Outside the gates of the Twilight Manor...
The sound of metallic footsteps rang through out.
The guards stationed at the entrance turned in unison as a lone figure approached, his gait slow and deliberate.
"Who goes there!? Identify yourself!"
One of the guards shouted, squinting as he tried to make out the intruder's form.
At a glance, they could tell the figure was male... his massive frame made that much clear.
He was clad in full black armor, a dark red cape trailing behind him.
An eerie, faint purple glow clung to his form, giving off a deathly aura, and his face was completely hidden behind a helmet, making identification impossible.
Despite the warning earlier, the armored figure didn't halt in his steps, continuing forward with the same slow, unchanging rhythm.
The guards exchanged quick, uneasy glances.
The moment they realized he had no intention of stopping, they promptly raised their weapons, steel scraping against steel as spearheads and blades snapped into position, all of them pointed toward the approaching figure.
"H-Hey! S-Step back! This is the home of the Loki Familia... w-we are not welcoming any visitors at this hour!"
The guard at the front shouted, forcing the words out from his throat.
Yet the more he spoke, the more his voice wavered.
With every step the figure took closer, his confidence visibly bled away, until the final words came out barely louder than a whisper.
'What is this?'
'This presence...'
'Why am I shaking?'
The thoughts echoed through their minds in unison as their bodies betrayed them.
Arms trembled despite clenched grips, legs threatening to give out beneath them.
It felt as though something unseen was pressing down on their chests... an instinctive fear, primal and overwhelming, gnawing at their very souls.
"H-hey! S-Step back! I am warning you!"
The shout came more out of desperation than authority.
Finally, the armored figure paused in his steps.
He stood motionless before the gates.
For a few heartbeats, nothing happened... no movement, no sound... only the oppressive silence that made the guards' breathing sound unnaturally loud.
Then, in the next second, his right hand rose with deliberate calm toward the hilt at his waist.
The guards felt it instantly.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the sword, the atmosphere around them thickened, as though the world itself had sunk into deep water.
A suffocating pressure flooded outward in an invisible wave, crashing into their bodies and forcing the air from their lungs.
The blade slid free from its sheath with a low, resonant hum.
One of the guards dropped to a knee, his weapon clattering uselessly against the ground.
"I—can't... breathe—!"
The armored figure lifted the sword, holding it loosely at his side.
"My thumb is hurting..."
In Finn's room, the pallum captain froze mid-thought.
His eyes narrowed as he stared at his hand, a faint pulse of pain radiating through his thumb like a warning carved directly into his instincts.
Finn muttered, already moving toward the door.
"Hmm? Is this magic? Is someone fighting nearby?"
Ais, who was swinging her sword in the training ground, paused mid-swing.
In the hallway, just outside of his own room, Judas felt it.
'I sense a vast amount of magic power being gathered.'
'Something dangerous is coming!'
That realization sent alarm bells ringing in Judas' mind, and he quickly clasped his hands together, moving on instinct.
He expanded his senses, rapidly spreading them outward until they blanketed the entire mansion.
One by one, Judas locked onto every presence he could feel, committing each location to memory.
Right now, in his eyes, Judas could see and feel the presence of every member of the Loki Familia.
Most had already gone to sleep, their auras steady and faint.
Others were still awake, quietly reading some books in their rooms, while a few continued to swing their weapons in the training grounds.
Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he acted without hesitation.
Judas began casting protection spells on every single member of the Loki Familia.
One after another, translucent bubbles of light formed around them... soft, radiant barriers that wrapped around their bodies like a second skin.
"Huh?"
"What's with this light?"
The members who were still awake stared at themselves in confusion, lifting their hands and watching the glow ripple across their fingers.
"Judas? This is his magic?"
Ais muttered under her breath. Then her eyes widened as realization struck.
She didn't hesitate.
She turned and sprinted forward.
Then... just outside the gates.
The guard at the front saw the armored figure shift into a stance.
His foot slammed into the ground, and the cobbled road beneath him shattered, cracks spiderwebbing outward from the point of impact.
Light enveloped the blade as dense amounts of magic power began to accumulate, the air around it distorting under the pressure.
Then he swung his sword.
The motion was deceptively simple. No flourish. No wasted movement.
A single, clean arc.
"Everyone! Duck!"
The front guard shouted in alarm as instinct screamed at him to move.
The instant the blade cut through the air, a crescent of blinding light tore free from its edge.
A sword arc made of energy flew forward, threatening to annihilate everything in its path.
However, just before it could strike the Twilight Manor...
A magic circle... vast enough to cover the entire base... flared into existence.
Runes ignited in rapid succession, interlocking as a massive protective shield manifested in front of the manor.
The sword arc collided with it head-on.
Boom!
A deafening explosion tore through the air.
A massive shockwave rippled outward, shattering nearby windows and sending fragments of glass raining down as the entire Twilight Manor shook violently.
Inside, chandeliers swayed wildly, their chains shrieking in protest.
Plates and cups were flung from shelves in the kitchen, crashing against the floor and shattering into countless pieces.
"What's going on?!"
"What happened? An explosion?!"
"We are under attack!"
One by one, members who had been asleep snapped awake, their hearts pounding as alarms rang through their minds.
The first to react were the first-class adventurers.
They sprang from their beds in an instant, weapons already in hand, and rushed outside without hesitation.
As the blinding light of the explosion gradually faded, a lone figure came into view, hovering in the air before the Twilight Manor.
"Ha... ha... haa... that hurt like a bitch."
Judas had summoned his magic just in time to block the attack... but the cost was brutal.
Blood streamed down his body from head to toe.
His vision swam, the world tilting and blurring at the edges, while a shrill ringing echoed in his ears... he realized his eardrums had ruptured.
Opposite him, the armored figure lowered his sword and slowly raised his head, his gaze locking onto Judas with unsettling calm.
Judas felt his strength slipping away.
The magic keeping him afloat faltered, his consciousness fading as his body began to fall.
But before he could hit the ground, a golden blur flashed through the air and caught him mid-fall.
"Judas! Are you alright?!"
Ais' voice rang out, urgent and strained as she held him in her arms.
"Ais... what happened here?"
Tiona appeared beside them at that moment, her expression tight with worry as she asked the question.
But Ais didn't answer right away.
Because she didn't know either.
Moments later, the rest of the Loki Familia poured out into the courtyard... some sprinting through the doors, others leaping from shattered windows and landing beside them.
Their eyes widened in shock as they took in Judas' battered state.
"Did you do this?"
Finn stepped forward, spear leveled as his sharp gaze locked onto the armored intruder.
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