Azure learned not to question Aqua's techniques. After all, they were in enemy territory, and she would need to trust her abilities. But the power she sensed from the previously normal sword was insane; the seemingly ordinary steel blade was turned into a container of immense power that could be considered a national treasure.
Enchants of this magnitude were unheard of, and yet her companion surprised her once again by calling them basic.
And yet she did not care, no matter what kind of monster her new friend was; all that mattered was that she was lending her power to rescue Sheira.
She looked over the blade with a satisfied look before wrapping it in a piece of cloth and loosely tying the great sword to her back.
Once both Azure and Laura got their weapons, they were once again lost. They were equipped for a potential fight, and yet they had no idea where to continue looking.
Most humans who passed them paid no heed to their presence and simply went about their business, though some still gave them weird looks as the trio frankly looked like lost sheep.
"You ladies are members of Golden Rose, are you not?" A raspy male voice came from behind them, getting an immediate reaction from the trio.
Laura was the first to answer; after all, she recognized this voice. It was the voice of the observer who was in their encampment. Finally, someone recognized them, Laura thought.
If anyone knew why they couldn't find Golden Fang, or why most people seemed unaware that Golden Rose had passed through the city, it would be him.
"Oh, it's you! Yes, I'm Golden Petal Laura. These women are Golden Petals, Azure, and Aqua," Laura said while giving a slight bow.
The man looked over them with obvious suspicion in his eyes before answering, his gaze piercing through two disguised elves. "I haven't seen these two women at the encampment, but no matter. Follow me."
As the old man started walking away, Laura tried to ask him, "Why does nobody know that Golden Rose passed through the city?"
He cackled before answering, "No. Follow me now and stop asking unnecessary questions."
The trio looked at each other before following the old man shortly after. The man led the trio through Eastern Street, his stride slow and unsteady.
"Golden Fang is awaiting you, Laura," the man said as his cane hit the ground, providing support for him to stand.
Why is he pretending to be weak? That was all Aqua could say about this man; while his charade could fool lesser eyes, it couldn't fool Aqua's.
The sheer power he emanated dwarfed even the statue in the city center. He had cleverly hidden his power, forcing even her to put some effort into seeing past his concealment.
The man did not use any illusions, and yet his concealment was about as effective as a master illusionist.
Whoever he was, it was almost certain he would lead them to neither Sheira nor Golden Fang.
It is a bad idea to follow a strange old man, but I'm quite interested in what he is hiding, Aqua mused as they quietly walked behind the man.
She fully expected a trap, and yet neither Laura nor Azure expected a thing. Well, that is expected; he concealed himself extremely well.
His apparent mastery of illusion-like magic was worrying, after all, the illusion wasn't something she had much knowledge of.
While sufficient destructive power would be enough to remove the illusion, she knew she couldn't destroy the city, especially with Azure and Sheira being in this city, and to some extent, Laura.
She had expected Laura, who was experienced in deception, to at least get a hunch that something was wrong. She couldn't say the same for Azure, who proved that she was still too naive and trusting.
Perhaps this was a good test of the man's perception as she channeled power into two spells. Both Laura's and Azure's forms shimmered for a mere moment as [Heart of the Phoenix] settled in them, marking them with a scar in the shape of wings in the same manner as Sheira was.
Aqua carefully observed the man, and yet it seemed like he noticed nothing.
That is reassuring, even if it seems that not even my two companions noticed anything. She sighed as she wondered how none of them noticed a flash of color, even if it was so brief that the naked eye could barely perceive it.
Following a slow old man made the travel time longer than it would have taken them alone, but eventually, they arrived at a marble building like many others. The surroundings were unusually quiet as they entered.
The front yard was as luxurious as any estate in the city, but eerily quiet, whether from the lack of slaves working there or for some other reason.
The man opened the heavy door of the building with no effort whatsoever before gesturing for the women to follow him, getting a surprised reaction from both Laura and Azure.
The man led them down an intricate stairway deep underground, illuminated by Mystic Lamps as far as the eye could see.
The quiet while they were walking down was unnerving, forcing Azure to speak up despite wanting to stay quiet.
"I don't like this place, it's giving me creeps!" Azure stated as she placed her hand on the sword handle, ready to defend herself despite no danger being present, and yet a presence was gnawing at her mind.
The observer scoffed at her comment before speaking, "You three should be the last Golden Rose members to arrive, right?"
Laura was next to speak, and with a suspicious tone answered, "Yes, we are the last ones. Why do you ask?"
The man let out a creepy giggle as the group finally approached a door at the bottom of the stairway. "Good, please enter. Honored guests." The man opened the door, revealing a large basement room with many people standing inside.
Laura gasped in shock as she recognized many people inside the room; they were the remaining Thorns of Golden Rose, both the ones who escorted Fang and the Thorns that arrived with her, and in front, she recognized Golden Fang.
She found him, at long last. But he did not seem to be well, his face lifeless and movement almost nonexistent.
But she did not care; she had questions to ask, and despite her better judgment, she rushed toward him and hugged him tightly.
"Kill her, Thrall!" The observer's former raspy voice was replaced by the booming voice of a demigod.
Laura had never confessed her feelings, but she had loved him all the same. Loved him enough to ignore the observer's command. Loved him enough not to notice the dagger until it was already buried in her neck.
The man she loved had unwillingly betrayed everything he had built, abandoning it all as Laura's consciousness faded into the dark sea.
As her life flashed before her eyes, she had only one thought: No, I do not wish to believe that he would do this.
Laura never had a chance to even scream as her life was extinguished by the hand of a man she trusted the most.
In her last moments, she saw Azure rushing toward her while Aqua just stared at each member of Golden Rose.
"Golden Rose belongs to me. My plan only requires Golden Fang; your unexpected arrival has no use, so die!" said the observer as his frail posture vanished, replaced by an aura of immense power, threatening to suffocate all in its vicinity.
***
As Laura's lifeless body hit the ground, Azure was the first to reach for her sword. Despite the terrifying presence of the man in front of her, she had no choice.
As Laura said, this man was at the encampment and likely knew Sheira's location.
"Elves, are you not? Here to rescue your princess? Intriguing that nobody noticed. No matter, I will have my answers from your corpses!" The man laughed heartily as his piercing eyes swept over the duo of elves.
"Perhaps it is time. Thrall, kill them!" The man ordered as Golden Fang rushed toward Azure at insane speeds, far surpassing even her awakening.
And still, Azure was able to dodge and escape his grasp.
"Impressive display, to keep up with Golden Fang, but you stand no chance, elven scum!" His laugh shook the very walls.
Fang, in his life, trained with many weapons, including his fists.
As his fist collided with Azure's blade, it felt like the steel would shatter, and yet it not only endured but it enveloped Fang in Flame, burning his skin away. While the hit did no damage as it was blocked, Azure was thrown back into the wall with immense speed, making her lose balance.
Fang did not let the opportunity pass as he charged at her, and with a powerful punch, made her fly into the ceiling, shattering it.
Azure coughed blood as Fang jumped back, getting ready to attack again.
Azure's blade glowed red as a slash of crimson flame was sent toward Golden Fang. Crimson Flame ate away at Fang as he pushed past it, his burns severe and yet not diminishing his power or speed.
"Impressive blade, for an elf. But a powerful weapon is nothing to someone incapable." The man scoffed as he watched his Thrall pummel the elven woman, the illusion still unbroken, and yet he could sense she was an elf.
Each punch brought her closer to death, each kick weakening her. While the elf was powerful, she had no chance against his Thrall.
And yet the blade was doing insane damage to his thrall; it cut through blessings like paper, and each wound didn't heal.
"Thrall! Stop playing and kill that insolent wench before you die!" he screamed as his eyes went to the second elf.
He could sense she was also an elf, and yet her power was non-existent. Perhaps the woman would be a good distraction.
He smirked as he appeared behind Aqua with immense speed, his fingers threatening to dig into her throat, and yet she showed no fear.
"You fools are facing First Disciple Rolan! You will die today! Same as Laura did!" he shouted, getting Azure's attention for a mere moment.
And yet that was enough for Thrall to punch a hole through Azure's abdomen, her body collapsing as the sword landed close to Thrall's feet.
Azure desperately tried to reach for the blade as she looked up at Aqua, her companion, who seemed unconcerned even with the enemy threatening to execute her on the spot.
Azure's final thought was regret. She had failed her duty. She had failed Sheira. "Aqua... please save... Sheira."
"Thrall, take that blade. It will be useful for my plan."
The thrall picked up the blade as it grunted and brought it to the observer.
"Oh, is that sword one of the Elven treasures? I must thank you wenches for bringing it to me. It will surely serve me well." The man admired the blade as Azure lost the last sign of life, falling helplessly, an illusion finally breaking as her life was snuffed out.
While the observer admired the blade, he did not notice the first orange sparks gathering around the two corpses.
For a moment, both were lifeless.
Then a soft orange glow took them. Warm red and orange flames wrapped around Laura and Azure, sealing them inside an impenetrable egg.
"So you killed both of my companions so quickly? Even Azure, who was a blessed child," Aqua said without a hint of fear or hesitation, her tone giving a slight scare to Rolan.
"Your fighter is dead, wench. Time to die. You..." He dug his fingers into her throat, and yet he couldn't pierce the skin.
Rolan felt like he was trying to pierce a wall of the blessed city, and panic gripped him as he disappeared behind his thrall.
Rolan knew that his mind was his greatest weapon, while physical power was reserved for brutes like Golden Rose.
"Kill her!" Rolan shouted as Thrall charged at Aqua, shortly followed by the rest of the enthralled Golden Rose.
***
Aqua looked over the man who once was Golden Fang, like all members of Golden Rose inside this place, he had a black haze around him, similar to the slaves around the city, and yet his soul and mind were still whole.
Perhaps Rolan did not have time to fully rewrite his being.
While she hated to watch her companions die, it did not matter. Death had long ago become meaningless in her presence when it came to those she refused to lose.
After all, she had lost too much to allow it to happen again.
Even Aqua would struggle to break a Phoenix egg quickly without putting in real effort. And so she had free rein to learn about this demigod in disguise.
She let herself be hit by the charging thrall, then clutched her side as if wounded.
"I know you are too powerful for me to even hope to defeat you, but please tell me what you are before I die," Aqua said with a pleading tone.
The man laughed, shaking the very walls once again, "That pathetic face suits you well, wench. I am the First Disciple of Mind, Rolan. I am to inherit the will of the Great Inquisitor. Only my exalted self could be trusted to obtain the holy blood, the mission was given to me!"
Golden Fang hit her once again, sending her into the wall as Rolan continued speaking, "I am in charge of a great facility that makes your kind useful to the God King!"
Golden Fang hit her over and over again, and despite that, Rolan did not notice a lack of even a minor blemish on her skin.
"I am everywhere and nowhere. I am the shadow of the Inquisitors. I am the First Disciple!" he shouted, his voice reverberating through the very walls.
"Alas, it does not matter to you, wench. You are not worth turning into a slave, so just die!" he ordered Golden Fang to charge once again.
As the fist was about to connect with her, she casually dodged out of the way of Golden Fang. Unlike the slaves, this man and his soldiers could be saved.
As she dodged, Aqua jumped on his back, and with a simple cast of [Paralysis], he and his former men were out cold, letting Aqua face the observer.
"Well, you at least gave me the information I wanted. After I'm done with you, I will resurrect my companions and get back the so-called Holy Blood." Her smirk mocked him.
Rolan gasped as he saw the entire Golden Rose fall; perhaps the woman was a worthwhile tool. He raised his cane in the air as he cast [Psychic Chains].
Shadowy chains wrapped around Aqua, restraining her in place.
"Hah! You are a mere elven scum. With no power or blessing. You won't play with me!" With immense speed that the eye couldn't follow, he appeared behind Aqua, his hand grasping the neck of the elven woman as the illusion finally disappeared.
Her mind was invaded in a similar way to what disciples on the border did, but with immensely more power and technique.
Even though Rolan's physical and magical powers were far above those of average blessed children, his strength didn't lie in those aspects but instead in the battlefield of the mind.
Nobody but the Great Inquisitor himself would be able to beat him as he invaded Aqua's mind.
Rolan entered the mind of the elven woman, but instead of the vault of memories, he found himself inside an unknown city, a city that was burning with the heat of the sun itself.
"Fabricated mindscape? This woman is more dangerous than I thought. But no matter. Nobody will beat me on the battlefield of the mind!" Rolan looked around, but unlike lesser disciples, he was able to freely roam the mindscape without fear of damage.