(anwhile Mauriss's POV, Orbit above Planet Helion-6)
Mauriss observed Planet Helion-6 from a distance, his figure floating silently in the dark vacuum of space as he studied the world below without committing to enter its atmosphere just yet.
From orbit he could see everything.
The planet's rocky plains.
The layered defensive formations surrounding the encampnt.
The thousands of soldiers stationed across the battlefield like ants guarding a single fragile treasure.
While at the center of it all stood a single reinforced tent.
Even from that distance, Mauriss's senses could penetrate the planet's surface with frightening precision, allowing him to observe the movents of individual soldiers, the shifting patrol routes, and the tightening defensive rings surrounding the encampnt.
But what truly interested him lay inside the tent.
Six presences.
Six unmistakable divine auras, as even through the planet's atmosphere and the layers of defensive wards surrounding the encampnt, Mauriss could clearly feel them sitting there together. Kaelith and company.
The six Gods of the Righteous Faction had gathered under the sa roof.
Mauriss tilted his head slightly as he stared at the tent from orbit, his fingers tapping impatiently against his forearm while his long hair drifted freely in the vacuum around him.
"Now that..." he murmured quietly to himself.
"...is interesting."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Because although he could sense their presence...
He could not perceive them.
A thick distortion field surrounded the tent like a cocoon of twisted space, the protective charms scattered across the encampnt interfering with any attempt to peer in on the conversation inside, as it seed like the Gods had clearly prepared for unwanted attention.
"Hmm."
Mauriss shifted slightly in space, floating lazily upside down now as he continued staring down at the planet beneath him.
"What could they possibly be talking about in there?"
His eyes flickered with curiosity.
"They've all been sitting there for twenty minutes already..."
Mauriss frowned.
"That's suspicious."
His body twitched slightly as he floated there, one leg kicking absentmindedly through empty space while his fingers drumd
against his chin in rapid bursts of thought.
"They hate each other."
He muttered.
"They absolutely despise each other."
His lips curled into a crooked smile.
"By now that tent should have broken apart..."
"Or soone inside should have died already!"
Mauriss let out a quiet chuckle as he imagined the scene.
Mu Shen losing patience.
Du Trask drawing a blade.
Ru Vassa throwing insults across the table.
Kaelith smiling politely while planning to stab soone.
The thought amused him.
But the longer he watched...
The stranger the situation felt.
The tent remained intact.
The auras inside remained calm.
No divine attacks.
No fluctuations of killing intent.
Nothing.
Mauriss's grin slowly faded.
"I know this is a trap," he said quietly.
His voice carried an unsettling calm now as he folded his arms behind
his head and drifted slowly through the darkness of space.
"I can sll it from here."
His eyes remained locked on the tent below.
"Sothing is wrong."
A few seconds passed.
Then his fingers began tapping rapidly against his arm again.
"But..."
His grin slowly returned.
"...my curiosity is increasing with every passing mont."
Mauriss rolled over in the vacuum like an excited child, his eyes
shining with manic anticipation.
"Co on... co on..."
He whispered under his breath.
"Soone co out already."
His leg bounced restlessly as he stared down at the tent like a gambler
waiting for the next card to flip.
"If I sit here any longer my head is literally going to explode."
Mauriss rubbed his temples dramatically.
"Six Gods sitting inside a tent together..."
"Not killing each other..."
"And refusing to let anyone see what they're doing..."
He burst out laughing.
"НАНА..."
"That is the most suspicious thing I have ever seen!"
Yet even as he said that...
Mauriss did not leave.
Because the Deceiver had already realized sothing about himself
long ago.
No matter how dangerous the trap appeared...
If the mystery was interesting enough-
He would always step closer to look.
anwhile, inside the tent, the atmosphere was growing increasingly
tense with every passing minute.
"So what's the plan once Mauriss enters this tent?" Du Trask asked bluntly, his heavy voice cutting through the chamber as he leaned
forward slightly. "What exactly do we do then?"
Mu Shen answered without hesitation.
"We do what we discussed," Mu Shen said calmly, his tone steady as
his gaze moved across the table.
"Myself, Yu Kiro, and Lu Han will try to hold him down."
He tapped one finger lightly against the table as he continued.
"If the three of us can restrain him for even a mont, that should be
enough."
His eyes shifted toward the opposite side.
"You and Ru Vassa take your shots."
Du Trask nodded slowly. Ru Vassa gave a faint smile, clearly satisfied with that arrangent.
"If we manage to create an opening," Mu Shen continued, "Kaelith
finishes him."
At the head of the table, Kaelith gave a small nod.
"That was the plan," Kaelith said simply.
Du Trask exhaled through his nose.
"You make it sound easy," he muttered. "But this is Mauriss we're
talking about."
"Nothing about this will be easy," Ru Vassa replied calmly. "But this is
the best chance we will ever get."
Lu Han finally spoke.
"He is cautious," Lu Han said quietly. "There is a real possibility he will
observe the situation and leave."
Yu Kiro's gaze shifted toward the entrance of the tent.
"If he leaves," Yu Kiro said, "then today becos a wasted effort."
For a mont no one responded.
Then Kaelith spoke again.
"He will not leave."
Several pairs of eyes turned toward him.
Kaelith's expression remained calm.
"Mauriss may suspect the trap," Kaelith continued, "but suspicion
alone will not stop him."
Ru Vassa tilted her head slightly.
"And why are you so certain?" she asked.
A faint smile appeared across Kaelith's face.
"Because I've been dealing with him for the past 2200 years.
You people don't know him nearly as well as I do.
And trust when I say this....
I know him to his core."
Kaelith assured, as the waiting ga continued.
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