The Greatest Sinner

Evan and Roland got to the vault without any problems. Thanks to Roland, no one even noticed them. They acted quietly and carefully, but there were guards in front of the vault. There were five in all. Four of them were in the - 'One-Pointed Star' stage, while their commander was in the - 'Two-Pointed Star' stage.

<Shit, there's no way we could beat them. If there hadn't been a fifth guardian, we might have been able to deal with the rest. But, the mage at the stage - Two-Pointed Star is too strong an opponent, he'll kill us with one spell. Was it really all for nothing?> Evan thought.

He tried to think of a plan of action. He didn't want to leave here with anything. But no matter how much Evan thought, he didn't see any winning options. Even if he used the power of demons, it was unlikely he could kill a mage at the stage - 'Two-Pointed Star..'

<I can use the power of the 68th demon, but that's just crazy. The cost would be exorbitant, no treasure is worth that. What's more, if I use its power, there won't be a stone left unturned. There's got to be another way.>

"Roland, do you have any ideas? Is it possible to get into the vault by stealth?" Evan whispered.

"No." Roland shook his head and said, "A barrier on all sides protects the vault. The only way out is to disable it and enter through the main entrance. It's unlikely we can break through the barrier, and even if we can, the guards will kill us quickly. I suggest we wait five minutes and get out of here. If we're spotted, we'll die for nothing."

Evan frowned and said nothing. He wasn't happy with that option, but he knew that Roland was right. It would help if you didn't give in to emotion in situations like this. If they attacked the guards now, they would probably die. It was better to go home with nothing but life than to try to take the treasure at the cost of their lives.

Crackling.

Suddenly the whole building shook, and there were many cracks in the ceiling. The guards didn't understand what was going on, but Evan quickly caught on.

"Roland, it looks like we got lucky today. Fortunately, there are plenty of murderers, bandits, and other criminals in Inlas. You and I aren't the only ones who want to rip off Paper Hydrangea." Evan said with a smirk.

"А? What do you mean?" Roland was puzzled, he thought there had been an explosion nearby, and that's why the building shook.

Crackle.

At the same moment, the ceiling collapsed and a group of people attacked the guards in black robes. They were members of the Dark Dogs, and their leader was a muscular girl with blond hair and tanned skin. She was Berta Charpantier. She was also the deputy head of the Dark Dogs and the second strongest in the organization.

She was in the Two-Pointed Star stage with one flame on her platform. She was the strongest in this room. Even the guard commander was weaker than her.

"Kill them, we don't have much time. Hurry up!" Berta said loudly and attacked the guard commander. Despite her appearance, she was no 'Amplifier.'

She cast a spell, and two skeletons in black armor appeared beside her. One was armed with a sword and the other with an axe. They were equal in strength to the mage on the stage - 'One-Pointed Star,' which broke through three Barriers.

Next, she cast another spell, and a huge two-handed sword appeared out of a purple magic circle. It was just over two meters tall. To fight with such a weapon, you had to have tremendous strength. Berta was a Summoner, but she didn't like to sit on the sidelines. She liked to fight alongside her comrades and summoned creatures.

The group of Dark Dogs consisted of seven men. They outnumbered the vault guards, and Berta was a very formidable opponent. She alone could defeat anyone here.

"Wow, that's really lucky, but I don't think anything will change. The members of the Dark Dogs will kill the guards, and we still won't be able to get into the vault. I doubt they'll kill each other." Said Roland.

He realized that the Dark Dogs would simply kill everyone in the room. He and Evan couldn't fight the guards or the Dark Dogs. Their powers were too different.

"By the way, Roland, what's your Class?" Evan suddenly inquired, even though many mages were fighting within a couple of meters of him.

"Why do you decide to ask that now? I don't know." Roland replied.

"What?" Evan was surprised by this answer, "You don't know what your Class is? That's impossible."

Evan thought Roland's test results were unusual or unique. Evan was  curious to know what the reason was, but the answer shocked him.

"Well...anyway...I didn't actually get into the academy... Dad wanted me to, but I wouldn't say I liked the idea of being an apprentice. Of course, I went to the entrance exam, but I got into a fight with an annoying guy right there and left. I didn't really want to stay in a place with so many arrogant people. Instead, I stayed in the town where the academy was located and fought with the students. Eventually, I got bored and went traveling. Who cares what my Class is anyway? Whichever spell I learn, I'm still the best."

<This guy... this is just fucked up... and he says something about other people's arrogance, no comments. Thought Evan looking at Roland's indifferent face. In his mind, everything was fine, and it was the academy's fault, not his.

"Okay, it's not a big deal, just wanted to tweak the plan of action a bit, but there's nothing to be done about that. Roland, don't worry, only we, with our pockets full of treasure, will walk out of here." Evan said calmly as he watched the mages fight.

"What? What makes you think that? No matter which one of them wins, we always lose. We need to get out of here and as soon as possible." Roland didn't want to fight a mage at the stage- 'Two Pointed Star'. He was the epitome of arrogance, but not an idiot.

"Roland, don't be stupid. This vault contains all the treasures of Paper Hydrangea, and it must be protected to the highest standard. You probably know that yourself. Just keep looking and get ready for a fight. We're the only ones who'll stay alive out here, I promise you that." Proclaimed Evan.

Roland only nodded. He understood that Evan was deadly serious.

Before their eyes, the Dark Dogs were overwhelming the guards. There were more of them, and they were stronger, especially Berta, she had single-handedly wounded several already.

"That's it, you've gone too far. The boss said to do this only as a last resort, but I don't have any other option." Said the commander of the guards and put his palm on the floor.

A huge number of formations were set up in the room in front of the vault, and the commander activated them.

Many magical circles appeared on the walls. They overlapped each other, and all activated at once. They were prepared in advance and filled with mana, so the commander wasted almost no mana.

Berta expected it to be difficult, but she didn't think there would be many formations. As dozens of lightning bolts, wind blades, chains, and fireballs rushed toward the Dark Dogs, she shouted loudly, "Everyone to me, now!"