898 Origin Artificer Sect
After a few long, tense seconds, a resigned sigh resounded throughout the dark room. The shadow waved its hand dismissively and backed away, muttering, "...So, you're just a brute…"
Mira's brows furrowed. She took a step forward, ice radiating around her fists, but the shadow raised a hand to stop her. "It's useless. This is just an avatar."
'Tsk. Then, what's the point of all this?!' Mira growled internally as her face scrunched up in displeasure.
"Don't be like that." The figure chuckled while inwardly noting that though Mira was cool-headed, she often resorted to violence. If anything, it felt like the only reason Mira hadn't attacked prior was because she felt it was useless. 'So, she's not the type to hide in the dark, huh? That'll make things easier.'
The only problem was that she had the strength to back up that boldness…
"We'll meet again." The shadow gave Mira a knowing look, something that confused her until she realized she was talking about the competition.
With a wave of her hand, the shadow smirked and slowly dissipated, along with the room.
Mira could only stand there and watch everything, a deep frown etched on her face.
About a minute later, the dark room, shadow, restraints, and everything else disappeared, dropping her into the crater she had created against the puppet.
A wave of anger washed over her. Killing intent flooded her eyes, creating a light red fog around her. The ground trembled and froze over, with ice spreading deep into the ground and high in the sky, freezing everything it touched.
She closed her eyes, not to calm down, but to spread her Soul Sense. The shadow did its best to hide its aura, but who was she? How could she not record the unique aura that being emitted?
It spread out, starting at a few meters, then extended to kilometers. Every little thing entered her mind, from the tiniest insect to the old monsters hiding deep within the mountains. Those who were strong enough to sense her all opened their eyes and looked in her direction before they shuddered from the dense killing intent and chose to simply block the detection.
Elenei, Coralia, Rhydian, and the rest all shivered and backed away, using their Qi to protect Dominique, Hana, and Linnea.
Meanwhile, Mira continued to spread out her senses kilometers at a time.
10
20
…
50
…
100
…
500
…
1,000
…
2,000
Pushed to the limits, her Soul Sense stopped at 2,000 kilometers. Mira's brows furrowed as sweat gleamed on her forehead due to the sheer amount of information entering her mind, but she disregarded anything useless, only focusing on the unique aura from whoever trapped her.
The surroundings responded to Mira's intense emotions by manifesting a fierce storm of ice and wind around her. She scoured the landscape within a 2,000-kilometer radius, but the unique aura of the shadowy being was nowhere to be found.
Frustration bubbled within her, the feeling of being toyed with gnawing at her pride. She opened her eyes, the red mist dissipating as she composed herself, realizing the futility of her current efforts.
"They're not here," Mira muttered to herself, her voice laced with annoyance. "Clever little shadow, hiding away after stirring the pot."
Mira knew that her display of strength and emotion might have consequences, but at this moment, she didn't care. Her priority was to ensure the safety of her companions and to figure out her next move.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed the storm around her and began walking back towards where she had left Dominique and the others. As she walked, her mind raced with thoughts about the shadowy figure and its intentions.
As she approached the group, they all looked at her with a mixture of awe and concern. Dominique, in particular, seemed both impressed and slightly scared by the display of power she had witnessed.
"Mother, are you okay?" Dominique asked tentatively, stepping forward.
Mira gave her a small, reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Dominique. Just had a little... conversation with our mysterious puppeteer."
Rhydian had transformed into her beast form, ready to go, flapped her wings, and asked. "Did you find them?"
Mira shook her head. "No." She paused and looked at the other three powerhouses in the group, but they shook their heads as well, showing they didn't sense anything either.
"I'm guessing they either teleported away as soon as they left or have some sort of treasure that can block my senses. However, I suppose we can't rule out the possibility that they were able to target us from so far away." Mira said, causing everyone to become serious.
She made it seem like the most likely scenario was that they had a powerful treasure. Linnea and Coralia didn't exactly know how strong Mira was, but Elenei did.
Anyone or anything who could block her senses was someone extraordinary.
'...I swear, can't we stay out of trouble for just a day?' Elenei sighed. She had half a mind to drag Mira back to the Sect and shove her in a cave for the next 20 years. Nearly everyone in the group had essentially breached the limit of this world's talent. In that amount of time, they could make significant strides in their strength.
There wasn't a need to go out and cause trouble.
'Well-' Elenei smiled wryly while glancing at Mira. '-that's not entirely true. If she stayed cooped up, she might actually go crazy.'
She shivered at the thought.
'...Nevermind. I'd take normal Mira over that.'
"We're staying in this resort until they kick us out!" Mira suddenly declared, waking Elenei up out of her delusions, and walked back to her room to wait for the higher-ups to visit her.
After so many incidents, as well as her show of power, there was no way they wouldn't.
Meanwhile, everyone else grinned and hurriedly followed after her. They had no objections to that.
***
A few hundred kilometers away, two people, a man and a woman, let out a sigh of relief.
The woman had an appearance that was oddly similar to the shadowy figure in the dark room. She was dressed in elegant robes adorned with intricate silver embroidery. Her hair was tied in an elaborate updo, accentuating her sharp features and piercing gray eyes.
The emblem of a hammer striking an anvil, surrounded by arcane runes, was prominently displayed on her chest, signifying her allegiance to the Origin Artificer Sect, a renowned Sect known for crafting some of the most powerful artifacts and treasures in the world.
Beside her stood the man, the puppeteer responsible for controlling the androgynous figure Mira had fought. He was tall and lean, with an air of quiet confidence. His attire was more practical, suited for mobility and combat, but no less rich in detail.
Numerous pouches and containers adorned his belt, each holding different types of puppets and mechanisms. His dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
Both individuals were surrounded by an array of artifacts, puppets, and puppets, each exuding auras that weren't below the Mystical-Grade. They conversed in hushed tones, their expressions serious as they assessed the situation.
"The encounter with Mira of the Outer Continents... it was more revealing than anticipated," the woman, Esharael, said, her voice calm but carrying an undercurrent of concern. "Her strength and her ability to conceal her aura to such an extent... it's alarming."
The man, Torian, nodded, his eyes narrowing as he recalled the battle. "Indeed. Her mastery over ice and her combat prowess are beyond what we've seen in the Outer Continents. She's not to be underestimated."
"Her reaction to our probing... it was as if she knew we were testing her. And yet, she didn't break under pressure. That level of mental fortitude is rare," Esharael added, her gaze distant as she pondered their next move.
Torian sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Our mission was to assess her threat level to the Sect and the Central Continent as a whole. Do you think she poses a significant danger?"
Esharael paused, then replied, "Potentially. But it's not just her power and talent that's a concern. It's also her unpredictability and violent tendencies. She's a wildcard that we won't be able to control."
Torian nodded in agreement. "A wildcard that Aroth himself might be interested in. We should report back. But do we continue observing her, or do we intervene more directly?"
Esharael looked at him, her expression thoughtful. "For now, observation. We need to gather more information. Direct confrontation should be a last resort. She's already wary of us."
They both looked at the various treasures and artifacts around them. Each item was a masterpiece of the Origin Artificer Sect, some even gifted to them by Aroth himself.
"Let's keep a low profile for now. We'll monitor her from a distance using the puppets and any other means," Torian said.
Esharael nodded. "Agreed. We'll stay in the shadows for now. Mira of the Outer Continents... she's not someone we can afford to take lightly."
With that, they both activated a series of intricate hand seals, summoning several advanced puppets and deploying them toward the resort. Each puppet moved and blended into the environment as they set out on their surveillance mission.
As the puppets disappeared into the distance, the woman and man exchanged a final glance before they vanished as well.
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