Bridget’s features scrunched in confusion when she heard what Darius said. Yet, Darius shook his head and did not explain himself.The man, supposedly Shelvin, stood opposite the two this entire time. At that moment, his lips curled as he sneered, “I can’t believe you’d be this despicable.”That instantly caught Darius’ attention.Having had an ego boost, the man continued, “Did Shelvin ever see this side of you? He doesn’t seem to have any negative impressions of you—well, none I can access, at least.”A death glare came from Darius when Shelvin’s name got mentioned by the man behind the black fog, who now had control over Shelvin’s body.Yet, this so-called version of Shelvin did not seem to mind Darius’ glares; the man’s smile deepened as he added, “I never thought you’d be this way, Darius.”Bridget was initially pursing her lips in discomfort. However, she soon lost all calm and burst out, “That’s enough! Speak for yourself, creep! Look at how happy you get when you see others in
Darius murmured the name to himself before looking up at the man again. “You’re foreign?”Yarlyn blanked for a second before nodding. Flashing a bitter smile while reddening his eyes, he explained, “I’ve been trapped here for so long that I can’t recall many things anymore.”“Trapped?” Darius quirked a brow. Yarlyn nodded, his features tensed even more as he turned to the side and waved, calling off all the fog around his body.A frown marred Darius’ face in that instant.It turned out that there was a hidden room behind Yarlyn this entire time. Darius could see the brightly lit and fully furnished room where Yarlyn had likely been residing now that the fog had lifted. That instantly made Darius’ brows narrow into a deep V-shape. Nothing seemed odd about Yarlyn’s explanation, but he could tell the furniture was from a different era, and there were signs of wear and tear from the long-term use. Although Darius did not seem overly bothered, he was already in utter shock after specula
“My family name is Weiss. Have you perhaps heard of it?” Darius raised a brow. However, he soon narrowed his eyes and nodded without speaking.A bitter smile curved on Yarlyn’s face again as he elaborated, “I was born during the war, but I had a considerably happier childhood than others in my country because of my family name.”Although Darius nodded, he still refrained from commenting on the subject.Seeing that, Yarlyn felt more at peace and did not mind the former’s coldness, so he continued, “My country finally gained independence when I was a young man, and we lived much better lives. I thought our happiness would last a long time. Unfortunately, I soon learned that wasn’t the case.” While speaking, he shut his eyes. “I got entrusted with a sacred mission by my country to go to a mysterious, eastern country and study a specific region’s liberation and independence. Initially, I thought it was a great mission, so I bid my goodbyes and went merrily on my way. Now that I think abo
“It had eyes on its arms and several long legs that stood sideways like a crab. Also, it had remarkably tiny hands. It was in a cage and had many wounds on its body. Even one of its legs could no longer stand properly. I caught a whiff of an overwhelming bloody scent that made me limp. Soon enough, the figures in black robes put me on the operating table—that was when I heard the most horrid instructions in my life.” Again, a black fog poured from Yarlyn, who became emotional at that memory.A sigh came from Darius, who placed his hand on the former’s shoulder. He released some of his warm life force at the same time. That instantly calmed Yarlyn down and made his black life force gasses vanish.Yarlyn slumped on the edge of his bed, gripping so tightly on the fabric around his knees that it ripped. Only then did he snap to his senses. Even so, he kept his eyes closed while saying, “The person holding me down said, ‘The boss says not to waste any anesthesia on him. Just seal his woun
“Later on, I suddenly met someone one night. He gave me a stamp with the symbol of the Moore Group’s wealth and power. It’s the one you took from Drake Moore. Then, the person told me all the martial artists in black robes belonged to me, and I was free to order them around on one condition—” Yarlyn’s gaze hardened without any warmth, his voice growing hoarse by the second. “I must train at least five hundred skilled and determined beings like myself every year.”Darius knew the former was holding back, but he did not have the heart to wonder why. Instead, the condition shocked Darius so much that his jaw was agape, and he murmured, “How many martial artists in black robes have you trained in the many years that passed since then?”Upon hearing that, Yarlyn thinned his lips into a long line across his face while staring frostily at Darius. It instantly made Darius’ eyes narrow to slits. His voice sounded grimmer while he shot some of his golden gaseous life force at Yarlyn. “Have you
Bridget heaved a sigh of relief, her features relaxing. She then turned to flash her widened eyes at Edward while smiling ever so slightly.Next to her, Edward sensed a killing intent vanish from inside the barrier. Following that, he felt Bridget staring at him, so he smiled in return. “You know, I haven’t seen you this happy since we started training together all those years ago.”“Duh,” Bridget’s smile deepened. “I’m smiling because I want to help complete Mr. Reid’s tasks, and I only wish for him to achieve his goals with little to no suffering.”With that, she turned the other way and ensured Pierce could not see them before flashing a frosty glare. “That rotten Pierce Bronson! How dare he give us false information!”Edward’s jaw fell agape upon hearing that. He assumed Bridget would say, “How dare he have such lewd thoughts about me!” Nevertheless, he was still shocked that Pierce had the nerve to lie to Darius. Edward’s mouth remained wide open for the longest time, and he took
Yarlyn sighed deeply with unbridled loathing burning in his eyes. After hesitating for the longest time, he said, “I need to know why you want it before giving it to you. After all, you’re still young. I know the extent of this magical core’s power, but that’s also why I can’t give it to you.”Immediately after saying that, he felt the power in his body vanish. At that point, he was unsure if he was still standing as every organ and body part felt disconnected from his conscience. His body soon fell to the ground. Then, he mustered whatever energy he had left to narrow his eyes at Darius, who held the magical core and stood aside as though nothing had happened.He frowned and shut his eyes, wanting to ignore what terrible things would come next.On the other hand, Darius did not pay the former much heed. His attention was fully on the magical core for an entirely different reason than the former believed. It was not because Darius had gotten bewitched. Instead, it was because he saw
Bridget turned to look at the barrier again. “Everyone’s life forces have different abilities,” she calmly explained, “I suggest you dig deeper into ways you can use your life force instead of copying other peoples’ abilities.”Edward’s eyes sparkled upon hearing that, and he exclaimed, “Oh! So that’s why you’re such a great martial artist!” Not a word more came from Bridget, as she did not want to confirm or deny that claim.“You genuinely are the best, most remarkable colleague I’ve ever had the pleasure of having!” Edward smiled broadly.Hearing that, Bridget turned to flash her pearly whites at Edward smugly. “Yes, you too. Not only that, but you’re also the most loyal subordinate among them all.”Edward’s smile immediately vanished when he saw her mocking grin. Likewise, he did not speak anymore and merely focused on the barrier, summoning his life force. However, he could not help but notice someone was glaring at him. Any martial artist would agree that it was unwise to igno