Pinaca was too much of a liability if he had to escape from a Level 4 so Viers did the sensible thing.

Viers killed her so he could put her body in an inventory item, and still get her soul for soul search later.

It was the logical choice. Though, other people’s moralities prevented them from making that choice.

Inside the White Flowers Meadow, Paina watched the V-Stream in silent shock. Her eyes widened and she cupped her mouth with both hands. She hadn't even talked to her sister yet and now she was dead.

“Paina…” Farley grabbed her hand worriedly.

“I’m fine… Just a little shocked. It’s not the end of the world. She’s not dead, not completely. Pinaca can still become like us and be revived in a new body.”

“...Right! Don't get disheartened. Viers will do something about it,” Farley encouraged her.

“Good,” Clarissa praised that Paina's will remained strong. “Now focus on the outside. Viers is still in a bad situation. We must be ready to assist.”

“Yes!” Farley and Paina replied.

***

“He… He killed her,” Rachel muttered softly.

“Viers, how could you.” Ciel’s eyes looked like they were about to shoot fires.

“No…” Rose said sympathetically as she saw the soul of Pinaca above Viers’ palm.

“That bastard has finally shown his true colors,” Bryan wanted to cut him down for his crimes.

After Viers extracted Pinaca’s soul, the man’s gaze and mind were transfixed on the soul, unresponsive to the hostiles surrounding him. The life-saving items in his arsenal gave him insurance.

While the Silver Legion condemned Viers’ action, the Valkut forces halted momentarily.

Their superior had arrived.

“Now you’ve done it,” Jerrold arrived as if he'd teleported. He just moved so fast it looked like so.

“I see… Impressive camouflage. Without directly holding her soul, I wouldn't even realize that Pinaca is not human. Is this the secret you all want to keep?” Viers finally responded while absorbing Pinaca’s soul into his body.

Jerrold kept a neutral face but the revelation shocked the forces of the Church.

“Huh?” Wendy doubted her ears.

“Not human? What are you-” June tried to ask.

“Curious… Paina’s soul is undoubtedly human. How come Pinaca’s, her sister, is not? Unless… They are not sisters?” Viers said smugly while looking at Jerrold’s face.

Inside him, he felt Paina’s shock.

“...People like you are always troublesome. You can longer be permitted to live.”

Jerrold scoffed before turning to Rose, Damon and the others.

“And them too, because you just had to say something unspeakable in front of your friends.”

“L-Lord Wright, are you serious?” Max took in a sharp breath. The Silver legion felt the conflict brewing in the air. Their nervousness about the unexpected situation grew by the second.

“If you want to blame someone, blame him,” Jerrold said coldly.

Well, they are not my friends per-se… Not all of them anyway.

Viers was still feeling dandy inside.

As per the plan, he lassoed and dragged Ciel and company into this pit of snakes he found himself in.

If I have to suffer, why suffer alone? Obviously doing it with friends is more fun! Mwuahahaha!

Previously, the drones consisting of normal citizens didn't attack the legionaries but after Jerrold's last line, they began approaching Rose and the rest.

“Uhh… Damon?” Rachel said nervously.

“To me! Close ranks!” Damon's firm voice made them act despite their confusion. “Defend yourself, whatever it takes! Don't think, just follow my orders! I’ll shoulder all responsibility!”

Viers was impressed. Clear and decisive. That guy is a leader, alright.

His praise lasted only for an instant. Jerrold was about to invoke another Arte and he had to concentrate fully against it.

The mind-controlled Valkut locals were about to pounce at the legionaries. On top of that, there was Jerrold. Even among the Level 4s that Viers had met before, he belonged to the stronger side. Viers suspected he was even stronger than Lykin, Unem, and Mita.

With him here, things looked grim. Overwhelmingly so.

So as per the plan, he would tank Jerrold’s attacks with his life-saving items that he'd gathered from the people he’d killed so far, especially from the participants of the Book World. All the while he would escape in earnest. It would not be easy, but doable.

Magical items capable of defending against Level 4 opponents, Viers had expended two. First against Unem and then Jerrold.

He still had thirty eight.

Cling—

A crystal clear sound of a bell was heard by everyone in the area. The source was unmistakable.

“Well said, Damon!”

Mita appeared between the Silver Legion and the mob wreathed in a silver aura. She smashed what Viers glimpsed as a pendant to the ground and a series of white energy explosions knocked the mind-controlled people back without disintegrating them. Idlers who fell from the roof would get minor to major injuries though.

After clearing the crowd, Mita focused the energy expulsions on Jerrold.

“Rrggh, how annoying…” Jerrold tried to get closer but it was as if he was going against a hurricane and couldn't get close.

It was Mita’s life-saving item. As a Level 4, her item was far more powerful than what Viers used before.

“Viers, come with us if you want to live!”

That very familiar line alone made Viers’ Horizon increase. He was happy about it but did not blindly take Mita’s offer.

“I can escape on my own,” Viers replied.

“To survive, we need to work together!” Mita’s expression was mixed with desperation. He’d never seen her like this.

Viers’ mind worked at high-speed, about whether the benefits eclipsed the risks.

Viers deemed it yes.

“Oath, same as before,” he said.

“Agreed!”

With that, Viers dashed towards Mita and the Silver Legion folk plus Max.

“You think you all can get away that easily?”

Jerrold created a tidal wave of gray ash. It moved like nanomachines in the films. Viers assumed he would be disassembled into atoms if he got engulfed by that without protection.

Jerrold had invoked his Domain to provide icing on the cake.

“I’ll leave the rest to you, HAAA!!”

Domain clashed against Domain. Jerrold’s ash tide lost the empowerment from the Domain but it didn't stop. Viers realized what Mita meant by then.

“Arte - Vengeful Spirit!”

Viers sent a white ball of soul-based destructive energy at the incoming ash.

Damon and the others did not lag behind. In fact, Viers wasn't the first one to invoke an Arte, Rose was.

True to the combined power attacks seen in the stories, the Arte of Viers and the others managed to create a hole in the tide of ash so they wouldn't be engulfed.

“Good job, all of you,“ Mita praised. “Now it’s my turn. Arte - Evacuation Alarm!”

***

When the dust settled, Jerrold spoke.

“So they managed to get away… They can't be far. Let’s go. The Lord’s secret must not be exposed to outsiders.”

The damage to the city and life was significant. The life part was mainly because of Viers while the city part was because of Unem and Mita’s battle.

“As it should be,” Unem approached and stood beside the goatee villain. “Shall we bring the hatchlings?”

“...No. We must move with speed. They will slow us down. We should mobilize our elites.”

“I see,” Unem waved her hand and the mind-controlled people went back to where they came from. The dead were left behind.

“Father!”

Russ Sullivan, Pinaca’s new husband, and Enzo Wright, the genius younger brother of Pinaca had caught up. With them, there were an additional ten Level 3s.

“Son,” Jerrold said to his son-in-law with a sad face. “I’m afraid the situation is as you've heard. Pinaca has been killed.”

“And I’ll not rest until I’ve buried her body and the murderer has become a feast for crows,” Russ severely said.

“...I’m sure that would make Pinaca’s soul rest easier. Now hurry, before they escape.”

“Yes!”

Jerrold and Unem led the two house captains, Archie and Hubert, two priests, Baker and Moloney, a pair of youth, Russ and Enzo, and thirty Level 3s out of Valkut city.

Out of all of them, only Russ wasn’t ‘influenced’ but the man was too deep in his anger to realize something was amiss.

***

In the wilderness away from Valkut, there was a gathering of the Silver Legion plus two extras. They regrouped after the escape from Valkut.

“Like Hell I’m teaming up with this butcher!”

Bryan was the one who said that but the rest of the legionaries had the same sentiment. Not only Pinaca, Viers had also killed many people during the chase. Currently, his favorability with Rose and the others was at minus value.

The voices of dissent were smothered by Mita.

“The happenings inside Valkut are far above my expectations. It's imperative to alert Sephoria. For that, we must escape from the Valkut barrier. Unfortunately, we don't know who we can trust but Viers, who arrived here roughly at the same time as us, is not under outside influence. The situation is dire. Only together, can we survive this crisis.”

Those were what Mita roughly said to the younger legionaries. They grudgingly accepted or didn't outright deny. Viers wasn't surprised. Heroes liked grouping up with enemies for the greater good. It was a cliché.

Still, it wasn't as if they treated Viers the same as before. Rose did not speak or look him in the eye while Ciel acted distantly.

Viers didn't mind. He was a loner from the start. Only, he was capable. That was why Mita had recruited him in the first place, before and after he kidnapped Pinaca.

Capable people were always in short supply and everyone wanted to have capable people on their side.

***

Villains act and heroes react. Classic.

The plan was simple. Mita would draw and activate a teleportation array, Road of Silver. If they could pierce Valkut’s barrier then they would inform the Church headquarters and send in investigation forces. If their best escape method was unable to, then they would teleport to some remote place inside the barrier before hiding and waiting for a chance to get out of the confinement.

The Valkut barrier encompassed a region the size of Belgium; there were plenty of places untouched by human hands to lay low.

But first, they must buy time for the array to activate. Time that Jerrold and the pursuers wouldn't give.

“We have some time to prepare. Everyone, gear up and prepare for battle!”

“Yes, Vestal!”

***

The legionaries began preparing their equipment for the battle up ahead.

“...Never thought I’ll wear this for fighting against other people,” June sighed as she fastened the strap on her armor.

“We all have to thank a certain someone for that,” Bryan examined his sword intently, checking if there was a chip on the blade.

"Why are you blaming Rose? She only exposed my location because she wanted to help the lady," Viers said sarcastically.

Rose felt the sting. Bryan wasn't too pleased with his words twisted by Viers.

“I mean you! You-”

“Whoa… Viers, what are you wearing?” Conn was speechless seeing Viers’ attire.

“If I'm going into battle, I want to do it with style,” said Viers while treating Bryan as if he didn't exist, which angered him even more.

Viers was wearing a white shirt and black trousers. A navy blue suit was tucked under his arm. Slick semi-formal shoes with a dark shine.

To not expose his origin as an otherworlder, Viers incorporated this world’s style into the suit’s creation. The necktie was not a fashion in this world yet so he had a cravat.

“This? It’s my attire for a social affair. I have another for a formal event. Additionally, I have one for day and one for night.”

“...Unique style. What is it?” Ciel asked.

“Pyrian,” Viers said a fictional place. “It’s slimmer fitting, perfect for those who need to move around a lot. Two buttons, allow for faster drawing of my hidden weapons. Trousers, tapered. A roomier fit around the thighs, good if there's a lot of running.”

Viers gave Conn his suit which he took.

“Conn, ask me ‘how about the lining’,” Viers said.

“Eh? No, I don't know anything about good clothes.”

“Just ask me. How about the lining? Repeat it,” Viers insisted.

“Fine… How about the lining?”

Viers grinned.

“Tactical.”

Viers instantly drew his sidearm and drove his knife at Conn’s heart while he was still holding the suit.

“Argh!?” Conn shrieked in surprise.

“Conn, no! You bastard!”

Max and Bryan were about to retaliate against the unprovoked attack. The other legionaries were also an inch away from drawing their weapons.

“W-wait! It’s… I’m fine,” Conn said while rubbing his chest.

“Silicon carbide discs, ceramic matrices, accompanying laminates, cutting-edge body armor. Zero penetration. However…”

Viers pressed his chest and made a pained face.

“Quite painful. I’m afraid.”

Viers took his suit back from the baffled Conn.

“Next, what we need besides a miracle are… weapons. Lots of weapons.”

Viers showed his impressive collection of arms. From swords to spears, knives to axes. While the others were looking at three enormous racks of weapons that Viers just pulled out from his Thousand Treasures Casket, Viers picked leisurely as if picking a good wine for accompanying that night’s dinner.