The Carriers were much stronger than ordinary people, not only because of their abilities, but also because energy was infused into their bodies, giving them speed, strength, and durability that ordinary people could not possess.

This worked for both the Broken Carriers and the True Carriers. The stronger a Carrier was, the stronger this effect was, but that didn't mean they were invulnerable, especially to Carriers who were only one level below them.

Crack.

At the last moment, Konrad tore off his amulet, creating a protective barrier around him with a bright glow.

His two allies tried to rush to his defense, but they didn't make it in time. Lightning arrows tore them to pieces, passing through their bodies to make a loop and return, crashing down on Konrad.

But...

His barrier absorbed all the force of the blow, sacrificing itself in the process, almost all of it. One of the arrows pierced his left arm, and a little more power, and his arm would have been torn off.

For Black Horn, the situation was no better. Neither he nor his men expected the two Broken Carriers to try to fight back. What's more, it was Black Horn and Konrad who were ambushed!

The roots burst out of the ground, grabbing Black Horn and the two men by the ankles and wrists, completely immobilizing them.

Menir stopped as her circle began to move, summoning crimson hands that threw chains around their necks, trying to end it all quickly.

"You?! Menir, how dare you go against me?!" Black Horn exclaimed as darkness thickened around him.

His muscles tensed as he tore through the roots, grabbing the chains.

"These are all just pathetic attempts by failures like you to hurt a real Carrier like me!"

With a furious roar, he tore the chains apart, but his people were not so successful. The crimson hands were choking them, squeezing their throats.

Black Horn turned around to help, but...

Whoooosh.

With a whistle, two arrows flew past his eyes as their iron tips pierced their skulls.

Splashes of blood fell on Black Horn's face, raising his anger to the limit.

Click.

A distinct click echoed as the gears moved inside his Construct. Darkness enveloped his frame, concealing his presence completely.

"What...?"

The veil that made him invisible fell — the reason was the tiny needles stuck in his body. Konrad knew well what Black Horn's weakness was. He prepared for this ambush, but he didn't expect that he would also become one of the targets.

"Fuck, how did you manage to set this up..."

Step. Step. Step.

Konrad emerged from the forest, holding his left arm. In his right hand, he clutched a dagger, ready to fight for his life.

"Hah, so it was you!"

Black Horn smiled crookedly, finally understanding.

"But it looks like something didn't go according to plan, didn't it?"

"Tsk." Konrad spat out a clot of blood. "You should be dead by now. Just like them! Fucking rats!"

Ethan and Menir remained by the stone pillar. Like Black Horn, they were affected by the tiny needles in the smoke. They couldn't escape or hide, but they had no intention of doing so.

"Alright." Black Horn cracked his knuckles. "I suggest we deal with these kids and settle everything between us."

"Yeah, I agree. I'll take care of it right now!"

Before Ethan and Menir could prepare, gusts of wind came out of Konrad. In quick leaps, he found himself right in front of Ethan.

"Decided to trick me? That was your mistake!"

Cling.

Two daggers collided, causing a cascade of sparks to fly past Ethan's cold eyes.

A shock wave passed through his body, throwing him to the side as his back slammed into a tree.

Koros and Diatra continued to help them secretly. They were skilled enough with bows not to reveal themselves and could shoot arrows in an arc.

But Konrad was too fast. As soon as he took a step, an arrow pierced the same spot, missing him completely.

"DIE!" Konrad swung his dagger, launching a wind blade at Ethan.

The tree trunk broke in two as a gust of wind blew away the cloud of dust, revealing Ethan, who managed to duck in time — the cut passed right over his head.

"Agh…?" Konrad stumbled.

Then, Ethan jerked his head toward Menir, who was ready to show what her Third Pattern was capable of.

With a vibration in the air, two large hands with sharp claws like the paws of an ancient monster appeared above Konrad, connected only by a heavy chain.

But, unlike her Second Pattern, this was an offensive ability. The target had changed, but the hands, crimson aura, and chains remained, for each Pattern was connected to the first one.

Konrad's eyes widened as the two hands swung — six red lines headed toward him, cutting through the wind in their path.

Konrad's frame shook as he dodged the attack, but he didn't notice another threat coming from the left.

Crack.

The red dagger plunged into his temple, piercing Konrad's skull through. The sharp tip appeared on the other side, and a single drop of blood fell under Konrad's empty gaze.

Ethan calmly brushed the dust off himself, stood up, and walked over to Konrad's lifeless body to pull the dagger out of his head.

"What do you say, Black Horn?" Ethan ran his finger along the blade. "Not bad for a failure, huh?"

There was no answer.

Black Horn stepped back as the frown on his face grew deeper.

True, the Broken Carriers were much weaker than the True Carriers because their power was limited. Moreover, the Broken Carriers could not possess all the Patterns of the First Circle Catalyst, but... Menir had too many abilities for that to be true.

One against four, and Black Horn hadn't even seen two of them.

"Well, well... You're really ready to go all the way, aren't you?"

Ethan nodded.

"Of course. You don't stand a chance, and leaving you alive will bring us nothing but trouble."

Black Horn didn't try to negotiate. He knew it was useless because he was just like Ethan. It was better to kill the enemy than to spend his whole life looking over his shoulder.

"I see..."

His voice grew lower as darkness thickened around his frame.

"In that case, I have no other choice."

Crack.

Black Horn removed his eye patch, revealing his right eye, which was closed due to a terrible burn.

Then, his skin tore, forcing his eye open, revealing black sclera and three amber pupils.