A small rift opened in the space near Xedros. It was so thin and delicate to be almost invisible.

"What are you doing here instead of stopping the ritual?" A feminine voice holding the fury of a storm asked.

"According to the rules of the Council, every Lord is responsible for protecting their territory from trespassers and from Awakened who employ forbidden magic. Yet you are here not doing anything. Any last words?"

"Lady Tyris, I…" Xedros attempted to say before her punch crushed every single bone in his body and sent him crashing against the nearest mountain, a couple of dozens of kilometers away.

'It seems I'm late. Yet the air is still pure. The forbidden ritual didn't succeed.' She thought while she descended to the ground.

Jaren had gotten the short end of the stick. He had just walked through his dimensional door when Lith's blade lunged at his neck. He managed to dodge it only to be caught by the four shadow arms conjured by Death Call.

The darkness magic flooded his body draining Jaren of his vitality. The combined action of the four limbs made him lose his focus along with all the spells he kept active or had at the ready.

With no more barriers protecting his enemy, Lith's blade had no problems to sever Jaren's head from his neck. Ailia was quickly recovering her strength while she cast her strongest tier five spell.

She was so focused on haste the completion of the spell, that she almost didn't notice Protector approaching to her position at breakneck speed. This time they were far enough to allow her enhanced senses to spot him thanks to air fusion and Life Vision.

Ailia was about to unleash her Collapsing Moon spell against the Emperor Beast when two golden rays of light descended from the sky, piercing Ailia's and Pelion's heart.

At the same time, Lith's group noticed to be inside an impossible array, which generated a spherical barrier around all of those present, corpses included.

'This is General Vorgh's energy signature, but I don't recognize the one behind the golden rays.' Lith thought.

'It seems the reinforcements have finally arrived, but I don't understand why they put us inside- Never mind.' Solus's thoughts didn't make any sense to Lith until a huge explosion destroyed the Awakened ones' corpses and cracked the barriers sealing them.

"You are lucky, son." General Vorgh said.

"A lot of mages don't want their treasures to be stolen. Sometimes a dead enemy is more dangerous than when they were alive."

Lith actually had no such problem. Solus would always warn him if a pseudo core was going awry, but he had no reason to tell that to Vorgh.

"Thanks for your help." He said while giving him a small bow. Solus preferred to keep her eyes on the magical staff Vorgh was wielding and try to understand its secrets.

"No, Ranger. Thank you. I'm sorry we arrived so late, but casting such a long range Warping array requires time and skill. I suppose you already know Spellbreaker Tyris Griffon."

Tyris waved her hand at Lith's group while she kept open the dimensional corridor from which Vorgh and other Spellbreakers were rushing out.

"Where are the rest of the enemies?" Vorgh asked.

"Dead or still inside their homes." Lith handed him the list containing the names of all the officials and nobles who were likely to have helped the Church of the Six to spread its influence.

"Well, cleaning up this kind of mess is way beyond your paygrade. We'll take it from here. There's anything else I need to know?"

"Yes. I stopped those rogue mages with the help of my friends and I'd like for them to be compensated. They are Friya Ernas and..." Lith turned around just in time to bit his own tongue.

"Don't worry. The Griffon Kingdom doesn't discriminate against his loyal citizens just because of their race. Both Lady Ernas and the Emperor Beast will be rewarded for their efforts." Tyris said.

Lith had almost noticed too late that Protector was still in his hybrid form.

'Fuck me sideways! Protector doesn't know them, nor must he like being caged like an animal. Lucky for us, the army seems to know about shapeshifting abilities. Otherwise things could have gotten awkward.' Lith thought.

Vorgh dispelled his array, making the barrier trapping Lith's group disappear.

"Who are these guys, Scourge? Friends or enemies?" His voice sounded like a snarl. Protector's lips were curled, revealing his snow white fangs and showing he was ready to resume fighting.

Protector was too young to know about the Council or the Guardians. Since Tyris wanted to appear as a cyan cored human, even his senses perceived her as such.

"Friends." Lith said stepping in front of him and shielding Ryman with his own body. Just to be safe.

Friya was still confused about the quick development of the events. At first, she had been annoyed by someone stealing her prey, but when Pelion's corpse had exploded, making even her bones tremble, her rage had been replaced by gratitude.

The emotional roller coaster resumed when she saw Tyris. She had no idea who that Constable was, but seeing another Tista was a big blow to her pride.

"Thank you very much, Lady Ernas. Your family truly is a pillar of the Kingdom." Tyris said while shaking her hand.

"Thank you for your kind words." Was all that Friya managed to think of that didn't sound like a pick up line.

"It's never easy to reward an Emperor Beast. Your needs are often very different from human's."

"I didn't come here for a reward. Just leave me alone and I'll consider us even." Protector said. There was something off in the woman in front of him, and he didn't like how the other Spellbreakers were looking at him.

He chose to remain in his hybrid form to not give away his human appearance.

"If that's your wish, I can promise you that no one will disturb you. I hope you will at least accept some gold as a token of my appreciation." Tyris handed him a bag containing a few hundred gold coins.

Protector was tempted to refuse it, but with another kid incoming that money would make a huge difference. He wouldn't need to work for a long time, allowing him to focus only on his family and magic.

Also, Selia could use a bigger home, and both of them some help with the kids. He nodded at Tyris and made the bag disappear inside his dimensional amulet after checking that none of the coins was enchanted.

"What can the Griffon Kingdom do for you, Ranger Verhen?" Tyris shook his hand too, coming a little too close for Lith's comfort. Her beauty was stunning, her hair smelled like spring had finally arrived, and her smile had melted countless frozen hearts in the past.

"I would like to apply for leave again. Two missions completed in as many days and an entire city saved from forbidden magic should grant me at least that much." He replied without hesitation.

Tyris's smile reminded him of Kamila, making him yearn for his girlfriend's company.

"That's a given." She chuckled. "You'll be awarded 10 days leave for your meritorious acts and another 10 days for being the top ranker in the Ranger corps. I was asking if there's something specific you might desire.