I reached the skies above the city of Brave in barely five minutes. The place lay almost on the opposite end of the continent, but my speed made the distance meaningless.
Spreading out my perception, I covered the entire city in an instant and what I sensed was far from pleasant.
As Lyrate had said, the man ruled through a slave kingdom, and the signs were everywhere. On the surface, Brave looked neat and orderly, with wide streets, shining buildings, and people moving about as if everything was normal. But beneath that polished skin, the rot was clear. I found dozens of hidden compounds scattered across the city.
Men and women locked in chains. Children cramped in filthy cells. Captured abominations treated like beasts. Even people from other races, stripped of dignity and hope.
I tightened my jaw but didn’t let myself get distracted. I had other goals.
My focus landed on the Grandmaster.
[Juno Downey – Level 262]
Surprisingly, the man didn’t live in a palace or anything resembling luxury. His home was a plain, single-story building tucked away at the outskirts of the city. Small, quiet, and unimpressive, almost like he wanted to vanish into the background.
I peered inside with my perception. There he was, lounging on a couch, eyes glued to the television. He munched on snacks without a care in the world.
This man didn’t look like a Grandmaster at all. No aura, no discipline, nothing. He looked more like a scam artist than a warrior. Bald head shining under the light, a ridiculous mustache curling awkwardly above his lip, and a smile that seemed to drip with dishonesty.
I exhaled slowly, a faint smirk forming on my lips.
"Well, buddy, this is your last day."
With a thought, I summoned Lyrate into the world.
"Oh, we’re here," she said as she stepped out, her sharp gaze instantly locking onto Juno.
"Yeah. Go ahead. Make it quick and pull out the details about the other Grandmasters and their cities. He looks like a sleazebag, he’ll spill everything once you grab him."
She gave a short nod. In the next second, her body dissolved into mist and streaked across the air.
I slid my hands into my pockets and leaned back in the air, watching calmly. The drama was about to unfold.
Lyrate materialized behind Juno like a shadow. Her blade was already in her hand, its edge glinting faintly in the dull light of his shabby living room.
Juno froze for a second, his hand halfway to his mouth with a greasy snack. Slowly, he turned his head, his fake smile stretching even wider.
"Ohhh... what’s this? A lovely lady with a sword in my house? You could’ve knocked, sweetheart. I’m always open to visitors."
Lyrate didn’t answer. The flat of her blade pressed against his neck, cold steel silencing his laugh before it fully left his lips. With a sharp twist of her wrist, she forced him forward, slamming his face into the table. The bowl of snacks toppled, scattering crumbs across the floor.
"Ahh! Easy, easy!" Juno sputtered, his voice muffled against the wood. "No need for violence, we can talk like civilized people!"
Her voice was low, calm, and almost emotionless. "Talk fast. Names. Locations. Every Grandmaster you know."
Juno chuckled nervously, trying to wiggle under her grip. "Grandmasters, huh? You must be mistaken. I’m just a simple man, enjoying my—"
Her blade bit into his cheek, drawing a thin red line.
"Anything but the answer, and I cut out your tongue."
His breath came shaky, his confidence crumbling. "Alright, alright! No need to get nasty... I’ll tell you. There are three others I know of. "
The man started spilling every detail he knew. I was certain some of it was false or twisted, but that didn’t matter. If he had real enemies among the names, those locations would be genuine.
She slammed him harder into the table, rattling the wood. His teeth clacked together, a grunt escaping him.
Juno tried to smile through the pain, his eyes darting side to side, hunting for an escape. "Listen, sweetheart, maybe we can work something out. You let me live, I’ll pay you double—no, triple—whatever you’re being offered. Gold, women, even Essence crystals. I’ve got plenty. You name it."
Her sword moved in a blur. With flawless precision, she drove the blade straight through his heart. At the same time, a wooden spike erupted from the floorboards, spearing through his stomach and lifting his body high into the air like a grotesque banner.
Juno twitched violently, his face frozen in shock.
Before life could fully drain from his eyes, Lyrate stepped forward. She placed her palm against his trembling chest, and a strange green energy spread out like veins of light across his skin.
In the very next moment, his body crumbled. Flesh, bone, blood, everything scattered like dust on the wind. Even the wooden spike that held him disappeared along with him, leaving nothing behind. Juno Downey was erased, as if he had never existed in this world.
Lyrate didn’t waste even a second inside the house. She walked out, her figure appearing beside me as if she had simply stepped across shadows. Her expression carried the faintest trace of satisfaction.
"This is fun," she said lightly. "I like these assassination tasks. But one isn’t enough. We should hit every location that man mentioned."
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her eagerness.
"Of course we’ll do that. But let’s not forget our real goal."
She gave a little shrug, unconcerned. "Fine. Call me when you reach the next location." With that, her body dissolved into and slipped back into the core.
I blinked, letting out a short laugh. "Wow... treating me like a driver." The words slipped out of my mouth, half amusement, half disbelief.
I shook my head and called forth my wings. Crimson mist burst from my back, swirling and shaping into wide, powerful wings.
It had been a long time since I last used them, but now they unfolded with a familiar weight. I chose to bring them out because I needed to move quickly, I had to reach the next continent as fast as possible, and an ocean lay in my path.
My perception stretched outward, locking onto the space particles scattered around me.
I knew I couldn’t tear open space here, not without drawing too much attention. Neither could I stir them too heavily, or I would risk causing dangerous fluctuations.
But I could use them differently. With careful control, I let my will slip between them, letting my body move through the currents as if I were a fish gliding through water.
The air itself bent around me.
With a single powerful flap of my crimson wings, I ripped through the skies. The city of Brave vanished beneath me in an instant, nothing more than a blur of lights and shadows, as I shot straight toward the distant continent that awaited me beyond the sea.