Intrusion

In the barren outskirts.

A woman was being chased by several people in black clothing. They were soaring through the air and the people in black were slowly catching up.

They seemed to be heading in the direction of the Nine Towers. It could be spotted from afar, however, it was quite small from their perspective.

The people in black clothing caught up, and without a word, they attacked.

Several Qi blades slashed at the woman, who turned around to block it.

The woman was knocked away by the impact, and landed on the ground. The mercenaries surrounded her in a circular formation.

The woman was coughing up blood, while the mercenaries just stared. Their orders were to gain confirmation of certain information from the woman.

The mercenaries began to close the distance, pulling out their assortment of weapons threateningly.

One person appeared behind the woman, and held their blade to her neck.

"Are the rumors true? Did your father really fail his tribulation?"

The mercenaries began to question her, but the woman's face remained stoic.

Suddenly, in one quick action, the woman took out a jewel. She quickly crushed it in her hand.

The woman and the mercenary behind her were sucked into a vortex, and the other assassins watched, dumbfounded.

A mercenary mumbled under his breath. "The information never specified such an artifact..."

The mercenaries no longer knew what to do. It was clear the artifact tore through space, so it was either made by a Sage, or the woman's father, as his tribulation was to get to said level of spatial manipulation.

The mercenaries had some deliberation amongst them, and decided to report back to their employers. They internally prayed for the new guy in their hearts.

In the concealed alley.

Rhad was already in a bad mood. Once he took in the weak Joe, his spatial artifact broke down. He had to spend what felt like several hours fixing it, but was actually only about half an hour.

By the time Rhad got to the Nine Tower Center, Joe had already left. He spent some of his mental power tracking him down, and he found him in a silent alleyway.

'What a great opportunity!' Rhad was internally jovial. He was already planning to harvest this young man's Wisdom, and he walked into a place without any witnesses all on his own!

He walked into the alleyway after casting a concealment spell, and looked at Joe. He then remembered Joe's immense potential, and decided to offer him a deal before his harvest. He decided to tell him his background.

He wouldn't normally do this, because if his prey somehow escaped, they would be against the Nine Towers, and not his faction. This was because since he asked them to join the Nine Towers, they would expect he was from the Nine Towers.

If Joe escaped this time, he would be against the Immoral Wizard faction, and not the Nine Towers.

Anyways, after his offer, Joe remained speechless. He thought it was to be expected, after such an informational dump. He waited a bit longer, and just as he saw Joe open his mouth, a deafeningly loud crash sounded within the alleyway.

Rhad knew that sound. It was the ear piercing sound that echoed when his spatial device broke.

…

[The Host should maintain silence and conform to the enemy's expectations. The entity with similar strength is quickly approaching, and should be able to reach the Host within several more seconds]

Upon hearing that, Joe remained silent instead of answering right away. He looked at Rhad, and slowly opened his mouth.

[Entity on site. Host is now either dead, or temporarily safe]

A deafening sound came from behind Rhad as he quickly turned around.

A bloodied woman fell out of a pitch black vortex, with what seemed to be a man in black falling out after her.

The woman slowly stood up while the man in black was vomiting. The woman scanned everyone in the alleyway.

The woman stood in her spot, seemingly waiting for someone to speak.

Joe stared at the woman, analyzing her features. She had a beautiful face with black eyes, and although she was bleeding, her skin was white and smooth.

Rhad spoke first.

"Who are you people? How did you get here?"

"We don't wish to fight. We have already escaped from a tough battle."

Once Joe heard these words, fear gripped his heart. If they didn't fight, he wouldn't have a chance to escape, and he would likely die. Of course, he could also bend over and become an Immoral Wizard, but he would save that option for last.

Joe decided to ask for help in a crisis, even though things seemed quite hopeless already.

"Um, that man is an Immoral Wizard." Joe pointed to Rhad as he spoke.

"If he's as important as he showed himself to be, maybe you could get a reward or something to heal your injuries by turning him in." Joe was already sweating by the time he finished his sentence.

He watched on anxiously as Rhad glared at him, and the woman seemed to be deliberating her options.

After several seconds, the woman stared at Joe with a smile. Although Joe didn't realize, it was rather forced.

"Well in that case, sure. I'll help you."