"In our clan when we need to choose the next heir we hold a large tournament, and then there's a big battle for everyone. When I was a kid I saw it once, it was so exciting." Rubina kept telling everyone about the culture of her clan as she waved her hands and started stories about fights and other scenes like a proper storyteller.

"Aren't you all clansman why fight amongst themselves. Can't they choose the most talented one or through votes or something." Ayla asked as she never understood the idea of so much fighting at every turn.

"What, votes - that's just dirty politics. Let me tell you only strength matters, and only strongman can unite everyone under an iron fist. That's how we've been able to survive all this time, otherwise how many clans playing politics disappeared in Arcadia." Rubina said with a hint of disdain in her voice.

They were talking when the door to the cabin opened. The waitress from earlier came inside and started walking towards their table.

"Did someone ordered something?" Rebecca asked as she looked at everyone, and then glanced at Amelia the foody as if she knew she's the only one who would ask for more after eating all this.

Yet when she looked at Amelia's plate which was still half filled, she got confused and wanted to ask her something, but before she could utter a single word, she watched as Amelia picked up her plate and threw it at the waitress face. The sudden move made everyone surprised as they all looked at Amelia and then at the waitress with surprised expression.

The force behind the plate knocked the waitress a step back, but she didn't scream or cry instead started walking towards them again with a maniacal laugh on her face which started dropping blood. Soon everyone discovered the anomaly as they watched with glued eyes when the body of that waitress started bloating at speed visible to naked eyes. Red veins started to appear on her skin and before anyone could understand or react to what was happening, a loud blast sounded in the their ears.

–boom–

The waitress blasted herself inside the room, throwing the room into a complete darkness. Blood and body parts splattered everywhere, marking their faces and clothes red. Ayla puked and threw out all her food when she saw a part of broken hand which suddenly dropped on her thighs. She stood up in hurry and moved back, knocking the chair.

Same was the case with everyone, they all stood up in shock. Though initially surprised they all calmed down and tried to access the situation for any attack. After all, every one of them was a talented genius of their own origins. Yet the biggest shock was still remaining left, when they all tried to channel their mana they found they could feel nothing.

The fireballs they tried to create were like a mere flames of a candle or a lighter. And even that required their utmost attention to maintain. Screams could be heard in entire room as the sound of people fighting started to appear around them. From what they could see through the glittering lights of their spells the whole room was filled with masked man dressed in black.

"Show yourself you cowards." Rubina shouted as she swung her fists in the empty darkness. A scream escaped her mouth as she felt a sharp cut on her back. "Die" She turned around and threw a kick with full force, but her feet felt like she was hitting an iron wall.

"They're not humans." Rubina shouted trying to warn everyone while backing away, as she felt another wound in her stomach. magic

"They're golems." Rebecca shouted as she felt her knuckles hit a wall with the previous punch. She picked and bashed a chair on her opponent, and backed off immediately. But soon she stumbled over something and fell down on the ground. She noticed a silver sword streak coming towards her and disappearing midway.

"Not all of them." She heard Rio's voice as she felt some liquid falling over her. Blood of the masked man who was about to attack her. She picked up a broken leg of the chair and stabbed it behind her as she heard the sound of heavy footsteps. "Some are still humans." She said while kicking the dead body while pulling the wooden stick back.

Ayla who backed away subconsciously towards the conrner in the beginning heard someone's footsteps coming towards her, she tried her best to use any spell to hold her opponent. Yet without mana even the elemental mastery of wood refused her command and no spell could be casted. She heard a swish sound in air, and felt a gust of air hitting her skin. She closed her eyes and covered her face, as she felt she was about to be slashed at. Yet at the last moment she found her body being pulled to the side. It felt like someone grabbed her and threw her away. A scream escaped her mouth involuntarily. "Ahhhh"

"Ayla" Amelia shouted as she kicked her opponent away. Currently she was facing off against three masked man around her, while moving towards the place where her brother was sitting earlier. She created an aura blade with her hand and threw it towards the ceiling.

As the blue wave of aura moved towards the ceinling she took a glance around the room in the light. She saw Ayla huddled in a corner with a barrier that covered her, and Rubina, who was trapped between two masked man holding a dagger, with a bleeding stab wound in her stomach.

The bluish hue of aura hit the ceiling and disappeared. As the attack got absorbed by some kind of formation pattern.

Seeing Ayla was fine she turner her attention back at her opponent, grabing his hand she twisted it and took his sword from him. She kicked the man away and slashed at him while moving forwards. She tarted swinging her sword at the remaining two masked man around her. Yet while fighting this time her senses started to get dull at an alarming rate, her steps started getting wobbly and hands fekt numb.

"Don't use your aura. Something's wrong with the air." Amelia shouted as she backed off, her back colliding with someone. She slashed her sword without looking, but her attack missed and someone grabbed her hand instead.

"It's me. Don't attack." Saisha said as she let go of Amelia's hands. While pulling her away as she saw a silver hue attacking her from behind. She moved back and grabbed the hand of the masked man and stabbed it with the chopsticks she picked up from the table earlier.

"I didn't need your help." Amelia said as she moved forward and swung her sword, killing the man who was screaming in pain. Ignoring Saisha, Amelia moved towards Rubina's direction to help her. "You don't mess with food. Can't you get that one thing right." Amelia said as she kicked a man in stomach and then when he was on his knees, swung her sword, cutting off his head in one swift motion.

The screams of the masked man and attacks kept sounding in the entire room, as the smell of blood permeating kept getting heavier. Even their own sounds of help or calls were echoing and drowning in the sea, making grouping together hard for them. If that wasn't enough, some loud blasts and screams from outside could also be heard making everything confusing. They weren't sure how many people there were in the room, or how many had died already. They couldn't even focus on what was around them, as all their focus was on their opponents.

"Just die already." Rubina shouted as she plunged the knife in her hand at her opponent. "Fucking golems." She cursed as she felt the knife was stuck inside and she couldn't pull it out.

She heard the sound of sword slashing through the air and was about to move out, when she heard Amelia's voice "Never knew you cursed, lady leader."

Amelia said amusedly while slashing her sword constantly at the golem opponent Rubina was fighting against, until she heard a loud thud of him falling down.

'Brother don't you dare do something stupid.' She prayed in her heart as she noticed she hasn't heard Rio's voice at all for some time now.

She had realized there was something wrong when she tasted some kind of poison in her food, but seeing Rio noticed it too and didn't act, she stayed silent. Though she noticed the poison, but she didn't have any high poison resistance skill so she still kept her guard up, but not long after that she could feel the small effects of this poison inside her.

'Warzy.' She cursed in her heart as she realized who their attackers were when she identified the method. Anger started rising in her heart as she remembered about what happened two years ago, and how because of these damn profit hungry maniacs her brother had to suffer alone in that dungeon.

She was about to lose her cool when she felt a slight disturbance in her storage ring. Channeling her mana she found an extra potion placed inside the ring. "Don't do anything. And Use that potion if necessary." Rio's voice sounded in her ears, so she kept silent.

It was only that before the waitress entered their cabin she felt a high spatial distortions around their cabin and seeing her brother nodding at her that she decided to act.

She was about to beat that waitress and then go out with her brother to deal with everyone who probably used some kind of teleportation circle outside. When the wairess instead of attacking directly blew herself up, blasting all the light crystals in the room.

Then these masked man started appearing suddenly in the room, she wanted to use her mana to fight them but then she heard her brother's voice in her head that ordered her not to use mana and only fight normally. So she could only bite the bullet and hope he's not planning something stupid.

"Now this is fun." Rio said as he stood outside the gate of their cabin and saw three masked man standing there, while behind them stood a figure in a shrouded in a red hoodie.

"So you're the one who came for me." Rio said to the hooded figure. He raised his hand in the air and clenching his fists pulled it back.

Thud-thud-thud

The sound of heads hitting the ground rang out, as the bodies of the three people standing in front fell down after a few moments too. "Let's talk privately, shall we?"