Chapter 3770: Best Weapon (Part 1) ’The good news is that the Larks are still alive.’ Ryman thought. ’The bad news is that between the lingering Frost Soul and the arrays trying to repair themselves, the signal is a jumbled mess.’ He moved as fast as he could, comparing his current distance from the energy signatures’ source with the blueprint of the mansion to guess where his marks might have retreated. Just like in the Distar Household, the house staff had followed protocol and run from the invaders without attempting to fight. The Upyrs were on a tight schedule and couldn’t afford to chase mere mortals through the maze that the servants’ wings were. Their goal was the private quarters of the Larks and the undamaged furniture the Upyrs had left while breaking through the arrays showed Protector they had wasted no time. ’In the Upyrs’ shoes, I would’ve assumed the Larks are in the array control room as well. Magical formations are at their strongest near their power source. On top of that, there is no better place to hide than the array control room. ’No matter where you are, once the mainframe gets destroyed, the magical formations dissipate. Without them, it takes a decent mage but a few tier five spells to raze even a building of this size to the ground. ’With the Upyrs surrounding the estate and digging underground, the Larks can’t have escaped. They must still be somewhere inside the house.’ Protector was right, and it was the reason the mana lines fueling the arrays were a convoluted mess. Following them was bound to lead to the array control room, but only after several detours along the panoramic route. Lith had planned the layout of the arrays to be the final line of defense. It had cost much more time and resources than magical formations usually required, but the Larks being still alive was proof of the success of his strategy. ’Yes! Those idiots have taken the bait.’ Protector followed the trail of damaged arrays until it diverged from the quickest route to the control room. ’I can still make it. Even if the Upyrs arrived first, they have to fight for every step they take. ’I don’t have such a problem.’ Ryman took another item that Lith had entrusted to him. It was a signet ring bearing the Lark family’s banner and a yellow crystal. It gave its owner the ability to add his imprint to the arrays and control them like the masters of the house. Lith had already added his energy signature to the control room back when he had conjured the arrays, but he had prepared the ring in case he wasn’t available in time of crisis and had to entrust the Larks’ safety to one of his friends. Thanks to the signet, Protector could now advance at top speed without being hindered by the arrays or triggering alarms that would have alerted the enemy of his presence. The Monocle of Menadion projected a line over the map of the mansion, showing the Skoll the hidden corridors and servants’ passages that formed the fastest route to his destination. The closer Protector got to the Larks, the fewer the interferences and the clearer the life signature of the Larks became. He moved faster than a Tiamat, but way below his top speed. Protector wasn’t familiar with the house and had to be silent. He had no idea how many Upyrs he would have to face and couldn’t afford to lose the element of surprise. Protector turned one of the last corners, the one connecting the convoluted and the direct path to the array control system, and found it breached. ’How strong are these Upyrs?’ He wondered in shocked surprise. ’We departed right after Meln’s Thralls triggered the alarm of this place and travelled at Dragonspeed. The arrays didn’t slow me down, yet they still arrived here before me.’ Ryman tapped on the right corner of the Monocle, and the artifact confirmed his worst fears. Several powerful energy signatures stood in front of the pantry where Keyla and Jadon had sought refuge. The siblings stood with their backs to the core of the array control system, knowing that once destroyed, their lives would be forfeit. Protector advanced slowly, surprised by the lack of noise and grunts of effort. Tearing down such powerful arrays was supposed to require a great deal of violence. The thick mist of Frost Soul that kept the magical formations from self-repairing also kept the Upyrs from using spells and bloodline abilities. "Seriously? How long does it take you to advance two more gods-damned steps?" A feminine voice asked. "You carved the rest of our path like a hot knife through butter. What’s the holdup?" "Our prey, that’s what." A deep, masculine voice replied. "They are not excited at the idea of dying. They are weak, not stupid. They have rerouted all the power of the arrays here and from so close to the mana crystals, they repair almost as fast as I burn them." "Almost." Another male voice said with a laugh. "I can’t believe how powerful Fire Soul is, or the fact that you learned how to use it before the Incontinent King, Kazam." "Thanks, but the best part was his face when I told him I would teach him shit." Kazam laughed at the memory. "Gods, I wish you were there to see his face, Tarn. I wish you were all there." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 "Seriously, if you at least taught us, we’d be done with this scutwork already." A second feminine voice snarled. "Yeah, right." Kazam snarled back. "And what do I get in return? I only accept payment in Adamant and white crystals. I already have plenty of women willing to pay me for my seed, Ashka." "What about my fist in your face?" She replied. "You do that and I’ll turn my Fire Soul on you, wench." Judging from Kazam’s tone, he was dead serious. Ashka reached Protector’s same conclusion and didn’t argue further. A sudden curse and yelling made the Skoll stop his advance, afraid of having been exposed. "How many times do I have to tell you to keep your distance, you fuckers?" Kazam said. "Narchat’s powers are nothing like Verhen’s. They are just like their arrogant, self-centered owner and don’t work well with anything else. "Your Frost Soul just froze my hands and cut off my Fire Soul! The arrays are already repairing themselves, and you cost me precious seconds of hard work!" Taking the good news as his cue, Protector used Fusion Magic to boost all of his physical abilities with the power of the elements. Then, he charged through the crowd of Upyrs, hitting left and right with his twin battle maces, Boros. Thanks to his speed, the powerful blows, and the surprise effect, the Skoll encountered little resistance. He pushed the Upyrs to the side and hit Kazan, a Drake-Upyr, right on the chin. Ryman didn’t stop there and resumed his advance, hitting the Upyrs as fast and hard as he could until he reached the Larks. Tarn pulled Kazan to safety, and Ashka filled the room with Frost Soul to keep the unknown assailant from pulling any tricks and the arrays from mending themselves further.