Chapter 21: Gathering Of The Apex Predators
"What? Am I not welcome?"
The old man standing in the air said, rubbing his white beard, his gaze fixed on Marianne, who stood in the burning compound. He floated effortlessly, looking down at the gruesome massacre with the detached curiosity of a spectator at a play.
"You know you’re not welcome!" She snapped at him. Her voice trembled, not from fear, but from the unbearable weight of her own guilt and the sudden, suffocating invasion of her territory.
"Speak with respect, child!" The old man stated coldly, as his aura of an SSS-RANK Awakener burst out from him. The sheer force of his presence warped the air, pressing down on the burning estate like a physical mountain.
Marianne refused to back down, and also unleashed her own aura, which collided on the old man’s. A localized hurricane of energy erupted between them, sending debris flying and feeding the roaring flames of the Iron Guild’s mansion.
"You might be older than me, but we have the same position, and rank!! So don’t dare look down on me in my zone!! Besides, we five came to an arrangement, none is allowed to enter another zones without prior notice, or request!!" She yelled at him. It was a desperate attempt to cling to the rules that governed their fragile peace, knowing fully well she had lost the moral high ground the moment those slum children died.
"You still have mouth to scream with the dead bodies around you?"
Marianne and the old man turned to the side, completely startled by the chilling voice that bypassed their clashing auras. They watched as the space tore open, splitting the fabric of reality itself, and from the depths, a black hair middle-aged woman walked out. She was dressed in all black, with a fur overcoat on her shoulder, another SSS-RANK. The temperature plummeted the second her boots touched the air.
"Lady Margaret?" Marianne was speechless, all the fiery defiance draining out of her in an instant.
The old man she was yelling to is Richard Nixon, the Guild Leader of Dragon guild, the top 4 guild in Vaeloria. Having the strength of an SSS-RANK Warrior-Assassin awakener, and with his deadly attacks, he moved his guild to the fourth position on the country. He was arrogant, deeply cynical, and incredibly dangerous.
But this woman... She was different.
SSS-RANK Awakener, Margaret Celestial; A very powerful awakener with the ability to control space itself. As the Guild Leader of Celestial Guild, and her Amazing abilities, she sat on the 2nd spot of the ladder. She was a woman who could fold cities and tear enemies apart by merely blinking.
Before this Lady, Even Marianne and Richard must show respect. They might all be SSS-RANK Awakeners, but there was still a huge difference between the ones in such ranks. The gap between the 2nd and the 3rd was an abyss.
Margaret slowly moved her gaze on the bodies, her dark eyes reflecting zero empathy for the slaughtered thugs or the innocent kids, and turned to Marianne: "Where is the Mythic-Tier equipment?" She moved straight to the point, not sparing another glance at the bodies. To her, human lives were cheap; a weapon of apocalyptic scale was all that mattered.
’So she came here because of this...’ Marianne moved her gaze around the place, her heightened senses finally piercing through her own panic.
’They are at least ten SSS-RANK Awakeners around, all hiding and waiting...’ She looked up at Margaret, realizing that Silverspire had just become the focal point for every apex predator.
"I don’t know... This creature escaped from a dungeon clean up, and caused this destruction. I chased after it, and when I arrived, it was dead, I don’t know the one who did this." She explained, the bitter taste of utter failure heavy on her tongue.
Margaret exhaled, and closed her eyes, spreading her energy all over the zone in a massive, undetectable spatial net, then opened it again: ’Strange? Why can’t I sense anything? Not even a presence, it’s like the equipment didn’t even appear here. No, I sensed it, this can’t be fake.’ She turned to Richard, then at Marianne, her mind working furiously to solve the impossibility before them.
’These two, plus the ones hiding, they all came here because of this equipment’s signature, but...’
Her eyes instantly widened in shock as a terrifying conclusion formed in her mind. Firstly, A Mythic-Tier equipment wasn’t something any ordinary Awakener can use, or even think of controlling. At least, a SS-RANK strength would surface just to withstand the backlash of holding it.
But the energy was at its peak that she felt it hundreds of miles away. It proves, the one using that weapon could bring out its full strength, and also knows how to hide and conceal it from others... Only another SSS-RANK can achieve such a thing. And an unknown SSS-Rank possessing a Mythic weapon could single-handedly topple the world’s power balance.
"Did any visitor enter Silverspire during this time?" She suddenly asked, staring at the two, her voice edged with genuine paranoia.
"No, my North zone’s exit didn’t receive such a person." Marianne answered, completely baffled by the line of questioning.
"Same here... My people at the South exit didn’t welcome such person." Richard added, stroking his beard, his previous arrogance entirely gone.
"Alright then!! Everyone should keep watch!! And Marianne, make sure this never happens again!! If a dungeon breaks out in your zone ever again, I will personally wipe out your guild, and bring it down the rankings... You should know, I don’t make threats." Margaret’s voice was absolute, leaving no room for negotiation or pride.
"I understand, it won’t happen again." Marianne said, her head bowed in submission.
’Shit!! She is so arrogant because her guild is a lot stronger than mine... Forget it, I can’t win her anyway.’ She sighed inwardly, swallowing her rage. Survival required knowing who you could bark at, and Margaret was a dragon.
Margaret turned to an empty space, and narrowed her eyes as if staring at someone. The air rippled slightly, carrying a pressure that made both Marianne and Richard want to fall to their knees. Then with a small nod of acknowledgement, she waved her hand tearing the space behind her.
Marianne and Richard picked up her small gestures, watching as she vanished from the sky in a seamless fold of reality. In the whole of Vaeloria, only two people could make Margaret bow, even if it’s a small bow.
The first was Lord Daniel, the Leader of Awakeners’ Association; an insanely powerful SSS-RANK Mage who essentially governed the laws of their awakening society.
The second was, Guild Leader Tyson Vulcan, the Guild Leader of Gods Guild, and the top 1 guild in Vaeloria. He was the undisputed peak of humanity’s martial strength.
One of these two monsters was also present in the shadows, showing how important a Mythic-Tier equipment was. They hadn’t even bothered to show their faces, merely projecting their presence to warn Margaret not to claim the weapon if she found it.
Marianne stood still, not daring to move a single muscle. She couldn’t afford to mess with any of these two people. One has the power to revoke her Awakener’s title, and can even disband her guild with a single word; the second is simply too powerful; if he wants, he could wipe out the whole Guild single-handedly without breaking a sweat.
After some seconds, she felt the SSS-RANK Awakeners leaving one at a time. The suffocating pressure gradually lifted from the burning compound, and in one minute, they were all gone, leaving Richard floating alone above the carnage.
"Seems there is no show today! How I wish I could even see a Mythic-Tier equipment, it’s just too rare." He thought aloud, unfazed by the gruesome scene below him, then sighed in disappointment:
"Anyway... Good luck on this mess, clean it up." With that, he flew away, not looking back, treating the tragic loss of life as nothing more than a failed scavenger hunt.
’Heartless bastards.’
Marianne stood alone amidst the crackling flames and the smell of blood. She stared at the dead bodies around the place, letting her mind take over to bury her shame, then turned to the burning building.
’This dark elf died outside, so why is there fire? This might be a clue.’ She thought to herself, narrowing her eyes. Whoever executed this monster had also deliberately purged the Iron Guild.
The hunt for the phantom executioner had just begun.