Gyo

Above the city gate, Cien observed the ongoing war within the mist he had conjured.

He couldn't see clearly what was happening inside the mist, but he could sense it.

The mist was created from the water of his mana. With his mastery over water manipulation, Cien could feel the movements of thousands of individuals within that mist.

Cien realized that at this moment, the Ethyrian forces were gaining momentum.

Thanks to his previous assault, which had successfully shattered the Abyss formation, Ethyria's side only had to capitalize on the advantage.

Cien then pondered for a moment. Seeing the Ethyrian forces already present there was quite surprising.

According to the story he had heard from Cherry, the Abyss invasion had only begun about a week ago.

Considering the distance between this border town and Ethyria, it would take over a week to arrive on foot.

Perhaps around ten days. If using transportation like caravans or horses, that time could certainly be reduced.

However, the majority of Ethyria's forces consisted of infantry. It seemed odd that they were already engaged in battle at this location this quickly.

Furthermore, there was the time required for preparation and mobilization. If Cien were to estimate the appropriate timing, the Ethyrian forces should be arriving in this city next week, not now.

"It's as if they already knew what would happen here. Coincidence, or a premeditated plan?"

Cien hesitated to assume ill intentions about Luis' territory, his friend. However, he was aware that Luis had handed over the territory to his son.

'Terrion Grehall... hmmm, it seems you have a very ambitious son, Luis.'

Cien then wanted to reach for his phone to check on the condition of those at Marina. However, as soon as he put his hand into his pocket, his hearing caught something.

Cien immediately turned around.

Clang!

Someone dressed like a butler suddenly appeared, attacking with a knife.

Fortunately, Cien was able to react and caused the knife to instead graze his Hellteak coffin.

"!"

The man in the butler attire was taken aback. He hadn't anticipated his surprise attack to fail.

In the last moment, he couldn't fathom that his target would move, causing him to strike only the peculiar cabinet the enemy was carrying.

"Tch!"

The man wanted to quickly retreat and blend into the mist around him. However, before he could do so, the voice of the man carrying the cabinet was heard.

"[Waterball]."

"!"

An instant later, a water sphere flew and adhered to his head, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Squelch... squelch... splash!

The man managed to break the water sphere on his head with great effort.

"Gah! Haa... haa... haa... you bastard!"

In his frenzy, he looked left and right, searching for his enemy. But the hooded figure and the cabinet were nowhere in his line of sight.

"Where did he go?"

"[Giganta]."

Cien's voice suddenly sounded from below the man.

"!"

Startled, the man looked downward, and what he saw was the tip of a wooden staff hurtling swiftly towards his face.

Thwack!

The staff's end successfully struck his chin, causing the man in the butler attire to gasp and spew blood.

He crashed hard onto the floor, but he quickly rose to his feet as danger still loomed.

Two knives were still clutched in his hands. The man looked back to where he had been standing, seeing the figure in the robe emerge from the shadow on the floor.

The man, whom Kirana would recognize at a glance, was Gyo. The head servant of the Grenhall Family.

Gyo prepared to face the next attack from the robed figure. However, as the figure stepped out of the shadow, it didn't move to attack. Instead, it observed Gyo closely before finally speaking again.

"You're not a demon. But you're not human either. What are you, really?"

"!"

For a moment, Gyo felt as if his heart had stopped. He was utterly taken aback by the statement uttered by the hooded figure before him.

"How does he know?!"

Gyo's eyes turned cold instantly. He had to eliminate the robed figure before him with all his might. The figure in front of him was far too dangerous to be allowed to live!

Gyo's body transformed into black smoke, then attacking Cien.

Cien tried to distance himself, but the speed of the smoke exceeded his own. He then sought refuge in the shadows to evade.

"I won't let you!"

Gyo appeared instantly from the smoke. He grabbed Cien's shoulder, and from his back, another thick smoke emerged, enveloping them both.

Caught within it, Cien found himself surrounded by a deep darkness. He couldn't see, smell, hear, or even feel anything. All his senses seemed sealed within the void.

Even his finely honed instincts, developed over ten years, suddenly felt blunt. Cien was utterly blinded.

'What is this?'

Cien started to worry about his current adversary. He finally felt threatened because he couldn't perceive anything within the darkness.

But before long, he heard groans not far from him.

"Arrrgh!"

The darkness that shrouded Cien vanished instantly. He saw the man in butler attire lying in a pool of blood, pierced by dozens of ice arrows.

Cien was stunned, not comprehending what had just occurred. Then, he looked beside him to see his niece standing there with an Ice Wand in her hand.

"Be careful, Uncle."

"When did you come out?"

"Uncle quiet. Lily out."

"..."

Alright, Cien didn't understand what Lilinette was talking about. The girl was still as concise as ever.

Cien wanted to ask for more clarity, especially about the darkness, but Lilinette had already returned to the coffin.

Furthermore, the butler man was still alive. Despite being heavily wounded, he began standing again, exuding an immensely strong killing intent.

'Ugh, I want to leave this place. But this guy is so persistent. I thought killing the demon leader was enough. But unexpectedly, there's still this person replacing him.'

Cien grumbled about having to face another formidable opponent. However, his assumption that Gyo was from the Abyss was completely off the mark.

"Uncle, he's Gyo," Lilinette interjected, overhearing Cien's grumbling.

"Gyo?"

"Hm. The head servant. Duke Grenhall."

"... okay, this is very interesting, and not funny."

Cien's gaze turned instantly cold. He had sensed something was amiss with the Ethyrian forces, but far from his expectations, even the head servant of Duke Grenhall was now trying to kill him.

"Are you a spy?" Cien asked.

Gyo didn't answer. He attacked immediately with an unimaginable speed. It was so fast that Cien could only see a blurry figure.

But...

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Cien stood still, his heightened instincts on full alert. He might not be able to match Gyo's speed, but no matter how fast it was, his attacks would still have to touch him. Cien just had to defend and predict them.

'How is he able to parry all my attacks?!'

Gyo grew more frustrated. He emitted smoke from his body once again, wanting to encase Cien, but now he had to be wary of the girl within the coffin.

However, something unexpected occurred.

Clang! Clang!

Gyo abruptly stopped. His hands could no longer move. Not due to injury, but due to the increased weight of his knives.

"What's happening?!"

Swoosh!

This time it was Cien who attacked. Knowing that sooner or later, the weight of the knives would increase and halt Gyo's movements.

The curse-weight of the Woodbelisk was what made the staff truly formidable!

Thunk!

Gyo was flung backward, then assaulted relentlessly by Cien. While Cien's attacks didn't inflict severe injuries on Gyo, for some reason, he felt crushed by gravity that weighed hundreds of kilos.

Eventually, Gyo could only collapse helplessly on the floor.

"Sigh… this is quite troublesome. So what are you? An Abyss spy? I suppose not. On the human side? Probably not that either. What's your goal? Was killing me an order from Terrion Grenhall?"

"Hahaha! You already know too much. Do you think I'll spill the beans?! Just kill me!"

"Sigh…"

Snap!

Cien didn't have time to interrogate the man before him. He needed to leave immediately. Thus, he swiftly took a picture of Gyo.

__________

[Mutated Humanoid Phantom Slime / Gyo]

Rank Jack Upper Class (Rank 7 Upper Class)

Sealed

Divinia Intelligence Department

Skills: Mimicry (Expert), Stealth (Expert), Dark Magic (Proficient), Phantom Body (Novice), Regeneration (Novice), Mana Manipulation (Novice), Speed Amplification (Master), Assassination Arts (Master), Divinia Martial Arts (Expert), Ethyria Martial Arts (Proficient), Shadow Knife Arts (Expert), Poison Master (Novice), Blade Immunity (Master).

Notes: A creature created by alchemists in the Eden Laboratory, Divinia.

__________

"...the fu*k!"

What is this? Various questions began to flood Cien's mind. Instead of gaining clarity, he felt even more bewildered after seeing Gyo's status.

'Divinia? Why does the name of the Holy Kingdom suddenly come up? And what is he? Human? Phantom? Slime? Ugh!'

Was the Holy Kingdom trying to gather intelligence from all corners of Kastia? Similar to what C-Owl was doing, but on a larger scale. Or was there another reason?

Cien felt like he had just stepped into another room full of conspiracies.

"What does Divinia want from Ethyria?"

"! How do you—Who are you really?!"

"Answer, Gyo! What do they want—-!!"

Cien immediately transformed his cloak back into wings and leaped into flight.

Woooong! BOOM!!

A spear had just streaked through, exploding and shattering the city gate.

'This power? Grenhall's spear!'

Cien swiftly turned his gaze toward the Ethyrian forces. He couldn't see clearly due to the mist. Cien snapped his fingers, and the mist disappeared instantly.

Now he could see a middle-aged man on a warhorse. The man's face bore a resemblance to Luis.

'Terrion Grenhall.'

Cien and Terrion locked eyes. The Duke Grenhall raised his hand, and a spear flew back into his grasp. Grenhall's spear, the heirloom weapon of the Grenhall Family.

Cien then glanced at the spot where Gyo had been before, now reduced to rubble. He didn't know whether the Divinia spy was still alive or not.

Cien squinted, then shook his head slightly.

He then flew northward without hesitation. At the moment, he didn't have time to ponder about Terrion and Gyo's motives. There were more pressing matters at hand.

However, knowing that something was amiss with Ethyria, Cien had a bad feeling that if Ethyria's momentum wasn't halted, there could be dire consequences.

Cien took out his phone, seeing that Gyo's name was still lit up on the screen. He then searched for Ian's name and dialed his number.

Ring!

"Ian, relay my message to Sravati. It seems I have a reason for Huntara to send their forces."