Somewhere beyond the glowing perimeter of the Timeless City, under the veil of a false celestial dome, a ruin-strewn wasteland spread like a dead scar. Wind howled through shattered monuments.
Amidst this desolation, Constant Baron-5 and Constant Baron-9, with Constant Baron-1's clone, stood atop a jagged obsidian platform, surrounded by eight silent Noble Assassins.
The teleportation array beneath them was already fading into dormancy, replaced by a web of sinister runes etched into the ground, black as oil and humming with malicious intent.
"Let's set the Sword Sigil Array," Constant Baron-9 murmured, before a strange crystal orb appeared that floated in her palm. "But are you sure we can drag her here?!"
Constant Baron-5 cracked his knuckles with a brutish grin. "We've baited her well enough. Given her current situation, she had no other choice but to come here. Neither can she offend another top brass, nor can she sit still while seeing this chance."
"Right, especially not after rejecting Sir's kindness the last time," Baron-9 added with a smirk. "With her backer gone, she knows her position is fragile."
At this moment, the silent Constant Baron-1 suddenly spoke, "We can't let our guard down until this task is complete. The Sword Sigil Array is our last resort; the main force is on its way. Remember, we can't kill another Constant, our role is to 'assist' our 'guest'."
---
Elsewhere, inside one of the concealed information halls of the top floor of the Timeless Tower, Constant Baron-0 stood silently, listening to the report streaming from a translucent cube floating before her.
"They really left…" Her hands clenched slightly.
But at this moment, she suddenly received a request for a 'timeless meeting,' and after a few minutes, she returned to her spot.
But a hint of frustration loomed around her as she muttered, "That bastard is taking things too far!"
Without another word, she vanished and rushed towards where Jacob's soul puppet was waiting.
Once she entered the room, Jacob's soul puppet opened its eyes from a seated position, still cloaked in the guise of a meditative state.
"Are we moving?" His cold, echoing voice rang.
Constant Baron-0 hesitated for a moment before she said, "They have indeed left the Timeless Tower, and they are together. Furthermore, I managed to track their location. But there's another problem."
"You think it's a trap?" Jacob questioned.
Constant Baron-0 shook her head. "No, it isn't that; it's about the Spirit Ripper Formation."
"What about it?"
"Well, the Spirit Ripper Formation was provided by Golden Constant-100,000, who wanted to find you through the Dreamy Ancient. But he had no idea what happened afterward, or at least he didn't know the truth.
"That formation seemed to be borrowed from another Constant Baron, who is backed by the same Constant Viscount that Golden Constant-100,000 serves. Now, he's demanding it back with Dreamy Ancient's soul trapped in it, while the truth is entirely opposite.
"I was stalling them, but now, they are becoming suspicious. Although I'm afraid of them since they can't do anything, I'm sure the Lord didn't want to reveal this, and since the Golden Constant is also after you, I think it's best if we finish him off first instead of letting him come here and discover everything.
"It'll be impossible to kill him within the Timeless City, not without getting obstructed by the Timeless Hourglass. That's why I agree to meet them outside." Constant Baron-0 meaningfully stated.
Jacob instantly knew her intentions; she was most likely using this matter to get away from Golden Constant and the Constant Baron behind him, leaving the Constant Viscount without any clues about what happened.
Furthermore, even if Jacob didn't agree, he had to because of the 'Lord', which also involved their secrets. But Constant Baron-0 didn't know that Jacob was already thinking about getting rid of this Golden Constant long before she brought it up.
Now that those guys were serving themselves on a silver platter, how could Jacob miss this chance?
But he wasn't going to agree just like that. He said, "So, you want me to go to them first and get rid of them before going after the constant baron? Do we have so much time?"
Constant Baron-0 thought for a moment before she said, "Don't worry. We'll have more than enough time as long as we can finish this matter within a day. Then we can directly teleport to where the other guys have run off to. Furthermore, they won't be on guard because they won't be expecting someone like you with me. After all, she knew a Constant can't kill another Constant, and even if there's a trap, I have ways to escape."
"…Fine. Prepare yourself, I'll join you in a moment." Jacob said after a pause.
Constant Baron-0 readily agreed, "No problem." And left without any hesitation.
Jacob's eyes flickered before his Soul Puppet vanished. The next moment, he appeared again, but this time, with his real body as he walked towards the exit.
…
Back in the wasteland, Constant Baron-0 and Jacob appeared.
Jacob observed the surroundings and asked Constant Baron-0, "Where is this place?"
Constant Baron-0 held a black plate in her hand and observed it closely before she replied, "This is the Wilted Wasteland within the remote corner of the Great Cosmic Continent of Aries. This location is desolate because there isn't much mana in the air, and only some mindless magic beasts in common or rare rank roam here. The strongest power around this area should be only Unique Rank."
Jacob nodded in understanding. He could already feel the lack of magic power here, and this place was perfect for secret meetings.
"Where are they?" Jacob asked. He was currently wearing a black cloak, and he appeared just like a Noble Assassin. He was dressed under Constant Baron-0's demand so no one would suspect anything.
Constant Baron-0 looked at the black plate, and the runes on it flickered. She looked in the southeast direction and started walking, saying, "Follow me."
Jacob silently followed Constant Baron-0 and, secretly, without getting noticed by her, his appearance under the hood started to change!