Chapter 125: The Raid Begins
“S-Storm…” Fanatic muttered. “You really… betrayed us and told everything to that bastard…?!”
Suddenly, Storm disappeared and dashed in front of Fanatic in an instant, lifting him up by the collar.
“Wha-!”
“Listen closely, middle schooler… Heartbeat is hundreds of times better than you scum. I betrayed you? No, no, no… you betrayed me first.”
“G-Guh…” Fanatic was frozen still at Storm’s new speed and strong grip, sweat forming on his forehead. Finn and the others from Squadron 100 all tensed up, ready to fight, but a clear and booming voice cut through the air.
“Enough!”
Lei shot Heartbeat an angry glare, who was calmly sipping on his wine. With a sigh, he set the glass down on the table and spoke.
“Calm down, Storm. You needn’t get so worked up over a simple name they called me. After all… what does a mere maggot’s opinion matter in a world of humans?”
“Y-You…!” Octane looked like he was ready to burst in rage on behalf of his friend, but Fanatic stopped him.
“Relax, Octane. Some people… are just not worth getting mad over.”
Heartbeat, faced with this insult, merely smiled. Storm smirked and let go of Fanatic at last, backing away.
“Oh, by the way,” he said, stopping in his tracks and grinning devilishly at the group. “It’s Hurricane now.”
With a loud cackle, he returned to his spot behind Heartbeat, and Lei sighed deeply.
“This is the reason why I didn’t tell you…” He muttered, shaking his head, then glanced around the roof. “Where are the others?”
“The Theocracy has never been timely,” Heartbeat replied with a shrug. “They have yet to arrive.”
But then, suddenly, a third voice interrupted their conversation.
“We heard that, heathen.”
“Oh, looks like they are here.” Heartbeat smiled and took a sip of his wine once more, crossing one leg over the other underneath the table.
The old man who had interrupted the conversation seemed to have materialized out of nowhere, along with five younger men behind them. That was how teleportation looked like from an outsider’s perspective.
The group of them wore white robes that made them look like priests. On their head were white zucchettos, lined with golden decorations with a cross-like design at the front. They truly were from the Theocracy of Light, given their outfits.
From the other side, another flash of light occurred, and another group wearing the same outfit emerged. Once again, it was led by an old priest, with five young men standing behind him respectfully.
“… Long time no see, Shuraya, Shinfur,” Lei said, bowing in greeting.
“Mm. Likewise, Lei Feng,” Shuraya, the man on the right, said, similarly bowing downs slightly. Shinfur, the man on the right, did the same.
“This is the origin part of the paracausal signal,” Lei explained, not wasting any more time. “Are you all ready?”
Shuraya and Shinfur both nodded, confirming their teams were ready.
“Hold it,” Heartbeat cut in. “We are all sending five people in… yet you have nine. What is the meaning of this, Lei?”
Lei narrowed his eyes in response. “… Is there a problem?”
“Of course there is,” Heartbeat replied with a soft snicker. “With such an imbalance in number, fighting for rewards would hardly be fair for the rest of us, would it?”
Lei snorted coldly. “My disciples are not the type to do that. However… I cannot say the same about yours.”
“The feeling is mutual,” Heartbeat said. “Therefore… I request you pick out five people among the disciples there right now, and send them in. The others… will remain out here.”
“…” Lei fell silent, appearing conflicted, but neither Shuraya nor Shinfur spoke up to help him. They too were worried about Finn and the others using their numbers to take all the best rewards for themselves, but didn’t say it on the surface, that’s all.
Of course, Heartbeat wasn’t actually worried about that. This was just an excuse to get Lei to only send five people in — this would make it easier for Hurricane to capture Finn.
Originally, Hurricane just wanted to outright kill Finn during this mission, but Heartbeat wouldn’t let that happen. He convinced Hurricane to bring him back to the squadron alive, where Heartbeat could then force him into submission and discard Hurricane shortly after. That was the plan, anyway.
Lei, realizing he was outnumbered, sighed and turned around to face Finn and the others. Heartbeat, seeing this, smiled sinisterly, and so did Hurricane.
“… Sorry, but… you heard them. I will let you choose amongst yourselves who will go,” Lei said briskly.
“Alright,” Octane replied with a nod. “In that case… first of all, Finn and Ivis definitely have to go. Finn’s power is incredible, and Ivis’s Oculus Angelica was what let us win in the Dungeon.”
“No objections to that,” Tian Long said. “As for the other three slots… senior sister Qi, Reaper, and Si Shen should go.”
“No,” Qi Ling cut in, glancing at Si Shen. “He can only use one attack, although powerful, before fainting. After that, he will only be a burden.”
“… Tian Long, why don’t you go?” Fanatic said. “Your flames are really strong against Phantoms, and you are a formidable fighter.”
“Er…” Tian Long scratched his cheek awkwardly. “I don’t mind, but… Octane, you look like you want to go…”
“E-Eh? Do I? Ahaha…” Octane laughed awkwardly. “Well, as much as I want to be there, fighting alongside all of you, I can’t go for the same reason as Si Shen. My stamina holds me back by a lot, and there’s no telling how long this Temple is.”
“Looks like it is decided, then,” Lei announced. “Our roster will be Ace, Ivy, Reaper, Draco, and Frostbite, the foremost of which shall be leader. And… one more thing before you go: Temples, unlike Dungeons, have thicker paracausal energy rippling through them. Any connection to the outside world, including radio devices and ear comms, is rendered unusable. In other words… you are on your own in there, Hunters. Stay safe, and work as a team.”
Saying this, he pulled out a vial of opaque black liquid from his breast pocket and tenderly dripped a single drop on the ground. It was the same thing Jim had used to open up the portal to the Dungeon.
And indeed, as soon as the fluid hit the floor, a massive swirling mass of black and white energy appeared, rotating invitingly as if beckoning them to enter.
“… Good luck,” Lei said, patting Finn on the shoulder.
“Best of luck, kid!” Jim hollered from a short distance away. “Don’t disappoint me after all those bloody new tricks I taught ya, ya hear me?!”
“You guys b-better not let me down,” Elder Hua muttered quietly, averting her gaze in embarrassment, unused to situations like this. “I-I-I did offer a week of my time to train you, after all.”
“Disciples… we will await your return,” Shuyara and Shifur said at the same time, closing their eyes.
The team of young Hunters nodded firmly, then turned around and stepped through the portal. The House of Crimson Moons was last to go.
“Hurricane,” Heartbeat said right before he entered.
Hurricane stopped in his tracks and slowly tilted his head just enough to glance back.
“… What?”
“… Don’t overdo it, yes?”
Everyone else thought he was just referring to the Ghosts. But in reality…
Hurricane smirked, the fog of evil clouding over his once clear deep blue eyes.
“… Don’t worry. I won’t.”
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