Jowood District, Iris Street.
The street was dark and quiet under the night sky, devoid of pedestrians, with only the dim glow of the gas lamps providing illumination. In the shadows beyond the lamps' reach, Ashes arrived quietly.
Though he was only going to kill a human trafficker, he still took some precautions to avoid trouble. He disguised himself by wearing clothes belonging to Half-Wolf Blazer, so whatever happened could be blamed on him. This made him look like a werewolf gone berserk in the night, despite the absence of a full moon.
His gaze turned to a brightly lit villa nearby, belonging to Carpine. Under the cover of darkness, Ashes, wearing the Slumbering Dragon Emblem Ring and the Phantom Limb Ring, silently crossed the garden and walked unhurriedly to the villa's entrance. The door was open, so he walked right in, through the golden, luxurious hall, heading towards the dining room on the left, from where laughter and the smell of roasting meat emanated.
"Knock, knock, knock~"
Ashes politely knocked on the door and asked, "Does anyone want to leave before I start?"
As soon as he spoke, the guests who had been eating and singing happily turned their horrified gazes towards the entrance.
"Who are you?! Who let you in?" An overweight, average-looking middle-aged man shouted angrily.
At the same time, a woman with several old scars on her face, wearing only a thin shirt, quickly raised a revolver and aimed it at Ashes.
On the other side, a middle-aged gentleman wearing a white wig, Horace, also pointed his right hand at Ashes, chanting a word in ancient Hermes.
"Imprison!"
In an instant, the air around Ashes became thick and sticky. Simultaneously, the woman, who had been aiming at Ashes forehead, pulled the trigger.
Bang! Bang!
Two enchanted bullets tore through the sticky air, aiming for Ashes forehead. But in the next second, a large stone shield, ancient and covered in countless scales, appeared in front of Ashes, blocking both bullets.
"Damn!" The woman's heart sank, realizing the intruder was formidable. Gritting her teeth, she continued to fire and shouted, "Parker, what are you waiting for? Attack!"
The woman, named Katie, cast a furious glance at Parker. To her shock, Parker just stood there, motionless, his eyes vacant. She finally noticed a pale, transparent jellyfish-like creature with tendrils embedded in Parker's neck.
"Damn!" Katie's pupils contracted. She wanted to warn Horace but suddenly felt her body slow and freeze. An invisible cold invaded her, chilling her to the bone and immobilizing her. She stiffly turned her head and glimpsed a similar jellyfish behind her right shoulder.
"Interesting," Horace narrowed his eyes. Despite his two companions being controlled, he remained calm, even slightly mocking. "Is this why you dare come here?"
"No," Ashes slightly moved the shield away from his face. "Simply because I'm not good at handling multiple enemies at once."
Despite the number of people present, there were only three Beyonder individuals. With two already controlled, only the middle-aged gentleman with the white wig remained. Ashes glanced at the name 'Horace' floating above his head, marked in blood-red letters, indicating he was just an elite minion without a title.
"Imprison!" "Imprison!" Horace chanted twice more, then clenched his left fist, solemnly declaring, "Illegal trespass into another's home is a crime!"
As he spoke, his body merged with a peculiar power, creating a clear afterimage as he charged at Ashes. At the same time, the immobilized Katie showed a look of excitement. Mr. Horace had never failed with this move before!
As expected, the intruder didn't even have a chance to react, merely raising his left hand futilely.
"He's dead!" Katie's excitement turned to horror as she saw Horace stop abruptly in front of Ashes, as if frozen.
Horace stood there, unable to move, do, or think anything. He watched helplessly as Ashes right hand, holding an ice-covered longsword, stabbed into his body.
"Ugh!"
Blood sprayed out as the sword was withdrawn, and Horace regained his ability to move, though now with terror in his eyes.
"Exile!" Horace thrust his left palm towards Ashes, unleashing an invisible force to blow him out of the hall. Simultaneously, he tried to heal his wound, but when he glanced to the side, he saw Ashes standing next to him, watching his actions with interest.
"How is this possible?" Katie's eyes glazed over. Horace hadn't noticed in his panic, but she saw it clearly. As Horace shouted 'Exile,' the intruder simply rolled to dodge the attack with ease, seemingly unaffected.
(End of Chapter)
50 Power stones = Extra Chapter