Slash!

In the blink of an eye, Captain Joshua charged forward and struck—his radiant white sword slicing clean through one of the Spirit's massive arms.

He had clearly aimed for the head, but the Spirit twisted away at the last moment. The arm, however, wasn't so lucky.

The Spirit recoiled, not just from pain—but from shock.

Not because of Joshua's strength.

Because of Raizel.

His wide, glowing eyes locked onto the weapon Raizel held—gleaming with a fearsome aura in his Red Berserker form.

"The... The Divergence Sword? How do you have that, human boy?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Raizel's heart skipped a beat.

It knows... It knows... he thought, panic creeping in slightly.

Slash!

Another white arc carved through the air—another flash of Joshua's blade.

And another arm dropped to the ground with a thunderous crash.

The Spirit reeled, staggering. He realized it.

He couldn't stay here.

With a sudden turn, he lunged toward the portal, gathering the few remaining elves with a sweep of his arm.

Slash! Slash!

But Joshua wasn't done.

Just before the Spirit could vanish into the portal, Joshua's blade found its mark again—slicing into one of its legs.

"Argh! Damn humans!" the Spirit roared, collapsing partially into the portal.

"You don't know what you've done. You don't know what's coming. Only annihilation awaits you!"

With that final, echoing threat, the portal snapped shut.

And silence fell.

No portal. No invaders.

The battlefield was silent, eerily so. The scorched earth still hissed with steam, and the faint glow of Raizel's crimson aura flickered like dying embers.

Captain Joshua's sword lowered slowly. His breath came in ragged, uneven bursts. Blood dripped from his brow, mixing with the tears he hadn't let fall. He turned to where Britney had stood moments ago—where now only ashes remained, scattered in the wind.

Raizel staggered forward, panting heavily. His body was trembling. The Red Berserker form had drained nearly all his energy, and now the pain came crashing in like a tidal wave. He dropped to one knee, driving the Divergence Spear into the ground for support.

"Raizel!" Cecilia's voice cracked as she ran to him, her eyes filled with panic.

She knelt beside him, grabbing his arm. "You idiot! You could've died!"

Raizel smiled faintly, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. "But… we're alive, aren't we?"

Cecilia clenched her fists, unsure whether to hit him or hug him. She settled for wrapping her arms tightly around him, her face pressed into his shoulder. "Don't ever do something like that again…"

Garrett and Yuan walked over slowly, still shell-shocked. Yuan glanced at the spot where Britney had been, his jaw clenched. "She… didn't deserve that," he muttered.

"She didn't," Joshua said, his voice colder than ice. "This wasn't supposed to happen. A spirit like that… on a random invasion? That wasn't just a coincidence."

The Maestro approached at last, his cloak stained with dust and grime.

"It wasn't," he confirmed grimly. "High-rank Spirits don't show up to protect low-level elf troops. That one was assigned—maybe even sent directly."

"Assigned?" Yuan echoed. "By who?"

The Maestro turned to Raizel, gaze sharp. "That's what we need to find out."

Raizel felt a chill run through him. That Spirit had recognized the Divergence Sword. Had spoken of it like it was forbidden… or dangerous. He looked down at the weapon, the same one he used as a cover, never revealing it as part of his true identity.

So it really is tied to something deeper…

He didn't dare speak those thoughts aloud.

Suddenly, a soft cough broke the tense silence. It was Kierra, limping slightly as she approached the group, her pilot jacket torn and charred at the edges.

"Y'all gonna stand around or help me patch the damn comms back up?" she muttered, annoyed. "Can't even report the mission status like this…"

Joshua nodded grimly. "Do it. We need to notify HQ immediately. This mission isn't over. Tell them It's a failure."

"But captain, Won't you get trouble for it?" Maestro echoed.

"I can handle it. Although, I have to suffer some punishment for my failing to ensure her safety, " Joshua replied with a bitter chuckle.

"Please, don't blame yourself, Captain," Nina said softly, although she waa still shaken from the earlier confrontation.

Joshua didn't say anything. Just silent.

Cecilia helped Raizel to his feet. His legs shook, but he stayed up, leaning on her.

"We lost someone today," she said quietly. "We need to make sure her death wasn't in vain."

Raizel nodded, his expression hardening.

"I swear it," he said. "Whatever that Spirit was… whoever sent him… I'll find out."

Maestro looked at him with something between admiration and suspicious.

His gaze turned to the Crimson sword on Raizel's hand obviously.

"Raizel, do you know what is this Divergence Sword It spoke of?"

Raizel shook his head. "I don't know."

He answered simply, but everyone now knew that the Sword wasn't ordinary. It attracted some serious attention from that Spirit after all.

Joshua turned to his squad. "We fall back to the City at once. I'm filing a red-tier report to Apex. This wasn't a border skirmish. This was a message."

Yuan looked to Joshua. "What kind of message?"

"They're uniting once again. That meant they are planning of Something big." Joshua replied in grimm voice.

---

Back in the aircraft, no one spoke. The energy that once buzzed in the cabin was gone. Kierra piloted in silence, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped the controls. Maestro's violin lay untouched. Yuan sat stiffly, his usually loud persona quieted. Cecilia glanced at Raizel from time to time, worry in her eyes.

Raizel just sat there, silently pondering his future. Because he understood this wasn't over.

An hour later, the aircraft docked back at the Apex Guild main hangar in open field where various more were gathered.

Then a small team of attendants and medics rushed over, but Joshua waved them off.

As the FH team members got down, they were greeted by the clean white interior of the debrief chamber. Multiple holograms flickered to life, scanning and recording every member's vitals. Staff members rushed forward with stretchers and healing units, but Joshua waved them off for now.

"I want Command online. Immediately."

A technician saluted and gestured to the central terminal. "Captain Joshua, connecting you now."

The hologram of Camilla blinked into view—tall, graceful, with short-cropped hair and piercing dark eyes. Her face was unreadable, but the tension in her jaw said enough.

"You're early," she said simply. "And one body short."

Joshua gave a small nod. "We lost Britney. A red-tier incident. Requesting immediate classification change for East Ridge Invasion."

Camilla's eyes narrowed slightly. "Explain."

He didn't hesitate. "A high-rank Spirit was present. Acting as a protector to the elven squad. Showed intelligence, command behavior, and... And..

"And what?"

"It somehow recognised Raizel's Sword. It told it was Divergence Sword or something.. "

That last part made Camilla's expression shift. Barely. "So, It spoke of a special Sword, named Divergence Sword Raizel had?"

"Yes, It did," Joshua confirmed. "And threatened our annihilation. Then they escaped through a conjured portal, wounded."

Camilla's voice was quiet. "A high-rank Spirit shouldn't be anywhere near this region. That's a level of interference beyond typical invasion parameters."

Camilla's gaze shifted to Raizel. "You're the one wielding it?"

Raizel nodded once. "Yes."

Her silence lingered longer this time.

"…I'll need a full scan and a classified briefing with you," she finally said.

Raizel paused, hesitating.

Sensing his hesitation, Camilla said,

"Don't worry. We won't snatch your weapon away. We just want to understand what it is and what we should be wary of, understand?"

Raizel nodded reluctantly. He didn't have any other choice anyway.

Afterward, while the rest of the members were taking a moment to calm down, Raizel was instructed to head to a special building a little distance from the main Guild hall.

He tried to act as calm as possible, but tension clung to his every step. He was nervous about the investigation—hopefully, it wouldn't bring him any major problems, which he feared the most.

Just then, Kierra joined Joshua and Raizel.

"Kierra, what are you doing here? The higher-ups called only me and Raizel," Captain Joshua said, slightly annoyed.

Kierra smirked. "Relax, Captain. I can help you." She sounded confident, as always.

Raizel glanced at her, understanding that she had likely come for him—to make sure nothing went wrong.

But what kind of connection did she really have with the Apex Guild? he wondered.

And soon, he was going to find out.

The hallway leading to the special building was unnaturally quiet, the air thick with tension. The facility itself didn't look extraordinary from the outside—just a sleek, windowless block with metal walls and a single reinforced door. But the interior was an entirely different story.

As they stepped inside, the temperature dropped noticeably. Raizel's eyes caught various scanning devices embedded in the walls, faintly humming with magical energy. It wasn't just a building. It was a containment zone, meant to suppress, analyze, or even neutralize unstable magical anomalies.

Sage Camilla was already inside, waiting for them.

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