Guardians of The Damned-Chapter 22: Different Views

"What kind of idiot tells their plan to an opponent?" I couldn't help but smile.

"Then let's end this," the knight growled, gripping his sword tightly. The translucent swords on his back began to take shape.

I stood calmly, hands in my pockets, silently ordering Puffy to prepare.

With a sudden step, the knight appeared in front of me, as if teleporting. His sword swung toward my neck.

But just before it could reach me, he collapsed. His sword clattered to the ground, and his body convulsed violently before falling still. Blood leaked from the gaps in his armor, pooling beneath him.

With the threat neutralized, I allowed exhaustion to overtake me and collapsed to the ground.

"Sunny!" I heard Eve's voice, her hurried footsteps approaching. I turned toward the sound, seeing her rush toward me.

"Yo, what about your mission?" I asked, still catching my breath.

"Change of plans. We need to secure the device before they do. Here, eat this." Eve pulled a candy from her pocket and tossed it to me.

I popped it into my mouth, feeling a surge of energy. It worked faster than expected.

"Is this from Hakku? Why didn't I get one?"

"I asked him before the mission, just in case," she said, a hint of mischief in her voice. "But for now, can you stand?" Her concern was palpable.

"Yeah, that candy works wonders." I nodded, slowly pushing myself up, but lost my balance. Eve caught me.

"Don't force yourself."

"Thanks." I nodded and spoke to my watch. "Len, what's the situation?"

[I lost contact with Hakku and Goo Han. Ned is looking for them. Miem and Dre are dealing with the Scarecrow members. I'm on my way to the vault to secure the device. What about you? Is Eve with you?]

"Besides him killing civilians and causing collateral damage, I'm fine. Eve's with me. Need anything from her?"

[Not for now, stay close to her. What are you doing?]

"You don't need to know. Just focus on yourself." I ended the call and took a few deep puffs, releasing a thick cloud of smoke. The mist spread quickly, covering a radius of eight kilometers. Visibility dropped to a mere two meters, and the smoke disrupted Honors' enhanced senses and intuition.

With the area blanketed, I was able to 'see' more clearly, preparing for my next move.

I noticed twenty red flames, with countless blue ones fleeing to safety, and two other distinct flames—orange and purple. The orange one was the boy I saved earlier. He was with the red flame, but in the next moment, the red flame flickered violently before vanishing. I frowned.

The orange flame soon disappeared from the mist.

I shifted my attention to the purple flame, wondering if she was someone of interest. She was with a group of civilians, running for safety. A bit disappointed she was just another civilian, I was relieved she was okay.

Turning back to the remaining nineteen flames, I realized they all looked the same. I wouldn't be able to tell friend from foe at a glance. But I'd spent enough time with my comrades to recognize the uniqueness of their flames.

For example, three flames in the south. Two were clearly from Goo Han and Hakku. Goo Han's flames flickered calmly, while Hakku's burned brighter than the rest.

I located the others as well. They seemed to be holding their ground.

"Ned, I've sent you the locations of Hakku and Goo Han."

[Much appreciated!] He replied before ending the call.

"What's the situation?" Eve asked, glancing at me.

I explained the locations of Hakku and Goo Han and their tasks.

"So, what's next?" I asked. I could come up with a plan, but in this operation, Eve was the leader.

"Len is on his way to the vault. We'll leave the device to him. I'll help the others neutralize the threat, and you'll help the civilians evacuate. You're not in any condition to fight."

"Fair enough, sorry for the trouble." I gave her a slight nod.

"By the way, I've never seen you so tired during a mission. What happened?" Eve asked, confused.

We were used to battling the shadows, and she'd seen me fight for twenty hours straight without resting. So seeing me fatigued just thirty minutes into this mission caught her off guard.

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"You don't need to know. See you later." I turned into mist and vanished, not wanting to deal with her teasing.

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**At the vault.**

The door was already open when Len arrived. He stepped inside, immediately noticing five dead bodies on the ground. They were flattened, as if crushed by a massive weight.

Len scanned the room for the device.

His footsteps halted as he spotted it, sitting untouched on a display. It seemed strange—the device was still in place, despite numerous factions wanting it.

He approached cautiously.

Just as his hand reached out, he sensed a looming threat.

Without hesitation, Len grabbed the device and rolled to the left. A massive hammer smashed the ground where he had been standing. If he hadn't moved, he would've been reduced to pulp.

Len frowned, studying the translucent hammer. It looked like energy, not solid metal, and he realized there was no one in the room. Whoever controlled this weapon was outside.

Looking at the bodies, everything clicked. The vault was a trap. You could enter, but you wouldn't leave alive. As for why the device hadn't been taken yet, Len couldn't make sense of it.

But that was a problem for later. Right now, he needed to get out alive.