Chapter 20: Flames of Justice
[Half An Hour Ago; 8:30pm.]
[100 Miles from Asher’s Location.]
[Silverspire Forest.]
"Get the body... Although it’s a monster, it’s still filled with treasures." Marianne said, staring at the corpse of a dark elf. She maintained a mask of absolute, professional stoicism, refusing to let the adrenaline of the battle compromise her composure.
"Yes, Guild Leader!!" Five of her members rushed towards the destroyed trees, eager to harvest the spoils of her effortless victory.
Marianne raised her sword, and plunged it right into the skull, then pulled out a red gemstone. The slick, viscous blood steamed against the cool night air.
"Evolution stone." She muttered under her breath, storing the stone in her storage. It was a rare, invaluable resource, but to her, it was simply another piece of inventory required to keep humanity safe.
"Guild Leader was so amazing." The mage said with bright eyes, completely starstruck by the display of SSS-Rank dominance.
"Yes! No one is as strong as the Guild Leader!!"
"She is invincible!!"
"Enough with the flattering. Get to work, and take out the evolution stones... This isn’t a dungeon, so you have to do it yourselves!" Her tone was sharp, slicing through their celebratory mood. She despised complacency more than she despised monsters.
"Understood, Guild Leader!!"
"Seems we are late."
Marianne turned to the voice, seeing a young man walking towards her with twenty guild members following behind, the weakest was a B-Rank Awakener. They were the reinforcements that were supposed to be here before the anomaly shattered.
"Vice Guild Leader!" The five awakeners behind Marianne quickly greeted the young man, lowering their heads in deep respect.
"Yes you are. Why are you late?" Marianne asked with a frown. Her blue eyes narrowed, demanding immediate accountability.
"Sorry about that Guild Leader, there was a situation at the border, so I took some people to check it out."
"Situation? Another monster tide?"
"I don’t know yet, it was only one, maybe a scout." He answered with a shrug, seemingly unbothered by the potential threat.
’Hmm... The monsters outside the city are already sending scouts, we need to do something about this.’ She thought, turning to her Vice with a renewed sense of urgency.
The borders were weakening.
"Okay, I need you to keep watch on this. Today should never repeat itself!"
"Taken, I will make sure of it."
"Good."
"Guild Leader!!!"
Everyone turned to the five Guild Members who went to carry the corpse. Their faces were pale, their hands empty.
"Where is it?" Marianne asked in surprise, a sudden, cold dread pooling in her stomach.
"We searched all over, but found nothing!! It escaped, and with the route, he’s heading towards the edge of the city." One yelled, pointing frantically toward the distant skyline of Silverspire.
"....?!!"
Marianne froze in shock. She stared at the direction the monster flew into, and without another word, she shot into the air, flying away. The horrific realization that she had failed to confirm a kill—that an SS-Rank abomination was now loose in the civilian outskirts—shattered her invincible facade.
"Fast!!! Locate the whereabouts of that monster!! It came from an S-Rank Dungeon, it should be an S-Rank creature, even if it’s injured by the Leader, it’s still dangerous for B-Ranks let alone ordinary people!!" The Vice Guild Leader yelled, his SS-RANK Aura flaring as panic finally set into the ranks.
"Yes, Vice Guild Leader!!!"
___
[Present.]
[Iron Guild Estate.]
The Dark elf took a step back, staring at the bony sword in Asher’s grasp. The air around the young human had turned paralyzingly cold, suffocating the creature’s arrogant bloodlust.
’A Mythic Tier??? Is this Human hiding his true rank?! First it was that woman, and now, this. Are the humans already this powerful??’ It thought, its predatory instincts screaming at it to run.
’Maybe he’s just holding the sword, there is no way a C-Rank can bring out the true power of that sword.’ It nodded its head, convincing itself. Although It was now an A-Rank beast; it refused to be intimidated by the prey.
{Skill: Killing Intent, Activated.}
{Skill: Sword Proficiency, Activated.}
Asher gripped the sword, as his golden aura flew into the blade, instantly, a wave of killing intent burst out from the window, heading towards the Dark elf with deadly force. The energy wasn’t just physical; it was a concentrated, psychological manifestation of his rage over the slaughtered children.
’This?!!’
BAM!!!
The wave of energy smashed right into the creature, bypassing its defense, and the next moment, it dropped to its knees, blood flowing from every hole in its body. Its internal organs ruptured under the crushing weight of Asher’s Celestial-Tier skills.
’Impossible!! I escaped from an SSS-RANK Human, why can’t I even defend or escape from a C-Rank?!! And how the hell can he unleash the full strength of that sword?!!’
It thought, kneeling there till Asher got in front of it. The young man’s eyes were utterly void of mercy or hesitation.
How ironic, It ran away from a SSS-RANK, only to be killed by a C-Rank.
"If... If you... Kill... Me, My... Father... Will... Hunt... Hunt, and Kill... You." It spoke slowly, its voice coming out with difficulty, trying to use the politics of the abyss to save its pathetic life.
"Your father? Do you think I am scared of him?" Asher swung his sword, separating the head from the body in one smooth, frictionless motion.
He stared at the body for some seconds, feeling absolutely nothing for the creature he had just erased, then turned to the kids. With a deep sigh, mourning the innocent lives he was too late to save, he walked back to the mansion, closing the door behind him.
__
[Two minutes Later.]
Fat pig finally woke up from the smoke entering her nose. She blinked, her vision blurry, and the moment she saw the flames all over the place, she screamed. The lavish mansion of the Iron Guild was burning to the ground.
"Ahh!! Fire!! Someone help me!!!"
"Don’t struggle, I already gave you poison. Just sit down and die slowly... This is payback for Stefanie." Asher said, destroying the safe before him, staring at the five skill books inside. His voice was terrifyingly calm, devoid of the manic energy a killer usually possessed. He was simply taking out the trash.
He brought out the skill books: "Earth-Tier, not bad..." He nodded, and kept everything in his storage, then walked towards the back exit, as flames consumed everything.
"Hey!! You can’t leave me here!! Please!!"
"There is no need saving you. Even if someone does save you... The poison will do its job in a day, so just sit peacefully and die." Asher said, disappearing through the back exit, fading into the smoke like a ghost.
"No!! You are heartless and wicked!! You’re evil!!!" Fat Pig screamed, as the flames enveloped her, paying the ultimate price for her boundless greed.
_
Flying in the sky, Marianne paused, as the breeze smashed right into her: ’This?! A Mythic-Tier weapon?!!’ She shot towards the burning building in the distance, her heart pounding against her ribs. The sudden spike of apocalyptic energy meant the monster was either dead, or something much worse had just awakened.
"This is the place."
Marianne landed on the compound, staring at the bodies of the Iron Guild members, then at the kids, her expression turning dark. The stench of burned flesh and spilled blood painted a horrifying picture of utter failure.
"I am still too late."
She turned towards the headless body of the dark elf, which was still kneeling on the ground in a posture of absolute, crushing defeat.
"Damn it!!!" She cursed, with gritted teeth, staring at the massacre caused by her guild’s negligence. If she had been faster, those children would still be breathing.
"Oh. Oh. Oh, what do we have here?"
Marianne froze hearing the mocking voice above her. She slowly raised her head, and was completely dumbfounded by the sight.
"What are you doing here?" She asked with killing intent, her hand instantly snapping back to the hilt of her sword.