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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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3rd basement floor.
Headquarters of the Black Brotherhood.
Several hooded figures were gathered in the Northvan base. Their weekly meeting was in progress.
Janet, the leader of the Black Brotherhood’s assassination squad, looked around the dimly lit room.
“Let the meeting commence. Report.”
Her voice, though feminine, commanded authority. None of the members dared to interrupt.
“The Kodoku research is progressing smoothly. We’ll soon be able to control all our members with Kodoku.”
It was Bennett, the mage, reporting. A smile touched Janet’s lips.
“How long until it’s complete?”
“A year, at most.”
By implanting Kodoku, they could turn their members into mindless puppets. The Black Brotherhood had conducted numerous experiments with Kodoku.
But aside from Arianna, none of the experiments had been successful.
Even the successful cases had quickly lost control, becoming unstable and ultimately disposable.
But Bennett’s recent research had brought new hope to the Black Brotherhood. If they could perfect Kodoku, they could control the empire.
They could even control the emperor and the princes.
The Black Brotherhood could become the most powerful organization in the empire.
And they could brainwash anyone they wanted within a year.
“What’s the status of Arianna’s assassination mission?”
“According to the last message we received from her raven, everything is proceeding as planned.”
“I made the right decision entrusting her with this mission.”
The target had been assigned by a demon. The demon had concealed their identity, but Janet had sensed a faint trace of demonic energy.
She was half-demon herself.
Born from a dark elf and a demon, she was beautiful, but her bloodlust was insatiable.
The targets were Arthur Pendragon and Ethan.
She didn’t know why the demons were so fixated on these two Hero Candidates. Arianna had smiled when she heard that Arthur was one of the targets.
‘What’s so funny, Arianna?’
‘Master Janet, he’s my childhood friend.’
‘Really?’
A cruel smile twisted Janet’s lips. She asked about their relationship, and Arianna’s answer had been even more intriguing.
‘We even promised to marry each other.’
To be killed by your fiancée. It was an amusing scenario. She wondered what kind of expression he would make.
‘Would he be shocked? Or filled with betrayal?’
The thought sent a shiver of excitement down Janet’s spine.
‘Arianna, I’m entrusting you with this mission. Kill them both.’
Arianna had nodded.
Her current cover was a student at Iniros Academy. No one would suspect that a student was also a member of the Black Brotherhood, a secret organization of assassins.
And Iniros had a sisterhood agreement with Neydia, so it was easy for a student from Iniros to transfer to Neydia.
‘Go to Neydia and kill them.’
‘As you command. But I have a better idea.’
‘What is it?’
‘The Kodoku research is almost complete. We could recruit him into the Black Brotherhood.’
Janet had smiled again. If they could control a Hero Candidate from Neydia Academy, they could expand their influence to Eastvan.
‘It’s a good plan. But if you fail, the price is death.’
A single command would be enough for Arianna, controlled by Kodoku, to take her own life.
She was Janet’s puppet. She would even kill her own family without hesitation.
Of course, Arianna had no family left.
Five years ago, the Black Brotherhood had unleashed a horde of magical beasts on a small village, wiping it off the map.
It was such a small, insignificant village that no one would have noticed its disappearance.
Officially, the attack had been attributed to a rogue group of orcs. But in reality, the Black Brotherhood had orchestrated the attack to acquire test subjects for their Kodoku experiments.
And Arianna had been one of the survivors. The other test subjects had gone insane, bleeding from their eyes and noses, but she had endured.
‘It’s been five years…’
They had used Arianna, controlled by Kodoku, to kill the other villagers. She remembered the expressions on their faces.
Shock, confusion, betrayal, fear… a mixture of emotions she couldn’t describe.
“The success rate of the Kodoku implantation has increased to over 50%.”
Bennett reported, and Janet nodded.
Just then, they heard a commotion upstairs. Screams and explosions. Someone burst into the meeting room.
“Evacuate, Master Janet! We have an intruder!”
“An intruder? Imperial soldiers?”
Janet frowned. They had been attacked a few times before.
But they had always repelled the attackers.
The base was filled with traps, and every member was a skilled mana user.
Janet was confident that her squad could even hold their own against an imperial knight order.
“How many are there?”
“I’m not sure, but it seems like there’s only one.”
“One? And you’re panicking over a single intruder?”
She could handle a single intruder herself.
She would capture him, implant Kodoku, and turn him into her plaything. She imagined all sorts of cruel tortures.
She wondered what kind of expression he would make as she cut off his fingers one by one, dangling them in front of his face.
A cruel smile twisted her lips. She led her squad upstairs.
“I’ll deal with him myself. Bennett, Linkea, follow me.”
Bennett was a powerful mage. And with Linkea, they could even defeat a knight of the Linchester family.
The Black Brotherhood, despite its small size, was a powerful force in the Northvan underworld.
The door burst open. A black-haired warrior stood there, a black blade in his hand.
He was wearing a robe, a hood, and a mask, but his black hair was a striking feature.
“You fool. You’ve walked into a den of vipers.”
“…”
“I’ll make sure you can’t even function as a man. Bennett, Linkea, capture him alive and bring him to me.”
Bennett launched an ice shard. The temperature in the room plummeted. Linkea drew her curved sword and attacked from the side.
Suddenly, the black blade erupted in crimson flames. The flames melted the ice shard, and the blade sliced through Linkea’s arm.
It was so fast that they could barely see the movement.
Linkea’s eyes widened in shock as she looked at her severed hand.
A searing pain shot through her arm.
She fell to her knees, screaming. But her scream was cut short as the black blade pierced her heart.
She collapsed, her head hitting the cold, hard floor.
“You… who are you?!”
Janet was stunned. Linkea was one of their strongest assassins.
She had killed hundreds of people.
Flames flickered behind the black-haired warrior, as if threatening to consume everything. He had burned everything in his path as he descended into the basement.
“A dark elf… You’re Janet.”
Janet’s eyebrow twitched. Very few people knew her true identity. She always used a double for public appearances.
“You fool! You might be strong, but you’re stupid. You’ll burn to death with that fire magic.”
Janet forced herself to remain calm. She needed to know why he was here.
If he was here for revenge, she would claim to be a decoy.
If he was here for money, she would offer him more.
And if she saw an opening, she would use her poison needles or smoke bombs.
Bennett, while Janet was talking, discreetly backed away. As a mage, he was quick to assess the situation.
‘I can’t defeat him, even if I use all my power.’
He had no confidence. And if he did, he wouldn’t have come alone.
‘If only Arianna was here…’
She had been an unexpected find, but she was strong. And with Kodoku controlling her, she would have obeyed any order, even a suicide mission.
The other assassins exchanged glances.
Their opponent was strong enough to kill Linkea in an instant, but they couldn’t run.
They lunged at him, like a pack of wolves attacking a lone herbivore.
But their opponent wasn’t a herbivore.
Swish— Swish—
His black blade moved smoothly, like a pen on paper. But his movements were too fast to follow. It was the Linchester Swordsmanship, Third Form: Swift Sword.
He was overwhelming.
They were no match for him. Assassins fell, their bodies sliced open by his blade.
The basement filled with the stench of burning flesh and blood. Janet looked around. Bennett was gone.
‘He ran away… that traitor…’
Bennett had escaped through the back door. Janet and the black-haired warrior were the only ones left.
The warrior took a step closer, and Janet took a step back.
“W-wait! Sir Hero!”
Janet shouted. She would live, even if it meant groveling. She could always get her revenge later.
“I-I’m a hostage! I was forced to join the Black Brotherhood! Tell me what you want! Money? Revenge? The real leader is someone else!”
She rambled, hoping to confuse him, to prevent him from seeing through her lies.
“The leader is Arianna. I’m just a puppet, a decoy. I’ll tell you where she is! Please, spare my life! Please!”
Janet put on a convincing performance, tears streaming down her face. Arianna had been implanted with Kodoku. She would play the role of the leader perfectly.
She would even die for Janet.
“…”
The black-haired warrior didn’t react. He took another step closer. Janet’s back was against the wall. She had nowhere to run.
“Even if you kill me, the Black Brotherhood will return if you don’t capture the leader. And then even you, esteemed Hero-nim, will be in danger.”
She pleaded, her voice a mixture of threats and pleas.
“Tell me what you want! I’m a dark elf! I can… I can even… spend the night with you!”
Janet unbuttoned her shirt, revealing her cleavage.
It was a blow to her pride, but she had to survive. She could always get her revenge later.
“You’ve never been with a dark elf before, have you, Sir Hero? They say once you’ve been with a dark elf, you’ll never look at a human woman again.”
‘She’s really desperate…’
The black-haired warrior, Ethan, clicked his tongue. It was a tempting offer, but he wasn’t interested in risking his life.
“You said the leader was Arianna?”
“Yes! She’s the true leader of the assassination squad!”
“Anne would laugh if she heard you say that.”
Janet’s eyes widened. Anne was Arianna’s nickname.
He knew Arianna.
“You’re a dark elf?”
“Yes! I’m a pure-blooded dark elf! See? My ears are pointed!”
“That’s strange. I heard Janet was half-demon, half-elf.”
Half-demon, half-elf.
It meant she had inherited the blood of both a demon and an elf.
Janet’s eyes wavered. He knew her true identity.
‘How…?’
Countless questions raced through her mind. No one outside her family knew her secret. Not even the members of the Black Brotherhood.
“That’s a lie! I’m a pure-blooded dark elf!”
“This is ridiculous…”
“What?”
“Just die.”
The black blade flashed. Janet didn’t even see the attack that ended her life.
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Bennett ran, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
The Black Brotherhood was finished. But his research wasn’t. He couldn’t give up now.
He could do so much with Kodoku.
‘I should contact the imperial family. Maybe they’ll be interested in my research.’
Or he could join the demons. Dantalion, the demon torturer, would appreciate his research.
‘I couldn’t retrieve all my research data, but I still have most of it in my head.’
He could start over. It might take time, but he had to escape first.
He had managed to escape while Janet was distracting the intruder.
‘That idiot will buy me some time with her useless chatter.’
He smirked. He just had to reach the emergency exit.
‘Thank you, Black Brotherhood. You provided me with excellent test subjects.’
He reached the top of the stairs and pushed open the emergency exit door. A cool breeze ruffled his hair.
He was finally free.
A triumphant grin spread across his face. Just then, he felt a sharp pain in his neck.
He stumbled back and collapsed.
A Death Knight stood before him, a halberd in hand. No, it wasn’t a Death Knight. Its form was different.
‘Y-you…’
He couldn’t speak. He noticed the bodies scattered around him. He hadn’t seen them in the darkness.
Bennett clutched his throat and collapsed.
“As my lord commanded, the Black Brotherhood is no more.”
Lien slung his halberd over his shoulder. He had been ordered to guard the emergency exit while Runtar guarded the main entrance.
He disappeared into the shadows, waiting. He would kill anyone who tried to escape.
The black knight stood motionless, like a predator lying in wait.
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