Chapter 209: Walking Reaper [Bonus - ]

Chapter 209: Walking Reaper [Bonus Chapter]

’It seems I’ve captured their full attention. Excellent.’ Asher thought to himself, his stride remaining completely unhurried as the wave of forty-five heavily armed thugs closed the distance rapidly, brandishing their weapons high in the air.

?"Slaughter him into pieces!!"

?"RAGH—YES!!!"

?"Avenge our fallen brothers!!"

?"Die, you arrogant bastard—"

?BOOOOM!!

?The five female standing safely in the rear froze in sudden, unadulterated terror as the entire vanguard of forty-five charging men violently exploded into a fine mist of blood and bone fragments, painting the surrounding street walls and ground in a thick crimson spray.

?"This...?"

?They stood completely paralyzed, their wide eyes fixed in horrified disbelief upon the lone figure calmly walking through the carnage. But what truly defied natural law was the blood itself: the instant the cascading wave of gore splashed anywhere near his dark mantle, the fabric instantly vaporized the fluid into harmless, clean gas before it could even touch the surface.

?"...?!"

?The women remained glued to their spots until Asher stepped directly in front of them. Without a moment’s hesitation, the leading female assassin swallowed hard and bowed deeply in absolute, submissive deference:

?"Greetings, revered stranger... We assure you, our faction holds no hostility toward you." She blurted out quickly, her voice trembling.

?Asher offered a slow, imperceptible nod, his face remaining entirely hidden beneath the deep hood as he glided past them without breaking stride.

?’Huh? It appears he executes those who actively attempt to block his path... But where on earth is he heading with this direct trajectory? The Blood Guild headquarters?’ She wondered nervously, snapping her head around to stare at Asher’s retreating back.

?"Please, stranger, our Boss dispatched us specifically to gather intelligence on your identity; she would be honored to extend an invitation for—"

?WHOOSH!!

?The female assassin abruptly froze. A single strand of her long black hair floated lazily down past her eyes:

?’My hair? He cleanly severed a lock of my hair without a word?’ She thought, her breath catching in her throat as her pupils dilated in raw fear.

?’He is incomparably more powerful than our Boss... To even entertain the thought of recruiting a monster of this caliber would be an insulting death wish.’ She instantly dropped into a deep, desperate bow:

?"I deeply apologize for my blind, foolish arrogance! Our grand Boss maintains her estate in the fourth inner sector of No Man’s Land—she would be profoundly privileged to meet with you," she pleaded to his departing back, before watching in absolute awe as a cluster of living shadows rose from the asphalt, swallowed his frame whole, and vanished completely from existence.

?"Huh?"

?The five women stood blinking in a silent street.

?’Did he just... teleport?’

___

?[Fifth Gate — Blood Guild Territorial Boundary.]

[One Hour Later — 5:30 PM.]

?Asher came to a smooth halt, standing before the desolate, abandoned barricade of the Blood Guild’s primary stronghold. He swept his cold gaze across the empty watchtowers, failing to spot a single living soul.

?’Trying a different approach...’ He thought quietly, letting loose a concentrated, suffocating wave of pure Killing Intent that flooded outward to blanket the entire zone.

?WHOOSH!!!

?SILENCE...

?’Attempting to hide in stealth is entirely useless against me.’

?He stepped past the barricade, marching directly down the grand avenue toward the central estate of the Blood Guild. Behind him, dozens of elite Assassin-class members who had been lurking in spatial stealth suddenly dropped out of the folds, hitting the stone pavement dead in unison.

___

?[Blood Guild Headquarters.]

[6:00 Pm.]

[Grand Guild Hall.]

?"Who on earth is this person?! I cannot recall ever crossing paths with or offending a monster of this magnitude before," A heavily muscled man adorned in crimson battle-robes and a thick black-fur mantle demanded angrily, turning his glowing red eyes toward the robed old man standing quietly beside his throne.

?"Perhaps you inadvertently stepped on the toes of someone far more powerful than you realized, Guild Leader," the old man rasped, tapping his gnarled mage staff lightly against the polished marble floor.

?’Could this relentless slaughter possibly be linked to that man, Asher...?’ The elder thought to himself, his brow furrowing deeply.

?BAM!

?The heavy double doors of the hall swung violently inward as a bloodied scout staggered inside: "Guild Leader!! That terrifying intruder has breached the inner perimeter—he’s heading straight for this hall!" He shrieked.

?"He actually carved his way all the way through the gauntlet?!! What about our elite stealth units stationed at the gates?!"

?"They are all... Every single one of them is dead!" The man sobbed hysterically.

?"Impossible!! Those guys possess earth-tier stealth skills—how could they be wiped out without raising an alarm?!" the Guild Leader roared in disbelief.

?"While the entire city is currently on the brink of an apocalyptic crisis, instead of lifting a finger to help defend the innocent, you pathetic cowards sit comfortably in the shadows, scheming to exploit the chaos for personal profit... How profoundly pathetic."

?Every head in the hall whipped around in utter shock, their jaws dropping as they stared at the cloaked figure casually lounging upon the Guild Leader’s own throne at the head of the hall.

?"Not only that, you vile fools went the extra mile to butcher innocent civilians and harvest infants as living power sources. Exactly what kind of execution do you believe you deserve?"

?"Huh? How on earth could you possibly know about that?! We never leaked that operation to outsiders or the public!!" the Guild Leader shrieked in absolute panic.

?’Bizarre... When did he bypass us and slip into the hall, let alone sit down on my throne?! I didn’t register a single fluctuation.’ The Guild Leader thought, cold sweat breaking out across his neck.

?Asher slowly lifted his head, his golden eyes glowing beneath the hood as his system screen materialized:

?[Name: Nicolas Carnage.]

[Rank: SSS-RANK.]

[Gear: Lion Set, and Lion Cape.]

[Combat Power: 80,000,000 (80 Million).]

?’Slightly higher than Viper, though even with his equipped armor set, it only increased his strength by a few million... Among his gears, the only item of real value is that cape—a genuine Celestial-Tier artifact.’

?Asher shifted his gaze to the elder standing beside Nicolas:

?[Name: N/A (CLONE).]

[Note: Constructed via gear projection.]

?’A clone? Impressive, though I wonder where his real physical body is hiding,’ Asher exhaled softly:

?’I have wasted entirely too much time on this rabble.’

?He snapped his fingers once.

?The Twin Great Daggers materialized instantly out of thin air, hovering gracefully before him in a tight orbit.

?"Third Ability—activate."

?’Understood, Master.’

?The daggers vibrated violently for a fraction of a second, unleashing a concentrated pulse of destructive energy that slammed directly into Nicolas and the elder.

?Poof!

?The elder’s clone instantly shattered into a puff of black smoke, while the entire set of high-tier armor adorning Nicolas—including the Lion Cape—suddenly lost their abilities for ten minutes.

?[Name: Nicolas Carnage.]

[Rank: SSS-RANK.]

[Gear: Lion Set, and Lion Cape (Sealed).]

[Combat Power: 55,000,000 (55 Million).]

?"What... What just happened to my gear?!" Nicolas stammered, staring down at his dimming armor in absolute disbelief.