stared at him in disbelief before letting out a mocking sigh. "Whatever."

  The party proceeded to an intersection, where a tall guard tower stood. The spotlight here was intense, sweeping the ground and hindering their stealth.

  Beyond it lay a long concrete road leading to the colossal battlecruiser, about 200 metres ahead. Forklifts and P.N.I. bots flitted about, hurriedly loading the last of the supplies.

  "They seem to be leaving in a rush, working overtime like this," Ziyue observed keenly.

  She took cover behind a metal crate as Friederich and Zetius joined her.

  Studying the enemy's paths, she silently calculated the best approach.

  "What now?" Zetius whispered.

  "How about… I take the guard tower. You two handle the patrols on the ground, sounds great?"

  "Understood," Friederich said, and Zetius gave a sharp nod.