On the battlefield, the fight between Iron Arm Luka and the company security guards was completely one-sided.
After all, these company security guards were just ordinary people. Even with the company's equipment enhancing them, they could hardly contend with a Pathstrider.
However, although they were merely ordinary people, they had the advantage of numbers. Moreover, these security personnel had undergone systematic training within the company and were quite skilled at team combat.
Thus, after a few minutes had passed, the battle between Luka and the security guards shifted from his initial dominance to a state of near parity—half good, half bad, evenly matched.
'This can't go on. They have the numbers; I need to end this fight quickly.'
Staring at the group of security personnel opposite him, whose combat thinking was clear and coordinated, Luka furrowed his brows slightly. His stamina was limited—if he continued to drag this out, the one likely to be defeated in the end would be him.
Gritting his teeth, the power of the Nihility Path within Luka surged forth, all pouring into the steel fist of his right arm. The iron fist, bolstered by the Path power, turned fiery red as if smelted in flames, ejecting scorching steam.
"Come witness the sparks fly!"
Ultimate Skill—Winning Strike!
Propelled by powerful energy, Luka shot forward like a jet fighter, turning into an afterimage as he charged straight into the group of company security personnel. In an instant, he cut through their ranks seven times in and seven times out.
"Ah!" "Super!" "Aaaah!" "It hurts!"...
Miserable cries rose one after another. In just two or three breaths' time, after unleashing his ultimate skill, Luka had knocked all the security guards to the ground, where they clutched their heads, bruised and swollen, wailing in pain.
"Huff… huff…!"
Looking at the security guards sprawled on the ground, Luka panted heavily. The previous battle had already consumed a great deal of his stamina, and now, having used the Path power to release his ultimate skill, the young man was already somewhat out of breath.
Pa! Pa! Pa…
Just as Luka was catching his breath and recovering his strength, a series of crisp applause suddenly reached his ears. Looking over, he saw a young man dressed in formal company management attire slowly approaching him while clapping unhurriedly.
Seeing the newcomer, Luka's brows furrowed slightly. He then placed his left foot forward and right foot back, once again assuming a vigilant stance.
"Not bad, not bad. I didn't expect you to defeat the company's security guards so easily. Your strength is quite impressive."
Seeing Luka's guarded expression, Ezekiel gave a light smile before speaking calmly, a trace of contempt flashing through his tone.
"Leave that young lady alone, you bunch of outsiders."
"Heh heh heh…" Ezekiel sneered, then spoke in an ice-cold tone.
"Kid, it seems you've gotten something wrong. It's not that we're forcing Miss Sparkle to leave with us—she's willingly accompanying us."
"Willingly?"
Luka clearly did not believe Ezekiel's words. He couldn't imagine that innocent girl would voluntarily go along with a group of outsiders. Even if that were truly the case, it must be because she had been deceived by them.
"You must have tricked her!"
Luka clenched his fist firmly, his tone resolute. The iron fist, overheated from overload, seemed to sense its master's will and released waves of scorching heat along with it.
"Heh, since you're so insistent on saying that, then let's settle this with our fists." Ezekiel extended his arm toward Luka. In the next moment, a surge of Path power emerged from the young man's body.
Buzz—!
As his power continued to climb, Ezekiel's aura rose accordingly, soon reaching a level sufficient to stand toe-to-toe with Luka.
Sensing the power emanating from the young man, Luka adopted a fighting stance as if facing a great enemy. The opponent's strength was formidable—at the very least, he was a Pathstrider of the same caliber!
"The Path of Nihility, huh? Then let me see whether you can surpass me, who walks the Path of Erudition."
...
"Lord Gepard, this is everything I know. Regarding the two women who appeared at the Goethe Grand Hotel, we have already verified it—there is no check-in information related to them in the hotel's registration system."
Inside the Goethe Grand Hotel, the hotel lobby manager was respectfully reporting the malicious assault incident that had occurred today to Gepard. After finishing the report and seeing the Silvermane Guards' leader deep in thought, the manager's heart sank, though he didn't dare say anything.
Gepard Landau—former Silvermane Guards lieutenant of the Fifth Company, now the Silvermane Guards' captain.
Ever since Cocolia newly established the position of "Belobog Supreme Political Officer" and appointed Bronya to it, the position of Silvermane Guards captain had naturally become vacant.
The most suitable candidate to fill it was naturally the eldest young master of the Landau family. Whether in terms of loyalty, rank, or family background, Gepard Landau was the optimal choice.
"I understand. Then, have you identified the two people who got into a major fight in the VIP area of the Goethe Grand Hotel?"
Hearing Gepard's words, the manager was momentarily stunned before taking out his phone and pulling up a check-in list.
"We have already investigated. One of them is named Nost, who, in a broad sense, counts as a person from the Interastral Peace Corporation. As for the blond man's identity, we were unable to investigate it."
"Unable to?" The manager's words greatly displeased Gepard. He furrowed his brows tightly and rebuked in a stern tone.
"I recall that Belobog's laws stipulate that individuals with unknown identities must undergo check-in procedures and are not permitted to enter the VIP area. Are you treating Belobog's laws as mere wind past your ears?!"
"This… this… Captain Gepard, we have been wronged! We have always conducted ourselves in accordance with Belobog's laws and have never overstepped."
"Moreover, I have already confirmed with the employee who handled the check-in at the time. When those two ladies checked in, they did indeed present legally valid identification documents."
The lobby manager was on the verge of tears. As he said, he had already investigated and verified with his subordinates—those people had indeed presented legitimate documents during check-in. Yet now, they couldn't be found! It was as if the hotel's system had been hacked by them.
"Hmph… I hope you're not lying. If the Silvermane Guards investigate and find anything, you will face legal punishment. Do you understand?"