Chapter 226 The Destroyer [Pt 1]
"Haaa… haaa…"
Blood. Gore. Brutalized human meat that felt downright despicable.
… It felt wrong.
As Asher heaved heavy sighs, his eyes occupied with the several blurs of red that danced in his eyes, he tried his best to find survivors.
There were none.
Everyone in the burning building had been cooked to an overwhelmingly fine degree. Some had whole bodies, and some had chopped-up ones.
In the end, they were made equal in death.
Asher struggled to make it through the flames, thanking his Enchanted Cloak for the heat resistance and durability additions that it provided.
If not for it, as well as his other Enchanted Items, he would have been cooked as well.
The central manor of the Jaune Councilor had several areas, but Asher was focused on only one.
The man—Lord Jaune's—office itself.
'There's not much use for a man who has lost his resources, but a Councilor is still a Councilor…'
With this line of thought, Asher navigated his way through the building's flames and made his way into the place.
Unfortunately for this, when he arrived in Lord Jaune's office…
"My God."
… The man's diced up flesh was arranged to form a corpse on the wall, and flames slowly burned through it.
An aroma of cooked meat filled the room, different from the choking and unbearable atmosphere outside.
Once Asher saw this, he knew he had struggled for nothing.
'He's dead.'
With the Councilor dead, there was no longer any need to be here.
'This merciless execution… it could have only been the Mercenary Gang.' Asher's suspicions were now confirmed.
Were they hired by Scylla and her forces? Have they completely gone over to their side?
As Asher had these thoughts, he moved closer to the corpse; perhaps to find a clue about what had happened before his arrival.
Then—
"I wasn't expecting any guests today…"
A voice appeared from behind Asher. However, the moment he turned to look, an explosion of flames rushed towards him.
It felt like a floodgate had been opened, and the overwhelming burst of fire charged in his direction.
~WHOOSH!~
Utilizing his Passive [Quick Casting] Skill and [Basic Elemental Affinity] Skills, he swiftly utilized Wind Magic to shroud himself and jump out of the building.
~BOOOOOOMMM!!!~
The fragile walls broke apart like cookies, and Asher was able to escape the wrath of flames that would have melted him down to his bones.
As the sparks of fire danced in the air, Asher swiftly used a Wind Spell to guarantee his safe landing.
Gusts of wind danced around him, lessening the impact he would have on the floor as he landed safely.
His eyes were on the floor above him, though—where he had jumped out of.
A certain man stood there, his body shrouded by flames so it was difficult to see.
However, before Asher could even respond, the man jumped from his heights to the ground.
~BOOM!~
The earth shattered as it welcomed his glorious landing, and his dark silhouette soon began to form the image of a man.
'T-this man…!'
The man wore a long hooded cloak, though his hood was brought down, revealing his face.
He wore no shirt, and he had black trousers under his cloak.
Markings—like crimson red tattoos—were drawn all over his body, and his spiky red hair gave him an air of intimidation.
He was well-built—with muscles that appeared perfectly toned.
He looked like he would be a great warrior, but thanks to the Magic display just now, it was clear he was also a Mage.
He had a few more markings on his face, marred by the maniacal grin he had on.
"You know who I am, kid?" He asked, his intimidating presence burning itself into Asher's mind.
Despite merely appearing to be in his thirties, the man was referring to Asher—who still had the form of Aldred—as a kid.
Could he see through his disguise? Or was he merely looking down on him?
Either way, Asher could not complain.
He could only respond.
"You're… Anukus… the Destroyer?"
Asher's body trembled as he watched the man's grin widen in delight.
'It really is him!'
Asher had only ever heard of him, but this was the very first time he would be seeing such a being in person.
Anukus was one of the Deadly Three; the strongest trio among the Nine Heads of Destruction.
He was called The Destroyer because everything about him was destruction personified.
His Skills, Class, and even his personality; they were all geared towards consuming his prey and tearing them apart.
'They say he has the strength of a Warrior and the skills of a Mage.' Asher gulped as he crouched a little.
There was no need to fight him.
"I apologize for intruding on your work. If you do not mind, I would like to be on my way."
Asher's eyes darted to the left and right as he searched for his subordinates.
Once he spotted them, he would give his signal, and they would all retreat as fast as they possibly could.
'We might lose some people, but I'll make sure as many members of the Group survive!'
The Members of the KariBlanc Group were what made up the group.
Without them, the leader was nothing.
That was one of the first lessons that his father taught him, and even till this moment, it remained an essential part of his life.
"I do mind, though. You are right in front of me now, so why don't I simply strike you down where you are?" Anukus shrugged.
It was clear that he simply desired bloodshed.
'I don't want to play this card, but it seems I have no choice…' Asher sighed internally.
"I am an important person from the KariBlnc Group, and Lord Blanc won't be pleased if he finds me missing or killed by the Mercenary Group."
"Hm…?" Anukus tilted his head, as if in slight confusion.
"You were contracted to eliminate the Jaune Group, so I understand that. But I do not think I was part of your execution contract. Making an independent action against me will have—"
"You said you're from the KariBlanc Group, right? Led by Blanc, who isn't in Scylla's New Order… right?"
The air suddenly grew heavy as Anukus asked the question.
Asher felt like any answer he gave at the moment would be wrong.
"It seems you don't know yet, so let me spell it out for you, kid." The man's grin widened, and his face seemed to morph into something ugly and malevolent.
"There is no contract, and there is no rule or code of conduct that stops me from eliminating you. The Mercenary Gang had allied itself with Scylla and her New Order, which means you lot are the enemy!"
Asher's heart began to beat rapidly. He had suspected this, but he always hoped it was just him overthinking.
'No… no! If that's the case, then…'
"Once we're done with Jaune and Verte, who do you think is next?!"
As Anukus raised an eyebrow and grinned intensely, Asher could feel a weight rest upon him.
"Your side is doomed already. You already lost!"
As those words echoed in his ears, Asher felt his heart sink.
This was indeed the worst case scenario.
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Chapter 227 The Destroyer [Pt 2]
"Hahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Laughter of chaos filled the air as Anukus stretched both hands out and grinned with utter malevolence.
"Look at your face… the despair written all over it!" He beamed at Asher's shocked expression.
It was comedy gold to him.
'Should I go a step further…?'
Anukus could see the man before him was on the verge of breaking down, so he opened his lips to say more.
"I wonder if you had any relations to the four men that went scouting around the compound."
The moment Asher heard this, his eyes widened and he looked at Anukus' face, hoping it was just a joke.
But, the face he saw on the man before him said all that he needed to hear.
'T-they're dead…?!'
"I butchered them up and roasted them really well. They had that particularly tender odor that only weaklings have."
As Anukus went into further detail about how they screamed and writhed in pain, Asher could not help but feel disgust.
Sure, he had done his fair share of interrogations.
He had also been involved in torturing enemies, as it came with Black Market territory, but it had never been to such a despicable extent.
And it wasn't like he boasted about his feat too.
In the end, torturing people was merely a means to an end. He only did it because of a particular benefit that the action would bring to the KariBlanc Group.
But this monster was different.
'He tortures because he truly enjoys it. He's not someone I can reason with.'
Now that all four members of his entourage were gone, there was no longer any need to remain.
'I have to run!'
He had to hurry and inform his father of the terrible news that had befallen the Criminal Underworld.
"You're thinking of escaping? Don't bother. The moment you turn your back against me is the moment you die."
Asher didn't think the man was joking based on his tone.
'Damnit… what should I do?!'
He had tons of Enchanted Items, but he had his 'Equip Limit', and even if he was armed to the teeth, Asher doubted he stood a chance against someone who was famed to have killed a Dragon.
'Is there no way to escape? Any way at a—?'
As Asher was about to complete his thought, a certain sound echoed from his trouser pocket.
It was the Communication Device that connected directly to his father.
'This wasn't the agreement. Has something happened in—?!'
~SWISH!~
Before Asher could reach for the Item, a slashing sound radiated through the air, and barely a second later… a large tear appeared in the location of the ringing sound.
The Communication Device was slashed into two, now spilling out of his torn trouser pocket.
It was a swift, instantaneous strike.
Asher was too shocked by what had just happened to even think of moving.
'Just now… what if it was my throat he targeted?'
It would have been the end.
"Do you understand now? Killing someone is no fun if you can do it so easily and quickly."
Anukus placed both hands in his pocket as he keenly watched Asher's trembling form.
"I'll admit it, kid. You're pretty strong. It's just that we're on totally different levels."
Anukus wasn't wrong.
Asher was a genius among humans. He was already in the Max Level available to those who had a C-Tier Class.
Compared to normal humans, he was very strong—especially considering his real age.
But that was where it ended.
When monsters like Anukus came out of their dwelling place, it was no longer a contest of strength.
This was simply a slaughter.
"Now that I've made it perfectly clear that I can end your life very easily if you choose to run or stand still, there's only one thing you can do to prolong your life."
Asher knew it already.
'He wants me to fight him!'
"You're going to have to fight, kid. Fight until you can no longer do so anymore." His wicked grin intensified.
"Only then will I kill you."
How was this a fair deal—or any kind of deal at all? Asher knew there was no chance he could beat a monster like this.
However, he also didn't want to die.
'Is there a way that fighting him will somehow buy time for a rescue team to come?' He wondered.
No… it was better for him not to think down that line at all.
His father would have definitely felt something was off with the way he didn't answer the call, but what then?
Did they have anyone in the KariBlanc Group that could defeat a member of the Deadly Three?
'Sir Ralyks is already occupied with transporting our goods, and there's no telling when he'll be done.'
Other than him, there really was no one else.
Even his father, Rebal Blanc himself—while possibly being strong and smart enough to hold his own against one of the Heads of Destruction—could not stand a chance against the Top 3 of the Group.
Anukus was just too powerful.
'Even if we gathered the best attack squad, it would take them too long to get here. Even if I last for hours upon hours—which I doubt that I can—they'll only come here to meet their deaths.'
It was all pointless.
Despite all that, though… Asher had a fire burning in his eyes.
'I don't want to die. Not after everything!'
He knew it was inevitable to try and preserve his life. In the end, only the most painful demise awaited him no matter how hard he was about to struggle.
Still…!
'I won't give up.'
All of Asher's Skills were passive, so there really was no need to activate anything.
He simply had to rely on his Spells and Enchanted Items to live.
His opponent stood before him, wearing a mask of utter amusement and deep wickedness.
'I won't let you have your way so easily.'
Crouching even more and forming fists with his hands, Asher prepared himself for the fight of his life.
"With this Sacred Word, I summon…"
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[A/N]