Ten minutes from now, one of the remaining two parties would burst into the vault through their own means, going after the same tablet as Scar. The three minutes that followed would bring the last group through the main entrance, coming for Yeshe’s Dairy.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Time was of the essence, and even though there were unforeseen difficulties, Scar couldn’t help but think it was all too easy.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

It was only natural for people to assume that an auction under the Supreme Council and the Romans was untouchable and let their guards down. But that still didn’t explain why Scar couldn’t stop feeling like something else was on its way.

At the moment, he was working his way through a narrow path Crook had made, leading to the vault. It cut through a tunnel that connected to the sewers, but Crook had managed to carve a route that brought him right to the vault’s underground gate.

He wore a mask and had changed into something more fitting for a tunnel this revolting, and he kept reminding himself what the outcome meant for him. Every urge to puke, he swallowed back down and sealed it.

Before long, he was near the edge, right where the entrance should be. Three people stood on guard, but with the commotion Loki was stirring up, no one would be heading down for any items. He just had to deal with these three.

The tunnel was right above them, which was the best thing going for him right now. He didn’t know how strong they were, but he had no intention of joking around.

"Emotional State, Second Form, Hand of Void."

A jagged hand made of dark and purple flames formed around his shoulder. The space was too tight for his hands and King’s hand. He almost got caught but acted just in time and launched a ball of flame at them, erasing nearly half their bodies.

He launched himself to the ground with practiced ease, and the moment he did, a voice rang out from behind him.

"Don’t you dare take another step!"

Scar sneered in annoyance and deactivated his emotional state. The voice was familiar enough, but the footsteps told him it wasn’t just one person. Even if he knew them, this wasn’t going to be simple.

"Move even slightly, and you’re finished. Turn slowly if you want to stay alive."

The voice couldn’t have been more familiar. That commanding edge, the coldness it came with... he couldn’t help but think of someone.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The moment he turned, a soft smile tugged at the corner of his lips. The body, the beauty, even with a mask on, there was no mistaking her for anyone else. That was Haven.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

He hadn’t seen her in nearly a month, but he never imagined it would be under circumstances like these.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Haven looked confused for a moment, and it was obvious the familiarity was starting to creep in on her too. But when she ordered her subordinates to capture Scar, it was clear she wasn’t playing around.

Scar hesitated. He could use Gluttony or Void to save himself, but hurting Haven wasn’t something he was willing to do, and getting caught wasn’t an option either, not without reading the tablet first.

’I’m sorry, Haven. I’ve got only six minutes left. You’ll have to fight to survive.’

Before he could act, a heavy wind tore toward the guards moving in on him, and within it stood a man whose entire body was covered in nothing but solid metal.

One swing, and his fist went through the guards. He turned to Scar, who had already taken a defensive position, their corpses still hanging from his hand.

A smile broke through the metallic exterior as he nodded toward Scar.

"Go and claim what you came for. I’ll be here to back you up."

Scar didn’t know who this was, and he was confused, but time was running out. Fighting Haven wasn’t going to be easy either way. He accepted fate and started using Void on the gate.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Behind him, Haven was the only guard still standing, and it seemed like she knew exactly who stood in front of her.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"Robin? How did you survive?"

The name Robin set something off in Scar. He remembered who he was, the Moon Killer Haven had fought before, the one she’d severed a hand and limb from. He had no idea how the bastard survived, but it explained one thing.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

During V’s attack, the real mastermind behind it all, the one cunning enough to use Scar’s rage to his advantage, was the person they called the Highest One.

Robin worked for him too. So if Robin was here to help Scar, then the Highest One wanted him to understand his Inheritance, and that raised its own questions.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Either way, it was working in his favor right now, and he didn’t care. What had Scar’s attention most was Void, it was struggling to erase the gate.

"You seem uncertain, goddess. I’m not here to fight you. Remember, I said you would serve me one day. Had my Inheritance not been capable, I wouldn’t have spoken such words."

Haven sneered.

"No matter. I’ll end you right now."

She launched an ice attack, but Robin effortlessly blocked it.

"Enforcers, Architects... all of you are so arrogant. One day, every last one of you will be beneath me."

Haven let out an agitated sigh.

"I don’t care..."

Robin laughed.

"That’s precisely my point. You strut around like you’re above everyone. Who are you to pass judgment... even on an object without a conscience?"

Robin’s laughter turned psychopathic.

Robin’s Inheritance, The Standing Prestige, let him harden his skin to twice the density of any metal he touched. But that wasn’t the full story.

It originated from the tale of a great hero called the Strongest, and upon his death, a statue was erected in his honor. But when the statue collapsed and killed someone, something unexpected followed. It was taken to court, judged by the gods, and convicted.

"With this Inheritance, I’m almost impossible to stop. My body, once damaged, can be reshaped as if it were untouched. I am like a living statue. You’ll need to do far more than sever my limbs, my lady."

It pissed Haven off, and they wasted no time falling into a fierce battle, but all of that was background noise to Scar. His attention was on breaking the gate.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Soon enough, the gate buckled and collapsed under a massive explosion of flames from King’s Void. He had no time to waste with only three minutes left, but the moment he stepped into the vault, his body moved on instinct.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"Emotional State, Third Form, Hands of Gluttony."

Jagged hands of dark flames shot out and intercepted a powerful jolt of lightning. Gluttony swallowed it whole, but the force still sent Scar flying backward.

That yellow, aggressive lightning. The paralyzing kind. It could only be one person, there was no doubt in his mind. This was Luccy.