Izroth shifted his stance to the Ninth Sword Form: World Quelling Ripple as the mana in the surrounding area began to dissipate.
“The mana in the atmosphere is… Hm… A peculiar technique. Perhaps I shall borrow it.” Enigma muttered to himself as the quelling ripples approached his position!
…
Somewhere inside the central building of Siren’s main headquarters…
Currently, Azalea was under stealth as she blended into her surroundings.
After Empyrean made his first move on Siren’s estate, Azalea wasted no time infiltrating the central building.
However, she was well aware of the many security measures in place within the central building. Add to that the fact Siren’s main headquarters was under the protection of a powerful legendary figure like Smiling Demon, Azalea understood that it was only a matter of time until she was discovered.
“My presence should have been detected by now. It will not be long until-“
As Azalea moved with hasted steps, her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the sound of a bell’s chime entered her ears.
“They are close. It has to be one of them. I must hurry.” Azalea internalized as she increased her pace.
While passing through the central building, Azalea left behind several items along the way called Warning Bells.
Warning Bells were tool-type items that could be purchased from a special vendor in Devil’s Sanctum and allowed those who deployed them to be alerted whenever someone passed by.
Typically, one would hide the Warning Bells in a well-concealed spot. However, seeing as how her presence would be detected either way, Azalea was not worried about the Warning Bells being found.
The path Azalea took was known only to a limited number of individuals within the Siren organization. The Head Master, the Right Song and Left Song, the instructor Gauze, and those who managed to climb to the Grand Master rank. These were the only people who knew that this hidden passageway existed. And, the reason for this was simple.
The hidden passageway led directly to the Great Demon Hall—a place that, under normal circumstances, was only accessible to the Head Master and the Songs of Siren.
At the moment, Azalea was headed to the Great Demon Hall to secure a certain item that would level the playing field. Or, to be more precise, to keep the current playing field from tilting too far in Siren’s favor.
A few minutes later, Azalea canceled her stealth as she arrived before a metal door.
At the same time, Azalea noticed that the second to last of the Warning Bells she set up had gone off.
“It should be kept in here.” Azalea internalized as she swiftly checked the metal door for any security measures that might be in place.
Once she confirmed that there were no traps, Azalea carefully opened the metal door and stepped into the Great Demon Hall.
The Great Demon Hall was a spacious room with a dark and mystical grandiose air to it.
Lined up along the left and right walls were a total of twenty marble statues of sirens—ten on each side.
Near the back of the room was a seat carved from some type of black crystal with pulses of purple energy running through it. And, hanging above that seat was a tapestry.
Azalea approached the seat as her gaze was drawn to the tapestry overhead.
The tapestry was of a lone beautiful siren sat upon a rock amidst a body of water with a simple wooden ship drifting in its direction. The ship had two faceless passengers. One of which was tied to the ship’s mast and the other curled over in agony.
At first glance, the tapestry appeared quite ordinary; however, if one looked at the tapestry for more than a few seconds, they would notice the imagery it displayed starting to morph into something different.
After doing so herself, Azalea saw the beautiful siren transform into a hideous creature with rows of razor-sharp teeth, and beady eyes. In addition, the water was replaced by a sea of souls in everlasting anguish.
This was the item Azalea came to the Great Demon Hall to secure.
“It is the first time I have been able to see it up close in this manner,” Azalea said to herself before setting her sights away from the tapestry.
Of course, she managed to get a good look at the system information of the tapestry beforehand.
Name: Call of the Siren Tapestry(Magical Item)
Rank: SSS
Durability: : ∞(Indestructible)
Usage: The user unleashes a great calamity upon their foes. Requires «Song of the Siren» to activate.
Cooldown: ???
Special Note: A masterpiece painted by a long-forgotten artist. After a certain master craftsman got their hands on it, overcome with a sudden burst of inspiration, they transformed the masterpiece into a powerful magical item.
The next moment, two throwing knives appeared between Azalea’s fingers. She tossed the throwing knives one at a time towards the straps that held the tapestry in place and grabbed it as it fell.
If other players knew that she had just gotten her hands on an SSS-ranked magic item so effortlessly, they would be unable to contain their envy.
But, in reality, it was not as easy as it seemed on the surface.
Not only was the Great Demon Hall constantly guarded by Smiling Demon, a legendary figure, but it also had the backing of the League of the Eidolon—an organization that had several legendary powerhouses under its banner. Stealing from Siren was the same as taking something from the hand of the League of the Eidolon. And, who was daring enough to offend them besides a faction that was equally powerful?
Of course, Izroth was an exception. Even if Siren was backed by the Divine Realm itself, they had no choice but to pay the price for messing with his people!
“My, what do we have here? If it isn’t Wraith. I have not seen you since you turned down the Head Master’s offer to join the League of the Eidolon. I even volunteered to take you under my wing. Now here you are playing the role of a common thief. How disappointing.” A charming voice sounded as the metal door to the Great Demon Hall closed.
Simultaneously, a black smoke cloud laced with traces of violet energy spawned at the room’s center. A few seconds later, a woman emerged from the smoke. She was the Left Song of Siren, Paradox.
Paradox narrowed her eyes as she glanced at the tapestry in Azalea’s possession.
“I must say—I never took you as the reckless type. Breaking into the Great Demon Hall alone is enough to warrant your death ten times over. Yet, you boldly hold within your hands the Call of Siren Tapestry. Well? Care to explain yourself? Ah, and don’t bother telling me you got lost.” Paradox said in a voice that contained a hint of coldness.
Azalea remained silent as she placed the tapestry into her inventory. Afterward, she triggered the hidden mechanism beneath her forearms that hid her daggers as the weapons shot into her hands.
“So, that’s your answer. Your future could have been bright in the league. Such a pity.” Paradox said calmly.
Azalea’s eyes scanned the room for another exit; however, from the looks of it, there was only one way in and out of the Great Demon Hall, which was through the metal door. But, Azalea knew that Paradox would just sit back and let her walk out without a fight. And, as one of the two Songs of Siren, Azalea was aware that she could not afford to underestimate Paradox.
“It’s fortunate that I had a chance to witness her ability firsthand, but… Dealing with it is an entirely separate matter.” Azalea thought to herself.
Not too long after Azalea first joined Siren, she and a couple of other promising candidates for the Grandmaster rank, acquired the rare opportunity to join Paradox on an assignment.
Still, even after seeing it with her own eyes, Azalea did not fully understand how Paradox’s ability functioned. However, she was able to verify one thing. When it came to pure killing potential, Paradox’s methods were efficient to an almost frightening degree.
“Don’t worry. Since we have some history, I will make your death quick and painless.” Paradox stated.
The following moment, Paradox’s body turned into black smoke that erupted into every direction of the Great Demon Hall.
In the blink of an eye, the Great Demon Hall had descended into a state of darkness as Azalea entered a state of high alert.
