Chapter 177: Baal Family Attack

The stairs shuddered beneath Reinhard’s feet as another explosion echoed through Mensus. Far below, the Heart’s Mana signature continued to plunge, sending violent fluctuations through the facility.

The Ashcrofts could hear weapons firing beyond the broken walls, followed by the crash of something enormous tearing through metal.

Reinhard activated Emperor’s Insight and expanded his perception into the chamber below. Several A-Ranks stood among a much larger force of B-Ranks, supported by relic weapons, anti-Gnosis equipment, and spatial suppression devices.

Their positions formed overlapping defensive lines around the route to the Heart. Unlike the scattered personnel they had encountered earlier, these defenders weren’t simply trying to survive the facility’s collapse. They were holding their ground with clear discipline.

Yuna studied the formation, using Domain Sense to examine the disturbances around the chamber. Her Magic Perception separated the defenders’ active abilities from the background Mana fluctuations. She identified the strongest signatures near the front and noticed several devices positioned along the walls.

"They’ve prepared for powerful Awakeners," she said. "Those devices are supporting their formation. If we let them operate together, they’ll make it difficult to advance."

"But they’re still facing two S-Ranks," Lily said.

"Three, if you’re counting people who can cause trouble," Reinhard replied.

Lily gave him a look. "I’m counting people who can fight properly."

"Well, that’s rude."

Emily reached for his hand and squeezed it before stepping forward beside him. "Can we save the argument until after we’ve dealt with them?"

"Of course," Reinhard said. "I was being very supportive."

Together, they descended into the chamber.

The Baal formation shifted as the Ashcrofts entered, but the commander standing at its center raised one hand before anyone could attack. An officer beside him stared at Reinhard, recognition spreading across his face.

"So you’re Reinhard Ashcroft."

Reinhard tilted his head. "Depends who’s asking."

"The man who destroyed our strike force."

"Oh. You survived long enough to remember?"

The officer’s expression tightened. Several guards exchanged uneasy looks. Some had recognized Reinhard’s name immediately, while others only now understood why their commander had ordered them to hold their fire.

The commander stepped forward, his armor reinforced with relic components.

"You are standing inside a facility occupied by the Baal Family. We secured this section before the situation deteriorated. You will not proceed any farther."

Reinhard examined their weapons and suppression devices. "You brought all this equipment for us? I’m touched."

"You should be concerned. We prepared specifically for powerful Awakeners."

Yuna glanced at the devices mounted along the walls. "Then you should have prepared better."

The commander ignored her. "Our mission isn’t to kill you."

Reinhard smiled. "That’s unfortunate."

"We’re here for Emily Ashcroft."

Emily released Reinhard’s hand and stepped forward. "I’m right here. If you want to explain why, start by telling me what your family is doing in Mensus."

The commander looked directly at her. "We require you alive."

Reinhard’s smile remained, but his fingers tightened briefly around Emily’s hand before he let her stand beside him.

"Still unfortunate."

The commander lowered his hand.

Relic projectiles streaked across the chamber as the Baal formation attacked. B-Ranks fired from behind the front line while the A-Ranks surged forward to intercept the Ashcrofts.

At the same time, the spatial suppression devices activated, making Emily’s control over the surrounding space more difficult.

Reinhard’s Enhanced Danger Intuition warned him of an incoming strike before the attacker finished moving. He kicked off the ground and activated Mana Flight, accelerating past the first projectile. A blade swept through the space where he had been standing, but Reinhard had already crossed the distance to its wielder.

He knocked the blade aside and drove a controlled strike into the guard’s chest. The man crashed into his own formation, forcing several B-Ranks to scatter before they could maintain their defensive line.

Yuna moved at the same time. She briefly activated her Mana Domain, its pressure disrupting the front ranks’ coordination and forcing several B-Ranks to struggle against the altered battlefield.

She didn’t try to maintain the Domain over the entire chamber. Instead, she used the opening to identify the enemy’s strongest attackers through Domain Sense.

"Two A-Ranks on my left!" she called.

One of them abandoned his position and charged her, hoping to stop her from disrupting the formation.

Yuna met him head-on.

When he swung his weapon, she increased gravity around his leading arm, dragging the attack downward. His strike smashed into the floor instead of her, and she immediately manipulated his momentum, sending him stumbling past her.

A sharp blow to his back put him on his knees.

The commander reacted immediately. "Concentrate the suppression field on the two S-Ranks!"

Reinhard glanced toward Yuna. She met his eyes and grinned.

"Looks like they noticed us."

"They’re learning. How unfortunate for them."

The second wave attacked before the first had recovered.

The Baal defenders changed tactics, trying to separate Emily from Reinhard while forcing Yuna to deal with several A-Ranks. A spatial suppression pulse disrupted Emily’s control for a moment, and two elite Awakeners rushed her from opposite sides.

Emily didn’t waste time fighting the interference directly. She shifted the space between herself and the first attacker, causing his strike to fall short, then countered with Aeon. The impact knocked him off balance, giving her enough time to evade the second weapon.

The attacker recovered and swung again, but Reinhard kicked off the floor and flew across the chamber, blocking the blade with his reinforced arm. Emily immediately struck the man’s guard with Aeon, forcing him backward.

She glanced at Reinhard. "I had that."

"I know."

"Then why did you interfere?"

"Because I wanted to."

Emily laughed and squeezed his hand before turning toward the next attacker. Reinhard returned the gesture, and they moved together.

An A-Rank tried to exploit their brief exchange. Emily distorted the space beneath Reinhard’s feet, shifting him beyond the incoming attack rather than forcing him to retreat. Reinhard used the opening to accelerate forward with Mana Flight and struck the attacker before he could recover.

Emily followed with Aeon, knocking the guard’s weapon aside.

"That was a good one," Reinhard told her.

"You mean the part where I saved you?"

"I was going to say the part where you made my punch look better."

"You’re welcome."

They separated as another group rushed toward them, both still smiling.

Nearby, Lily was turning her own section of the battlefield into a nightmare for the defenders. Crimson Fang moved through a series of fluid strikes while fifteen spectral swords revolved around her. Each sword attacked a different opening, forcing the guards to divide their attention between the greatsword in her hands and the weapons circling her.

Two guards abandoned their opponents and tried to attack Maki from opposite sides.

Lily pivoted and swept Crimson Fang across their approach, forcing both to retreat. Maki immediately placed seals on their weapons and arms. The glowing markings tightened around the guards’ movements, restricting their ability to swing or gather Mana effectively.

"That’s considerate," Maki remarked.

"You’re welcome," Lily replied. "Try not to get stabbed while I’m busy."

"I’ll add it to my schedule."

Three more guards charged them before Lily could answer. She stepped forward to meet them, using Crimson Fang to break their defensive rhythm while her spectral swords attacked from the sides. When one guard tried to slip past her toward Maki, a spectral blade struck his weapon arm and forced him to turn.

Maki used that moment to place a restriction seal on his back.

The guard’s movements locked.

Lily immediately struck him with the flat of Crimson Fang, sending him crashing to the ground.

"See?" Lily said. "Teamwork."

Maki moved toward the nearest suppression device. Rather than trying to overpower the machinery, she placed several seals along its outer casing. The markings interfered with the device’s ability to maintain a stable Mana flow, causing its output to fluctuate.

A guard noticed what she was doing and rushed toward her.

Maki had already prepared for him.

She activated a seal beneath his feet, restricting his legs just long enough for Lily’s spectral swords to intercept his weapon. Lily crossed the distance and drove Crimson Fang into his guard, knocking him backward.

"Device disrupted," Maki called.

Yuna faced the enemy’s strongest A-Rank directly. His relic armor resisted some of her attacks, and he had enough experience to avoid letting her manipulate his movement too easily.

He shifted his weight before she could change his momentum, then used a Mana-enhanced strike to force her backward.

Yuna narrowed her eyes.

"So you can learn."

She stopped trying to overpower his armor. Instead, she used Magic Perception to follow the Mana gathering around his joints. When he attacked again, she altered the friction beneath his forward foot.

His stance slipped just as he committed to the strike.

Yuna increased gravity around his weapon arm, forcing it down, then redirected the momentum of his body sideways. He crashed into a reinforced pillar hard enough to crack its surface.

Before he could recover, she pinned him with a concentrated increase in gravity.

The second attacker approached her from behind.

Reinhard noticed through Emperor’s Insight and accelerated through the air. His Right Hand of God struck the attacker before the weapon could reach Yuna, sending him crashing across the chamber.

Yuna glanced over her shoulder. "I had that one too."

"I know."

"Then why interfere?"

"Because I wanted to."

She laughed and returned to her opponent.

The commander watched his formation fall apart and finally abandoned his original strategy.

"Forget the others! Concentrate on Emily! Capture her, even if you have to abandon the formation!"

The order revealed the weakness in their plan. They needed Emily alive, which limited how aggressively they could attack her. Every attempt to restrain her had to avoid killing her, while the Ashcrofts could strike much more freely.

Reinhard noticed the change immediately.

"Emily, they’re trying to surround you."

"I noticed."

"Good. I was worried you’d missed it."

Lily swept through the gaps, her revolving swords preventing the B-Ranks from rebuilding their lines. Maki reached the next suppression device and placed seals along its housing, disrupting the components that kept its field aligned with the others.

She didn’t need to overpower the machinery. She only needed to prevent the Baal personnel from coordinating it.

Emily used the opening to stabilize the route toward the Heart. The passage ahead was bending under the strain, and she concentrated on keeping it aligned while Reinhard protected her flank.

An attacker approached from behind Reinhard’s blind side. Enhanced Combat Analysis revealed several possible attack paths before the guard committed to one. Reinhard accelerated out of reach, changed direction in midair, and struck the guard from his blind side before the weapon could follow.

Another group rushed to close the passage, activating a reinforced barrier between the Ashcrofts and the stairs.

Reinhard raised his hand.

All-Cutting Slash tore through the defensive barrier. The attack continued cutting as he supplied it with Mana, adapting to the barrier’s resistance until its defensive layers began to split apart.

The commander responded by activating the remaining spatial suppression equipment.

The chamber shuddered as the field strengthened. The space Emily had been holding open began to buckle, and cracks spread across the floor.

Emily adjusted her control, but the pressure pushed back harder than before.

Reinhard turned toward her. She met his eyes, and he understood what she needed.

He reached for her hand and squeezed it once. "Together?"

Emily smiled. "Together."

She forced the warped space into alignment while Reinhard focused on the suppression field. Rather than relying on spatial abilities of his own, he directed his attacks at the equipment powering the field. A concentrated strike shattered the nearest control unit, and the Mana flow across the chamber faltered.

Emily maintained the opening as the remaining devices struggled to compensate.

Maki saw the opportunity and placed seals across the damaged housings, preventing the devices from restoring their connections. The suppression field collapsed.

The pressure vanished so suddenly that several Baal defenders stumbled forward. Yuna seized the opportunity, increasing gravity around the remaining A-Ranks and forcing them away from the stairs.

Lily cleared the flank, while Maki’s seals prevented the defenders from restoring their equipment quickly enough to rebuild the formation.

The commander withdrew behind his remaining guards. Reinhard could have pursued him, but the Heart’s Mana signature surged again. The chamber shook, and the passage toward the stairs began to buckle.

Reinhard looked at the retreating commander, then at Emily.

"Later," he said.

Emily squeezed his hand. "Good choice."

The family advanced together, leaving Baal’s broken formation behind them.

Maki checked the data she had copied from the damaged laboratory as they reached the stairs. The readings were incomplete, but the latest measurements were clear enough to concern her.

"The Heart’s condition has deteriorated further," she said. "The fighting below is affecting it. Whatever the others are doing, it’s making the Mana fluctuations worse."

Before she could explain more, the Heart’s signature plunged.

The stairwell shook. Space below them bent sharply, and several steps broke apart as the structure twisted. Emily extended her control, forcing the nearest section back into alignment long enough to keep the passage from collapsing beneath them.

Reinhard expanded his perception toward the Heart. The powerful Mana signatures they had detected earlier were still fighting nearby. Each clash sent another violent fluctuation through the facility, and the Heart’s response was becoming increasingly unstable.

"Whatever they’re doing down there, they’re making the situation worse," Yuna said.

"Then we stop wasting time," Reinhard replied.

Emily looked down the damaged passage. "If the Heart becomes unstable enough, we may not be able to reach it."

Reinhard took her hand and squeezed it. She returned the gesture with a small smile.

"We’ll reach it," he said. "Together."

A powerful impact erupted below them. The stairwell began collapsing from the bottom upward, sending chunks of metal and stone crashing into the darkness.

Emily distorted the space beyond the damaged section, creating a stable opening across the gap. Reinhard launched himself through with Mana Flight, then turned and helped Lily, Maki, and Yuna cross safely. Emily followed last, keeping the opening stable until everyone had made it through.

They landed on the other side as the remaining stairs collapsed behind them.

The route back was gone.

Ahead, the Heart’s Mana signature pulsed through the darkness, stronger and more unstable than before.