The clash of steel and bursts of magic echoed through the streets as the GaterGame Gang and warriors from a holy nation waged a brutal battle. Swords clanged against shields, and arcs of lightning sizzled through the air as fireballs roared and exploded, scattering debris and bodies alike.
Among the chaos, Lance can be seen slipping into a nearby alley with a grin curling at his lips as he sees the perfect opportunity to escape.
"My apologies, my men. But I'll let you deal with them for your boss to escape," he murmured as his hand slid into his pocket, feeling the cool enchanted parchment of a scroll.
This is no ordinary scroll but a teleportation scroll.
Just as he unrolled the scroll and began the incantation, a deep voice from the shadows behind him broke the moment.
"Going somewhere, Lance?"
Lance froze, recognizing the voice instantly. He turned slowly to see Benjamin emerge from the smoke.
"Benjamin," Lance sneered, though unease gnawed at him. "Figured you'd be too busy playing hero to notice me slip away. You might be the leader of the World Father Scriptures and the son of the Pope, it doesn't stop me from escaping."
"You thought a mere skirmish would hide your escape? You're more foolish than I thought."
Lance grinned while unfurling the scroll completely. "Doesn't matter. I don't plan on sticking around to see how this ends." He began chanting, ready to activate the teleportation magic.
But the scroll fizzled.
Nothing happened.
Lance's smirk fell. He tried again, and his voice rose with frustration as he repeated the incantation. Still nothing. Slowly, Benjamin raised his hand, and a translucent dome shone around them both, sealing the alley in a tight silence.
"Surprised?" Benjamin smiled coldly. "You're trapped within a prison spell I designed specifically for rats like you. Anti-teleportation, anti-magic, anti-spiritual, and anti-skill. You can't cast. You can't escape."
Lance's expression darkened as he realized what was happening. He flexed his fingers, trying to conjure a spell, any spell. Nothing responded. It was as if the mana had been sucked from the air. His eyes narrowed at Benjamin, and a snarl creeped into his voice.
"You think this little trick will hold me?"
In one swift motion, Lance pulled out his magic flintlock from his belt and fired at Benjamin. But as the magic bullet neared the warrior leader, it disintegrated harmlessly against the barrier.
"You'll have to do better than that."
Lance's eyes gleamed with a desperate glint as he raised his hand and began summoning. Dark energy swirled in the air, and from the shadow, a shadowy figure of his Chaos Spirit materialized, radiating its ancient and malevolent presence as usual.
"Let's see how your precious barrier handles this!" Lance growled as his confidence returned.
Benjamin watched calmly, almost pitifully. "I told you already," he said. "The prison traps spiritual entities too."
The moment the Chaos Spirit advanced, the barrier pulsed, and the Spirit of Chaos collapsed inward upon itself, drawing it into its depths. The creature let out a distorted wail before vanishing, and was sucked into the barrier's confines.
Lance stumbled back with horror replacing the bravado on his face. His last trump card, gone. His chest heaved as he glared at Benjamin, as rage overtook him.
"You... You'll pay for this!"
But Benjamin's eyes hardened. "No. Your sins end here."
Raising both of his hands in a prayer, Benjamin whispered a word of power, and a brilliant light gathered on top of the barrier, coalescing into a point of overwhelming energy.
"Almighty World Father. Listen to my wish..."
.
.
.
"Erased everything…"
.
.
.
"[Disintegration]."
In the next instant, a blinding beam shot forth from above, enveloping both Lance and the remnants of his Chaos Spirit.
Lance struggled violently as he noticed his legs were bound by glowing white magical threads. His teeth clenched, and he let out a primal scream.
"Fuck!"
Panic flooded his eyes as they widened with each passing second. Desperately, he tried to raise his Magic Flintlock and aimed to destroy the barrier confining him, but it ended up being a futile effort. He was unable to escape.
"FUCK—"
The magical threads constricted tighter, wrapping around him like a predator's snare. As Lance fought in vain, an intense surge of energy began to engulf him, wrapping his entire body in a white-hot light. His body flickered and then started to disintegrate, and his essence was torn apart.
"Haaaaa!!!"
At the last moment, just before his figure disappeared, everyone in the streets was able to pick up his anguished-filled scream.
Booom!
Another thunderous explosion resonated throughout the alleyway. A while passed before the dust settled, and at that moment, anyone who witnessed it dared not utter a word as they focused their attention to where Lance had once stood, where now only a small crater remained.
Standing tall in the center of it was the imposing and majestic figure of Benjamin. His mere presence commanded the attention of everyone around him as he gazed at the crater, and a slight frown creased his face.
"...Well, that was a disappointment," he muttered, staring at the empty spot where Lance had been. No remnants, no artifacts, not even the Chaos Spirit remained.
He had unleashed [Disintegration], his most powerful offensive spell among the Holy Magic system. It is an attack that causes spiritron decay, erasing anything within its area of effect at the speed of light. Not even spiritual entities could avoid annihilation.
While it can destroy anything within its area of effect, [Disintegration] has a limited range, hence it might have much less effects against targets with considerably large size.
But despite its overwhelming power, Benjamin couldn't help but feel dissatisfied.
Though [Disintegration] was powerful, capable of erasing nearly anything within its range, it paled in comparison to the Pope's version, whose skill so powerful it was said to have slain Dragon Lords, which are Transcendent Tier-3 creatures.
"My Lord, should we also track down the group these bastards were chasing for some reason?" one of his men asked, breaking the silence.
Benjamin turned and glanced in the direction where the group that Lance and his gang had been chasing inside that massive moving metal vehicle, which is now long gone into the streets.
After a moment of thinking, Benjamin shook his head. "No. Whoever they are, they're not our concern or business to begin with. Besides, our task here is finished. We should return to the First Civilization Zone and report this to the Pope."
"Yes, my Lord."
————————————————————————
Free Trade City of Aquarius, Red-Light District
1st Year of the New Age, New Sabbath, 2nd Week, 3rd Month of Abraham
In the dark places of one of the Aquarius City famous districts known as the red-light district, a man came be seen pushing through the neon-lit haze. His footsteps echoed off the wet pavement as he moved toward a dimly lit building with a flickering neon sign.
It wasn't his first time in the underbelly of the city, but this particular establishment, "Crimson Twilight", was a place he had never dared to enter. But, tonight he had a mission, one that could shape the city's future.
The door creaked as he entered, and he could scent some cigarette smoke in the air and hear the pounding music reverberating through the walls. He scanned the room to see a collection of patrons lounging in dimly lit corners, and scantily clad men dancing on poles, as their movements languid and feline.
He realized with a start that this wasn't just any strip club.
But his face remained unreadable, knowing the strange encounter he was about to have would be far from ordinary.
He made his way past the male dancers and into a private room, where a powerful scent hit his senses, sweat, musk, and something else, primal and feral.
In the dim red light, he saw a massive muscular man lounging in the center of a velvet couch, bare naked.
His chest rose and fell with deep powerful breaths, and his body covered in scars that only added to his raw allure. Wolf-like ears jutted from his head, twitching occasionally, and his eyes, golden, predatory, gleamed with a barely restrained hunger.
He was in the middle of an intimate moment with two men, with their pale white translucent bodies entwined around him.
Upon a closer look, the man could tell what they are.
These are vampires.
But right now, their eyes, bloodshot with lust, were occasionally flicking toward him standing in the doorway.
Soon enough, the naked muscular man looked up and locked eyes with the newcomer.
"Hm, I smell a familiar sense from you. You work for her? If so, what is the message she sent you?" He growled, while his hands still gripped one of the male vampires, who moaned softly.
The man cleared his throat, trying not to focus on the scene in front of him. "Yes. My boss, Ms. Klinton, has a proposition for you. She's planning a New Order in Aquarius City, and she wants you and the Mercenary Gang to join her side."
The man's wolf ears twitched, but he didn't immediately respond, as his attention momentarily distracted by the slender neck of one of the feminine male vampires, which he licked languidly.
After a pause, he looked back at the man. "Elaborate."
Taking a deep breath, the man launched into a carefully rehearsed pitch, explaining how Scyllary's vision of power included the naked man at the top, ruling over vast territories. He mentioned riches, power, and control over slaves, those who would bow to his strength.
A spark of interest appeared in the wolf man's eyes, but his lip curled into a sneer. "Slaves, huh? And I get to pick? Free woman slaves, you say?"
The man nodded, though a sense of unease crept up his spine as he noticed the growing intensity in the naked man's expression.
"Yes, as many as you want."
But the naked man's face twisted in disgust. "Women? Pah. They're weak, pathetic, disgusting!" He shouted as his fingers tightened around the vampire boy's throat, causing a whimper. He leaned in closer to the pale neck, and licked along the vein. "Men, on the other hand, are better. Stronger. Perfect~"
The man stifled a sigh, and felt his patience wearing thin. "Look, just accept the deal. You can have all the male slaves you want, but they're not exactly easy to find. Male sex slaves generally are kinda rarer than the female ones, you know… especially the young ones."
The wolf demihuman grinned, revealing sharp wolf-like teeth as his eyes glowed with wicked amusement.
"Oh, and the little boys too. The younger, the better." He licked his lips slowly, relishing the thought. "The things I could do to them. I want to ravage someone right now."
With a savage growl, he turned his attention back to the two male vampires and his hands went rough and possessive as he resumed his depraved actions towards them.
Moments later, their soft moans filled the room as the man's primal desires took over.
The man watched for a moment, as his eyes narrowed in distaste, before sighing deeply.
"Fenrir, the Apex Predator... what a weird twisted man."