Chapter 767 Attack (2)
Ahead, the mansion stood, a behemoth in the gentle embrace of the morning light.
Erik and June halted their advance, eyes riveted to the imposing edifice that was their aim.
The mansion, with its proud columns reaching skyward and arches sweeping like the wings of a grand bird, was a fortress in its own right.
The grounds were not without their defenses. The landscape had been molded by hands that understood the value of a high vantage point.
Guard posts were placed strategically around the property, their eyes commanding a bird's-eye view of the surroundings, ready to spot any intruders daring enough to breach this citadel of power.
Erik's eyes scanned the premises, his gaze sharp and discerning. "See them?" he said to June.
"They're not just gardeners tending to the flowers or butlers attending to the mansion's upkeep. They're guards, every single one of them."
His hand moved, pointing out the figures scattered around the property.
They were dressed in plain sight, their uniforms designed to blend in with their surroundings.
Some were garbed as gardeners, their hands busy with the flora that adorned the mansion grounds.
Others were dressed as butlers, their attire crisp and formal, a stark contrast to the casual nature of their true profession.
"And up there." Erik's gaze shifted to the balconies that adorned the mansion. "Five more, pretending to enjoy the morning air."
There were fifteen guards outside, a great force for anyone daring enough to breach this fortress of power.
June turned to Erik, his eyes reflecting the apprehension he felt now. "Master, what approach must we take?"
Erik turned towards him, his gaze steady. A moment of silence stretched between them before a slow grin spread across Erik's face.
"We knock on the door," Erik said.
The audacity of the plan was enough to startle a chuckle out of June.
With a shared nod of understanding, Erik and June began their march towards the mansion. There was no attempt to move stealthily or to blend into the shadows.
Instead, they strode forward openly, their steps confident and unhurried.
The guards spotted them almost immediately. Shouts of alarm rang out across the property, echoing off the towering columns and grand arches of the mansion.
"Halt! Stop right there!"
The guards warned Erik and June, their voices filled with authority, but the two didn't desist, and that made them anxious.
Erik and June continued their forward march, their faces hidden behind masks, their identities a mystery. The sight of these two figures, walking so boldly towards the mansion, set the guards into a frenzy.
Weapons were drawn as the guards rushed towards the entrance, their movements hurried and frantic.
The tranquil morning was shattered by the sudden flurry of activity. The mansion's serene facade was disrupted by the impending confrontation.
"Stop or we will attack!"
"Then try."
The guards sprung into action, their powers manifesting in a dazzling display of force. Some wielded ranged brain crystal powers.
Others brandished melee powers, their bodies becoming deadly instruments of combat. They surged towards Erik and June, intent on halting their advance.
One guard, a burly man with a cruel sneer, lunged at Erik with a mana-imbued blade.
As he charged at Erik, his blade shimmered with a menacing blue glow, signaling the deadly mana coursing through its edge.
But Erik effortlessly sidestepped. Behind the mask that concealed his features, a sly grin played across his lips, a silent taunt to his adversary.
The guard, caught off balance by Erik's swift evasion, barely had a moment to register surprise before Erik struck.
With a swift motion, Erik's fist landed on the guard's chest. The impact was thunderous, resonating through the garden, and the force behind the blow was catastrophic.
It extinguished the guard's life force as abruptly as snuffing out a candle, leaving his body to crumple to the ground.
The guard's body crumpled to the ground, leaving the others in stunned silence.
As the woman locked her gaze on June, her intentions clear, she summoned a swirling fireball.
Its creation was accompanied by a hissing roar that reverberated through the garden, illuminating the surroundings with its incandescent glow.
But June, while not possessing Erik's strength, was not an easy target. His own speed rendered him a blur to those who dared challenge him.
At the moment the fireball tore through the air towards him, June executed a maneuver of such swiftness that it appeared he danced with the lights themselves.
He sidestepped the fiery projectile, its heat grazing past him, leaving no mark but the memory of its passage.
Then he surged forward, the distance between him and the guard evaporating as if it were nothing.
The guard barely had time to register the failure of her attack before June's fist was upon her.
The force behind his punch was monumental enough to ensure that the confrontation ended there and then.
With a grim finality, the guard's body went limp, her life extinguished in the same instant her aggression had been met with June's unyielding counterattack.
The remaining guards could only watch in shock as their comrades fell, their confidence giving way to fear in the face of Erik's and June's strength.
As the two approached the mansion, the splendor of the gardens enveloping the estate unfurled before them.
The break of dawn cast a soft glow on the myriad of hues, the colors seemingly muted, yet the magnificence of the place was indubitable. It stood as a bastion of wealth and dominion, a stronghold for the city's wealthy.
However, within this refuge, a macabre ballet was being performed.
A guard, emboldened by duty, charged at Erik from his flank, only to be met with a swift reprisal that sent him sprawling lifelessly onto the manicured grass.
Another attempted to ambush June from the rear, but a rapid pivot and a decisive blow left the assailant motionless on the lush carpet of green.
The gentle gurgle of a nearby fountain was intermittently punctuated by the dull thud of a body succumbing to its fatal injuries, creating a stark dissonance in the otherwise tranquil soundscape.
The serene garden had been transformed into a theater of war, its beauty now tainted by the grim spectacle of battle.
Amidst the surrounding pandemonium, Erik and June pressed on, their gaze ever vigilant for more guards or hidden traps.
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