Return of the Legendary Runesmith-Chapter 521 - 520- Dread

Completely unaware of what his lovers were doing out there, Adrian was currently seated in the Time Chamber, compiling a long list of everything he needed to do.

He had about seven hours in the Time Chamber before the reset. Naturally, mastering a technique that normally took years within seven hours was impossible. But what if he used three entire sessions of the Time Chamber to master a technique he had already grasped in theory and was halfway through in practice?

It still sounded impossible, but when dedication met desperation, Adrian believed anything could be achieved.

"Let’s talk about the cautions." What he needed to be most wary of during the tuning.

First, the exploration phase had to be carried out with absolute calm and patience. He would need to trace the entire flow of his subject’s mana, examine their mana nodes, sift through their memories, and finally reach their Gate.

Only after the exploration was complete would he move on to tuning all four threads, one after another.

’It would be best for the subject to be completely naked, without even a speck of obstruction, for better understanding and finer tuning,’ was what he had read.

However, his subject was a young girl and his student. Even with Annabelle, he would not have felt this hesitant, but Elama was different. He knew that if he asked her, she would not hesitate, given her strong feelings for him.

But was it right?

Modern runesmithing only required the subject to wear as little as possible, since only the major nodes mattered. Adrian, however, could not bring himself to follow their methods. He would feel dissatisfied and plagued by doubt.

’I will think about this later.’ He did not want to get stuck on something that likely would not hinder the process.

Then came the anchoring process.

When he said he would need the utmost trust of his subject, he meant it.

Exposing one’s deepest secrets, everything they had hidden and could not even let their shadow know. Yes, Elana would be sharing all of that with him.

Adrian would have to relive her experiences to determine what could be used as anchors in order to begin working on the fifth thread.

Then would come the most demanding part of the process, something he had yet to learn and master.

The frequency of mana supply from the Gate.

This could only be measured by remaining there for a period of time, observing how much mana her Gate normally supplied to her body. Based on that, he would need to establish a specific rune, one that would continuously channel mana into her armament as well.

This step was especially critical. Even a slight miscalculation could end up ruining the entire armament.

In truth, every part of the fifth step was vital and had to be tuned with the utmost caution.

’Well, I think that’s it.’ He looked at the training doll and decided to plan things later and start with the third stage.

.....

"Haa... haa..." Ariana breathed roughly as she stood beside the other two, along with a few members of the Umbral.

They were far from the site of destruction, where the entire building had collapsed and soldiers were already marching toward it.

They had been forced to flee to prevent needless rumors and news reports.

"Was it necessary? Destroying the building?" Ruby asked, rubbing her arm, which was bruised and wounded from the debris that had fallen as she escaped. "We could have finished this silently."

Annabelle smiled sheepishly. "I lost control for a moment. Sorry."

Ruby huffed, then turned to Ariana. "Are you fine?"

Ariana nodded before asking, "I am, but what about you? Can you hear me?"

A thick trail of dried blood ran down from her ears, yet the redhead did not seem bothered by it.

Smiling as she nodded, she reassured them, "It’s still ringing, but yes, I can hear you both."

"But we need to get you healed soon," Annabelle said. Covering her head, she added, "If Darling finds out about this whole situation, he’ll bonk a hole in my head."

The other two chuckled before Ariana turned to the two Umbral members. "What happened to Tiffany and the others?"

The one on the right responded, "Tiffany has been taken to the base for medical support. The others are still near the site, keeping an eye on things from afar."

Ruby felt a pang of guilt over Tiffany’s condition. She could have handled things better back then.

Annabelle then asked, "None of them survived, right? I don’t want anyone making guesses about who did this, or reporters spinning assumptions that would lead Darling to find out."

Ariana sighed. "My dear Bella, Adrian is going to find out no matter how much you try to cover it up."

Ruby nodded. "The moment he hears that Clark is dead and was killed at the cult’s base, he’ll connect the dots. And the first suspicion will fall on no one but you."

Annabelle grumbled, "Don’t be so negative, you two. A person has the right to hope."

Not long after, they decided to leave. Annabelle dismissed the two members and instructed them to inform Jean that she wished to meet her.

The Umbral members rarely visited the main headquarters, but since it was their Queen’s command, they would comply.

Thankfully, the teleportation portals worked at all times. That was why they were able to return to Ruby’s house even at such a late hour.

As they walked toward the mansion, Ariana thought quietly, ’Maybe being aggressive sometimes isn’t so bad. A little recklessness can spare us from greater damage.’

It wasn’t like her to strike first, to be so hasty, with no plan, just action.

And that worked. It worked quite well.

Clark could have been a difficult foe to deal with, not only because of his mind but his connections too. But he never got the chance to prepare for them.

*click*

As they entered the mansion, Ruby said, "I will go and check on Sarah. You two go back to my room."

Ariana nodded before she told Annabelle, "Let’s clean our wounds and change clothes. Adrian could be back any minute now. "

Annabelle nodded and the two soon rushed toward the room.

However, just as they stepped inside, they both froze.

Sitting there, across from them on the bed was a familiar man.

Someone they usually feel happy and excited to see. But at the moment....only dread.

Adrian smilingly rose from the bed and asked, "Mind telling me where did you three go this late?"

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. Drop a comment if you have been enjoying the story so far.