Nine hundred and ninety Warriors and Mages were on standby.
The Mercenary Gang Leader, along with two of his Deadly Three also watched from their respective positions.
The Duo of Death, the Scrorpion Tail, the Piper of Calamity—all members of the Mercenary Gang who guarded their clients, were also waiting.
Then, Lord Noir's other guard—Captain of the Noir militia—stood beside his Lord and felt the increasing tension in the room.
Last but not least, the masked figure behind Scylla also spectated.
A total of nine hundred and ninety-nine foes were within the hall, all of them anticipating the move of the trapped four.
Of course, they knew it was all useless.
Still, they desired to be amazed. These people had gone through all the trouble to set up such an elaborate scheme, after all.
They desired to be compensated well.
"It seems you have nothing to say. Then—"
"Hold on. I have something to ask them." Fenrir was clearly grinning as he interrupted Scylla and placed his full attention on the prey.
"I want to know who among you killed Anukus."
For a moment, there was silence.
"The Dragon attacked Phobio in the East. Ogun was killed by someone in the North. Anukus in the SouthWest. Fernand was attacked by a Reaper in the Northwest…" Fenrir began, analyzing how each of his Executives lost in their respective battles.
Phobio and Fernand had survived, but it was unfortunate that the Mercenary Gang lost two of its Executives.
"Ogun could have lost to anyone with a higher Level, or even certain Enchanted Items. So, I can understand his demise." Fenrir narrowed his eyes, showing just how serious he was about the whole thing.
"But Anukus was different. He wasn't some pushover who would lose that easily. So, I ask again…"
Veins appeared all over Fenrir's face as his menacing tone burst forth from his lips.
"… Who among you killed Anukus?"
Not long after he asked this question, a response was given in the form of a question.
"What do you plan on doing with that information?"
"Hm?!"
The one who asked this was the man in the mask and hood. His voice was deep, carrying nothing short of confidence despite the clearly disadvantageous position he was in.
"Oh? How amusing. Replying to my question with another question…"
The man in the dark mask said nothing. He merely waited for an answer.
Then, the answer arrived.
"I plan on personally fighting the one who did so. I want to test the depth of their strength."
As soon as Fenrir gave his reply, a strange chuckle suddenly began to echo within the hall.
"Kukukuku…"
Surprised expressions filled the faces of those who were seated, and even those who were standing—waiting for their chance to strike.
They couldn't believe the amusement that was leaking from within the laughing man's black mask.
The worst part was that Rebal and Kara were also making small smiles and slight chuckles as they listened to the amused laugh.
Why?
This was the moment when they were supposed to be begging for their lives, yet they seemed perfectly at ease.
Was it because of the man in the dark mask?
Was he really that strong?!
"Forgive my laughter. It's just… you said something quite amusing."
"And what did I say that was so funny?" Fenrir asked, his frown growing deeper.
He found himself growing increasingly annoyed by the mere entourage that dared to make fun of his words.
Still, he stomached it all due to curiosity.
He wanted to know…
"You said you want to test the depths of my strength. Someone like you…?" The tone felt condescending and oozed with sheer confidence.
Fenrir detested that.
"You are quite arrogant." He responded, his gaze warning the man with the mask to cease his foolishness.
However, his warning fell on blind eyes
"In my eyes, the arrogant one is you. Claiming to do the impossible merely due to the little strength you possess… is that not the very definition of hubris?"
"Y-you…!"
Fenrir quickly controlled himself, taking in a deep breath as he kept observing the man before him.
'The way he speaks connotes great strength, but he could also very well be bluffing.'
Bluffing was an effective tool to make your opponent overestimate your capabilities, hence hesitating at crucial times.
Some battles could be won using that as a tactic.
'That won't work on me, though!' Fenrir grinned wickedly.
"So, you're essentially claiming to be the one that killed Anukus. Is that right?"
Fenrir glanced at both of the other members of his Deadly Three.
They both shook their heads, their stances on the situation obvious to him.
He also held the same position.
"I indeed killed him. It's nothing worth lying about."
The response was once again prideful—enough to finally make Fenrir figure out the truth.
"Buahahahahaha!"
Laughter erupted from the leader of the Mercenary Gang, a shock to everyone within the room.
Well, almost everyone.
"You see… once you reach a certain level, you can tell how powerful a person is by sensing their abilities through instinct." Fenrir began, still chuckling.
"All members of my Deadly Three have attained this status. The only way to bypass this instinctive sense is by being phenomenally stronger than what we are able to detect."
The Mercenary Gang Chief looked at the masked man and shook his head.
"I can clearly sense your capabilities. You're not as strong as Anukus. You're definitely not the one who defeated him."
"Hm? Really? I'm pretty sure I was…?"
Fenrir laughed even harder as he slammed his hand on the table while shaking his head.
"Hahaha! Old man, it seems your servant is quite the delusional one. I would have advised getting him checked and treated, but you're all going to die here."
Rebal said nothing, which prompted Fenrir to glance at the other entourage.
'They're covered in Orichalcum, which makes it difficult to gauge just how powerful they are. With that defense, though, it's possible they were the one who defeated Anukus.'
There was also the chance that the one who did so was back in the Capital, but Fenrir doubted that.
'They knew they were coming to the heart of the enemy's camp. I'm sure they would have brought their biggest guns.'
That meant it was more likely that one of the two was Anukus' killer.
'Since it isn't Black Mask over there, then it has to be the armored one…' Fenrir narrowed his gaze and exposed his sharp teeth.
He could feel excitement swelling inside him.
"The thing is… I'm not averse to accepting my loss or inferiority to those who are much more powerful than I am." Fenrir slowly rose to his feet.
He thought back to when he recognized the gap in power between himself and the masked guard of the Lady he now worked for.
Even more recently, in his confrontation with the Elves, he was able to see how powerless he could be in the face of a more powerful foe.
He was humble enough to admit that.
"But… it seems you guys are yet to really understand that brute fact of nature."
It was a humility that could only be taught by experience.
"So allow me to be your teacher."
Fenrir pointed at the two guards whom the Blanc and Verte house had, his wild grin reminiscent of a wild beast.
"At the very least, I am confident I can take both of you on by myself."