Chapter 40: Who Wants My Wife?

Reinhard’s eyes locked onto the assassin’s, and Mind Glance opened the man’s thoughts like a door.

The Syndicate can’t afford to lose another Night.

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed. He already knew from this body’s old memories that the Silent Night Syndicate existed, and now he knew these people belonged to it.

Another thought surfaced, sharp with fear. Blue Death was supposed to kill him if the capture failed.

Reinhard glanced across the factory at the unconscious figure in skull-shaped armor lying beside the runner. So they really had planned to kill him the whole time. How rude.

The assassin’s thoughts shifted again. House Baal wants Emily Ashcroft. If House Baal gets her first, the other two Great Families lose their chance.

Reinhard’s expression turned more serious. One of the Three Great Families. A faint smile touched his lips. So that was why so many people had suddenly become interested in his wife.

If she refuses, kill her before House Veyron or House Caelum can get involved.

The smile disappeared. They were willing to kill Emily just to keep the other Great Families from getting her, and something cold settled in his chest.

Then came the thought the assassin feared most. Whatever happens, Eclipse cannot find out that Emily’s Gnosis has recovered.

Reinhard went completely still. Eclipse. He had heard that name before, in the warnings these people had been given, and now he knew it mattered enough that whoever was giving the orders was desperate to keep Emily’s recovery hidden from it.

The pieces were starting to connect. Silent Night had come for him, House Baal wanted Emily and would rather kill her than let House Veyron or House Caelum have her, and someone was terrified of Eclipse finding out she was recovering. It wasn’t the whole picture, but it was enough to give him a direction.

Reinhard chuckled softly. "Thanks for the information."

Then he threw the assassin into the burning half of the factory, and the man disappeared behind the flames.

Reinhard turned away.

The building was already collapsing around him.

He had only taken a few steps toward the exit when a violent cough doubled him over, and blood spattered across the floor.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked at the red coating his fingers. "That looks bad," he said, laughing quietly, but his voice was much weaker than before.

The edges of his vision were darkening, and every breath felt heavier. Without a heart, his body was slowly losing its ability to hold itself together. The Immortal Emperor Body was still forcing mana through his cells to keep him alive, but his reserves were running dangerously low.

And yet, strangely, Reinhard felt free.

He had nearly died, fought people who had pushed him to his absolute limit, and discovered that some of the most powerful families in the country wanted his wife, and somehow, he couldn’t stop smiling.

"Everyone is going to kill me if they find out about this."

He could already picture it.

Lily would scream at him for fighting alone, probably while holding Crimson Fang, and Maki would try to ground a grown man and forbid him from leaving the house for a week, while Yuna quietly stood behind her and agreed with everything.

And Emily...

Reinhard’s vision blurred as he imagined her face. She wouldn’t scream. She would just go very quiet, and that would be much worse.

"Yeah," he murmured. "She’ll definitely be angry."

Still laughing softly, he reached the edge of the building, and the factory exploded behind him.

The shockwave hit his back like a giant’s hand and launched him into the night.

He crashed onto the hillside and tumbled through wet grass and loose stones as the sky spun above him, until the slope suddenly ended and he sailed over the edge of a ravine.

A dark forest waited far below, and the moon hung above him, blurred by his fading vision. His breathing had become little more than a whisper. His body had finally reached its limit, and for some reason, he was still smiling.

"I should probably get home," he said, and his eyes slowly closed.

A familiar blue window appeared behind his eyelids.

[S-Grade Investment Complete.]

His eyes cracked open.

[Legendary Returns Granted.]

His mouth curved upward. "Finally." He looked down at the rapidly approaching forest. "Could you maybe speed it up? I’m falling."

The System did not speed anything up.

[Legendary Reward Granted: Ember Enhanced.]

[Effect: Ember can now strike multiple targets within its effective range.]

[Additional Effect: Each activation can produce two consecutive bursts of flame.]

Reinhard pictured flames sweeping across an entire group. "That’ll be useful."

[Additional Reward Granted: Serene.]

[Effect: Gradually restores physical injuries and stabilizes the user’s condition through the circulation of mana.]

"Something for healing. Nice." The trees below were getting larger. "Very timely."

[Additional Reward Granted: Mana Reinforcement Enhanced.]

[Effect: Increases the power of mana reinforcement at a lower mana cost.]

[Additional Effect: More mana can be concentrated into a single area, increasing amplification by more than half.]

"More power?" Reinhard laughed weakly. "I really like this System."

[Additional Reward Granted: Danger Intuition, Enhanced.]

[Effect: Danger Intuition can now project an immediate mental image of an incoming attack.]

His eyes widened slightly. Now he wouldn’t just sense danger. He would see what was coming, and that would make reacting much easier.

[Additional Reward Granted: Enhanced Vitality.]

[Effect: Permanently increases the user’s vitality, stamina, and resistance to physical exhaustion.]

[Additional Reward Granted: Enhance Mental Fortitude.]

[Effect: Greatly increases one’s resistance to mental disruption caused by extreme pain, fear, and psychological pressure.]

Definitely helpful.

[Additional Reward Granted: Predator Awareness Enhanced.]

[Effect: Greatly improves detection of concealed movement, hostile presence, and attempts to hide within the user’s surroundings.]

Reinhard remembered Ghost and the blade that had come out of nowhere. "Good. No complaints."

[Additional Reward Granted: Space Tear Enhanced.]

[Effect: The user can create a new Space Tear from within an existing Space Tear.]

Reinhard stared at the notification, and his grin slowly returned. "Oh." Now that was interesting.

[Additional Reward Granted: Regeneration Enhanced.]

[Effect: The user’s natural regeneration is significantly increased.]

[Additional Effect: Severe injuries, such as fractured bones, can be naturally restored within approximately ten minutes.]

Reinhard chuckled. "Ten minutes really is following me around tonight."

[Additional Reward Granted: Mana Infusion, Two Years.]

A tremendous wave of mana flooded into his body, refilling the reserves he had nearly exhausted and spreading through every cell the Immortal Emperor Body had reinforced. The terrible feeling of his body shutting down slowly faded, his breathing steadied, and the crushing weakness lifted.

Reinhard let out a long breath. "Much better."

[Additional Reward Granted: Physical Body, Enhanced.]

Another wave of strength settled into him. His muscles grew denser, his bones hardened, and the foundation the Demon God Tyrant Body had built grew stronger. It wasn’t as dramatic as receiving an entirely new body, but Reinhard could feel the difference immediately. He flexed his hand. "Not bad."

[Additional Reward Granted: Body Restored.]

The damage he had taken throughout the night began to disappear. His cuts sealed, his bruises faded, and the wounds Blue Death had carved into him closed without a trace. Reinhard looked down at himself as he fell.

His body was whole again. His clothes, unfortunately, were not. They were torn, burned, and soaked in blood, and he had liked that shirt.

He rolled his shoulders and felt no pain, and he was just about to relax when he realized something was still wrong, aside from the fact that he was falling toward a forest. He pressed a hand against his chest.

There was no heartbeat.

He stared at the stars for a moment, then laughed softly. "Right. I still don’t have a heart."

As though it had been waiting for him to remember, the System answered.

[Legendary Additional Reward Granted: Enlightened Heart.]

[Effect: Forms a new heart within the user’s body.]

[Mana Storage: Equal to the user’s current Gnosis capacity.]

[Additional Effect: Mana stored within the Enlightened Heart further enhances cellular regeneration.]

[Additional Effect: The durability of the Enlightened Heart increases alongside the user’s mana capacity.]

Reinhard stared at the notification, and for several seconds, he said nothing.

Then something moved inside his chest, a faint flutter, and his expression changed. Another pulse followed, stronger this time, and Reinhard slowly pressed his palm to his chest.

For the first time since Blue Death’s sword had pierced him, something was beating beneath his hand.

He could feel it taking shape, a new heart forming around a second reservoir of mana, separate from his Gnosis and connected to the mana already stored throughout his body.

Thump.

His eyes widened.

Thump.

A grin slowly spread across his face. "Hahaha..." He couldn’t stop laughing as the heartbeat grew steadier, stronger, and real. "Now that’s a reward."

The treetops were almost close enough to touch. Reinhard raised one hand, and a Space Tear opened directly beneath him, and instead of crashing into the forest, he dropped into it.

For a moment, he floated in darkness scattered with distant stars, with nothing above him and nothing below. It was the inside of his own Space Tear. Reinhard looked around, then waved his hand, and a second tear opened inside the first.

Through it, he could see the forest floor a few feet below.

Reinhard stepped through and landed neatly among the ferns. "Well, now." He looked back up the hillside at the burning ruin glowing orange against the night. "That was pretty fun."

Reinhard turned and climbed back toward the factory. There might still be something useful left behind, and he wasn’t going home empty-handed after all that.

The ruins were still burning when he reached them, and Reinhard picked his way through the smoldering wreckage.

Near the back wall, a thick file had survived beneath several pieces of debris. Its edges were singed, but most of it was intact, and Reinhard pulled it free and brushed away the ash.

The pages were full of meeting dates, locations, and names, and his eyes moved down the list, and then stopped.

[Meeting: Two weeks from today.]

[Location: Aurileus City, Abandoned Mansion near Elwood.]

[Objective: Bring Reinhard Ashcroft. Discuss the next phase of the Plan.]

Reinhard read the entry twice. Then he closed the file, tucked it under his arm, and looked out over the dark forest toward the distant glow of the city.

For once, he wasn’t smiling.