Chapter 369 — Sons, Fools… and the Total Absence of a Plan
The hopeless body of the pact‑bearer collapsed onto the stone with a dull thud.
Mister Mind slowly withdrew his hand.
Thin filaments of dark light dissipated between his gloved fingers.
— "His soul was already corroded by the jinn…" murmured the Puppeteer.
— "I only accelerated the inevitable."
Brakk watched the scene… then Mister Mind's hands… then his own wrists.
He shook them slightly.
— "Tell me, collector…" he began, voice pitched a little too high.
— "Do you do that to everyone… or should I start worrying the moment you stare at me for more than three seconds?"
Mister Mind slowly turned his cracked mask toward him.
Silence.
A heavy silence.
The kind that makes you rethink every life decision you regret.
— "Don't be ridiculous, Brakk.
— The most obedient puppets are those who believe they are free."
Brakk froze.
— "…I would've preferred if you'd just said 'no.'"
Haya sighed.
— "Stop talking like that, you'll scare our client.
— Our reputation is already catastrophic."
Mister Mind shrugged slightly.
— "It's only because Father wouldn't be pleased if I broke a client before payment."
Brakk blinked.
— "…that is absolutely not reassuring."
Mister Mind then stared into the void, where the soul had just been torn away.
— "He wasn't lying.
— But that was only the surface. Zahkariel didn't just send a spy… he left a trace."
With a gesture, he projected an illusion at the center of the table.
Not a vague image.
A perfect reconstruction.
You could almost smell the sulfur, hear the jinn's voice, feel the pressure of his presence.
— "Look, Brakk."
The illusion shifted.
Brakk appeared… surrounded by dark ethereal threads, tied to his heart… then vanishing into a fractured dimension.
Cold sweat slid down Brakk's back.
— "Zahkariel has already begun weaving your nerves," Mister Mind continued.
— "He doesn't want to possess you.
— He wants to make you an extension."
Brakk stayed silent.
Then:
— "…and you can cut that?"
Mister Mind:
— "I can do better.
— I can invert the threads."
He stepped closer.
Psychic pressure fell on Brakk like an invisible mountain.
His knees hit the floor.
— "But for that…" murmured the Puppeteer…
He leaned near his ear.
— "…I'll have to make you my puppet.
— Just long enough to trace him back.
— Your mind. Your memories. Your free will."
Silence.
Brakk lifted his head.
He smiled.
— "Listen to my thoughts, Mister Mind… Zahkariel tried to trap me.
— I'll turn his plan against him."
Mister Mind sighed.
— "Stop making that face.
— And yes, I already hear your thoughts.
— They're very loud, by the way."
Brakk:
— "That's because I'm thinking hard."
— "No. It's because you're panicking elegantly."
Beside them, Haya was vibrating with impatience.
Black electricity crackled around her, mixed with shadows and violet magic.
Even standing still, she looked ready to strike the entire world.
— "We're wasting time," she snapped.
A scythe of black energy appeared in her hand.
The blade looked like a crescent of nothingness devouring light.
Brakk struggled to his feet.
— "Stop the mental pressure… I'll find another way."
He tapped his temple.
— "That old fox Zahkariel wanted to play with me…
— He'll see."
He exhaled.
— "We just learned I'm the future apartment of a jinn…
— I'd at least like to choose the decoration."
Haya vanished.
No movement.
No step.
Just a brutal transition.
She reappeared in front of him.
Brakk jumped.
— "WHAT KIND OF SORCERY IS THIS AGAIN?"
— "Zahkariel is watching," she said, her voice doubled with a disturbing echo.
— "If we wait for the Puppeteer to finish analyzing your brain, the Hunters will arrive…
— and the jinn will have closed the breach."
She raised her scythe.
— "The plan?"
Brakk crossed his arms.
— "In case you forgot:
— I'm the one in charge…
— and I'm the one paying…"
Silence.
— "…so I don't have a plan yet."
Haya stared at the ceiling.
— "Unbelievable."
Mister Mind:
— "Are we really working for him?"
Bloodweaver approached calmly.
— "We're not in a hurry."
Brakk looked at him.
— "Oh really?
— Because I am.
— I'd like to avoid becoming demonic furniture today."
Bloodweaver:
— "Then find a plan."
Brakk inhaled deeply.
His smile returned.
A slow smile.
A dangerous smile.
— "Very well…
— If Zahkariel wants to play chess…"
He looked up at them.
— "…we'll flip the table."
Silence.
Haya:
— "What does that mean exactly?"
Brakk:
— "No idea.
— But it sounded good."
Chapter 370 — Strategic Meeting… and Imminent Catastrophe
Brakk crossed his arms, eyeing the three assassins.
— "Alright… first important question."
He pointed at Mister Mind.
— "You. Mister Mind, soul collector, a.k.a. the Puppeteer…
— That's way too stylish. Who gave you those names?"
Mister Mind answered calmly:
— "Father."
Brakk turned to Haya.
— "And you? Haya, the Reaper, a.k.a. the Black Lightning?"
— "Father too."
He turned to the third.
— "And you… Bloodweaver?"
— "Father."
Brakk fell silent.
Then:
— "…wait.
— Don't tell me it's the same Father for all three of you?"
Silence.
Brakk tilted his head.
— "You call him Father…
— but I seriously doubt he's your biological father."
Haya shrugged.
— "Good deduction."
Brakk continued:
— "So he's a mentor? A leader? A founder?
— An old demon?
— Some creepy guy who gives abandoned kids cool nicknames?"
Mister Mind replied without emotion:
— "Sorry, but we have no interest in revealing more."
Brakk sighed.
— "Fine… not that useful anyway.
— What matters to me are your abilities."
Mister Mind:
— "Soul manipulation.
— Psychic.
— Illusions.
— Mental and spiritual puppetry."
Brakk blinked.
— "…all that?"
Mister Mind tilted his head slightly.
— "Look at my name. You'll understand my powers."
Brakk pointed at Haya.
— "So you… black lightning and super speed?"
Haya smiled.
— "Not entirely wrong.
— Add dark magic…
— and arcana."
Brakk inhaled.
— "Alright… it's illegal to be that overpowered."
He turned to Bloodweaver.
— "And you… blood manipulation?"
— "Yes.
— Poison.
— Alchemy.
— Manipulation and inversion of senses."
Brakk stayed silent.
— "…ok."
He rubbed his face.
— "I literally hired a team of final bosses."
---
**Improvised Strategic Meeting**
Brakk paced the room.
— "Alright… let me think."
He raised a finger.
— "Plan number 1:
Mister Mind infiltrates Zahkariel mentally while Haya harasses him with pure speed and Bloodweaver attempts blood corruption."
Silence.
Mister Mind:
— "Impossible."
Haya:
— "He doesn't have 'blood' in the usual sense."
Bloodweaver:
— "And a pact jinn protects his mental core.
— I could invert his perceptions… but not control him."
Brakk sighed.
— "Fine."
He raised a second finger.
— "Plan number 2:
We overload him with contradictory contracts to destabilize his essence. While he tries to stabilize, we strike."
Mister Mind:
— "Theoretically interesting."
Haya:
— "But he *is* literally the principle of breaking commitments."
Bloodweaver:
— "You're trying to put out a fire… with contract fire."
Brakk:
— "Yeah, well, I'm trying."
He raised a third finger.
— "Plan number 3:
We force him to pact with an illusion.
If he accepts, we create a paradox."
Mister Mind thought.
— "Possible…
— but he'd sense the anomaly instantly."
Haya:
— "And if he gets angry, we die."
Bloodweaver:
— "Statistically, this plan kills us all."
Brakk sighed.
— "You're all incredibly motivated."
He paced again.
— "Plan number 4…"
Dramatic silence.
— "We make him panic."
Haya:
— "…"
Mister Mind:
— "…"
Bloodweaver:
— "…"
Brakk:
— "If we attack simultaneously his mind, his perception, and his pact anchor…
— maybe we can trigger instability."
Mister Mind answered slowly:
— "…that…
— could work."
Haya smiled.
— "Finally, an idea not completely stupid."
Bloodweaver nodded.
— "If we synchronize, we can create a breach."
Brakk grinned.
— "See?
— I'm a strategic genius."
And then…
A massive fireball rushed toward them.
Brakk:
— "…I spoke too soon."
Haya smiled.
Without moving.
She raised her scythe.
**SCHRAAAAK**
The fireball split in two, then dissipated as if it had never existed.
The room filled with heat.
They turned.
Four silhouettes stood before them.
Their auras crushed the air itself.
Brakk narrowed his eyes.
— "…well."
He sighed.
— "I suppose this is the moment someone says:
— 'We were looking for you.'"
Silence.
Brakk added:
— "And it's also the moment I wish I'd finished the plan."
Haya smiled.
— "Don't worry.
— Now we improvise."
Mister Mind:
— "As usual."
Bloodweaver:
— "I hate improvising."
Brakk muttered:
— "Me too."
He inhaled.
— "…alright.
— Who wants to bet they're at least rank S?"
Chapter 371 — The Reunion Nobody Ordered
The heat of the dissipated attack still floated in the air.
Then a familiar voice echoed.
— "Ahhh… you managed to cut my attack."
Valor smiled broadly.
— "I didn't expect that. Lya… you were right. They're stronger than the great Valor imagined."
Brakk muttered through his teeth:
— "Of course… had to be them."
Beside him, Haya stared at the newcomers.
Her gaze stopped on Lya.
And her expression changed.
— "…you."
The word was almost a blade.
— "You abandoned Father."
Silence.
— "You were what he cherished most… of all of us."
The atmosphere tightened another notch.
Nova, arms crossed, sighed.
— "Well… we don't really care about your family tantrums."
— "No, let me," Lya answered calmly.
She stepped forward.
— "So you really think what you and Father are doing… is something good?"
Mister Mind answered instantly:
— "Father has never been so disappointed in his life.
— After all he did for us…
— you thanked him like this."
Lya shrugged.
— "Think what you want.
— It no longer concerns me."
Her aura burst free.
The air vibrated.
Even Brakk felt pressure crushing his chest.
— "But if you're looking for trouble…
— you'll find it."
Ryn raised a hand.
— "Lya, stop.
— You grew up together.
— You shouldn't act like this toward them."
Brakk discreetly raised his hand like in class.
— "Strategic little intervention.
— I think this is not the time to fight them."
No one listened.
He kept going anyway:
— "My objective isn't them.
— The hunters don't interest me at all."
He gestured.
— "So… let's retreat."
Haya opened a dark portal behind them.
— "You're lucky we're not here for you."
Mister Mind tilted his cracked mask toward Lya.
— "You…
— and the other…"
His mask almost seemed to smile.
— "You will pay."
Bloodweaver added calmly:
— "For betraying Father.
— And for what you did to him after all he gave you."
Lya smiled.
A calm smile. Almost amused.
— "I'll be waiting.
— We'll see who pays."
Ryn sighed.
— "Seriously… let it go.
— You were friends, weren't you?
— Brothers and sisters even."
Lya answered without hesitation:
— "Not anymore."
Silence.
Then… Valor raised a finger.
— "Alright.
— Your family drama…
— keep it to yourselves."
Everyone looked at him.
Valor continued:
— "Because I came for one thing."
He pointed at Haya.
— "Another test."
Brakk muttered:
— "No… no no no… no test… not today…"
Valor smiled.
— "I launched an attack.
— She cut it.
— So now I want to see how far it goes."
Nova snapped her book shut.
— "Valor…"
— "Yes?"
— "If you start a fight here…
— Liora will kill you."
Valor thought.
— "Hm.
— And Ethan will butt in.
— Hm.
— And the city might explode.
— Hm."
He crossed his arms.
— "…fine.
— We'll postpone."
Brakk let out a sigh of relief so loud it sounded like he'd escaped his own execution.
— "Thank you.
— Really, thank you.
— I hadn't planned a civil war today."
Haya stepped back toward the portal.
— "Next time… we won't talk."
Lya replied:
— "Next time… come prepared."
Mister Mind stared at Lya for a moment longer, as if trying to read something he no longer understood.
Then he turned away.
— "We're leaving."
Bloodweaver entered the portal.
Haya followed.
Mister Mind vanished last.
The portal closed.
Silence.
Brakk looked at the hunters.
Then the sky.
Then the ground.
— "Alright.
— Can someone explain why all the dangerous people on the continent seem to know each other personally?"
Valor answered:
— "It's a small world."
Nova sighed.
— "No.
— It's just that you all had traumatic childhoods."
Ryn murmured:
— "That… is true."
Lya turned away.
And for a second…
Her smile disappeared.
Chapter 372 — The Least Coordinated Team in the World
Brakk, Haya, Mister Mind, and Bloodweaver stepped out of the portal Haya had opened.
They appeared in a rocky, deserted zone.
Silence.
Then Haya sighed loudly.
— "Hunters are such a pain… always meddling in things that don't concern them."
Bloodweaver crossed his arms.
— "I didn't think Lya would have the audacity to show up in front of us… after abandoning us and Father."
Mister Mind added calmly:
— "And she was one of Father's favorites… yet she left him.
— I can't even imagine how he must have felt after that."
Brakk frowned.
— "Seriously… who is this 'Father'? Your biological father or not? Because with your numbers, either he was very motivated… or something's fishy."
Mister Mind looked at him.
— "We're here to help you weaken Zahkariel. Not to tell our life story."
— "Okay okay… got it…" Brakk raised his hands.
— "Anyway, not my business."
Haya dismissed her scythe.
— "Those hunters are really too annoying…"
Brakk stared at her.
— "It's your fault they spotted us."
— "Excuse me?!"
— "Well yeah. You froze the world for two seconds."
— "…And?"
— "And maybe if you freeze reality itself, it attracts attention, huh."
Mister Mind nodded.
— "True, not the most discreet move."
Haya defended herself:
— "I just wanted them to notice nothing!"
Brakk sighed.
— "You could've just reduced the radius of the spell."
Haya turned to Mister Mind.
— "Why didn't you tell me?!"
— "Because I thought it was obvious."
Bloodweaver held his head.
— "You have a brain, don't you? Why didn't you think?"
Haya pointed at Bloodweaver.
— "And you! It's also your fault!"
— "Huh?!"
— "You unleashed your aura like you were making a dramatic opera entrance!"
Brakk let out a nervous laugh.
— "Honestly… what kind of team of misfits is this…"
Mister Mind thought, then declared:
— "Well… Haya warned we had to be quick…
— So technically… yes… it's mostly your fault."
— "WHAT?!" protested Bloodweaver.
— "Not 'what.' Just your fault."
— "Traitor."
— "Analyst."
---
**Meanwhile…**
Zahkariel watched from within.
His smile was dark.
— "The time has come…"
He whispered:
— "Brakk… my dear host… it's time for you to become my vessel."
---
**Back to Brakk**
Brakk rubbed his face.
— "Ahhh I'm sick of this…"
He sighed deeply.
— "At first I just wanted to intimidate Llan. The plan was simple: separate him from his allies, finish it quickly."
He raised one finger.
— "BUT NO."
Second finger.
— "The jinn Zahkariel gave me this busted double‑edged power: copying people's aura… but unstable."
Third finger.
— "I went to him to ask for a fix… because honestly… it's more dangerous for me than for the enemy."
He raised his whole hand.
— "And then he says: 'You are the perfect vessel for me.'"
Silence.
Haya burst out laughing.
— "So basically… you signed a contract without reading the fine print?"
— "I DIDN'T SIGN ANY CONTRACT!"
Bloodweaver shrugged.
— "Always read the terms of service."
Mister Mind added:
— "Especially with an ancient demon."
Brakk continued, exhausted:
— "So I thought about absorbing his essence before he absorbs me…"
— "Logical," said Haya.
— "Except I risk losing my consciousness."
— "Ah yes… inconvenient detail," commented Bloodweaver.
— "So I called you to weaken him…"
He threw up his arms.
— "BUT THE HUNTERS RUIN EVERYTHING!"
Silence.
Then Haya patted his shoulder.
— "Don't worry."
— "Oh really?"
— "We'll probably make the situation even worse."
Mister Mind nodded.
— "Statistically, very likely."
Bloodweaver concluded:
— "But at least… it'll be spectacular."
Brakk looked at the sky.
— "Why me…"