I was still generous, so the contents of the contract were more or less the same.

However, the way it would be implemented would greatly favor my side.

After all, that fucker still tried to kill me.

We were just finalizing the contract. I was still on guard just in case they tried anything funny, especially Piers.

"There." Piers had finished writing the conditions of the contract and handed it to me. I read through them to double-check.

After checking that they were all correct, I placed it on the table and said, "Let's start."

"Tsk." He clicked his tongue as he brought his hand over the contract, and I followed suit.

We cut our palms with knives and let our blood drip on the paper. Then, we chanted, "We hereby make this contract, bounded by heavens. Let it be known that any breach shall face the divine judgment from above.”

A golden light emanated from the blood and suddenly enveloped us both. I felt a sensation of something coiling around my heart, like a chain tightening.

A heavenly contract. No one knows exactly how it works, only how to use it.

Basically, all parties involved must faithfully follow the terms and conditions of the contract lest they face the consequences of death.

However, it's not commonly used because heavenly contracts can essentially last a lifetime and are inflexible unless the initiator of the contract willingly invalidates it or if one of the parties is no longer able to fulfill it.

"Alright," I said as I sat down and leaned on the couch. Showing Piers a list of materials and a few additional things I wanted, I continued, "Get me everything on this list."

Piers read through it. After finishing, he looked up and said, "What do you need all this for?"

"None of your business."

Piers furrowed his brows. "I have everything you have here, but they weren't easy to get. What will you give in return?"

"Provide everything on the list, and we'll see."

"What?!"

"You're at the other end of the contract, don't forget that. 'You provide me the things I want, then I will provide the things you need in return.' That was the contract." I bluntly told him. "Besides, I already did give you something. I gave you a second chance. Now, you would have to pay double, but getting everything on the list would do."

Piers clenched his fists, crushing the paper in his hands. But after a moment, he took a deep breath and let it go.

Piers instructed one of his men to retrieve everything on the list. After a couple of minutes, the man returned with a storage ring, which Piers then took from him.

He then turned to me and held out the ring. "Here it is," he said begrudgingly.

As I dripped my blood on the storage ring, it glowed briefly before returning to normal.

I wore the storage ring, and a holographic interface appeared before my eyes, showing me the contents of the ring. I was able to navigate through its contents with a simple thought.

I browsed through the list and could see the items in detail. I could even zoom in to examine them closely.

Everything was here, alright.

With a mental command, I was able to summon an item from the ring.

It was a Deagle with a sleek, futuristic design that featured a matte black finish and glowing blue accents. The grip was adorned with a grid of small, metallic squares that provided a secure hold, and the barrel appeared to be made of a lightweight yet durable alloy.

Oh my god, I love it! Everything from the design to the material is simply amazing.

I fired a shot at the wall, impressed by its power.

[Sire, time is almost up.] MERLIN's voice came through the earpiece.

"Alright." I clapped my hands together. "With this, I hope we have a wonderful cooperation from here on out."

Piers replied with great resentment, "...I hope so too."

I was about to leave when suddenly red lights started flashing, and alarms began sounding everywhere.

[Alert! Alert! The location has been compromised. We are being raided by the Yorugen Special Task Force!]

[I repeat, we are being raided. All operations will stop indefinitely, and the coordinates to the market will no longer be accessible.]

[I repeat…]

A group of armed individuals clad in sleek and modern armor suddenly appeared. The armor covered their entire bodies, with a helmet that concealed their faces and tinted visors that glowed with a faint blue hue.

The group moved with precision and purpose, showing their training and skill.

They turned their attention toward us and told us to freeze.

"Peter Ruell, don't move! We have you surrounded," the man in the front, who looked like to be the captain, said.

"Tsk." Piers audibly clicked his tongue in response. He then ordered his men to shoot at them, to which they returned with their own weapons.

Ah, shit! I quickly crouched down and took cover.

Peter Ruell. That was Piers Spencer's real name. He is a notorious criminal with a long list of felonies, including fraud, murder, manslaughter, money laundering, and illegal arms trade.

He was born as an orphan in the once-prosperous town of Bellessal, which was destroyed when a rift opened at its center. Growing up, Peter had to fend for himself on the streets, resorting to stealing and other petty crimes to survive, and it eventually led him here.

Anyway, this is an unlucky position to be in as I was caught in the crossfire between the two groups.

With a steady aim, I shot at their weapons to disarm them. However, now they also had their sights on me.

Luckily, with my mask still on my face, I didn't have to worry about being associated with him once this was all over.

I only used <Lightweaving> to either defend myself or incapacitate them.

The task force broke off into smaller groups and charged toward us, engaging in close combat with their swords.

The leader went passed us and seemed to be intent on getting Peter.

I found myself facing a female officer who didn't draw her weapon. Actually, she didn't have any weapons. She simply stood there as she commanded with an emotionless tone, "Freeze."

Now, she is my first real threat since coming here. Despite seeming harmless at a glance, there was this feeling of danger emanating from her.

Even <Judgement's Call> is simply telling me to be on my guard with her, which it didn't even do for Peter or when I was under constant fire.

Taking a deep breath, I put the Deagle back into my storage ring and slowly raised my hands in surrender.

She tilted her head as I felt her gaze scanned my body. She said with a slightly surprised tone, "It's you..."

The pressure she was exuding disappeared, giving me a bit of breathing room.

What the hell does she mean by that?

I stared at her eyes through her visors, trying to read her emotions. However, her expression remained inscrutable; her eyes were devoid of any warmth or emotion.

So, I'm not an ally, but from her actions just now, I'm not an enemy either. Whatever it means or what her intention is, it's helpful to me.

I ever so slightly directed mana towards me, but before I could go any further as if she felt it, she once again exuded pressure, but it was one that was several times more powerful than before.

"Ughh!" I let out a groan as I struggled to breathe.

It took most of my energy not to go down on my knees from the pressure.

“I told you to freeze, didn’t I?” Struggling to lift my head, I saw that she didn't look phased at all, as if this was just another minor inconvenience for her.

This bitch…

At that moment, I felt the binding chains around my heart break apart as if the contract had been broken.

Shit, did Peter die? My answer came moments later when I saw the leader dragging Peter's limp body along with him as he returned.

"Let's wrap this up. We have accomplished our mission," he commanded through his comms.

She nodded after a moment and exuded even more pressure as she began walking toward me. "Don't resist."

I clicked my tongue. I now really need to escape. I took a deep breath and braced myself for the pressure, allowing it to force me onto my knees. With more mana around me, I concentrated it on the ground beneath me.

With a burst of power, I sent a shockwave through the earth by destabilizing the concentrated point, causing it to crack and break apart around me.

A dense cloud of dust enveloped the area in an instant as the ground shattered into uneven platforms.

I took advantage of that moment and made my escape.

Unfortunately, they covered every escape route, so I had to rely on the teleportation tattoo to escape.

As I sprinted away, I called out to MERLIN with a bit of desperation in my voice, "MERLIN, how much time do I have left?"

[A minute, sire.]

Alright, it's fine. I can last for a minute.

Then, I felt her strong pressure from behind. The cloud of dust cleared as she emerged, wielding a menacing scythe.

What the fuck? Where the hell did she get that?

Her face remained emotionless as she locked eyes with me from a distance. Even from several meters away, her gaze was sharp.

In a swift motion, the scythe in her grasp shifted and transformed into a spear. She took a stance, preparing to launch the weapon in my direction.

Ahh… this is gonna hurt. The spear hurtled toward me at an unbelievable speed that even <Judgement's Call> couldn't react on time.

As the spear went through my right shoulder, it was as if something had clicked. My mind went blank, and I let my instincts take over.

Without hesitation, I grasped the spear tightly as it shot through my shoulder. Using its momentum, I rotated my body and, with mana, threw the spear back toward her at nearly the same speed as hers.

Another cloud of dust appeared but quickly dissipated, revealing the spear now embedded in the ground just a few feet in front of the female officer, yet she remained unmoved.

[Get ready, sire.]

[3… 2… 1…]

The tattoo on my wrist emitted a bright glow, which enveloped my entire body.

Before it could teleport me away, I decided to flip them off, which worked for the most part. I laughed as a blinding light flashed before my eyes.