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C1863

The fifth layer had been accessible for a total of 8 hours, and during the last hour, Emery and his group had encountered no unclaimed temples or unoccupied vaults. Their search had led them to encounters with other magus parties locked in fierce battles for the limited gold medals.

[You are entering Light Vault 577]

When they stepped into this Vault, the scene that greeted them was grim and unsettling.

Strewn across the floor were a dozen lifeless bodies of familiar magus, easily recognizable by their human forms clad in high-tech armor and equipped with various devices. These were the Imperium techno magus, a faction known for their reliance on advanced technology rather than traditional spirit mastery.

The sight of these fallen techno magus, who were usually well-protected by their gadgets and artifacts, hinted at a tragic fate. It was clear that they had been ambushed by a ruthless group. The remains of their once high-tech armor and devices lay scattered around them, damaged and shattered.

Just as the group absorbed the grim reality of the scene, Uria, with a hint of urgency in his voice, pointed out, "Some of them are still fighting!"

Uria, with his superior spirit-reading abilities, managed to detect the presence of survivors from the Imperium group. Despite the urgency of the situation, Jinkan remained cautious and did not rush in blindly. After assessing the number of survivors, she devised a simple tactical plan, which she communicated to the group before Emery opened a portal to their location.

As they stepped through the portal, the scene before them was chaotic and tense. A small group of Imperium techno magus was on the brink of exhaustion, desperately defending themselves. They had erected barrier devices and deployed drones to fend off their attackers, 35 magus, a mix of human magus and elves.

Upon Emery's arrival, the battle abruptly halted, and all eyes turned toward Jinkan, who stepped forward and demanded an explanation.

"What is going on here?"

The attackers, realizing who they were facing, looked uneasy and began to discuss their situation in hushed tones.

"We do not want to fight you guys!" one of the dark elves among the attackers spoke up, attempting to convey their intentions.

The tension in the air was palpable, and the fate of these Imperium techno magus hung in the balance as both sides awaited a resolution to this unexpected confrontation.

Emery maintained his composure as he analyzed the situation, utilizing the data provided by his devices. It became evident that the group responsible for the attack was an eclectic mix, consisting of rogue magus from the neutral zone, dark elves, and even members of a third-grade faction. The fact that they had collaborated to ambush a grade-five faction like the Imperium raised numerous questions about their motives and objectives.

Amid the tension, Jinkan remained calm and composed, her gaze focused on the three heavily armored techno magus who appeared to hold higher ranks within their faction. She addressed one of them, asking, "Do you need a hand, Captain?"

Desperation was evident in the Captain's response as he replied, "Yes, please help us."

Jinkan then turned her attention to the rest of the anxious magus and continued, "You could surrender now and tell us what's going on here, or…"

Before Jinkan could finish her sentence, the mixed group of magus made a sudden dash towards one tunnel where the Proxima magus was holding. Ignatius, the Proxima spirit master, stepped forward, his stern expression conveying his disapproval. "That's not how you speak to a lady!" he declared, his voice carrying an authoritative tone.

Ignatius swiftly harnessed his spirit energy to create a swarm of a hundred flying swords, while Lambert and his seven Knights of Proxima formed formidable defensive lines. Zuree, the ice magus, contributed to their defenses by conjuring a fierce blizzard that added an extra layer of protection against the oncoming attackers. These combined efforts served the purpose of halting the advancing group in their tracks.

The precious seconds the Proxima faction bought with their defensive maneuvers were enough for the remaining twenty members of their group to charge forward from the rear, surrounding the hostile magus.

In the midst of the chaos, Emery, Neo, Eeshoo, and Mahinder launched a fierce offensive with their spells, targeting the attackers. Jinkan requested the Alabaster group, to issue specific orders. Under her leadership, they singled out certain opponents for special treatment.

Elowen employed her musical talents to disrupt the minds of their adversaries, causing confusion and distress, while Uria utilized his spirit attacks like daggers, targeting the minds of their chosen foes. In a matter of minutes, five of the selected magus were incapacitated, while the rest met their demise at the hands of the combined efforts of the Alabaster group.

The battle quickly reached its conclusion, with the aggressors defeated and their motives still shrouded in mystery.

Emery recognized the necessity of precautions to ensure none of the incapacitated magus resorted to self-destruction, as had happened with the previous group of mysterious magus. She gave orders for a thorough investigation to be conducted on these five individuals to gather any relevant information.

While the investigation was underway, Jinkan approached the surviving members of the Imperium faction. They revealed that they had been betrayed by a magus from the third-grade faction within their group, which had led to the ambush. Intent on bringing their fallen comrade's body back to the upper layer, they gratefully offered Jinkan four gold medals as a token of appreciation for the rescue.

Upon learning the information about the magus who had been ordered to steal medals and provide them to the elves, Jinkan noted down the names and descriptions of those involved and reported to the family at once.

Afterward, Jinkan said to the captives, "Thank you for the information. Sadly, taking you to the enforcers would just waste too much time."

With a single order, Neo ended the lives of all five captives and collected their surviving spirit souls. The group had obtained two gold medals and several shards from the captives.

At that moment, Neo turned his gaze toward Jinkan and suggested that staying longer in the ruins would become increasingly dangerous, and they should consider moving forward with just 21 members. Jinkan agreed with the assessment, and both Uria and Lambert prepared to leave three members from each of their groups to return to the surface, while the rest of the team entered the crossover to continue absorbing more shards.

Emery, however, had a different plan in mind.

To be continued