Evolution of the Ruined Heir
Chapter 215 - 215: Mission

"Do you know who killed him?"

Again, Laila was taken aback. 'Killed?' she thought.

Valerian had died due to the spawn of multiple Grade 4 darkness creatures simultaneously. Everyone knew that. But Malakai had said who, not what, like it had been a person.

"What do you mean, Ninth Vein—?"

Just then, a loud beep cut through the room, followed by the voice of the AI.

"ALERT: Multiple deaths recorded. You are the nearest available Blood Knight in the vicinity. Please get there as soon as possible and neutralize the threat.

Victims: Two Node Formation Evolvers. One Genesis stage Evolver.

Location: West of the Murkroot Hollow.

Mission Grade: Grade 3.

Reward: 1100 pts."

Malakai and Laila's eyes met midair, both serious now.

"Move to the reception. We leave in one minute."

Laila vanished from her spot at a speed Malakai couldn't even comprehend. But he didn't hesitate. He moved to the reception and stood by the door, waiting.

'A mission on the second day, huh…'

He didn't know if it was wrong, but he was definitely excited.

Missions meant facing darkness creatures, and that meant power. He couldn't wait.

A minute later, Laila appeared before him. "Are you ready?"

Her respectful tone was gone. In its place stood the commanding presence of a Lieutenant addressing her squad.

"I'm coming!"

Renlo ran down the stairs to meet them, flustered just as he looked. Since Malakai had gone on the mission yesterday, Renlo had used the time to unlock his lifeguard too, and had received the same alert.

He now wore the pure white jacket of an apprentice Blood Knight.

"You're here!" Renlo said as he reached him. Malakai nodded with a serious gaze before turning to Laila who spoke.

"The Captain is… preoccupied. The mission grade isn't high. We can handle it. Let's go."

She turned, ready to take off when a thick voice rang out.

"Wait for Grunde!"

Grunde burst through the side door into the reception. The ground cracked beneath his steps and Laila shot him a deadly glare. He wasn't supposed to run indoors. Ever.

Still, she held back her complaints and swept her gaze over the group. "Let's go."

Seconds later, they were gone, sprinting through the forest at high speed.

'They're holding back,' Malakai thought, silently watching both Laila and Grunde.

Laila was at the front, slicing through the forest with smooth, steady speed. Grunde, though much larger, moved at a ridiculous pace for his size.

His steps were less subtle, more stomp than stride, causing the forest floor to rumble slightly each time he moved.

Renlo lagged behind, doing his best to keep up, while Malakai pushed himself to his limit. But even then, he could tell, both Laila and Grunde were holding back to let them stay close.

Malakai cleared his thoughts and focused on the impending battle.

'Two Grade Twos and one Grade One.'

The two ahead of him could most likely handle the threat on their own, but Malakai hoped to gain something from this mission.

The group burst out from the dense foliage, and Malakai's gaze locked onto a massive wall towering in the distance.

'It's in another district,' he finally realized. That was unexpected. He had studied the map of Sylvastein before arriving.

Their base was located at the edge of the Kaer Thorn district, right near the border of the Murkroot Hollow, another district entirely.

'Why didn't the AI inform their Blood Knights?' he wondered. He'd only now realized that their destination was beyond district lines.

The Murkroot Hollow surely had its own Blood Knight bases. It was strange that the alert had come to them instead.

They reached the gates, and the guards took one look at Laila and Grunde, both clad in pure black jackets bearing the insignia of the Redmorne faction, and didn't waste time. The gate opened, granting them entry into the district.

They took off again the next moment, weaving through the forest until a large walled settlement came into view.

'Odd,' Malakai thought, eyes narrowing at the sight. The settlement sat in a vast clearing, as large as a city, but what caught his attention was the wall.

The entire district was already bordered by an outer wall separating the districts and the world beyond. He didn't see the need for another inner wall.

'I'll ask later.' He could tell Laila was fully focused on the mission, and this wasn't the time.

"It's west of here, away from the city," Laila said, not slowing down as she shifted direction and led them into another stretch of forest. The rest of the group followed closely.

Along the way, more alerts hit their lifeguards, reporting new darkness creature spawns at the same location.

They increased their pace. Malakai struggled to keep up, and his body was soaked in sweat, but he said nothing. He didn't complain, nor did he pant. He just kept running.

Renlo had fallen even farther behind, but the boy was still pushing himself as hard as he could.

Eventually, they reached the entrance to a forest unlike anything Malakai had seen.

The trees were massive, their tops lost in the sky, with veins of glowing orange light snaking across their trunks.

An eerie mist seeped from the woods, thick and unnatural, obscuring all visibility beyond the treeline.

Malakai narrowed his eyes, trying to see past it, until his gaze fell on the two figures standing just ahead.

They stood at the edge of the mist, cold eyes fixed on the approaching group.

'Blood Guardians,' Malakai identified immediately. 'What are they doing here?'

Unlike the jackets worn by Blood Knights, the Blood Guardians always wore light armor.

Their ranks were denoted by color, similar to the Knights, but their titles differed. From lowest to highest, the hierarchy went like: Veinwatcher, Adjudicator, Arbiter, Warden, and Inquisitor.

Veinwatchers wore pure white armor. Adjudicators wore bright red. Arbiters, pure black. Wardens donned deep blood red. And the Inquisitors were for another time. Malakai hadn't seen one before, but he'd read enough to know they stood above all.

As his gaze landed on the bright red armor worn by the figures ahead, he recognized it instantly.

'An Adjudicator.'

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