“Then it’s settled,” Vince said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Prepare to move out in thirty minutes. Everyone shares contact frequencies—status updates every half hour. No exceptions.”

Embercrag and the Havoc Division began filing out.

Outside, Finnegan exhaled heavily. Several of his subordinates did the same, rubbing their necks as if the pressure still clung to their skin.

“The aura of a Supreme… it’s damn near suffocating,” Finnegan muttered. “Obsidian’s on a completely different level.”

Gideon gave a rueful chuckle. “Charles must be one of the original members—old guard, from the previous Obsidian generation. Still, I didn’t expect their current team to grow this strong in just six months.”

He hesitated, then added under his breath, “Especially Axel.”

Finnegan shot him a curious look. “You used to have bad blood with them, didn’t you? Why the sudden change of heart?”

Gideon shrugged. “Personal grudges are personal. But when it comes to missions like this, you follow the ones who can actually get the job done.”

Finnegan nodded in agreement. “Let’s hope Vince’s caution pays off. They’ve got a top-tier Level Five in their lineup. That alone makes them worth following.”

........

Meanwhile, down the corridor, the members of Embercrag shed their unpolite expressions the second they were out of sight.

Mackenzie sighed, rubbing her temple. “Captain, we misjudged them. Obsidian wasn’t trying to steal the credit.”

Dale leaned against the wall, his expression cooling into something unreadable. “No. We just underestimated them—or more precisely, Vince.”

Their original plan had been simple: push for a direct sweep to monopolize the mission’s glory. The operation was classified as A-level, but the payout and political value were huge.

As a newly formed team, Embercrag lacked the seniority to apply for elite status. But if they could track down and eliminate Valerie before Obsidian or the Havoc Division did, that would change overnight.

That was the whole reason for their earlier provocations—to bait Obsidian into following their orders, ensuring Embercrag controlled the tempo and, by extension, took the credit. Vince’s cautious plan, on the other hand, would force an even split of any reward.

“I thought they were trying to hog the spotlight,” one of the Embercrag men said bitterly. “Didn’t expect them to be monsters.”

Another man—a pudgy, slick-looking type named Carlos—snorted. “We’ve got two top-tier Level Fours on our side. If the Havoc Division hadn’t sided with them, the balance would be different.”

A woman across from him let out a sharp laugh. “Really? Axel from Obsidian just won the Academy Competition. He took down Terrence from the Starcrest family head-on. Can you do that, Carlos?”

Color drained from Carlos’s face. He looked away and said nothing.

“Enough.” Dale’s voice cut through their squabbling like a blade. “Carlos, Gilbert—you two focus on your breakthroughs. I want you at Level Five as soon as possible.”

The men nodded, cowed, and left to gather their equipment.

When the room finally emptied, Mackenzie leaned close to Dale, lowering her voice. “Captain… if we find Valerie before they do, are we obligated to report it?”

Dale’s lips curved into a thin smile. “The situation’s unstable. If she’s found, hesitation could get people killed. Better to eliminate her immediately—report after the fact.”

In other words… no one needed to know.

Dale’s eyes gleamed faintly with lightning. “Go get ready.”

“Axel, what’s your take?”

Vince smiled as he approached. Axel sat quietly beside him, his usual presence unusually muted today. In the past, whenever things got complicated, Vince would’ve looked to him for judgment.

“Captain,” Axel said at last, “what if Valerie slips away?”

Skyfleet Town was sprawling, with three satellite villages surrounding it. Even with a full-force ambush, there were too many routes to escape.

“You’re right,” Vince nodded. “That’s why we’ll deploy the Prisoner’s Sky Curtain.”

He turned toward the Havoc Division’s camp, where the equipment was being prepared. “It’s a B-plus grade Original Instrument—designed by Krythos’s Level Nine Awakener, the so-called Instrument King.”

Kaia and Phoenix perked up, curiosity lighting their faces. “Wait, the Instrument King?”

Axel remembered the name immediately. Back in Shiverstone, Terrence and the others had once talked about challenging that man’s puppet formation—a legend among inventors.

“Yes. He’s been retired for years, but the military and the Krythos Guild still use half his designs. The Prisoner’s Sky Curtain is one of his masterpieces. When activated, it seals off a set radius. Any Awakened who enters or leaves gets marked by the Curtain.”

“Unless someone’s a Level Seven or higher, that mark can’t be erased. So even if Valerie tries to run, she won’t get far.”

The Havoc Division had borrowed the device directly from headquarters.

“It burns through energy fast, though,” Charles sighed. “Headquarters probably wants this done quick. They wouldn’t lend that thing otherwise.”

“Yeah, old man,” Millers laughed. “Weren’t you supposed to be retired by now?”

Charles chuckled and patted Millers on the shoulder. “I was worried about you brats. But now that you’re all grown, I’ll go back to farming after a few more runs. When this is over, come by my place for dinner.”

“Deal!” Kaia said brightly, swinging her long legs off the bench, her grin pure sunshine in the fading light.

Millers, while checking his gear, suddenly noticed Axel fiddling with a few shimmering crystal stones. His eyes widened.

“Holy shit—Essence Stones and Soul Stones? You’re holding onto treasures like that?”

Axel blinked. “They’re not for eating, Millers.”

Millers snorted, clearly envious. “Obviously I know that. But these things aren’t just good for body and mind—they make incredible explosives.”

He reluctantly handed the stones back.

“Explosives?” Axel asked, brow furrowed.

Before Millers could answer, Kaia smacked him on the head. “Don’t fill his brain with your nonsense. Axel, don’t waste those on your tinkering!”

Millers rubbed his scalp, pouting. “Yeah, yeah. But for us mech-types, it’s a dream to weaponize something like that.” His eyes gleamed with mischief again. “You infuse these with Force and trigger them with mental energy—boom. Massive blast radius. Grind it into powder and strap it to a bomb? Absolute carnage.”

He was rambling excitedly when Kaia caught his ear and dragged him off, scolding.

Charles laughed from the side, watching his team bicker and tease each other. “It’s good to see them like this again,” he murmured, warmth in his voice.

.......

Half an hour slipped by. The sky deepened into amber and crimson as dusk settled.

In the Embercrag quarters, Mackenzie was zipping up her gear bag. Though in her thirties, she took meticulous care of herself. Even here, waiting in Ebonveil, she’d found time to do her makeup—a small luxury before the hunt.

She was just finishing when something made her pause. In the mirror, behind her reflection, another face stared back—gray, lifeless, weathered.

Her pulse spiked. “Who the hell are you?”

As a Level Five Awakener, Mackenzie’s instincts were razor sharp. She spun and flicked a Hidden Arrow without hesitation. The weapon cut through the air—and vanished into silence.

Her eyes widened. Not even the whisper of sound. The room was dead quiet. Too quiet.

“Spatial Silence,” she realized, her heart sinking. Whoever this was, his power dwarfed hers.

She didn’t panic. Years of training kicked in. She lunged sideways, aiming to crash through the back wall and escape—

But the man didn’t even flinch.

As the arrow struck, his body shifted—growing taller, broader. His skin darkened, turning to something like granite. The arrow clinked off and dropped to the floor, harmless.

Before she could process what she was seeing, he was in front of her—hands snapping up like lightning. His fingers closed around her throat, pressing her hard against the wall.

His face was calm, almost gentle. Then his grip tightened.

A dry crack echoed in the silence. Mackenzie’s body went limp.

The man let her drop, methodically stripping her gear and setting her onto the toilet seat. He uncorked a small vial and poured its contents over her skin.

Her head tilted lifelessly, makeup running down a pale cheek.