Chapter 82: What a Coincidence, Mr. Cain
"Who did this...?"
Cain stood in absolute, dead silence, his bloodshot eyes reflecting the sheer horror of the scene before him.
The towering spire of the Monster Tamers Guild—which served as a glamorous facade concealing the secret headquarters of his organization—had been completely reduced to charred rubble, a towering mountain of debris and wreckage from which gray smoke billowed.
The spire’s location had been chosen deliberately on the outskirts of the capital, far from vital thoroughfares and densely populated residential areas, to ensure absolute secrecy and prevent commoners and busybodies from approaching the stronghold of the [Transmigrators Organization]. However, the collapse of such a monument was not something that could simply pass unnoticed.
Marcus—one of the prominent [4-Star] members of the organization—had done his utmost to cover up the catastrophe and establish a temporary security perimeter, wishing to grant their master, Cain, a few extra moments of peace in the company of his young daughter. Yet, matters had quickly spiraled out of control; the capital’s authorities and knights flooded the site like a torrent, led by a commander bearing a brief, firm message:
"You are the owner of this tower, are you not?"
Cain, who was boiling with rage, turned toward the advancing battalion. The speaker was a majestic knight clad in polished silver armor emblazoned with the numerous star patterns that indicated his high rank, directing his sharp, unyielding gaze straight at Cain.
Cain replied in a low voice, like the rumble of distant thunder:
"Yes... I am the owner of this place."
Upon hearing his answer, the commander did not hesitate; he coldly gestured to the heavily armed knights behind him to advance and surround Cain:
"You are under arrest, sir, on charges of constructing structurally unsound buildings and endangering the lives of citizens."
Cain’s eyes narrowed in a mix of bewilderment and contempt. ’Structurally unsound buildings?!’
He had just caught wind that the destruction was the result of a fierce, catastrophic magical battle, yet the knight was speaking of "construction negligence"!
Cain began to realize the terrifying dimensions of the conspiracy. It appeared that the opposing party had utilized a high-level, spiritual isolation barrier to hide the combat from the eyes of the public and passersby—perhaps even manipulating the perception of those around them to the point where anyone passing the area was rendered utterly incapable of noticing the magical flashes or sensing the clashing auras.
When the knights took their first steps to bind Cain, his patience finally shattered.
Without warning, Cain unleashed the pure aura of the [Immortal Level]!
The aura swept through the area like a visible hurricane of suffocating spiritual pressure. The knights recoiled violently, their weapons slipping from their trembling hands as expressions of primal, absolute terror painted their faces. They tried in vain to summon their magical powers or raise their swords in self-defense, but their bodies froze in place like stone statues under the terrifying weight of Cain’s existence.
As for the commander of the knights standing in the center, his features distorted completely from the sheer shock and horror, his eyes widening like a man seeing the Grim Reaper knocking at his door on a rainy night.
Cain took a slow, deliberate step toward the shivering soldiers and spoke in quiet words that shook their fragile resolve:
"I shall not take your lives today... only because you do not comprehend who you are speaking to, and because I am not in the mood for bloodshed right now. Surely, none of you wish for your children to become orphans tonight, do they?"
The knights nodded their heads in silent, continuous terror, each trying to cling to their reeling consciousness which nearly faded under the colossal pressure of Cain’s dark aura.
Cain slowly withdrew his aura, leaving them to gasp hungrily for air, then pointed his index finger at the commander:
"You... the commander in the center. Step forward."
The terrified knight pointed to his chest in disbelief, before advancing with weak, trembling steps, looking as if he might wet himself from fear.
At that moment, Cain gave a slight nod to Marcus. The subordinate understood the signal instantly, stepping forward with confident strides to display the gold-inlaid crest of the [Transmigrators Organization] before the commander’s eyes.
The knight blinked dozens of times, the blood draining from his veins. In a swift movement devoid of any pride, he threw himself to his knees, slamming his forehead violently into the dirt:
"Mercy, your Grace!.. I swear to you that this ignorant servant did not intend to insult you in any way! I was dispatched here based on misleading reports simply to enforce the law!"
The commander was no fool; the [Transmigrators Organization] was the undisputed, dominant supreme power globally—an entity that did not merely match the strength of an ordinary kingdom or empire, but was a deep-rooted shadow empire possessing the power to erase entire capitals from the map in a single night.
Cain looked down at him with dead coldness and spoke in a voice as sharp as a blade:
"Fourteen members of my organization were killed tonight, and one of our high-ranking stars was critically injured, hovering on the brink of death. I want one simple thing: no one leaves the capital tonight. Do you hear me? No one goes out! You will deploy your knights to force everyone to remain in their homes and sleep early."
Cain’s words fell like a thunderbolt upon the commander’s head. The order went thousands of times beyond his authority; the most he could do as a star-ranked knight was to take a small squad to arrest a criminal. Forcing a total curfew on the capital and flooding the streets with knights was an action that could trigger massive political strife, putting him in an agonizing, suffocating bottleneck.
Before the commander could utter a word of apology, a sweet, confident female voice pierced the silence from behind:
"Oh... Mr. Cain? What an incredible coincidence!"
From the shadows of the back alley, Lucy stepped forward with her calm, enchanting strides, surrounded by an overwhelming, majestic aura that instantly captured everyone’s attention. She stopped a short distance away, looking at Cain with a wide, enigmatic smile:
"I never expected to run into you in such a chaotic place... The coincidences in this city are certainly strange. I only came here to complete a certain task."
Cain froze completely in his tracks.
A cold bead of sweat formed on his forehead, and for a split second, he felt as if he had completely forgotten about the destruction of his entire tower in the wake of her sudden, mysterious presence!