Chapter 115: Their All Dead

Louis studied the masked men emerging through the ruined wall.

There were twelve of them. Their equipment was uniform, their movements coordinated, and their weapons designed for high-intensity combat rather than simple intimidation. More importantly, every single one of them possessed mana.

Yet something was wrong.

Louis swept his senses across the intruders, examining their bodies and the flow of energy within them.

Despite possessing mana, none showed the characteristics of a Lord. Their power originated from a different source, one that had been artificially introduced into their bodies.

His eyes narrowed into sharp slits. “Evolvers.”

Evolvers were individuals who had consumed a specially developed super-serum that forcibly awakened their mana and granted them supernatural abilities.

Unlike Lords, who received their Lord Seeds directly through the Lord’s Domain, Evolvers relied on artificial enhancement to develop their powers.

With sufficient resources, almost anyone could become an Evolver. Even Lords could undergo the procedure, although few had any reason to do so.

Louis had encountered them countless times throughout his long career, though they were far less common across the outer planets of the Astral Dominion, where scientific advancement lagged behind the inner worlds.

Which was why the presence of twelve heavily armed Evolvers attacking a school on an outer planet was exceedingly suspicious.

The leader of the group seemed to recognize the danger as well.

The masked captain raised a hand, signaling his subordinates to hold their positions.

His gaze lingered on the translucent barrier surrounding the elderly man and the little girl beside him before noticing the crushing pressure radiating from Louis.

His eyes widened behind his tactical mask.

‘A Lord? Here?’

He had expected resistance from the local planetary authorities, perhaps a few security personnel or armed guards.

Even if the school possessed a defensive formation, his team brought equipment specifically designed to break through it.

But a Lord?

That hadn’t been part of the intelligence report.

The captain quickly composed himself and barked an order to his men. “It seems we’ve encountered a Lord, gentlemen. Be on high alert. Secure the hostages and use them against him if necessary. Don’t give him an opportunity to interfere with the operation!”

The other eleven men nodded in disciplined synchronization. Several tapped their communication devices, relaying the captain’s instructions to their secondary teams.

Louis’s expression remained completely impassive.

‘Hostages?’

He had already suspected that these twelve men weren’t the only attackers. Their confidence, the coordinated assault, and the precision with which they had breached the building suggested a much larger operation.

He decided to confirm his suspicions.

His spiritual senses expanded in an instant, sweeping through the corridors, passing through concrete walls, and spreading across the entire academy grounds.

Within moments, every single corner of the school fell within his perception.

He detected panicked students, frightened teachers, and armed intruders positioned strategically throughout the building.

Some attackers were forcing their way into classrooms, while others held positions near the main exits.

There were far more than twelve.

Louis’s eyes grew icy cold.

‘So this is a fully coordinated assault.’

Before he could investigate further, emergency alarms began blaring throughout the school.

The siren echoed through the corridors, adding to the growing panic. Students screamed as the sound of explosions and shattering walls reached their ears.

Teachers scrambled to calm their classes, desperately trying to keep the children away from the windows and doors.

Louis perceived everything: every frightened expression, every trembling voice, and every armed man moving through the school.

His face remained impassive, but the oppressive atmosphere around him grew noticeably heavier.

These were children. Whatever their objective was, there was zero justification for dragging innocent children into it.

The captain, meanwhile, decided that waiting was no longer an option. He raised his heavy rifle and aimed directly at Louis.

The device resembled an advanced energy blaster, its barrel glowing brightly as mana compressed within its firing chamber.

”Don’t move!” the captain roared, pulling the trigger.

A concentrated beam of destructive energy shot toward the elderly Lord.

It struck empty air.

Louis had completely disappeared.

The captain’s eyes widened in sheer shock. Where—?

Before he could finish the thought, a strange, sickening sensation washed over him. Something was horribly wrong.

He turned his head toward his squad.

The eleven men who had been standing right behind him were still in their original tactical positions.

Except their heads were no longer attached to their shoulders.

Gouts of crimson blood sprayed across the ruined corridor as the eleven headless corpses collapsed almost simultaneously.

Their heavy weapons clattered against the floor, the dull thud of their bodies echoing through the suddenly silent hallway.

The captain stood frozen in absolute terror.

He hadn’t even seen the old man move. Not once.

The elderly Lord was now standing several meters away, calmly examining one of the fallen weapons he had picked up off the ground.

”This isn’t standard Dominion-issued equipment,” Louis murmured softly.

He turned the blaster slightly in his hand, inspecting its internal construction. The weapon’s energy core was completely unfamiliar, its internal components modified to accommodate an unusual method of mana compression.

Whoever had manufactured these firearms possessed considerable technical expertise.

Louis’s expression darkened.

“Where did these mercenaries obtain such advanced military technology?”

The captain barely registered the question. His legs trembled violently as he stumbled backward.

The eleven elite men he had brought into the building were dead. Their deaths had occurred so fast that he hadn’t even realized they were under attack until their corpses hit the floor.

What kind of monster was this elderly man?

Desperate, the captain hurriedly activated his tactical comms unit. “Command, this is Captain! We need immediate backup! Repeat, we need backup now!”

Static was his only answer.

He tried again, his voice cracking with panic. “Do you hear me?! I need reinforcements immediately!”

Nothing.

The captain’s breathing grew ragged and shallow.

Louis finally looked up from the captured weapon. “There’s no need to keep calling them.”

The captain stared at him, petrified.

Louis’s expression remained perfectly calm. “They’re all dead.”

For a moment, the captain couldn’t comprehend what he had just heard. Then, the horrific reality struck him, and his heart seemed to stop beating entirely.

‘Everyone?’

The men stationed throughout the building had been carefully selected for their high-tier combat abilities.

They had undergone extensive military training, received advanced weaponry, and consumed expensive enhancement serums.

Yet this old man was telling him that every single operative in the building had already been slaughtered.

The captain swallowed hard, cold sweat pouring down his face.