The unexpected armistice gave them a minute to regroup and get their bearings back. Katherine went to retrieve her damaged drone, while Marice took control of her golems again, using the mage golem to suspend herself in its body. And once they were ready, they followed the woman's trail until they reached an old parking building.

They still didn't know the full extent of the masked woman's abilities, but the small sampling of her spells made it clear as day that she was the familiar of the young witch they had been chasing all this time.

Well, that and the two of them were wearing matching attire typically seen in those fancy masquerade balls.

With that in mind, Marice didn't take any chances this time as she had Stellar Glare active, allowing her to better see the faint web-like strands of ether that had scattered in the building. She opened up a gap in the third floor with her golem, and she could only assume they were on the right track as the cobwebs ahead looked denser than the ones covering the entrances. Then a couple of steps in, and the scrying doll in her jacket started to generate heat.

Katherine held her survey drone, using its searchlight to illuminate the way. "Good thing we have your eyes cuz I can barely make out these webs. And how should I explain it? It looks like they're there, but also not there."

"She weaved these threads in the space between the physical plane and the next—close enough to be triggered by physical contact while hiding in plain sight."

"Then they're kinda like ghosts in that regard. Okay, I'm gonna call these ghost webs from now on."

With the scrying doll growing warmer, they continued cutting down the cobwebs in the way until they caught sight of the masked familiar and Richelle by the ramp. The former was tending to her wounds with antiseptic and some dressings while the latter was watching her abductor, her body propped against the wall and completely bound.

"Wh-Who's there?!" Richelle called out, wincing from the beam of light aimed at them.

"It's us, Richelle!" Katherine replied as she pointed her drone downwards. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, but what are you guys doing here?"

"To rescue you, obviously!"

"You didn't have to! I... I can take care of myself just fine!"

"What are you saying? Just wait a little longer and we'll get you out of there!"

As the pair made their approach, the familiar only glanced at them, focusing on cleaning her injuries. And when they got even closer, they noticed that she was actually trembling, letting out an occasional whimper as she dabbed some antiseptic to the deep gash on her forearm.

Noting that the cobwebs surrounding Richelle and the familiar were pulsing with ether, Marice ordered her golem to stop. "I can help you out with my healing magic," she said, deactivating her scrying doll. "Of course, you'll have to cooperate with us first."

The familiar didn't reply and erected a barrier instead, glaring at them from under her mask. However, Marice could clearly see the fear in her eyes—no different from a cornered animal.

But she felt like there was something more to that, so she focused her gaze on the familiar's emotional core, attempting to get a better read of her mental state. With her Stellar Glare fully adjusted, the familiar's flickering aura was completely bare for her to see.

And then, the realization finally set in. "Yeah, that would explain it. Bloody hell."

"What is it, Marice?"

"She's a newborn familiar. We haven't heard a word from her and she's now cowering over there like she did a boo-boo or something."

"Oh, is that what it is?"

"Tch, and that girl already sent her in combat. Alone even."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Obviously. You wouldn't throw your own kid into a pit of wolves now, would you?"

"How can we convince her to stand down?"

"You don't. You'll have to subdue her master first if you want her to listen."

Katherine brandished her sword and took point. "Looks like we have no choice but to press on. Get ready, I'll rush straight ahead!"

As Katherine was about to cut through the cobweb in front of them, the threads started to flicker a crimson hue, prompting Marice to intercept her sword with her golem. "Wait."

With her eyes set on the familiar, Marice ordered her golem to fake a swing, and she saw the same flash of energy surging from the familiar. She then backpedalled and turned her attention to the cobwebs flanking them, prodding them with the blunt side of her golem's sword.

"I'd say about twenty meters."

"Did you discover something?" Katherine asked.

"She has direct control over her webs for about twenty meters. And I'm not sure what's the difference with the cobweb in front of us from the rest, but these threads are drawing more power from her when we're about to hack them down."

"So, are they like trip wires then?"

"Trip wires?"

"Like a trigger for something. Usually explosives." Katherine pursed her lips. "I wonder what happens when we touch it?"

"Beats me, but you certainly don't want to take your chances with a familiar of her level." She pulled out a coin from her jacket. "That said, I am curious and I highly doubt she would blow up this building, so..."

Marice tossed the coin into the cobweb. Katherine had her shield deploy a protective ether field just in case, but nothing happened.

"You know what?" Katherine said. "I don't trust that at all."

"That's to be expected, I guess."

"Hmm, how about we try it out with your golems?"

"I dunno. How about we send your drones to the grinder instead?"

After an awkward standstill, Katherine let out a chuckle. "I-I'm just joking! And what are we supposed to do now? If leapfrogging with your golems isn't an option, that leaves us with ranged attacks. But I feel like this whole place will crash under our heads first if we try to bust down her barrier!"

Marice looked at her feet, then back at the familiar. "Huh, you gave me an idea just now."

"Does it involve sacrificing my drones in the process?" Katherine noticed that Marice was eyeing her ether cannon. "Wait, you mean..."

"Just distract her a bit. I'll do the rest."

"O-Okay!"

With a quick charge of her ether cannon, Katherine let loose an explosive blast at the barrier. The ensuing smoke gave Marice the perfect cover while she punched a hole into the floor with her golem.

However, the familiar was quick with her counterattack as she fired a vaporizing beam at them. Katherine blocked the attack with her shield's ether barrier, allowing Marice and her golems to slip into the hole and make the dash underneath. But before she could get close, the familiar aimed a beam through the floor and swung it in an arc. The searing heat stopped her in her tracks, and the cobwebs above created a wall to stop her from advancing any further.

Fortunately, Marice's warrior golem was already ahead of her before she got cut off, bursting next to where Richelle and the familiar was seated. And using her relocation spell, Marice teleported next to her golem, pointing an electric-charged index finger between the familiar's eyes.

"You might be tough, but even a simple bolt spell this close should be more than enough to pierce through your skull."

"You did it, Marice!" Katherine cried.

"Start with clearing all the cobwebs in the area. Richelle too." As the familiar did what she asked, they felt two huge energy signatures heading towards their direction. "She's coming for them."

"Well, it's gonna be three of us and only one of her. We got this."

And just after that declaration, a shadow zoomed across the floor, eventually materializing between Marice and Richelle.

Marice quickly turned around, but she found herself unable to move a muscle. Her golems were immobilized as well. "Tch, this seems familiar...!"

"What took you so long?" Richelle asked.

The young man in the hoodie shrugged. "Because I was looking for an opening this whole time? These ladies are too feisty to tango with."

"But they're the ones who saved me!"

"And if you like them that much, you shouldn't have left the police station earlier."

"I didn't mean it like that!"

"Anyway," he faced the masked familiar and pulled out a folding knife, "just give me a moment. I'll make this quick."

"Wait, what are you doing?"

He faced Richelle, wagging the knife in front of the familiar. "Isn't she one of your kidnappers?"

"Y-Yeah, but are you seriously going to kill her?!"

"What, are you just going to let her go instead?"

"You two," Marice chimed in, "we have a more pressing matter that needs tending here."

"Ah, right." He snapped his fingers, allowing Marice and Katherine to move again. "That girl."

And as if on cue, a masked girl in a frilly dress flew into the building, followed by Vivianne. She looked at each of them, her deep green eyes eventually falling on the young man. Her slit irises contracted as she sized him up.

"So he's the one, huh? But fighting them all at once is too much, even for me." Her face twisted into disgust as she looked at the masked familiar. "This should've been over, but I expected too much from a stupid spider. Why did I even believe her in the first place?"

"Don't try to pass your failures off to your familiar," Marice said.

The young man shrugged and nodded. "Seems like you bit more than you could chew." He then glanced at Marice. "No, more like you underestimated what they're truly capable of."

"So you're blaming me when she can't even dispose of two people whose magical potential doesn't even come close to mine?" The witch pointed her cane at the familiar, who started backing away. "She carries a fraction of my soul—the very essence of my power and potential! That should be more than enough to destroy them!"

"Well, you're not wrong about that. But acting like power alone is enough to win your battles just shows how much of an amateur you really are."

"A-Amateur?" An intense crimson aura enveloped her, radiating heavy pressure to their surroundings. "I've had enough of this. But first off, allow me to dispose of the trash first!"

Concentrating her power into her forefinger, the witch set her eyes back on the familiar. And with a wide smile on her face, she launched the spell at her, searing the air in its wake.

Richelle was quick to act however, tackling the familiar and taking her place. The ensuing blast knocked her a few feet away, instantly severing her left forearm. As she laid on the floor bloodied and motionless, Katherine and the young man quickly went to her aid. The former checked her vitals for a moment before shaking her head.

"S-She's gone..."