After the red alert, the entire unique plains were in chaos, and even the three territories of the three absolute factions were on the move. If they had only been passive and somewhat unwilling to follow the treaty's command before, now it was a matter of life and death, and those leaders had finally become serious.
However, in this commotion, the Bank Manager, Roy, suddenly vanished without any trace, leaving the mercenary agency in chaos. Everyone searched for him but to no avail. In the end, his second in command took over as the temporary bank manager.
Meanwhile, the Fog Island and the Queen Ice Fiend Locust remained oblivious to the fact that entire unique plains were united against her and a massive incoming army desperate to end the Ice Fiend Locust!
At this moment, Vincent was in a dimly lit chamber, looking at the unconscious middle-aged lighting elf with a complicated glint in his eyes, but there was also a hint of killing intent.
"I have fulfilled one of my promises to you. Bank Manager Roy, the only known lightning elf and traitor of your race, is yours to deal with however you wish. I hope you can resolve your grudge as quickly as possible before you move out. There is still one final hurdle before you get your spot in the Path of Legend."
A dismissive voice stated in his head at this moment before it vanished without waiting for Vincent's reply.
Vincent let out a deep sigh as he looked towards the high and mighty Bank Manager, who was untouchable and whose location was almost impossible to find. He lay without any defense in front of him.
Bank Manager Roy, a lightning elf who sold his race and betrayed it for power and ambition, was from the same generation as Vincent. It would be an understatement if Vincent said his entire life purpose and choosing the unorthodox path of a Star Hacker wasn't because of this
man.
Everyone he was doing till now was to get his hand on this traitor, who almost extinct his own race and killed them with his own hand by siding with the Thunder Giants, just so he could get the alliance support in his path to become the Bank Manager.
However, Vincent still felt complicated because the same Roy, who was extremely cautious and cunning and always managed to avoid his malicious attempts, was so easily delivered to him by the 'Lord' within a matter of hours.
It was simply too surreal and a reality check for the old elf as he knew the Lord was simply too powerful and resourceful. He now really wanted to join the ranks of true ATLAS.
Sighing again, he took out an array plate engraved with a slave rune seal. This was another form of Slave Rune, which anyone who had the Slave Rune Seal could control. It was even more powerful than a normal Slave Rune and could even enslave a three-step legend like Roy! "Awake." Vincent coldly issued a command while activating the Slave Rune Seal.
The next moment, Roy suddenly opened his eyes, and confusion was written all over his face as he got up and looked around the dim room. His eyes finally landed on the old elf standing in front of him, and his eyes widened in horror as if he had seen a ghost!
"Y...YOU! You're Vincent, the Vice Chief! How are you alive, and what did you do to me?" Roy roared with trepidation as he instantly tried to cast a spell. To his horror, his magic core was sealed, and no matter what he tried, his magic orbits were completely exempt from any mana. He was simply a mortal at his moment.
"So, you still remember me, huh?" Vincent chuckled coldly as he felt refreshed seeing Roy's expression. "Of course, you'll remember me. After all, you are the one who plunged that dagger into my heart. But it seemed fate had something else stored for me. I survived just because my heart was on my right side. And now, here we are after hundreds of years untied again. But our positions had changed, little Roy."
Vincent casually revealed, but the rage behind his words couldn't be hidden, and Roy's expression warped as he never expected Vincent would survive just because of a simple mistake!
He gulped dryly as he tried his best to calm down. Looking around, he asked, "Where am I? How did you find me!?"
"Does it matter?" Vincent pulled a dark smile, "What you should be asking is what I'm going to do with you. After all, our race almost went extinct because of you. Millions of innocents were slaughtered just for your luxury and comfort. I hope you haven't gotten rusty with your comfort and won't break so easily, or I will be disappointed in you. After all, to slaughter your own parents and siblings required guts and conviction, and I want to test that conviction."
Roy was completely horrified when he heard Vincent's dark words. He knew the old man wasn't joking since he knew who he was. He slowly pushed himself back while desperately trying to use his magic core, and he also found that his space ring was gone.
"Vin... no, Vice Chef! We can discuss it! I'm the Bank Manager! It's completely different from the past. The Thunder Giants and the Chairman forced me to go against the tribe! I...I've always regretted my actions!
"Bu...but now, it's completely different. I can support you against the Thunder Giant! We can make the Lightning Elf flourish again, and...and you can be the Chief! Just don't do anything stupid! The past is dead, and all that matters is the future!" Roy tried his best to peruse Vincent while desperately searching for some way to escape.
Although he didn't know how the hell Vincent got his hands on him since all he remembered was enjoying some virgins when suddenly everything went dark, and the next thing he remembered was waking up in front of this old ghost.
He cursed his guards for their incompetence and was clueless about where the hell they were even now while this lunatic was on the loose. He knew they would be searching for him, so he must buy as much time as possible.
If he had known that Vincent was still alive, he would have done everything in his power to kill him, but alas, it was too late.
Vincent's smile almost reached his eyes, and that smile was extremely vile and ruthless, making Roy's heart almost explode.
"If only the past grudges could be resolved with simple words, little Roy, but it's a pity they couldn't. The past is indeed dead, but what we are and what molds us is also the past.
"I'm not interested in revenge against the Thunder Giants since they will be dead soon enough, and they did what they did because of you. Or would they've won so simply in a frontal assault against us? Wasn't it you who destroyed the defensive barriers and took our treasures, making us sitting ducks? If not for you, I wouldn't..."
Vincent almost trembled as he remembered the past and took a deep breath to calm down. "Your crimes are numerous, little Roy, and if I start recounting them, it will take a long time, which I don't have right now. So, let's start with your punishment."
Roy's heart trembled when he saw a dagger that wasn't sharp but blunt suddenly appear in Vincent's hand. He threw it in front of him, and the next moment, the array plate in Vincent's hand suddenly lit up, making Roy pale. Roy finally understood what was going on. He recognized the array plate and felt a burning sensation from his back.
Vincent cruelly smiled as he ordered, "Roy, for your first punishment, you are to remove your skin with this blunt dagger, eat your traitorous flesh, and wait for it to regenerate and repeat
again and again and again...!
"But don't worry. As long as you repeat the process equivalent to the number of our brethren you've slaughtered, we'll move on to your next punishment!"