Meanwhile, in another part of the world—
An ancient Korean temple existed on top of a towering hill that seemed like it was piercing the sky. The temple was situated close to the hill's edge and appeared as though it would tumble without the slightest resistance.
Inside the temple, a man who stood above 7 feet could be seen staring into the horizon from a wooden window. The man had ripe muscles that appeared as though they would rip with a slight movement.
His face was concealed by a panther-shaped milky mask, and at the chest of his tight, lusterless costume was a large letter B.
"Hmm, today looks good; hopefully, there won't be any ruckus today," the man muttered as he turned around.
However, his frail-looking assistant—who appeared to be just 20 years old—stood before him with his head low.
"Young, what is it?" The man said in a deep Korean ascent, which made the assistant shudder.
"Sir, we have news from our spies in the U.S."
"Spies from the U.S.?" I hope it's good news, because if it's not... I'll use you for training again."
'Oh shit! This is not good news. In fact, this is the last thing he wants to hear right now. What do I do?' The man started fidgeting with his hands.
"Hmmm, young, why are you taking this long?!"
"N-nothing, sir; it's just that this is not good news. I was hoping to keep it to myself. I'll be taking my leave now." Young hastily said and proceeded to walk away.
"Well, that's just your bad luck. Now spit it out."
Young gulped nervously. "Our spies have spotted Nightmare."
"Nightmare…?" The man asked in a dazed tone.
"Yes, apparently, he is still alive."
The man faced the windows again. 'Yeah, I thought that guy was done for good.'
Beaumont stared at his assistant. "So he is alive? How is the meta's taking this situation?"
"I heard that they have mobilized some of their squads to annihilate him."
"Annihilate him? It seems like they don't know how slippery that bastard is, do they? If they thought it was that easy, then why didn't they do it then?" Beaumont's nose flared when he thought about the meta-organization.
In the past, he was called from an important mission in his country just to capture a nightmare. He had refused the mission since he was tailing Hades, whom he saw as a bigger threat. However, the big boss forced him against his will to go to the U.S.
It was one of the reasons he went overboard with torturing Nightmare. And now, that same headache he thought was dead has resurfaced.
"So what does that mean? I'll be going to the U.S. again?" Beaumont asked himself. "That would have been possible if I wasn't hunting the No. 1 villain." His expression wasn't visible due to his mask, but his tone was heavy.
"Sir, I think the meta HQ has already assigned someone to take him out." The assistant spoke, noticing his master's tone.
"Who do you think they will send? Even though he is just a rookie villain, he was the most slippery one I've faced."
Beaumont could remember how he was fooled by Nightmare. on several occasions. Nightmare wasn't the strongest opponent he had faced, but it had been the one to waste much of his time.
Sometime later—
"They've assigned one of your squad mates from the super academy," Young said.
"My squad mate, huh," Beumount exhibited a small smile. "Which of them, if I may ask?"
"Karen Kayne."
"Kayne? That guy has always been a monster. Now I'm confident that he could take him out, but the problem is that he is too soft.
"I always knew it was his softness that would get him killed, and if I'm not wrong, he'll try to make Nightmare turn good."
Young chimed in, "I don't think that is the case. According to our sources, Nightmare has also pissed him off, so I don't think he'll let that maniac live."
"I hope so, but anyway, if he can't, I'll do it myself. That's if I make it alive after facing the priest."
****
In the witches' coven—
The Witch Queen sat majestically on her ice-frozen throne. Her expression was aloof, but for some reason, it only made her appear more beautiful.
The dark, gloomy hall was cramped with witches as always, while they stared at the Queen with gazes brimming with respect.
"Emerald, step fort?!" The Queen said.
A cloaked feminine figure scrambled out of the crowd and quickly went down on one knee in front of the Queen. "Yes, your majesty?!"
"Nightmare, any news about him?"
"Not yet, but I've given him the orb, which would let him contact us."
"What makes you think he'll contact us?" The queen asked.
"Even for him, it would be hard to resist the temptation." I didn't only offer him to join us. I also showed him a glimpse of our magic, so I doubt he would be able to resist it, but...
"you want to say something?" The queen asked after noticing the hesitation in the cloaked figure's voice.
"Yes, he hardly trusts anyone; that's the reason he is taking this long to accept our offer. And there is a possibility that he might not even accept our offer."
Emerald had seen how Ruby had acted during their first encounter, making her believe he didn't trust anyone.
"Trust? I won't blame him; after all, he is a villain. Although we want to use him for our own gain, that doesn't mean he wouldn't get anything out of the deal.
"We are offering the dark magic affinity just for this deal, so I doubt he would say no if he knew how powerful that power is."
The dark magic affinity was one of the most prized possessions of the witches. It was written in their history books that the Affinity was the first witch magic to grace the earth.
"But there is still an ultimatum. If he refuses, I'll visit him myself!" The queen smirked.
********
50 power stones for 1 extra chapter!!
100 power stone for 2 extra chapter!!