"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.