Four heavy halberds slammed against the gold bricks in perfect unison. The resulting metallic crash silenced the immediate area around the public market terminal.
Leo and Jasmine were just preparing to step away from the crystal obelisk in the center of the Exchange District. They found their path blocked by a wall of towering metal. Four Elite Phantom Knights stepped out of the dense crowd and formed a tight semicircle around them. The summoned guardians wore matte black armor that bled dark smoke into the twilight air. They leveled their heavy polearms directly at Leo's chest.
"You must be the new arrival," a bored voice drawled from the shadows of a nearby merchant stall.
A man draped in expensive emerald silk stepped out to join the armored knights. He carried a silver wine goblet i
