"How is that possible?!"
"Her hand went through!"
"Did we finally find the bastard's hiding spot?"
All the city guards were initially shocked, but soon they were elated that they managed to find the entrance.
Now, everything made sense to them. No wonder they weren't able to find the passage when they tried earlier. Who would've thought that the entrance was actually through a wall?
While the city guards were excited about having found the entrance, the Magi, on the contrary, wore extremely solemn expressions.
Count Hannes involuntarily gulped and muttered softly, nervousness evident in his voice, "Space Magic!"
For a person's hand to go through a solid structure meant that principles of Space Magic were utilized on the structure.
Alternatively, it could also mean that Illusion Magic was involved, however, everyone confirmed that the wall was, in fact, tangible. Because when a guard tried to put their hand through it at the boundaries, it didn't go through.
Lisa stepped back and looked at Edward and the other Magi, her expression grave. "You know what this means, don't you?"
Sensing the gravity of the situation, the guards who were cheering earlier now quieted down. The Magi looked at Lisa, but no words escaped their lips.
Finally, the Count solemnly replied, "It means our opponent is formidable."
Space Magic was categorized under the School of Summoning. And to be able to utilize such high-level magic meant that the caster was equally strong.
Lisa nodded with a serious expression. "Yes, our opponent is a Rank 3 Magus at the very least!"
Hearing her words, everyone present sucked in a breath of cold air. At once, their bodies trembled, fear evident in their eyes. Some of them even had the thought of turning around and fleeing the city.
What kind of an existence was a Rank 3 Magus?
This was simply inconceivable to them. Count Hannes was the highest-ranked Magus in the city, and he was only a Rank 1! To be precise, he was only an Organ Stage Magus! In the entirety of the Southern Federation, the number of Rank 3 Magi was only a handful.
And to think that the main culprit behind all the disappearances in the city was actually a Rank 3 Magus. It was simply unbelievable!
While everyone was reeling in from the shock, Lisa made a calm analysis. "While it is true that such arrangements could only be made by a high-ranked Magus, something still feels off."
"What do you mean?" The Count asked.
"If our opponent was really Rank 3 or above, then he wouldn't have any need to send his minions to abduct so many residents. He could take control of the city with a simple snap of his fingers," replied Lisa.
Hearing her words, everyone nodded in understanding.
Lisa continued, "Then there are two possibilities that I can think of."
Edward rubbed his chin and pondered with narrowed eyes. "Do you think the vampire is severely injured, and that's why he had to send his underlings to do his work?"
"Correct." Lisa nodded.
Edward felt smug being right for once and also being sort of complimented by Lisa, but he didn't show it on his face.
"And what's the other?" Magus Emory asked.
"Runic Formations," Lisa stated flatly, "with the help of such formations, a Magus can borrow power from nature itself that would result in a magical output far stronger than the Magus' rank."
Count Hannes nodded after listening to Lisa's analysis. "So you're saying, either way, that the vampire isn't as strong as we're making him out to be?"
The three Magi of Hannes City were deep in thought. Magus Emory voiced out his opinion, "If what you're saying is true, there's still a possibility that our opponent is stronger than us. He could be a Rank 2 for all we know."
"Yes, there is always that possibility," Lisa replied. But suddenly her eyes narrowed, "But so what if he is? It's not like we can turn around now, can we?"
Turn around? Magus Emory lowered his head. How could he turn around now? He had to save his son! Although he didn't know if his son was dead or alive, how could he simply give up?
He looked at Lisa with a determined gaze. "I'll enter no matter what."
Lisa nodded. Then, she looked at everyone else, "What about you?"
Everyone nodded after some thought. This was the only way for them, after all.
Count Hannes looked at Lisa and thought back to when she and Edward were against Adam acting as bait, but after the latter led them out of the meeting room and discussed something with them in secret, the two seemed to be very confident in the plan.
He felt that the three students definitely had something up their sleeves. Thus, he looked at Lisa and Edward and solemnly asked, "I assume you have a trump card."
Lisa's lips curled up into a smirk. "Rest assured. Adam is a very cautious fellow. He wouldn't put his life in jeopardy if he didn't have a way out. And I trust him."
"Hmm!" Edward nodded.
"Very well. I will put my trust in him as well," Count Hannes replied. He then looked at the city guards behind him and ordered, "Men, follow after me!"
He took the lead and was the first one to enter the wall. Seeing him magically pass through the wall, the guards were momentarily stunned but soon followed after their lord.
After all the guards had entered, the Magi left behind entered one by one. Lisa was the last one to enter, but before she stepped foot inside, when she looked at the shadowy wall, an unsettling feeling emerged in her heart.
How unnerving… She buried this feeling and entered through the wall. And soon, the alley turned silent.
After entering through the wall, everyone was overcome by nothing but absolute darkness. They couldn't help but panic, but they continued to move forward.
After all, that was the only direction they could go. It felt like they were in a narrow corridor with the only way being in front of them.
Lisa looked around and clenched her fists. She thought to herself, This… what is this? It feels so ominous.
Suddenly, she felt as if she had just passed through a sort of membrane, almost like how one feels when one comes out of the water. When she looked around, she was astonished. She found herself in a large tunnel, but that wasn't what surprised her.
The thing that truly shocked her was that everything and everyone around her, including herself, looked as if the colors had been sucked out, leaving nothing but black and white.
It was a place completely devoid of color!