Chapter 1105: Chase (19)
After the trip to the Tower of the Ancients, Kyran's Array Knowledge improved by leaps and bounds. If not for this, he would not have been able to come up with a new array formation that reused the intact formulas on Coelus's corpse's damaged seal.
Although the greatest factor that allowed Kyran to draft that new array was that the seal's creators were the Ancients, it was still a testament to how much he had improved in that field.
During the three days that Kyran journeyed with Leif and Oceanus to the Junction Port, he dedicated himself to creating the ingredients needed in the new array formation's third and fourth phases. Even during his rest, he tirelessly worked on improving the magic items he had on hand.
The face-altering mask and his coat were examples of those items. He worked on improving them so he could move around the Higher Realm while hiding his identity.
The Emperor might only be aware of Nar's face, but since they crossed paths in the Land of Desolation when Kyran's face was exposed, it would be a perilous decision to continue moving around without hiding his face.
Although Kyran and The Emperor did not really meet each other face-to-face in the Land of Desolation, the latter still got a good look at the former's physique and movement. Thus, to be safe, Kyran decided to improve his coat's enhancements and add more features to it to ensure The Emperor would not recognize him immediately when they ended up facing each other.
Kyran did not think that the improvements he made to the face-altering mask and his coat were enough to completely deceive high-level mages, especially the Emperor. That was how powerful a high-level mage's Divine Sense was. Besides, at the end of the day, Kyran was 100% human and could not alter his internal body system to mirror that of the beings in the Higher Realm.
Thus, he only aimed to deceive them in a short time.
Kyran wore the face-altering mask and adjusted his facial features. Previously, the mask could only use faces it recorded, but now, it could create its own. The same went for his coat. Apart from defensive and supportive enhancements, he added a new feature that would alter his physique.
Frankly, adding those new features while preserving the old enhancements and improving them would have been a huge undertaking if not for Kyran's improved Array Knowledge.
Kyran's coat color changed from black to white, and its size reduced. Its neckline increased, covering his mouth, while the hood remained the same. Since the coat's overall size was reduced, the hood appeared oversized, and with an increase in its neckline to cover his mouth, his face was practically hidden.
Such attire would have been hard for the wearer to see upfront. But because of the new features Kyran included, even when the hood covered his eyes, he was still able to see. It was as if the hood itself was invisible.
Once Kyran was done, he pressed a button on the armband he was wearing— another magic item he had created— and a transportation array appeared above his head.
Kyran disappeared on top of the building only to reappear five meters in front of the portal area.
The moment Kyran appeared, the security personnel nearby turned their attention to him.
Although there was no rule that prohibited transmissions right in front of the portal area, it was considered common etiquette not to appear there for security reasons.
The mages who were entering the portal area stopped in their tracks as well, sensing the tension coming from the security personnel stationed right in front of the portal area's entrance.
Kyran's appearance, with his whole face hidden and his whole persona exuding a dangerous aura, it was obvious that he was up to no good. Thus, like parting waves, the small crowd where he appeared moved aside as if to declare that they did not want to have anything to do with him.
One of the security personnel in charge of the crowd control immediately acted and made his way toward Kyran.
But Kyran had no plans of getting those personnel near him. He raised his hands slightly, and two faint bluish lights appeared on his wrist. Upon closer look, one would see that the lights were coming from the silver wristbands he was wearing.
The security personnel frowned in an instant and shouted, "Stop that right now—!"
Crackle!
Before he could finish what he was saying, however, several small transmission arrays appeared and surrounded almost a quarter of the front side of the portal area.
The portal area's array formation on the ground activated in an instant, and a huge, light golden array formation appeared above their heads. Whirring sounds could be heard as the array calculations within the formation rotated and shifted upon its activation.
In the blink of an eye, the mages around Kyran were transported to a separate space at the back, close to the business area's periphery. Golden pillars of light then surrounded him as if to imprison him.
Apart from that, the space outside the golden pillars crackled as new transmission arrays appeared similar to those in the business area.
Following that, silhouettes of security mages with peak Sovereign mage levels emerged.
CLAP!
SHATTER!
A thunderous sound of hands clapping reverberated, destroying all the new transmission arrays that appeared.
The silhouettes of the security mages who had yet to step out of those arrays distorted and vanished in the blink of an eye.
"You—!"
The security personnel saw that the mage in white had disrupted the array transmissions, which should have allowed the security mages on standby to come. But what shocked him and the rest of the mages and security personnel nearby was how the mage in white did it by just clapping his hands.
"As expected, it's not going to be easy."
All those who heard the mage in white spoke were shocked to hear a woman's voice. They did not expect the mage in white to be a woman. The mage's gender could not be discerned easily because of the oversized hood. However, now that they heard her speak, the telltales of her gender became apparent.
A transmission array appeared beneath the white mage's feet, and in the blink of an eye, she disappeared. The transmission arrays she summoned also disappeared.
The mage in white appeared and disappeared like a passing wind that everyone there was left dumbfounded.
"W-What the hell...?"
"J-Just, who was that mage?"
"What just happened?"
The mages that got transported to the back voiced their bewilderment.
On the other hand, the reaction of the Junction Port's security was different. They immediately dispatched all security mages that were on standby while recalling those who disappeared without a trace.
Moreover, the head of security personnel at the portal area commended their security protocol in such cases.
Since the disturbance happened at the front of the portal area, most of their forces were gathered there to investigate the female mage in white.
The mages that failed to enter the portal area were peeved that they got detained. Although they were not with the female mage, they were still considered witnesses and had to be questioned.
To be honest, there was not much point in questioning them. But since it was part of their protocol, they had to oblige.
The mages could not refute it either because if they did, they might be banned from all Junction Ports, and they did not want that to happen.
While most of the security personnel at the portal area investigated the area where the female mage in white had appeared, the security personnel stationed around the portal area stayed in position. Earlier, they almost appeared bored. But after the commotion at the front side, their countenance changed, and their vigilance increased.
Meanwhile, the female mage in question had already slipped inside the portal area without anyone noticing. In fact, there were mages and security personnel inside the portal area who were aroused at what had just happened. But because they were focused on the front, they failed to notice a figure appearing just behind a pillar.
Kyran did not bother to readjust the settings of his coat and face-altering mask. There was no need, because he was not done with creating a commotion.
As for how he managed to slip inside without being seen, it was simple. He took advantage of the portal area's array formation's activation.
He observed the shifting of the formulas, and once he saw one of the empty formulas approaching a spot where security was down, he summoned a transmission array as camouflage when, in fact, he disappeared not through that but by teleporting through that empty formula and inside the portal area.
Security outside the portal area increased, but that did not mean that security inside had decreased. In fact, it doubled, with security personnel roaming around the walls and inspecting every nook and cranny in case someone tried to slip in while they were busy investigating the outside.
Some of the security personnel also checked on the mages who already passed the security checks at the front just to be sure.
Kyran made his way through the crowd, avoiding the security personnel inspecting the people. He did not dally and made a beeline for the nearest portal he found.
"Excuse me, may I see your documents please?"
One of the security personnel who had just finished checking a mage's documents approached Kyran.
Kyran ignored the personnel and kept walking toward the portal.
"Stop right there!"
Sensing that something was amiss, the security personnel shouted after Kyran.