Fortunately, the mysterious and unknown presence withdrew its gaze, and the invisible, terrifying pressure dissipated. Mr. Patch's stress level was slightly relieved, but the primal passivity of his biological instinct still left him feeling deeply uncomfortable.
"Logan."
O'Donnell was anxious and nervous, even calling out Mr. Patch's real name. But the latter didn't care. He was drenched in sweat and slowly sat down with a look of unease, retracting the steel claws that had extended from his knuckles. His hand trembled as he took a large gulp of his wine.
"What's going on? Is there an enemy?"
"I don't know, O'Donnell. You just have to pray that this man is not an enemy, or that he has no hostility toward you, me, or even this country. Otherwise, I can't think of any reason we would still be alive." Logan, using the "Patch" identity, shook his head.
He was now questioning his own sanity. As a person who had lived for decades, or even a century, he had experienced a great deal and seen all kinds of strange, weird abilities and powerful opponents. But in the end, he was the one who had survived. However, Logan was certain that no one had ever made him feel what he had just felt.
It was a kind of despair, a kind of powerlessness. Even from a distance, separated by countless buildings, a single glance had made him lose the courage to resist. He just wanted to escape. He had never felt such a terrible, oppressive feeling, not even from Magneto, who he had once considered his most powerful enemy.
"Is this the source of the recent trouble?" O'Donnell was a smart man and immediately guessed what had happened. His face turned grim.
How terrifying must this unknown person be to make Logan behave so unnervingly? Such a person controlling Madripoor was a huge gamble for a local figure like him. He wasn't sure if this person would simply choose to wipe out the entire country. As a place for smuggling and selling information in the lower city, if it weren't for Logan and Viper, it might have been targeted by other criminal leaders long ago.
Logan remained silent. Although his instincts urged him to leave as soon as possible and stay far away from this dangerous man, he suppressed the feeling. He didn't intend to leave. O'Donnell was his friend, and he had a stake in the bar. If this were back when he had just lost his memory and felt defeated, he would never have gotten involved in other people's business, but things were different now.
There were many of his people in this country, and even more poor people. If that dangerous, mysterious man had a sinister plot, he had to find a way to stop it.
"Pray, O'Donnell."
No one understood the cruelty of war better than Logan, especially a war involving such powerful and extraordinary forces. Logan sighed.
"It's hard to imagine that the person who could push me to this point would be so... young."
Viper, also known as Ophelia, looked at the handsome and overly youthful face of the boy sitting opposite her. She had considered countless possibilities but had never imagined that the leader of such a terrifying group of soldiers would be a boy who looked to be less than twenty years old. From his every move, she was already wondering if this boy was some ancient nobleman who could no longer suppress his ambition.
"I don't have much time, Ms. Ophelia. My name is Leon. I need your talent." Leon's use of "time" was a double entendre, so he spoke very directly.
"If you want me, you'll have to pay a big price," Ophelia said. She had guessed this possibility. She gave Leon a charming and teasing look, as if to see if the young boy would be moved by her. Unfortunately, although she was indeed beautiful, she was not beautiful enough to affect Leon.
Leon stood up and walked toward Ophelia. The oval table in front of him suddenly split in two and was pushed aside, leaving a straight path. Ophelia's beautiful eyes narrowed when she saw this. The table was made of composite materials and had been carefully prepared with hidden poison gas. What kind of power could separate it so easily?
Was it some kind of super ability?
The fully armed soldiers behind Ophelia raised their weapons and aimed them at Leon. However, Leon, who had seemed to be walking slowly, had in fact arrived in front of Ophelia in the blink of an eye. He bent over, and his fingers, which looked like works of art, lifted her chin, making her look up slightly.
The two stared at each other.
Behind them, the loyal soldiers had their fingers on their triggers, but they couldn't press them down, because their bodies were no longer controlled by their own minds.
"The contract that once made you ecstatic must have been a great source of trouble for you, Ms. Ophelia?" Leon whispered as he looked directly into Viper's beautiful eyes. His voice was very soft, but it boomed in her ears like thunder.
Viper Ophelia's beautiful, charming face suddenly changed, and her heart felt like it was in turmoil.
"Contract? What contract?"
Ophelia subconsciously avoided the eyes of the handsome boy in front of her. His pupils, like black gems, seemed to be able to see through people's souls, making her feel an inexplicable fear.
"Signing a contract with an ancient and powerful old god to fulfill your wish. What seemed like a sweet deal has become a poison that troubles you, hasn't it?"
Leon pointed out the secret that Ophelia had always kept hidden in her heart. This caused her wandering eyes to refocus on Leon's, and she bit her red lip, a complex expression on her face.
(End of Chapter)
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