Hours later, Genevieve and Benjamin finally completed their Heavenly Domain Challenge, leaving the beginner domain.
This ti, Nightingale was prepared, mobilizing the full force of guild Echelon to secure the passage of their champions.
Genevieve and Benjamin arrived in the Heavenly Domain safely.
Only Aria’s Reckless Storm was killed.
...
An hour after Genevieve and Benjamin’s arrival...
The inn’s lanterns flickered, casting long shadows across the wooden walls. The atmosphere was unusually quiet for the core of Guild Echelon, as if the entire room held its breath.
Noah’s Lord Doom leaned back against the window, arms crossed, his piercing gaze locked onto Aria’s Reckless Storm.
Across from him, the Blademaster lounged in a chair, posture deceptively relaxed, though her fingers drumd rhythmically against the armrest.
She looked like a coiled viper, waiting to strike.
Caleb, Genevieve, Benjamin, and the others stood around, silent. They knew better than to interrupt, even Benjamin.
Noah finally spoke. "What did you drop?"
Aria smirked, flipping a dagger between her fingers. "Just an inconsequential spare sword".
A blatant lie.
She had definitely lost sothing valuable, but that wasn’t the point.
Noah studied her. The way her golden eyes burned like embers, that barely restrained feral hunger in her expression. Noah sighed, he recognized that look.
Then she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, and looked straight into Noah’s eyes.
Slowly, a devilish grin stretched across her face.
"I want revenge".
Silence.
Three simple words. No one was surprised really, but they all felt the weight of those words.
Aria wasn’t asking for so aningless battlefield skirmish. She wasn’t interested in ambushing stragglers or sniping at the edges of enemy territory.
No. She wanted sothing bigger, sothing unforgivable.
She wanted to march straight into Sanctuary City, the very heart of the top guilds in the Heavenly Domain, and tear it apart from the inside.
Noah grimaced. ’They just had to go provoke her of all people!’
’Killing would have been even better’.
Caleb whistled in a low tone, shaking his head. "Damn, you’re insane".
Genevieve frowned. "That’s... reckless".
Benjamin, ever the joker, grinned. "I like it".
Noah, however, didn’t react. Not yet. He studied her expression, watching for hesitation while coordinating his thoughts.
To his dismay though, there was no hesitation in her expression, just cold, ruthless, and firm determination.
Aria ant every word.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Noah exhaled. A slow, deliberate breath. ’There’s no going back now’. He thought.
Then, the corners of his mouth curled into a smirk.
"Fine".
Just one word but it ant the whole world.
Chaos was about to descend upon Sanctuary City.
...
Sanctuary City, Guild hall of Scarlet Rose...
The room was buzzing with voices of triumph, the air thick with self-satisfaction. The pro players who had led the ambush against Aria stood tall, reporting their success to Jonathan, captain of Club Scarlet Rose, as guild mbers gathered around to listen.
For the operation to suppress guild Echelon and Lord Doom’s growth, Jonathan was the default leader of the allied guild forces.
After reporting to Jonathan, they waited in anticipation.
They expected praise.
They expected Jonathan to grin, to comnd them for taking down Aria, Reckless Storm’s controller, one of Echelon’s top fighters.
They expected anything but what actually happened.
At first, Jonathan stared at them in disbelief. Then he roared, slamming his palm against the ornate eting table with a force that sent goblets and reports flying chaotically.
"What?!" He bellowed.
The room froze. Conversations died. Every head turned toward him, shock and confusion flickering across their faces.
Jonathan’s face was drained of color, his usual composed expression shattering. His fingers trembled slightly as he pointed at the team standing before him.
"You... you guys killed Aria?!"
Pro players did not have a lot of ti on their hands. Unlike Jonathan who was more than willing to co to the ga to bully an old rival of his, other pro players were not as disposed.
This was why instead of the core pro players, the bench players and new recruits of the pro clubs were the ones to participate in this mission.
They were still better than normal ga experts though.
The pro players looked at each other after Jonathan asked, uneasy. One of them, a Paladin, cleared his throat.
"Uh... yeah? She was outnumbered. We took the shot".
Jonathan cursed, his pulse pounding in his ears.
"F*ck! You just had to do it!"
The others exchanged confused glances, even Scarlet Rose’s in-ga guild leader and his subordinates. Why was their guild leader panicking?
They had just eliminated one of Echelon’s top players, soone who had been wrecking their forces for weeks.
This should be good news.
One of the recruits chuckled. "Co on, boss. It’s Aria. We outplayed her. She’s not..."
Jonathan shot him a glare so intense that the words died in his throat.
"You have no idea what you’ve done". Jonathan growled.
The players shifted uncomfortably.
He ran a hand through his hair, feeling the cold sweat on his skin.
Jonathan knew Aria.
He had fought against her countless tis in the pro scene. He had seen firsthand what she was capable of when she was pissed off, the way she tore through teams, how she adapted mid-fight, how she turned impossible odds into absolute victories.
Heck, he feared her.
Especially after that MVP-winning season.
She wasn’t just a player; she was a force of nature, a mad dog.
And these idiots had just given her the perfect excuse to unleash that storm upon them, the perfect excuse to unleash her madness.
He swallowed. "Show what she dropped".
One of the Spellblades, still smirking, pulled the sword from his inventory and placed it on the table.
Jonathan looked at it.
His breath hitched. "Curses!" He cursed again.
It wasn’t worth it.
A spare sword, nothing of real value.
They hadn’t crippled her; they hadn’t ruined her progression. All they had done... was just piss her the f*ck off!
Jonathan leaned back in his chair, suddenly feeling exhausted.
The other guild leaders, top pro players, recruits, elites, were all watching him, waiting for an explanation.
He didn’t have the energy to explain it to them though.
Instead, he exhaled slowly. Then, in a voice grim and unwavering, he issued a single warning.
"Prepare yourselves for war".
So of the others chuckled nervously. "You’re joking, right?"
"They wouldn’t dare, would they?"
"Trouble was asleep and you decided to wake it, so...", Jonathan shrugged.
Then he stared at them, eyes as cold as steel.
"A vengeful wraith is coming".
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