"As of currently that information is still unknown however we are working tirelessly to figure this out. Also the Queen of the elves seems extremely invested in Sablestone as she has given out a lot of grants and benefits to them."
"It would seem that she is trying to have them on their side as an ally which could prove problematic for us along with the rest of the other human kingdoms." The royal noble spoke out. Leopold could easily deduce what she was up to and he wasn't happy with it.
"If she becomes an ally of them, the possibility of them waging war isn't something too far-fetched." A lot of faces went pale as they heard this. If such an outcome should happen then they would be in a precarious situation.
"It would seem that Queen Sevyn has decided to host a ball in the commemoration of her advancement. It will be held two months from now." The report finally concluded.
"It would seem that a lot of kingdoms would want to benefit from this exchange. And with the sharp increase of the demonic activity as of late, this is to be expected that they would want to ally themselves with a powerful force."
Leopold pointed out before another thought crossed his mind. "Is it confirmed that she was the one who slew the Hydra?" A lot of people seemed heavily interested when they heard this. "Yes it is confirmed that she was the one that did it."
"She is definitely a force to be reckoned with." Even he was wary of the Hydra that dwelled among the ocean out and wouldn't deal with it. And yet she was able to deal with it meant that she was without a doubt not to be taken lightly.
"Also suspicious activities have been noted coming from the oceans far out. Presumably where the Hydra was. Dense black clouds have been seen to accumulate from beneath the ocean as a dangerous demonic aura has been growing."
"It would seem that the Hydra was guarding something and with its death this unfortunate encounter has risen. This will be problematic without a doubt later on." Leopold sighed as he heard this.
"It would seem that dangerous times are upon us. We have to increase our guard up." He ordered before discussing other matters however everyone's focus of attention was that mysterious lady.
*Somewhere In Rein Kingdom*
"It's just that we have to ensure your loyalty to the Crimson Crows thus the two of you will be issued a mission." Henry said calmly however he knew that he was at a disadvantage during the conversation. His audience were on the fourth tier thus they didn't feel inferior to him.
As a matter of fact, they were both on the fourth array while he was on the second array. However little did he know that he was worrying on trivial matters.
"So who are we killing?" Hedon asked eagerly as he seemed rather bored. He took of his mask which was deemed as a necessity to be put on at all times however he didn't care. To him, these were mealy humans, what could they do to him.
Henry was baffled to see that Hedon willingly took off his mask however he could only watch. 'What? He's so young and yet he has such a formidable tier?!' He mused as he saw this. 'This is no doubt a prodigy!'
"As of currently, there are no active missions that require assassination however there is one requiring an extraction. A client wants a specific artifact borrowed from a close associate of his." He said as he noted Hedon's disinterest.
"How much will we be getting paid for this?" Orsen asked as he refrained from taking off his mask. "It will be about twenty gold quartz." Henry said hurriedly trying to keep their interest. "It's better than nothing I suppose."
Orsen mused as he stood up from his seat. Hedon stood up as well as he put on his mask. "Here." Henry added as he handed over a small grey stone to Orsen. One had to infuse their own mana into it and a more detailed description would be engraved into the mind of the holder.
The two made their way out leaving Henry alone in the room. 'To actually think that I would be able to have two tier four experts under me. This will no doubt increase the potency of the Crimson Crows significantly.
The Crimson Crows already had another tier four expert in their rankings however that individual was on the second array thus for Henry, with the addition of the two was a necessity for them. He brought out a small purple stone before infusing mana into it.
"It is confirmed that they are indeed tier four experts on the fourth array each. It would seem that one of them has a calm temperament while the other seems a little more impulsive but nothing I can't deal with."
He thought in his head as he poured mana into the stone. The purple stone being a conversational tool which could be used for long distances transferred the information given to it elsewhere.
"That's good. Make sure that you give them a proper welcome. We cannot afford to lose such prizes." Another voice shot back as such thoughts poured into Henry's mind.
"Very well. It will be as you wish." He reported back before returning the stone back into his inventory.
…
As for the duo, they appeared on the outskirts of the city and not far from where they were, there was a small camp that had been set up.
"It would seem that Henry wants us to retrieve a tier four mana core disc of a Barok. It's quite impressive that they were able to retrieve one in such a state." Orsen mused as they surveyed the perimeter.
Baroks were creatures similar to Armadillos, with golden armor laced all over their bodies. Able to curve into balls like hedgehogs when they would feel threatened and had a diet of omnivores.
For them to extract the disc core of one was remarkable as that would have meant that they were able to breach its defenses which for a tier four Barok meant that it could withstand the torrential assaults of a tier five beasts for some time.
And to perfectly extract the core which couldn't be touched by human hands as they would fracture and crack due to impurities of the human body. Either they had a light user who was able to touch it or they had a Lerestion.
This was a tool that used mana on perfectly cutting out the flesh like a laser cutter and absorbing the mana core into a flask that was completely purified. Either way for such an act, they would need a person who heavily skilled in light.
"Found it." The two mused at the same time as they located it with their Omni senses. "Let's get this over with." Hedon said eagerly as he jumped sown from the tree as he charged at the camp.
…
"To think that we were able to extract a tier four mana disc core!" Four people speculated with joy in their voices. "Such a beauty will surely fetch a good price in the market!" Another added as they looked at the disc core in a gleaming flask.
"We wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for you Jayceon." His comrades spoke with joy in their voices. "I can't take all the credit for all of it. All of you were able to assist me." Jayceon mused with laughter however it was short lived.
"Warning! There is an intruder!" A loud voice boomed which broke the happy atmosphere in the room. "It's without a doubt an assassin sent to steal the core! Quick! Jayceon, take it with you and keep it somewhere safe!"
Jayceon was well aware of his situation as he took the flask and immediately left through an alternative path they had been preparing. Utilizing his light potency, his body was covered in light before heading for the kingdom.
'Do you really think that they would be able to steal mu hard earned work? Hmph!' He mused as the camp got smaller and smaller. Back at the camp, Hedon made his appearance known. His hands were coated in a fiery red aura that reeked of demonic heretics.
His face was covered in a mask, a kabuki to be exact that resembled that of a demon given the two horns coming from his temples however it only had one horn, the other came from the mask completing the set.
He was more of a demon rather than a human at this moment. "Who do you thin-" A sound of a tier three expert spoke only to be forcefully shut by a spear that pierced his throat. A mountain of blood gushed out before Hedon pounced on his body.
The spear was constituted of blood. Grabbing the hilt, he forcefully dragged it down ripping his victim in half and meeting his death. "He is a tier four demon!" People wore faces of worry as they realized that it was a demon.
"It's a tier four demon! Don't bother fighting it! Run away!" Exclaims of shock and horror came all around him. However he didn't seem focused on this as he made his advancements. He would close the distance between his preys before ripping their heads off their bodies with brute strength.
Regardless of whether they chose to fight back or flee, the gruesome fate of death was what awaited them. Soon after, the once lively and jovial camp was now bathed in blood. However one person remained alive despite all of this.
"I can't believe the Crimson Crows would send such a monster to deal with this!" He mused as he assessed the situation. He was a mole planted by the Crimson Crows to keep them updated on the progress of the expedition.
He was a lone force not to mention on the second tier thus he couldn't steal it, only acting as the intel provider. "So you are the mole?" Hedon asked as he licked the blood off his hands. Casper was slightly wary of Hedon.
To him, he couldn't believe that they would ally with demons for these assassinations. He had been around the block for quite some time and he had never seen such an occurrence. Was it not only abhorrent to commit such as act as allying with a demon but also demons were known to be untrustful individuals.
"Yes!" Casper said immediately out of fear. "It's a shame that you didn't make it out alive. Truly that beast attack was ruthless leaving no survivors." He joked as a dangerous smile played on his lips.
Grasping on what he meant, he was about to retrieve his mana stone only to realize that it was gone. "Looking for this?" Hedon mused as he held it in his stone.
*BAM*
In a swift motion, he was able to crush the rock with his bare hands. Casper subconsciously walked back only for him to bump into something, it was Hedon. "Aren't you-"
*JAB*
An excruciating pain ran through his chest as he saw a hand come out of his chest cavity. Right in front of him was his own heart displayed for him. And just like a tomato, it was squashed with ease before Hedon retracted his hand grabbing his spine.
"Hahahahaha!" As his spine chilling laugh rang through the air, he ripped Casper's spine out of his body and removing his skull as a whole before tossing it to the ground. Steeping on it, brain matter and bits splattered all over the floor.
…
"I should be a safe distance away from the camp." Jayceon realized as the kingdom was not far off but a humanoid figure stood in front of him. "Who is tha-" His head was cleanly cut off before he could finish his thought.
The flask was safely extracted from his body it fell to the floor with a significant thud. "Easy." And just like his appearance, his departure was just as swift without leaving a trace whatsoever. Hedon's figure vanished from sight at the camp leaving the trail of his malevolence.
His body completely untouched by any blood whatsoever on it.