While the battle raged at the bottom of the hill, a message was sent out across the city, one that reached every Ravenstein in the city and throughout Sector 3.
The Alverians had declared war on the Ravensteins just a few hours ago, and while the Ravensteins responded immediately, they hadn't done so in full force.
Across the entirety of Sector 3, different branches of the Raven Vanguard operated in various cities, along with unaffiliated Ravenstein family members who were simply living their lives.
Sector 3 was still in ruins, its people struggling to recover from the devastating force that had struck the cities.
The two shadow commanders of the Sentinel Guardians had been killed by Luminous, but the lower-ranked members were still alive and kicking.
They flooded the streets, doing their best to assist those in need. However, soon, everyone paused their movements, their gazes fixed on the sky, where a message was clearly displayed for all to see.
It read:
To all Ravenstein family members: kill any and every Stellaris you see.
The message bore the insignia of the Ravenstein family, confirming its authenticity.
Everyone froze, their minds swirling. It didn't take a genius to piece things together.
The Stellaris family was responsible for the destruction of the city.
A group of Stellaris family members stared at the message with wide eyes. While the human domain wasn't perfectly united, it wasn't shocking for members of tier-one families to live in different sectors.
This group, along with many others in the city, were amongst those people.
One member of the group suddenly tugged the man leading them, gesturing to their surroundings.
As the man turned, a shiver ran down his spine.
Every single Ravenstein in the area was staring directly at them.
For a brief second, silence descended upon the city—before everything erupted.
Before the group could react, they were bombarded by a rain of elemental attacks from all directions.
A hunt soon began across Sector 3, leading to pure carnage. Every Ravenstein flooded the streets, and any Stellaris seen walking was immediately attacked by the ravenous Ravensteins.
"Enough! Tier-one family or not, you have no right to commit mass murder! It's against the law!"
The Sentinel Guardians tried to stop the chaos, claiming that the Ravensteins had no right to commit blatant massacres. But the Ravensteins soon attacked them as well.
Sector 3 was their domain. Regardless of what anyone said, they were the law here.
Every checkpoint around the city was informed, ensuring that no Stellaris could escape.
While this carnage unfolded, the ones who had caused it were watching from the control room of the Ravenstein estate, their faces cold and unflinching.
The majority of the combined domain's energy had been focused on the estate, and although the shockwave had still hit, the damage wasn't as severe as expected.
Some buildings in the estate had cracks running through them, and some had collapsed. However, the main control room building had survived and was still standing strong.
"What about the Alverians?" Anastasia's cold voice cut through the tense air.
"The battalions have decimated the Alverian army and are about to cross their border to continue the attack, my lady," one of the operators responded.
Although Anastasia wasn't a true Ravenstein, the operators addressed her with respect. When Avalon wasn't around, Anastasia was always left in charge of the family's affairs.
Anastasia thought for a second before she spoke.
"Recall them. Have half of them secure the border while the other half support my husband here."
"Yes, my lady."
Anastasia looked at the monitors for a moment before turning to Freya beside her, her gaze full of concern.
"Mother, you should go rest. It's all being handled," Anastasia urged.
Freya smiled warmly, grasping Anastasia's hand with both of hers.
"I'm fine, honey. My husband and son are currently fighting. There's no way I can just sit idle."
Anastasia fell silent, unsure of what more to say.
Freya was, in simple terms, old. She was Magnus's wife, and though their age difference wasn't vast, Magnus was a paragon. His life expectancy had increased significantly, but unfortunately, Freya was only at the grandmaster+ rank.
Her wrinkled face and slightly hunched back spoke volumes about how her age was affecting her.
Boman and Arya were also present, watching the scene from the side.
Just as Anastasia was about to turn away, Freya and Boman suddenly shifted their gazes to one side, their eyes narrowing. In the next second, a powerful explosion erupted from one side of the Ravenstein estate, the shockwave hitting the control room building with force.
An alarm sounded, but Anastasia, Freya, Boman, Arya, and many others ignored it and rushed out of the control room to confront the destruction.
Their gazes instantly turned toward the sky, where five powerful individuals hovered.
Anastasia's eyes narrowed in on one of them, her expression tightening in the next moment.
"The Obsidian Order," she whispered.
Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the area heard it, their expressions turning grim.
'They're all in the grandmaster+ ranks. They must be the branch heads from other sectors. Have they been waiting for the chance to strike?' Anastasia thought to herself.
The current chaos was the perfect cover for the Order to infiltrate the estate.
Luminous had already destroyed the runes protecting the estate, which made it easier for them to get in.
An intense grin spread across the face of one of the figures in the sky, his dark-skinned muscles tensing and bulging.
"You must be the family of that bastard who killed my best friend!"
Gideon's laughter echoed, dark and mocking, as his aura intensified, making the very air tremble.
"I'll make sure Avalon watches as everything he loves burns to ash."
The entire group tensed. Just as Gideon was about to attack, multiple bursts of laughter suddenly rang out.
Three figures, hunched and old but with muscles as firm as steel, slowly made their way through the chaos.
Their long white hair was tied back, and their robes were adorned with the insignia of the Ravenstein family.
Despite their age, there was something incredibly formidable about them, and they bore a distinct resemblance to one another.
Anastasia's gaze narrowed, feeling a slight relief.
Some of the Ravenstein elders were still in the estate, and these particular three were opponents no one would want to face.
Triplets of Ruin.
"Well, look at that," one of the triplets grumbled, adjusting his crooked glasses. "We're being interrupted from our nap again, eh, Rurik?"
"Nap?" scoffed the second, hunching over even more and tapping his walking stick on the ground.
"It's these young fools, thinking they can just barge into our estate. Remember the last time someone tried this, Borya?"
The third brother, Borya, squinted at the sky, completely ignoring the destruction around him.
"Hmph. I don't recall. I'm too old for this nonsense. Was it before or after lunch?"
The three elders bickered amongst themselves, unfazed by the presence of the Obsidian Order in the sky.
Their voices, though old and raspy, carried weight, echoing across the estate.
One of the figures in the sky sneered.
"Who the hell are these old bozos? They look like they belong in a grave."
The triplets instantly froze, their heads turning in unison to lock eyes with the man who had spoken.
A deadly silence fell over the area.
In perfect unison and with shameless indignation, the triplets spoke:
"Are you insulting my brothers?"