Evolution of the Ruined Heir

Chapter 296: Maw

A purple haired figure soon landed in front of them.

“Ninth vein,” Laila greeted.

“News?” Malakai didn’t waste time. They’d gone past formalities after all.

His eyes sharpened as Laila nodded.

“They’re doing it tonight. We can enter the stronghold at exactly 8:00 p.m.”

Malakai clenched his fists at the good news. It was all going according to plan.

He quickly checked the time on his lifeguard. There were about thirty minutes left to 8.

“We should get ready.”

Nyx and Laila nodded with serious expressions. Laila left to inform Grunde, and Nyx remained with Malakai.

“You can rest, Nyx. I’ll use the time to meditate.”

As Nyx nodded and vanished, he chose a spot by a tree and settled down. In the next moment, he closed his eyes and focused. He wanted to regain his lost vita before the agreed time.

As he meditated, he also accessed his body.

’The muscle node.’

He’d learned a lot in the past day, but he hadn’t been able to figure out how to awaken his muscle node.

Malakai, unfortunately, hadn’t tried all the methods he thought of because of the limited time.

He had chosen to focus on refining his abilities instead. He needed all the power he could get for the coming mission.

The time passed by in a blur, and with his insane absorption rate, Malakai recovered every bit of vita.

“It’s time.” As Nyx appeared before him, he opened his eyes, glancing at the time. It was 8 on the dot.

Malakai rose. His clothes were torn in different places due to the earlier ambush. He unfortunately didn’t have any spare clothing.

“The Blooms?”

“I’ve handled them. They won’t regain consciousness again until late tomorrow.”

Malakai nodded. As expected, they hadn’t been able to extract anything from the two Blooms Nyx captured during the ambush. Killing them would birth grade 4s, so they had resolved to incapacitate them.

Laila and Grunde soon arrived, and they began making their way through the forest, toward the stronghold.

The ambush had occurred on the southern side of the stronghold, but the group had long since moved away from there. They circled around and chose to hide out on the northern side.

Nyx had warned them every time one of the enemy scouts came close, and moved everyone before they could be found out.

It had been a while now since they’d seen any scouts. If they were lucky, the enemy had given up on the search. But Malakai had never been one to rely on luck.

His senses were sharp, and from the serious demeanor of Nyx running beside him, he could tell that she also felt the same way.

Unlike the wasteland in the south, the northern part was a sprawling forest. Through the cover of the trees, they surged toward the stronghold.

Malakai used the brief time to go over their plan. It was simple. He’d asked Laila to tell Rhett to find out if hacking into the city’s system was possible. That way, they’d be able to mask their movements once inside the stronghold.

Right now, with the help of Nyx, they all had different appearances. Grunde’s bulk couldn’t be hidden, but it was a risk they had to take.

Infiltrating the stronghold, Malakai intended to find out everything he could about the Fourth Pulse and her operations. And he had the exact person in mind who could provide this information.

As they reached the wall, Nyx took control of the group’s blood. Their heart rates slowed, their blood flow stilling. Their body temperatures dropped to match the cold night.

And before the group could realize it, they were high up in the sky.

The city had sensors placed around the stronghold walls to alert in case of anyone entering.

It tracked vita signs and lifeguard signals, ensuring that no beast or human went unnoticed. But no defense was ever perfect, especially not against the skilled.

Nyx enveloped the entire group in a vita veil, blending them into the night air.

To the sensors, they were nothing but a passing breeze. They landed softly on the ground, moving a distance away from the wall.

Malakai glanced at the others, who gave him curt nods. They all knew the plan.

Laila and Grunde turned in different directions, splitting off from the group, leaving only Nyx and Malakai.

“Nyx.”

Malakai called, and Nyx suddenly vanished, blending into the night. He let out a breath. Though their appearances had changed, they couldn’t afford to move around together.

They all knew the target, they would meet there.

Malakai began sprinting across the crowded city. He would blend in better that way. Since they had entered from the northern side, he had to move all the way to the other side of the stronghold to reach his target.

Malakai chose to cut through the streets and alleys. While he still had his crimson hair, his face was entirely different.

Finding clothes had been easy enough, and soon he moved at a steady pace, clad in a pure black cloak.

After some time, Malakai finally reached his destination.

“Any tail?” he asked quietly. A single surge through his blood told him the answer.

He was currently perched on top of a tree branch, looking at the small building of the Red Maw in the distance. Grunde and Laila were also in the area but stationed at different positions.

Malakai’s gaze turned cold.

“All right. Fetch them.”

He didn’t hear Nyx move, nor did he see her enter the Red Maw. But the sudden disappearance of her piercing gaze was all the indication he needed, she had vanished.

A moment later, Nyx appeared in front of Malakai. She wasn’t alone.

A figure clad in a pure white suit, his face covered by a mask, stood behind her, Whiteshade.

And beside him was a man Malakai hadn’t seen before. Bald, with clear blue eyes and a large frame.

A Sutrex, no doubt. But that wasn’t Malakai’s focus tonight.

“You work for the Maugrim.”