Midnight Shadows

After dinner, night gradually blanketed the land. Allen returned to the inn with Laxus, swaying as they walked. They planned to rest in their room for a while, then quietly wait for midnight to arrive.

Time passed second by second. When the bells chimed two in the morning, all was silent, and the entire world seemed to have fallen asleep. At that moment, Allen suddenly opened his eyes. He gently woke Laxus beside him, and the two quickly rose and changed into completely black clothes.

Once everything was ready, they silently reached the window, opened it, and lightly leaped outside, melting into the vast darkness of the night.

At that moment, the streets of Rainbow Port were deserted and eerily quiet. Only the occasional patrol remained at their posts, though judging by their expressions and movements, they were hardly doing more than slacking off. In the pitch-black side streets and alleys, a few residents returning late could sometimes be seen hurrying past.

Allen and Laxus had a clear target: they were heading toward the alley where Allen had discovered something suspicious that afternoon.

Along the way, they kept their footsteps as light as possible to avoid making any sound and attracting attention. As they drew closer to the alley entrance, the two slowed down in unison. After exchanging a glance, they began cautiously making their way into the alley.

The alley looked ancient. The walls on either side were covered in mottled marks left by the passage of time, while all kinds of trash and debris lay scattered across the ground, making the already narrow path even more chaotic. The air was filled with a complex, indescribable stench—a mixture of rot, dust, and the reek of some kind of decaying seafood.

Allen and Laxus paid none of it any mind. They quietly approached the house at the end of the alley. That afternoon, Allen had used his keen senses to notice that magic users who deliberately concealed the fluctuations of their magic power often appeared there. Because of that, he had no hesitation in listing the place as their primary target for investigation.

As they gradually neared the mysterious house, an unusual feeling suddenly welled up in Allen's heart. Relying on his sharp perception, he sensed that the people inside were still active. Allen exchanged a glance with Laxus, and the two understood each other without words, becoming even more cautious.

Like ghosts, the two silently circled around to the side of the house. There, they found a window through which they could see the people in the living room. Allen dared not be careless. He quickly cast a subtle silencing spell to ensure that his next actions would make no sound. Then he carefully approached the window, quietly opened it a crack, narrowed his eyes, and peered inside through the narrow gap.

In the living room, five magic users in black robes sat in a circle. At the center of them was a crystal ball radiating a ghostly blue light, drawing particular attention. Around the crystal ball, countless bizarre and grotesque runes had been densely inscribed.

At that moment, the five magic users were completely focused on continuously channeling their magic power into the crystal ball. As the magic power poured in, the crystal ball, which already gave off a blue glow, began to change. The entire sphere gradually emitted a somewhat eerie purple light. However, because the five had carefully set up a powerful Magic Circle beforehand, all that strange purple light was firmly contained within the house. That was why no one outside could detect the abnormal activity taking place inside.

Laxus, who had been watching the scene intently, could not help murmuring, "Judging by the looks of it, they seem to be performing some kind of ritual."

Allen had just been about to reply when his gaze suddenly sharpened. He had unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure among the magic users. After taking a closer look, he was stunned—the person was none other than Caitlin, the attendant who had received him and Laxus when they first checked into the inn!

Allen's heart jolted. He had never expected even an inn attendant to be hiding so many secrets. Allen turned to Laxus and whispered, "We'll find a safe entrance into the house. Once we're inside, our first priority is to subdue them immediately. Keep the noise down as much as possible. The silencing array I set up outside can block some of the sound from escaping, but remember one thing: don't use any large-scale magic with too wide a range, and avoid causing any kind of explosion whenever possible. Do you understand what I mean?"

Laxus nodded solemnly. Then the two cautiously circled around to the back door. They quietly opened the window beside it and slipped into the house without making a sound.

They moved lightly, inching forward step by step toward their targets. However, at that crucial moment, the crystal ball, which had been quiet until then, suddenly began shaking violently as if it had received some powerful stimulus!

When the black-robed magic users saw this, panic appeared on every one of their faces. Caitlin abruptly stood up, her beautiful eyes filled with wariness as they swept constantly across the surroundings.

Allen's heart sank. This is bad. He knew very well that something unexpected had probably happened. Most likely, the strange crystal ball had detected the fluctuations of magic power coming from their bodies, triggering this warning reaction.

Allen and Laxus exchanged a glance and decided to speed things up. Taking advantage of the black-robed magic users' confusion, they rushed at them like specters. Laxus struck first, subduing the two magic users closest to him with lightning speed. Allen lunged at Caitlin, but she nimbly dodged him.

Caitlin looked at their faces in surprise, but that expression was quickly replaced by coldness. "You two brats came here looking to die? Perfect. My master needs sacrifices, and you two look delicious!" Before she finished speaking, Caitlin pulled out a dagger and charged at Allen.

Allen did not choose to dodge Caitlin's attack. He let her stab toward his chest. The instant the dagger touched Allen's chest, Chrono-Adamantium suddenly emerged from beneath his skin and blocked the strike.

Caitlin was startled and tried to pull away from Allen, but Allen gave her no such opportunity. His right hand seized Caitlin's wrist and twisted hard. The dagger fell from her hand, and Allen went on to restrain half of her body.

Seeing that she was about to be captured, Caitlin steeled herself. Ignoring her right hand, she condensed purple flames in her left and hurled them at Allen.

This time, Caitlin had learned from her earlier lesson. She did not attack Allen's body, but instead aimed directly for his head.