Swoosh
Swoosh
Swoosh
Shadowy figures darted across the area, converging toward a park nearby a high rise that served as the HQ for the Hoyoshil guild.
Kuro was sitting on a bench as his shadow soldiers arrived and merged into the surrounding shadows.
Once he felt all of them were here, he sat up and started walking toward the high rise.
When he got near the entrance, two guards in black tuxedo blocked his path.
"Stop!" One guard looked at Kuro. "Kid, what are you doing here at this hour?"
Kuro did not answer the guard and continued walking. Before the guard could do anything, he felt the world spin and a headless body with an outstretched hand toward Kuro. As the world faded into darkness, the last thing he saw was a shadowy figure holding a scythe.
"Go" Kuro order and all the shadows storm into the high rise.
The front entrance opens with a 'ting' as he walks into a lobby that is in chaos. Blood and bodies were everywhere as the alarm blared out the screams.
Most are dead bodies but some pass out with moderate to light injuries. He has ordered his shadow to inflict nonlethal damage to those that have clean history and not involved with the guild misdeeds.
Niji and Sanji were dealing with the two B-rankers of Hoyoshil. Sanji being his latest Shadow Soldier with Knight rating. He could see Sanji swinging his scythe around like a maniac and the B-ranker struggling to cope. Niji, on the other hand, was playing with his B rank opponent. He could see that Niji was not giving his all.
Kuro walks toward the elevator and presses the button to go to the highest floor of the high rise. As the elevator went up, he could 'see' Dickus charging up an attack spell in front of the elevator using the shadow bird he implanted in Richard's shadow.
Before the elevator door opened, Kuro used Shadow Step to teleport into Richard's shadow.
Bang!
Dickus' spell destroys the elevator and fills it with smoke. He continues firing spells after spells into the elevator.
Kuro watches with amusement as his hand clamps on Richard's neck, preventing him from making noises.
After 10 seconds, Dickus stops his barrage of spells as he gasps for breath.
"Bravo! Bravo!" Kuro shouted as if he was amazed by Dickus' display of spells. "What control! What mastery! Certainly the kind of power to oppress the weak nut fear the strong!"
Dickus, alarmed by the shout, quickly turns around as he lobs a fireball toward the voice.
Bang!
The fireball hit the target and exploded. When the explosion cleared, Dickus saw the burnt face of his son.
"Riccie..." Dickus whispered, his voice trembling, before it erupted into a roar. His eyes locked onto Kuro.
Kuro's grin widened. "Oh, what a nice throw. My apologies. My face is too handsome to be burnt so I use what I have in my hand to defend myself."
Dickus took a step forward, but his body trembled not from fear, but from the fury building within him. He felt his magic surging, raw and uncontrolled, but he couldn't hold back anymore.
"You bastard," he growled, his fists clenched so tight his nails dug into his palms. "I'll make you suffer. You'll pay for everything."
Kuro tilted his head to the side. "Suffer?" he repeated, a mocking chuckle escaping his lips. "You think you have the right to say that after destroying all the innocent lives for your greed?"
Dickus's chest heaved with rage, his whole body trembling, his vision narrowed to a single point—Kuro.
"Don't you dare lecture me," Dickus spat, his voice thick with anger. His magic swirled around him, chaotic and raw, like a violent storm on the verge of breaking. His fingers curled tighter, his nails digging into his palms, blood dribbling from the pressure. He didn't care. "I fought to get to where I am today. So what if I cut a few weeds along the way? They are just useless garbage."
Kuro's eyes darkened, the playful demeanor slipping away like a mask. His gaze was now cold and devoid of any empathy. The air around him seemed to grow heavier as the shadows around him began to shift, swirling in response to his command.
"Garbage, you say?" Kuro repeated. "Then I, too, will be disposing of the garbage that is ruining this world."
In an instant, the shadows at Kuro's feet rose like tendrils. With a flick of his wrist, the shadows stretched and solidified into thick, unbreakable chains as they lashed out at Dickus, binding him before he could reach.
Dickus's eyes widened in shock, but it was too late. The chains wrapped around his arms, legs, and torso with brutal efficiency. He tried to fight, to summon his magic in retaliation, but the shadows crushed his efforts, dampening his power as they tightened relentlessly.
"Impossible! Why can't I move! I am an A-ranker!" Dickus shouted, struggling against the inescapable grip of the chains.
"Well, why do you think I let you shoot all those spells at the elevator? You are an idiot to use all that mana without consideration." Kuro spoke as he walked closer to the now kneeling Dickus with his katana in hand. He also fires a few Shadow Bullets to disable Dickus limbs.
Dickus, seeing Kuro walk closer toward him, started to freak out. He tried to put strength into his broken limbs to break the shadow chains but to no avail. He then felt the cold blade at his neck, as he slowly raised his head at the kid half the age of his son.
"Why?" He asked. "Why are you targeting me?"
"Why? Nothing in particular. Just the fact that you planned on assassinating me."
"?" Dickus looked at Kuro in confusion before his eyes went wide. "You! Kuro!"
"The one and only." Kuro nodded. "If it wasn't for The Harbinger intervening, I might have been dead by now."
Dickus's eyes narrowed, confusion giving way to anger. "But how do you know?!" His voice cracked, a mixture of disbelief and desperation seeping through.
Kuro's lips curled into a thin smile. With a fluid motion, he stepped aside, making sure Dickus could see the still, unmoving body of his son.
"How?" Kuro repeated softly. "Thank your son."
Dickus didn't know what Kuro was talking about until he saw a bird-like shadow creature materialized from his son's form. It hovered briefly, flapping its shadowy wings. And it was then that Dickus realized the truth.
"You..." Dickus whispered, his voice faltering as his eyes locked onto the shadow creature.
"Any last words?" Kuro asks as he brings the katana near Dickus' neck again.
Dickus turned his gaze toward Kuro, blood dripping from his wounds. "Yes," Dickus began, his voice strained but steady. "Do you know about the Tower of Heavens?"
Kuro raised his guard and summoned a recording stone but kept a calm look. "No? I don't know what you are talking about."
"Then do you know that we are on the first floor of the tower? The lowest and weakest floor."
"The first floor of the tower? The lowest floor? Why does that have to do with whether I should end you or not?"
Dickus's gaze remained fixed on Kuro. "Because," he hissed, "if you think you've seen true power, if you think you've experienced the worst this world has to offer, you're wrong."
"And?" Kuro tilted his head.
"Let me live. Join me." Dickus stares into Kuro's eyes. "I introduce you to someone that rules an entire floor in the sixth floor, The Photon Emperor."
"Sigh. It is a tempting offer. Unfortunately, I am someone who hates traitors."
With that, Kuro drove the katana into Dickus' heart.
"Yo..u!" Dickus coughs up blood as he feels death closing in around him.
"You this. You that. Is that all you can say?" Kuro looked at Dickus whose eyes lost their glows. He pulls out his katana and Dickus' body falls down as the shadow chains that bind him disappear.
Kuro looked at Richard and Dickus' corpse and shook his head. "So they were traitors all along. I wonder how many traitors there are. And this is just on Prime Earth."
Kuro sighs at the absurdity of some people who betray their own kind for benefits. "Well, let not waste these prime material,"
"ARISE"