"I'm sure there are other spies in the other fortresses. We should pay them each a visit."
At Atticus's words, no one but Magnus reacted, nodding his head in agreement.
The others were far too shell-shocked and stunned to say anything. They knew it was an inevitability.
Considering the fact that the border was the closest to the Vampyros domain, it was almost certain that spies would be present. In fact, the human domain had been actively trying to infiltrate spies into the Vampyros fortresses as well.
But unfortunately, trying to insert a spy into a place where people could practically smell falsehood proved to be incredibly difficult.
The humans had also tried to prevent such infiltration by enacting strict mana contracts on all warriors of the fortress. Yet, despite their efforts, the Vampyros had found a way around it: creating imposters.
Even as they watched the pile of what was supposed to be human bodies shift and change into Vampyros warriors, none of them could fully comprehend how it had been possible.
Even if they hadn't seen it themselves, what about a paragon? How had a paragon not noticed?
But their paragon, Octavius, was just as shocked and baffled as they were. Moments ago, he had been ready to attack Atticus for killing his people, and now he was grappling with a reality he was struggling to comprehend.
As he heard Atticus's words, his eyes shot toward him. Other fortresses? There might be more spies…
It might not even be Vampyros, but who was to say the other races didn't have their own methods of infiltrating their ranks?
The mere thought made him shudder.
Atticus didn't address Octavius. As soon as he got Magnus's approval, the two turned and shot toward the horizon.
Octavius hovered there for a moment before shaking his head and following behind them. He had to see this through.
After leaving the mountaintop of Fort Echohelm, the next fortress they visited was another stronghold bordering the domain of a superior race: the Nebulon Stronghold.
The Nebulon family were the overlords of Sector 10, and it was where their forces were concentrated. By far, they had the largest and most imposing fortress compared to others, with numerous warriors stationed there.
Their fortress bordered the Lucendi domain, a superior race with the innate ability to manipulate perception. Due to the Lucendi's dangerous abilities, the other Tier One families had decided it was best to assign the Nebulon family to guard that part of the sector.
While their powers were not entirely comparable, they bore some similarities, with both dealing in some way with illusions.
But as Atticus and Magnus reached the fortress and gathered the warriors, it became evident who the superior side truly was.
The warriors of the Nebulon fortress were shaken. Though their stronghold was distant from Fort Echohelm, the tremors of the battle had still reached them.
They had seen the mushroom clouds. They had fought the hordes of blackened blood constructs that had attacked the human domain. They had survived hell.
The fortress itself was wrecked, with the warriors desperately trying to restore order. However, their focus instantly shifted the moment they felt the overwhelming auras appear in the sky.
None of them needed to be told. In the next second, they gathered themselves in the center of the fortress.
Zephyrion Nebulon approached Atticus and Magnus in the air, his expression filled with curiosity.
"Is there a problem?" he asked, his gaze fixed on Atticus. Somehow, he knew the reason for their visit was was because of him.
"We just uncovered Vampyros imposters in the Resonara fortress and would like to do the same here," Atticus explained.
Zephyrion's eyes narrowed. Spies? It sounded unbelievable. Yet, despite how absurd it seemed, he felt compelled to listen to Atticus. After witnessing what the boy had done, he couldn't imagine a scenario where Atticus would lie.
The arrival of Octavius only solidified his point. The large-eared paragon gave the Nebulon paragon a serious nod.
They turned toward Atticus, who had already begun scrutinizing the gathered crowd, not bothering to ask Zephyrion for approval in the first place.
Zephyrion joined in, spreading his perception over the entire fortress.
"There are people hiding underground," he noted grimly.
Both Atticus's and Zephyrion's eyes flashed in unison. With a wave of his arms, the earth parted, and multiple figures shot out from the ground, immobilized by Atticus.
Zephyrion's gaze narrowed. He could instantly see it. They appeared to be Nebulons; however, they were utilizing powerful techniques to trick the perceptions of everyone present.
'They're all grandmaster+ ranks,' he realized.
The spies numbered four, and each of them was immensely powerful.
'To think the Lucendi would resort to using people of such status as spies.'
Because grandmaster+ ranks of the Lucendi were practically the most powerful individuals in their fortress, their camouflage had gone unnoticed.
Zephyrion himself hardly ever visited the Nebulon fortress, despite knowing the people stationed there. The only reason he was present now was because all paragons were trying to assess the situations at the borders.
'But they would've been caught eventually.'
It was only a matter of time. He had only just spread his perception around the fortress. If he had done so earlier, he would have discovered everything Atticus had just uncovered.
However, after Atticus snapped the necks of the Lucendi spies, Zephyrion's brows furrowed as Atticus went ahead and pulled more warriors from the crowd.
'Huh?'
He was baffled because, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't sense anything wrong with them.
"Apex A—"
Crack.
Just as he was about to speak up, Atticus snapped each of their necks without hesitation.
Zephyrion froze, his gaze narrowing into pinpricks. What was going on?
He turned to Magnus and Octavius, only to see both of them unmoved by the scene.
As the bodies fell to the ground, a wave of unrest gripped the gathered warriors, all of whom wondered what was happening.
The Lucendi spies that Atticus had found earlier, once they were immobilized, their technique had shattered, revealing their true nature to everyone present.
However, even after killing this new set of people, they still appeared to be Nebulon warriors. What was going on?
This thought echoed in Zephyrion's mind as well. However, unlike Octavius, he remained patient.
And after a few moments, the forms of the bodies began to change.
The gazes of everyone trembled as an intense chill gripped their bodies.
This…
The Dimensari…