The carnage was wrought.
From the looks on the faces of the men who began to gather, one after another, they were yet to have their fill.
They desired more death.
However, for the moment, they had to abandon all of that and focus on the primary assignment that concerned them.
—The utter destruction of the Blanc House's legacy.
That meant killing and completely devastating the mansion that stood before them.
'This is it, huh?' Claudius stared at the massive building.
It was by far larger than his own home, but he personally didn't mind. He didn't need all of this room anyway.
… Not when he didn't have anyone to share it with.
"Would you like to scout inside first, or should we begin the task?" Claudius turned to look at Jawl as he appeared beside him.
"We'll take a look inside."
'As expected.' He smiled wryly.
Scylla might have given them another assignment that they weren't disclosing. It was also possible that they were after the wealth of the Blanc House and not willing to share the spoils with the Mercenary Gang.
Either way, it was none of his business.
"Alright. Please proceed. We will wait here for your return."
"Yeah. We'll be back soon."
Claudius watched as Jawl signaled about half of the men with him—all of them equally shrouded in dark attires—and they nodded back.
Afterward, they proceeded inside the mansion, like shadows dissipating into the darkness.
'If it was going to be like this, they should have done this earlier, while the slaughter was going on.'
Instead, Jawl was making him and his men stand by and wait for the completion of Scylla's hidden agenda.
'It's annoying!'
Yes, Claudius was well aware of the possibility that he was overreacting or overthinking again.
'They probably needed us to surround the Mansion so there would be no escape for the targets in case they caught wind of their actions…' He tried to give excuses like this.
But that was all they were—excuses!
'They could have split us up into two or more groups from the start… just as I wanted.'
That way, there would be enough people to surround the mansion while the slaughter would still be ongoing.
For the men who would be dissatisfied with not killing, they could alternate roles at intervals so that everyone could have their fun.
'Besides, how is it fair that we have to remain on standby because of their own agenda? If anyone escapes from the Mansion, wouldn't it be due to their incompetence?!'
Claudius calmed his heart and decided to remain calm.
'It'll soon be over anyway.' He told himself.
Before he could conclude his thoughts, Claudius heard the creaking sound of a door up ahead.
'Huh? Did one manage to escape?!' He narrowed his eyes and clicked his tongue.
Something was off, though.
Why would anyone think of escaping through the front door? Wouldn't that be the last place one would think of when it came to stealthily exiting a building?
'Sure, we have this place surrounded, so their actions are useless either way, but it's not like the denizens inside will know that right away.'
Claudius' confusion was further compounded once he set eyes on the man who stepped out of the building.
He had red hair and ebony skin, with a pure black suit clinging to his body. His shirt and tie were equally black, same as his shoes.
He also had red irises that seemed to glow as soon as he stepped out.
The most distinguishing trait of the stranger, however, was his extremely handsome face. He appeared to be sculpted by the divine, and the calm smile on his face only added to that splendor.
'Who is that…?' Claudius wondered.
It was puzzling to see someone just step out so casually, with both hands in his pockets as if he was going out for a walk.
Before Claudius could think any further, he noticed movement behind the red-haired man, causing him to twitch slightly.
'He's not alone…?'
Behind him was a man Claudius knew, having met him once or twice. His name was Aldred Winsley, a broker for the KariBlanc Group.
It wasn't strange to see Aldred here, but what was he doing behind the handsome stranger?
Why did they both appear from the main door?
'Aldred appears a little nervous, but not the other one. Both of them aren't displaying surprise too, despite our numbers far exceeding theirs.'
Claudius found his brain ticking as he tried to figure out what all of the details before him translated to.
'They're clearly not surprised to see them here. The Blanc House should have known what would happen if they went to the Dark Gathering and left their goods unattended to.'
But why were they so calm?
Aldred indeed looked nervous, but it wasn't enough.
'Isn't this the time where they surrender? No… in the first place, why would those fools let intruders out like this?'
This wasn't the plan at all!
'Damn you, Jawl. Do we still have to wait for you and your men despite all of this?'
The answer was simple.
'No wa—!'
"Greetings, everyone. It's a pleasure to see you all gathered here tonight."
Claudius' thoughts were interrupted by the calm voice of a man.
It came from the one in black.
He took a step forward, bringing out his hands from his pockets to stretch them out as he gave his address.
"So many new faces. An approximate of one thousand and ninety-six." His gaze seemed to flow from one person to another.
Claudius felt the man's gaze land upon him for a second, and they made eye contact. The feeling was enough to send chills down his spine.
"Not a bad audience. The rest will be joining us shortly, but we can begin with a bit of preliminary fun."
With a clap of his hands, several mangled bodies descended from above, along with a rain of blood.
'H-huh…?!'
Claudius' eyes widened as he looked at the corpses. They were twisted and mangled beyond proper recognition, but he could still place their identities.
'The Recon Unit!' His eyes nearly bulged.
What in the world happened?!