"My Lady, it's exactly as you planned," Sneha whispered, glancing toward her.
Diya wore an indifferent expression, her arms folded across her chest. Her dark green eyes stared directly at the chaos unfolding below. Strands of dark purple hair shimmered faintly in the night air.
She could clearly hear Sneha—and she could see the bright, sycophantic smile on her face.
Pride swelled within Diya's chest, though not a single trace of it appeared on her features. Her gaze remained cold and calculating as she looked down at the adjacent building.
"It's alright."
Her voice was icy, and she didn't even flinch. Internally, however, she was beaming.
HAHAHAHA... So that's how it is? Of course, everything will go exactly as I planned. Hahahaha! You insignificant peasants don't know your place, daring to go against me—the one with the strongest Cultivation Skill. Don't you agree, Sneha?
Diya turned toward Sneha without saying a word. Her cold, piercing gaze met Sneha's eyes. Sneha immediately backed away.
"What are your orders, my Lady?"
Unable to endure the crushing weight of her stare, Sneha instinctively lowered her head. The words escaped her mouth before she could think. "We already have the Breather within our reach. May I go and take her?"
Sneha's voice carried genuine sincerity, and Diya understood exactly what she was asking.
"No. Order them to attack," Diya commanded softly. "There is no need to hold back on the battlefield. We also have to keep an eye on the Knight Colony. We can pursue the girl later. I've already marked her, so she won't be going anywhere."
"Yes, my Lady."
Hahahahaha, let me see the victory. Show them our absolute power. Diya desperately wanted to say those words out loud. But Sneha's head remained lowered, her eyes never leaving the ground, terrified to look up.
"Leave." Diya sighed internally, bored by the informant's fear.
"...Yes." Sneha stuttered, turning and fleeing the rooftop immediately.
Diya remained where she was, her gaze shifting across the gap to fixate on Dhyan. Both leaders regarded each other with indifferent, statuesque expressions, neither willing to make the first move. They stood their ground, clearly sensing a dangerous familiarity with one another's power.
On the other side, Sneha reached the lower rooftop. The tension had already reached its peak; Kruti was on the verge of killing a man. The metallic stench of blood lingered thick in the air, hitting Sneha the moment she arrived.
She climbed onto the top of a parapet wall to get a vantage point.
Several operatives from her temporary faction were already there, all watching the center of the rooftop. None of them dared to act. While the rogue Cultivators and Breathers continued trying to force answers out of Kruti, these operatives understood the situation well enough to know that interfering would only get them killed.
So they remained seated, waiting for orders.
"Hey, what's happening? Can someone explain the situation?" Sneha asked as she landed beside them.
"AHHH... Please, spare me!"
A bloodcurdling scream suddenly rang across the rooftop. Sneha turned toward the sound. Kruti was ruthlessly torturing a man, twisting his limbs with her Authority. The entire crowd instinctively stepped back as his agonizing screams echoed through the area.
I need to stay as far away from her as possible. She might come after me, Sneha thought, finally realizing that Kruti was an even greater monster than she had imagined. Even completely surrounded, Kruti showed not a single trace of fear. It was the exact opposite—the crowd was terrified of her.
"Oh, yeah." A man stood up from where he was sitting and faced Sneha, giving a slight, respectful bow. "It's like this..."
He explained the situation in detail, telling Sneha that Kruti had arrived before everyone else. The crowd suspected she had already hidden the Breather away, although they weren't certain. For now, waiting and watching was the safest option.
"Hmm..." Sneha listened to everything before walking past him.
She placed both hands against her chest and lifted her head toward the sky. She already knew Lavanya was under Diya's watch. That meant everyone on this rooftop was entirely misunderstanding the situation. Both Diya and Dhyan seemed to know exactly where Lavanya was hiding.
That left only one question in Sneha's mind: Then why aren't they stopping this?
The answer was simple. They want the chaos.
The leaders could use the disorder to suppress the opposing factions—or even thin out their own disposable freelancers—while taking advantage of anyone who weakened themselves in the struggle. Sneha saw right through the strategy. The execution was simple, almost too simple.
But there was still one thing she needed to accomplish. She needed Lavanya on her side, and she needed to secure her as soon as possible.
What now? I could betray Vidyut and the others and stay with Lady Diya. Go against the Knight Colony... against Dhyan.
She shook her head.
No. Joining the Cultivators is far too risky. They would drain me dry, harvesting every last bit of Breath Authority from my veins.
She let out a long sigh. "Alright, let's begin our work."
She turned around, her posture shifting from an informant to a commander. All four operatives rose from their positions, looking to her for guidance.
"We were instructed to strike with everything we have. So that's what we'll do. No questions," Sneha ordered. "We need to drag that robed guy onto our side as soon as possible and confirm everything."
She paced slowly from side to side, carrying herself with a commanding, energetic edge. She repeated the exact sentiment Diya had given her. "Get ready. Let's have a little fun with this crowd."
She raised her hand. "Are you ready?"
No one answered. A deep wrinkle appeared between her brows.
"Are you all ready?!" Her voice thundered with sudden, sharp anger as she stepped into their personal space.
"Yes, Ma'am!" They flinched, answering instinctively.
"Lead the way."
"Yes."
The four operatives made their way toward the center of the chaos. Their eyes immediately fell on Kruti. She looked thoroughly pissed off. A man knelt before her, staring blankly at the floor, completely paralyzed. Blood dripped steadily from both of his hands, the skin having turned an unnatural, necrotic shade of purple.
The crowd watched him in stunned silence. Yet no one stepped forward to help him.
When Sneha emerged from the crowd and stepped fully onto the battlefield, all eyes gradually shifted toward her. She had absolutely no intention of fighting directly, but that didn't stop her from raising her voice.
"Hey, you bastards! Give us back our Breather, or you'll all regret it!" Sneha screamed, pointing directly at the opposing faction. "I know you're hiding our Breather! You're just fighting among yourselves to keep us distracted!"
Her voice echoed across the rooftop. The people behind her suddenly realized something. They had almost forgotten why they had come here. The Breather. They hadn't gathered here to watch a torture session. The chaos had distracted them so completely that it very well could have been a deliberate smokescreen.
"Give it back!" Sneha shouted again, signaling the four operatives behind her.
One by one, they joined in, weaponizing the tension.
"Yes! Give it back, you bastards!"
"Hahaha! You think we'll fall for this? Give it back!"
"Don't force me to take harsher action! Give it back!"
The four operatives began stirring the crowd, their voices rising and overlapping, feeding the paranoia of the surrounding Breathers and Cultivators.
"Give it back!"
"Give it back!"
The desperate, greedy cries spread through the rooftop like wildfire, growing louder and louder. The concrete building itself seemed to tremble beneath the sheer volume of their collective anger.
Sneha smiled. She was finally ready to give the crowd one last push—just enough to turn the standoff into a total bloodbath.
Clap... Clap... Clap...
Kruti began clapping slowly.
The sharp, mocking sound cut cleanly through the shouting, silencing the crowd instantly. One by one, heads turned back toward the masked woman in the center. A few people visibly flinched when they heard a low, dark laugh escaping from beneath her mask.
"Hahaha... You crazy bitch. You really think your trickery will work on me?" Kruti pointed a single, bloodstained finger directly at Sneha.
"Do you think you can just scream nonsense and we'll all believe you? I knew something was wrong with this situation." Her eyes narrowed into lethal slits. "And now, I finally understand. You have the Breather we've been looking for."
Kruti sprinted forward the exact moment she finished speaking.
She didn't wait for anyone to react.
Her words had already successfully planted the seed of absolute doubt between the two factions. Before, both sides had suspected that Kruti didn't actually have the Breather, and that everyone was just stalling to protect themselves. But now, Kruti had shifted the target entirely. Her accusation gave the starving crowd something new to believe in—and someone new to attack.
If they wanted to gain anything from this night, they had no choice but to follow her lead.
For a brief, suffocating moment, the crowd stood frozen.
Then, a Cultivator shouted.
"YES! YOU BASTARDS!"
"KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!"
"THEY HAVE THE GUTS TO BLAME US?!"
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
"KILL! KILL THEM!"
CRASH! CRASH!
The rooftop erupted into absolute slaughter.