Sensing the power of the Path of Nihility emanating from the blond young man, a trace of solemnity appeared on Nost's face. He hadn't expected that this playboy-looking fellow was actually a Pathstrider—and judging purely from his aura, the opponent's strength might even surpass his own.
Even so, Nost had no intention of backing down. After all, in a certain sense, followers of the Path of Destruction were inherently a type of "lunatic."
"Oh? I didn't expect these two to actually be Pathstriders. Now things have gotten a lot more interesting, Kafka."
The collision of the Path powers of Nihility and Destruction caused the other guests present to instinctively feel the urge to retreat.
For ordinary people who hadn't even stepped onto any Path, Pathstriders were cannon-fodder-level opponents. If they foolishly got involved now, it would truly be like "lighting a lantern in the outhouse"—pointless and dangerous.
Boom rumble—! Boom rumble—!
Thanks to the rare materials used during the expansion and renovation of the Goethe Grand Hotel, even though Pathstriders were now clashing fiercely here, the hotel's physical structure didn't suffer too much damage.
However, this was still a clash between Paths—some minor damage was inevitable. For example, the thirty-fifth floor of the Goethe Grand Hotel had already become unrecognizable: tables, chairs, and tablecloths were scattered everywhere by the shockwaves, and the hall's glass had shattered into fragments amid repeated explosions.
A gentle high-altitude breeze lightly brushed Kafka's hair, causing her purple strands to flutter and drift with the wind.
Worth mentioning was that even though the VIP lounge was now in complete disarray, Kafka's position remained completely unaffected—as though she were protected by some invisible force. The elegant beauty continued to sip her wine gracefully.
With no unrelated personnel interfering, the battle between the two quickly reached its climax. Though Nost still felt unwilling, the outcome was already decided, and the man named Nost ultimately chose to withdraw.
After the fight, the Path power of Destruction within Nost was nearly depleted. Finally, he let out a cold snort, glared viciously at the blond man, and then walked toward the exit of the VIP lounge.
"Not bad, little guy—you've got some skill." Kafka gave a charming smile and raised her wine glass toward the blond man.
Seeing this, the blond man returned a smile as well before kicking the nearby old Sampo—who was still pretending to be dead—and saying,
"Alright, stop playing dead."
Sampo made no reaction whatsoever to the blond man's words.
Seeing this, the man didn't bother saying anything more. He simply spread his hands, then kicked Sampo straight out the window with one foot.
"Waaahhh—!! You little punk, you don't play by the rules—!"
Sampo's miserable scream echoed through the air, but it was quickly drowned out by the flowing wind and vanished from everyone's ears.
"Oh? You actually kicked him out so decisively?"
At this sight, Kafka's expression turned somewhat strange. Even Silver Wolf, who had been immersed in her game, couldn't help but lift her head and glance at the other party with an equally odd look.
Hearing Kafka's words, the blond man gave a soft chuckle.
"Hehe, it's no big deal. A height of just over a hundred meters is nothing to that Masked Fool. Am I right, Lady Kafka of the Stellaron Hunters?"
"Hehehe, interesting."
Placing her wine glass on the table, Kafka propped her cheek with one hand and looked meaningfully at the blond man before her.
"To know my identity, you must not be an ordinary person either, right? Let me guess—you're one of the company's hounds, a bounty hunter, or perhaps... a Galaxy Ranger?"
Hearing Kafka casually list several faction names as if they were nothing, the blond man gave a calm smile.
"To be honest, I come from the 'Intelligentsia Guild.' Pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Kafka, Lady Silver Wolf."
"Someone from the Intelligentsia Guild?"
Kafka's lovely dark brows furrowed slightly. Honestly, she had considered that the person before her could be from almost any background—but she hadn't expected him to actually be from the Intelligentsia Guild.
The Intelligentsia Guild was a massive cosmic organization that followed the Aeon of Erudition, Nous.
Unlike the Genius Society, which also belonged to the Erudition camp, the Intelligentsia Guild widely recruited anyone from across the cosmos who was willing to pursue "knowledge," teaching and sharing knowledge.
The Genius Society, on the other hand, only accepted those who had caught the gaze of Nous—and without exception, those people were among the top geniuses in the universe.
If the Genius Society was a paradise for "geniuses," then the Intelligentsia Guild was a gathering place for so-called "ordinary people."
"Someone from the Intelligentsia Guild actually taking the initiative to approach Stellaron Hunters? It couldn't be because you're short on research funds and want to capture us to exchange for bounties from the Interastral Peace Corporation, right?"
Kafka said teasingly, though a faint trace of danger flickered in her eyes. If the person before her truly didn't know his place, she naturally wouldn't mind adding another soul to her subordinates' tally.
"No, no, I have a very clear sense of my own position."
The blond man shook his head. "I just wanted to get acquainted with the two of you and, by the way, save those hormone-overloaded ordinary folks."
"After all... having one more friend is always far better than having one more enemy."
...
"That little guy just now was kind of interesting. Someone from the Intelligentsia Guild? I feel like there's more to it—he definitely has another identity."
After leaving the Goethe Grand Hotel, Kafka and Silver Wolf walked together along the streets of Belobog. Looking at the bustling city with people coming and going, living prosperous lives, a trace of longing flashed in Kafka's eyes.
"Besides that, Wolfie, you should have sensed it too—the Nihility power on him seemed somewhat different from ours..."
"Oh? Great minds think alike. That guy is definitely not as simple as he appears on the surface. Rather than saying he's from the Intelligentsia Guild, it's more like he's a..."
At this point, Silver Wolf paused. Then, in perfect sync with Kafka, the two exchanged a glance and spoke in unison.
"Masked Fool..."
After Kafka and Silver Wolf left, not far from the Goethe Grand Hotel, in a dark alley...
The blond man who had briefly crossed paths with Kafka and claimed to be a member of the Intelligentsia Guild was now strolling leisurely through the alley.
"Alright, stop hiding. Come out. Don't make me drag you out myself, old Sampo."
The blond man rubbed his wrist, glanced at the watch on it, and said, "You only have ten seconds~ Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five..."
"No no no! I'm coming out right now, right now!"