Rebirth: 100 Days Before Doomsday

Rune hummed in agreement. "She's right. If we want this to be a successful ambush, we need to get rid of the spells first."

"So, what do we do?" Ryan asked. His fingers were itching to grab his weapon and take down their opponents.

"We need a distraction," Rune said. "A big one."

Grace's mind started to work quickly. "What if we use the beasts against them? Instead of breaking the spell and alerting them, we can manipulate the beasts into attacking them first."

Davian's lips curled into a smirk. He was clearly impressed with how her brain was working. "That could work. But how do we break the spell without making it obvious?"

Rune eyes glowed in the darkness as he took over the job. "Leave that to me. You all just get ready."

He lifted his hand and his fingers started drawing invisible symbols into the air. The runes shimmered faintly before vanishing. A low, unnoticeable pulse of energy spread outward, weaving its way through the barrier surrounding the factory.

"The spell is tied to the land," he murmured. "I can't erase it completely without alerting them, but I can modify it."

Seconds later, the effect of his tampering became visible. The Class 5 beasts lurking near the factory suddenly lifted their heads, sniffing the air as if detecting something new. The Class 6 beast, a massive, lion-like creature with glowing red eyes, let out a deep growl.

The spell that had kept them docile was weakening.

Ryan let out a low whistle. "I don't know what you did, but I think they just realized there's food inside that factory."

Rune smirked. "Exactly."

Within moments, the first beast was lunging toward the building, slamming into the reinforced metal walls with a thunderous crash. The impact shook the building, causing dust and debris to fall from its rusted structure. The other beasts followed, snarling and roaring as they clawed at the walls and tried to force their way inside.

"Now we wait," Grace whispered.

Inside the factory, the seven enemies were thrown into chaos.

A man's voice, their leader, barked out orders. "Something's wrong! The spell-"

A deafening roar cut him off as the Class 6 beast leaped onto the roof, its massive claws digging into the metal.

"Shit!" Another voice, Igris', cursed. "They shouldn't be able to sense us! Someone tampered with the barrier!"

Grace exchanged a glance with Rune. Their plan was working. It's just that these beasts were too strong.

The group inside scrambled to defend themselves. The sound of weapons being drawn and spells being cast filled the air as they prepared to fight the incoming beasts.

It was exactly the distraction Grace and her team needed.

"Now," Rune whispered.

They moved, silent as shadows. They easily slipped through the chaos.

The spells at the entrances were still intact, but with the beasts attacking, Rune had an opening. He reached out and pressed his palm against the shimmering barrier. A soft glow spread from his fingertips, unraveling the magic thread by thread.

Merely a moment later, the spell shattered, allowing Grace and the team to rush inside.

The first enemy barely had time to react before Ryan's dagger found his throat. He gurgled in shock before collapsing.

Maria's gun fired twice, taking down another before they could sound the alarm.

Davian moved like lightning, his blade flashing as he took down a third enemy.

Three down. Four left.

By now, the remaining enemies realized they were under attack.

One of them, a tall woman with glowing silver eyes, spun toward them, ready with spells and weapon.

Grace lunged with her own energy blade ready in her hand. But the woman blocked her strike with a barrier. Still, Grace was faster. She twisted mid-air, slamming a burst of energy into the barrier and shattering it. Before the woman could react, Grace's blade was at her throat.

"Too slow," Grace whispered before slicing cleanly.

The woman fell.

Across the room, Rune and Davian were engaged in a brutal fight with the remaining three enemies.

One of them swung his hammer at Rune with enough force to shatter bones. But the latter dodged it gracefully, weaving between the attacks.

"You won't get away by killing us, Rune." the man grunted.

Rune smirked, but there was no humor in it. "I'll take that gamble." And then, he flicked his fingers.

The air around them shifted, and suddenly the man's hammer weighed twice as much. His movements became sluggish, his strength faltering.

"Wh-what the hell?" He struggled and his veins started bulging as he tried to lift his weapon.

Rune didn't give him a chance. A swift kick to the chest sent him crashing into the wall, and a well-placed dagger finished him off.

Meanwhile, Davian and Ryan worked together against the last two enemies, but the woman among the duo was way too fast and strong, probably the strongest in the group.

"Watch it!" Ryan warned as she nearly landed a killing blow on Davian.

But the man was quick, he blocked the attack at last second. He turned around and slashed his blade, attacking her at her ribs, only for her companion to block it.

Ryan took that chance and buried his own dagger in the man's throat, killing him instantly.

Now, only the woman was left.

Her face was unreadable, but her eyes held a storm within them. And her gaze was fixed on Rune. When she spoke, her voice was calm. "He's right, Rune. You won't be able to save yourself by killing us, or the ones who will come after us. He will never stop looking for the ring."

Rune didn't speak, nor he moved. He just stared at her with a cold expression on his face. Finally, he broke the silence. "I feel bad about giving you this news right before your end."

The woman's face showed slightest of shift, making her confusion obvious. But realization hit her the moment Rune showed her a spell of golden words written in it.

"You did your job well, Nerissa. But I can't let you succeed."

Nerissa raised her hand, ready to summon her power to take all of them down. But before she could have done that, she felt a sudden presence right behind her before an ice blade flashed across her throat, causing blood to spill from the gash.

Her eyes widened in shock as blood spilled from her throat, making her surrounding spun.

And then, she collapsed, dead before she even hit the ground.