Chapter 111: Deception
Death toll: 170
No injured Contestant. No serious or life-threatening case. All who had been even nicked by the sabers were dead. The Contestants had seen their share of brutality after coming to the Primordial Tower in the battles. But this… this was something else.
They had even given him a name.
The way the Butcher of the 2nd Floor had killed seemed like the work of an unstable and crazy person. He had come to the Guild's building like an uninvited guest, going from floor to floor, killing everything and everyone. He had stolen nothing. Nor he had put forward any demand.
Slaughter. The Butcher slaughtered and disappeared after he had his way with the Contestants. Only a few higher-ups knew the words he had left behind. Those who knew those words shuddered, thinking of what would happen tonight.
"Even the dead are shivering in their graves." Some cowards had exaggerated before abandoning the guild.
Kai was aware of it all.
Shock. It was a shock that Kai had aimed for. Yes, the Guild was massive. Yes, the number of Contestants in it was vast. And yes, Kai couldn't have killed everyone before dying. But Kai had mastered the way of craziness. Combine it with the thrill of slaughter, and you would get a killing machine that could never be stopped before losing one's senses.
Kai had achieved what he had wanted to accomplish. It hadn't come without a price, though.
His one ear had lost the sense of hearing. Half of his ribs had been shattered. Five broken teeth and even more had loosened. His entire body was now covered in various injuries. Acid marks, poisonous boils, and cuts and bruises that seemed impossible to heal.
'But it was worth it,' Kai thought, smiling. 'It was all worth it.' It had taken him an entire day to regain his HP and MP, a feat possible only because of the Koffing's Blood Essence. Some more gains and losses that were hidden behind the obvious results he had hoped for.
Kai recalled the final Notifications.
[
WARNING: Steel-Bone Brigandine - Quality: 52% (-10%)
Elementary Filth Manipulation: Proficiency 25% (+8%)
Elementary Snake Instinct: Proficiency: 28% (+3%)
Elementary Slither Footsteps: Proficiency 64% (+4%)
Elementary Twin-Saber Style: Proficiency 68% (+3%)
]
Kai wasn't worried about losing the armor's quality. It was the sole reason he had got it made, to let him kill without worrying about himself. The increase in the rest Proficiencies was a pleasant but expected surprise.
Despite a few Pokemon in the building, and the stirring of his Glitch, Kai had not devoured them. There were a few reasons behind his decision. First, after getting to know his Glitch's limitations, Kai had decided to not devour any magical beast he didn't know the strengths and weaknesses of. Koffing had turned out to be alright, but Kai never believed in repeated good chances.
Then there was the Limit of three beasts.
Even if he could replace a previous Blood Essence once he encountered a better magical beast, all the Elementary Abilities would disappear. Kai dared not imagine what he would do if he were to lose his Elementary Filth Manipulation or Snake Instinct. These two Abilities were like two ethereal sabers in his arsenal whose edge was as sharp as the real ones.
'I will only replace a blood essence after upgrading its Elementary Proficiencies first,' Kai reminded himself. 'That way I will make those Abilities mine permanently.'
Kai jumped from roof to roof, heading in a specific direction.
From what he had learned through little Hao, the entire Guild had called reinforcement to welcome him. The Guild's leader himself had come from the 3rd floor. It would have been enough to shock anyone, but things didn't rest there. A sizable force from Thousand Armor Smithy and Thunder Faction, led by their respective leaders, had also come to aid the Guild.
An attack on one was being seen as an attack on all of them. Worse was the fact that even the Empire had sent a specialized troop to the 2nd floor as a backup. All this trouble for a mere crazed Contestant who had lost his mind.
Kai sneered.
Kai wasn't a person who would indulge in the mindless killing of the innocents. But it didn't mean he wouldn't kill. Give him enough reason, and Kai would kill an innocent man as easily as a guilty man. It all came down to one word.
Benefit.
What benefit was there to him in rallying all these forces against him? Kai couldn't take on the Silver Hunters Guild by himself, let alone the combined forces of the three strongest organizations below the 4th floor. Then there were three leaders.
Kai could handle them, but not when they were backed up by thousands of Contestants.
All were there, waiting for him, for they knew the words Kai had spoken after his killing spree. Kai guffawed. "Let them wait," he hissed. "When did I ever call myself an honest man?"
A round dome-like blue building appeared in front of him. It wasn't as tall as Silver Hunter Guild, but it seemed vast, like a lake. Even from afar, Kai could feel the Mana pulsing around the structure like gentle heartbeats.
At the top of the dome, a banner flapped in the night wind. The image of a blue thunderbolt seemed to come out of it with every flutter.
Thunder Faction!
All the killing, all the words, and all the fear he had instilled in the Contestants were to come to this place. With most of the Thunder Faction forces concentrated around the Silver Hunters Guild, it had left a gap in their own branch's defenses.
Kai wasn't here to carry out another slaughter, though. No.
He was here to meet an old friend.
It was a piece-of-cake for Kai to infiltrate the building full of 2nd-floor Contestants. Kai could be as silent as the wind if he didn't want to reveal his presence. People were running about doing their errands, but most of them were sleeping, though uneasily.
The site of action was Silver Hunter Guilds tonight, not the Thunder Faction.
Kai picked the lock of a luxurious apartment, entering it noiselessly.
There were no guards posted outside her house, as expected by him. Kai slithered over the floor, approaching the bedroom of the Golden Mage he had heard so much about. The entire house smelled of perfume, fresh plants, and rain.
Magic was everywhere in this house.
But it wasn't enough to save her from Kai, it seemed.
The doors to Shae's bedroom parted effortlessly. Under the dim light, Kai's figure looked like a black messenger of hell who was here to claim the life of sleeping beauty. Kai stepped into the room, and suddenly an electric current coursed through his body. The entire room jolted, lightening up instantly. Shae sat up as if she had awakened by a nightmare, her wand pointing at the door.
"Don't move," she said.
In her nightgown, the golden-haired beauty looked as lovely as Kai had found her for the first time. But as she saw who had infiltrated her bedroom, Shae's proud and powerful eyes lost her composure. The wand in her hand trembled, her mouth opening up in sheer terror. A deep, horrifying shriek escaped her throat when Kai smiled at her.
"Well, well. We meet again," he said, looking away from the terrified Shae to the wardrobes on her left. "Arlen, my old friend…"
"… Or should I call you Baron Silvas now?"
*********
AN: Silvas is a surname guys, just like Sanderson.
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