The crossroads were choked by a fog so thick it felt like cold, damp velvet pressing against the skin. Visibility was practically zero to naked eyes, yet the heavy, suffocating air carried the unmistakable stench of rotting meat and wet copper.
They were surrounded.
From every dark alleyway and obscured corner, faint rustles and rhythmic, heavy breathing echoed through the mist.
To the naked eye, the crossroads were empty. But Leon's eyes gleamed with a faint, predatory light as his pupils were thin slits.
Through the veil of his passive skill, the fog peeled away like cheap parchment. He could see them clearly, dozens of hunched, towering silhouettes forming a perfect, suffocating ring around them.
"Master... Don't you think there are a little too many?" Vesper asked. Despite the grim numbers, a playful, borderline eager smile danced on her lips.
