Chapter 318 - 311: Information Gathering
Alex and Sera entered the bar; Sera had changed into something more casual, a simple evening dress.
As the two entered, they draw all attention; however, nobody tried to hit on Sera, nor was there any vulgar comment; people only admired Sera's beauty and Alex's face before resuming what they were doing.
Alex went straight toward the bartender and sat; Sera sat on his left.
''Tonight's recommendation, please!"
The bartender's eyes widened before he smiled before preparing two cups of strong liquor.
Alex finished the cup in one gulp; Sera also did the same thing.
''Another one!" Alex ordered.
After their third cup, Alex started playing a Gold coin.
''Is there any recent unusualness ?"
''Like what?"
Faster than the light, the bartender snatched the gold from Alex's fingers; how can he not understand what Alex and Sera's goal is? From the moment they entered, and after they ordered tonight's specialty, the bartender knew what they want. Truth be told, he had been waiting for their arrival.
Alex did not seem offended, having his gold coin snatched; on the contrary, he brought another two and inquired.
''Like monsters rampage, disappearance, unusual phenomenon.''
At Alex's question, the bartender stayed silent for a moment, as if he was reorganizing his thoughts. Finally, the bartender said,
''Recently, there was no unusual phenomenon that appeared, at least not around here. However, fifteen kilometers from El-Reech they exist a village, in this village, people started disappearing, young people, especially young girl and there is a rumor.''
The bartender stopped talking, Alex almost cursed his shamelessness. However, he came tonight to get information, no matter how costly it was going to be. Therefore, Alex brought out gold coins; this time, instead of two, it was three; the bartender's eyes shined gold, he put on a beautiful smile and became talkative.
''There was a rumor saying a new black mine having been found. It was hidden deep in the middle of a mountain at the east of the village; not many are aware of this new, a drunken traveler told me.''
Alex and Sera both rolled their eyes at the bartender; he must have gotten the man drunk to force him to spill everything he knows.
''I see; how this village is called?"
This time it was Sera who asked instead of Alex; the bartender was not surprised, Sera was not your typical girl, there was something different about her, it was why the bartender was more respectful of her, he never looked at Sera twice; she was giving a dangerous aura, someone that works in the shadow.
''Lorr. Here is the map of the village, where is the red mark, it was where they spotted the new mine.''
Alex smiled; his smile was cold, suddenly he brought out Razor and used it to stab it between the bartender's fingers.
Tak!
Everyone turned their head in Alex's direction; however, before they could get a clear picture of what happened, they were forced to resume their activities because Sera glared at them; she released a bit of her aura.
Back to Alex and the bartender, the latter started sweating because he realized that his intentions have been seen through, that Alex was more dangerous than he had previously thought.
''You see, you are lucky. I don't like to be used. Do you think I won't know what you are trying to do? You are pushing toward that mine, I don't know how you suppress the information that a new mine appeared, but I'm not too fond of such a petty move. Tell me exactly what is going in Lorr, where the missing children are sent, who is behind it.''
Alex's request leave no room for a debate; the bartender sighed before starting to explain.
''My apologies, I mean no offense, just that I found you two to be reliable. You know we are the dark guild, we can ask assistance at the Adventurer Guild, not when we will be losing a huge amount of money, although this new mine is not big, we can earn a lot of money from it, it why we sealed the news. However, one of our men betrayed and joined hand with an unknown group, and mighty group, this group now occupied the mines, our men who we sent were slaughtered. We are just a branch, the headquarter is busy and can only send assistance in one month, by then the group would have excavated everything. As for the disappearance of the young children, especially girls, this is true; the reason why the Adventurer guild have not been alerted is that this village is ours, under our control, it is how men who are there can hold up for a while. Please, I beg you, please help us. You might find some answer over there; we will pay-"
''50%'' Alex cut the bartender off and stated his condition.
''I beg your pardon.''
The bartender had trouble believing what he had just heard.
''I said I want 50% of the mine. If you accept, I will go tomorrow and look into it.'' Alex said.
''This is, can you please lower-"
''No reduction, 50%. Let's quickly sign an agreement. Let's make it quick; who knows what I might say when I see the guild master tomorrow, he wants to see that old geezer, sigh!'' Alex declared while playing with his cup.
The bartender's expression turned grim; if previously Alex had thought of him as shameless, it was now the bartender's turn to think of Alex as shameless. Alex was threatening him, a naked threat.
Sera couldn't contain herself any longer; she chuckled. If not because of where they are, she would have laughed hard.
''30%''
The bartender proposed after a long moment of consideration.
''40%, and I won't go any lower. Let us not waste each other time. You are asking me to put my life on the line, so better propose some that can appease me.'' Alex gave his last condition.
The bartender held his throbbing temple and finally conceded defeat, accepting Alex's condition.
''40% it's then. We will establish the contract in three years. Is that good with you, Mr. Alexander?"
Surprisingly the bartender knew Alex's name; Alex showed no sign of surprise when negotiating never show any weakness, especially at the end; the bartender calling his name at the end is a way to tell him that they were aware of his identity, to gain some advantage as they lost big in this transaction.
''Yeah, it's okay with me, Mr. Allen, nickname Silent step,'' Alex responded with a smile.
Chapter 319 - 312: The Deal
''Yeah, it's okay with me, Mr. Allen, nickname Silent step,'' Alex responded with a smile; it was a mocking smile that says you are not the only one with a trick under his sleeve.
Allen almost dropped the glass he was clearing; he was amazed; one should know that most powerful have artifacts on them to block the curious eyes from prying into their secret; Allen wasn't an exception; he had an artifact on him to help him conceal his status, so imagine when he heard Alex mentioning his real name and even his nickname. It was a complete defeat.
''Hehehe! Mr. Alexander is exceptional, as rumor says. I admit my defeat. It was a complete defeat.''
''Never trust rumors. Quickly bring the contract. You know I'm busy.'' Alex said and urged Allen to bring the contract of their deal.
Allen nodded before disappearing behind a hidden door that was just behind him; after fifteen minutes, he came out with a paper, the ink was still fresh. After perusing the contract, again and again, Alex signed and put a drop of his blood on it, the contract flashed red, Allen also did the same, from this it could be inferred that Allen's status within the organization, the dark guild is by no mean low, this is not a trivial decision, so the higher up must have a lot of faith in him to let him make this decision.
After Allen put his signature and blood on the contract, the latter firstly shined red before being separated into two; Alexx picked up one contract and stored it inside his item box; he then stood up ready to leave; however, he stopped and stared at Allen, the latter was puzzled.
''Is there anything I can do for you, Mr. Alexander?" Allen asked.
However, instead of answering Allen's question with words, Alex extended his hand toward Allen; the meaning behind his action was obvious, I want my money back.
Allen's mouth twitched; if it weren't because he was no match for Alex and because that person, their leader, said not to offend Alex, Allen would have cursed Alex's eighth-generation.
However, he couldn't do that, even though the others clients present tonight didn't know what Alex's group and Allen have talked about; one thing was sure, Allen suffered a considerable blow; they have never seen him make that kind of face.
Reluctantly Allen hand over the gold coins to Alex, the latter smiled before taking his leave, accompanied by Sera.
''What a petty man.'' Allen cursed before disappearing behind the hidden door behind him.
Allen appeared inside a simple room; this room had a simple chair and a table. There were many papers stacked on top of the table; at the right of the table was a medium-size mirror; the surface of this mirror was rippling like the surface of the water.
Allen went and stood before this mirror and said.
''Guild leader, everything has been done in your accordance. However, permit to be impolite? Is that worth it? I meant letting Mr. Alexander own 40% of the new mine, although it was not gigantic mine, it is rich, richer than normal big mine.''
There was a silence after Allen voiced his thoughts before a voice talked; surprisingly, it was a woman's voice.
''I understand what you mean Allen, however, I believe in the saying that one should suffer a loss and gain a lot later. This investment, to build a good relationship with Mr. Alexander now he was not famous, better to have as an ally than an enemy. You didn't have the foresaw that I have. Establishing a good relationship with him was my goal, and I have achieved it. Smart people like him do not like to be used; it was why I have proposed to use that tactic, and it worked; however, what I have not foreseen was that he would be this greedy. Well, it doesn't matter; you should know never to let your guard down when dealing with that man; he is cunning and petty. To retrieve the money he spent for information was a way to slap us, to say he would not spend even the penny as we tried to use him. What interesting man. Allen, go, keep an eye on what is going on. Let's see how long their group can take to accomplish this mission.''
After bowing down to the figure on the other side, Allen excused himself.
The woman whose features couldn't be seen except her long red heel sighed and asked.
''Still did not find anything?"
A voice coming from the darkness answered, ''No, mistress. We shall keep searching.''
''Um! Please do so.'' the woman said before muttering.
''Whoever you are, don't think that he wouldn't do anything. Wai,t maybe this is all part of their plan? If it's true, then it's fearsome. Well, smart as he is, he must have thought of such a possibility, and yet he continued, this means he has decided. How lucky that girl is to have a big brother like that. If only mine was like that, sigh! Let's forget about it.''
The woman's voice disappeared afterward, the ripple on the mirror's surface disappeared as well, the mirror regained its original appearance.
Outside of the bar, Alex and Sera could be seen strolling toward their Inn.
''Fufufu! You are sure something. To think you would use this occasion to acquire something, that man thought he could use you. Too bad you outsmart him.''
Sera said she was not against the idea of Alex using every opportunity he got, especially when what he had just done was for him and his loved ones; more money means more capability to create his private force, you will need money to create, to form and to maintain a private force, you will need to pay them, pay their equipment. To do all these things, money is essential; having only a Golden spoon would not suffice. Therefore Alex jumped on this occasion as soon he smelled it.
''Well, the truth is that Allen is not the one to develop that plan; there is someone behind him, maybe their leader; this person is smart,'' Alex explained while locking his hands behind his head.
''I see, nobody knows the dark guild master real identity; all we know is that it's a woman. As for her face, her origin, we couldn't find anything. It was frustrating.'' Sera told Alex what they have on the dark guild.
''I see, a woman, huh? Let's go.'' Alex urged Sera before sprinting forward.
''Wait, tell me about how you know that man nickname, even me. I couldn't break past his concealment. So, tell me.'' Sera, who caught up with Alex, raised this question, and Alex's answer was,
''It's a secret.''
He would not tell her that it was thanks to Silveria that he knew Allen's nickname.
Sera clicked her tongue before following Alex as they returned to the Inn to sleep.
Chapter 320 - 313: Their First Clash
The next day, Alex's group left for Lorr early in the morning. They hired a coach to make the travel faster.
Inside the carriage, the girls were having a little chat.
''So, Big sister, how did you and Alex get to know each other?"
Luna was the ask this question; Sakuya was looking at Sera with interest, the girls knew she was the most influential person in their group.
The reason why Luna raised this question was simply because of the woman's intuition, the way Sera, even though disguised talk with Alex, indicates that the two had some past together.
Sera inwardly sighed, she could have brushed this question aside, but she chose not to.
''Well, our first meeting happened in Eria's city,'' Sera responded. She did not go into detail.
Even so, Sakuya was able to connect the dots to a certain girl.
''So, you're the famous Sera.'' Sakuya probed.
Sera was a little surprised, not that she didn't expect them to make the connection, however, not this soon, more importantly not Sakuya as she appeared, well, the brute type, not the intelligent type, however, it seems that her evaluation of Sakuya was a bit flawed. She is just your typical girl.
'As expected of the girls he chooses, none of them are weak; they all have a strong personality. One is cold yet smart, another one is gentle, but underneath this gentleness lie a ferocious beast, like a mother tiger ready to do everything to defend its cubs. Lastly, there is the one that wants everyone to see a facade of her; the real her is too fearsome. Better know how to deal with them, I may be stronger than them, but these three are united; if I wish to have a good life, I must befriend them, not go against them. That Maria's girl is the one in the lead, she has a firm grasp of the other two, even on Alex to some extent. There is no need to lie to myself; while I may not know what I'm feeling right now about him, I'm sure of one thing, which is I do not wish to be separated from him, I want to stay beside him, to see what he can accomplish. And I'm sure I will come to love him in the future; the seed has been planted, so why not start some preparations, try to find my place early beside him.'
While Sera was busy thinking about what to do from now, Luna and Sakuya had been observing her reaction; seeing her not answering Sakuya's question, they became a little bit annoyed. Before they could say a word, Sera finally spoke. Almost as she could read the atmosphere, and she knew their mood.
''My bad, I was lost in thoughts, sorry about that. Yeah! I'm that girl; while I do not know what I did to be famous, I'm indeed Sera. Nice to meet you.''
Luna and Sakuya were surprised that Sera could readily admit that she was Sera, it was not the only thing that surprised them after she admitted that she was Sera, she ripped off her disguise; therefore, her natural face appeared, and the girls must admit even though as girls, they got charmed.
Naturally, women don't like admitting these kinds of things; however, Luna and Sakuya must admit that the mature Sera was above them; she was gorgeous, especially that mole near her mouth, no wonder Alex choose to go after her; she was worth it.
''Nice to meet you too; I'm Luna, Alex's fiancee.''
Luna introduced herself; she didn't forget to clarify that she was ahead of them; it was like she was saying, I'm the first, know your place.
Sera chuckled; Sakuya rolled her eyes at her best friend and sister. She then introduced herself.
''I'm Sakuya. Alex's girlfriend and soon-to-be fiancee. Nice to meet you, as your Big sister, I shall guide you, feel free to ask me anything you want.'' Sakuya's introduction was a little bit aggressive; like Luna, she wanted to make sure Sera know her place, where she stood.
And who is Sera? Would she just let herself get trampled twice? No, time for some payback.
''Ah, okay, I understand. It's good now that Big sister said that there's something I wish to talk about; I mean, I wish to ask. A favor, it would be great this favor can be granted.'' Sera said with a humble smile.
However, to Luna, Sera's smile looks evil; she was sure that whatever Sera was going to say, Sakuya was bound to lose; she had already lost this round. It this good to be aggressive, but there should be a limit; you can bully but not too much.
''Fufufu! What do you want to ask? This Big sister is here to help you, tell me.'' Sakuya said with a smile; she wanted to see what Sera would do; depending on her answer, she will know where to class her, what level of threat she represented.
And as Luna expected, Sera did not disappoint her.
''I see, that is good. It's nothing complicated; I wish that Big sister can become my sparring partner. I have just acquired, I wish to have a mock battle to further perfect this skill. By the way, it's a wind-related skill, and who but Big sister can be more perfect for helping me? Reason why I am asking you to help me. Can you?"
Sera said with a perfect smile; Sakuya's smile disappeared as fast as the wind; she knew she had lost, accepting to help Sera was like accepting to receive a good beating as there was no way in hell she could win even if Sera were to suppress her level to the same level as her. Even though they will be on the same level, their experiences aren't the same. Therefore, Sera would win.
Sakuya sighed before smiling again; Luna smiled; she knew her best friend was the best; Sakuya is the type to admit defeat to go back to further prepare for next time.
''Fine, you win.''
Sera smiled; she must admit as she thought, Sakuya was not but, Luna was fearsome, she was the one that started all of this, yet she stays silent and plays the spectator.
''You are not bad; I'll be waiting for the rematch," Sera declared. Sera's first words were for Luna, while her second one was for Sakuya.
Sakuya smiled in response; the atmosphere turned silent as the carriage continued to advance toward Lorr.
Chapter 321 - 314: Arrived In Lorr
Outside, Alex, sitting beside the coachman to act as a guard, was lost in thoughts; he couldn't help but think about his sister; he prayed the Gods to look after her until he finds her. Suddenly, he got interrupted by Silveria, the latter chuckled.
〖Fufufu! Those girls are sure interesting. What an exciting fight; your Luna is sure crafty; she started it first, then withdraw afterward to watch the two fight. Fufufu! What a crafty little angel.〗
Alex didn't say anything; he didn't try probing, better-left women's problem to woman; nothing good would come out if he were to but his head in.
''Young master. We have arrived; Lorr is ahead.''
The coachman announced.
''Ah! Already?"
Alex exclaimed before looking in front of him; he saw a tall wall of 3 meters surrounding the village; there was a massive gate at the front, it was opened.
Alex's group quickly passed the check-up and entered the village as they weren't many carriages.
''Okay, young master and misses, see you soon.''
The coachman said before leaving for the stable.
This village was significant; in the middle of the village was the statue of a woman extending one of her arms to the sky.
As the four were admiring the statue, and middle-aged approached them and said.
''That's the statue of our Founder, Lorr, the great healer.''
Indeed, as the man said, when one looks closely, the statue wore what Healer usually wears.
Alex spun around and stared at the man who just explained the statue's identity to them, and as if he could understand what Alex wanted to say, the middle-aged introduced himself.
''I'm Charles, the village chief. Welcome to Lorr, Mr. Alexander, and misses.''
''It seems that you have been informed of how arrival?"
To Alex's question, Charles nodded, and Alex said.
''That's good. Would you please give me a summary? Since when the disappearance started?"
Charles didn't immediately answer Alex's question; he asked them to follow him to his house, the most prominent building in the village. While directing them toward his house, Charles, who was ahead, his expression changed for a split second before it reverted to his usual one.
After they entered, Charles invited to the meeting room was a girl that looked to be in her early twenty was waiting.
''Welcome village chief, welcome adventurers, I'm Cecyl.'' the brunette said; even though Charles was obviously her father, she acted professionally.
Alex nodded his head and sat, Luna at his left, Sakuya at his right, strangely instead of sitting; Sera stood behind him, she released a bit of pressure to warn those hiding to not mess with their group, Charles and Cecyl gulped, they finally understood why the guild accorded so much importance to Alex, the way they looked at Alex changed. Charles became momentarily lost in thoughts.
Alex seemed to not care about this, he asked.
''So?"
''Yeah! Yeah! The disappearance started three weeks ago. Twelve children went missing. We dare not to approach the mine as all men we previously sent never came back, and there is black fog surrounding the cave where we discovered the mine. We beg you; please assist us. As you have seen, the village becomes too silent because of all these disappearances, people started fearing to go out, and if this keeps up, the authorities will notice, and we will lose everything, the village must go back to normal soon. We kept the news suppressed for too long; we can't buy all merchants. Please-"
Before Charles could finish his words, he was stopped by Alex, the latter said.
''I understand. I thought you might know how many enemies will be facing, but I guess it is dead. You have no information.''
''Sorry, we are too incompetent,'' Charles said, feeling ashamed. Cecyl did not say anything at first before speculating.
''I think that the enemy will not be more than fifty as the mine could not contain too many people. I have checked the surrounding, but I found nothing else except the black fog surrounding the cave; what I'm trying to say is that there was no house built around the cave; they may exist inside the black fog. Still, I believe it is not the case, even for them, it will be hard to keep watch in that fog so that they won't build any house there.''
Alex took some moment to analyze what Cecyl said; he couldn't help but think what she said held some truth.
'Well, we will have to figure out the rest ourselves; I just hope I can find some leads in this mine or the force behind these kidnapping.' Alex thought.
''I see; thank you, Ms. Cecyl. Village chief, we will leave; we will strike tonight.''
Alex said before he and his group excused themselves; however, just as they were about to leave the door, Cecyl stopped them.
''Mr. Alexander, can I please come with you?"
''No,''
Alex's answer was instantaneous; after rejecting Cecyl's request, Alex left with his group.
Cecyl pouted after Alex left; Charles chuckled.
''You will end up becoming their burden when you go. In that group, everyone is stronger than you. They won't bother looking after you as they have something more important to do. Taking care of you will slow them; your presence might cause someone to get injured because they protect you. So, don't do anything foolish. Have I made myself clear?"
Charles's face became stern; Cecyl knew better than anybody what would happen if she were to disobey like she did last time. She could only reluctantly nod her head.
''I understand, father, I will do as you say,'' Cecyl promised.
''Good, help your mother calm down the villagers, tell them that everything will be fine soon. The Gods haven't forsaken us.''
''Alright, father. I shall take my leave. See you soon.''
Cecyl says before disappearing, leaving her father alone.
Just after Cecyl was gone, someone appeared, this person was dressed in all black, this person bowed after appearing.
''Head, your orders. Should we secretly monitor them?"
Charles, with his hands crossed behind his back, glared at the man in front of him and said.
''If you wish to die, that is. Inform others about their arrival. They would know what to do.''
''Understood, head.'' the man bowed and left. Charles was left alone.
''Sigh! How troublesome. Just only a little bit more. Sigh!" Charles sighed before his eyes turned resolute, and he seemed to have taken some decision. Because it comes to this, it's a do or die.
During this time, Alex's group could be seen walking around inside the village.
Chapter 322 - 315: Assault On The Mine 1
During this time, Alex's group could be seen walking around the village.
As Charles had said, the village seemed empty, not many people were out, and most shops were closed.
''Have you noticed anything amiss?"
Alex asked this question was directed at Sera.
''Yeah! That man his hiding something.'' Sera answered; Luna and Sakuya were puzzled.
''Why do you think that?" Luna asked.
''I sensed something sinister from the men hiding. They thought they hide their killing intentions, but I was able to detect it. Better be careful. That bartender had talked about a traitor.'' Sera responded.
''You believe Charles may be that traitor? Or one of them if there are lots of traitors."
To Alex's question, Sera nodded.
''If what you said is the truth, we better carefully watch our back. And we must strike first, quickly as possible in the case the other party informed his comrades of our arrival; we even told him when we are going to attack.''
Facing Sakuya's suggestion, Alex and Sera exchanged looks before Alex decided.
''I see, what you said is not wrong. Let's attack in two hours.''
The others nodded at Alex's decision. They rented rooms; they refused Charles's offer to stay at his house.
Two hours passed in a flash. Alex, Luna, Sera, and Sakuya secretly left their Inn to go inside the forest located on the north side of Lorr.
Following the maps, Alex, in the lead, dashed through the forest like a ninja, following closely behind was Sera, and behind Sera was Luna; Sakuya was not present with them.
Just after Alex's group left, the person responsible for their monitoring noticing that something was amiss; therefore, he disguised himself as one of the Inn employees and went to knock on Alex's room.
Knock! Knock!
''Mr. Alexander, I'm Goal; Ms. Mira sends me to call you over. She said tonight's specialty is ready; she would like to come down eat.''
Nobody answered even though the man waited for a while. Because the man was afraid of alerting Alex, more importantly, Sera, he didn't dare to probe with his senses at first; however, seeing nobody answered even though he kept knocking and repeating the same words over and over again, the disguised assassin finally loses his patience and used his senses to check Alex's room, to his surprise they had already left.
''We got played. Better hurry up and inform the others that they are on their way.''
The man disguised as Inn employee muttered and tried to leave; however, his instinct warned him of extreme danger, it happened just like that.
Swoosh! Clang!
The man shifted his head a little bit to the right and at the same time blocked the katana coming for his left; he then afterward jumped back and stared with surprise at the figure in front of him.
''As expected, you came. Now that you have appeared, don't think about going back alive. I will take good care of you.'' Sakuya declared with a sadistic smile; this smile sends a shiver down the assassin's spine; he felt like he would be toyed with, and he couldn't do anything about it.
The moment Sakuya appeared, she sealed all the man's escape routes; she controlled the wind in the air to create numerous wind blades directed at the man. Being wind user himself, the man could feel it; therefore, he knew he must not act rashly, fleeing to go back to inform the others was something he must accomplish.
''Let's begin, shall we?" Sakuya said with the same smile sadistic smile.
While Sakuya was keeping the man occupied at the Inn, Alex, Sera, and Luna had arrived at the location where the fog started.
Looking at the black fog in front of him, Alex sighed before holding Luna with one arm; he then started to fly higher and higher.
Sera also followed him; from the sky, the group could see through the black fog; they saw the entrance to the cave, probably the mine. Three sentries were guarding the entrance.
''Sera.'' Alex looked at Sera; the latter immediately understood what he wanted to convey, like the Wind Sera vanished from the sky. When she reappeared again, she was already behind one of the sentries; she moved, slicing the man's throat.
Before the man could drop to the ground, Sera had disappeared; she passed between the other two, at the same time slicing their throats, flicking her fingers, illusionary black hands appeared to cushion the three fall, no sounds were made, and everything happened in less than two minutes.
From the sky, Luna couldn't help but be in awe; Sera was deadly; she killed Rank 6 as if they are pigs.
'She is swift, huh?!'
Alex mumbled before he started to descend toward the ground.
Sera waited for Alex and Luna to come down, and once they came, she said.
''So?"
Sera's voice was cold, her eyes devoid of emotions as if she turned into a robot.
''Let's head in.''
Alex, followed by Luna and Sera at the back, entered the cave.
The group soon came to an intersection; there were two roads.
〖The captured children are on the left. Let the girls go over there while you will go on right.〗Silveria suggested.
Although Alex did not know the exact reason for Silveria to suggest this, he believes that there must be something awful happening on the right to suggest that the girls went on the left.
'Okay.' Alex responded positively to Silveria's suggestion before turning to face the girls.
''Sera, Luna, you should go to the left. I will take care of the right. The captured children are there.''
''I understand. Please take care.''
Luna said before leaving; Sera followed after her after giving Alex one last glance.
''Sigh! Let's go; I hope I will be able to find some leads here.''
Alex muttered before he strolled to the right.
The moment Alex took the right path, his expression changed; it's turned cold.
''Bastard.'' He couldn't help but curse.
He sprinted forward at fast speed, and soon he saw what makes his face turn cold.
A group of men pinned a young girl down and was ravaging this girl, the girl's face was stained and lifeless, yet the men kept pushing their hips forward without a care in the world.
Alex's arrival surprised the five men who had their pants down; they let the girl down, the girl's head hit the hard ground and started bleeding.
Previously, Alex was not able to see the girl's face; however, now he was able to see, he couldn't control his killing intent anymore because the girl the men have been ravaging looks no more than 14 years old, which is to say the same age as his sister, Gracier.
''Yer punk, wh-"
One of the men who wanted to speak stopped, not he was forced to stop, his eyes turned white, not only him, the other four as well.
Like a ghost, Alex appeared amidst the five and kicked them in the balls; it got instantly crushed; the pain was so intense that the men did not have the time to cry before fainting.
After killing the five men, Alex approached the young girl lying on the ground; he put a cover on top of the girl's body, he crouched down and closed the girl's eyes, she died; her eyes were full of resentment.
''Don't I'll seek justice for you.''
Alex mumbled before storing away the girl's body. He restarted to walk forward; the path Alex choose was like a punctured cheese; here and there, one could see holes with a lot of shining black ore protruding out.
Alex had eliminated few men hiding in the holes.
Using his Divine Sense Alex was able to detect the area where they existed some traps, the hidden men. One by one, he took care of them.
At the same time, somewhere deep inside the mine was a spacious room, and inside this room was a man sitting on a big chair; this man was extremely tall, over two meters tall.
This man was currently talking to a black shadow,
''The children are ready; I have used the thing you gave me on one of them; however, it was a failure. The boys could not bear it, so they ended up dying; only the girls are better at handling it. Should I-"
The man stopped talking when he noticed the shadow's red eyes glare at him.
''You have some uninvited guests; one of them is heading over here while the other two are heading to the location where girls are locked.''
''What?"
The big man stood up; his eyes turned cold, he couldn't believe that there is someone brave enough to come here.
''Don't worry, Black owl, I will take care of the intruder; you just have to wait; we are almost done with that stone; I believe we will extract that black stone soon.''
The big man tried to reassure the shadow; he didn't seem concerned that there were some intruders; he had faith in himself and his men to take care of any intruders.
''I shall return tomorrow; by then, you better finish what we asked you, or else you know the consequences.''
The shadow spoke before vanishing.
The big man nodded before suddenly shouting.
''Men.''
More than fifteen men appeared at once; they all had sinister auras around their bodies. There were black tattoos all over their bodies.
''Let's welcome our guests.'' The big man declared before cracking his knuckles; dark red gauntlets appeared around the man's hands.
''Yes, leader.'' Shouted the men; simultaneously, another group was en route to welcome Luna and Sera.
Chapter 323 - 316: Assault On The Mine 2
While Alex was slowly advancing toward the core zone of the mine, Luna and Sera were also slowly making their way toward where the kidnapped girls were held captive.
Suddenly, Sera, walking ahead, stopped as she sensed five presences coming straight toward them.
''It seems we have been spotted,'' Luna said as she could also detect the incoming presence.
''Yeah! Let's-"
Before Sera could finish what she was about to say, Luna cracked her neck, a white light enveloping her body. Looking at Sera, she said.
''Go ahead. I'm sure they will be another group trying to relocate the girls. I will take care of
''Sigh!" Sera sighed before disappearing.
The five tattooed men who received the order to take care of the intruders couldn't believe their eyes when they only saw Luna standing there, almost as if she had been waiting for them.
''I thought they said there were two; how come there is only this chick here?"
A skinny man asked; the others licked their lips, eyes burning with lust, they said.
''How care.''
''Let's catch this chick and enjoy ourselves.''
''Indeed.''
''Don't worry, beauty, we shall take great care of you.''
The four who just talked had lost themselves to lust; only the skinny man hadn't lost his reasoning. To him, Luna was dangerous; he wanted to warn his comrades to be cautious of this girl who just stood there looking at them with an amused grin on her face.
Swoosh!!!
Faster than the skinny man, Luna moved; she threw four punches toward the men wanting to take her; three of the four punches crushed the men's heart after they struck their chest; the last punch was special.
It glowed white before enlarging, the last man (the one that promised to take good care of Luna) gaped, he couldn't move, he couldn't only watch as Luna's fist grew in size as it enveloped his vision.
Boom!
In a loud bang, the man's skull was like a watermelon smashed by a baseball bat. The man's annoying face was utterly crushed. One of his eyes fell out of its socket and dropped to the ground. But at the next moment, it was squashed by a boot that landed on it!
"Splendid, don't you think too, Mr. Skinny?"
Like a child that just done something and wanted to get praised, Luna stared at the last man, the skinny man, and asked.
'This girl is sick. I have to flee. There is no way I can fight this lunatic.' The man thought.
As if Luna could read the latter's mind, she frowned.
''How rude. You just thought something rude right now, don't you?"
The skinny man flinched; he didn't wait any longer, throwing a smoke bomb on the ground; he tried to use the smoke to flee for his life.
''Shit, I almost got done it. What a crazy bitch!"
The skinny man cursed aloud after putting some distance between himself and Luna; well, it was what he believes.
''As I said. How rude of you to talk about me like that.''
Luna's voice sounded right next to the man, the latter soul almost flee out of his body; he made some girly sound.
''Hih!!!!"
Somehow, Luna, who should be far from the man, appeared in front of him; she was wearing a smile like an angel.
''Let's me test my new power on you. I apologize in advance.''
[Reversion]
Before the skinny man could open his mouth, Luna activated her domain; the man found himself standing inside a white forest; angel seemed to be dancing, beckoning him to come closer, and he did it; accepting their offer was like returning to his mother's embrace, it was peaceful.
Unknown to him, it was an only illusion; outside his body was aging, he became an older man that looks like he was in his 80; the aging didn't stop; however, Luna was sweating, she quickly stopped using her domain and crushed the man's head.
Gasping for air, Luna said, ''This domain is too terrific. However, it also drains too much MP. Not even a minute passed, yet I'm also out of MP. I will rarely use this domain, not until I'm capable of using without having to faint after a minute.''
''Hah! Let search how that girl is doing over there.'' Luna declared before starting to walk toward Sera's location.
At the same time, fifty meters from Luna's current location was Sera; she was inside a storage room, fifteen men were surrounding her, behind them was the captured girls (there was no male among the captured), the girl's eyes were lifeless, their conditions awful. Gracier was not among the captured.
''Kill her.'' Ordered one of the men surrounding Sera.
Sera did not say anything; she took a deep breath before mumbling.
''Darkness rise.''
The area around her turned dark, and she vanished from where she stood.
When Sera's skill vanished, ten among the fifteen men surrounding her were lying on the ground holding their neck; no life could be seen in their wide eyes; they couldn't believe that they could have lost their lives like that.
The remaining five men were the strongest of the bunches; however, they still get injured; various degree of injury could be seen on their bodies; some lost one eye, some had one of their arms crippled, and so on.
''Monster!"
Someone among the five men shouted, one should know that the five are Rank 9, yet they could not fight against this woman; this showed how powerful she is.
[Dimensional Slash !]
Sera didn't pay any attention to their words; she used her strongest skill; the invisible black blade passed through space and crushed the five hearts; it was instantaneous.
The five men dropped dead, fear written over their faces.
Luna arrived at that moment, gaped, and once again she thought how powerful Sera is; however, after the feeling of fear comes the excitation, the excitation of surpassing Sera in the near future, she was sure that she could do it.
Sera could see what Luna was thinking from how she stared at her; she could only smile helplessly.
''So, this is where they locked the girls.''
Luna said as she tried to approach the cage where the girls are held. Suddenly, she froze because she sensed a killing intent direct at her; it was like someone was holding a knife against her neck, so she froze.
At the same time, from the back, Sera launched an attack.
Pui!
With perfect accuracy, the dagger passed near Luna's right ear, cutting some of her hair before piercing through the head of the man trying to approach Luna and deal a fatal blow secretly.
''Thank you.''
Luna expressed her thanks. She was grateful for Sera's intervention; she didn't notice anything; it was only in the end that she noticed that something was amiss; although Luna was sure not to die, however, at least she would have suffered an injury.
''You welcome. Let's check the girls. Too bad, Gracier is not with them.''
Sera, as she proceeds to unlock the cage holding the girls, one by one she brought the girls, Luna helped her.
''Well, we both knew that it was unlikely for her to be here. We only hope to acquire some lead to where she would be.'' Luna said as she brought out the last girl.
They rescued a total of nine girls; they were in terrible condition, the oldest among the girls is 16 years old, the youngest 13; however, none of the girls still had their innocence, they have been violated, beaten, worst some of them showed sign of having some experiment done on their bodies.
While healing the girls, Luna kept frowning; if it weren't because she was performing something delicate, she would have gone crazy, crazy of rage because what the girls went through, it was inhumane beyond words, no girls should experience this no matter what she has done.
Even Sera, who had seen her fair share of atrocities, couldn't help but frown. She wondered what the group behind all of this is after; to this extent; there must be something important inside this mine to occupy it; the one behind this group must be after this thing.
''Sera, do you happen to have some woman's clothes with you? I only have three with me.''
Luna's voice brought Sera out of her stupor; nodding her head, she gave Luna several clothes.
Sera stood up and told Luna.
''Luna, I will leave the girls in your care. I will assist Alex. I know he can handle pretty much everything, but this group is too unusual; he will need some assistance.''
''Okay, please assist him. I can take care of the girls here.'' Luna responded, she was focused on healing the girls, although she could only heal their physical injuries, not a psychological one.
Sera nodded before vanishing from the storage room; the girls were not in the mood to care of the small hill of black iron in front of them.
At the same time when Sera was coming toward him, Alex finally stepped into the core zone; an epic battle was about to take place.
Chapter 324 - 317: Assault On The Mine 3
While Sera was rushing toward Alex, the latter had just stepped inside the core zone of the mine; he saw a big man sitting on his chair.
This man glared at Alex before asking.
''How are you able to come here?"
Alex's face remained cold, ''I just walked in. My turn to ask a question?"
''Have you seen a red-haired girl? She is 14 years old. I know she is not here. However, I want to know if you have seen her.''
While questioning the man, Alex kept looking at the man's face.
The man's face changed for a split second; he thought he had concealed it. However, Alex could detect it, and he concluded that the man must know something; he has to make him spill everything he knows.
''Never heard of her. Kiddo, you have some guts to dare to question me. I will have you pay the price for your insolence. Men, destroy him.''
At the man's command, five tattooed men surrounded Alex. The five men were around Level 64.
Before the man could make a move, they froze on the spot. Alex's aura was too strong for them; their bodies refused to listen to their command due to the extreme fear.
Alex moved; the five were unable to see the movement of his hand; they were unable to follow because it was too fast.
'Fast'
That was the five men's last thought before they left this world. Five White Betties pierced through their head, previously when Alex moved his hands, he had launched these five knives.
Only the big man, the leader, could follow Alex's hand's movement; he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, thinking that Alex would not be easy to handle because the latter possessed more speed than him.
While the man was thinking this, Alex, who just eliminated five men, didn't wait for a second before vanishing; the next moment, he was already before the big man.
Alex threw a punch straight at the man's jaw; however, the man reacted faster. He also sent a punch toward Alex's jaw, aiming for mutual destruction.
Seeing this, Alex was forced to shift his hand; he blocked the man punch with his own.
Bang!
Both Alex and the man were pushed back; the latter destroyed the chair he was using.
For a second, nobody said anything; the two stared at each other before grinning simultaneously, then they're disappeared at the same time, and when they had reappeared, they were two meters above the ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
As if they both got possessed, they went mad and started to punch each other, not caring for anything else.
After venting enough, the two separated from each other and looked at the destruction they created, the area where they fought became broader.
Looking at his reddened fists, the big man praised Alex.
''Not bad.''
''I can say the same thing to you,'' Alex replied while secretly rubbing his hands.
Suddenly, his expression changed, ten men appeared and at the same time, the big man finally showed his Gift, it was red gauntlets.
The ten men that appeared were strong, powerful; the weakest was Rank 8 while the strongest Rank 10, close to Rank 10.
Alex's expression did not change even when surrounded by such strong people, he had faith in himself, and more importantly, he detected a blue dot was coming in their direction. Alex could speculate the other party's identity; without a doubt, it was Sera; with someone strong as Sera, Alex had nothing to fear.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Alex dodged two chakrams thrown at him; at the same time, he did a backflip to dodge the second attacker's sword. Before landing, Alex threw five knives at the incoming men on his right; the three men were forced to stop to defend against Alex's knives momentarily; using this opportunity, Alex landed before slashing at his right.
Clangs!
The previous swordsman who attacked Alex switched to a defensive stance; Alex's knife clashed against the man's sword, the force behind the strike pushed the man couple of steps back.
Razor still inside Alex's hand, he summoned Silveria and aimed at his back and shoot.
BANG!!!
Only one sound was heard; however, three came out of the silver gun; the man, the Rank 8 (the weakest among the Rank 8), who was planning to sneak attack on Alex, tried defending against Alex's attack, unfortunately for him. At the same time, he managed to stop the first bullet; the second bullet struck his thigh, while the last bullet pierced through his brain because he was kneeling after the second bullet injured his right thigh.
The big man stood aside and watched Alex fight; he didn't show emotion when one of his subordinates died; to him, they are disposable, he was using them to wear Alex done as he knew if the two were to fight, Alex will dominate him, it was to the conclusion he came after exchanging few moves with Alex, he was Rank 10, yet he couldn't win in the contest of brute strength against Alex.
Two swordsmen launched themselves at Alex from different angles; to them, it was almost impossible for Alex to defend against their joints attack.
Alex grinned and let the men come closer before unleashing Xerox; the apparition of a second gun surprised the men, which made them momentarily pause; it was all he took for Alex to seal the men's fate.
[Flame Bullet!!]
Somehow, Alex was able to shoot two flame bullets with the two guns, normally, something that should have been impossible with the second gun created using Xerox; that was not the only strange thing; the flame bullets were covered in golden lightning, making them faster and unavailable at close range.
Two holes the size of a baby fist appeared where the men's heart was, one could see the scene behind them, the two didn't even know that they were dead yet, they advanced a couple of steps forward before their bodies fall into the ground.
The remaining men, their leader, and even Sera, who just arrived, gaped at the sight; they couldn't believe what they saw, especially Sera; she knew Alex had mean to use magic through his special bullets. However, it was her first time seeing him combine two magic.
It was two elements that combined to form Alex's bullet.
Alex ignored everyone's reaction and silently looked at the guns inside his hands; even he was surprised when he was ordering Silveria to fire two flame bullets, it never comes to him that lighting would get mixed in, making the destructive bullet more deadly.
'Let's slowly find out what is happening later.' Alex decided before secretly winking at Sera; the latter understood what he was saying, so she moved.
Before Alex could use Shadow shift, he was surprised to find Sera behind him; no, she appeared from Alex's shadow. Alex had never heard of such skill; if Leon were present, he would have remembered this skill; it was the same skill [Shadow Leap], Sera used to let him leave for the next floor.
''I will let you take care of the remaining men. I will take care of their leader.'' Alex said he didn't want Sera's answer before vanishing.
Sera nodded her head before unsheathing her two daggers before vanishing from the seven men's sight; only the three Rank 9 could fight her; the remaining four quickly lost their lives.
''Darkness Rise.''
Sera unleashed her domain; unfortunately, one among the three Rank 9 happen to possess the counter against Sera's domain.
The man unleashed his fire domain, black and red clashed; at first, the black almost swallowed the red; however, soon, it got pushed back.
It was at that moment, the other two tried to join the fight, but to their utter dismay, their comrade, who was perfectly fine a moment ago, was now puking litter of blood, black blood.
Like a phantom, Sera could be seen behind the man; she retrieved the dagger she used to pierce through the man's heart from behind.
The Sera, who was standing not too far from the remaining two Rank 9, suddenly faded; it was then the men understood that they got played; Sera had left a shadow clone there to appear behind the man with the fire domain sneakily, this man represented a great threat. Therefore, he needs to be removed, and as a top assassin, Sera had numerous ways to take care of him.
''She is an assassin, a top-level assassin. Never let her leave your sight.''
The leader of the men occupying the mine shouted at his remaining men as he was the first to identify Sera's class after seeing what happened.
At their leader's warning, the two Rank 9 became vigilant; they didn't immediately engage Sera; they make sure always to have her within their sights.
Alex smiled after seeing Sera still composed after the leader's warning; he could focus on his fight; he must make this man spill was he knows, and the best way to do this was to defeat the man, to trample him, to make him afraid of him.
Heterochromia eyes clashed with light red eyes.
''Shall we begin?''
Chapter 325 - 318: The Conclusion
Heterochromia eyes clashed with light red eyes.
''Shall we begin?''
The big man nodded his head before introducing himself.
''I'm Byron. Remember, this is the name of the man that is going to crush your head.''
After his introduction, Byron dashed toward Alex at astonishing speed; he threw a punch straight toward Alex's face.
Alex sidestepped to the right to avoid Byron's punch; he counterattacked with a leg kick.
Byron was forced to retreat; Alex attacked him by shooting normal bullets at him; however, Byron was able to deflect the bullets using the blunt surface of his red gauntlets.
[Flaming God's Fist!]
At the same time that Byron shouted the name of his skill, a gigantic fist made of fire was shoot toward Alex; the speed of this flaming fist wasn't less than that of his normal bullet.
Alex didn't panic; he aimed Silveria at the incoming fist and fired a Dispel bullet at the flaming fist to reduce its attack power before finishing it with a Water bullet. [A/N: He acquired these bullets when exploring dungeons after killing some rare species of Water monkey.]
Alex knew that Byron's Flaming God's Fist was just an illusion to keep him occupied. As expected, when Alex was dealing with the flaming God's fist, Byron disappeared to reappear, twelve meters away from Alex's back; his eyes were vicious; in this attack, if Alex did not die, at least, he would be half dead. It was what Byron believes.
[God's Fury!]
More than fifty flames red punches were sent toward Alex. As if he was waiting for this, Alex spun around and faced the incoming fists; Byron was surprised by this sudden action; his surprise didn't end there because suddenly, Alex's right eye glowed, this sent chill running down Byron's spine, he momentarily paused. By the time he comes back to himself, Alex was shouting.
[Erase]
BANG!
Byron got the scare of his life; under his astonished eyes, his God's Fury disappeared after Alex's bullet struck the core zone of God's Fury skill, the small red fist mixed among the other fists. Alex had used his right eye to locate where the God's Fury was more vulnerable, to put the skill weakness.
''Monster!"
It was the only word that came out from Byron's mouth after seeing that Alex could erase skill.
''Thank you."
Alex had flashed next to Byron and said before clenching his fists together.
''Deluge of Normal punches!"
It was Alex's turn to send more than twenty punches.
Even though he was surprised by what Alex could do, Byron was still a Rank 10; he reacted faster to Alex's punches, he crossed his arms to protect his head.
Bang! Bang!!!
Byron was pushed back, Alex's punches, although not powerful as his punch when he wore his Gift, Byron was still hurt.
Feeling an extreme danger, Byron punched the air in front of him; flaming red shield was created. The reason why Byron did this was because he thought maybe Alex was using his strange Gift on him.
[Shadow Shift]
Alex used Shadow shift on Byron, and at the same time, he aimed Silveria toward his previous location.
[Phantom Bullet]
Byron couldn't defend in time; his right leg was blown away.
''Gaha!"
Byron hadn't finished crying of pain before the next attack was already upon him. He could not see the incoming bullet; he just relied on his instinct to avoid a fatal strike; even so, a hole of the size of an adult thumb appeared on Byron's right shoulder.
Possessing only one leg, Byron couldn't keep standing any longer, so he fell to the ground.
Alex appeared above Byron with his leg raised high; if this kick were to connect, Byron couldn't say for sure if he wouldn't be knocked out, so even while fighting against the intense pain, he rolled to the opposite side to dodge Alex's kick.
Alex was surprised that the half-crippled man could still move at this stage.
At the same time, Byron recalled the last conversation with their mysterious backer; the latter had suggested that he must take their god's blessing (a black silkworm). Byron knows what would happen if he takes that thing; it was the same thing they used to experiment on the boys; it was a failure. Truth be told, he didn't wish to take this black silkworm; however, he didn't really have the choice; if he doesn't, he will die, so, Byron took a gamble, he brought the black silkworm from his storage ring and swallowed it, everything happened in an instant, Alex didn't even notice anything.
The moment Byron swallowed that black silkworm, his heart stopped momentarily beating before it started beating again, this time much louder, louder enough for Alex, who was preparing to deal with Byron heard it.
Ba-dump! Ba-dump!!
Silveria was the first to notice the abnormally; therefore, she shouted to warn her Master.
〖No good master, kill him before he can transform.〗
Byron had started to transform; his skin started turning dark, numerous blood vessels appeared all over his body; they were wiggling like worms.
Alex didn't hesitate for a second; he aimed Silveria toward the man's head and fired a Phantom bullet; however, something astonishing happened; the transforming Byron caught the invisible bullet within his fingers for a moment before tossing it aside.
''No way!" Alex exclaimed aloud; if his jaws could hit the ground, Alex was sure it would have happened because never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that they exist someone capable of catching an invisible bullet with two fingers.
''Guga, gugiah!"
By now, Byron doesn't look like a human anymore; his weight had increased, he became three meters tall, his missing leg reappeared, his beautiful light red eyes were gone, replaced with dark eyes, there was a horn protruding from his forehead. Byron's Gift seemed to have mixed with his black skin; instead of gauntlets, Byron possessed a deadly sharp claw.
The next moment after his transformation was done, the black Byron disappeared to reappear before Alex. Alex was attacked before he could properly defend himself.
Boom!
''Guh!"
Alex found himself embedded on the other side of the core room; his arm was bent at an odd angle.
Bang! Crack!
Alex dodged the black Byron claw that was coming toward his head; at the same time, using his undamaged hand, he shoots an Ice bullet at the black Byron.
The latter got pushed back; he didn't continue to attack Alex; he spun around to defend against an attack; it was Sera who came at Alex's rescue.
While the black Byron and Sera were fighting, Alex used this opportunity to take care of his broken arm; thanks to his High Regeneration skill, his arm got rapidly healed.
Alex was furious because with Byron turning into this, he couldn't collect any information about where his sister could be detained.
''No good"
Alex shouted; Sera had been cornered, she was about to get injured, it wouldn't be a light injury.
Knowing that he must do something, Alex ordered his right eye to move; he hoped to use his time ability to delay the black Byron sharp claw; however, he failed miserably; the claw was almost touching Sera, who was doing her best to twist her body; however, she couldn't do to the limited space and the black Byron snake-like tail.
Alex roared inside his mind; he then poured MP into his right eye; this time, it worked, its right eye shined blue, and the black Byron's claw stopped a centimeter away from Sera's chest; the latter used this chance to slip away.
Sera looked at Alex after successfully avoiding that deadly strike; she was him with a pale face; however, he was smiling.
Without wasting time, Alex took out a Mana recovery potion and drunk it.
BANG BANG BANG!
Alex shooted three types of special bullets toward the black Byron, Water, Fire, and Ice.
A blue bullet was created after the three bullets merged.
Alex and Sera were sure that this bullet would have done some damage to the monster's body; however, before the bullet could get close to the black Byron, the latter opened his mouth to emit a sharp screech.
''Screeeeech!"
Alex and Sera were forced to close their ears; they were surprised to see the special blue bullet stopping and getting erasing by the vibrations produced by the black Byron screech.
Gritting her teeth, Sera used her special ability.
[Dimensional Slash]
Sera's black sword disappeared, she aimed the sword at the black Byron's heart; unexpectedly, he was the dodge the blow at the last minute; he only got a small injury, his heart was intact.
Sera was surprised by this; however, she was more surprised when she saw Alex ready to execute his next attack as if he knew she would fail.
[Crimson Bullet]
From the silver gun, a Crimson Bullet burst out and tore through the air; the black Byron couldn't move as the crimson bullet devoured half of his body before creating a large hole in the mine until the other side of the mountain became visible.
In his last moment, the black Byron regained consciousness and mumbled.
''C-Charles!"
Chapter 326 - 319: A Short Exchange
After Alex killed Byron, he heaved a long sigh.
As if she could read Alex's mind, Sera said.
''Don't worry, we will find her, and she will be perfectly fine.''
''I hope so. How are the children you have been rescued?" Alex asked while looking at Sera's disposing of the bodies.
''We only found the girls; the boys are nowhere to be found. I guess they have been disposed of after the failed experiment.'' Sera answered.
''I see. Let's go back; I don't want to waste time here.'' Alex said while secretly winking at Sera; the latter nodded.
''Okay.''
The two left the room.
Fifteen minutes went by in a flash, and finally, that shadow who talked with Byron, the one behind what was happening, appeared after waiting and checking if Alex and Sera had left for good.
''Sigh! Such a failure. I must go and retrieve that stone before leaving; who knows when those two would come back.''
When the shadow wanted to turn around and left, he stopped in his track because Alex would have left appeared; the shadow couldn't even detect his presence.
''Please stay. I have what you want. Isn't it this stone you are talking about?" Alex asked while playing with a black stone the size of an adult's fist.
The shadow almost shouted, 'How were you able to remain undetected. My senses were active all the time.', however, the man knows that Alex would not answer him even if he were to ask, and importantly he must acquire what is in Alex's hand; it was the stone he was after, it was truly invaluable for them.
''Give me the stone, and I will tell where your sister is.'' the shadow said; he tried searching for Sera. Still, he couldn't find her, so he concluded that she was gone, only Alex remained because of his special ability to hide his presence; it never came to him that he could also use on others besides himself.
''Give me something first, or do you take me for ten years, a child who knows nothing about how the world works?" Alex asked, eyes filled with killing intent.
The shadow chuckled before suddenly emitting an intense pressure; he intended to crush Alex and snatch the black stone. Unfortunately, it didn't work.
''You know you may be Rank 10, but I can easily crush as one crush an ant.''
Facing the man's provocation, Alex was unfazed.
''If you can, you would have done that a long ago. Just start talking. Are you making a deal or not? I have shown you what you want. It is your turn to begin.'' Alex said.
The man hiding his features inside a black shadow became furious; he decided to teach Alex a lesson, so he disappeared.
At the same time, Alex murmured to himself, ''It's time.''
Just as the man was about to arrive behind Alex, he sensed an extreme danger, so he shifted his body to the right to dodge Sera's dimensional slash; it was a close call, even though he managed to dodge, he still received an injury.
Thanks to Sera's intervention, Alex could locate the man, so he jumped back, and while letting his body fall toward the ground, Alex aimed Silveria at where he sensed the man and fired.
[Erase!]
BANG!
The silver bullet tore through the air and struck the man in the chest; time seemed to have stopped.
The man coughed blood and was sent flying; his features became visible because the silver bullet erased the man's magic.
He was dressed in all black, white hair and eerie red eyes; the man glared at Alex and Sera; the latter just joined him.
''Good, very good. You two got me good. I will slaughter all your family before-"
Before the man could finish threatening Alex, he stopped to cross his arms to block Alex's incoming kick; the man was secretly grinning as he had managed to enrage Alex, making him come at him.
Just as Alex's dreadful kick was about to connect with the man's arms, bones spikes protruded from the arms. The man was sure that Alex would be injured for sure, yet what happened exceeded the man's expectation; green light appeared around Alex's feet at the last moment.
Fwoosh!
The speed of his kick got doubled.
Bang! Crack!
The strong force of Alex's kick broke the man's bones spikes, one of his arms smacked the man across the cheek, sending him spiraling across the air like twirling ballerinas.
[Crimson Bullet]
Without hesitation, Alex used his strongest attack; he knew he was weaker than the man, even Sera was not sure to win; therefore, Alex planned to seriously injure the man before interrogating him on his sister's whereabouts.
The man who was sent flying had a bad feeling. Or maybe that should be called conviction. He felt a chill as if the hair on his back stood on end; he knew he must never let this bullet clash with his body or else there would be a severe consequence.
The man roared before taking out an oversized black tortoiseshell; it was the shell of an S Rank Water turtle dragon he had slain back in his heyday when he was still an adventurer.
[Absolute Defense]
The man added his skill on top of the tortoiseshell; black light covered the tortoiseshell; all of this was done in an instant, taking out the shell, adding his skill on top of it, it was done less than a minute.
Then Alex's crimson bullet collided with the reenforced black shell.
Kaboom!
At first, the reinforced black shell was able to stop the crimson bullet; however, it was only momentarily. As if the bullet had a mind on its own and refused to lose, the crimson bullet drained more MP from Alex, something that never occurred before, and fueled itself to become stronger.
Crack! Boom!
The reinforced black shell was broken; the S Rank Water turtle dragon shell said to be unrivaled in defense couldn't stop the crimson bullet.
Both Alex and the man got sent flying in opposite directions due to the shockwave produced when the crimson bullet destroyed the shell; the whole mine trembled as if it was about to fall.
Sera choose this time to move; she disappeared to reappear just below the man; she launched a deadly strike that would take the man's life by crushing his heart; however, even with his back facing Sera, the man still managed to block Sera's sword with his red sword that appeared behind him at the last moment, the man had never forgotten about Sera, he knew she was waiting for a chance, the perfect chance to deal a deadly blow, it was an assassin's instincts. Therefore the man was prepared.
Clangs!
Sera also showed no sign of panic after her perfect sneak attack was blocked; she wouldn't be called the best assassin if this could make her lose her cool.
In the split second that her sword got blocked, Sera switched her method of attack; she pointed her index at the man's chest and said.
[Dimensional Slash]
The man got the fright of his life, he hastily shouted.
''Transform and Devour, Lüge.''
The man's Gift was transformed into a small red snake that tried to bit off Sera's finger; she quickly closed her hand to dodge the snake attack, at the same time she grinned, using her knee she kicked sword toward the man's crotch after canceling her fake finger Dimensional Slash.
The man shifted his body, but he was slightly injured around his right thigh. The two used this opportunity to put some distance between them.
[Fire bullet]
The man didn't have the time to breathe before Alex's next attack was launched; furious, the man punched the air, a giant snake appeared and swallowed the incoming bullet. At the same time, Sera used the last of her energy to launch another Dimensional Slash.
While defending against Sera's spatial skill, Alex sneaked behind the man and slashed at him; although the man dodged Alex's knife, Reaper still managed to slice the man's left arm.
''Ugh!''
The man gritted his teeth; he tried to use his shadow skill to vanish; however, Alex made a last attempt. When the man glared at him after cutting off his left arm, Alex used his right eye, the death's eye, on the man; the man became momentarily dazed; using this opportunity, Alex and Sera tried to catch the man.
However, before they could get close, the man crushed his own eyes with his remaining arm. It was Alex and Sera's turn to be dazed.
Like a vengeful spirit, the man bellowed.
''I shall remember today's offense.''
He then disappeared from the room.
Alex couldn't catch him, neither could Sera do anything; they were exhausted; this battle was no easy; they sat on the ground and looked at each other before sighing.
''Shit! We still failed.'' Alex said, his voice was full of regret.
''Don't be hard on yourself. We may have failed, but we got something. This man seemed to know something, and we got an arm.'' Sera joked; however, Alex knew that she must have a way because when she talked about having got an arm, she smiled.
''Yeah, that's true.''
While saying this, Alex stored the man's left arm inside his storage.
Chapter 327 - 320: Taking Care Of Charles
After taking a short rest, Alex and Sera moved toward Luna's location. Luna was waiting for their arrival, and when she saw them, she heaved a sigh of relief.
''Welcome back; I have taken care of the girls. They are sleeping. I have used the communication stone to ask for assistance. Shortly some people will come to help us.''
Just as she was finishing her explanation, a group of five people appeared. It was two men and three women; they are the ones Luna was talking about.
''Greetings! We come to help.''
The leader of the five men said. She was in middle twenty, with light purple hair and brown eyes. Alex nodded his head and indicated that they should proceed.
After watching the group put the girls inside a carriage they have brought, Alex, Luna, and Sera departed toward Lorr.
Five hours later, the group arrived at Lorr. They were welcomed by the villagers, eager to see if their children were among the rescued. Soon, it became chaotic; some were laughing as they finally reunited with their missing child after few days; at the same time, some were crying because their children did not make it.
What was strange was that Charles was nowhere to be seen; only his daughter was present.
After asking around, Alex found out that Charles used the excuse of taking care of the runaways bandits to leave town. Nobody found this odd; however, Alex's hypothesis comes true, Charles was the traitor.
''I will let you take care of troubles here. As for me, I will go after Charles.''
Alex instructed before disappearing. After calming down the crowd, Luna, with Sera's help, drove the carriage toward the villager's chief house.
Sakuya had left for the capital, it seemed that Leonardo went missing.
•••••
At the same time, five kilometers from Lorr, a carriage could be seen running on the paved road at a fast speed.
''Move at fast speed. We must leave the region of Lorr before dawn.''
Charles sitting comfortably inside the carriage was shouting at the coachman; the latter kept striking the horses to move faster.
Surrounding Charles were three guards and his wife, his new wife. Cecyl lost her mother at birth.
''Honey, why the hurry. We should have waited and enjoyed our lives.'' the woman with heavy makeup said.
''Shut up, Britney. We must leave asap. Trouble is coming. I should have left before they showed up. I never expected them to be that strong. I would be asking for my death if I were to stay.'' Charles bellowed.
Britney was forced to close her mouth because rarely Charles behaved like this. So, this means there must be some urgency for him to talk like this.
As the group continued moving forward at fast speed, there was a big explosion; Charles knew trouble had come.
''I'm pretty disappointed, Villager chief Charles. Where are you going so late?"
Alex, who stopped the advancing carriage, asked, instead of responding to Alex, Charles send two of his guards. Those guards were Rank 8; the remaining guard was the strongest, a Rank 9. Charles had hoped that his two guards could delay Alex enough for him to escape; unfortunately, the two guards were instantly killed as they tried to take Alex's life with destructive strikes.
After taking care of the two guards and knocking out the coachman, Alex walked toward the carriage slowly.
Bang!
The carriage's door exploded, and a big man came from inside it; this man held a spear, the man jumped out of the carriage and thrust his spear forward; it was a magic spear.
In a single thrust, five fire arrows were shot at Alex.
Alex did not use Silveria; using Sleipnir's unique ability on the white Bettie's, he threw them toward the incoming fire arrows, five white Bettie's covered in green light cut into two the five flame arrows.
''What?"
The big man was shocked, he couldn't believe what he was seeing, and it was already too late when he noticed Alex, he couldn't react as Alex's punch landed on his nose, it was broken, and the man was sent flying.
Alex accel-ed to reappear above the man and kicked the man towards the ground; Sleipnir's special ability strengthened Alex's leg.
Boom!
An enormous crater appeared on the ground not too far from the paved road; the big man could be seen embedded inside this crater; he was foaming, his arms were bent in odd angles, one of his legs was broken. His heart was crushed; he was dead.
Charles, who was watching from behind his carriage, couldn't believe what was happening, even Rank 9 couldn't last two breaths against Alex, he knew he was finished, he is not strong, only Rank 6, even if he were to try to run, there was no way he could outrun Alex who was probably a Rank 10.
'I must escape at all cost.'
Charles shouted inside his mind before glancing at the unconscious Britney; then, an idea came to him. Charles remembered the grief on Alex's face when they were walking around in the village; he must be compassionate; he couldn't let him harm an innocent; if Charles uses Britney, he might be able to escape. So, Charles held Britney by the neck, he put a little bit of pressure on her windpipe, a little bit of pressure, and he would be crushing it.
''Do not come any closer; lets me go. I know nothing, I want to live a happy life, and I need money. Let's me go; if not, I will kill her, and I know you won't want this.''
Alex, who was walking toward Charles stopped, Charles thought that he won. However, Alex's following words crushed all his hopes.
[Shadow Shift]
Surprisingly, Charles found himself standing where Alex was; as for Alex, he reappeared in his place; he was holding Britney.
Charles froze; his body started to tremble under that heterochromia eyes; he even peed himself.
Swoosh!
''Aahhhhhhhhh!"
Alex cut off the hand Charles used to try to crush Britney's throat.
''My hand, Ahhhh~ my hand. Fuck y-"
Slap!
Alex slapped Charles flying; he reappeared behind him and held him up by the neck.
''Cough! Cough! P, please stop. It hurts; I don't know anything, I swear, I don't know where your sister is. I never saw them. We communicate through communication stone. Ah! Ah! Please spare me.''
Alex didn't believe him; it was a time like this. He regrets that his right eye couldn't be used to read memories; if he could, he wouldn't waste his time doing this. Just as Alex was getting angry, he heard Silveria's voice.
〖Master, he is telling the truth; he didn't know anything, just a worthless pawn.〗
''Pl please sp-"
Crack!
Alex broke Charles's neck without hesitation; he, heed his body aside.
Alex left after waking up the coachman and told him to take care of Britney.
Chapter 328 - 321: Shadow Wolf
It was late in the evening when Alex returned, Luna and Cecyl welcomed him.
''Mr. Alexander, where is my father?"
Cecyl asked with a heavy expression on her face; Alex only said one word.
''Dead.''
''Luna, let's go. Where is Sera? What is she doing?" Alex asked Luna.
Cecyl froze on the spot; a single tear escaped from her eyes; Luna and Sera had talked to her about what her father did, her father colluded with the bandits, he accepted money from the other party, in return he let them kidnap and experiment on the people he should be protecting when everything went south, he fled and left her behind. Although her father was rotten, he was still her father after all, and learning that he was dead, Cecyl couldn't help but get emotional. He couldn't blame Alex for what he had done. Cecyl is a pretty smart girl; if Alex did not kill her father, the dark guild will, however, it would be too cruel, too vicious, he would go through hell before dying. So, it could be said that Alex killing Charles could be considered as a favor; at least he got an honorable death instead of going through the dark guild gruesome death.
''Sigh! I must persevere. I will take care of the village until a good villager chief come. I will use this opportunity to correct your wrongdoings.'' Cecyl vowed.
Unknown to her, Luna and Alex were watching her from afar, and when they heard Cecyl says that, they smiled before they went to join Sera, the latter was speaking with someone via transmission stone.
''Okay, understood, Leader. Tomorrow, a shall bring a Shadow wolf to your location.''
The person on the other side said it was a woman's voice.
''Thanks, 88,'' Sera said before cutting off the communication; she turned around and faced Alex and Luna.
''With the help of a Shadow wolf, we might be able to locate that man's base, and with a bit of luck, Gracier may be detained at the same place,'' Sera explained before adding as she could see the confusion on the two faces when she talked about Shadow wolf.
''Shadow wolf is a special monster with the ability to locate anything it smells radius two hundred kilometers. It is an extremely rare monster; they are almost extinct, only a few organizations have one.''
''I see. Let's rest early; tomorrow might be a busy day.'' Alex said before excusing himself from the girls' room.
After closing the door, Alex leaned against the wall and muttered.
''Alexandra, please be safe.''
〖Sorry, Master, to be this useless. My senses couldn't cover a large area, so I can't help you. I have tried to get in touch with Ignia, but it isn't working. She seemed to have been isolated by something; I don't know what.〗Silveria explained, even though she wished to help, there was nothing she can do, all methods she used didn't work, she scanned the whole region, an area of hundred kilometers, but she didn't find anything.
''Don't worry. I will find her, and I swear to obliterates whoever is behind this. If it's an organization, I will erase it. The world we will know that touching a Touch is like wishing for the Death god to visit your family.''
Alex's voice was cold; his eyes were devoid of emotions. Silveria sighed while Nyx, who was still chained against the black throne, smiled.
•••••
Late in the night, in an unknown location, deep underground was a laboratory.
The man Alex and Sera fought against and crippled one his arms appeared.
''Shit, shit!!! I swear I will kill him.''
''Shut up, idiot. You fail such a simple mission. Didn't I tell you not to fight him yet?" Maddog chided the man with one arm.
''Tch!"
The latter clicked his tongue in annoyance; however, when he was about to say something, the man with golden hair and eyes appeared.
''Leader.'' the man with one arm bowed respectfully.
''So, you lost? And I guess you didn't manage to get that stone either?" The man asked; his golden eyes glared at the one-armed man; the latter almost kneeled; the pressure he was feeling was no joke; he didn't dare to look at his leader in the face.
''L- Leader, give me another chance. I promise you I will not fail. I-"
The one-armed man abruptly stopped talking and looked down, where his heart should be; there was a huge hole there; his heart was missing. This hole was so big that Maddog, who was behind him, could be seen.
The man with golden eyes crushed the heart he was holding; simultaneously, the one-armed man falls to the ground. He had lost his life.
''Why did you do that? Do you think Rank 12 is cabbage? That we have a lot of them?" Maddog was furious; the man indeed failed in his task, but this is not a reason to eliminate him; he could still be used.
''Calm down. I have my reason for doing this. This fool could have lived a little longer if he didn't come back here right way.'' the man with golden eyes sat comfortably; the presence of a corpse did not seem to bother him much.
''Do explain,'' Maddog asked, intrigued.
''You see. I'm hundred percent sure that the arm he lost will be used to track us. Even though we were to send him away, the Shadow wolves can still find this location because it was the first location that an idiot came after escaping, so I have to kill him. Let's not waste time; we will move to another location and start the extraction.'' the man with golden eyes declared while standing up.
''I thought we would have to wait a few more days; I'm still analyzing her blood. Well, I can still do it even after she lost one eye. Hehehe! Soon, it will be completed.''
The man with golden eyes stopped and looked strangely at the mad scientist and shook his head.
'A madman.'
''Oh? I guess we should let our future guess some kind of present. Don't you agree with me?" The man with golden eyes suddenly asked.
''Hehehe! I got you. Leave it to me.'' Maddog said before moving toward Gracier's cell.
Chapter 329 - 322: The Underground Cave
The following day, Alex's group could be spotted outside of Lorr; Cecyl and some villagers came to see Alex's group off.
''Take care, please come back once you find your sister; I promise you that this village will be lively.''
Cecyl declared with determination; this is a vow, not only to Alex's group but also to herself, a reminder that she must not fail. Lorr is slowly regaining its color, but it was still far from what it used to be. Without a doubt, it will take some time; however, Cecyl was sure that Lorr would shine brighter than it used to; at least she would make sure of it; it was her duty. Something she must do to repair all suffering her father brought.
''Don't worry, we will come back. So, better be healthy; we don't want to come and see an exhausted villager chief. Well, take care, we will be on our way.''
Alex responded before waving at the villagers as they boarded the carriage.
''Goodbye, Heroes, may the Gods bless you!!"
The villagers kept shouting until Alex's carriage left their sights; giving one last glance at the carriage, which had already disappeared from their sights, Cecyl and the villagers returned to Lorr.
On the other side, Alex's carriage continued speeding through the paved road; it only stopped after ten kilometers.
In front of Alex's carriage was a group of people; behind them were two black wolves darker than night itself; their height was around 1.5 meters.
Alex, Luna, and Sera left the carriage; after paying the coachman, Alex sent him away.
Sera approached the group; they immediately bowed respectfully.
''90, pay respects to Zero.''
''88, pay respects to Zero.''
"77, pay respects to Zero.''
''5-"
''Enough, you may rise.'' Sera was getting annoyed; therefore, she stopped the fourth person.
''88, report.''
At Sera's order, 88 came forward; she started to report.
''On the other two groups' side, nothing was found. The leader said to assist you.''
''I see; however, your assistance is not required here. Depart to Lorr assist the new head. She'll need your help.'' Sera ordered, she didn't wish for their assistance; they have something more important to do, which is to assist Cecyl. She said assist by Alex knew that there's more than that.
Eighty-eight bowed before disappearing with the others. After caressing the Shadow wolves, Sera turned her head in Alex's direction; she sensed the latter gaze.
''What?"
''I know that your Guild and the Dark guild don't like each other. So, what are planning to let your men be stationed in one of Dark guild's bastion? Are you asking for a war between guilds?"
Luna was also curious about why Sera would send her subordinates to Lorr, knowing that The dark guild in the dark owned Lorr; it's not like the empire was no aware of this, but they choose deliberately to put the blind eye as they also gain considerably from this.
''Well, Cecyl asked for my assistance, and I have agreed. I'm just fulfilling her request. Besides, I'm not anymore tied to the guild, I have a new employer, so I ought to take into account what is good for my employer.'' Sera responded with a smile.
''Ugh!"
Alex grunted while Luna looked at Alex questioningly; she was curious about what Sera meant by a new employer; it didn't take her too long to connect the dots.
''No way. Are you planning to snatch that guild master's most powerful subordinate? What are you thinking?"
Luna questioned Alex after she understood what Sera meant.
Alex scratched his nose and explained.
''Don't worry, Elseria knows, and she's okay with this. I will explain to you later; for now, we have more things to accomplish. Let's start.''
''I see. You better explain to me later. Let's start.'' Luna said before moving toward Sera, who was letting the Shadow wolves sniff of the man's arm.
Soon, the Shadow wolves' eyes turned red before they returned to their usual black color. The shadow wolves sniffed the air, trying to find the appropriate location the smell was coming from, and soon they found it, so they dashed toward that location.
''Don't mind me. I can keep up.''
Before Alex could say anything, Luna told them. A white light covered Luna's body before she sprinted forward, going after the Shadow wolves.
Alex and Sera exchanged glances between both disappeared.
The trio chased after the two shadow wolves who went north. Soon, the group had traveled seventy kilometers; they have left the coastal region far behind, they were now in the middle of mountains.
They traveled for another forty kilometers before the shadow wolves stopped around a small mountain, they started howling.
''It seems it's here.'' Sera stopped and approached the shadow wolves; she calmed them and said.
Alex and Luna scanned the small mountain; at first, nothing unusual were found, however as they kept scanning, the two found some anomalies.
After finally finding an entrance, Alex used vanishing bullets on the group to hide their presence as they entered the dark cave.
{A/N: Vanishing Bullet: Remove presence. The effect is dispelled upon taking any damage.
Cost: 200 MP
Duration: 3 minutes}
It was an underground cave; as the group descended, they didn't encounter anything. Alex started to feel reckless; he hoped to find his sister here; however, now he started to lose hope because of how things are going; the ones responsible for the kidnapping were already aware that they would come.
''I don't like it.''
Luna said while looking around her; only darkness and eerie silence welcomed her sight.
Sera did not say anything, nor Alex talked; they continued to run deeper into the underground cave. Soon, they appeared in what seemed to be a laboratory; everything was destroyed.
Laying in the middle of this room was a corpse missing an arm.
''Sigh! As I have feared, they knew we were coming. To think Rank 12 would be killed with hesitation, his heart was crushed. How cruel.''
Sera commented as she observed the corpse lying on the ground.