My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 466 The Beast in the Mist
Delan stood in front of the full-length mirror, observing her own attire.

His belt was already loaded with ammunition for firearms, as well as a small stabilizer provided by the demons.

The hatter was fully equipped with a sword and a cannon, and even his equipment had undergone special modifications. Especially the stand-up collar trench coat he was wearing.

To be honest, even as a hatter, and a seasoned hatter with many years of experience, this was the first time he had ever received such a task.

They infiltrated the suddenly appearing fog to scout out the situation for the main force that followed, draw maps, and contact any potential survivors and troops.

To conduct preliminary reconnaissance work in preparation for the subsequent recapture of the town.

Considering the difficulty of the mission and the warnings of danger received from the demons, the Hatters organization under the military command has mobilized its entire force.

A true all-out effort.

Even for veteran employees like Delan, who are considered mid-to-senior level leaders, this was the first time they had ever seen such a large-scale personnel reshuffle.

This was even the first time they had learned the true fighting strength of the Hatters.

Nearly five hundred beings of the extraordinary rank or above.

Although apart from his adoptive mother, Amy, there was no other ninth-ring legendary expert in the entire Hatter organization, there were actually nearly twenty members at the eighth-ring level.

Surprisingly, only eight people were from the Royal Capital Headquarters.

The remaining twelve were all elite members from other branches or dispatched to the far north.

Even so, manpower is still somewhat limited to carry out this mission.

Based on the demons' ample experience in dealing with the fog disaster, the current situation dictates that only a transcendent being leading the team, with team members no weaker than the fifth ring level, can ensure efficient and safe operations.

Meanwhile, within the Empire... although the White Wall had deployed most of its airship forces and all of its griffin riders to participate in the operation, manpower was still stretched thin.

Currently, the territory is shrouded in mystery, and a total of seventeen magical train node cities have lost contact.

This is only within the Empire. Considering the strategic importance of the Kingdom of Platia, although the Demon Royal Army will undertake part of the task, Miss Kalia will also take action.

Otherwise... the Hatter's nearly 500 superhumans really wouldn't be enough.

Even with the cooperation of the supervisory bureau personnel, the city defense troops from various places, and some imperial guards, the situation remained the same.

However, Delan still felt somewhat emotional.

Just a few months ago, the biggest events were the coup in the capital and the near-panic plague that cultists caused in Riskan.

How come the world seems to be about to end just a few months later?
New Year, new look? But it can't be like this!

Even that silly Miss Kalia has become an incredible powerhouse... To be fair, Lord Roland has always been a natural talent, and although his progress was a bit fast, his current strength and status were within his expectations.

But as expected, there are no truly ordinary people around the strong... Perhaps even that silly cat that can only speak human language isn't as simple as it seems.

Unfortunately, ever since Roland and his group left Isfar, a nobody like him has had little opportunity or access to hear any information about them.

They don't even know if they'll ever have the chance to see each other again.

Delan straightened his clothes one last time, then pushed open the door and went out. He met with his two other colleagues from the Seventh Ring who were also in charge of leading the team, and then looked at the rest of the team members and said, "Listen up, everyone. The Griffin Knights who came to pick us up for the mission have arrived and are making their final preparations before departure."

"Before setting off, do a final check of your equipment, especially your protective gear."

"We are facing a completely unfamiliar enemy, unclear intelligence, and we may even encounter lurking cultists."

"You hatters are already aware of the risks involved in this operation, so I won't say anything more."

"If you are short of ammunition for your hand cannon, or if you want to carry more, you can still go to the supply depot to get more."

"All personnel assemble at Training Ground One in ten minutes. Target: Aslan Territory!"

"To reiterate the mission objective: to rescue Matthew, a key researcher at the Continental History Society, and Baron, the branch president, and bring them to a safe area, as well as to restore Aslan Territory's external communications and transportation."

Ten minutes later, the fifteen-man squad, having finished their reorganization, along with two griffin riders responsible for hoisting the "carriage," headed to Aslan Territory and, two hours later, dropped off the squad members on the outskirts of the city outside the mist.

"We can only take you this far. The griffins resist entering the mist, even above it."

A griffin knight looked at Delan and said, "There are some supplies in the carriage. Remember to take them. Of course, my personal suggestion is that you drag the carriage along. It is said that the Demon King used the teleportation array he learned to set up a simple protective barrier on the carriage using rune inscription."

"It's probably the legendary Demon King, so his methods are definitely not simple. Besides, dragging the carriage isn't a difficult task for you. There are pulleys under the carriage, so you can just find someone to push it."

Delan nodded: "Thank you for reminding us. We'll be careful."

"I wish you all the best. We still have to continue acting as porters... Goodbye." The griffin rider looked at the team members with a complicated expression.

Actions with unknown dangers are always the most dangerous.

Although they don't have as many missions as the Hatters, as one of the Empire's elite forces, the Griffin Knights naturally have their own covert operations and special missions, which gives them a certain degree of empathy.

Delan adjusted his wide-brimmed hat, then smiled: "See you again someday."

After watching the griffin riders take off, Delan and his squad began to march into the mist not far away, following their tactical formation.

Although the fog obscured visibility, the roads and urban structure remained unchanged.

They identified the roads by following the map projected by the magical device, the physical map, and the faintly visible shapes of the buildings.

This was a squad of fifteen, an elite team with at least a fifth-ring strength. Even without top-tier experts, they would be a core force in any organization. But at this moment, no one dared to be careless.

Anyone who has managed to reach the extraordinary level in the hat-making profession and still be alive is an exceptionally shrewd individual.

After all, the business is special. For an empire to grow to its current state, it always needs people to do the dirty work.

Those nobles wouldn't obediently hand over their power and private armies.

This is just internal strife.

Federations of nations, demons, and even the Holy See... these are all forces that the Hatter must deal with.

Whether it's hostility, cooperation, or betrayal.

Even for these seasoned veterans, this is a very strange scene.

The pollution of the environment caused by the power of evil gods.

According to Delan, one of the few people who had experience with similar missions, such environments generally contain a large number of monsters.

Powerful, invincible, and inexhaustible...

No one doubts the veracity of Delan's statement.

Although the report on the Iris incident was not a completely public file within the Hatters, the deaths of two senior Hatters of the Extraordinary Rank were undeniable.

That time, even the legendary mage Flam, Lord Roland, and several high inquisitors were present, all of whom caused such casualties.

And what about them now?
The impact on land may be smaller than that on sea.

But even so, are they capable of dealing with the enemy?

Just as everyone in the team was nervously moving slowly around the carriage through the fog, a blackish-gray magical light suddenly shone from the carriage.

Then, a hemispherical shield shimmering with pale blue light instantly unfolded from the center of the carriage, covering all members within a radius of one hundred meters.

The next moment, a huge tentacle, tens of meters long, flashed with a twisted blackish-gray light and lashed out at the shield released by the carriage at a speed that even superhumans could not detect with their eyes.

Fortunately, the shield itself did not even flinch, and the attack was perfectly blocked.

The squad members immediately focused their fire on the tentacles that had not yet retracted.

Hand cannons loaded with special bullets unleashed a barrage of fire, along with magic and sword energy.

Then a strange, unwilling roar came from the mist, and a twisted "object," resembling a ball of chaotic energy tentacles, roared as it approached the barrier.

After being hit by another wave of concentrated fire, it fell to the ground and quickly dissipated into a cloud of mist, merging back into the surrounding environment.

Delan frowned.

The worst still happened.

Although he had expected it...

He wasn't afraid of monsters being powerful or difficult to deal with; he was afraid of monsters being numerous or impossible to kill.

Even a fool could see what it meant when the monster "died" and merged into the mist.

Fortunately, the barriers around the carriages were relatively sturdy. However, time was of the essence, and repair measures had to be initiated immediately.

Hopefully, the special rune inscriptions said to come from the dragon will work.

Once the fog is dispelled for a while, the demon race's stabilizer can start operating normally.

But things don't always go as planned.

Just as after defeating a monster, more and more unidentified creatures began to emerge from the fog.

It could be a twisted doll with a bizarre mask, or a tangled mass of tentacles like the ones we've seen before.

Although they weren't as powerful as the previous one, which could be taken down with just one hand cannon shot, there were simply too many of them.

Several mages in the group began to unleash wide-range spells to clear the area, while the rest of the team members took the opportunity to quickly advance into the depths of the mist.

There's no time to proceed slowly, bit by bit.

Slowing down in this environment is truly pushing yourself to your doom.

With their speed increasing, the squad soon spotted the city gates of Aslan's territory.

They also saw the city defense troops fighting on the city walls, as well as members of the Society and the Holy See.

The people on the city wall also saw Delan's squad.

Without needing to communicate, the two sides began a tacitly coordinated operation.

The tightly closed city gates were opened.

Marquis Aslan took the lead, using his powerful strength as an eighth-ring hero to lead his personal guards in a charge. Then, amidst the monsters' siege, he led the Delan Squad back to the city.

(End of this chapter)