The witch Lana?
Luo Shu raised an eyebrow but kept his expression unchanged as he observed the uninvited witch.
Just then, Lana took slow, measured steps into the vast space, treading across the rocky, desert-like ground as she approached Luo Shu:
"While I'm not entirely surprised that the Anchor of Faith was removed, the speed at which it happened is... somewhat astonishing."
Stopping about fifty meters away, she looked up at his calm face and added:
"And what surprises me most is how thoroughly it was removed—as if I never cast the technique on her in the first place."
"It seems Reverie Metherlence's consciousness will awaken soon. That does complicate things."
Listening to the woman who called herself Lana, Luo Shu lowered his gaze slightly and asked coolly:
"Reverie Metherlence? Is that the Child of Wind's true name?"
"Oh?"
Lana looked at him in surprise, seemingly caught off guard that he knew the term 'Child of Wind':
"Though I'm not sure how you're aware of it, yes, Reverie Metherlence can be considered a Child of Wind."
"Or rather, every member of her unique race, the Seven Glittering Jewels, is akin to a Child of the Elements—similar to an Elemental Spirit King."
"As a wind-aligned Glittering Jewel, calling Reverie Metherlence a Child of Wind is accurate."
Hearing this, Luo Shu couldn't help but lift his eyelids, staring at Lana with a strange expression:
"A natural Demigod race?"
"And you're using such a race as a weapon?"
Faced with Luo Shu's look that seemed to regard her as a spendthrift, Lana simply maintained her usual smile and said:
"For materials temporarily unusable for advancement, this should be the optimal usage, no?"
Luo Shu remained silent upon hearing this.
Considering he himself had captured twelve Demigod creatures from the goblin world as advancement material reserves, he had little to say about Lana's actions.
What Luo Shu needed to focus on now was something else entirely:
"Was it you who planned this operation against the Hidden Management Department?"
"It was me."
Lana had no intention of denying it and admitted directly, sighing:
"Though I never expected the SDS to have another Demigod combatant hidden away."
"Even more unexpected was that despite rushing here as quickly as possible, I was still too late to prevent the Glittering Jewel from slipping out of control."
Luo Shu merely chuckled at Lana's lament. "There are many things you haven't anticipated."
In response, as if returning the favour, Lana lightly stepped on her own shadow and said:
"If you're referring to this Demigod lurking in the shadows, then I must regretfully inform you that I'd already considered that possibility."
As she spoke, a bronze gun barrel emerged from the shadow at Lana's feet, aimed directly between her eyebrows, and fired with a bang!
The gunshot echoed!
Lana glanced at her raised right hand, moving the still-steaming palm before her eyes before slowly opening it, letting the crushed bullet fragments fall to the ground.
Then she turned to face Kurumi Tokisaki, who was slowly rising from the shadows like a dark nightmare, and said coolly:
"Time-based abilities? How surprising!"
"Ara ara, seems my ambush failed."
Kurumi Tokisaki emerged fully from the shadows, looking up at Lana, who stood mere inches away, putting on an exaggerated expression of regret:
"Eeeh~ Even though it was an opportunity bought with Chisato-chan and Takina-chan's lives, it still failed?"
Hearing this, Chisato Nishikigi, who was helping Takina Inoue carry Reverie Metherlence, couldn't help but complain:
"So that's why reinforcements took so long despite this being a garrison! You were hiding in the shadows watching the show!"
Luo Shu made no attempt to defend Kurumi Tokisaki against this criticism.
In truth, after manifesting through the Nibecol created by Nia Honjo, he'd immediately noticed something amiss.
Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue had encountered a Demigod within the garrison itself.
Logically, even if the trap had lured away Origami Tobiichi, there should still have been at least five Demigods stationed there.
How could reinforcements have been so delayed?
This immediately made Luo Shu suspect a Demigod was hiding nearby.
And the best at concealment was undoubtedly Kurumi Tokisaki, with her mastery over space-time and shadows.
Beyond this, Luo Shu boldly speculated that even more individuals might be lying in wait, ready to spring their trap.
Considering this, he glanced uncertainly at Lana, wondering whether she'd detected all the hidden figures or just Kurumi Tokisaki.
At that moment, Lana looked at Kurumi Tokisaki, then back at Luo Shu, before sighing softly:
"Two Demigods then?"
"Though one isn't in her true form, this does make things slightly more troublesome."
Upon hearing this, both Luo Shu and Kurumi Tokisaki realised something.
The other party might not have detected the other lurking individuals!
In other words...
'Had my sighting reports already been circulating, prompting them to guard against me despite my absence?'
Kurumi Tokisaki narrowed her eyes, gazing at Lana before her with an enigmatic smile.
If her speculation was correct, things were about to get interesting.
Meanwhile, hearing Lana's confident tone, Luo Shu narrowed his eyes and curled his lips:
"It seems we're being underestimated."
Two Demigods, merely considered troublesome?
Was this witch truly confident she could defeat both him and Kurumi Tokisaki here?
At this thought, Luo Shu instinctively glanced towards Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue. Seeing they had already departed, he turned back to Lana:
"Your Spiritual Power fluctuations... don't seem to have reached Demigod level yet, have they?"
Instead of refuting, Lana raised her hand, grasped her cloak, and with a sharp tear, ripped it apart.
"Wow!"
Kurumi blinked at the expanse of pale skin now exposed:
"Planning to dazzle Luo Shu with that snowy complexion?"
"If so, I must apologise, because Luo Shu here is no longer the virgin boy he once was."
"Shut up."
Luo Shu shot Kurumi a glare before observing the purple patterns now visible on Lana's exposed skin.
His instincts warned him that those orchid-like violet markings were extremely dangerous.
This sense of peril reminded him of the Nibecol he was currently possessing - the girl formed from Raziel's pages.
Realisation dawned, and his expression turned grave:
"A demonic descent vessel?!"
Lana lifted her head at this, revealing an alluring, bewitching smile.
"You're quite knowledgeable, sir."
Then, bowing slightly, she murmured:
"I'll trouble you now, Ancestor."
From her lips emerged a hoarse, aged sigh:
"Top Tier Class Demigods?"
"Worth my intervention, I suppose!"
As the words faded.
Night abruptly descended!