Declan stared at Kyle in terror. He could clearly feel the "Ether" within his body—the source of power he had cultivated his entire life and relied upon for survival—violently surging. It was as though an intangible force was pulling at it, urging it to leave his body and rush toward that young man, to become a part of his strength.
He recalled the fate of the guard from moments ago, whose lifeless body still lay on the cold floor. A chill emanating from his very marrow shattered the last defense of his psyche.
"I'll talk! I'll talk! Just…just stop looking at me like that!" Declan collapsed onto the ground, desperately dragging his body backward.
The black vortex in Kyle's eyes gradually subsided, and with it, the suffocating pull of power vanished. He did not step forward but remained standing in place in silence. This formless oppression was far more torturous than direct violence.
"It was…the Black Wolf Mercenary Group!" Declan gasped for breath and spilled everything in a rush. "It was their leader, Blood Axe Buck, who gave me a slow-acting poison called Withering Dust! He said the poison is colorless and tasteless, capable of gradually sapping the life energy of practitioners. Even the best physicians in the city would only diagnose it as a debilitating illness!"
The Black Wolf Mercenary Group?
Kyle sifted through the memories of the original owner of his body, searching for that name. They were a band of outlaws operating outside Storm City, notorious for their ruthlessness and insatiable greed. They often took on clandestine assignments.
"Why would they help you?" Kyle's voice remained calm as he dissected Declan's lies from the truth. "As a branch elder, you likely couldn't pay a high enough price to persuade the Black Wolf Mercenaries to risk angering the entire Kalan Family just to plot against a family head, could you?"
"I…" Declan's gaze began to flicker again.
"It seems you still haven't learned your lesson." Kyle's tone turned icy as he took one step forward.
Just one step was enough to make Declan go pale with fright, his soul seemingly slipping away.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" Sobbing and trembling uncontrollably, Declan abandoned all pretense of resistance. "I promised them that after the deed was done, I'd give them twenty percent—no, thirty percent of the family's mine profits for the next ten years! And…and…"
"And what?"
"And they said that once it's done, they'd introduce me to a more powerful organization! They said that organization has influence spanning the entire kingdom. If I could join, not only could I easily surpass a small Kalan family head, but I could even become the lord of Storm City in no time!" Declan's voice trembled with a mix of excitement and fear, his eyes glinting with a pathological fanaticism.
"A more powerful organization?" Kyle's mind stirred, instantly recalling the Crimson Covenant mentioned by that man who called himself Vix. However, he betrayed no reaction and continued to interrogate calmly, "What's the name of this organization?"
"I…I don't know…" Declan shook his head in confusion. "Blood Axe Buck was extremely cautious. He only gave me a token and told me to find him with it after the family head was dead. Then he'd tell me everything I needed to know."
"Where's the token?"
With trembling hands, Declan fished out an object wrapped in black cloth from his chest. Kyle gestured for him to throw it over.
The object rolled onto the floor, the black cloth unraveling to reveal a badge roughly the size of a palm, forged from an unknown metal. The badge was shaped like a twisted eye, with a crimson gem at the pupil that seemed to have liquid coursing through it. A faint but intensely malevolent aura emanated from the token.
"That's it!" In Kyle's mind, Vix's voice suddenly rang out, tinged with gravity. "Without a doubt, it's the badge of a low-ranking follower of the Crimson Covenant. Who would have thought they'd extend their reach even to this backwater? Kid, you're in big trouble now."
Kyle ignored Vix's words, his cold gaze locking onto Declan. The truth was now laid bare: this fool, blinded by greed, had invited disaster into his home for the sake of an empty promise, leading to the death of his own blood brother.
For traitors, the "Ghost" in Kyle's past life had only one method of dealing with them.
"I've told you everything…" Declan, upon seeing Kyle's icy expression, felt a sense of impending doom welling up from within. He began groveling and begging for mercy. "Spare me for the sake of our kinship! I'll do anything you ask! I'll give you all my wealth! Please…"
Kyle slowly approached him, crouched down, and fixed him with those lifeless eyes.
"Did my father plead for mercy as he died?"
Declan's begging ceased instantly, his face turning ashen.
Kyle didn't give him another chance to speak. Reaching out, he placed his hand lightly on Declan's head. In the latter's terrified and despairing gaze, Kyle activated "Energy Drain."
This time, he controlled it with greater precision. The purple energy within Declan's body didn't surge out chaotically as it had before but flowed like a steady stream as Kyle's eyes absorbed it. Declan didn't so much as let out a scream. His life force ebbed rapidly until, like the guard, he became a lifeless, desiccated corpse.
Having eliminated the traitor, Kyle felt no joy of revenge. Instead, his heart grew heavier. As he absorbed the pure energy from Declan, he could feel his strength growing by another measure, but Vix's words echoed in his mind.
A lone serial killer was not terrifying. What was terrifying was the massive organization behind him, treating murder as entertainment.
Just then, the sharp sound of alarm bells shattered the quiet of dawn, ringing out from outside the manor!
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
This was the highest alert—signaling an external invasion of the family!
"Young Master! It's terrible!" The old steward burst in with several loyal guards. Upon seeing the two ghastly corpses in the room, his face turned pale, but he still hastily reported, "The Black Wolf Mercenary Group…they've attacked us! They're claiming we wrongfully detained one of their men and are demanding we hand over the culprit. Otherwise, they'll slaughter everyone in the Kalan Manor!"
Kyle's eyes narrowed. What a crafty move—preemptively accusing us!
Declan had just died, and now they'd come charging in. Clearly, this was premeditated. They weren't here to demand an explanation—they were here to reveal their true intentions and devour the Kalan Family when it was at its weakest!
"How many of them are there?" Kyle asked calmly.
"Over a hundred! Their leader, Blood Axe Buck, is here in person!" The old steward answered in despair. "Young Master, we barely have thirty guards in the manor. There's no way we can hold them off! Please flee through the secret passage and preserve the bloodline of the Kalan Family!"
"Flee?" Kyle chuckled, a hint of madness and boundless coldness in his smile. "My father's blood hasn't yet dried, the traitor's corpse is barely cold, and you want me to flee? To where?"
He turned and walked slowly toward the door. The morning sunlight streamed in through the cracks, casting a long, proud shadow behind him.
"Vix, tell me. What's Blood Axe Buck's level of strength?" he asked in his mind.
"Just a guy who's barely stepped into the peak of the 'Enlightener' stage. He's a bit stronger than the two wastes you just absorbed. But with his numbers, charging at him head-on would be suicide," Vix replied lazily.
"Is that so?" Kyle's lips curved into a faint smile. "Not necessarily."
He pushed open the door and, standing before the Clan members who had gathered outside, their faces etched with fear and confusion, he declared in a loud voice:
"Every man of the Kalan Family, take up your weapons!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it rang clearly in everyone's ears, carrying an undeniable authority.
"When faced with external foes, retreating brings death!"
"Betrayers face death!"
"Today, I will cleanse all shame with the blood of our enemies for my father and the Kalan Family!"
Standing on the steps, he scanned each person. Though his eyes were still lifeless, every soul felt a shudder deep within.
"Now, follow me and charge out!"