Reinforcements

Two months later... Today, the guards standing guard around the Metal City security area were observing the surroundings, as usual. Then, suddenly, several black dots appeared in the sky, coming from the north.

Looking toward the eight black dots flying toward them, the guards panicked as they recognized the shapes of the creatures' bodies.

"Monsters!" one man shouted, recognizing the appearance of these monstrous creatures, but also sensing bad omens of their strength.

Given the rapid pace at which this group was nearing their city, it was evident that these were not feeble creatures. Without a doubt, they were powerful magical beings of the 6th stage.

The warning signals connected to all the watchtowers and headquarters in the city were activated. Sound of sirens echoed over a large area of this border region of Scott Province.

In the center of the city, Nova and Lina leave their places to look up at the sky and watch the creatures approaching their city.

"An enemy attack?"

"But why send such strong beings to such a simple place?"

The two commented to each other, while not far from them, Annie, playing in a playground with Layla standing guard beside her, also saw the creatures approaching.

Strangely, however, Annie felt no fear as she watched the eight creatures ignore the city's defenses and enter as if nothing stood in their way. Several guards appeared on the outskirts of the mansion in an instant, men at the 4th and 5th stages, dressed in the finest armor that Vicente had left behind.

"Protect the lady!" One guard shouted as Onyx appeared next to the little girl, sitting on the sand next to a pile of toys.

But just when they thought they were about to fight a life-and-death battle in defense of the family, the aura of Onyx and Bart—who was also there—disappeared and calmed down as 10 pentagrams in the form of tattoos glowed on the bodies of these eight magical creatures.

"Miss!"

The eight creatures stopped in Annie's vicinity, each of them stimulating the mana in their body—the mana of intermediate Archmages—to decrease their body size.

Seeing those eight powerful beings kneeling in Annie's vicinity, Nova felt her heart stop for a moment and then beat again. Her breathing quickening as she sensed the worst would not happen to her today.

When the eight creatures that Vicente had sent to the region to protect the family and the human domains saw Annie, they immediately recognized her as their young mistress, recognizing Vicente's lineage.

Nova, Lina, and Layla appeared at Annie's side, and the blue-haired woman lifted her daughter from the ground as she looked at the eight experts.

"Vicente sent your here?" Layla asked as she relaxed a little, but still looked at these beings curiously.

"Indeed. Our master defeated us in battle. After spending two months absorbing 5th stage vampire blood, he sent us here with many artifacts for the family," said one monster as it gently looked at the little girl in Nova's arms.

"How is my father?" Annie smiled to hear about her father after so long without news.

"When we last saw him, he had reached the peak of the 5th stage, with ten pentagrams, nine of them cyan and one green. His current plans are to free humans and fight monsters in the north of the continent." Explained a creature in humanoid form, with only one eye on its enormous head.

Vicente's three wives smiled when they heard he had gotten his new pentagrams and was much stronger than when he left.

If he had grown so much in the nearly two years he had been away, then his chances of defeating the vampires and eventually returning home were much greater than ever before! They knew Vicente was alive even before these creatures arrived in their city. After all, Onyx and Bart could feel their connection to their master active. But they did not know how well he was doing, or even if he was in bad situation.

But from the talk of the Dark Path creatures, everything seemed to go according to his plans!

"That's good to hear... Do you expect him to return to us soon?" Lina asked after a long sigh of relief.

"No. He's currently being hunted by a group of high-level 5th stage vampires. Even at his current level, he and his companions can't easily deal with such a threat," said a semi-transparent winged creature.

"I would say he won't return until he reaches the 6th stage and his 12th pentagram. Only then will he be sure he can return without bringing the danger of Demien Bloodthorne here."

The women understood, although they obviously didn't like it.

But that was their situation at the moment, and there was nothing they could do to change it.

"Let's pray he can solve his problems and return home safely." Nova said, as she looked at Annie. 'Maybe he'll be able to see the end of her childhood...'

What ached Nova's heart the most was not the longing she felt for her husband, but the longing this little girl felt for her father. She would give anything for her daughter not to cry at night, wondering where 'Daddy' was.

Annie just smiled at the thought that her father seemed stronger than ever. Interested in the stories of these creatures, she would soon ask how her father had mastered them.

One creature would take the time to tell Annie the story playfully, while the others stayed to chat with the adults and settle down.

Rory would soon arrive in the area after the distress calls and join the women to think about how to divide the resources Vicente had sent and where to send these 6th stage creatures.

One, or maybe two, had to stay in the city to ensure the safety of their headquarters. But the others had to be sent to the outskirts of the territory to help with peacekeeping and the rise of new communities.

With 6th stage beings on their side, they could accomplish a lot in a short time!