Several hours before the sudden ambush. Histis Border, Layana City, Havanuheta Province.
Around seven people gathered in the dimly lit room of an abandoned building, listening intently as one of their companions vented his frustration about frequently encountering supernatural entities and the reprimands he received from his superiors.
"Andreas... how long are you going to keep acting like this?" asked a man with wrinkles around his eyes.
Andreas, the leader of the group, stopped his rant and looked at the silhouettes of his companions, who were watching him closely.
"Don't let it get to you," he said, jumping down from the crate he had been sitting on. "As for the hunt, we..."
A sudden and powerful pressure cut him off. The old building where they had taken shelter trembled, followed by the sound of falling debris and creaking cracks from the moss covered structure.
Not wanting to be buried alive, even as Receivers and Hollows who could destroy a building in an instant when the situation called for it, they decided to rush outside together to investigate the source of the pressure that had made their souls tremble for a moment.
As their feet touched the stone path in the building's courtyard, they seemed to share a single thought; they all looked up, startled by the strange state of the sky above them.
In an instant, the sky turned pitch black before returning to normal. What made them uneasy was that traces of spiritual energy could still be felt, even though its source was miles away.
"W... what was that?" one of them muttered hesitantly.
The black haired man beside him looked skeptical.
"That is exactly what you think it is," he said before glancing at the others.
Andreas lost his focus for several seconds, then quickly dismissed the thought and ran.
"Follow me!" he ordered firmly.
Without asking questions, the other six hurried after Andreas wherever he led them, fully aware of the problem and knowing exactly what they had to do once they arrived.
...
Near a forgotten place in western Histis, a group of buildings stood firmly despite the marks left by time, while moss and wild vegetation nearly concealed the structures from view.
Aaron had anticipated that a situation like this would arise sooner or later, especially one involving occultism.
'Which faction do they belong to?'
He tried to examine the emblems and badges adorning the elegant blue and gold military style uniforms worn by the seven people.
Five of them were imposing and dignified men, while the other two were pale skinned women, made even more elegant by the unique touch of their velvet hats and additional accents of shimmering silver.
Aaron was momentarily captivated, reminded of a woman he knew, although her actual behavior was nothing like her appearance.
Besides, he was not the type of person who would ask his enemies, "Who are you?"
He focused on their slightest movements, anticipating a sudden high level or forbidden spell.
They were thinking the same thing; clearly, the seven people realized that they were fugitives who had inadvertently formed a group.
However, calling them a "group" was an inaccurate term, because each of them regarded the others merely as long term allies necessary to achieve their respective goals.
Although Aaron had a different perspective, considering them comrades, he remained skeptical about sharing personal details of his life with them. He had only entrusted a few fragments of his past to Zavi Actitus: his journey to the Kingdom of Synomia and his visit to his elder sister were among them.
There was no reaction from the targets they had encountered; one of the pursuers whispered,
"They seem to match the rumors circulating in the underworld."
Andreas narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean?" he muttered, seeking confirmation.
The neatly combed brown haired man used his spirit vision to answer, "That pale woman dressed in black is none other than an evil spirit in disguise."
"What level?" the woman sharply interrupted.
The man beside her smiled.
"As usual, Cyla always speaks in such a rude tone," he said sarcastically.
A man with wavy black hair and a dark mark beneath his left eye sharply responded to his companion's comment.
"Don't provoke her; do you want to end up in one of her rat traps?"
The slightly long black haired man frowned and answered, "No."
He fell silent afterward, etching the advice into his mind so that he would no longer look for trouble with a woman like her, even though they were both part of the same unit.
Zavi took advantage of the moment, summoning box jellyfish around them and taking the initiative to attack.
Zap.
One of them was stung, while another managed to evade it by jumping down before a sufficiently large explosion erupted from the box jellyfish entity.
Boom!
Zuhen and the others instinctively jumped backward at Zavi's sudden movement, each preparing to face them with their full strength.
The venom seeped into the neatly combed brown haired man's body, slowly but surely. The remnants of the exploding box jellyfish were replaced by a clone of "James Moriarty" holding a stolen pistol aimed directly at the man.
Bang!
The bullet shot through the air, but before it reached its target, it shattered into pieces and fell downward.
James Moriarty clicked his tongue, his gaze sweeping across the six people who instinctively stared at him with murderous expressions.
"Are you alright, Senlock?" the black haired man shouted from below, his heart feeling as though it were being torn apart.
Senlock's body trembled violently as he lost his balance while standing, staggering like a drunk before plunging downward with his head landing first.
Thud.
The sound echoed longer than it should have.
For a moment, the world spun one hundred and eighty degrees. Within a second, he felt a suffocating sensation; the venom attacked his skin cells and nerves before rapidly making its way toward his heart.
A pale white aura enveloped his body, concealing him so that no one else could see him.
Senlock realized that if he failed to neutralize the venom before his body was damaged from within, he would certainly die within half a minute.
Zavi moved instinctively; the James Moriarty clone disintegrated completely, leaving no trace behind. His gaze immediately fixed upon the man who had managed to survive the venom of the box jellyfish he had created.
He slowly backed away, realizing that they would soon come after him now that the attention of the six people before him had shifted toward him.
With that thought, he prepared to draw the Hoisline fan artifact while preparing himself for a possible sudden attack.
Of course, he was not alone. Aware that his contracted creature was with him, Zavi knew he could fight them without releasing his full power.
He was already operating at the limits of his abilities, especially after performing the advancement ritual several minutes earlier.
'What kind of ritual would draw them to a place like this? Did he forget to mention that important detail?'
Zavi glanced at Zuhen, who stood together with the others in front and to the right. He immediately dismissed the thoughts running through his mind.
The situation was not going as he had imagined; after the advancement ritual, he had intended to head straight to the station to continue his journey to Vinohoshi Province. However, after encountering a group of people who recognized him as a fugitive, he and his companions had no choice but to confront them before continuing with their travel plans.
"Aaron..." Zavi suddenly said.
Aaron, who had been quietly observing them, slowly turned toward Zavi.
Zavi quickly added:
"Take this..."
The familiar object he meant floated through the air, and Aaron caught it without any unnecessary movement. Aaron immediately smiled, realizing the simple plan.
The six observers watching from a distance speculated that a high level artifact was about to be used, considering that their target was wanted by various organizations and evil factions.
Meanwhile, Senlock narrowed his eyes at the object while all five of his fingers clenched tightly around his military uniform.
Without giving them a chance to launch the first attack, one of them took out their Recipestele.
A puff of white smoke appeared, accompanied by thick fog that momentarily obscured their vision, trapping them like rats caught in a glue trap.
"What exactly is happening?" Zuhen quickly scanned his surroundings before deciding to summon Tell.
Tell emerged after the summons, her tiny fingers briefly pinching Zuhen's cheek while she flashed a sharp grin and carried him out of the "cage."
The six people scattered, momentarily forgetting that their companion was still struggling against the searing pain.
And when they realized it, one person was missing. Now, all six focused on ganging up on the three remaining people, unleashing all out attacks to incapacitate them.
The third level evil spirit, Nammeridya, exerted tremendous pressure by releasing her spiritual energy.
The surrounding ground shattered into pieces, the dust swept away by the fierce night wind at lightning speed.
The woman appeared before Celvira; a crystal ball floating in her palm swiftly struck Celvira's human form.
Dissolution.
Celvira's human body shattered, but she restored herself to her original state thanks to her super fast regeneration ability.
The woman clicked her tongue, jumped backward, and glanced toward her female comrade standing on her right.
The contract had severely restricted her spiritual power, and she was no longer as powerful as she had been that day. However, relying on her cunning, she incited the evil and vengeful spirits inhabiting the area to attack the two women assaulting her.
The shrill screams of the spirits shook their souls, causing the two women to freeze in place.
Seeing this, their companions immediately moved to help from a distance, while Aaron skillfully attempted to intercept them.
Not far from there, amid explosions that illuminated the abandoned site with pale blue light, casting a glow over the silent surroundings, Felina stood firm against Andreas and the black haired man.
She fought while cursing, both because of the dire situation she faced and because of the cruel fate that repeatedly forced her to fight two men at once.
Luck was on her side this time, after realizing that her Prefence ability was exploding throughout her body.
She could release a light imbued with suffering, which pierced and sucked away anything it passed through.
The two men had no trouble avoiding it, as the light was met with resistance from their abilities.
Receivers of the Shaman, at their second level, Ultimate Black Magic.