Chapter 350: Chapter 349- Betrayed
"Haaa!"
"Aghhhh!"
"Aaaahhhhhh!"
"Idiots! Get inside the shed!"
"Raise the shields!"
"Help! Somebody help me!"
Screams tore through the air, jagged and endless. Smoke and the stench of scorched flesh swirled together, thick and choking, crawling into every soldier’s lungs.
The ground itself hissed and steamed, bubbling where acid had eaten through the dirt, leaving dark, smoking scars.
The rain wasn’t rain—it was molten death, each drop a tiny, burning knife that shredded armor and burned flesh with the same ease.
Soldiers fell in heaps, writhing, clawing at the ground, their screams twisting into hoarse, wet gurgles. Helmets melted like candle wax. Weapons warped and bent in screaming protest.
Some tried to raise shields, but the metal blistered under the assault. Others ran blindly, slipping in the caustic puddles forming everywhere, screams turning into panicked shrieks as the rain cut through them.
Soldiers reached for comrades, only to find their hands meeting nothing but molten air and melted cloth.
The ground cracked under the weight of panic. Some soldiers screamed as the acid ate at their boots and legs, others collapsed face-first, leaving pools of blackened skin and blood. And all around them, the rain continued, unrelenting, dripping like a curse from the sky.
Inside the manor, a few men stood at the front hall, watching the massacre with cold, heavy eyes.
"Who would’ve thought they’d attack this place..." The second son, Arbit Vermillion, ground his teeth as he stared at his men dying helplessly outside.
There was no enemy to face, no figure to strike down. It was as though someone had chosen to erase the Vermillion name from the shadows themselves.
"Father! Let me out there! I can break that barrier—I can handle the heat!" Jonah, Arbit’s eldest, roared, already preparing to charge.
"Are you insane, nephew?" William, the youngest of the three brothers, cut him down instantly. "Those men dying out there are far stronger than you."
Arbit turned toward the eldest brother, his voice tight.
"Brother... what do we do? Our other estates all have defense systems to handle this kind of attack. But since Father refused to alter this home, this house won’t last. Not under this kind of heat."
The manor’s conical roof, built in many thick layers, was the only reason the family still stood under shelter. But if the acid storm continued for even an hour longer, not even the house would remain safe.
Reid, the eldest, crossed his arms over his chest, his expression firm.
"First, gather everyone. Bring your families to the main hall. Collect every potion, every herb you have. Move quickly."
Arbit dragged Jonah along to carry out the order, while William lingered with Reid.
With his narrow red eyes fixed on his brother, William muttered,
"This... is happening with the Tower’s knowledge."
It wasn’t a guess.
No one could gather the strength to strike at one of the world’s great clans without help from the inside.
Reid’s fists clenched, rage burning in his eyes.
"The first ones to fall after these rats... will be Twilight Vault."
William’s lips curled into a grin as he licked them.
"It’s about time."
"Father."
The voice came from behind. Reid turned and saw his eldest daughter, Ruby.
"I can see it," she said firmly. "The source of this rain."
Reid’s eyes widened. "Where?"
Ruby pointed upward. "The barrier is conical, so the tip rises high and narrows. That’s why you can’t see him properly. But he’s there—camouflaged in the sky."
Reid stepped out under the shed, gaze lifting. William followed, both men narrowing their eyes.
And then they saw it.
A shape—just for a blink—barely outlined against the storm-dark sky before melting back into it. A man, hidden above, feeding death into the barrier.
"Yes," William murmured, pointing. "Something’s there."
Reid’s voice hardened. "How many archers do we have?"
William shook his head grimly.
"Archers always hold the high posts... I believe none survived."
They both knew it.
The very advantage of the archer—the towers, the rooftops—had become their grave.
"He’s way too high for our spells to reach," William muttered.
The acolyte hovered at least two hundred feet above the ground—no ordinary spell could reach him at that height.
"Approaching him without a shield is suicide," Ruby said, her mind working fast. "Mid-air he could channel all that acid straight at whoever tries."
Then an idea sparked. "Aunt Tessa—she’s an archer, right? Let her take the shot."
William snorted. "She’s useless. She’d probably stab one of our own by mistake."
Reid cut him off with a hard look and gave a firm order.
"Ruby, enchant an arrow for her. Do it quickly, then bring Tessa to the back garden." He nodded toward the spot directly beneath the tip of the barrier. "From there the shot will be easier."
Ruby nodded silently and slipped back into the house, already planning the enchantment.
A flash of anger hit her as she moved.
This ancestral home was hidden deep in a remote part of the nation. To reach it, one must cross a long desert—and without the exact place, you’d never find it.
Only the Vermillion family and the Twilight Vault knew this location.
They’d betrayed them. Ruby couldn’t think why they’d take such a step, but she didn’t need a reason to act. She’d held a grudge against them for a long time, and now the chance to make them pay had fallen into her lap.
Her jaw tightened. This was the moment she’d been waiting for—an opportunity to destroy them completely.
*Slide*
Stepping inside the main hall, she found every member of the Vermillion family and the servants gathered.
The ladies were either weeping or comforting their children. The servants appeared tense.
Every eye turned towards Ruby as she heard a question from her brother, "What’s the situation outside?"
Ruby exhaled a sigh and informed them, "We have spotted the Acolyte and need to shoot it down."
That spread a ripple of hope in the room.
Ruby stepped forward and told her brother, "Go and bring me a bow and arrows from the shed."
Damien didn’t question his sister and after giving a brief nod, he left.
Ruby stepped forward and stopped only when she was before her youngest aunt.
"W-What?" Tessa asked, her voice shaking slightly as she hugged her daughter in her arms.
Ruby knelt before the woman and told her, "You are the only arched we have, that’s why you are going to shoot down that Acolyte."
The woman’s eyes widened as she cried, "Whaaat?!"
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A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far, please leave a review.