Noah pulled the spear from the grade three soulless's throat after its body stopped trembling. The monster's corpse continued to stand with the support of Roger's [Air Manipulation] ability locking down the area. He diverted his attention away from the creature to survey the area. The crossroads where he stood were littered with kitchen knives, nails, and other sharp metal objects. He looked further, toward the hell-hounds surrounding him. They were also pierced by countless sharp objects, held upright by the solid air.

Occasionally a nail would bounce off Noah's shield wall above his head as the metal rain died out. Suddenly, Noah felt the tingling on his skin from his wind-attuned body end. It was followed by a loud crash as the building and debris held suspended in the air collapsed.

It seems Roger has ended his ability. Where did Avery run off to while I was distracted? I think I saw a flash of yellow light from his hand earlier, despite his red spirit form. I wonder what that was. I'll ask him later. I need to check that the others are okay.

Noah's spear and shield wall crumbled into clumps of the earth as he deactivated his [Archaic Armament] ability. There was a thud as he stepped out of the way of the towering soulless. It collapsed face-first into the ground without the support of the air. He glanced at it before forming an ornate stone dagger in his hand, using it to dig out the grade three origin crystal from its neck. He absorbed the black crystal without any hesitation. There was a wave of energy flowing into his body, unmatched by anything he had ever felt. Noah closed his eyes in ecstasy as he breathed in power like a drug.

A shudder passed through him as he regained his self-control. He ran to the wreckage of the collapsed building, housing his companions and began to toss aside broken tiles and bricks. It didn't take long to uncover the trio from under the debris. The first to be dug out was Josh. He had thrown himself protectively over the children. Noah noticed a large knife embedded in his thigh with blood soaking his trousers. Josh rolled over to look at him with glowing purple eyes as Noah lifted the weight from his back. Noah gently helped him stand and step out of the hole he had made in the ruined pile of tiles, revealing the children underneath. Grace climbed out by herself. Lyn was still unconscious, but Noah was reassured when he noticed the barely perceptible glow of blue-lifeforce.

He withdrew two healing potions from his [Zero-Space Dimension Ring], casually handing one to Josh. Noah crouched down beside the unresponsive form of Lyn, carefully opening his mouth to pour the contents of the potion down his throat. The reaction was immediate. Light began in Lyn's stomach as the core spread through the entirety of his body. Lyn began to cough as his eyelids fluttered open.

"Noah…" Lyn attempted to speak before he was interrupted by the filthy finger on his lips.

"Shhh, don't talk just yet. We're safe now. Rest for a moment," Noah interrupted.

"Thank you for the potion. Noah..." Josh said gratefully. Noah held up a hand to stop him from continuing.

"Don't mention it. You never mentioned how you managed to escape the Fallen Citadel, Josh. How is it that one of Ronan's prized hostages managed to sneak onboard an Airshark ship right under everyone's noses? I don't believe that you're free to do whatever you please after Ronan killed your husband. If it were me, I would have you under constant surveillance and anyone you associate with. So tell me, why are you here?" Noah suddenly asked the shrouded man.

"Noah… It's not what you think. Alex is still alive. I can see through the stone using my [Astral Vision] ability anytime I look at the warhammer. His heart is still beating. Ronan promised to release him if you brought him back," Josh said while placing a pleading hand on Noah's shoulder.

Noah shrugged the unwelcome hand off his shoulder while standing back up, holding Lyn in one arm. Turning to face Josh with a grim expression on his face.

"I understand why you did it, Josh. But I won't forgive you for attempting to betray me. I'm not the same naive boy that I was before Ronan's mutiny. I'm not going to do anything to you for old time's sake. You will get me into the Fallen Citadel to confront Ronan, but it will be on my terms. We're going to meet with my crew, and then we're going to enact the next step," Noah instructed.

"I truly did come to warn the locals. Grace can vouch for that. They're all escaping the island with the Sisters of the Sea," Josh tried to explain himself.

"I don't know who they are, and I don't care what you use to justify yourself. You're going to do what I say to the letter, or I will kill you myself. Do you understand?" Noah coldly replied.

"Yes," Josh said.

"Good. Now let's go," Noah said.

"Noah, I know who the Sisters of the Sea are. They're all women who are ability-users, and I heard they hate men. They will kill all of the men. We need to warn them!" Lyn said fervently.

"They don't hate men! They're heroes. They just don't let men live on their moving island forever. They're going to drop all of the men and boys off on the mainland. Then give the women and girls the option to stay. I'm going to join them!" Grace refuted Lyn with a glare.

Noah silently considered what the two children said before coming to a decision. He would find his crew and risk-taking them to the Sisters of the Sea while he went with Josh in the Airshark to confront Ronan.

"We can't rely on hearsay about other people to make our decisions, Lyn. We'll see if they're telling the truth after we meet them ourselves. Is that fair?" Noah said.

"I guess so," Lyn reluctantly agreed while looking down.

"Josh, can you see where my crew is?" Noah asked.

"Yes. They're right over there," Josh replied while raising a finger to point over Noah's shoulder.

Noah turned to see a familiar group of ragtag survivors. Dust parted on the gravel crossroads as the sharp metal objects piercing the ground shimmered with green-lifeforce to clear their path and hover above the boss's recognizable figure walking in the lead with Roger at his side. Avery followed a step behind.