Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1625: Everyone Together

While clearing through the area, Liam kept careful track of every place he had seen movement, every echo of fighting, and every trail left behind by the others. With the chaos still spreading across the Underside, it didn’t take long before their small group began bumping into familiar faces again. Alen’s group was among the first they came across.

Even from a distance, Liam and Dame could see how cautious Alen’s men were. They moved with an almost military precision, helping members of the Dark Faction but keeping enough distance so they weren’t mistaken for enemies. They assisted the wounded where they could and ushered survivors toward the main base, repeating the same words:

"Head back. Get inside. Stay with your people. We’ll hold the rest."

Meanwhile, Liam’s group, Dame, himself, and B, were sweeping the outer areas, pushing deeper into territory where the fighting had started to die down. Meeting with Alen’s men meant they had to be close to the larger cluster of survivors.

"I’m glad to see some friendly faces," one of the men said with visible relief. His eyes, along with the eyes of several others, drifted immediately toward B.

They remembered Beatrix. The real Beatrix. The woman who’d saved them, fought beside them, and smiled kindly despite everything. So seeing "Beatrix" now, smirking, sticking her tongue out mockingly, caught them off guard. Not one of them could understand why she was behaving so strangely, but they chose to ignore it. Perhaps they thought she was shaken from battle... or had simply changed under pressure.

Dame nodded. "I’m glad to see you decided to come back and help. There’s no doubt many lives will be saved today because of your actions."

Hearing praise seemed to strengthen their spirits. After all, helping was the whole reason they had returned, even if they had abandoned the Dark Guild itself.

But the unspoken question among them, Where is Safa?, didn’t last long.

Safa ran forward through the dust-filled street, Alen close behind her, and both of them stopped immediately when they recognized the figures ahead.

"Liam! Dame!" Safa gasped, stunned. "You guys are both okay? Did you manage to deal with the masked Cerberus member?"

"You bet," Liam said proudly, pointing at himself with an exaggerated motion. "It was difficult, but we did it. And I guess you did the same, which I’d expect from a genius like yourself."

Dame clicked his tongue. "If you want to sleep with her, just say it. No need for the roundabout compliments. Though something tells me a certain someone watching over us would be very annoyed if you did."

Liam stiffened. He knew exactly who Dame meant. Simyon. It was precisely why Liam had forced himself to suppress any feelings he might have had toward Safa after Simyon’s death. It felt wrong... and complicated.

Dame leaned close and whispered directly into Liam’s ear.

"Besides, I’m not sure anyone could handle having a brother like hers. That’s an extremely dangerous game."

Liam gulped. He knew Dame was right. If Safa felt complicated... her family made things worse.

Safa approached both of them, raising her hands to check their condition. Her God Eyes flickered, and she frowned. They looked almost completely healed. For Liam, the improvement was thanks to the nanobots within him. Dame, on the other hand, had taken several blows, but none were severe. Still, Safa used her Light Magic anyway, allowing a warm wave of healing energy to wash over both men.

Alen stepped forward next. "Beatrix, you’re here as well. I’m glad to see you’re safe."

B paused, turning toward him with a strange expression. She eyed him from head to toe before clicking her tongue.

"Oh right, you’re the one that likes this girl, right? How many people are after this woman? It wasn’t like this for me back in Pagna. Maybe it’s just an Alterian thing?"

Alen blinked, confused. He had spent time with Beatrix, real Beatrix, during their infiltration mission. Her personality had been nothing like this.

"Don’t take what she says seriously," Safa muttered, turning her head away. "That’s not Beatrix. It’s someone using her body."

"Oh, right... you have that annoying thing they call God Eyes," B said. "You always could see me. So I guess you can see the real me right now."

Alen’s group exchanged uneasy glances. They didn’t fully understand what B was, but they understood enough: the person before them wasn’t the woman they remembered.

Still, they were grateful. All of them. For Alen’s group, for Dame’s strength, for Liam’s system, and even for B’s destructive methods. Together, all of them were combing through the Underside, searching for the wounded, offering healing or support where they could. Alen’s group carried survivors toward the closest shelters, helping them escape danger.

The teamwork was surprisingly effective. Alen’s men avoided direct confrontation with the Dark Mages, but for the sake of the wounded, they did fight several Cerberus members. A large portion of them secretly wanted to attack the Dark Guild members as well, striking them from behind and ending a long-held hatred. But doing so would risk innocent lives... and so they held back.

With the majority now moving together, the group’s efforts flowed like a well-practiced unit. There was a sense of direction, a purpose, that they clung to as they tried to stabilize the chaos.

Until a pair of Alen’s scouts returned, faces pale, eyes widened in horror.

"It’s bad," one of them said breathlessly. "There’s something you should see... it’s the Shelters."

The air around the group shifted immediately.

Safa felt her chest tighten.

Dame’s hand moved to his weapon.

Liam’s heart dropped.

And B...

B simply tilted her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips, as though she was curious about whatever sight had shaken the hardened warriors so deeply.

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