Quickly stepping back, Elysian shouted to his two companions, “Hey you two, be careful! These guys are dangerous.” Before he could retreat further, the thug on the right sprinted to his side, attacking him. “Can you guys take it easy? You’re fighting a kid here,” he said, shifting to his left to avoid the strike. He couldn’t take a breather as the aura user assaulted him again, attempting to skewer his chest.

 

‘Tsk, they’re trying to corner me. B*stards! Do you think I’ll let you do that?’

 

Elysian shifted to his right, choosing not to evade but to confront his enemy directly. With a shorter distance between them, he held the advantage with his knife. Sensing this, the enemy swiftly stepped back while deflecting his attack. Elysian attempted to close the distance once again, but the aura user threatened to attack his side, making it harder for him to continue his pursuit. With only a few options left, he reluctantly retreated.

“Give up,” the aura user said, glancing at the other fight. “Look, those kids won’t hold up for long. The outcome is already clear. If you give up now, I might spare your life.”

Glancing at his two companions, Elysian sighed deeply; both of them were being driven back.

 

‘I really hate using my aura but he’s right. If nothing changes, both Bran and Osric will be in deep trouble. But if I overdo it, we’ll be in trouble since there’s still that killer on the loose. Damn it.’

 

Elysian sighed, channeling all his aura into his hand before suddenly hurling it straight at the thug’s forehead. His target didn’t even realize what had happened; he simply died instantly on the spot.

The aura user was caught by surprise. He hadn’t anticipated that the boy could also wield an aura. The speed at which the knife flew made him flinch and duck, thinking it was aimed at him.

With the aura user startled, Elysian advanced forward to retrieve his weapon. Before he could get any closer, his enemy had regained his composure, attempting to launch an attack on the boy. Focusing all his aura on his legs, the noble leaped upward, catching the falling sword from the deceased thug. As the strike neared, he swiftly thrust the sword down next to his shoulder, deflecting the attack. The force of the impact sent him hurling toward one of the cages. Using the force of the blow, he twisted his body mid-air, aligning his feet to hit the cage. Upon impact, he bent his legs to absorb the shock before springing diagonally toward his knife and retrieving it.

The aura user frowned upon witnessing the boy’s impressive maneuver. “Who are you?” he asked, his voice tinged with worry and concern.

Glancing at his two companions, Elysian noticed that Bran and Osric seemed to be holding their own just fine. It seemed the initial nervousness and fear that had beset them earlier were gone. They now appeared focused, parrying and evading all the relentless attacks thrown at them. This made the noble grin.

 

‘Facing such a dangerous and life-threatening situation will be a valuable experience for them, especially for Bran, who doesn’t have much experience fighting.’

 

Turning his attention back on the aura user, Elysian quipped, “My dashing looks, sparkling grin, and blinding presence. Isn’t it obvious?”

Confused by the boy’s question, the thug stared at him for a bit. His expression changed immediately to annoyance, suspecting that the boy was likely just messing with him. “Cut the crap, kid!” the thug exclaimed, scowling at the young noble. His eyes suddenly widened, however, when he remembered something. “You’re the youngest son of the Baron.”

“See, I was right. You do recognize my noble looks and charming smile,” Elysian stated, his grin filled with arrogance.

“I don’t recognize your appearance, kid. I only know that the Baron’s son caused us trouble a few days ago,” the aura user remarked, snorting dismissively. “By the way, you don’t have any regal presence. You’re short, and your appearance is rather plain.”

“Are you insulting me now, you piece of sh*t?!” Elysian exclaimed, his heart stung by the man’s words. “Old man, you’re just blind. What can I expect from an evil and despicable goon like you? Of course, you wouldn’t know how to appreciate a majestic appearance like mine.” His dubious claim earned strange looks from everyone, including his two companions. “What?!” he screamed, but they just avoided looking at him, while his own opponent just shook his head in disbelief.

 

‘He’s indeed a veteran. Despite our banter, he’s actively searching for any opening. Even if I win, I’ll be using a lot of my aura to beat him, tsk. I mustn't fight him head-on if I can avoid it.’

 

“By the way, old man, are you Grimscar?” Elysian inquired, studying the thug closely.

“No, I’m his second in command,” the thug replied, squinting his eyes. “What did he do this time?”

 

‘He seems to be telling the truth. This means that Grimscar could also use aura, likely at a higher cultivation level than him.

Damn, if he’s still alive, he’ll be a big problem. At my current level of cultivation and physical condition, I must refrain from fighting cultivators head-on since I’ll be at a disadvantage.’

 

“It seems the two of you aren’t close,” Elysian responded, smirking at him. “It's odd that you're his second if you two don’t get along.”

“We don’t,” the thug confirmed, sighing deeply. “I’ve recently been sent by headquarters to bring some order to this place. That b*stard can’t f*cking do his job,” he said, gritting his teeth in irritation.

“Do you know where he is?” Elysian inquired, seizing the opportunity to extract more information.

“No matter how much I hate him and wish him dead, I’m not a traitor,” the thug stated, snorting at him.

Glancing for a moment at Amara, who stood near the entrance, Elysian noticed her shaking her head, indicating that her friend wasn’t there. Exhaling deeply, he questioned, “Alright, I salute your loyalty to the Crimson Talon. If not him, can you tell me the location of the woman he’d taken?”

“Oh, that’s why you’re here,” the thug said, sighing at the trouble that the b*stard had brought him. “I can’t tell you. If I did, you’d find Grimscar. As I mentioned earlier, I’m no traitor,” he remarked, pausing momentarily as he prepared them for the painful truth. “If he really took her, she’s likely dead. That monster has a sick fetish for torturing and killing young women.”

“I think you don’t have a choice, my friend,” Elysian remarked, glancing at his companions, who were slowly overpowering their opponents. “Look, your comrades are about to lose,” he stated, before locking eyes with the aura user and smirking. “And you couldn’t win against me with three against one. Now that you’re the only one left, do you have the confidence to win?”

“Don’t try to frighten me, kid,” the thug said, snorting at his threats. “If I betray the Crimson Talon, I’ll face worse than death. And not only me, but my entire family would suffer a similar fate,” he stated, arching his brow before suddenly grinning. “Also, don’t try to fool me, kid. I’m not at a disadvantage; it’s you. If I just try to hold out for time, sooner or later, the other members will come swarming all over this place.” However, his threat was only met with laughter. Frowning at the response he got, he questioned, “What’s funny?”

“I forgot to mention, all of your friends out there are dead,” Elysian declared, smirking at him.

The thug’s face contorted with confusion before changing into disbelief. “You’ve got to be lying. I don’t believe you,” the thug responded. Just as he was about to turn around and verify the claim, he stopped, realizing the danger of exposing his back to the boy. As he pondered the situation further, he found himself inclined to believe his words. This instantly clarified many of his questions about how the boy had managed to infiltrate deep into the Crimson Talon’s territory and its most secure location.

 

‘Cautious. Veterans are truly a different breed.’

 

“Hey, don’t look at me like that,” Elysian stated, noticing the deep hatred in the thug’s eyes. “I’m good, but do you really believe that I could kill all the members of the Crimson Talon out there?”

As he pondered, the thug’s expression softened slightly. “If it’s not you, then who?”

“How would I know? You’re the criminal here,” Elysian declared, eliciting a scowl from the thug. The boy didn’t care and continued, “I don’t know who you’ve messed with. When we arrived here, all your members were already dead.” Pausing for a moment, he grew serious and stated, “I know this might sound crazy. And you might not believe me. All the corpses were arranged in a strange way. The dead bodies were equally spread apart, while at the center, they were positioned in a way that they formed a big smiley face.”

“Are you…”

“As I mentioned, this sounds crazy. But I vow in my honor; I’m not lying,” Elysian said, his promise instantly placating the thug, who considered his words more seriously. “Whoever did this is a sick b*stard. When I first saw it, I was horrified. I can’t imagine any human would do such an awful thing,” he stated with a straight face, without an ounce of shame. “Have you heard of someone who would do that?”

“No,” the thug replied, overwhelmed by the recent news. 

“I won’t be surprised if your dear leader, Grimscar, has messed with a very dangerous individual,” Elysian remarked. Sighing, he continued, “That’s the reason why I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. The killer might still be lurking out there.”

“Then, why don’t we get out of here?” the thug asked, glancing at him.

“We will as long as you tell me where the girl is,” Elysian countered, his voice without any hint of humor. “I won’t leave without her.”

“I’ve heard that you’re close with your uncle. Some even say that you’re closer to him than your father,” the thug remarked, studying his expression. When the young noble just stared at him without saying anything, he smiled and continued, “Do you know that your uncle is protecting us?”

“Really?” Elysian asked, his voice was devoid of any emotion.

“How do you think we can operate in this city?” the thug asked, grinning widely when he saw the boy’s miserable face. “If you let us go, I promise I won’t tell your uncle. We will forget that this ever happened.”

“What if I just kill you? Wouldn’t that ensure that my uncle wouldn’t know?” Elysian questioned, snorting at his argument.

“Yes, but I could run,” the thug retorted, his tone dripping with defiance. “You might catch up with me, but there’s a high chance that I’ll escape. And trust me, your uncle won’t be your only concern if headquarters catches wind of this. Are you willing to take that risk?”

When the boy simply stared at him in silence, the thug’s voice softened and added, “Listen, neither of us harbors any deep-seated grudges here. We can still walk away from this. I’ll report this incident to the higher-ups. When they learn that Grimscar is messing with a noble, especially the Baron’s son, he’ll be in deep sh*t. Also, if it comes to a fight to the death, I can assure you, you won’t walk away unscathed.”

Sighing deeply, Elysian nodded and remarked, “Alright, I vow in my uncle’s name that I will let you go. Is that enough?”

“Good decision,” the thug said, nodding to him. Glancing at the fight, he saw his men wounded and in dire straits. “Now, could you tell those boys to stop fighting?”

“We didn’t agree to that,” Elysian remarked, smirking at him. “I only agreed to let you go.”

“Are you crazy?!” the thug shouted, scowling at him.

“Why? Do you want to join them?” Elysian questioned, his voice threatening. The thug stayed quiet, avoiding eye contact with his men. “Wise choice.” Smirking at the thug, he continued, “Before you go, I’m warning you. You better remember our agreement.”

“I’ll never break my word,” the aura user replied, staring at him suspiciously as his instinct suddenly started warning him.

“Why are you looking at me that way?” Elysian questioned, frowning at the way his words were being doubted. “I’m a noble, and I have my honor. If that isn’t enough, I also promised in the name of my uncle that if I lie, may the gods strike him down and kill him,” he pledged loudly, maintaining a straight face. 

Suddenly, Elysian’s voice grew serious and threatening. “I hope that’s enough, because you’ll be insulting my honor at that point. And we nobles do love our honor. Do you understand?”

Satisfied with the vow, the thug quickly ran towards the entrance, leaving his men behind. Before he could exit, however, a knife imbued with an aura struck the back of his head. As he fell, he caught sight of the boy’s emotionless eyes. In his dying breath, he muttered, “You vowed in your uncle’s name.” 

Elysian just turned away from him as if he were inconsequential.

 

‘Idiot!’