"Aaaaaargh!"

Vasemir screamed in pain when he was hit by Raul's barrage of water blades. The latter had entered a peculiar state of mind in which he didn't care about his well-being. Instead, he focused on killing Vasemir at any cost.

Raul could fight like this and still survive because of his Paladin class. It allowed him to recover faster, healing even his major wounds in a matter of moments. His battle style was always centered on his healing abilities. However, it could be seen that he had dropped all inhibitions under the illusion spell. A spell that had turned into a kind of hypnosis for him.

Vasemir had a peculiar ability to transform the spell-generated white smoke around him into the wind, water, and fire elemental manifestations. The white smoke he had spread around the battlefield would turn into clouds of fire or clusters of water under the influence of his mana sense. And sometimes it would turn into water spikes and water spheres. This white smoke would also take on the shapes of various weapons with three elemental properties integrated into them to enhance their damage output.

The fight between Raul and Vasemir had them both injured at this point. Raul was showing signs of getting out of his mind control from time to time. However, the one controlling him was in the audience all along. Ariadne would strengthen her hold on Raul's mind to keep him from snapping back to his usual self.

Ariadne wasn't having it easy either. She had her own trouble controlling someone like Raul. She had started developing a headache and her body had gotten warmer than usual. These were the side effects of exerting mental control to this extent.

'Are you alright, Ariadne?'historical

Eren asked his mate in a voice laced with concern. He was already satisfied with the results they had obtained so far. He just needed the third caretaker to show up at the scene. Then they would be able to execute the next phase of their plan.

'I.. I am fine. This much is nothing. We are doing this for the rewards we will receive. Hehe. This warehouse is loaded. It'll be fun to loot it for all that it has to offer us.

So don't worry about me. But why is that guy not showing up even after these two have been at each other's throats for so long? What if he doesn't move from his position?'

There was a third caretaker in the warehouse who was farther away inside the cave. He was in the last stage of the Awakened rank, only a few steps away from breaking into Arch rank.

Drawing this third ranker away from his manned position was critical for the trio. That's because he had the array controls placed in the warehouse. The resources behind the giant metal doors found at the end of the sub-caves could only be opened through the array mechanisms placed at the third Awakened ranker's position.

Furthermore, the warehouse's entrance and exit could also be controlled using the array mechanism from the information Lagartha had gathered. Eren also guessed that there would be a kill-switch-like mechanism integrated into the warehouse that would mess things up for him as well as put the trio in danger.

Eren and the two ladies needed Vasemir and Raul to create a ruckus with their fight because they wanted to take over the warehouse's array mechanism. Without this, their successful escape from the scene wasn't assured.

Just when Eren was about to tell the two ladies about the revised plan, he found out that he didn't have to. That's because he sensed another Awakened ranker approaching the scene in haste.

'Finally! Here he comes. Lagartha! Ariadne! Prepare yourself.'

As Eren narrowed his eyes at the two rankers death-dueling each other, he informed the two ladies. A ranker suddenly appeared between them and pushed both of them away from each other.

***

This man's name was Arto Lohan. He was a swordsman and fire element user. His powerful and sharp aura told Eren that he was stronger than the three Awakened-ranked caretakers in the warehouse.

Arto had a full brown beard and shoulder-length hair that cascaded around his oval-shaped face. He seemed to be in his early 30s and had a kind of 'silent mountain' vibe to him.

Arto was not like the typical swordsmen who were only concerned with their mobility and oneness with the sword. He was wearing proper defensive gear in the form of chainmail armor, arm guards, shoulder guards, and leg guards.

Arto was as tall as Eren. However, his broad wingspan and overall muscular physique made him look shorter. He carried his sword behind him instead of putting it in his I-Rune storage.

"What the fuck is happening around here? Raul? Vasemir?"

Arto asked, clearly furious with his two colleagues who had decided to settle their grudge at this time when they needed to keep the warehouse safe.

Vasemir and Raul weren't expecting Arto's interference. So when they were both pushed by Arto, they both lost their balance and were dragged across the ground, creating trenches.

"Ask this bastard Raul. He allowed himself to be hypnotized by some wench. And now he is attacking me like I am his mortal enemy."

While dusting his body, Vasemir stood up and said it aloud. He then channeled his mana throughout his body and got rid of the grime. The guy liked staying clean all the time.

"This guy.. he.. he tried to rape my girl. How can I forgive him after knowing something like that?"

The stress lines on Arto's forehead got darker when he listened to the responses coming from both rankers. He looked at Raul first because Vasemr's explanation of him was very peculiar.

"Hmm? Girl? I didn't know you were in such a serious relationship with someone, Raul. Which girl are you talking about?'

Arto's voice was authoritative and came from a position of status. As hypnotized as Raul was, he couldn't resist answering his question.

"I.. I am with Jilly. Jilly is my girl. Vasemir.."

Arto started chuckling like he had heard a really funny joke from Raul. He didn't let him finish.

"Hehehe. Bobby told me about this girl. He was not the only one. At this point, I would go ahead and say that Jilly belongs to all the Spiders with the way she is sorta black-widowing her way through a lot of men."

Arto stopped his laughter all of a sudden and looked at Raul with a grim face. He used his mana sense to check up on Raul's vital signs and confirmed Vasemir's theory. Raul had indeed been hypnotized.

"Vasemir, I didn't expect such carelessness from you."

Arto looked to the other side and focused his gaze on Vasemir. The latter felt wronged that Arto had taken Raul's side. But Arto explained what he was trying to say right away.

"You are right. This is clearly minding control. But every spell, no matter how powerful it may seem, has its weaknesses.

So the moment you figured this out, you should have focused on the person pulling the strings behind Raul and not the deluded man himself. They are the spell's weakness.

And that person is here."

Arto disappeared from his position in the next moment and appeared in front of the Meta-ranked Spiders that acted as the audience for the fight. Different mana pulses appeared in the surroundings as multiple spells were cast.

The wood-element spell made itself known first. Loads of green vines sprouted from the ground and latched onto the Meta-ranked Spiders. The bodies burst like balloons made of blood and organs because they were strangled so severely.

"Bastards!"

Vasemir was shocked by the whole turn of events. And Raul was confused because he had just been released from Ariadne's mind control. He was distraught and had hazy memories of what he had done. And he wasn't sure if what he was seeing around him was a dream or reality.

Arto had solved Raul's problem as soon as he appeared at the scene. But he couldn't find the person who was controlling Raul. It seemed they had already left the scene, leaving behind their accomplices.

Two rankers stood out from the audience which was subjected to vine-induced hell. Among the rankers was a young woman in charge of the vines. She was in the Awakened rank. The other was a white-haired man with blue eyes who was in the Meta rank.

Ariadne preferred not to fight head-on because that wasn't her forte. Instead, Eren had given her the task of taking control of the array mechanism at Arto's place. She left the scene as soon as Arto appeared, leaving the aftermath of the move they pulled on Raul to Eren and Lagartha.

Since Ariadne left, the illusion spells she cast on Eren and Lagartha were ineffective. Their real selves were exposed as soon as Arto created a commotion. Raul was freed from her mind control because of this as well.

"Hm? It seems we have been betrayed. Hehe. Never mind. I just want you to tell me one thing, Lagartha. How would you like to die?"