It came with the rise of dawn. Without a chance to raise an alarm, the guards manning the gates were all killed or incapacitated, and the city was surrounded by the invading force, which loudly announced its presence.
"People of Cyrus! We are the Blaze Union, formed from elders and disciples of the Lava Stream Sect of Silver City! We have come to liberate you all from the feeble hands of your mayor, Henry of the Fei clan! Surrender yourselves, citizens, and no harm shall come to you. But if you resist, then your death shall be swift!"
Along with the announcement came the faint pressure of a Sky Realm expert. Those better off simply felt a heavy weight on their shoulders, but for many weak and helpless mortals, the pressure choked them and stopped the hearts of some. Kate was strong enough to resist the pressure without much trouble, but she saw many keel over from it. Since they didn't bother to hide themselves, Kate could also sense more than one Sky Realm expert among the invaders outside the gates. If this was a different city, she might have ignored it, but her family was here, so that wasn't possible. Though she risked going berserk again, Kate equipped the Shredding Beast Claws.
Kate wasn't sure how the citizens would react to the invaders' announcement, but she doubted it would be peaceful. To ensure her family was safe before any disaster struck them, Kate quickly left her room but soon found the streets filled with enemies dressed similarly to members of the Lava Stream Sect. Although the announcement came from outside the city, most of the Blaze Union was already inside. Their number was vastly inferior compared to the population of Cyrus, but they had enough strength and numbers to subdue any opponent except the mayor. Kate was confident in pushing through them, but there was no time to waste, so she concealed her presence and ran while silencing her steps.
As she neared the house Shui told her about, Kate saw more scenes of conflict and bloodshed. She wasn't a very compassionate person, but she certainly didn't admire the invaders for involving the innocent. While rushing past these scenes, a certain thought came to her.
'What would Shui do?'
With just that thought, she slowed her steps and began attacking any invader she saw threatening mortals. She knew there was no way she could defeat all of them, but she believed Shui wouldn't overlook their atrocities because he lacked confidence, and so neither would she.
As she defeated the invaders, those she saved thanked her, but she left without a word and continued towards her family. On the way to her destination, Kate spotted someone else fighting against the invaders. The invaders shot fire spells from three directions, but their foe deflected all of them before attacking the invader on their right and using them as a shield to block additional spells. Though she stopped, Kate didn't interfere with the battle because she could tell how it would end.
After throwing away the corpse on her spear, the spearwoman finished off another invader with a swift thrust before leaping into the air and throwing her spear through the remaining enemy. After retrieving her spear, the spearwoman turned towards Kate.
"Though I would prefer if this happened under fairer circumstances, it's nice to see you again, Young Mistress."
"Uh, yeah. I'm glad to see you too."
Kate still had her cloak on, but she hadn't concealed her aura, so plain spiritual sense would be enough for anyone who knew her to recognise her. Kate didn't know why Lily called her 'Young Mistress', but it didn't bother her enough to ask during this emergency.
"I heard from Shui that you lived with my mother. Is she at home?"
"No, she's at the Fairies' Wardrobe with Matthew. I was on my way there. Would you like to join me?"
"Yeah, but what about your family?"
"Thank you for your consideration, but there's no need. These people from the Blaze Union don't seem to be interested in going inside people's houses, and my brother is at home in case anything happens."
"Okay, let's go then."
While travelling together towards Fairies' Wardrobe, Kate acted as the vanguard while Lily supported her with her bow. None of their enemies even reached the peak of the Soul Realm, so they made it to Fairies' Wardrobe without much trouble.
There didn't seem to be any danger present, so Lily went to the door and knocked three times. After waiting a couple of seconds, a voice came from inside the store.
"Who is it?"
"It's Lily. I've brought help."
Soon after, the door was opened, and Lily and Kate were quickly welcomed inside. The women were gathered together with the exception of Lilia, but Kate wasn't worried because she could sense her further inside.
"It's good to see you, Lily. We quickly closed up shop after hearing that announcement, but how is it out there?" Jeanne asked.
"You made the right decision. Though they claim they won't hurt anyone who surrenders, they seem to be gathering hostages. My guess is that they haven't dealt with the mayor yet."
"So will we be safe as long as the mayor defeats them?"
"We should be, but it'll be a difficult battle."
Thanks to her pact with Shui, Lily could vaguely sense that the invaders had members with comparable cultivation to the mayor. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the situation was grim, but she didn't see the point in frightening the staff with that information.
"I see. I suppose all we can do is hunker down and hope for the best. By the way, would you mind introducing your friend here?"
"Certainly. Kate."
At Lily's suggestion, Kate removed her cloak and stepped forward.
"Nice to meet you all; you can call me Kate. I've heard that my family has been in your care. Thank you."
"Oh, you must be Lilia's daughter. Come, I'll take you to your mother."
"Much appreciated."
Although she could find her by herself, Kate followed Jeanne without a fuss. The other women were also surprised to see Kate for the first time, but they had heard many stories about her from her mother.
"So that's Kate. I thought she would look rougher because of how much Lilia calls her a tomboy."
"Me too. But she does have a bit of boyish charm, like a cross-dressing princess from one of Jay's stories."
"I can see why she's Shui's fiancée."
"Weren't they just friends?"
"Weren't they childhood sweethearts?"
Choosing the stance that ignorance was bliss, Kate minimised the sensitivity of her hearing so that she didn't have to listen to whatever embarrassing tales her mother had spread. On one hand she wished her mother had at least stuck with praising her talent and charm, but on the other hand she felt that this sort of gossip was inevitable.
While Kate shook her head with a sigh, Jeanne reached a room at the back of the store and gently knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Lilia opened the door and spoke with a quiet voice to avoid waking Matthew.
"Did something happen, Jeanne?"
"Well, there is that, but first, I brought someone to see you."
When Jeanne directed Lilia towards Kate, her eyes widened in surprise, while Kate returned a bashful smile.
"Hi, Mom."
"Kate!"
Lilia jumped at Kate and pulled her into a hug as tears spilt from her eyes.
"You stupid girl! Why did you never contact me?! Do you know how worried I was when I heard you went missing? I know I can't expect you to stay still, but at least send a message to say that you're alright."
"You're right. I'm sorry, Mom."
As Kate wrapped her arms around Lilia, her chest was filled with a nostalgic feeling. Though she enjoyed cultivating and gaining strength, there was always an itch at the back of her mind that made it difficult to fully relax and let her guard down. But now, those restraints finally seemed to loosen.