I JUST WANT A PEACEFUL LIFE

"Hmph… If you think you could take me down easily, you are still a greenhorn." said Yawan as he prepared for a fierce fight.

"Well, you may be right. But, with your current condition, are you still able to fight properly?" mocked the contempt mask while throwing a knife at nearby Altras civilians. *Ting* The knife gets blocked by Yawan easily.

"You! They are nothing but civilians!!" yelled Yawan in anger.

"And it's their choice to support you, right? It is a basic tactic to eliminate the supporter first during the fight." said the sad mask in a casual tone.

"Crazy bastard! This is madness!! You will bring nothing but bloodshed and destruction." yelled Yawan.

"Then, so be it. Besides, our fate was already sealed long ago. We just decided to bring more to accompany us. The more, the merrier, right?" said the happy mask.

"Enough talk. Let's end this before it becomes too much trouble." said the fear mask.

Then, Yawan and the Seven Faces leaders begin their fight. The fight is tough for Yawan since he still has not recovered from his previous injury.

Two of his four arms are already ruptured by Darren and the wound is still fresh. He also needs to protect the nearby Nirvas civilians behind him.

Usually, he didn't need to worry about civilians with their unique traits as Altras. However, this place somehow prevented their ability to shapeshift and forced them to stay in their true form.

Although this form makes them stronger, it also makes them vulnerable. A deadly attack at vital points could easily turn them into dead bodies. This is also why all the Altras are in a state of panic and shock.

Without their ability to shapeshift, they couldn't heal their wounds and could die anytime. Such a situation affects not only their body but also their mind. Even the elite Red Guard is also not immune to such a thing.

While the fight between Seven Faces and Yawan happen, someone hears and observes them inside one of the nearby dimly lit cave paths.

'So, it has finally begun. Tch.. Why does it happen just when I almost return? No matter. I just need to survive and regroup with the Duchess. It will be better if I meet Baron Victory and the Fourth Princess.' thought head Ambassador Phineas before disappearing covertly.

In the meantime, some people gathered on the outskirts of Redmore city. They find the whole capital city enveloped with a red-colored barrier. Its barrier is strong enough to withstand the full power of the Red Guard leader.

"Damn!! Is there still no contact from the inside?" asked the Red Guard leader Alix

"No, sir. We couldn't contact anyone from inside the city." said the nearby Red Guard.

"Tch… How about the list? Did you manage to list all the important people trapped there?" asked Alix in worry.

"It's done, sir. Here is the list." said the newcomer Red Guard while giving a parchment.

"T-This… So all the elders and other important people were also trapped there. Tch… If I do not decide to stay with my family longer, I may also be trapped there. This is definitely a well-planned trap." said Alix anxiously.

Alix is a Red Guard leader with a family far from the capital. In fact, he should stay in the capital during the annual festival, especially with the sudden death of four elders.

By sheer coincidence, he received news about his kid falling ill and deciding to slip away from his duty. The family man actually saved him from getting trapped inside the capital city.

"Sir, what should we do now?" asked the nearby Red Guard.

"Call for reinforcements from other cities. Secure the perimeters. Report anything that seems mysterious. Contact all our available researchers, be they outsiders or our own people. I want to know anything about this goddammit barrier before noon." commanded Alix.

The nearby Red Guard immediately moves fast after hearing Alix's commands. Seeing this, Alix grabs a young nervous Red Guard nearby and stops him.

"Kid, what's your name?" asked Alix.

"I-It's Binn Massvein, Sir." replied the young Red Guard nervously.

"At ease, soldier. I need you to do something important for me. I need you to go to the Ancient Vault and tell them to seek an audience with the One Father. Here is my badge. It will help you pass some unnecessary procedures." command Alix sternly.

"O-One F-Father." replied Binn anxiously.

"Focus!! Kid, focus!! Remember your training." called Alix.

"*Glup* Y-Yes, sir." replied Binn while trying to calm himself.

"Good. Now, go! Don't stop until you reach the Ancient Vault!!" said Alix as he pushed the Binn forward.

Binn immediately ran as fast as he could in the other direction.

Seeing the running kid disappear in the distance, "Hurry, kid. You are our only hope." muttered Alix in a low voice.

Then, Alix looked back and took out his weapons.

"Alright, boys. Stop pretending, you fucking shit!!" said Alix as he released his mana all over the area.

The nearby Red Guard stop what they are doing before looking at each other.

"How did you know?" asked one of the nearby Red Guards.

"The list. I know how our bureaucracy works. It is impossible to gather such complex information this fast, even in emergencies. It is either someone tipped you or you already have the list beforehand." said Alix.

"Then, why are you letting that kid go?" asked another Red Guard.

"Because you are too calm compared to that kid. I remember all the Red Guard should have been stationed inside the city while only the young and new ones were stationed outside. However, all of you somehow gathered here before I arrived in the city." said Alix.

"As expected, we couldn't fool the Red Guard leader easily. Well, no matter, this will be your grave." said another Red Guard as they started to surround Alix.

"Hmph… Come on!!" yelled Alix.

On the other hand, the young Red Guard that was supposed to go to Ancient Vault suddenly changed direction to another place. In his hand, there is a note given by Alix secretly.

"Pretend to go towards Ancient Vault before making a detour to Ucha outskirt. Find Ramuz and tell everything to him! Don't trust anyone, even from our side!! May One Father guide you. Alix Stonebone, leader of the Red Guard."

Reading the secret note, the young Red Guard knows something worse is happening. Yet, he didn't stop and turn back. He may be young and inexperienced, but he knows his leader is putting his hope in him.

Besides the capital city, chaos also happens in all major cities across the Nirvas. Even the outsider who stays in the wilderness or near the Vault could notice the strangeness. They often find Altras killing each other in the wilderness and major cities.

Most of the time, they will find the upper-rank government, like city mayors, get attacked or hunted down by people.

In the meantime, inside the maze dungeon cave, two buffed Altras stand on top of a corpse pile. The corpse contains monsters and the Altras citizens, while they are dyed in blood unscathed.

"*Spit* Hmph! Trying to sneak attack us while blending with ordinary citizens. You are too green to play with us." said one of the buffed Altras.

"So this is the true face of the so-called respected elder, huh? And they say we are the ruthless ones." said a person with a disgust mask.

Behind the masked person, a few Altras from the citizens stood and were ready to fight the two buffed elders.

"True face?! You are wrong. We never hide our nature. These people should be honored to die for our safety." replied the other buffed Altras elder.

"Yeah, right. How could I forget your disgusting nature? Everyone attacks!!" shouted the disgusted masked person.

Hearing the command, the others begin to charge at the two elders without care for their life. Some even dare to make a suicide attack.

In contrast to other chaotic areas, some parts of the dungeon cave are silent without sound. This strange phenomenon would cover a large area. Even the surrounding monster didn't dare to enter this area.

In the middle of this silence, a silver-haired girl lay on a flying pillow while reading a storybook. An old vampire butler stood beside her, holding a tray with various snacks and drinks.

"Milk." said Mira shortly.

Darren didn't say anything and gave her a glass of milk with a straw before returning to his spot. The master and servant keep interacting like this while ignoring the change in the surrounding.

The taciturn girl also didn't care about the cave environment and continued reading. They also weren't disrupted by anyone since no monsters and people couldn't approach this area.

As soon as they reach this area, Darren immediately seals the whole place for his master to continue her reading session without worry.

Meanwhile, Nabe slumps on the ground while holding her head and releases a deep sigh.

"This is ridiculous… I never thought the living crabfrog poison would be this powerful. This is really a freak of nature." complained Nabe.