Chapter 1027: Sending assassins
Chapter 1027: Sending assassins
Souta was sitting in his office, reviewing all the reports from Ekatoe City and Astros.
Doranjan was on the other side of the portal, managing all the monsters out there. The situation was quite good since a few monsters had recently achieved the third stage. They were set to receive parasites once a new batch appeared.
With the cultivation of the parasite king completed, Astros would be able to reach even higher levels of power. Souta needed to carefully consider the next actions for his group, including the development of Astros and his candidacy as the Hero of Athena.
Astros was a dominant force in the Hall Plains. No organization in the land could threaten them with Kessa, a fifth-stage monster, among their ranks. The only issue was their lack of higher-level experts. Although Alice and the others were strong, it wasn't enough for the rapidly changing times. They had to keep up or risk being eliminated.
Alice was on the verge of breaking the fifth shackle. The final burst had accelerated her progression, so she only needed a little more to reach her goal.
Eilish was close to breaking the great shackle, which would elevate her to a Four Shackles expert.
Amanda was working on gaining Dream Power with the help of the [Nightmare Mask]. Kessa had accompanied her to Vanko to deal with the higher-ranking Sovereigns there.
Souta wasn't too concerned about Amanda's safety, as Kessa was with her. There were only a few monsters in Vanko that could challenge Kessa.
Souta opened a drawer and took out a map. As he examined it, his brows furrowed.
"Anything suitable for Alice's current strength... Something that could push her to the Fifth Shackle."
Souta drew a circle on the map, marking a potential location for Alice's next challenge. He then decided to call her in for a discussion.
A few moments later, Alice arrived at his office.
"I was about to come here when you called me," she said as she took a seat in the vacant chair. She glanced at the piles of paper on the table and asked, "So, what do you need me to do?"
"You know I had a task in mind for you," Souta said with a chuckle.
"I'm aware. Spending time with you has made me quite familiar with your methods," Alice replied with a faint smile.
"You're right." Souta moved the piles of paper to the floor and opened the map on the table. "Here, you'll need to go to this location."
"That place...?" Alice raised her eyebrows in curiosity.
"Yes, it's near the territory of Takamagahara. Specifically, there's a small city called Uben. You should head there first and find an inn named Densetsu," Souta explained.
"An inn named Densetsu. I'll remember it," Alice said, nodding.
Souta continued, "When you get there, give the owner seventy platinum coins and tell them you want to place an order."
"Seventy platinum coins?! That's an enormous amount-equivalent to several tons of mana stones!" Alice exclaimed, astonished by the sum.
"No, no, no. The price is appropriate. I'll explain: the owner of the inn is a member of an organization called Kuro no Ansatsu, an assassin group under the Koga Clan."
"An assassin group?" Alice asked, intrigued.
"Yes. The reason the price is so high is because the target is quite formidable. In fact, seventy platinum coins is a modest amount. Kuro no Ansatsu is a powerful assassin group affiliated with the Koga Clan, one of the most prestigious assassin clans in the entire territory of Takamagahara. The leader of the Koga Clan has even achieved godhood."
"And the person you want to have assassinated?"
"The leader of the Wingless Crow. I want him dead. Since he had the audacity to send assassins after me, I believe it's only fair to return the favor. If I could leave Hall Plains freely right now, I'd handle him personally."
"I see..."
"Anyway, seventy platinum coins are just the down payment. Once the order is completed, we'll pay them double the annual budget of the Astros. I've already compiled all the information I know about the Wingless Crow to help reduce the final cost. The price for an expert of that level is significant."
"I understand." Alice nodded. She then asked, "Is there anything else you need me to do?" "Yes, there's one more thing. After you place the order, you'll need to go here." Souta pointed to a location on the map. He continued, "With your current strength, this should be manageable and won't take up much of your time, so you should be able to return quickly." Alice took note of all the details for her task. She would be going alone this time.
"Oh, I forgot. The Dragon Council sent this letter for you." Alice placed a letter on the table. "Dragon Council..." Souta glanced at the letter.
Alice looked at him, as if wanting to say something, but she shook her head instead. She then bid farewell and left the room.
Souta sighed and massaged his eyes. His vision was gone, and it was challenging to act as if he hadn't lost his eyesight. He hadn't told Alice about his condition, as it would only cause her unnecessary worry. Fortunately, his condition wasn't permanent, and it didn't bother him much since his perception was exceptionally high. His advanced perception could effectively function as a replacement for his lost eyesight.
"Franklin and the rest are still on a mission. Their task is quite challenging since it involves the Deadly Sins. They won't be able to gain the support of the local authorities unless they've gathered concrete evidence that the Deadly Sins are present. Vashno is there as well, so he'll know what to do if things go awry. He's quite clever, unlike Eztein."
Souta tapped the table with his finger. He aimed to prevent any actions by the Deadly Sins in that land, near the border of the Immortal Land, which is ruled by the Heavenly Court. This was one of the missions he had undertaken in the game. He had thwarted the Deadly Sins in that lower dimension, leading to the downfall of the Blackstone Immortal Sect.
He's simply following the game's script to ensure the situation doesn't deviate too much from what he knows. With so many unexpected developments, he needed to stick to some of
the planned paths.
"After that... Gluttony will personally move. The target is..."
Souta furrowed his brows. It would be a battle between gods.
Somewhere in an unknown place...
Red Mist lay on a bed, slowly opening her eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. She held her head, feeling a headache.
"Ugh... Where am I?" she muttered as she pushed herself into a seated position.
She looked left and right, unable to recall the room she was in. Something peculiar about the environment caught her attention.
Her perception and mana couldn't spread out, and the mana density in the air was dozens of times higher than normal. It was clear she was in a special environment.
She recalled the events leading up to this moment. The last thing she remembered was the collapse of the Dream Palace. The Blood Lightning Monster had destroyed the core of the
Walpurgis Night.
"I managed to survive..." she muttered to herself, feeling disoriented after the destruction of
the Walpurgis Night.
Red Mist stood up and exited the room. She entered the living room and saw someone on a
reclining chair, reading a book.
The figure turned her head, her face obscured by a dark veil.
The unknown woman smiled beneath her veil and said, "You're awake. There's plenty of food
on the table to replenish your energy."
Red Mist glanced at the table and asked, "Where am I?"
"This place?" The woman gestured around. "This is the Everlight Realm, a special dimension between dreams and reality. It was created by the God of Dream long ago."
"So why did you save me?" Red Mist inquired.
"I didn't save you," the woman replied. "You were sent away from the Dream Realm, and the spirit within you was drawn to this place. It brought you here. However, I did allow you entry, as no one can enter the Everlight Realm without my permission." "Fiamma?" Red Mist placed her hand on her chest, feeling that her spirit was in a deep slumber. She had used too much spirit power during the Walpurgis Night, leaving Fiamma
exhausted.
The unknown woman glanced at the book in her hand and said, "The Walpurgis Night was indeed destroyed. All contact with it vanished the moment it activated its isolation barrier, and when that barrier fell, the destruction was immediate. The Call of the Witch will not occur again, as all major witches capable of performing it have perished."
"The Call of the Witch?" Red Mist turned her head, intrigued. This was the first time she had
heard of this term.
"It's a relic of the past," the woman explained. "Burning at the stake, dying in flames, and
purifying the soul weapon. The Soul Tribe is not something to meddle with. Go out, and you'll face a trial. Your companion, the spirit within you, is the key, as she is the one who received its
calling." The woman pointed toward the door.
"Who are you?" Red Mist asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I'm just a woman from a lost tribe," the unknown woman replied. She glanced at Red Mist
and slowly removed the dark veil from her face, revealing a third eye at the center of her
forehead.
"The Three-Eyed Tribe," Red Mist whispered, recognizing the ancient lineage.