Chapter 176: Price of Arrogance
A few hours prior, before the sun reached its peak over the grey roofs of Kaelos City, a quiet conversation had taken place within the privacy of Room 301.
Roy had been fastening the buttons of his crisp black shirt, preparing to step out into the rain-slicked streets alone.
Alisa had anxiously risen from the bed, pulling the silk sheet tightly around her waist as she watched him.
"Master Jarden..." Alisa had called out, her voice laced with concern. "What if the men of this city rush to our room the moment they see you walking through the streets alone?"
Roy had turned back, a calm, knowing smile playing upon his handsome face.
"They will surely come, Alisa. In fact, they are likely already gathering outside."
Alisa’s brows had furrowed in confusion.
"Then... why are you leaving us here without your protection?"
Roy’s grin deepened, his golden-crimson eyes glinting with a cold, terrifying intellect.
"It’s because you both are strong" Roy winked at her, "And besides their desperation is the key to our entire enterprise. The cultivators of Kaelos City are already being utterly devoured by their own lust and arrogance.
They cannot control themselves. The moment they realize I am away, some local authority—likely a boss at the Martial Master realm—will immediately and secretly deploy his lackeys to kidnap both you and Eurenia, aiming to bring you straight to his bed."
Roy’s gaze had suddenly hardened, a thick, suffocating wave of pure murderous intent rolling off his frame.
"When they come," Roy ordered softly, "you are to slaughter them all."
Alisa had blinked, but Roy continued without a second of hesitation. "However, there must not be a single shred of evidence left behind that leads back to us.
You must erase all traces of the kill, even if that fat innkeeper happens to see them enter. When the dust settles, our hands must appear completely, impeccably clean to the public eye."
A small, blooming smile had touched Alisa’s lips as she bowed her head.
"Understood, my Lord. But... what shall we do with the corpses once they are dead?"
Roy had leaned back against the doorframe, his lips curling into a dark, predatory line.
"I intend to lay a secondary trap—one that will tear their internal trust apart from the inside out. Once you kill them, wrap their bodies and secretly bury them directly outside the private residence of Warden Bass. Let the local factions suspect each other of treachery."
With those final instructions, Roy had turned the handle and stepped into the hallway.
Now.
In the doorway of Room 301, Alisa staggered backward into the room, her porcelain face twisting into a look of feigned, helpless panic.
The three tall Martial Warriors—the two who had barged to the threshold and a third who had been lurking quietly in the hallway corridor—exchanged filthy, triumphant grins.
Seeing the "mundane" woman back away in terror, their blood boiled with violent, unchecked excitement.
"Get in there! Quick, shut the door!" the lead warrior barked, shoving his way past the threshold alongside his two accomplices.
Their minds were completely consumed by dark, vile desires.
They figured that before handing this breathtaking beauty over to their master, they could at least indulge themselves, pin her to the floor, and enjoy her sweet, helpless cries in the dark.
The heavy oak door slammed shut behind them, the iron latch clicking into place.
In that exact split second, the three men signed their absolute death warrants.
Alisa did not possess a single drop of mercy for the human cultivators who hunted her kin.
The instant the lock engaged, her timid, terrified expression vanished, replaced by an expression of bone-chilling, absolute hatred.
"Where... where did she go?!" one of the warriors gasped, his eyes widening in shock.
In the blink of an eye, the space before them was completely empty.
Before any of the three men could even draw their weapons, a pitch-black shadow pool spread across the floorboards beneath the lead warrior’s boots.
Like a specter rising from the abyss, Alisa emerged directly from his shadow.
SCHLICK!
With terrifying, silent precision, her twin Phantom Veil daggers flashed through the air, plunging deep into the lead warrior’s exposed throat.
"AGHHH—KHK!" The lead Martial Warrior choked violently, his eyes bulging as thick, crimson blood erupted from his neck.
He staggered backward, his hands desperately clawing at his severed windpipe before collapsing onto the floor, twitching in a pool of his own warm blood.
The remaining two Martial Warriors jolted back in utter, paralyzing fright.
"What the fuck?!" the second warrior screamed, his sword finally half-drawn from its sheath.
"You fucking bitch!"
His face twisted in rage as he channeled every ounce of his Martial Warrior strength, attempting to blast her with his raw mana pressure and crush her body against the wall.
"I’ll break your damn legs!"
Alisa stood amidst the shadows, her head tilted slightly as her crimson gown fluttered in the sudden pressure.
She offered them a cold, beautiful, and utterly merciless smile.
THOOM!
Without another second of restraint, Alisa completely shattered the seals binding her internal power.
She stopped suppressing her mana cores, unleashed her true strength, and allowed her terrifying aura to explode into the cramped wooden room!
The air in Room 301 instantly turned as heavy as lead.
The wooden floorboards groaned and cracked under the sheer weight of her presence as a violent, suffocating wave of golden and emerald mana swept through the chamber.
The third warrior, who was mid-charge, froze mid-step, his jaw dropping so hard it nearly unhinged.
The crushing pressure knocked the breath straight out of his lungs, slamming him onto his knees like a wooden doll.
"A-A... A Martial General?!" the warrior shrieked in absolute, terror-stricken despair, his voice cracking into a high-pitched squeal.
"Middle-Enlightened Stage?! How is this possible—"
"It is too late for questions," Alisa whispered softly, her voice echoing right beside his ear.
Before the terrified cultivator could even lift his head, a flash of cold steel severed his sight forever.