The night was as dark as ink. It was already Midnight, and most of the countless stars that had glittered overhead had now disappeared from view.
Achill walked alone and in silence through a grove outside the city. For some reason, a faint, inexplicable smile never left his face.
"All right, this place is quiet enough. You've followed me for so long—you must have had your fill by now..." The corner of his mouth curled slightly upward. With a sharp hiss, a flame-like mass of blue magic flared in his left hand. Achill abruptly spun around and hurled the rising ball of magical light toward a spot nearby!
Boom! The ball of magic slammed into the ground, throwing dead branches and fallen leaves into the air! At the same time, several figures shot out of the debris and loosely surrounded Achill.
As mentioned more than once before, Achill's perception was extraordinarily powerful. Within the range of his magical senses, he could instantly detect the presence of anyone harboring hostility toward him! Thus, he had already pinpointed those hostile presences the moment they began following him!
"Very impressive perception." Lucius stood proudly before Achill, his chin raised as he glanced at him from the corner of his eye. Brimming with arrogance, he asked, "When did you notice us?" Not only he, but the others surrounding Achill also watched him curiously, clearly finding it hard to believe that he had detected them.
"When did I notice you? No, that's not what you should be asking! The truth is, you all think far too highly of yourselves—" Achill interlaced his hands and twisted them, producing a series of crisp cracks from his joints. With a calm chuckle, he said, "What you should be asking is, with your pathetic strength, when would I ever