The joyful music suddenly stopped. The mansion sank into complete darkness, leaving the guests in confusion.
"Oh no, what happened?" hissed Sylvia.
"Relax, there seems to be a problem with the electricity. The servants will take care of it soon," Klaus said in a calm voice, trying to give Sylvia comfort.
While the guests searched for light with the help of their cell phones, the mansion's security guards moved about in the darkness, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Everyone please calm down. We'll find out what happened!"
At that moment, the atmosphere was still calm. They assumed it was an ordinary blackout. But Klaus didn't think so. The mansion had a backup power generator. If the main power line was cut, then the lights should still be on.
Something was not right.
<My liege. A group of strangers was coming here.>
A voice echoed in his head. Klaus hissed. "You're late, Laplace! You should have told me earlier. "
<Forgive me, my liege.>
In the middle of their communication, Klaus heard steps from the hallway. The security had left the ballroom a few minutes ago. Klaus was sure it wasn't them.
Boom!
The ballroom entrance exploded, and a group of armed men broke in. They were all in black with masks covering their faces. The guests went into a panic, looking for a hiding place.
"Terrorists!"
Tatatatatatatata!
Gunshots broke the silence of the night, echoing throughout the ballroom, creating a terrifying battlefield atmosphere. Guests trying to escape screamed in terror.
Klaus took Sylvia's hand and led her carefully to seek shelter behind a large pillar. Their eyes met each other's.
"Who are they?!" Sylvia sounded furious amidst the gunfire.
"I don't know. What's clear is that they're coming for me."
"What?"
Klaus knew his actions at the Port of Miami would get him into trouble. He was prepared for it. But he didn't expect them to take action so soon. The tentative guess was that this was Elizabeth's doing.
This was exactly what Klaus worried if he caused trouble for the Five Pillars. They would use any means to achieve their goals.
Klaus only hoped that they really came for him. Not his family.
"They used weapons. It looks like they're ordinary people, Klaus. I'll handle them." Sheila was confident she could defeat the terrorists. But Klaus held her back.
"Don't be rash. They're not just anybody."
The mansion had many security guards with B-Class awakener certification. They would have definitely noticed the intruders coming if the armed men were ordinary people. In fact, no one here noticed.
Moreover, Klaus could sense the presence of the awakener around the mansion.
"Protect the guests!"
???????? ???????? ????????????????????????????????????, ???????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????? ???????????????????? ????????????????????????????????.????????????
Luis' voice echoed under the gunfires. The mansion's security team moved quickly, trying to protect the guests and confront the terrorists. Fierce battles with guns blazing made the once festive atmosphere gloomy and tense.
A guard manipulates the metal elements, stopping the bullets in the air. At the same time, another guard shoots at high speed and takes out three terrorists with his bare hands.
Luis, as the head of security, did not stay behind. Soaring through the air, he threw fireballs at the masked men, incinerating them in flaming embers.
"Arrrrgggh!"
Unfortunately, some unlucky party guests became hostages of the terrorists. They were forcibly herded to serve as living shields for the attackers, trying to evade the attacks of the security team.
Seeing the situation becoming increasingly chaotic, Klaus clicked his tongue in exasperation. He then grabbed Sylvia by the shoulders, looking into her eyes. Somehow, this tomboyish girl flushed.
"I think these terrorists are just bait. The real threat will appear later. So, let's take advantage of this situation. I need your help to find my parents. Make sure they are safe. I'm counting on you."
Sylvia nodded her head. "I understand."
Crackle!
The windows shattered, another group of armed men entered the ballroom.
"Enemy backup is coming! Secure the guests!" Luis shouted amidst the chaos.
The security guards accelerated the process of the guests evacuating. They herded the survivors and wounded out of the hallway under heavy fire. Some tried to sneak away in the darkness to rescue hostages, but the newly arrived terrorists quickly opened fire.
Tatatatatata!
As the security guards shielded themselves, walls of ice appeared out of thin air, blocking the bullets. And then, icy spikes struck the terrorists out of nowhere.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Screams of pain echoed along with the tearing flesh and splashing blood.
The terrorists shuddered in horror, seeing their comrades die in horrific ways. They fled immediately, but an oriental man in a tuxedo appeared out of the blue. When they saw the sword in his hand, they realized that death was ahead of them.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
"Arrrrggggh!"I think you should take a look at
A burly man roared loudly. His voice attracted the terrorists' attention. When they saw the man, anger clouded their mind. They then bombarded the burly man.
Tatatatatata!
Instead of dodging, the man took the bullets. Dozens of hot leads that hit him fell on the floor.
Their appearance raised a question in Luis. Until a handsome young man approached him.
"Who are you?" he asked with suspicion.
"I'm Justin. And those guys are my friends, Akio and Michael. We're Rays of Hope, come to help you guys." Justin glanced around. "By the way, where's Klaus?"
At the mention of his employer's son, Luis opened his eyes wide. "I haven't seen him yet. But Mr. and Mrs. Lee have been secured. Please help us to ensure the young master's safety."
Justin squinted. "What the heck? Why worry about Klaus? I'm looking for him to get this over with."
"Huh?"
Luis twisted his face. Justin's words sounded weird. To him, Klaus was an F-Class regardless of the news about him in the media. Luis still thought of Klaus as a child who needed to be protected.
"Hey! You guys, okay?"
Joanna and Olivia came in breathless. There was not a single wound on their bodies.
However, Joanna's presence made Luis panic a little. "Miss Joanna, why are you here? It's dangerous here."
Joanna squinted. "What are you talking about, Luis? I'm an A-Class healer! Shut up and let me help."
Olivia patted Luis on the shoulder. "Trust her. We're very experienced."
Joanna threw Olivia a smile, and she winked in response.
The head of security sighed deeply. He couldn't say no in the end.
"Save the hostages! Don't let them get kidnapped!"
The presence of Justin and his friends made a difference. The security guards were able to take down the terrorist. Akio zigzagged to avoid the gunfire while closing the distance to his opponent. When the target was in sight, he swung his sword without hesitation.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Splat! Splat! Splat!
"HAHAHA! Come to me, you all!"
Michael, with his big and hard body, faced dozens of terrorists without any fear. He took every shot without dodging a single bullet. While Michael was distracted, Justin showered them with ice crystals. These people turned into ice sculptures instantly.
"You can't run!"
A woman's scream shook the air. In the pitch darkness, Olivia shot out like a lightning bolt and executed dozens of terrorists single-handedly.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Screams and the sound of metal slicing flesh filled the entire ballroom. Olivia didn't let a single person survive. Everything before her eyes would end up in her hands.
Splat! Splat! Splat!
"Wow."
Luis froze as he watched the four awakeners take out the terrorists quickly. Killing a non-awakener criminal group was not a difficult matter. What astonished Luis was that their teamwork was much better than his men.
In the midst of the fierce battle, Michael was suddenly thrown against the wall.
"Mike!" Akio shouted.
"It's okay! I'm coming!"
Joanna ran over to Michael who was whimpering on the floor. The big man grimaced in pain.
Of course, this took Justin and his friends by surprise. They had the upper hand, and suddenly one of their strongest awakeners was slammed out of the blue.
Suddenly, the wind rustled in the room. The air crawled over their skin. Some of the security guards got goosebumps. They realized something was not right.
"Hey, hey! Look at that!" Jonna saw something.
A woman in black emerged from the shadows. She was wearing the same clothes as the other terrorists but her face was covered by a white mask. When she walked, her steps sounded soft, but they gave a strange feeling.
Gritting his teeth, Akio's instinct was kicking in. His intuition told him to kill her right now or something bad would happen.
"Arrrgggh!" Akio darted out with his sword.
"No! Akio!" Michael shouted from behind.
Akio shot out so fast that the wind whistled. No eyes could see him. He was confident that he could kill the woman.
However, when Akio was right behind her, his body was suddenly thrown into the air. Just like Michael.
Meanwhile, the mysterious woman casually drew close to them.
"Which one of you is Klaus Lee?"
