[Three Weeks earlier]

The walls of Ashwick rose from the forest floor. It was an anomaly amidst the trees. To any observer, they were formidable fortifications, but to Archdeacon Silas, they represented a masterpiece of the church's engineers.

He stood at the edge of the treeline, looking at the city. The journey from Creamont had taken three weeks. It had been a trek that had tested his endurance and, most importantly, his patience.

But while he came out of Creamont unharmed, his mental state was not stable, and that was because of the rage he was feeling toward one person: Reidar.

He walked toward the North Gate. The guards on duty, Level 330 Paladins clad in the trimmed armor of the Church, stiffened as they recognized him.

"Archdeacon," the lead Paladin said, dropping to one knee.

Silas didn't acknowledge him. He simply walked past the heavy iron gates and entered the city.

It was a masterpiece, really, but looking at it now, with what he knew about Reidar, Silas felt a sense of inadequacy. He felt and strongly believed that nothing would have stopped his plans in Creamont, and yet Reidar Miller did.

<That fucker…>

Not only that, but Silas had also been forced to run because of the Aegis Phalanx. Reidar, a man who shouldn't have been a threat at all, did all that in three weeks.

Reidar Miller.

The name tasted like ash in his mouth.

He moved through the streets toward the central skyscraper, as he needed to speak with Cornelius. He needed to make sure that while he prepared for what was to come, Ashwick was ready for an eventual attack. If the city fell, the entire church would lose its foothold inside the region, and he couldn't allow that.

It didn't take much for him to reach the building and head to the war room. Deacon Cornelius Drecht stood by the main table, his back straight as he waited for the Archdeacon since the paladins had told him about his arrival.

When Silas entered, the room went silent. The scribes stopped writing. The captains froze.

Drecht turned. At Level 365, he was the second strongest person in Ashwick, a monster in human skin who commanded respect from everyone.

But when he saw Silas, he bowed. It wasn't a deep bow, but it was deferential, and it wasn't just because he was stronger than him, albeit not too much, but because of how close Silas was to the Progenitor.

"Archdeacon," Drecht said. "We did not expect you so soon."

"I ran into some problems, Cornelius," Silas said, walking to the head of the table. He looked down at the map of Highmont spread out across the table. "How are the preparations for the assault?"

"We are on schedule," Drecht said, stepping aside to let Silas view the tactical markers. "We have identified the weak points in Highmont's barrier. We are sure we can breach it, but we will need some time before we can actually start the attack."

Silas traced the line from Ashwick to Highmont with a gloved finger. "And the Aegis Phalanx?"

"They are staying silent," Drecht said. "They are distracted. Our portals in the south are drawing their attention. They believe the main threat is the monster surge near the coast."

"They are distracted for now; that's good," Silas said. "But they are not stupid, and they are not the only threat."

He looked up, locking eyes with Drecht.

"You need to be careful, Cornelius."

Drecht frowned. "Why? The survivors in Highmont are weak. Even their highest-level fighters are barely touching Level 250. They are not a threat to the Elite Cadres. Who could the Aegis Phalanx send to be able to stop us when they don't even know where we are?"

"I am not talking about Highmont," Silas said. "I am talking about the man who took Creamont."

"Creamont was taken?" At that point, everyone understood why Silas was there. He failed, and judging by his expression, he didn't like this at all.

"Reidar Miller. The Summoner. This person will find out where this place is; of that I'm sure."

"Even the Aegis Phalanx wasn't able to find most of our bases, so why should this man be able to do so?"

"Because I say so!" Silas said. "I don't know when, and I don't know how, but he will come. And if you treat him like a normal survivor, he will kill you. Your thoughts about the matter are inconsequential."

Drecht's expression shifted, a flicker of confusion breaking his deferential mask. "Archdeacon, with all due respect… this man is system-bound. I doubt that a system-bound person could be strong enough to pose a problem to you, to us. Why is this man of concern to you? What happened in Creamont?"

Silas slammed his hand onto the table. The wood cracked under the impact.

"Because he is a swarm!" Silas hissed. "He doesn't fight you, Cornelius. He drowns you! He has numbers that defy the logic of the System. I fought him in Creamont, and while I was still stronger than him by more than 50 levels, I couldn't land a single hit on him. And he has the Aegis Phalanx on his side."

He leaned forward. The picture was becoming clear.

"Do not look at his level. Look at his results. Because of him, Aaron died."

"Deacon Abstuln died?"

That surprised everyone, but Silas didn't stop.

"He did," and then left the words to sink in. "Reidar Miller dismantled the War Hounds. He took the city we were occupying. If he shows up while you are besieging Highmont, shift the focus of the entire army on him. Do not give him a chance."

Drecht stared at Silas, the shock clear in his eyes. In all his time serving under the Archdeacon, he had never seen him like this—visibly rattled, unusually cautious, bordering on what could only be described as paranoid.

"I… understand," Drecht said. "I will alert the patrols. If he is spotted, we will treat him as a priority target."

"Good," Silas said, straightening up. "Because I will not be here to hold your hand. I am going into seclusion."

Drecht's eyes widened. "Seclusion? Now? With the assault pending?"

"The assault is your responsibility," Silas said. "Given the state of things, my responsibility is to make sure that the Aegis Phalanx turns its full gaze away from us, and I can do this only if I'm strong enough. I am going to the cave."

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