Chapter 10: Severance
The atmosphere in the banquet hall was quite pleasant. The banquet hosted by Eagle Marquis was held for two purposes: first, to celebrate his youngest daughter's birthday, and second, to gather his subordinates. After the banquet, they would discuss which faction they should support.
Standing beside Eagle Marquis was a noblewoman dressed in an evening gown. She was Eagle Marquis's wife, a major merchant primarily dealing in daily necessities. This woman should not be underestimated; daily necessities were tied to the people's livelihood, a business second only to minerals and weapons.
As for the few people around Eagle Marquis, they were his subordinates and several major merchants, clustering around him like stars surrounding the moon.
"Eagle Marquis."
Su Xiao spoke as he walked forward. Hearing this familiar voice, Eagle Marquis paused, the wine glass he was about to bring to his lips halting mid-motion.
"Kukulin, you're far too late."
Eagle Marquis's voice was full and vigorous. He handed his wine glass to his wife and strode forward to meet Su Xiao.
"The last time I saw you was in the Sezha Zai war zone."
As the two drew close, Eagle Marquis clenched his fist and gave Su Xiao a not-too-hard punch on the shoulder.
"Come, let me introduce you. This is my third wife, Fran Sith."
Eagle Marquis's wife smiled and nodded at Su Xiao.
"And this is my youngest daughter. Call him Uncle Kukulin."
"Uncle Kukulin."
A little girl around ten years old spoke softly, her expression somewhat indifferent. Judging by her demeanor, she clearly lacked parental affection.
"And this is..."
Eagle Marquis briefly introduced the few people around him. Though they all had smiles on their faces, the looks in their eyes varied greatly.
"Everyone!"
A shout came from the other side of the banquet hall. The Little Adjutant was standing on a long dining table, with several flustered waiters below her.
"Today, the weather is quite nice, isn't it!"
The Little Adjutant grinned. Amidst the soothing music, everyone's gaze turned to her, utterly bewildered.
"Mm... right, I want to perform a little show for everyone."
The Little Adjutant's exaggerated actions drew the attention of everyone present, including Eagle Marquis. He was stunned for only a moment before his pupils rapidly constricted. Having worked with the Ninth Unit before, he was all too familiar with this kind of psychotic speech.
Without a second thought, Eagle Marquis immediately leaped backward.
Clang~
The long blade was drawn.
'Blade Path Sword: Time.'
Eagle Marquis's movements suddenly slowed, and a stinging pain came from his neck.
Pfft!
The long blade pierced through Eagle Marquis's throat, then stabbed into the wall, pinning him there.
"Sacred... King."
Blood gushed from Eagle Marquis's mouth. There was no fear in his eyes, only unwillingness. Was he, Eagle Marquis, going to die like this? How could that be! He held immense power in the Empire, had assets that would last several lifetimes, and had five wives.
With a scraping sound, the long blade cleaved through Eagle Marquis's head, shattering his final thoughts. No matter how much power one held, death would strip away everything.
[You have killed Eagle Marquis·Atley.]
[Eagle Marquis·Atley is a representative of the Empire's military. You have obtained 9.7% World Source. Current total World Source: 9.7%.]
[Your talent 'Soul Devourer' has been activated. Permanently increased 23 Mana Points.]
...
There was no treasure chest, but a large amount of World Source was obtained. Eagle Marquis was the type with high status but moderate personal combat power.
Su Xiao punched the wall beside him, blasting a large hole with a booming sound.
"Everyone, no need to panic. You're all going to die too!"
As the Little Adjutant spoke, she swung both arms, and two steam bombs slid out from her sleeves. With no visible movement, the two unlocked steam bombs were already thrown into the dense crowd. Some people instinctively looked down.
Boom, boom!
Crimson steam exploded, and fragmented diamond-shaped metal shrapnel flew in all directions. After the steam bombs detonated, no large amount of steam surged out. Instead, two streams of glaring green phosphorescent flames rose, enveloping most of the banquet hall.
"Ahhh!!"
The phosphorescent flames burned flesh. Once they touched the flames, they not only scorched the surface flesh but, due to their adhesive nature, would continue burning down to the bone before gradually extinguishing.
What had been an upper-class banquet was now transformed into a phosphorous hell. Guests covered in flames rolled on the ground, while the luckier ones were either blown apart by the steam's kinetic force or riddled with holes by the diamond-shaped shrapnel.
The Little Adjutant's explosive expertise was considerable. She used only four steam bombs to massacre all the guests in the banquet hall.
Not only that, but the Little Adjutant also set up trigger-activated steam bombs at the three entrances to the hall.
Ten seconds later, three more explosions rang out. The third floor of the hotel was nearly blown through, and green flames began rising toward the fourth floor.
Twenty-three seconds later, Su Xiao leaped out from a window and reached the second floor of the hotel. Tonight, Eagle Marquis had booked the entire place. Aside from the waiters and chefs, everyone inside was Eagle Marquis's people.
As soon as Su Xiao entered a room on the second floor, the door shattered. Outside stood three soldiers in military uniforms, each holding several steam bombs as they charged in.
Clang, clang.
Two intersecting blade glows swept past, and the three soldiers froze in place.
Flames spread to the second floor at a visible rate. By now, Su Xiao had reached the second-floor dining hall. Although Eagle Marquis had been dealt with, the matter wasn't over. No one was leaving the hotel alive today. Baha, circling in the sky above, was the final line of defense.
Green flames spread from the windows, and a strong tremor came from beneath Su Xiao's feet. The Adjutant had begun clearing out the soldiers on the first floor.
"Mr. Kukulin, long time no see."
A young man with a crew cut, dressed in a waiter's uniform, stood at the entrance of the dining hall. He was carrying Eagle Marquis, whose throat had been pierced and head split in two.
"..."
Su Xiao said nothing. The newcomer was not weak, but he couldn't recall who this was.
"You've already forgotten who I am, I suppose. That's only natural. Someone as insignificant as me being forgotten is normal. But many say you're the Empire's strongest. At least, I don't buy it."
The young man dropped Eagle Marquis's corpse. A mass of pitch-black energy surged in his hand, forming a sword without a guard.
"Severance."
The man shouted, and a strange suction force emerged. This suction had no effect on physical objects, but Su Xiao felt something pulling at his consciousness, or perhaps his soul.
The man swung his arm, stabbing the black energy sword into the ground, creating a fixed suction point. He then charged at Su Xiao in an arc, fully leveraging his ability's advantage.
Just as Su Xiao was about to sidestep, the suction that seemed to pull at his consciousness or soul grew stronger, slowing his movements for an instant.
Bang!
A leg kicked toward Su Xiao's front, blocked by his arm wrapped in a crystal layer. A sharp pain struck.
[Tip: You have received 32 points of Soul Damage. Due to the Hunter's high Soul Strength, the Soul Stun effect has been negated.]
Su Xiao took half a step back. Most of his left arm went numb, but this was a good opportunity to understand how the supernatural beings of this world fought.
"Severance."
The crew-cut man generated another black energy sword and stabbed it into the ground beside him. This time, the suction came from two opposite directions, feeling as if it would tear Su Xiao's consciousness in two.
The pupils in the crew-cut man's eyes gradually shrank. This was a side effect of using Soul Energy.
"Is that all you've got?"
The crew-cut man generated two more energy swords and hurled them into the walls on the other two sides. Four energy swords formed a square, surrounding Su Xiao.
Suction came from all four directions simultaneously. At this point, just taking a step forward gave Su Xiao the sensation that his consciousness was about to be pulled out.
"No wonder... I was sent to this world to carry out an Awakening Mission."
The ground beneath Su Xiao's feet cracked. Banishment suddenly appeared before the crew-cut man, who threw his body back as far as he could. Banishment flew past, nearly grazing the tip of his nose.
Ding, ding, ding, ding.
Four crisp sounds rang out. The pale blue, arc-like Cyan Steel Shadow Energy dissipated into the air. Su Xiao had already appeared behind the crew-cut man. The surging blood energy radiating in all directions stung the crew-cut man's skin, causing a faint ache.
Su Xiao executed an upward slash. The crew-cut man's arm, wrapped in black light, blocked the path of the strike.
However, Su Xiao's upward slash was merely a feint. The fatal blow was his side kick.
Su Xiao crouched and kicked sideways. Before it even hit the enemy, a crisp air burst resounded.
Thud!
The crew-cut man wasn't sent flying. The lower half of his body was completely shattered, and the flesh and bone fragments, carrying strong kinetic energy, blasted straight through the wall.
The last thing the crew-cut man saw was a blade, followed by the world spinning. Sometimes, in a fight between the strong, a single opening was enough to decide the outcome.