Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

"Um… see you on the battlefield."

Gregory said to Hansen's side before looking at the elf infiltrators standing behind him.

"Let's move, my young soldiers. Our mission ends here."

Gregory and his subordinates were about to leave the arena. And they hoped nobody would stop them– an unrealistic dream they dared to entertain in their heads just for the sake of it.

Hansen's side was about to move against them. It was about to show them how costly Gregory's infiltration would be to the kingdom of Layos and all the infiltrators involved.

Suddenly, however, an overwhelming presence prevented both sides from moving. Infiltrators and rankers looked in a particular direction as a Sage flew towards the arena from a distance. It was as if a meteor was propelled by an alchemy rocket. The Sage's flight trajectory could be clearly seen because of the white trail he left behind him in the sky.

Edgar was clearly tipped into retreat. He was warned of a danger that could kill him and Gregory at the same time. That's why Edgar hurried off and left. Gregory understood this too late. And even if he knew about this person's arrival beforehand, he was sure he had no way to escape from him.

Hansen, Marcus & Ursula Moretti, and Osha Daman bowed slightly when this man landed in front of them with his back facing them. They put their pride aside so they could greet this man.

King's Hand - Garos Renar arrived at the scene.

***

Garos had a thick, combed beard that reached his neckline. He had silky, walnut-colored, shoulder-length hair that cascaded down his face. He had a straight nose and clear, supple skin. He had white eyes that made him look like he had no iris present in them.

Garos wore a white long coat over a white tunic that reached to his knees. He wore a simple black belt over it, giving him an elegant and calming appearance.

Garos had an underwhelming presence for a Sage.

So much so that he could be mistaken for a Master or Expert ranker. Even the young rankers and infiltrators were puzzled by this man's arrival. They did not understand why other Sages from both sides gave this seemingly insignificant man such respect.

Garos was in complete control of himself and his powers as a Sage. His presence resonated with the world's laws. But it could only be felt by other Sages.

Garos' ranking status put him at the top of Anfang's summit along with very few other rankers. It could be said that he was part of a very elite club to which normal Sages had no access to.

Garos had a solid S-rank mana core that reached saturation point. Meaning he could be seen knocking on his next rank's doors.

He had exceptional water-element attainments. They made his presence fluid and non-threatening. But only Sages like Hansen knew how powerful he could be once he manifested his powers.

Garos could be considered the current king's uncle.

He was given the title of King's Hand to make it easier for other rankers to address him. The title was especially convenient for those young Grandmaster and Sage rankers who had never met Garos before.

Garos was also part of the Anfang Alliance. He was a name-only member because of his active involvement in Edinburgh's affairs.

The Alliance was ready to offer him a dedicated membership if he strayed away from his duties as the King of Edinburgh's advisor. And Garos was about to take the Alliance on its offer. However, the advent of war with Layos complicated things.

Even as a temporary member of the Anfang Alliance, Garos had certain rights and restrictions placed upon him. He could not help Edinburgh by getting involved in a direct conflict for the most part.

This was another reason he was given the King's Hand title. It was to make him appear as if he was only helping the current king by advising him in certain situations.

Garos usually stayed true to the Alliance's restrictions placed on him. Even if he wanted to influence certain kingdom policies, he would do so while staying behind the scenes.

That's why very few rankers from recent generations knew about him. It was as if they had all heard of Lord Garos. But they hadn't met the man himself.

Garos was told to refrain from facing Layos's forces directly. But all bets were off if and when the half-bloods from the Last Blood Bastion were involved. The Anfang Alliance allowed Garos to use his full force against the half-bloods and their allies if and when they decided to show themselves out in the open.

This was the reason Garos' presence alarmed Edgar. As strong as Edgar was, he didn't want to cross paths with Garos, who had the Anfang Alliance behind him. Edgar had prepared trump cards to "borrow" from the Sansara World. But he did not have a Trump card in his arsenal to handle Garos.

JJ Edgar knew no amount of preparation would help him fight Garos. Even if he could run away from Garos using his space-element runes, he was sure that Garos would ensure that the young half-bloods forfeit their lives.

Gregory would have bolted sooner than Edgar if someone tipped him off about Garos' arrival on the battlefield. Even as an enemy of Edinburgh, Gregory knew and heard about Garos. He knew that Garos was on a completely different level than him even though they were both on the same rank by traditional ranking standards.

To be honest, Gregory wasn't expecting Garos to intervene because of the restrictions placed on him by the Anfang Alliance. But he forgot that he was aiding and abetting the half-bloods.

It could be said that Gregory's convenient forgetfulness had come to haunt him.

***

"Lord Garos, we were just about to…"

Marcus was about to talk to Garos. But the latter shook his head before cutting him off.

"No need to fill me in, Marcus. I already know what's there to know."