Chapter 1796 - Soldier Magus (Part 2)
He was pleased to discover that most people were regular humans and only a few guards were actually shapeshifted Awakened. The map that Peonia had given him was accurate and moving something as big as a Gate in a single day was impossible.
Lith found the Gate easily and then assessed the quickest path from his starting point to his destination. Solus had no idea why he had left the ground floor without even touching the dimensional device, but she knew that Lith was slyer and more ruthless than her.
If he hadn't shared his plan with her it was probably because she wouldn't like it.
Lith returned to the third floor and much to her surprise, he allowed the guards to spot him. Under the magical lights of the City Hall, the tall figure clad in the black Voidwalker armor and with a crimson sheathe hung to his hip stuck out like a sore thumb.
The helm made from Syrook's skull covered the Tiamat's horns with its own, making Lith's figure look nothing more than a creepy intruder.
"There's someone on the third floor!" The human guards shouted in their amulets, yet Lith stood still despite Solus' growing confusion.
'Didn't we say that stealth is of the essence?' She asked.
'I consider misdirection and deception stealth as well.' He replied.
Once the first Emperor Beast entered the range of Solus' mana sense, Lith unsheathed War with his right hand while his left rose, and with it a thick black fog that filled the corridors.
The Tiamat was busy taking deep breaths, leaving to the angry blade the task to issue the challenge.
"Come, little mice. Make me feel it. Make me feel alive again!" War's seals and latches clicked furiously, forming intelligible words that lacked humanity.
The guards faltered for a second before resuming their advance. The Emperor Beast took point and turned her hands into massive claws that, unlike the bastard sword, wouldn't get stuck in the walls.
She slashed at the unmoving figure, using Life Vision to anticipate a Spirit Blink and impale him the moment he came out of the exit point if he tried to dodge that way. Her ten centimeters (4") long claws pierced easily through flesh and armor alike.
Too easily.
The construct that looked like Lith shattered upon impact and War pierced through her back until its hilt touched her armor.
"How-" Her words died in her mouth when she realized that the cover of the black fog had been a trap all along.
The darkness element had hidden Lith's spell from Life Vision when he had the hard-light construct replace him. It also had covered both the exit and entry point of his Spirit Blink.
With her last breath, she could see the dimensional door hidden among the swirling shadows, just like Kalla had taught him. Then, her body fell apart and the Unwavering Loyalty array dragged her back to the Golden Griffon along with her equipment.
The soldiers attacked Lith from every side with perfect teamwork. Their enchanted weapons aimed at his vitals while their wands shot spells that sealed his escape route. The problem with that tactic was that Lith wasn't trying to escape.
Their weapons hit only smoke as he Blinked from one point to another, delivering a lethal slash each time he moved. Be they regular humans or Awakened, they all fell like ripe wheat when cut by War's edge.
"It's a ghost!" A soldier said in his amulet when his target turned out to be just black fog shaped like the Tiamat.
Lith didn't reply, simply coming out from a puff of smoke and killing him. The corridors were now empty, but more guards and several more Awakened were coming his way.
'I don't get it. These people were simply doing their jobs. Why did you do that?' Solus asked, baffled by the senseless slaughter.
'Phase one is complete. Time for phase two.' He replied, Warping straight to his real destination.
Only then did Solus understand what had happened. The elite units arrived on the scene, finding plenty of blood but no corpses or sign of the intruder.
"What the heck is going on here and what's this nonsense about a ghost?" Another Emperor Beast asked.
One of the soldiers that Lith had slain just a few seconds ago turned around, revealing to be a Demon of the Fallen. The Emperor Beast froze at the sight of her five eyes long enough for her claws to pierce through his neck.
The rest of his unit was quickly forced into a fight to the death while more reinforcements arrived. Yet the darkness that filled the corridor made it impossible for them to see the Demons of the Fallen slaughtering the newcomers and increasing their numbers.
'Misdirection.' Lith said. 'Everyone is going in the wrong direction, giving me the opportunity to reach my real objective. Even if I reattach the mana cables to the Gate, it will be all for naught unless I turn on the power.
'The controls are in the City Lord's office and for that reason, the room is bound to be heavily patrolled. Now, however, the guards have to worry about what's happening on the opposite side of the building.'
'You created the fog to hide your spells from Life Vision and let the guards call for reinforcements just to have fodder for your Demons.' Solus said in horror.
'Exactly. I charged each one of them with enough energy to increase their numbers and still be a force to be reckoned with. On top of that, the black fog will both nurture them and hide their spells as well.' Lith said.
When he reached the City Lord's office, only two soldiers stood guard at the door while the rest of the forces were busy dealing with the intruders. The corridor was long and empty, with no space where even a skilled Ranger could hide.
Thanks to the elemental sealing arrays, even a regular human would have the time to spot an enemy from the distance and sound the alarm.
'Regular red cores and life force, but there's no way to know if they are Skinw-' Their necks broke without emitting a sound thanks to the Hush zone around Lith's hands.
He had opened the exit point of his Warp Steps from the ceiling and used gravity fusion to stand on it. He lowered the guards to the floor slowly so that their armor and weapon didn't clink.
'I can't afford to take risks.' Lith replied while using Invigoration once again to make up for the lost mana. 'Who's inside?'
He wore the Eyes of Menadion, scanning the room from behind the door and collecting information about everyone present.
'Four bright blue Awakened and a few unknown humans. Again, they may be Skinwalkers. Let's hear them out.' Solus said.
"You lied to us, human." A bestial voice said, sounding like growls that somehow formed words. "The pact was that we would keep you alive and let your citizens live in peace in exchange for your compliance."
"I didn't lie to you, it really does take a few weeks to relocate the Gate. If it's not dismantled properly, the Gate will lose its enchantments and turn into a bunch of useless stones.
"Disconnecting it from the power source makes our work even harder.." A male voice replied in so much fear that Lith could almost smell the piss.