25th September, 2027

  It was early in the morning and all of the camps around Techonia were handling the civilians. Under the watch of the Numbered and the Grand Marshall, the forces of Iron Wolves were divided into multiple squads. Some of them were handling security, some others were handling the civilians and providing them care and one dedicated team was maintaining communication between the four camps around Techonia.

  "I am bored.. We are THE elite group among Vampires. Why are we doing menial tasks like patrolling and security when we can just walk into the Research Centre and fight our way to victory?" A young vampire who had recently been accepted into the Patrol Squad asked his senior, who was taking a round with him.

  "Because our seniors told us to. We don't question their order.. And we, especially do not question the orders from Lord 5th," The senior patroller reminded the young blood with a stern look in his eyes.

  "I know, Sir.. but why hasn't Lord 5th walked inside. He has that place surrounded. Nothing can go in or out without his permission. And it's not like he is the only one. Lady Elaira, the Acting Matriarch and the other Numbered are here too.. including Solvarez. There is no force in the world that can match all of them at once." The young vampire spoke as he turned his head to look at the human residents of Techonia.

  Though a lot of the humans were hesitant at first, they were co-operating because they were taking orders from the Proxy of Justifia.

  "And that's why we should be worried even more," The senior vampire reminded the young blood. "If someone like Lord 5th is hesitating. It's safe to assume that whatever is there can kill everyone present in an instant."

  Hearing these words from his senior sent a chill down his spine. He fell silent as he remembered all the nights when chills ran down his spine.

  But his silence was interrupted by his senior, who lightly tapped his back. "Wake up, dreamer. Though this situation is dangerous, we are safe as long as we follow Lord Fifth's orders,"

  The young vampire nodded before the two of them continued their patrol. But they didn't know that they were being heard.

  Despite how the barrier was set up to separate the two areas, such that no information passed between them, they could still hear everything.

  "It's a bit dull for my liking, but I'll make due with whatever information I've been provided with.. Though it's a shame I can't hear when that damned Proxy talks with his High Priest.." They made a sad face before they went to touch the barrier that was separating them from the world.

  And immediately upon touch, the barrier sent a shockwave through their arm, forcing them back.

  "78th failure.. What kind of structure can make a barrier like this?" They questioned as the last five days they spent to try and study the barrier didn't bear any fruit.

  __________

  Half an hour later,

  "The preparations have been done.. Elaira, I hope you are ready too.." Abraxas spoke as he was standing in front of the barrier. He knew that they were standing behind it, waiting for him to enter.

  "Yes, I am.." Elaira nodded from a distance. She was floating above the Northern Forests a few kilometres behind the camp, overlooking all other camps and the barrier covering the Research Centre.

  "Ole, is everything prepared in the camps?" Abraxas asked calmly to Ole who was a few kilometres east.

  "Yes, master.. I rechecked everything for all the camps." Omega replied almost instantly, which ended up scaring Morel who was standing beside her.

  Abraxas chuckled as he heard Omega explaining to Morel why she spoke out suddenly.

  "Kids.." Abraxas said with a smile before he looked back. "Elaira, do it.. Let's start the procedure. Proceed as per instruction."

  Elaira nodded before she covered her mouth with the handkerchief in her hand and muttered.

  "Complete Manifestation: String"

  In that moment, everything halted in its tracks. Those who could hear Elaira shivered and those who couldn't, fell asleep.

  The westwards wind began flowing east as a one-winged Angel seemed to descend over them. She held a bow in her hands and even from this distance, you could feel the concept molded by her existence.

  Affection of all kinds; good and bad; romantic and platonic.. She, who was adorned with the greatest scar of Phamis, the Goddess of Earth and Fertility, was wielding a concept as her weapon.

  The emotions and love she had molded into an Armor, covering her, protecting her. She was the guiding light at that moment.

  In that moment, everyone who was awake knew that they had to take care of the civilians who fell asleep. Then a godlike voice melted into the ears of those who were awake.

  "You are under protection."

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  In that moment, the teams that were split among the four camps understood what they had to do.

  "Since they had no place to go, you are keeping them under our protection while you protect us.. You are smart, Abraxas.. I will give you that," Austin spoke to himself as he looked around at the civilians being moved to their camp by the members of the Iron Wolves Covenant.

  He was shaking as the blessings of Rudandon were flowing throughout his body, but there was not a hint of fear in his eyes. He was ready to face whatever challenge would be thrown at him.

  "I was a fool to think I could challenge Lady Elaira.. Just seeing her from faraway is giving me goosebumps~" Rina said as the flowers of doom were covering her body.

  "We are so far away from her yet it feels like we are being stared down by a god.. At least we are used to it." Austin said as they were guarding the Western Camp with Lord 11th and Lady 12th, both of whom were making sure that the civilians were taken care of.

  The rest of the camps were in similar condition as everyone awake was being reinforced by Elaira and were doing their best to take care of Techonia's civilians.

  __________

  "This is my first time using it.. I didn't think it was this potent," Elaira muttered to herself as she looked at her bow.

  Her usual black bow turned red as every bit of design she made on it and every modification she ever applied on it was now fuelled by her emotions and the strings made out of the Holy Energy that flows through her veins was even stronger now.

  "Just how I like it," Elaira said before she aimed her bow at Abraxas, specifically his heart.

  "Just stay still, alright? This might hurt.." She said calmly before she shot an arrow from her bow.

  And just as she let go of the string, an arrow manifested in Abraxas's heart and pierced him. Yet he didn't move and in a near instantaneous fashion, the arrow was absorbed into his body and his heart was outlined by Elaira's Divine Art.

  "I got my eyes on you now.." Elaira said with a smile before she shot ten more arrows. All of which manifested behind him and pierced his back, yet he didn't so much as gasp as the blood poured out of the wounds before they were forcibly closed by the armor.

  And as the arrows were completely absorbed by his body, his sense of pain began to dull, his sense of time began to slow down and his body moved much, much faster.

  "Thank you, Elaira.." Abraxas said with a smile before a hole appeared in the barrier and almost instantly, a swarm of bee-size drones began to pour out of the hole but they didn't make far as large tentacles made of pure darkness began to squash them down, leaving none of them.

  And as the drones began to stick to his Armor and face, Abraxas ran inside and the small hole closed behind him. The tentacles disappeared soon after, after all the small drones were eliminated.

  __________

  "Not here.." Abraxas said as he was running inside the Research Centre to find 7th and the people who were abducted by them.

  "Yoo~hoo~ Proxy.. Looking for someone?"

  Abraxas stopped dead in his tracks before he looked up and saw them, in 10th's body. His expression turned to anger as he pointed his sword at them.

  "I will deal with you later," Abraxas said before he ran his way lower into the Research Centre. It was a maze that he needed to navigate to find the survivors.

  "Ah, pity.. I am not dumb enough to let you reach them that easily.. I will stop you if I must." They laughed before jumping down ten floors. They knew this place better than Abraxas as it has served them as their base for the last century.

  "You know, this body is faster and stronger than you in every way.. So why even bother running?" They said mockingly before they began to chase Abraxas, taking shortcuts through the facility and reaching the rooms he was searching for before him.

  To them, it was a game that they were winning. They needed to stall for time so they used whatever methods on hand.

  The entire Research Centre was booby trapped. Every step that Abraxas took had the chance to slow him down but he didn't have time to carefully disarm each trap so he ran through them.

  He was running while his face bled as shards of Argentite Steel were flying at him from all sides. And then there were them, who were treating this like a game of cat and mouse.

  Abraxas smiled to himself, as he stopped in the middle of the 1st basement floor.

  "Running won't get me anywhere." Abraxas said out loud before he felt someone appear behind him instantaneously.

  In that moment, Abraxas swung the Sword of Darkness while they dodged it pretty easily, before taking a step back.

  "Good reaction.. Unfortunately, this place is too big and I am too fast.. or should I say, you are too slow," They chuckled before letting out an evil laugh, which echoed through the basement.

  "Well, everyone is slow compared to something.." Abraxas when chuckled when an arrow manifested itself in front of their chest and pierced him.

  They tried to move away from the arrow that appeared out of thin air but weren't able to do it in time as it pierced through, barely missing the heart.

  "Hehehehhehe.." They began to laugh out even louder as a dozen more arrows appeared and pierced their torso, all of them missing the vital organs by small margins and nerves.

  "So that's what that asshole was doing.. I didn't know you maggots are capable of something like that? I have fought and killed a lot of Divine Transcendental Art users but none have had coordinated attacks like you.." They laughed as the arrows no longer manifested. "And it looks like thirteen is her limit for now.. I will kill you before the next thirteen come."

  And then, they lunged forward, aiming to pierce Abraxas's chest with their hands while hundreds of hidden drones armed with explosives strong enough to level a building sprouted out of the emergency sockets in the walls and headed straight towards Abraxas.

  Abraxas smiled as he saw this many targets coming at him. He didn't feel fear, even though he was kept alive by the Darkness closing his wounds and his regeneration barely keeping up with the wounds.

  They noticed it beforehand and instinctively rolled backwards, falling on their feet and rolling backwards until they hit the wall.

  "What was that just now.. I didn't command my body to move like that.." They said as they got up on their feet, before realising that all of the drones had vanished into thin air.

  "It's that stupid skill again.." They began running away as hundreds of thousands of small tentacles appeared under their feet.

  "Let us blow a few layers below us.. I wonder how far down we can go with this.." Abraxas smiled before the tentacles exploded, breaking the floors one-by-one.

  But they only exploded under Abraxas's feet. And the hole made was closed by the same thick darkness as the barrier encompassing the entirety of the Research Centre.

  When they realised Abraxas's goal, they shouted before trying to break the floor underneath them but the attempt was futile as Abraxas had already used Darkness to reinforce the floor. It was strong enough to not even bulge, even if he used the highest grade of explosives in Techonia.

  Though the bottom layers were even deadlier, they had no doubt that Abraxas would be able to survive them and be able to free the hostages below.

  "But he will have to come above for the real hostages.." They spoke out in frustration, knowing full well that the Proxy was avoiding them to save the hostages. But his preparation was too specific and it felt like he knew what they were.

  Because if he did, tHeiR cuRRenT prEpaRatiONs mIgHt noT bE enoUgH.