A chill descended upon the dune field as the masked figures materialized, their swords piercing the stomachs of Kaiser, Adriel, Hella, and even the uninjured Deff and Jos. It was a sudden, brutal ambush, designed to incapacitate. But as soon as the masked man's blade entered Adriel's body, Adriel, with a chillingly calm precision, pierced the man's heart with his own sword, killing him instantly. Adriel, who felt neither pain nor exhaustion, merely registered the attack as a slight inconvenience.
"He is unaffected! Kill him!" one of the remaining masked men shouted, their voices muffled by their coverings. They immediately converged on Adriel, their blades flashing.
Kaiser, his own stomach bleeding, watched their coordinated movements. When three of the masked assailants aligned in his field of vision, he acted. He unleashed the first verse of the Sword Saint technique, "Wind Slices the Sword." A shimmering wind slice cut through the air, simultaneously decapitating all three masked men. The remaining attackers froze, momentarily stunned by the bizarre and sudden deaths of their comrades. In that fleeting moment of confusion, Hella, her eyes blazing, lunged forward, slicing one masked man's head clean off and piercing another's heart with brutal efficiency.
Adriel, Kaiser, and Hella then quickly pulled out small, strange fruits they had hidden in their clothes. They bit into them, and almost instantly, a warm sensation spread through their bodies. "It was good Sentry told us about this attack earlier," Kaiser muttered, the bleeding from his stomach already slowing. "We were able to prepare for it. But now we should go to Sentry before our enemies reach him." As they finished eating the fruits, their injuries were visibly healing, the cuts and wounds closing with remarkable speed.
They started towards Sentry's location, but more masked men began to appear, blocking their path. Kaiser stepped forward, his eyes narrowed. "This is my field!" he declared, his voice ringing with authority. "Who do you think you can kill?" Instead of drawing his sword, Kaiser channeled his sorcery. He unleashed a powerful wind gust, stirring up the sand and quickly enveloping all the masked men in a thick, blinding dust cloud. Then, with another surge of sorcery, he generated a fire within the dust cloud, causing a controlled dust explosion. The masked men were thrown backward, falling unconscious with only minor burns and injuries.
On the other side of the dune field, Sentry stood alert, his eyes scanning the shifting sands. He searched for the tell-tale signs of the invisible masked men, their fleeting footsteps on the sand. As soon as he detected faint impressions, he acted. He used the long, ribbon-like attachment on his sword's hilt, flinging the blade outward and then manipulating the wind gust to precisely control its trajectory. The sword flew, changing direction mid-air. The masked man, caught off guard, suddenly became visible, dodging the blade just in time. But Sentry wasn't finished. He reversed the flow of the wind, causing his sword to lash back, slashing the masked man and severing one of his hands.
The injured masked man cried out, attempting to flee, but he was cut down by an approaching Adriel, who arrived just in time to deliver the killing blow. Kaiser and Hella joined them moments later.
"Sentry, you were right," Kaiser said, his voice grim. "Something big did happen."
"Now what should we do?" Hella asked, looking at the unconscious and dead masked figures around them.
"First, we need to get out of the stadium," Kaiser decided. "Where are the elders?"
"Who knows?" Adriel replied, shrugging his shoulders.
"First, let's exit the dunes field," Kaiser urged, leading the way.
As Kaiser and his party walked out of the stadium, they saw an elder, badly hurt and bleeding. "Quick! We've been attacked! Go to the east wing!" the elder gasped before collapsing.
Kaiser and the others hurried to the stadium front. The crowd had already scattered, fleeing the unexpected invasion. Kaiser quickly took three additional swords from his bag, securing them to his waist, and then ran outside, into the panicked streets of Nandaka.
"What is happening?" Kaiser asked Sentry as they ran.
Sentry, his face grim, explained, "It is compulsory for all people in Nandaka to participate in fights during war times. However, since we were attacked in the middle of a match, it is not compulsory for us to join this fight."
Kaiser abruptly stopped running. He turned to his team, his gaze sweeping over each of them. "So, everyone, should we participate in this war? Say now. I want no regrets."
Sentry, Adriel, and Hella, in unison, declared, "Yes! Let's show these pieces of trash who are the true abominations!" A shared sense of purpose ignited within them.
They ran through the chaotic streets, encountering several more masked men. Sentry, now more confident in his sorcery, used his ribbon to flail his sword around, then employed his wind gust to precisely control the trajectory of the wind, guiding his sword to kill nearby masked men. Kaiser, no longer holding back, unleashed his sorcery fire ball spell, incinerating any enemies in his path. Adriel and Hella, their blades a blur, moved as a deadly shield, cutting down anyone who dared to approach Kaiser and Sentry.
As the team pushed forward, they finally encountered a man from Nandaka, battered and bleeding, but still fighting. "Where can we find the others?" Kaiser urgently asked.
"They are at the gates," the man gasped, pointing. "The masked men here are strong, but a war is raging at the gates! I would suggest you not go there!"
Kaiser looked at his team, then made a quick decision. "Sentry, you stay here and kill the masked men. Make sure no one attacks from our backs while Adriel, Hella, and I will go to the gates."
"Okay!" Sentry agreed, already turning to face a new wave of masked attackers.
Before heading into the heart of the conflict, Kaiser leaped onto a nearby building's roof, hoping to get a clearer view of the warzone. What he saw was sheer bloodshed. The chaos was absolute; he couldn't make out who was who, only a swirling, bloody maelstrom of combat.
"Looks like we are in for a fight," Kaiser muttered, a grim determination setting in as he prepared to descend into the inferno.