The bearded master was racing toward the center of Ravenshade City, his footsteps rapid and eyes sharp with urgency. As he ran, he pulled out a mask from the system's backpack and secured it tightly over his face. The mask was dark green and completely covered in tiny scales, giving it a strange, almost reptilian appearance.
The moment it was on, a voice echoed in his ears. "My people are evacuating. Please take care of your own safety."
To his surprise, the mask wasn't just for disguise—it had communication features too, including live video. The image began to stabilize in front of his eyes, showing the manor of the City Lord's Mansion. Then, a vehicle came into view, stopping right in front of the mansion gates.
It was Ethan's car, and three figures stepped out. The bearded master's eyes widened. Why were they here? They were walking into danger. Pushing his legs harder, he accelerated his sprint even more.
Meanwhile, inside the mansion grounds, Ethan, Fairwind, and Zack Cole moved unimpeded through the gates. They reached the treasure vault Fairwind had told them about earlier. The vault looked like something out of a movie, with massive gears and a combination lock that screamed "high security."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "This thing is the city lord's treasure vault? Looks more like a stage prop."
Fairwind nodded seriously. "It might look fake, but don't be fooled. If you try breaking into this thing with brute force, you'd need a rank-three professional using a blade to cut for at least an hour straight."
Instead of entering a code, Fairwind approached the lock panel and bit his finger. A drop of blood fell onto the biometric pad.
Buzz. The lock absorbed the blood and suddenly glowed with an energy arc. A film of light scanned Fairwind's body.
"Identity confirmed."
Click. The heavy doors of the vault opened.
Ethan sighed. "No logic. No rules. No drama. Just blood magic unlocking treasure."
But before they could even step inside, a slow clap-clap-clap echoed behind them.
Startled, the three turned to see two eerie figures, one tall, one short. The short one had a grotesque bulge on his forehead that squirmed like something alive. The tall man's face was even more terrifying—his mouth stretched unnaturally wide, jagged teeth like a shark's lining the inside.
The shorter one smiled and said, "Hello, son of the city lord, we are—"
Before he could finish, Ethan grabbed Fairwind and dragged him into the vault.
Fairwind shouted, "Wait! The butler hasn't joined us yet!"
Ethan didn't stop. He slammed the door shut just as a hand reached toward it from outside. It almost made it in.
Just before the door closed, a blade flashed and intercepted the reaching hand. It was Zack Cole—he appeared just in time to stop the intruder.
SLAM. The door sealed.
Ethan wiped the sweat off his brow. Fairwind, on the other hand, collapsed to the floor in shock. His eyes were wide with disbelief.
"That... was the butler's hand," he whispered. "He tried to stop us from closing the door. The butler is working with them."
The treasure vault had transparent panels, letting them see what was going on outside.
Luckily, Zack Cole had summoned his spiritual projection, the sword spirit known as Da Dao Zai, earlier. Everyone thought it was real.
The figure outside, the butler, now had a thin cut on his hand, still bleeding. It was left by Da Dao Zai's last desperate slash before the tall monster behind them pounced and pinned the projection to the ground.
The shark-toothed man bent forward and bit into the projection's body.
Crunch. Crunch.
The sound was sickening, but after a few seconds, the projection faded into glowing particles and disappeared.
The tall man scratched his head and grunted, "Tastes like nothing."
Fairwind gasped. "That was... a fake?"
Ethan nodded. "It was a decoy. Mirror Flower, Water Moon. An illusion used to confuse the enemy."
Outside the vault, the butler's expression twisted into rage. "Do you two know how long I've been hiding, waiting for this moment?"
The short man immediately panicked. "Please, sir, don't get mad. It's just the outer vault. We can still break through the inner layers."
The butler snarled. "I don't care! If these two aren't eliminated now, someone will discover me, and my identity will be exposed."
The villains began preparing an assault on the vault, their movements hasty.
Inside, Ethan and Fairwind were watching every move. Ethan's eyes narrowed.
Truthfully, Ethan had sensed something wrong as soon as they stepped into the mansion. The butler had been acting strangely, even more desperate than Fairwind. There were no guards, no obstacles, even though everyone knew Fairwind was the city lord's son. That was unnatural.
So before leaving the car, Ethan had quietly activated his passive ability.
The moment they unlocked the vault, Ethan had released the mirror projection to bait the enemies.
It worked. They revealed themselves. And now they knew: The real enemy was already inside the mansion. The butler was a traitor.
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