After popping out of the portal, Goddess Vermeil quickly lowered her stance. Under the cover of darkness, they should be hard to locate, but better be safe than sorry.
They were now on the periphery of the previous fortress, about a kilometer away from it. However, to god tamers, that much distance is like being right next to their noses.
When Ajax entered, he quickly erected a [Concealing Barrier] around them. The barrier was a mix of space and wind elements, perfectly hiding their presence by separating it from the surroundings. It covered about a hundred meters, centered on Vermeil.
One after the other, people entered. They similarly kept their stances low, scanning the forest for anything out of place as they waited. After Zeshion entered last, Vermeil closed the portal and sighed.
“Okay, I think Agor hadn’t noticed us yet.”
“That’s good.”
Zeshion nodded before turning to Ember and the others.
“Can you feel where Will is now?”
Before he even completed his question, Fang was already looking to the east. Her tail was wagging wildly as an excited smile surfaced on her previously expressionless face.
Zeshion smiled at this sight. He then commanded the group.
“Will is to the east of here. He must’ve noticed his tamed’s presence too, so he should be heading here. We’ll prioritize stealth as we go slowly.”
Nobody raised an objection, so Zeshion took it that everyone agreed.
“Ajax, scout around the place to make sure no Demon Tamers find us.”
Without even replying, Ajax vanished from his spot like a ghost. The girls were surprised at his stealth technique, as even Igni and Fang couldn’t guess where he was. It was even more advanced than what the shadows of the Seimei use.
“Raven and Blanc, you two watch from the sides. You girls lead the way, and I’ll cover from the back.”
As he finished, everyone quickly moved to their positions. Fang led the way as the spearhead, with Igni and Ember a step behind her. Wan Li, Ying Yue, and Wan Er were about three steps behind the two, with Vermeil and Blanc matching them on either side. A few meters behind the group, Zeshion kept pace with them.
Fang ran about half as fast as she usually does, making sure that everyone else, especially Ember, could keep up. Although it was relatively slow compared to their max speed, they all zoomed across the forest, crisscrossing the trees, maintaining a constant speed of 60 kilometers per hour.
Slowly, they made their way to where Will was. Excitement was visible in their eyes.
—
“Hmm?”
Agor, still standing by the side of the crater that Vermeil made, looked to the south in doubt. Although he couldn’t detect any intruders there, he felt that a large space that was removed from his sphere of observation was moving at a fast pace.
“Rescuers?”
He quickly pinpointed.
Given that they could even fool his senses, that means the opponent was a god tamer.
“If Ajax is here and Vermeil was here earlier, then I guess the four of them are together now.”
He walked down the hallway and out of the fortress. He waved his hand at the empty air in front of him, and a moment later, he created exactly twelve dark portals.
From each portal, one figure emerged. They stepped out of the murky black portal one at a time until all twelve of them were standing before Agor. .
“Zodiacs. It’s time to work.”
Although they were all wearing black cloaks, each of them had a pretty unique aura. Even without revealing their faces, one could tell all of them apart.
A large man, about two meters tall, stepped forward. His hulking figure was intimidating to look at, even from afar. He was the one representing the Zodiac, Taurus.
“Boss. Why did you call all twelve of us here? I alone could do whatever you ask for.”
Agor stared at him with a deep frown. If not for his strength, then he would’ve been killed already for being so full of himself. However, he still had his uses, so Agor chased the thought away.
“We’ll be hunting four god tamers now. Follow me.”
Despite his short words, as he moved, all twelve followed behind him. Instead of fear, all of them exuded a violent aura, as if excited that they would be facing strong opponents.
It didn’t take long before the group led by Agor reached the only undetectable area within his perception. There, they saw three god tamers and six weaklings running.
“STOP!”
Zeshion commanded the group in a loud voice. Agor’s group came so fast that Zeshion didn’t even have time to plan out their formation. He stared at the group of twelve robed figures flying in the air behind Agor.
“Agor. We meet again.”
Zeshion stepped forward, getting in between Agor and the girls, before calling to him.
“And you’re as full of yourself as ever, Zeshion.”
Agor replied with a vicious grin.
“Why call me Zeshion when you used to be a Zeshion too? Right, brother?”
“Don’t call me brother! You stupid, traitorous fool!”
“Aren’t you the traitor here? Where were you again until a few months ago?”
“Hmph! This country just doesn’t understand my ideals! They’re too weak-minded, just like you.”
The two exchanged words at a rapid pace. The others could only listen in on their conversation while watching the movements of the other team. The air was tense, as a battle could ensure with the smallest trigger.
As Agor was busy berating Zeshion, who was below, a shadow passed beside him.
“…!”
Almost by reflex, he quickly covered his neck with tentacles made of darkness. At that moment, a slushy sound echoed as something hit the side of his neck.
After successfully blocking the attack, he quickly waved his hand to his back, sending a wave of burning black flame. Ajax, who was there before anyone noticed, quickly dodged as he landed between Zeshion and him.
As he fell, four other bodies dropped around him. In an instant, the enemy had already lost a third of their forces.