The waves of gravity grow more intense, and the red aura surrounding the two A-Class hunters glows brighter. While the levels of all three of my body doubles are quite similar to these two, the fact that they're A-Class hunters and more than double Rodrigo's level makes me certain they have powerful Soul Energy that will likely overpower my body doubles' pure mana control. The wind user speaks up after I remain silent in response to their threat, he pulls a bright white bow out of an item box and holds it by his side. "Where is your leader? The Flame Emperor. Bring them to us now so we can accept ownership peacefully. Refuse, and your barrier will fall." The bright green and blue flashes of light grow brighter below me. At the same time, the fire wielder pulls a large red glowing axe from his own item box and stares down at me like I'm nothing but a grain of sand. I smile inwardly at their overconfidence as I sense another pair of blue and white energies coming from the guildhall, zipping directly toward the canyon of dungeons—likely Lydia and Fisher retrieving the army from their training. With these thoughts bolstering my confidence, I finally respond. "You're looking for the Flame Emperor? Well, you're talking to him right now. I assure you, surrendering this city isn't going to be an option I'll accept." Theories rush through my doubles' minds as I try to figure out why the Hunter's Association would show up here of all places and use that name. I think to myself as the gravity waves of red energy increase in strength again, and I feel a mental attack pushing down on my psyche, while the air around me thickens. However, I still respond calmly. "I am just a threat to you? A weed growing too large to keep in this tidy garden of a kingdom of yours?" The fire user smirks as his axe charges up with dark flames. "You're a smart one, aren't you? I don't know what kind of artifact you managed to use to make a barrier this strong, but I can still sense your mana control through it. You don't have what it takes to challenge us. We'll kill every strong hunter that stays loyal to you, if you don't surrender now. We are the law; you can't ignore it." As he says these words, I remember when something similar happened in the past. On my first big mission into the Dark Continent, as a brand new honored Elite Hunter of the Association, there were unexpected results. My team of hunters managed to clear a labyrinth and came in contact with Demonic Energy, something the Dark Continent leaders and the Association were very keen on keeping for themselves. So much so, that they worked together, putting bounties on our heads and ensuring that we were all dead. This was just to make sure they got more money in their pockets and their recruits, who were growing too fast, were eliminated from the picture. To the higher-ups, this may have been just another day of business as usual. Killing off the weak when they discover valuable information or grow faster than expected. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Eliminating dangerous outliers works well to keep a functioning system in line, but one mistake can be the end of it all. They never managed to kill me or my teammates off then, and now they're coming back to try it all again. Even though they likely don't know our true identities, it feels all the same to me. I let out a sigh, looking down below me as the blue and green flashes of light grow bright enough to fill my entire vision. Then, I look back at the two men and reply. "If it's a fight you want, I'll give it to you. Just don't expect mercy from me when this is all over, because that is not something you granted me." As I finish speaking, Maria flashes by my right side, covered in visibly dense royal blue Soul Energy. She pulls her ice-imbued, blood-bonded sword from her item box and swings it, her eyes locked on the enemies. Her eyes glow bright blue, and I watch her body grow larger as she activates her greater form. Abby flies by on my left. Her double ranked-up buff is activated, making her entire body glow with a bright green aura. From what I gathered the last time I saw her in this form, it was impossible for her to attack, but she was also immune to any physical or magical attacks. It seems her new training sessions have caused a shift in her innate abilities, because I see six large spears of summoned stone rotate around her body. They are all so densely infused with Soul Energy that the spears almost glow as bright green as Abby herself. He swings the axe downward, and a dense wall of flames comes flooding out. At the same time, the wind user's bow becomes flooded with golden light, and the wind arrow pointed down at us is packed with the same energy now covered in a red and golden glow. He speaks out loud too, as he makes the arrow grow in size, filling it with golden light and releasing it down toward us. "So long, you will not be remembered." Looks of disgust cover both of their faces, like they're stepping on ants that crawled in front of their footsteps on a morning walk. However, this quickly changes as Maria's Goddess-like Ice form, completely imbued with Soul Energy, sends a massive wave of royal blue ice upward at the incoming wall of flames. It makes contact with the heavy red and golden mass of heat. Both attacks collide, making the entire desert shake, making the clouds in the sky part. An ear-shattering crack ripples outward that can be heard for hundreds of kilometers. Less than half a second later, Abby sends out her charged earth spears to collide with the golden arrow of wind that comes her way. A series of gravity waves, cracks, and violent explosions ripple through the air as her spears collide with its tip, holding the wind manifestation back from falling down and piercing the dome below. It all happens extremely fast. Maria continues to activate her full-ranked up buff, letting more and more Soul Energy out from her seemingly endless supply within her core. The overwhelming wave of ice envelops the golden fire. The ripples of red light tear through her ice, making the flames hotter and heavier, but the sheer amount of soul energy imbued ice that continuously pours out of the bottomless pit that is Maria's Qi and Mana stores suppresses the flames. The fire user retreats as his attack is completely nullified. Shock and dread fill his eyes as he can't believe the sight before him. Abby and the wind user stay at a standstill, appearing to be on equal footing at first. However, once Abby deactivates her Immortal Energy Form Buff, seeing that there will be no threat of a sneak attack, she's able to channel all of her available bright green Soul Energy into the six sharp spears. They looked as if they were about to crack and shatter to pieces moments ago, but now the spears vibrate with energy, mending their own weak points, and pierce right through the arrow of wind, dispersing it into a meaningless energy in the air. The spears fly forward, and the wind user is filled with terror as he tries to dodge the deadly incoming barrage of attacks. Two whiz by his head, while the others just barely missing his vitals as he uses red and golden light imbued wind magic to push his body out of the way with milliseconds to spare. He retreats higher into the sky too, utterly baffled by the fact that his ultimate attack was somehow matched in power. The flashes of green and blue light grow even brighter as they follow the two A-Class hunters high into the sky. Down below, surrounding the outer city, I sense the few dozen level 900+ hunters shift their battle formation completely. At the sight of their leaders letting out powerful attacks, they assume the barrier will soon be lifted and now begin their march toward the base of the dome. Based on their levels and perceived mana control, I find it very unlikely any of them could possibly force their way inside. However, there are 10 members within their ranks that all use the same golden Soul Energy collars around their necks. Based on the battle I had with Rodrigo months back, I come to the assumption that these select few will be extremely strong. Of course, not nearly as skilled as the A-Class Hunters in the sky, but they will not be average B-Class Elites either, I'm sure of that. I don't want any innocent citizens getting caught up in the middle of this crisis, so I plan to end things as fast as possible. In the same moment that I sense their forces moving in, I sense my own moving out.