'The kickback on this thing is no joke,' Ace though to himself, rubbing his sore shoulder as he quickly moved to a new vantage point deeper in the woods. He couldn't assume the curse user was working alone. To stay undetected, he stuck three talismans to his body—Silence, Invisibility, and Presence Erasing—ensuring his movements remained entirely stealthy as he fired or relocated.
Earlier, when he activated the barrier talisman, Ace had already planned his decoy. Instead of staying inside, he slipped out using an invisibility talisman and stuck the barrier talisman to the ground. This misled his attackers into focusing their firepower on the barrier. Guided by Dame Wasp's navigation, he avoided the land mines scattered ahead and made his way into the woods, where he found a secure vantage point to eliminate the curse user with his rail rifle.
'Master, that was overkill. I could've taken him out with my braid laser,' Dame Wasp's voice chimed from the rail rifle's power chamber, her tone slightly teasing through their shared senses.
'We know that now,' Ace replied, his tone clipped. 'But we didn't know what we were dealing with before.' Shifting his weight slightly, he asked, 'Did you pick up any other traces of curse energy nearby?'
The hypnotized mortals who had been armed and positioned in the woods had all collapsed when the curse user died. Dame Wasp, emboldened by the turn of events, reported her findings, 'Other than the two curse cores I can sense in his clothes, there's no other trace of curse energy in the area. He was a curse slave—most likely acting alone.'
'No sign of a curse tool on him?' Ace pressed, his voice low but tense. He needed to understand how the curse user had managed to evade Dame Wasp's detection earlier, even when she had identified the armed mortals hiding in the woods.
'No, I don't sense any curse tools on his remains,' Dame Wasp replied, her voice tinged with concern. 'Now that you mention it, how was he able to hide from my detection and hypnotize the mortals? I guess there's another curse user in hiding—someone proficient in stealth.'
Ace frowned, he had already considered this. Curse slaves were typically weak, limited by their mortal-tier curselings. Their control over curse energy was average at best compared to Curse Masters, which made it much harder for them to master curse arts. Unless, of course, they were lucky enough to awaken an innate curse art, like Layla did. But the one they'd just taken down didn't seem powerful enough to be that exceptional.
Curse slaves rarely mastered multiple curse arts in their short lifetimes. Judging by the one they killed—who looked to be in his early thirties—it was highly unlikely he had the skill to master a stealth art capable of evading Dame Wasp's detection or a hypnotizing art strong enough to control over sixty people simultaneously.
That led to one conclusion: there had to be two curse users. One of them likely had a curseling or curse tool capable of hypnotizing mortals, while the other had a curseling or tool specialized in stealth. The evidence pointed in this direction because the hypnotized mortals fell unconscious when the curse slave died. Logically, the curse slave they killed must have been the one with the hypnosis ability. Meanwhile, the remaining curse user was still hiding—undetectable, probably using a stealth-oriented curseling or curse tool.
'It might not be that simple,' Ace cautioned, his eyes scanning the woods warily. 'It could be the other way around, too. Don't jump to conclusions—that's how you get blindsided.'
Dame Wasp acknowledged his advice with a mental hum.
Ace adjusted his position, crouching low to minimize his profile as he continued to monitor their surroundings. 'We'll wait another five minutes. If nobody shows up, we'll head deeper into the woods to find a better vantage point.'
Ace hesitated, torn between rushing back to see if he could leave the array formation on his own and staying put to avoid drawing attention of the array master by coming in contact with it. He clenched his fists, glancing in the direction of the cab that had brought him here. It crossed his mind that the vehicle might have special permission to enter and exit the array, but he didn't dare approach it—not with a hidden curse user likely watching. Staying in one spot for too long didn't feel safe either. If the curse slave they had taken down had allies, there was no telling when reinforcements might arrive.
The sheer scale and tracelessness of the array left no doubt in Ace's mind: this wasn't something two random curse users could pull off. It had to be the work of an organized group of curse users—or worse, a high-tier Curse Master. The thought made his chest tighten. This wasn't a situation where recklessness could be afforded.
Taking a deep breath, Ace steadied himself and gave a quick mental command to Dame Wasp. 'Rose, circle the woods and check for anything suspicious. Once you're done, head to the curse cores in the cardigans. Signal me when you've secured them—I'll recall you. Move fast.'
'Got it, Master,' Dame Wasp replied, her tone sharp with focus. The sense share broke off as she exited the power chamber of the rail rifle in her tiny 1/100th form. Cloaking herself in stealth mode, she darted through the woods, her movements as silent as the wind rustling through the leaves.
Ace crouched low, scanning his surroundings while keeping one hand on the rifle, his grip tightening. The seconds felt like hours as he waited, every small sound in the forest making him tense.
Dame Wasp's tiny form swept through the half-mile radius around their position, her sensors on high alert. But despite her efforts, she found nothing out of the ordinary. When she reached the remains of the curse user, she slipped into the gaps between the folds of the clothes. Navigating carefully, she located the curse cores and sent the signal to Ace.
Ace exhaled sharply in relief, recalling Dame Wasp back into his pocket. Leaving the curse cores in the pocket as planned, and Dame Wasp quickly re-entered the rail rifle's power chamber. When the sense share re-established, her voice carried a tone of frustration. 'Master, I couldn't find anything suspicious. Either the hidden curse user has capable curseling / curse tool, or their stealth art is on another level.'
Ace frowned, his jaw tightening. 'Damn it,' he mentally cussed, glancing toward the forest's edge. 'This just keeps getting more complicated.'
After five minutes, Ace swiftly abandoned his position, moving deeper into the woods. His steps were cautious but purposeful, eyes scanning his surroundings as he sought a better vantage point. He needed a spot where he could observe the area, piece together what was happening, and figure out his next move. His grip on the rail rifle tightened as he pressed on, weaving through dense underbrush with practiced stealth.
Ten minutes later, back near the ambush site, the previously unconscious mortals suddenly stirred awake. They scrambled to their feet, rearmed themselves with mechanical efficiency, and began systematically sweeping through the woods on either side of the road. Sporadic blasts from RPGs punctuated the eerie silence of the forest, the explosions sending up plumes of smoke and scattering debris.
From his new location, more than a mile away, Ace caught the distant sounds of the chaos. The muffled booms and faint trails of smoke rising into the sky confirmed that his earlier decision to move had been the right call. He exhaled a small sigh of relief, crouching low and observing the surrounding forest.