[Location: Siver family's second mansion] [Training Hall]
Jaxon rushed outside from the broken window and looked in the sky, "Phew!!! Luckily it's going toward that garbage dump... What the heck did you learn?"
He sighed in relief, knowing no one was hurt by Ace's reckless Aura sword. But at the same time, he was astonished by Ace's achievement within such a short time.
"Sorry about that... I didn't mean it. I mean, the lightning appeared on its own," Ace stuttered with a smile while scratching his head as he noticed the destruction he had caused inside the training hall.
All the equipment shattered, the walls and the floor cracked open, and chunks of broken crystals were falling from the ceiling. Ace successfully destroyed the training hall.
"Forget about the destruction you caused... Where did you pick up that sword art?" Jaxon inquired with a curious expression.
"What sword art?" Ace looked confused as he had never learned any techniques, "I was just trying to get a feel... You know. I have never trained, so I was just swinging... Nothing more..." He replied.
"Haaa... Never mind. Just wait for a day... I will find a perfect place for you to train without any interference..."
"Ahhh!!! Look at the time... I am late. See you at dinner, Ace... Oh, and don't worry about the training room..."
Jaxon left after patting Ace's back.
Ace noticed that he was happy for some reason, "What the heck was all that about sword art? Is he sleeping well?" He mumbled to himself and looked around, "Seeesh!!! I need to be more careful next time..."
[Grumble] "Ohh, how long was I training? So hungry," Ace's stomach was grumbling in hunger. He dashed out of the room and made his way toward the kitchen.
[Jaxon's office]
The office was as simple as it gets. Six chairs, a large sofa, three small tables, a vintage coffee machine, six massive storage cases, and two computers. There weren't any decorations or anything luxurious inside.
Jin was working on a computer. A large number of files and papers were stacked on the table. The coffee machine near the window was slowly extracting coffee from the beans.
"Hey Jin, stop that freaking machine and brew it like a normal person. It's dripping for 30 freaking minutes and hardly enough for two people..."
"Change that slow-running machine..."
Jaxon entered the room and noticed the coffee machine still running. Two or three drops of extract fall inside the glass container.
"Dad, it's a gift from grandpa. How could you say that? And for your information, it makes the best coffee from the ground up," Jin replied as he glanced toward the machine with a satisfied smile. He likes to brew his own coffee and never compromises on the quality of the drink.
"Aggg!!! Never mind... My bad..."
"Anyway... I saw something interesting today. That grandson of mine turns out to be a genius," Jaxon said as he slumped on the nearby sofa. He couldn't get Ace's fluid movements and sword swing out of his mind.
"Humm... A change..."
"Looks like it's time..."
He never imagined that the martial arts he created had too many openings and flaws. Seeing Ace utilizing all those flaws from a third-person perspective, he couldn't help but think of changing his techniques.
"What did you see?" Jin inquired with a confused expression, seeing his father looking out of the window, thinking about something with a serious expression, "What change are you mumbling on about?" He asked.
"Humm, Oh, never mind. It's better when you see it yourself..."
"Anyway... Send a group to the wasteland near the southern border. That underground wasteland is left for too long... That place is filled with methane gas, and God knows what else..."
Jaxon said as he walked over to his table and typed in the order stating the clearance to the southern wasteland since it was a restricted area.
They used to dump the useless monster bodies after extracting their cores after a breakout that occurred in that place. It's been over 20 years since they abandoned that land and laid an illusion array to make it look like a dry land with mountains and a few large trees.
However, over time, that place has become a poisonous land filled with exploding gases. No living being can survive in that cursed place for long. But, due to the array, even if someone mistakenly enters that place, they won't notice any change in their body. They will die without even knowing why or how they died.
[Southern Border of Silver World]
"Finally..."
"Ohh!!! This f*cking stench..."
Covered in dirt and sewage wastes, Patrik finally saw sunlight after 9 hours.
He found a way to sneak into the country through a forgotten sewage system. He got out of the underground channels and slumped on the ground. Just like the map said, he was in the middle of an abandoned barren land where no one comes or monitors anymore.
"Lucky me... Phew!!! Finally, some fresh air..."
"What's that???"
"Ohhh!!! Freaking hell!!!"
He noticed something shining in the sky approaching him. At first, he was curious but soon felt the destructive power rushing toward his location.
He turned back and ran toward the sewer gate, but it was shut closed, "Open for f*cks shake... What the f*ck is that thing...? I have never seen white lightning..." He yelled in fear and punched the stone gate on the ground.
[Crackle] [Boooom] The white lightning struck the ground. Everything exploded in the area. The entire wasteland was burning in flames, and occasionally, a small crackle of lightning could be heard.
Pitch black poisonous smoke rose in the sky, turning the sky black, and within a few minutes, rain began to fall.
"Hufff!!!! Hufff!!!"
Patrik opened his eyes. He was lying inside the sewer system. The explosion broke the gate, and he fell inside. But, his condition was severe. His back was charred, and his legs were missing. The clothes he was wearing were sticking to his burned skin.
"Oh, God!!!"
"Arrggg!!! My legs!!! Aaaaa!!! Help!!!"
"I have to let her know... I must let her know... She will bring me to life and kill me again... Nooo!!!"
"The drugs... Where...?"
He screamed in pain, but there was no one to hear his screams. In fear, he was searching for the drugs he got from the armored lady. It was for an emergency in case he needed some extra boost, but right now, his situation wasn't too good.
"Here... Found it... Water... Need water..."
He noticed the raindrops falling inside through the hole in the ceiling. He dragged his ruined body toward the puddle of rainwater. But, he was out of his luck.
"Acid rain!!!! Argggg!!!" He yelled in agony.
"Nooo!!!"
"I won't die...Humfff..."
Patrik opened the bottle and shoved all the pills into his mouth. He passed out from pain and agony after swallowing the pills.
A few hours passed.
"Hunnggg!!!"
Patrik opened his eyes and looked around. He could see the fire was still raging on, and acid rain was still falling. It was death and disaster around him. His legs were yet to heal as growing cells takes time, but his charred skin has healed up, and the drugs have suppressed his pain.
His job was supposed to be easy. Get in through the backdoor and send information to the Night Walkers about Ace's abilities and those around him. They would take care of him, and he will survive his master's wrath and take all the credit.
"It's working... Thank God," Patrik sighed in relief, seeing his communication watch still functional. He called the armored lady.
"So fast... What the hell happened there?" The armored lady jumped up from her chair after seeing Patrik's condition.
"They knew I was coming..."
"They laid an array around to create confusion..."
"Those cunning bastards filled the area with explosive gas, and as soon as I got out, those ruthless bastards exploded it..."
"But, there was something else..."
Patrik explained everything that occurred after he got out of the sewer system. The armored lady listened to his explanation with great interest, and her expression changed on hearing about the white lightning.
"Arrays!!! White lightning Aura!!!"
"But that's impossible... How could Mark still be alive? No, it's not Mark... Even if he was alive... It's not his style... He prefers a bullet between his target's eyebrows... Could it be that Jaxon has another trump card and decided to reveal it now?"
The armored lady mumbled to herself for a moment. The mention of white lightning caught her attention. She didn't even mention her plan getting leaked. She was grumbling in anger as she rubbed her chest area. An old wound started to itch after remembering Mark's name.
"Anyway... You ate those pills without water, right?" The armored lady asked with a sly smile.
"Yeah... I am alright..." Patrik replied.
"Well... Goodbye..." The armored lady severed the connection.
"What...? Wait!!! What about me...?"
"The hell..."
Patrik's body was slowly swelling up. He could see blue energy rampaging through his skin.
[Location: Arcon Helm Country]
[Bang] A bullet pierced through the armored lady's head, right between her eyebrows. Blood spew out and she fell to the floor, dead.
"You are right..."
"I do prefer a bullet between eyebrows..."
The sniper disappeared without leaving a trace.