My Blacksmith System: Transforming my Weapons into Beautiful Maidens-Chapter 28: The Pillars.

Midnight.

The red moon shone upon the earth, its light bouncing off the water and rocks nearby.

From within the darkness, multiple figures began to flank the area. While some stood on top of the tree branches, others settled on the ground.

They were the Fallen Ones—not just any random ones, but special, an elite rank of their own.

During the Great Countdown, after some Hakias managed to slip through the system and take over a human body, they each decided to form a team—a powerful team of Hakias—to set the world down for the new group of Hakias to come through and watch over the rest of them.

Their name... The Ten Pillars.

Each one of them was dressed in a rather unique fashion—not the typical outfit you'd find on commoners or any normal citizen.

They stood in a circle, a position that allowed them to view each other's faces. But that wasn't the only reason for their strange position.

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Right in the center of their gathering was the unconscious body of the Hakia, Rouga.

The upper side of his body was burnt, leaving only the lower part to look slightly better.

Grunting out loud, one out of the eight people gathered around the scene spoke.

"Well, well, what do we have here? I didn't expect this idiot to look this unpleasant," said the female.

Her long blonde hair almost touched the ground, and around her shoulders was a fur coat, complementing the split red dress she had on.

She was Laura, the Third Pillar.

Beside her was a man dressed in a black suit and wearing glasses. He was Calorie, the Fifth Pillar.

Using his finger to tip his glasses upward, the man uttered, "Get up, Rouga. Playing dead is not going to help you in any way."

Almost immediately, Rouga opened one of his eyes, the other part closed off, unable to open.

Though he was naked, that didn't seem to bother anyone at the time.

"Hello there... I see you champs came to check up on me," he said with a small smile on his face.

"What the hell are you smiling for?! How could you let a simple human beat you so bad?! And where are the rest of the gang?"

Another one, who was sitting on top of a tree, spoke, a black mask and hood covering his face.

"A human, huh? That thing is anything but human." Rouga calmly sat upright.

"What do you mean by that?" the Eighth Pillar asked, resting her back on a tree.

"Exactly what you heard. You look at me and ask such a question. I have injuries that can't be cured—do you think a normal human would be able to pull that off?" Rouga poked his burnt skin.

"Hahaha! Bro got manhandled by a human! How pathetic!" another member spoke, laughing out loud.

"Ninth Pillar, Rouga, you have some explaining to do. I sent you to take care of this rumor of the Hakia killer. I trusted you to handle the situation. So what happened?" the First Pillar spoke—a woman whose entire body was covered in a dark veil.

Of every Hakia present, she was by far the strongest.

Rouga stayed quiet for a while.

"I'm basically half-dead right now. I'd appreciate it if someone would at least heal me first. You know? Courtesy."

The First Pillar glared a bit. "Fine. Don't make this an issue. I am only doing this because I want answers. We all do."

She snapped her fingers, summoning a maid beside her.

The maid walked towards Rouga, settling down as she began to heal him with her magic.

Allowing the maid to heal him, Rouga smiled, stealing glances at the maid's bosom.

"Rouga. Answer the questions. We all gathered around here from far away because you said you had something we could need. Instead, all we got was you being beaten to a bloody pulp," the man with the glasses spoke.

"Oh, Fifth, you are so damn cold," Rouga said, slowly standing up from the ground.

While the maid had already healed him, the damage on his skin didn't seem to be going anywhere, at least for the upper part of his body.

"Now then, now that your servant was able to heal me, I'll tell you what I know regardless." Rouga gently used his finger to push his hair backward.

He then proceeded to explain to them the power of the man who nearly killed him—Rashin Montero. A man who wielded a power that could easily penetrate through the Hakia's invincibility.

While the nature of the power was unknown, one thing was certain—every Hakia knew to avoid getting in contact with it, as it could mean death.

Pointing at the small injury on the side of his head, Rouga uttered, "See this? This was an attack done by that very human. It hasn't healed. Actually, the only reason none of the injuries on my upper body disappeared even after your maid tried to heal me is because that boy damned my head, and the energy still roams inside me."

They all listened, everyone having a serious look on their face.

"So? Are you saying the rumors about him being able to kill a Fallen One are true?" asked one of the pillars.

"Unfortunately so. Even worse, he can sense us while we are in disguise. There's no running from this guy. If we are to survive long enough for Lord Winona to arrive, then our best guess is to avoid this human at all costs."

He continued,

"Before Lord Winona arrives, I should have figured out the weakness of this human. All I need is a bit more time."

First suddenly asked, "Are you certain he doesn't have the blessing of the angel?"

Rouga looked at her. "That is not out of the question."

"Regardless of what it is, I cannot let that human keep killing one of ours. Sixth, can I leave it to you to handle this man?" First asked.

Sixth, a small woman with an umbrella covering her head, replied, "I planned on handling it myself already. Glad you chose me, First."