Chapter 191: The Ashcroft Family Strikes Back

The first explosion shattered the living room windows.

Reinhard caught Emily around the waist and pulled her away from the flying glass. Before the fragments struck the floor, he had already sensed the Mana signatures surrounding the mansion.

A-Ranks. Dozens of them.

Three far stronger presences stood behind the advancing force, their Mana steady and oppressive. S-Ranks.

"So much for a peaceful morning," Reinhard muttered.

Emily straightened beside him, her expression sharpening as she drew Tepes. "They aren’t here to negotiate."

"No. They brought enough people to make sure we understand that."

Another explosion shook the house. A voice boomed through the broken windows, amplified by Mana.

"By order of the authorities, the Ashcroft family is to surrender immediately! Anyone who resists will be treated as a criminal resisting lawful arrest!"

Reinhard exchanged a glance with Emily.

"Shall we?"

Emily smiled faintly. "Try not to fall behind."

They rushed into the corridor.

An A-Rank rounded the corner and unleashed a spear of compressed Mana. Emily twisted aside, allowing it to pass her shoulder before cutting through the follow-up aimed at her legs. Reinhard slipped past her, avoiding a barrage of projectiles before striking the attacker’s chest with a concentrated burst of Mana.

The man crashed into the wall.

Two more Awakeners charged from the adjoining corridor. Emily met the first with Tepes, redirecting his weapon before cutting across his armor. Reinhard stepped around the second man’s swing and struck him behind the knee, forcing him down before kicking him away.

Neither Ashcroft slowed down.

"They’re heading toward the central hall!" someone shouted behind them.

"Cut them off! Don’t let them reach the others!"

The Baal forces surged through the mansion, filling corridors and staircases with armed Awakeners.

Their numbers were overwhelming, and their movements showed that this wasn’t a spontaneous confrontation.

They had surrounded the property, blocked the obvious exits, and divided their forces to prevent the Ashcrofts from escaping together.

Reinhard and Emily continued forward, meeting every attack that reached them. They could defeat ordinary A-Ranks individually, but fighting dozens while three S-Ranks waited nearby was another matter.

A heavy impact shook the corridor as an Awakener smashed through a partition and launched a wave of Mana at them. Reinhard pulled Emily behind a pillar. The attack tore through the structure, filling the air with dust and fragments of stone.

Emily glanced at the damaged passage. "They’re destroying the house just to get to us."

"I’m sure they’ll send us the repair bill afterward."

"You’d better not pay it."

"I was thinking of sending them ours."

She laughed despite the situation, then stepped out beside him. Tepes flashed, and the spatial distortion around its edge cut through the next incoming attack. Reinhard followed with Spatial Push, sending two advancing Awakeners crashing into one another.

They reached the central hall several minutes later.

Maki, Lily, and Yuna were already fighting a group of invaders. Lily swung her swords with furious enthusiasm, forcing two opponents to retreat while Yuna’s Blazing Dawn sent a burst of flame across their path. Maki’s Gun God changed configurations as she fired at the approaching force, each shot forcing another Awakener to seek cover.

"Reinhard!" Lily called. "There are way too many of these idiots! Can I start cutting them properly?"

"Please don’t destroy the entire house before we get our deposit back."

"WE DON’T HAVE A DEPOSIT!"

"Then you have even less reason to destroy it!"

Maki ducked beneath a strike and fired into the attacker’s shoulder. "Could you two argue about real estate after we survive?"

Yuna laughed as she redirected an enemy’s attack with a sweep of flame. "At least they’re getting along."

"I’m going to start charging all of you for the damage," Maki replied.

Their banter ended when the doors at the far end of the hall burst open.

The three S-Ranks entered together and changed the atmosphere immediately.

The scarred man released a wave of Mana that pressed against everyone in the room. Several A-Ranks stepped aside to give him space, while the woman spread a binding technique across the floor. The swordsman moved forward without hesitation, his blade already aimed at Emily.

Emily caught his first strike with Tepes, but the impact drove her backward. Spatial distortions rippled across the weapon’s edge as she tried to redirect his second attack. He adjusted his angle before she could complete the maneuver, forcing her to retreat again.

Meanwhile, the woman tightened her bindings around the hall. The available space seemed to contract as Mana sealed off the routes leading to the corridors.

The scarred man advanced on Reinhard.

"Enough. Your resistance is over."

Reinhard avoided the first swing, then used Spatial Push to force the man back. The S-Rank barely shifted. He responded with a crushing strike that Reinhard blocked with both arms, sending him skidding across the floor.

The swordsman struck Emily’s weapon again. This time, he caught the moment she redirected his blade and twisted his own weapon against Tepes, forcing her down onto one knee.

Yuna rushed to help, but the scarred man turned toward her. His Mana crashed against her like a physical wall, forcing her to brace herself before she could advance.

Maki tried to create an opening with Gun God. The woman in the dark uniform raised her hand, and the binding field closed around Maki’s weapon, disrupting her aim.

Lily immediately charged the woman.

"Get away from my family!"

Her swords forced the woman to defend herself, but the scarred man intercepted Lily with a strike that sent her stumbling. The third S-Rank abandoned his exchange with Emily and moved to cut off her retreat.

Within moments, all three S-Ranks were coordinating their attacks against the two women.

The scarred man crushed Lily’s resistance with a wave of oppressive Mana, forcing her swords down. The swordsman seized her arms and secured her with restraints designed to suppress Mana. When she tried to wrench free, he tightened his grip and drove her to her knees.

Maki attempted to escape through the narrow space beside the wall, but the woman had already sealed it. She caught Maki with her binding technique, immobilizing her arms before the latter could raise another weapon. The scarred man stepped over to help secure her, while the swordsman kept Lily under control.

All three S-Ranks personally guarded the two women.

"Stop!" Emily shouted, struggling against the swordsman’s pressure.

The scarred man glanced at her, then pressed his weapon against Lily’s neck.

"Drop your weapons. Stop using your Mana. All three of you."

Emily’s expression hardened.

"Or what?" Reinhard asked.

The man pressed the blade closer to Lily. "Or she dies first. Then we move on to the rest of your family."

Yuna’s flames flickered around her hands. She could still fight, but any attempt to break through would leave Lily or Maki exposed. Emily understood the same thing. Her grip tightened around Tepes before she reluctantly lowered it.

Reinhard raised his hands. "Fine. We’re surrendering."

Yuna followed, extinguishing her flames. The remaining Awakeners moved in and secured all three of them.

The Baal forces erupted into cheers. After the explosions, the resistance, and the damage to the mansion, they had finally subdued the Ashcrofts.

The scarred S-Rank crouched beside Reinhard and forced his head up with the tip of his boot.

"You caused our family quite a bit of trouble," he said. "Did you really think you could stand against the Baals and walk away?"

Reinhard looked at him without answering.

The man kicked him across the face, then spat beside him.

"People like you mistake a little fame for real power. You stopped the Black Moon, and the public began treating you like heroes. But heroes can still be arrested."

Emily struggled against her restraints, but the woman holding her tightened the bindings.

"Keep struggling," she warned. "It will only make things worse for your family."

The scarred S-Rank stood and unfolded an official document.

"Reinhard Ashcroft, Emily Ashcroft, and the remaining members of your family are hereby detained under an approved arrest warrant. You are suspected of activities threatening public order and the stability of the Awakener community."

He read out the charges and the legal authority granting the Baal Family permission to conduct the arrest.

"The warrant is genuine," he continued. "You will surrender your weapons and cease all Mana activity. Any further resistance will result in the revocation of your legal status. You will become Nameless fugitives, hunted throughout Aurilieus City. No organization will be permitted to shelter you."

Reinhard looked up at him. "How did you get a warrant approved so quickly?"

The man laughed. "The Baal Family is one of the Three Great Families. We don’t need to beg for authority when dealing with a threat."

He let the document fall against Reinhard’s chest.

"You stopped the Black Moon. Congratulations. It doesn’t change anything. You should have known your place."

For several seconds, Reinhard remained silent.

Then he chuckled.

The scarred man’s expression hardened. "What’s so funny?"

Reinhard slowly raised his head.

"Man, I’m glad I decided to use the Mirror and left earlier this morning."

The S-Rank frowned. "What did you say?"

Reinhard smiled.

"Nothing you’ll need to worry about."

A faint light began to spread across the room.

The woman glanced down as Emily’s arm started to shimmer. The same strange glow spread across Lily, Maki, and Yuna. Their outlines blurred, their bodies breaking into fragments of light.

The scarred man stepped back.

"What the hell is this?"

Reinhard’s captured figure laughed as his body began to dissolve.

"I really like the World Projector," he said. "Too bad I’ll have to lose it. Hopefully I can get another one soon."

The Ashcrofts vanished.

The bindings snapped shut around empty space, and the weapons held against their necks struck the floor. The three S-Ranks stared at the empty hall, their confidence finally giving way to alarm.

They had spent the entire operation fighting enemies who had never been there.

The Mirror of Possibility had shown Reinhard a future in which the Baal Family attacked the mansion. Rather than wait to be surrounded, he had used the warning to prepare his response and left with the real Ashcrofts before the operation began.

The World Projector had made the deception possible. Reinhard had stored an imprint of his Mana Domain, Fool’s World: The Theater of False Reality, inside the relic. Once activated, it distorted the relationship between reality and perception, making the invaders experience an entire battle that never physically happened.

"Find the real Ashcrofts!" the scarred man shouted.

A brilliant light spread through the mansion.

Reinhard’s voice echoed through the fading illusion. "I learned this from you guys. Here’s my repayment in advance."

The Royal Mana Bombs detonated.

The real Ashcrofts had prepared the bombs throughout the mansion, supplying them with Mana from Reinhard, Emily, and Yuna. The relic had bought them time; the bombs were what would finish the job.

Fifteen Mana Barrier Scrolls activated together, forming a layered enclosure around the mansion. The first barrier buckled beneath the explosion, followed by the second and third, but the remaining layers continued to contain the destructive force.

The A-Ranks were engulfed before they could escape. The three S-Ranks attempted to reinforce one another with their Mana, but the sudden detonation left them little time to coordinate a defense.

The explosion continued for several seconds before the barriers began to fade. The mansion’s interior was devastated, and the invading force was buried beneath the wreckage.

And while their forces were busy attacking an empty mansion, the real Ashcrofts had already reached their destination.

...

At the Baal Family estate, the morning had begun peacefully.

Servants crossed the courtyard carrying supplies, guards patrolled the outer walls, and several officials prepared for the day’s meetings.

Then a massive explosion tore through the front of the estate.

The entrance erupted in fire and debris. Windows shattered across the grounds, and another explosion followed near the eastern wing. Before the guards could understand what was happening, more detonations thundered across the property.

The gates were destroyed. Smoke rolled over the courtyard, and the estate’s security forces rushed to respond.

Through the ruined entrance, five figures walked toward the main building.

Reinhard held up his phone, showing a recording of their own mansion engulfed in the blast.

"It got them."

Lily stared at the footage, then looked at the damaged Baal entrance.

"Our house has been blown up twice now. Why do we keep losing our house?"

"Technically, we weren’t inside either time," Reinhard pointed out.

"That doesn’t make it better!"

Maki looked around at the destruction. "Did you really have to plan bombs all around the mansion?"

"Of course," Reinhard replied. "It’s only common courtesy."

Lily giggled, hugging her swords. "Your stealthy relics are so amazing! I wish I had one!"

Maki immediately turned toward her. "No! You would be a menace to society."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because you keep proving us right," Emily replied.

Yuna laughed, and Reinhard slipped his phone into his pocket with a satisfied smile.

Maki looked toward the estate’s main building. "Did you really need to make such an entrance?"

"They invaded our home and assumed they could do whatever they wanted because of their family name," Reinhard said. "I thought we should return the courtesy."

Emily surveyed the damaged estate, her expression calm but firm.

"They believed their influence made them untouchable. If we hide and wait for them to attack again, they’ll keep treating us as people they can corner whenever they wish."

She looked at the others.

"We should be just as arrogant now. Let them see that we aren’t intimidated by the Three Great Families."

Yuna smiled. "I like that idea."

Lily raised her swords. "And if anyone tries to stop us, I get to cut something?"

"Only if they give you a reason," Maki replied.

"That’s usually how it works."

Reinhard laughed, then turned toward the enormous estate ahead of them. The Baal Family had tried to capture them under the protection of its influence and authority.

Now the Ashcrofts were standing at its front door.

"Let’s go."