Aren looked at the duo. He unsummoned all the ants and stood there, looking at them. Aiden approached from behind.

"They seem different," he said.

"Yeah, they are," Zero replied, walking forward. She stood beside Aren as well.

"Aiden, I want you to take Kira and move from here," Aren said.

"Huh? What are you talking about? Why would we leave?" Aiden asked.

"I'm sorry to say this, Aiden, but you and Kira might not be able to take what's about to come," Aren said flatly.

"I'm not leaving," Kira said from behind, walking up.

"I believe Aren is right," Zero stated.

"Bro, you can't be serious. There is no way we would leave you here," Aiden said. Aren was about to say something else to try to persuade them, but it was too late as the lady in purple slammed her finger, and instantly, a massive hawk appeared in the sky. Its feathers were purple and black, its abyss-like eyes stared into souls.

"Screeeeeeech!" It let out a sonic screech that shook the air. Purple lightning crackled all around it, slamming into the ground below and leaving massive craters. It focused on the group and unleashed a terrifying bolt of lightning, as large as a human.

The floor was being obliterated as the lightning shot forward.

"Everyone behind," Zero said. She stepped forward and spread her hands, and immediately, a massive dome formed around them. The lightning slammed into the dome, causing a ripple so terrifying it looked like the world would rip apart.

The dome kept strong and withstood the attack, but the ground around the dome had been heavily destroyed. Zero undid the dome, and immediately, the man with the hammer came rushing forward, and he moved like a bullet, every step covering almost ten meters.

Aiden rushed ahead to block the attack, but right when the man was about to swing, Aren lunged forward, grabbed Aiden by the collar, and yanked him back as hard as he could while raising his right hand to block.

The hammer slammed into the wolf guard, and Aren was sent skidding back a few meters. He didn't take any damage, but the force of the attack was something else.

Aiden saw how much that attack had thrown Aren back. The realization slowly set in. If that had been him, his sword would have been shattered, and he would have taken extreme amounts of damage.

He was an A-tier warrior, and right now, it felt like he wasn't strong at all. He only stared at the man in disbelief. Sadly, this duo wasn't going to let up, as the hawk in the sky unleashed another massive bolt that Zero had to block again.

The air was burning at this point. The tension had reached its peak here, and the real battle was about to start. From every indication, it was easy to tell that this duo were both S-tiers, and heavily trained ones at that.

The only two people that would be able to keep up with them now were Aren and Zero. Zero was an S-tier and a trueborn, which gave her a crazy amount of skill and strength.

"Aiden, take Kira and move away," Aren said. "I would give you the map, but that would make you a target. Now, for the love of all that's good, you two go."

Aiden breathed deeply, angry at the situation and mostly angry at himself for being incapable of helping, so much that he needed to leave the scene now.

He got on his feet, gripped his sword, and clenched his jaw. "Fine," he said and started walking. "Let's go," he said to Kira.

"No, I'm not leavi-"

"There is no point staying. We will only hold both of them back, it seems. Let's go, Kira," he said and started walking. Kira looked at Aren's back, hoping that he would turn to look at her even if it was once, but he was too focused on the duo. She let out a pained sigh as she followed behind Aiden.

"Hahaha, finally. I began to wonder when those weaklings would leave and allow us to have a true fight," the man suddenly spoke, his voice resounding and deep.

The lady walked to his side as well, the hawk hovering over their heads, ready to attack whenever.

"Before we start now, let me introduce myself. I am Ragna, son of the Crimson family, a family of ancient warriors and one of the founders of the Black Dragon Sect," he said. His voice oozed with confidence and pride.

The lady smiled when it was her turn to speak. She gave a small curtsy as if to show respect. "My name is Lily, the daughter of the vice president of the Black Dragon Sect," she said calmly. "It's nice to meet you, acquaintances, though it will be short, unless you hand over the map." She stated.

"Tsk, I don't like either of them," Zero said flatly.

Ragna looked at her and laughed. "Hahaha, what a harsh thing to say. How about after the trial I treat you, and you can get to know me?" he said.

"No thank you. I lack whatever interest one can have in another person. I'm more inclined to kill you and use your corpse for experiments. You alive have no value," she said immediately. His eye twitched when he heard that, but he forced a smile. "That's really harsh, but I'm sure I'll change your mind soon," he said, tightening his grip on his hammer.

Aren looked at both of them. They were the textbook definition of geniuses who also had the best possible backing. They were practically the nobility of the domain.

"I'm sorry, I can't give the map. If you want to fight, come at me. I'll swing equally hard," Aren said.

"Tsk, so be it," Ragna said. He clenched his hammer and took a stance. The hawk in the sky began circling, with lightning crackling around it. Zero created more than twenty spatial spheres, and Aren summoned Fang and his lightning wolf.

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