After making sure they had everything they needed, the Crimson Crane had moved from the library into the main meeting room in the academy.
Upon entering, they could see that most of the others had already arrived. Anna was present, along with Liam and Safa.
Ricktor had come along with Mada, and Rayna was still there as well, among the others that had decided to come on the trip.
The only person from the core group not present was Amir. It was a given that he would stay with the rest of the Bonum Society members looking after the Academy.
Someone needed to stay behind. On top of that, Zon was also absent because Raze was somewhere out there trying to find him.
"I'm a bit more confident now," Kizer said, slinging his large sword on his back. "Last time we defended the town, we had a lot fewer people than this, and everyone here is quite strong."
"Right, but last time Sha Mo wasn't involved," Reno reminded them. "It will be a tough fight either way, so we can't let our guard down."
Simyon, Safa, and Liam were all nervous, but with their new weapons and tools from taking over the other Dark Faction clans, they were the strongest they had ever been.
In the current room were the strongest of the Dark Faction, and Sha Mo wouldn't expect a full battle against that.
"I'm just looking forward to finally heading back to my clan," Mantis said. "I've been here too long, and your faces annoy me."
No one even bothered to comment on what Mantis said. He had been like that ever since he arrived, almost sticking around because he had no other choice.
The door opened again, and part of them expected to see Raze entering, but instead, it was the small female Forma.
"I brought it with me… man, this stuff is kind of heavy," Forma said as she dragged the large crate and lugged it into the center.
Tilon took a peek inside and could see that it was filled with weapons, each one marked with the symbol of the Dark Magus.
He remembered how much the shields created by the Dark Magus had helped them all last time, and these items seemed of even better quality.
"Wait, didn't you go to get the weapon Raze made for you?" Alba asked, peeking behind Forma's back. "Where is it, where's the bow?"
"It's… It's…" Forma looked around, her big round eyes filling with tears. "It's inside me!"
Forma fell to her knees and started to wail, letting out a loud cry, leaving everyone confused as to what she meant by the bow being inside her.
Inside the Perfect Noodles shop, for once, Zon wasn't behind the counter working. Instead, he was sitting at a table, and across from him was a hooded man.
"Hey, what's Zon doing?" Stanley asked. "I didn't know that guy had friends."
"He talks to people… sometimes," Rane said. "From time to time, a woman comes to visit him. They talk for a bit, but it's the first time I've seen this hooded man.
"Either way, he must be important to Zon. He stopped what he was doing and even asked me to clear a table for them. Zon never asks me for that, not even when the woman visits."
At the table, in the hooded robe, of course, was Raze himself.
"So, I've told you everything. It's up to you if you want to come or not," Raze said, waiting for Zon's response.
Although the two hadn't had much time to talk about who they were or what their goals were, Raze knew one thing about Zon for sure: he was incredibly strong.
So strong, Raze wasn't even sure he could beat him in a fight at his current level.
"I will stay in the Dark Faction," Zon said. "You have your things to deal with, and I have mine. Right now, I've found some peace in this shop.
"Don't get me wrong, though. You're still important to me."
Zon placed his hand on the table and opened it up. A small square device could be seen. It then started to move, as small legs sprung out, resembling an ant. It walked over until it reached Raze.
"I have two of these," Zon explained. "And only two. One of them I injected into your friend's neck. It's not the system he uses."
Raze had no idea what Zon was talking about since he hadn't really discussed with Liam how he was able to grow stronger or gather strength—not that Raze particularly cared.
"This little creature allows me to know where someone is at any point in time. I have appeared by your friend's side before."
"This is the second device, so when needed, I'll appear by your side. There's no need to implant it inside your body. Attach it to a piece of your clothing, and remember where it is.
"If you need help, apply extreme pressure. If you do that, as long as I can, I'll appear."
Raze didn't know what to say. Giving him such a thing—it was handy to have. Although he didn't plan to rely on others, it was a good tool.
"I originally planned to give that to Anna, but since I gave it to you, it means you need to look after her in my place," Zon explained.
Raze nodded as he picked up the device and placed it on the left side of his chest. If someone attacked his heart, he thought that would be enough pressure—and enough reason to call Zon over.
With the conversation over, Raze stood up.
"Good luck on your task, and next time, I hope you can enjoy a nice bowl of noodles," Zon said.
With that Raze headed back to the academy and he was ready to head into battle once again. Fight after fight, it would have worn his whole body down, but he could feel it, he was close, close to getting to where he needed to be, to the Grand Magus.