Invisible Threats

Irene glanced at the other Invited. They showed no signs of fear or even realization of what had just happened.

She gritted her teeth. This is the real threat of the Tower.

Then, she turned to the only person who still seemed sane in this kind of situation. The only person who had saved her life from ending just a moment after entering the Tower.

Irene walked towards Ethan. She asked, "What's your name?"

"Ethan," Ethan replied.

"I'm Irene. Thank you for saving me."

Ethan just nodded. He gazed at her for a moment. Her face bathed in the artificial sunlight inside the Tower, enhancing her beauty that seemed surreal in Ethan's eyes.

He had never seen such beauty before. Her dark eyes looked sharp and clear, radiating a strong yet cold determination, as if they could freeze him.

This is definitely the kind of person he should be with. Her aura showed that she is indeed strong.

"Get ready, I'm sure our enemies won't stop," Ethan said after he snapped out of admiring her appearance.

Irene looked around. Worry was evident on her face. "Why aren't you affected by... whatever this is?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just lucky," Ethan lied. "It's not important. What matters is, we need to find a safe place first."

"What about all those people?"

"What do you mean?" Ethan asked, confused.

"Aren't we supposed to... save them?"

Ethan hid his annoyance, then asked in an even tone, "Do you think we should save them? They're our competitors, though."

Irene looked at Ethan. She seemed puzzled, biting her lips. But then she said, "You're right."

Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. He thought that this girl was the type who wanted to be a hero. But it turned out she was reasonable enough to think that acting like that would be pointless.

Hopefully, what Ethan thought about her was right and she wouldn't suddenly change her mind later.

"Let's go."

Ethan led Irene to walk past the other Invited who still appeared hypnotized.

Irene looked at them, feeling concern in her heart. But then, she remembered why she had to be here. She shook her head, trying to shake off the feeling in her heart as well.

'I don't have time for this!' she told herself.

Ethan scanned his surroundings, trying to find anything that looked like a safe place.

His Soul Sense remained active, giving him clues about what was happening around him.

He sensed a killing intent a few meters to his left. Immediately, Ethan drew his bow and a crimson arrow appeared.

Irene was surprised and suddenly a dagger appeared in her hand.

*SWISH!*

Ethan released his arrow. It flew so fast and struck an invisible figure.

The arrow seemed stuck mid-air. But then, blood started to flow down and the figure became visible. It fell to the ground, dead, after an Aether arrow pierced its heart.

"Come on!" Ethan said to Irene.

Irene still couldn't fully grasp what had happened. But her training made her accustomed to recovering faster. She followed Ethan again. Now their pace quickened.

But suddenly Ethan stopped. He sensed bloodlust ahead of him, there were about five of them.

"Get ready to fight!" He emphasized to Irene.

Irene didn't say anything; she knew the situation was getting serious, so she grabbed another dagger. Then, her shadow expanded like small tentacles around her hands. She wrapped the daggers with the shadows.

Ethan didn't notice this because he was focused on fighting the enemies.

They remained in invisible mode, so he knew Irene would struggle because she couldn't see them.

But when he glanced at Irene, her fear and anxiety had disappeared, replaced by confidence. Somehow, Ethan also felt that she had become stronger than a few moments before.

"Can you see them?" Ethan asked.

"I can sense their movement, although faintly. It's enough for me. Don't worry," said Irene.

Ethan nodded. He started shooting, but the invisible creatures, now aware of his presence, managed to avoid his first shot.

However, Ethan wasn't worried. Even if he couldn't hit these creatures with his arrows, he could still use his Soul Manipulation on them.

But he intended to be careful in using it because besides this Talent consuming a lot of Energy, he planned to keep it secret from Irene for now.

Ethan jumped back to keep his distance from his attackers while continuing to shoot Aether arrows. He hit one of them in the head, and its camouflage vanished, causing it to drop to the ground.

Irene fought well despite not being able to see her enemies. Her movements were swift and deadly. Her daggers flashed with trails of darkness, making Ethan wonder what it really was.

She killed two of them within a few seconds. But then, when her attention was diverted, the third creature slashed at her back.

Ethan shot from behind, his arrow piercing the creature's back.

Irene turned with a mad snarl on her face. Then, she lunged, plunging both of her daggers into the creature's neck. She made a sawing motion, separating its head from its body.

Ethan, witnessing this, realized that Irene also had a cruel and deadly side.

The two creatures were beside Ethan. He deliberately let them get closer after leading them away from Irene. Then, he dropped his bow and stretched out his hands, touching both of them simultaneously.

He used Soul Manipulation for the first time. His intention was clear; he wanted them to lose their ability to move and become visible.

The two creatures instantly dropped to the ground. Ethan felt a lot of things leaving his body — his Energy.

Then, before Irene could recover, Ethan immediately crouched down and touched the two enemies.

Ethan touched their Souls. He feels ripple of energy, then few lines of gold appeared on his vision.

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