Bainin

Chapter 250: Silent Hills

Added 2025-03-07 00:56:20 +0000 UTC

Alistair lowered the unconscious body with his Telekinesis, guiding it carefully to one of the backline troops for capture.

Xue had been a tough nut to crack—quite literally. It had taken several kinetically charged punches before he finally stopped struggling against Alistair’s grip.

He had no interest in unnecessary killing, but he also wouldn’t allow threats to roam free and endanger others. If they could be captured and contained, that was preferable. If not, he had no issue putting them down.

"Smooth," Desily snickered, hovering beside him as they watched the unconscious elder being shackled and dragged behind the fortifications.

Alistair shrugged, offering her a smile. "I didn't want to accidentally kill him or give our healers more work."

"Are you not going to use some of your powers to break down their barriers and force the squirrels to loosen up on their nuts?" Desily asked, amusement evident in her voice despite the dire battle going on in front of them.

Alistair raised an eyebrow. "Interesting phrase. Also, yeah, I was about to—until these three sallied out."

"I know, right? Picked it up from some of the other fairies," Desily said.

Alistair gave her a small smile before turning his attention back to the siege.

Summoning Viv, he felt the familiar surge of energy flow between them as she immediately got to work, optimizing the energy conversion and utilization of the ambient mana. At the same time, he conjured three Battlespheres, setting them up to fire and contain the energy for his next attack.

With everything in place, he began charging three Kinetic Strikes, allowing them ample time to build power before unleashing them in a staggered sequence. Each strike targeted the same point on the barrier in quick succession, maximizing the impact.

It only took two of the strikes to shatter the outermost barrier, while the third slammed into the next layer, sending deep cracks across its surface.

An explosion within the sect's grounds confirmed that he had destroyed the array core responsible for maintaining that layer. He hoped the damage had disrupted the larger array as well.

However, as he continued to bombard the barriers, it became evident that no chain reaction would occur. Much like themselves, the Everrest Sect had implemented redundancies and safeguards into their formation, preventing a cascading failure from spreading through their defenses.

Shaking his head, he pressed on. Rather than resorting to the usual rhythmic bombardment, he took his time again, charging all his strikes before firing. The second barrier held firm—fresh and unstressed, it had yet to be significantly weakened by their artillery fire. However, with his efforts combined with those of the other siege specialists, cracks began to spread across the layers of defense. One by one, the barriers started to fall.

They would need to be careful. A large portion of the sect’s population consisted of servants and non-combatants, many of whom were bound by slave contracts or other nefarious means. Minimizing their casualties was a priority. At the same time, they needed to move quickly to secure the Bone Garden and the Treasure Hall. While the system event had cast a barrier around the sect, preventing the Elders from returning once they left, it didn’t stop them from looting everything they could carry before making their escape.

Alistair had no doubt that the sect leadership was already taking everything that wasn’t nailed down while preparing to break through their encirclement. With the sheer size of the battlefield and the countless anti-teleportation arrays in effect, he knew he wouldn’t be able to catch all of them if they made a serious effort to flee.

Fortunately, they had a substantial network of shinobi surrounding the area, led by Sakiyama, who had personally chosen to participate in this assault—a rare occurrence, from what he had been told. Her forces were already keeping watch for stealth specialists attempting to slip away, ensuring that no high-value targets escaped unnoticed.

Eventually, the last of the large outer perimeter barriers failed, leaving only the heart of the sect shielded, with the outermost districts now accessible.

Alistair continued to bombard the main barrier while their troops continued to encroach on the mountain until his attention shifted as he received a group call ping from his brother. Without hesitation, he accepted the call through the Akashic Link.

"We've got troops in the Bone Garden in a valley north-northwest of your position. The Beshin shinobi are in place, but we might need to make a concerted push—one that could give the elders the opportunity to escape," James reported. "The shinobi estimate that one of the elders is preparing to initiate a gathering ritual to take it away. Do we take the chance and wait, or make a push now?"

Alistair hummed in thought. "I'd say we go for what we came for. The treasures in the Treasure Hall are just a bonus, and the sooner we strike, the sooner they’ll have to abandon their attempts at packing up their valuables."

"The Beshin agree with this sentiment," Nomura added. "Sakiyama has requested that you make your push within the next twenty minutes. She wants the south side left to her while you focus on reinforcing the other fronts instead."

"Are you sure she can handle the south side?" Riseth asked, letting the question linger for a moment before continuing. "If we leave that corridor open, they’ll likely take the opportunity, even if they suspect a trap. We’re willing to help set up an ambush."

"Appreciated, but Sakiyama and her elites don’t need anyone’s help. Trust me." Kujo’s response came without hesitation.

There was a brief pause before Riseth spoke again. "Alright, I’ll leave the south side to you and shuffle our troops. Mr. Legendary and I will handle the Bone Garden, so someone needs to cover for his absence and ensure those remaining on the south side are protected."

"I’ll take over Alistair’s position and coordinate with Hara to make sure we don’t suffer serious casualties through the south corridor," Nomura stated, her voice calm but decisive. "Given their dossier, they’ll be confident enough to push through any ambush, likely attempting to break past rather than engage. As long as our troops hold formation and don’t present themselves as easy targets, they should be ignored. To add additional pressure, Desily, Simon, Hara, Nikki, and I will close in from the flanks, forcing them to commit to the escape rather than turning on our forces."

Alistair reviewed the plan, pulling up a tactical display and adjusted the indicators before nodding in approval. They still needed to appoint a dedicated strategic specialist, as few among them had actual military experience, but the plan looked solid enough. Satisfied, he gave his approval and moved out, wasting no time as he made his way toward the Bone Garden.

Meanwhile, the troops shifted into their new positions, hunkering down in their impromptu bunkers and siege vehicles, ready to execute the next phase of the assault.

Alistair sensed the elder who had approached the Bone Garden suddenly change course, making a sharp turn back toward the sect proper before he or Riseth could intercept him. Clicking his tongue, he met up with Riseth, waiting as their troops advanced. They had to hold the position until the array specialists could recover the Bone Garden. Without the treasure array the elder had carried to contain it, the process of securing and transporting the environmental treasure would take hours at minimum.

Once their forces were in place, Alistair resumed bombarding the sect’s main array when the elders finally made their move—predictably taking the gap left in the south. Their forces closed in, but they’d likely only be able to catch the stragglers.

Then, just as they had expected, the elders made a break for it. He tracked at least twenty figures trying to breach the encirclement. Most of them didn't seem like threats, but at least five gave him a sense of danger.

Out of range, Alistair could only hope that Nomura and Kujo hadn’t oversold Sakiyama’s abilities.

"Are you sure you do not require our assistance?" Alistair questioned, tracking the battlefield through a combination of his senses and the drone feed linked through his Akashic Link.

"We are fine," Nomura replied. "Try and break through the last barrier and take down those left behind."

Alistair grimaced as he watched Nomura and the others clash with the group. They managed to tie down most of the escaping force, and within seconds, Simon and Nomura cut down several Everrest Elders with ruthless efficiency.

But three of the stronger individuals, along with four of their hangers-on, managed to slip past the flanking maneuver, breaking off toward the foggy hills and crags. That left Sakiyama and her shinobi as the last line standing between them and the system-generated barrier—if they got past her, they would be gone along with all the treasures they had taken with them.

What happened next sent a chill down Alistair’s spine.

As he watched, the escaping elders—most riding clouds or blades at high speed—descended into the foggy ravines and hills, likely trying to break the line of sight. But the moment they entered, they vanished from his senses.

It wasn’t that they had managed to hide from him.

They had died—every last one of them, within seconds.

For the briefest moment, a near-physical sensation of dread washed over him as he tried to probe the situation. The drones stationed near the hills captured fragmented footage and audio—multiple screams, each one cut abruptly short. Not a single elder lasted more than a few seconds after entering, and none emerged from the other side.

Alistair didn’t know much about Sakiyama and had chosen not to pry too deeply. But now, watching the aftermath, he realized she was likely a Grade ahead of them and, without a doubt, the strongest of the Beshin and most likely stronger than him.

The eerie fog that had clung to the hills, rocks, and trees began to dissipate, revealing it for what it truly was—not part of the terrain, but an illusionary technique or skill. Whether it was an array set up by the shinobi or a personal technique belonging to Sakiyama herself, he didn’t know.

But either way, it had just killed every last elder who had entered her domain.

Alistair watched as Sakiyama stepped out from the shadow of a dead tree, now fully visible to the drones. Moving with the same eerie stillness that made her so hard to read, she raised a hand in a casual wave.

As she did, a perfect line of severed heads materialized beside her, each one cleanly beheaded at the same height of the neck.

Most wore neutral expressions, their deaths too swift to register. But the ones Alistair had identified as true combatants…

Their faces were frozen in terror.

"Mission accomplished."

Those were the only words she cared to share, audible through the Akashic Link, before she turned back toward the wall of fog, her ghostly figure dissipating into smoke that Alistair couldn't track.

He exchanged a meaningful look with Riseth, who simply shrugged before speaking casually over the group frequency.

"Well, that was scary. Glad you're on our side."

"No kidding," Simon’s voice cut through the connection. "We got the rest of the elders and are moving to reengage the sect proper."

"I'll have one of our warriors collect the heads," Nomura added. "Their sect leader is among the dead, which fulfills one of the last contractual obligations we have toward Sol."

However, before they could properly reengage, they received a system notification.

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