’This is taking longer than expected...’
Scanning and storing a dead body took ten to fifteen seconds. Multiply that by ten and the total would be almost a couple of minutes. That wasn’t a very long time by any means, but it might as well be an eternity on a battlefield. And that’s without considering the time it took to create all those corpses.
Dante had no idea if the dead Sorcerers would be worth anything or how he would go about selling them to begin with. Still, he had decided to collect the Stahlkorps members he defeated just in case, going so far as to limit the damage dealt to their bodies.
The fight had almost seemed unfair. Type 9-3’ Aether Distortion perfectly countered Sorcerers, rendering their powers meaningless. The shock born from their magic tricks being negated was far too great, leaving them like sitting ducks for him to attack.
Of course, the main reason for his victory was that most of them were Level 2s and 3s. If they had been any stronger, or if they had had the time to analyze how the abilities of his armor worked, Dante had no doubt that the results would have been different.
’How are things up there?’ He asked.
[It seems the invading forces have made it to the white mansion.] Said Volcan. [The fighting has intensified, but the defenders still have the upper hand.]
He expected to see more of the eastern Sorcerers after removing the surveillance barrier, but from the looks of it, the bunch he had just defeated forgot to call for reinforcements. That also meant they hadn’t relayed any info about his anti-magic armor, meaning he would still have an advantage if he were to face more Sorcerers going forward.
’Alright.’ With the last corpse finally transferred, Dante stood up and dusted his hands. ’The escape route should now be secured. All that’s left is...’
Opening the cloned messenger app, he sent Rose and the others a message instructing them to use the staff elevator from their previous visit to escape the thirty-seventh floor. To do so, they would have to cross the open plains surrounding the white mansion first, then reach the forest. Still, even if they managed that part without being noticed, escaping the hotel was going to be a challenge with the blockade outside.
’Guess I need to find a different escape route soon...’ Dante thought aloud, having remembered that the path they had previously decided on was no longer viable. He opened Blue Ember’s 3D model and stared at it for a moment. A sigh escaped him not long after.
Seeing that the thirty-seven floor, including the white mansion, was still painted gray, Dante realized that he needed to update the data he had on it. Doing so would give him a more detailed look at the current state of things, allowing him to make better decisions going forward.
The white armor disintegrated into threads of light that quickly reconstructed into a suit of dark, lustrous steel. Dante instructed his resident AI to use Spatial Awareness and began making his way toward the staff elevator. By the time it began its climb to the thirty-seventh floor, the 3D model was updated, and he finally got a glimpse of what was happening right above him.
’This... doesn’t look good...’
After leaving the banquet hall, Rose made sure to visit the nearest bathroom right away. According to the message she received from their cute little Diver, she wasn’t as alone as it appeared, which meant at least one of those invisible ninjas was sent to keep an eye on her.
Being unable to see a stalker was such a great inconvenience, and to this point, she still had no idea how she was supposed to do her part while being followed. She took her time, pretending to have trouble fixing her makeup. After a couple of minutes, the entire mansion shook as something exploded on the upper floors.
Rose figured it was the heroes arriving. That served as her signal, as well as a warning that she was running out of time. Acting confused, she was about to leave when Something very odd happened. A patch of the floor disappeared, swallowed by pure white light. It spread far too fast, and before she could react, the light washed over her.
There was no pain, or any discomfort for that matter. That gave Rose the courage to open her eyes, and when she noticed that nothing about her had changed, a hint of relief found its way to her beating heart. That was when she noticed something in the corner of her eye, almost getting a heart attack as a result.
A blonde woman of short stature was standing nearby, patting her body as if she had lost something. Going by the black suit she wore, one could guess she was a bodyguard, but Rose knew she wasn’t just any bodyguard. When the startled Rose turned to look at her, the blonde bodyguard paled, her eyes widening as she realized her camouflage had been dropped.
"W-who are you?" Rose asked, her voice a bit shaky. "When did you..."
The blonde bodyguard opened her mouth to reply but froze. Turning away, she tapped her earpiece, and whatever she heard caused her expression to darken. Her neck almost snapped as she whipped her head in Rose’s direction, and after glaring at her with pursed lips, she clicked her tongue.
"Miss, there have been some unfortunate developments. Please return to the banquet hall immediately."
And just like that, she left without saying anything else. Rose was a little stunned, but she quickly gathered her thoughts and began moving. At the same time, she sent a message to the others informing them of what happened.
Before she got a reply, the white light appeared again, swallowing everything. It returned a few more times, but nothing seemed to change after each one.
Though it didn’t affect her at all, Rose found it difficult to progress with the light erupting from the floor every few seconds. It was only after Mr. Pike explained to her what was happening that she finally found the courage.
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