Ch.147Starlight Scales

The back entrance of Star Forge.

Seorin, Theo, and Flora arrived at the scene almost simultaneously. The first things to greet the three were the sounds of security guards running frantically, their shouts, and the black smoke obscuring their vision.

“Did some bomb go off…?”

At Theo’s words, Seorin peered through the thick black smoke. The neatly laid stone floor and buildings had collapsed, and part of the massive iron gate was dangling precariously, twisted out of shape.

Judging by how it creaked and screamed, it seemed like it could fall at any moment.

“Block the entrance! Don’t let the intruders in!”

“Doctor! Call a doctor! There are injured people trapped under the building!”

Shouts came from all directions. After assessing the situation, Seorin was the first to rush toward the collapsed building debris. Since there was no sign of enemies, her first priority was to rescue the injured.

The other two followed her lead.

The three of them were able to easily handle the collapsed building debris. No matter how heavy the stones and steel beams were, it wasn’t a difficult task for knights who had completed physical enhancement through mana.

The dwarves, initially wary of these strangers, quickly dropped their guard after confirming the Blue Wing insignia.

“Any suspicious presence?”

“I’ve been checking constantly. But there’s nothing. Seems like the guards haven’t found anything either.”

“What if they’re already inside? You know, like creating a distraction in one place deliberately to draw attention…”

The three exchanged opinions while continuing their rescue efforts. Seorin frowned at Theo’s last comment. It certainly made sense.

That’s when it happened. A powerful presence descended from the air.

Thud-!

He had short arms and legs, and carried a large battle hammer in both hands. A royal knight of Star Forge had appeared. After scanning the surroundings, he spotted Seorin’s group and closed the distance in an instant.

Whoosh-!

“I am Captain Landrock. Are you members of the Blue Wing?”

His gaze held a faint wariness mixed with goodwill. Though he was asking for identification, it also meant he already knew who they were. Seorin nodded, removing her hand from her sword.

“Seorin of the Blue Wing.”

Theo and Flora also briefly introduced themselves. After the introductions, Landrock bowed his head in gratitude.

“I express my thanks on behalf of the dwarves. You stepped forward first to help the injured, and thanks to you, we were able to rescue them quickly.”

“We only did what needed to be done. There was no visible enemy before us…”

“Excessive modesty can become poison. Anyway, it seems no suspicious individuals were found here either.”

“When you say ‘here’…?”

“After a bomb exploded at the back entrance, another bomb went off at the main gate after some time. I was just checking the closest one first…”

Only then did Seorin turn around. She could see black smoke rising from a distance. It wasn’t just the main gate where smoke was billowing.

Smoke was rising from various places within the city. Seorin finally understood why the other members hadn’t come to the back entrance.

They were investigating other incident sites. But something was very strange. If explosions had occurred, explosion sounds should have been heard. However, Seorin hadn’t heard any explosion sounds since arriving at this back entrance.

With Seorin’s heightened senses, not hearing the sounds didn’t make sense. She could understand not hearing the explosion at the distant main gate, but she should have heard at least faint explosion sounds from elsewhere.

“I didn’t hear any bomb sounds…”

“It wasn’t a bomb. Just fires set to produce a lot of smoke.”

“I told you! This was deliberately done to divert attention…”

Ignoring Theo’s words, Seorin looked down at the katana hanging at her waist. By obtaining Hayato’s Muramasa, she had absorbed part of his memories.

Hazy memories quickly surfaced.

‘You want me to bring something related to dragons? Does that actually exist?’

‘Hayato. Don’t you want to return to your original world and take revenge on those who betrayed you?’

‘What I’m asking is, if I collect all these things, can I definitely return to my original world? What if I gather everything and still can’t go back? What happened to the dragon bone I brought last time?’

‘Don’t worry about that, it’s being put to good use…’

‘I’ll do it because the Union Leader ordered it… but I don’t know about this.’

She couldn’t remember the face of the person Hayato was speaking with. It was as if that part had been deliberately painted over with black ink. All Seorin remembered was the voice of the person talking to Hayato.

On a hunch, Seorin asked:

“Captain Landrock. What about the security status of the Starlight Dragon’s scale that’s being offered as a prize in this craftsman competition?”

“It’s in a mythril vault at the guild hall, so don’t worry. Also, skilled knights have been stationed around it.”

“The culprit’s target is very likely that Starlight Dragon’s scale. I think we should move and check it just in case…”

Landrock surveyed the condition of the back entrance at Seorin’s suggestion. Royal forces that had arrived late were now maintaining tight security. Each one was an elite soldier, which was reassuring.

After a moment’s hesitation, Landrock nodded.

“This way.”

***

With all available members gone, Sephiroth, left alone, should have felt an ominous foreboding. This was a kind of intuition developed over many years as a Blue Wing member, often felt when an overwhelming enemy was nearby.

“I’m not certain, but…”

Of course, it wasn’t certain. The intuition that occasionally activated was wrong more often than not. Sephiroth rolled her stiff shoulders and slowly began walking.

Step-

Sephiroth headed toward an increasingly deserted area. Through the hazy, billowing black smoke, while dwarf residents were frantically evacuating, she walked in the opposite direction.

She arrived at a large building called the guild hall. Sephiroth drew her sword as soon as she spotted it.

Dwarf soldiers lay sprawled around it, completely motionless.

Not just one, but dozens of soldiers. The lack of any signs of resistance suggested they had all been taken down in one strike.

Sephiroth naturally heightened her tension.

Whiiiing-

Golden currents flowed from her body, sweeping through the hall. Released with the wind, the golden mana gently enveloped Sephiroth, coloring her surroundings with a bright glow.

Step-

Inside the guild hall, there were deep traces of a brutal battle. Corridors smashed as if the ground had been struck, collapsed pillars, and blood splattered everywhere suggested a fierce fight.

‘No, only the attacker fought fiercely. The opponent calmly…’

Had they even moved from their position? Sephiroth examined the surrounding traces while naturally assuming a sword stance.

That’s when it happened. Along with the thick smell of blood, someone walked out from the darkness. A tall woman with extremely provocative attire. Bandages covering her chest, a wide black cloak, and white cotton pants were all she wore.

Her downcast eyes, appearing languid, showed not the slightest hint of tension.

Sephiroth pointed her sword at the woman without hesitation. She didn’t hesitate to emit killing intent. The woman emerging from the darkness was holding a blood-covered dwarf knight in her hand.

The moment their eyes met, the woman tossed the dwarf knight she was holding into a corner and spoke.

“Ah, perfect timing. I was getting sick of all these hairy dwarves. Do you happen to know where the vault is around here? Something made of mythril, they said.”

Sephiroth didn’t answer. Instead, she enveloped her extended blade with golden mana and asked:

“Was this your doing?”

“I still haven’t gotten my answer…”

The moment the woman trailed off, Sephiroth immediately swung her sword. The woman’s hand moved slightly, and a dim flash flew from the darkness.

Claaang-!

As the violent shockwave engulfed the hall, all the windows, unable to withstand the pressure, shattered simultaneously.

‘If we fight any further, the building will collapse…’

Sephiroth used the repulsive force to propel herself backward. The golden flash, carried by the swirling storm, smashed through the main door of the building and bounced outside.

Simultaneously, as the woman, wrapped in something faintly visible, tried to rush out from inside the building, a rain of swords poured down from the sky.

Kwagagagaang-!

Even at a glance, there were more than dozens of swords. Yet the woman didn’t stop. Without hesitation, she pushed herself through the rain of swords.

Watching from the air, Seorin frowned and clenched her right hand tightly. At the same time, dozens of swords embedded in the ground began to resonate in unison, then exploded all at once.

Kwaaaang-!