The party at the villa ended, and the members of the various guilds were preparing to leave.
"Sir Billy, we'll be heading out now," Victor said to Billy Bowen, who was gazing at the gathered guild members with a gleam in his eyes.
"Alright, go and rest. I'll see you the day after tomorrow," Billy Bowen replied.
With that, the members of the various guilds began to disperse, along with the other guests who had come to celebrate. It was a small celebration organized by the head of the Hunter Association to thank the chosen representatives and wish them well for the upcoming assessment.
The party didn't last long and ended before midnight.
Victor glanced around at the other guild members, noticing that Erza and the newest member of the Starfire Guild were missing.
"Roman, where's Erza?" Victor asked.
"Oh, her? They should be here any minute," Roman replied, scanning the area. "Ah, there they are."
Victor followed Roman's gaze and saw Erza approaching, her face etched with a foul expression. Orion trailed behind her.
"Erza, let's leave together. Our guilds are on the same route," Victor suggested.
Erza frowned at his words, pondering for a moment before replying, "Can we talk privately for a minute?"
Victor, surprised by her request, agreed. "Yeah, sure."
Nodding, Erza gestured for him to follow her, leading him to a secluded spot where neither the members of her guild nor the others could see them.
Roman, Orion, and the rest of the Starfire Guild shrugged when they saw this, understanding that something serious was likely being discussed. They didn't intervene.
However, Orion smiled knowingly. He had an idea of what was going on—Erza must have been seeking a solution to the problem he had just confirmed with her.
As they waited, Orion's attention shifted to the Black Reaper Guild, noticing that only a few members remained. The rest of the guilds had already left.
Orion fell silent, recalling his earlier conversation with Erza. 'Could this be connected to Josh's father?'
He remembered overhearing talk about targeting two members, but now it seemed like more than just the Starfire Guild was involved. Members of the Black Reaper Guild had been killed, and from the looks of it, everyone else might be in danger too.
"Let me contact my guild," Mark said, tapping his halowatch, the device glowing faintly as he keyed in a frequency.
"You think we haven't tried?" Henry snapped, his voice sharp with frustration. "We did, but something is jamming the signal. I sent messages, but there's been no reply."
Mark frowned but tried anyway. A tense silence followed as he waited, staring at his halowatch. Moments later, his face tightened when he received no response from the Lords Guild. Each guild had personnel responsible for communications, a dedicated system in place. But now, nothing.
The silence on the other end was unnerving, suggesting their messages either hadn't been delivered or something far more sinister was interfering with the signals.
"Try contacting someone outside the guild," Orion suggested, his voice calm but urgent.
"WE ALREADY DID!" Henry exploded, his frustration boiling over. His fists clenched at his sides as his voice rose. "We've tried everything, but nothing's getting through!"
Orion and Mark paused, realizing the gravity of the situation.
"Henry's right," Tracy chimed in. "We've done everything we can with the halowatch, but no messages are going through."
Orion nodded in understanding. Just as he was about to speak, Erza and Victor returned, their faces immediately turning serious as they noticed the three guilds gathered together, the air thick with unease.
"What's going on?" Erza asked.
Orion sighed and explained. "Two members of the Black Reaper Guild went to get the car but were killed by platinum-ranked experts. And now... we're unable to contact anyone outside. Every attempt to send a message has been blocked. We're cut off."
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