Myriad Devils-Chapter 116: Thieving from bandits

To be fair, Anon was only human.

The clear heart crystals recently becoming part of their possession had slipped his mind.

This wasn’t something to berate him for.

Still, he couldn’t help but shake his head disappointedly.

Clear heart crystal.

It had a very simple ability, a very useful one.

From the edge of the cliff, Anon and Seth surveyed the scene before them.

Their eyes locked onto the bases below, each a fortress of chaos filled with thousands of one-winged monkeys.

The bases, sprawling encampments woven into the fabric of the forest, featured makeshift structures of wood and vines that rose around each small mountain.

In truth, there was a clear structure and basis of importance placed on each of these bases. Firstly, there was a single base in the center of the forest below, with the other four bases surrounding its four directions.

Secondly, the closest base to the pair of stellar geniuses had noticeably less one-winged monkeys visible from the vantage point which they stood on.

Although there were still possibly thousands of monkeys visible from a glance, the base in the center had one-winged monkeys festering in the jungle surrounding it, and far into the reaches of the sky above.

The amount of flying monkeys in the main base was several times more than the other bases combined!

They arced through the air, circling the small mountain at high speed.

The duo continued to observe the five bases for some time. They patiently waited for the light to fade from the skies, and when twilight finally arrived, they acted.

Escaping from his bracelet, a holographic box radiating a blue light appeared before Seth.

Placing his hand into said box, he took out a single clear heart crystal.

The process was very simple.

He drew out a trace of his principle’s power that drove into the crystal akin to tendrils. In his grasp, the clear heart crystal began crumbling apart, falling through his fingers.

At the same time, an invisible wave of energy rushed into the space between his eyebrows, seeping into the depths of his body, and his spirit too.

Anon sighed in amazement.

Seth stood before him, and although the later had not become completely invisible, his body was more than ninety percent transparent.

At the same time, there was almost a feeling as if he was not there, even though he clearly was.

It wasn’t just due to his visibility.

If Anon closed his eyes, he’d even believe that he was standing on the edge of the cliff by his lonesome.

"The time we have in this state is limited." Seth’s voice was no different from a whisper. Even though he was close to him, Anon, with his superb hearing still found it difficult to hear Seth’s words.

"Thankfully, the clear heart crystal is supposed to shroud a third world stellar fighter’s aura for several minutes. Since we’re in the second world, the effect should last much longer. I’d say, we have around a half of an hour per crystal, but there are two of us, five bases, and only twenty-three crystals in total. We should get moving." Seth concluded.

"You’re even more greedy than me." Anon smiled back. Even with the clear heart crystals in their possession, stealing from all five bases seemed like wishful thinking.

If this was a success, most likely, the main base would be alerted. But Anon also understood Seth’s words. This first base was only to test the water. If anything, they would go straight to the main base after, or completely retreat from the one-winged monkey territory...

Anon agreed internally, taking out a clear heart crystal and pouring his principle power into it. Soon after, his presence had deteriorated very much like Seth’s, and his appearance was shrouded by a layer of mystery.

They did not descend into the forest through flight, because the more power they drew out from their principle, the faster the clear heart crystal’s ability would lose its effect.

Though the cliff was steep, thanks to their capabilities, they were able to maneuver downwards with calculated steps, as if they were walking on the flat earth.

Blending into the environment, it was very difficult to simply lock eyes onto them. Though the clear heart crystal didn’t make them invisible, their physical appearance became more elusive in nature, and even in daylight, it was difficult for one to lock onto their figures.

By the time they reached the bottom of the cliff, the air was thick with the cacophony of chattering monkeys and rustling leaves, a chaotic symphony that helped mask their already shadow-like movements.

Moving like phantoms, they navigated through the tangled roots and dark shadows of extended branches, their senses heightened. Though they stepped onto twigs and fallen branches, their steps were silent and appeared weightless.

Even the blades of grass did not curb under the weight of their bodies, as if they were genuine shadowy beings, lacking mass!

Anon led the way as he sometimes hopped from tree branch to tree branch, and other times, hid behind tree trunks, away from the eyes of nearby one-winged monkeys.

Behind him, Seth followed closely.

Like Anon’s shadow, he mimicked his every movement.

Though they mostly used their physical prowess, without drawing any power from their principle, even then, they were well and truly within the realms of superhuman.

It did not take them long to reach their goal.

As they neared the first base, the noise of the playful one-winged monkeys became more noticeable. These bloodthirsty beasts plaguing the forest were also increasing in density, causing the duo’s speed to slow down dramatically.

Anon paused, stooping atop a thick branch that extended for several meters. Seth was right next to him. Shrouded by a dark shade, they peered into the distance with glowing eyes, akin to predators stalking their future victims.

They stayed in position for a while, observing from the shadows, the one-winged monkeys far into the distance.

Though they guarded the small mountain, the monkeys were quite playful as they swarmed around makeshift structures of wood and vine. There was an innumerable amount of them swinging through the forest using vines and clashing against each other.

Due to this, Anon and Seth took some time to familiarize themselves with the actions of the one-winged monkeys.

And as it transitioned from twilight to night, under the towering trees, the forest was swallowed by a light-consuming darkness, greatly boosting the clear heart crystal’s capabilities.

They were already difficult to ’see’ from a glance, and with the veil of darkness assisting them, Anon and Seth each took out another clear heart crystal.

As it crumbled in their hands, they swiftly acted, restarting their venture towards the first base.

"It has to be now." Seth whispered, his voice barely audible over the noise.

They had a limited supply of clear heart crystals, so they could not afford to use more than four per base, which was two for each of them per base. Obviously, that is, if they were going to sneak into all five bases.

This also limited the amount of time they had, and since they could not move at full speed either, they had no choice but to act with efficiency.

They darted forward, timing their movements with the monkeys’ distractions. When a group of monkeys erupted into a playful frenzy, Anon and Seth slipped past the base’s perimeter.

Surrounding these two was a mysterious power that skewed visibility. Even as they brushed past one-winged monkeys that were waist height, these beasts appeared to be non the wiser.

The ground was uneven, littered with fallen branches and patches of muddy earth.

Anon carefully sidestepped a particularly slippery area, while Seth scanned their surroundings for any oddness in the one-winged monkeys. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and the musk of these beasts, heightening their awareness.

One-winged monkeys swung from vines and dove through the air, fighting in jest with others of their kind, as they screamed and bellowed out in joyous savagery.

There was a bloody scent that wafted the air, but this was very subtle. Whether it was caused by the Blood-Drip Jungle’s natural aroma, or something else, it could not be deduced.

Anon and Seth then split up before approaching the entrance to the small mountain from opposing positions.

The entrance was a large opening, like the mouth of a cave that spanned at least twenty meters. Guarding the opening were over a dozen one-winged monkeys.

Most intriguingly, these monkeys all had blue-colored eyes, much different from the blood-red eyes of beasts, and common one-winged monkeys.

One such monkey, laying casually on the ground whilst observing the surroundings suddenly titled its head.

Its eyes locked onto Anon, before narrowing slightly!

Immediately, Anon froze, his heart beginning to thump rapidly in his chest.

At the same time, Seth, who approached from the opposite direction, instinctively melted back into the shadows...

The monkey seemed to sense something but, after a tense moment, shifted its gaze elsewhere.

’For fuck’s sake.’ Anon cursed inwardly.

To be discovered at this moment, with one-winged monkeys swarming around them in the air, surrounding them on land from all directions too, their lives would surely be hellish if not ended immediately.

Thankfully, the clear heart crystal, coupled with the darkness of the night, allowed them to evade the visions of these one-winged monkeys guarding the mountain’s entrance.

Returning from the shadows as if he hadn’t left, Seth brushed past the guards along with Anon who had a droplet of cold sweat trickling down his back.

With one last glance at the monkeys, they slipped into the darkness pervading the inside.

Simultaneously, there was a tinge of excitement and expectation festering in the depth of their chest.