Violetmill city

Lora’s brothel

Inside Lora’s room

Nilus was languorously kissing every part Lora’s body.

A few days later.

Somewhere in Violetmill city.

Fangs and Nile were drinking coffee at a nearby café.

The drink had no other use to them other than helping them blend in.

They were not wearing any masks.

Graxx had remained on the Darkcloud continent as the overseer of the new alliance. He would’ve attracted too much attention on the Shadowthorn continent.

Cale had decided to show up at home as he had been away for a year.

Fangs showed an unusual smile and said: “Why did you not follow him to see your girlfriend as well?”

Nile almost spat the coffee he was drinking. He said: “I am not Nilus. I just look like him. Besides, he’s the one who lived a life and I just started living the moment that I was created a week ago. If you add the memories of that old vampire that influenced my personality even though I erased them, I am someone else entirely.”

Fangs squinted his eyes: “Are you sure that it’s not an excuse you are giving yourself so you can sacrifice your happiness so the first one can be happy at least?”

“Absolutely sure.” Nile said.

Fangs thought: “What a bad liar he is.”

Nile knew he had been seen through and veered the conversation to another topic: “How about you? Any girlfriends?”

“I disappeared on our wedding day. She must think that I am dead by now.” Fangs happily said.

“I didn’t know that you were such a cold person in both killing and faking your own death to avoid marriage. She must’ve been heartbroken.” Nile said.

“Oh. It was all arranged. There was nothing to be heartbroken about.” Said Fangs in an insensible way.

“Women are different you know.” Nile said.

“Well, I was never into women, to begin with.” Fangs said.

“Oh…” Nile’s mind became blank. He did not know what to say as he did not expect it.

“Nilus is around.” Fangs said as he turned to look at a certain direction.

“Cale went home?” A masked Nilus asked as he looked around. Lora was beside him.

“Yeah.” Nile said. He turned to Lora and said: ”Nice to meet you. My name is Nile. This is…”

“Angel Fangs. I can finally put a face to the woman Nilus has been talking about all this time. Pleased to meet you.” Fangs said as he completed Nile’s introduction.

“Pleased to meet you all as well. Lora Haynes.” Lora said.

They chose a booth.

As they were sitting, Fangs asked Nilus: “What are your plans from now on? I hear that King Alek has been snooping around looking for you.”

“We are moving to the Darkcloud continent. If he wants war, we will play with him.” Nilus said.

“You forget that your whole family is too close to the royal family. You do not know yet but your sister Rose is in love with the second current prince Aldus Achard. Your brothers, Wade and Dalton are part of the hunter’s squad that hunt creatures of the dark. And lastly, your little sister, Ella, is part of the queen’s guard with her elder sister.” Fangs paused then continued: “You family will never follow you back to the Darkcloud continent. Alek will use them to blackmail you to force you to go to him yourself. That is what he expects now. He knows that you know where your family is and what their stance will be if he lets the world find out what you are. They will stand behind him.”

“I do not want to fight with them even if they hate me. Should I just go and kill my way into the capital and take over the country?” Nilus helplessly said.

“No…I advise against it. Unless you break the barrier of the 12th stage and reach the higher stages, I see no other alternative. His own family is comprised of a dozen known divine stages. If you add the rest of the continent, you will find yourself against at least fifty of them. And those are the ones that are known to the Assassin Guild. We have enough forces to contend with them but so do they.” Fangs said.

“If you go around killing humans, it might send a wrong message to your fans, Nilus. The Silent owl is adored even outside the country. Why not just go and meet King Alek? From what you told me, you’re equals now. If you tell him that there is no need for his senseless vengeance anymore he might listen to you.” Lora said.

They headed for the royal capital.

The royal capital city, Crystal city of the Crystal province, was made to accommodate the elite knights and royal families only. It was a closed city to any outsider.

To enter it, one needed to have an invitation or be accompanied by a Crystal city resident.

“The moment we enter the city, we will become prisoners. All the divine stages of the Greenwick country live in there.” Fangs informed the party.

The masked Nile said: “There is nothing that we three cannot handle. If he plans on keeping us prisoner he will have to lose a limb.”

Nilus said: “He is not that childish.”

A group of fifteen knights was slowly advancing towards them.

“All at the Asura level. It seems Alek knew we were coming but doesn’t know that you are both at the divine level. The welcoming committee would’ve been more powerful.” Fangs said.

“He knows about you then.” Nile said.

“We’ve had a few conflicts back in the day. He hates me but knows he can’t kill me.” Fangs shared.

As the knights reached them, the leader asked: “Name.”

“Nilus Hornraven.” Nilus casually said.

“Please follow us Lord Hornraven. We are under King Alek’s orders to bring you and your friends to meet his highness.” The Knight respectfully said.

They entered the city.

The great walls that hid it were poorly made.

As they stepped inside, they were greeted by a sight that only gods were privy to.

The Crystal city looked like it was taken right out of a fantastical tale of a godly domain.

The group of three was poorly dressed and attracted too much attention from the residents.

That and the escort that they were graced with.

They entered a sumptuous carriage and were driven to their destination.

On their way, Nile and Nilus could not stop admiring the city’s over-the-top constructions.

Fangs was looking at them with an amused expression: “You know, this is nothing compared to the Angel city I grew up in.

You’ll see for yourselves if you ever go to the Blackmist continent.”

“Why the name Angel? Your own alias is the same.” Nilus asked.

“All of my brothers and sisters have the same alias followed by their own chosen name. I chose Fangs for myself. Angel is the alias of our father. He just forced us to use it since we all work for him. None of us uses our true names nor are we allowed to share them.” Fangs said.

“Why is that?” Nile asked.

“It’s a secret.” Fangs mysteriously said.

It took them an hour to reach their destination.

It was apparent that they had taken the scenic route. Something was wrong.

When they arrived, they noticed that they were not the only ones to have been invited.

The assumption of a private conversation with the king was immediately broken into tiny pieces.

They just followed the knight under the eyes of a dumbstruck crowd that recognized Nilus.

“Some people still remember you. If I didn’t stop Jeffrey, I wonder what he would have done after releasing your portrait.” Fangs said as he shook his head.

“Fortunately, I am wearing a mask. I know that I am the only one that can reinforce you guys but Cale would have been a better option. A vampire in the capital. We are crazy.” Nile said.

“No. Cale’s family would be caught up in this as well. We are fortunate that you are here. King Alek will never stop wondering who the other Divine stage is. As of now, he thinks that Nilus is at the very least an S rank and that I am here to act as a mediator since he is part of my Assassin guild.” Fangs said.

They entered a huge hall in which many nobles were socializing as an army of waiters served drinks and amuse-gueules.

The knight said: “The king will arrive shortly.”

The knight left them in the middle of the hall under many questioning and amazed gazes.

In the last year, the nobles had been adulating the Silent owl’s work. In contrast to the common belief that they had become mad as their harvesting facilities were taken down, they had used that excuse to cheat the king of a part of aura crystals he was due.

In turn, they kept more than usual, which netted them a quantity they would have earned in two decades if they still worked for the king.

The nobles could not have asked for more.

They knew that with the appearance of the Silent owl at this banquet, they would have no more excuses and start doing their job properly.

They were thinking that the king had finally threatened Nilus’s family to bait the Silent owl here.

They all knew what was happening but could not do anything to each other. For the nobles and the king, it was more of a formality. The Silent owl had to be taken care of for everything to return to normal even if one party was lying.

As for how the Silent owl would be taken care of, the nobles did not care.

“Nilus.” A thundering voice was heard as a middle-aged man appeared.

“It’s Alek.” Fangs sent mentally.

Nilus had opened a telepathic line for all three of them.

Alek had a kind facial expression. He appeared as carefree as one could be. Uncaring for the world and his surroundings.

“I finally get to meet you. I searched for you on the entire continent for a year. I even sent a special squad to track you down but, no one could find you. Where have you been? Even I am curious.” Alek said as if he was talking to an old friend.

He was followed by his wife and the next two kings and their wives. They were all sizing up Nilus and his companions.

“We were on a little sightseeing tour on the other continents.” Fangs said.

“Angel Fangs. You scoundrel. So you got to him before me huh. I should’ve known when my intelligence squad saw you together. Hehe…I organized this little banquet in your honor. It was on a short notice and the guests are still arriving. ” Alek said. He turned to Nile and asked: ”I reckon that we’ve never met before. Who might you be?” Obviously, he could not see through the mask. He was just probing.

Nile was inwardly feeling amused and said: “Just a friend of Nilus. Nile. Pleased to meet you Alek.”

Alek…

No honorifics at all.

For one to dare say such a thing in front of him was tantamount to social suicide. If he still lived.

In this situation, Alek said: “Nilus. I see that you have many friends in high places. Two divine stage just for escorting you. Haha…At your age, I was too busy killing creatures of the dark many times stronger than me. If I had two divine stages on my side, I would have done a better job.”

Nilus was sizing up this two-faced king. It was without a doubt that he had no chance of speaking some sense into a man who forced his direct subjects, the nobles, to illegally harvest aura from their fellow humans in the name of a war that had nothing to do with the people living on the Shadowthorn continent.

King Alek, just like his counterparts on the Shadowthorn continent, appeared benevolent and preached everlasting peace.

On the other hand, him and the other kings forced their nobles to capture and harvest aura from humans while they also received it by simply buying it or as tax.

The condition of the human beings inside their harvesting facilities were close to how the vampires and the shapeshifters treated the humans.

“It’s not wise to start a war now.” Fangs mentally shared.

He could see that both Nilus and Nile were thinking the same thing. Killing the king in broad daylight.

“We came here to warn you.” Nilus said to the king.

“Oh…What is it that you want to say? I was under the impression that I was the one who indirectly brought you here.” The amused Alek said.

“Nilus. For the last time, stick to the plan.” Fangs was reminding him.

Nilus ignored him : “ If you continue illegally enslaving humans in those dungeons, the Darkcloud continent and the Newwolf continent will come after you sooner than you think. Their new king is eyeing your territory.”

Everybody in the hall laughed, the king and his family even louder.

Alek soon recollected himself and said: “And how did you chance upon such earthshaking news?” He was trying hard not to laugh. The words Nilus had just said, had made his day.

Nile scoffed and said: “ He did not chance upon anything. He is the King who will soon come after you.”

Once again laughter sounded in the room.

Nilus did not wait for them to stop laughing and said: “I only came here because of my family. They hate me, I hate them, but I just do not want to see them used against me. The warning was given to you so you would stop your little game of harvesting from humans and taking away their rights to live freely. I have other things to do than to keep my eye on you forever.” Nilus stopped and looked at the dumbfounded king as well as the ones around the room. He continued: “Recently, I broke into the Darkcloud and Newwolf continents and eliminated all threats against mankind. The humans on both continents are in an alliance with all the creatures of the dark. There is no more feeding on humans anymore as well as turning them. I decreed peace. Since I was born on this continent and since I was a witness to your hypocritical way of ruling, I am saying one thing to you now : just leave before I am forced to kill you.”

For a joke, it was indeed taken a bit too far.

“Leave?” Alek was not laughing anymore. He continued: “And go where? My whole family is here. And my way of ruling is hypocritical? A twenty-two-year-old is saying that to me? I wonder…you can’t just say all that bullshit without something to rely on…Can it be that you…”

“He is indeed a divine level.” Fangs said. He continued: “Old Alek. We can leave you alone if you stop harvesting aura illegally. Enough is enough.”

The King laughed as if he had lost it.

“You think that you alone can stop all of this? You think that it will be so easy to tell all these greedy nobles to stop what they are doing? You gave them an entire year of harvest and they are eternally thankful to you. You either ride the boat or drown just like your family was drowning because they preferred to serve me in a useless way. Knights? Who need knights when they are at the Divine stage. It is a system of the strong eating the weak. You think that you will be able to catch every harvester on the continent? Most of them are at the Asura level. They dream of reaching the divine stage. You think you can stop such greed for power without killing all of them?” The king said.

Nilus was too tired to answer him. He had succeeded on two continents. How was the Shadowthorn continent any different?

Nile said: “Stop your useless ramblings. Keep your men in check or we will do it for you after you are dead.”

“I wanted to use you first and then gain two new continents, but you seem to have done a good job without me. Thank you. I will take care of them from now on. You can just die for now.”

The king said before a flaming flying sword broke the ceiling.

The king took the sword and then started floating towards the sky saying:

“ All this time, you never realized that the guests were either at the divine stage or close to it. ”

Some were flapping wings while others floated in the air as they followed the king.

“I was wondering how this little play of mine would end up like and I am satisfied. No one on the continent will know you ever existed, after this. You see, I’ve been keeping an eye on your friends and family. Personally. I am thorough that way. I also sent a few spies to the other two continents and I followed your exploits.”

“When I got wind that an alliance was born, I laughed at you. I have no need for such a thing. But, you did a good job in weakening the creatures of the dark.”

“Since you obediently brought yourself to your death, I wanted to play with you for a little bit.”

“You see, from the moment you arrived on the continent, I knew.”

“I also took it upon myself to invite all the divine levels of the continent. Seventy-six of them. You can never be too prudent in front of a soul eater.”

All the guest had joined him in the air above his palace. The divine levels were just floating and the Asuras mostly comprised of waiters were flapping their wings in the air.

The divine stages around Alek had some resemblance with him in both fiery aura and looks. They were his descendants and each wielded a flaming sword.

Nilus sighed and said: ”You still have the time to surrender. I will not be lenient with any of you.”

“You and what army?” The king derisively asked.

“Nilus. Do not kill them. You still need help in governing this continent.” Fangs reminded.

Nilus’s eyes turned green as he let the green aura roam free towards the sky.

The daring Alek ignited his divine soul and fed as much aura as he could to his sword. All his descendants followed suit. They all swung their swords at the same time. They wanted to kill Nilus in one attack. All the others around the king that were capable of long range attacks did the same.

A torrential fire filled the sky as it clashed with the green aura that devoured all.

They were just supplying energy to Nilus.

The green aura expanded for two hundred meters before it came to a stop. It then trapped them all into a spherical prison instantly.

Fangs and Nile were safe as the green aura did not touch them from the very beginning.

Nilus said as he entered the prison and approached the surprised crowd in the air: “Quite something huh? I learned to release my aura as fast as possible as I learned how to cast spells. You should all try it sometime. Very useful.”. He added: “Now. If you still think that you can touch my aura and leave alive, then, by all means, do it. I will not stop you. Your lives belong to me now and all I ask is for you to treat the humans fairly.”

The king was the first to try and create a breach into the green aura but his sword turned into a piece of iron that contained no aura. The fire around the flaming sword had long faded away. All absorbed by the green aura.

The few that followed also lost their divine weapons to the green aura..

After they understood that touching the green aura was the end, they all crowded in the middle of the sphere fearing that they would make a mistake and die.

“Do I have your attention now?” Nilus asked.

“What do you want from us?” Alek asked. He was completely terrorized. He never knew that even with seventy-seven divine stages and a more than a hundred Asura levels he would be incapable of killing just one soul eater.

Even if he used blackmail by threatening the lives of Nilus’s family, he’d be the first to die without knowing it.

He had nurtured his flaming sword for generations yet, its power was siphoned away in a second. A divine weapon. He could not dare imagine his fate if he tried to leave on his own.

“What I want? Must I repeat myself? You all must rule in a fair way. In fact, I will rule in a fair way by starting something new. All of you are to abolish aura harvesting. And then your new job will be to hunt down any criminal on your territory who doesn’t listen. The Assassin Guild will police you and make sure you do your job properly. If you are found guilty of anything related to illegal aura harvesting, I will not be as lenient as I am right now. I will just kill you all and replace you. Earn your lives for now. ” Nilus said as he retracted his aura inside of him.

All the energy it had absorbed was now a part of him.

“I can feel it. The 13th stage is close.” He was thinking about using a few soul crystals to level up once he met with Graxx again. He only hoped that the latter did not turn the remaining 37,475 soul crystals to the Marquis of Deadwood. They were worth three years and one month for his right to keep his contracted powers.

Just like that, Nilus became the undisputed ruler of three continents.