"What? What's happening? Why can't I feel the mana!?" one of the mages exclaimed, panicking as he tried to cast a simple spell, but without mana, the spell failed to activate.
Before the mages could make sense of the situation, the killing machine strode forward, its fist plunging into the nearest mage's chest, killing him instantly.
In just five minutes, the fight turned into a massacre. Without their ability to cast magic, the mages were no different from ordinary people. Whether it was attack spells, defensive spells, or even basic physical enhancement magic that made them more formidable, nothing worked.
The slaughter continued for mere seconds before it subsided, leaving all the mages lying dead in pools of their own blood. The only survivor was Silva Encantada, who had been knocked out at the start of the fight.
At that moment, a woman in a leather armored dress walked in. The armor was crafted from the hide of an archfiend, one of the most powerful demonic beings in Hell, and her helmet-like crown was fashioned from its horns—four black horns curving backward, with a demonic ruby set at the center of her forehead.
Her long, silky purple hair was tied into an intricate braid, captivating anyone who looked at her.
This woman was Envy, wearing the battle armor she had made from the archfiend she had slain long ago. She calmly sat on the couch where the fake Envy, the SD-800-I series that imitated her, had been seated. The killing machine, now reduced to its endoskeleton, walked over and stood beside Envy like a servant awaiting its master's command.
Envy glanced at the killing machine, giving it a nod. The machine responded in kind before moving toward Silva, who lay unconscious on the floor. It grabbed Silva by the hair and slapped her a few times, rousing her from unconsciousness.
As Silva awoke, she looked around, bewildered, until her eyes landed on Envy, who was sitting in front of her in full battle gear, her legs crossed regally like a queen.
The sight of Envy in her battlegear set off alarms in Silva's mind. Having been Envy's friend, she knew exactly what this meant. It meant Envy wouldn't hold back, her mind set for war. She would not stop until all opposition either surrendered or was destroyed.
"Hello," Envy greeted, her voice devoid of warmth.
"H-Hello... I think there's been some misunderstanding, Envy... I-I can explain," Silva stammered with a forced smile, attempting to stand. But the killing machine holding her wasn't allowing it.
Crash!
The machine slammed Silva's face against the glass tea table, shattering both the glass and her once-beautiful face. Her front four teeth were broken, and she had no choice but to spit them out onto the floor, coughing up blood.
Envy waited patiently as Silva spat out the blood and caught her breath before speaking again.
The killing machines showed no reaction to the damage they received. Bullets and explosives seemed meaningless to them as they advanced, unstoppable, killing mercenaries and mages alike.
The mages, though stronger than the mercenaries, managed to hold out longer against the assault. But then a drone flew past and launched a smoke grenade at their group.
With the grenade's smoke, the mana in the area was quickly drained, leaving the mages powerless as the mana levels reached dangerous lows. Without their magic, the mages were helpless, and a massacre ensued. Agonizing screams and cries for mercy echoed within the boundfield as the killing machines butchered their victims.
After about half an hour, the area surrounding the hotel fell silent. Every mercenary and mage had been eliminated. The drones sent by Nexus Prime began cleaning the area, recovering damaged SD-I series robots whose synthetic skin and muscles had been burned or blown off in the battle.
In the lounge, Silva Encantada stood frozen, witnessing the skirmish and ruthless massacre with her own eyes. She was stunned and turned toward Envy in disbelief. She never thought Envy would be so well-prepared to deal with her.
At that moment, an old butler entered the lounge. "Pardon my intrusion, Lady Envy," the butler said, bowing. "Everything has been taken care of. We only need your confirmation to cancel the boundfield, and then we can retreat at any time."
"Thank you, Wilkins. I've gathered a lot of information from Ms. Encantada. I just need to confirm something before we leave." Envy then turned toward Silva, who remained in shock at the sight below the hotel, where all her subordinates and reinforcements had been eliminated. None had survived.
With this move, the Encantada family could kiss their influence in South America goodbye. They would likely face challenges from new mage families eager to claim their position as the top family in the region.
"Golden Scale and that mysterious man in the black robe said they would push the Curtained World into a civil war. Do you have a list of the families that will participate? And which families are under Hightower's control?" Envy asked.
Defiance flashed in Silva Encantada's eyes. In an instant, she grabbed a shard of glass and stabbed herself in the neck, choosing suicide rather than revealing the information. In her final moments, she smiled defiantly at Envy—but Envy was unimpressed.
"Hmph! Typical," Envy muttered disdainfully. She waved her hand, and green mana flowed from her palm into Silva's body, pulling her soul back from the brink of the underworld and binding it in a soul chain.
"What!? What is this? You know necromancy?" Silva gasped in alarm. If she had known Envy possessed necromantic skills, she would never have dared to die in front of her. Now, in her soul form, she was utterly helpless. Her resistance against the necromancer was as futile as an ant resisting a human's stomp.
"I don't practice necromancy, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to use it. After all, I'm 1,500 years older than you. I've had plenty of time to learn. Now... where are we?" Envy paused, pretending to think before flashing a cruel smile. "Ah yes... which families are participating in the civil war, and which ones are under Hightower's control?
Tell me!" she commanded, tightening the soul chain.
As the soul chain tightened around her, a scream of agony escaped, and only regret filled her mind... the regret that she should never have double-crossed Envy.