"It feels pathetic..."
Staring at the ceiling, Lux closed his eyes.
His body needed rest after the exhausting battles of the past few days.
Was he alone? Of course not. Artemisia was with him, tending to him meticulously like a shadow that never left his side.
As for Raiden Ei/Shogun and Takamiya Mayuri? Those two powerful Templates were still in card form.
Lux had no intention of summoning them for the time being.
"For some reason, this feels strange," Lux thought as he watched Artemisia slowly feed him porridge.
The woman smiled gently, so softly and naturally that it was hard to tell whether it was sincere or merely an act.
Lux narrowed his eyes… Why was Artemisia taking care of him without being ordered to?
But this feeling… It wasn't too bad.
"It's rather soothing."
Lux didn't truly need the care. Thanks to the Divine Ice Emperor, the fatal injuries from Dabi were no more than ordinary wounds to him. His body would recover on its own in a short time.
While lying there, Lux began to sift through the memories of Artemisia, who was now the personal receptionist of Chen Ye, the Son of Destiny.
Chen Ye… A name that felt out of place with its Chinese flavor, but that wasn't what caught Lux's attention.
What interested him was the fact that Chen Ye had two Rank SS Talents, plus a hidden soul in his necklace, a remnant soul equivalent to Rank S.
Then what about his prime condition? Was it equivalent to Rank SSS?
That possibility couldn't be ignored.
If so, Artemisia alone wouldn't be enough to deal with this Son of Destiny.
Perhaps someone would ask… What would be the consequence if Lux died in his Template form?
The real Lux wouldn't die. Only the Template would suffer a penalty: it couldn't be used for a certain period of time.
That was why he hadn't been afraid when fighting Earth King. Although his behavior seemed reckless, as long as it wasn't "Lux Frost" who died, he would be safe.
Even so, he had to be careful. It would be a serious loss if a Template became unusable for a long time.
Back to the matter of Chen Ye. Although he recognized that the ancient soul was a formidable challenge for Artemisia, Lux had already prepared another plan.
The bait had been set. All that remained was to wait for Chen Ye to bite...
𝘿𝙞𝙣𝙜!
"Hmm?"
Lux's attention shifted when a ringing sound came from the special communication device of the Shadow Order.
Artemisia promptly pressed a button, and a pair of words appeared in the air:
"[𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿]"
Lux narrowed his eyes.
Shadow Order… An organization of elite assassins. Their job was to eliminate designated targets.
They must have attended the World Organization meeting, so it was impossible that they didn't know about Takamiya Mayuri, who was now connected to him.
The Shadow Order was surely trying to pry information about Takamiya Mayuri out of him.
There might be other reasons, but that was most likely their main motive.
"Shall I accompany the Young Master?" Artemisia asked softly.
Lux glanced at her in silence.
Although it was strange for this Template to act without his orders, as long as there were no signs of rebellion, he didn't mind.
Artemisia's question made him think.
Within the Shadow Order, there were several major factions competing for power and influence.
As for Lux? He belonged to no faction, a neutral assassin.
But this also made him consider something…
With his collection of Templates in hand, should he form his own group?
After all, even though he was extremely powerful with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, he was fundamentally still just one person.
It was difficult to face a group of Rank S Hunters without help.
After considering the Template cards he owned, Lux murmured:
"Consume points to maximize Template progress."
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀...]
***
The Shadow Order, one of the largest organizations, was led by a Rank SSS Hunter and had five Rank SS Hunters serving as generals.
With 10,000 members, those who achieved certain accomplishments were granted the right to form their own groups.
The five largest groups—First Order, Second Order, Third Order, Fourth Order, and Fifth Order—were each led by a Rank SS Hunter and consisted of 500 assassins.
"Name?" a dark, cold voice came from the assassin guarding the entrance, a Rank S Hunter.
He looked at the five cloaked figures standing before him.
The one in front—who looked like a teenager—took an emblem out from beneath his cloak.
A skull emblem with a pattern of blooming ice, glinting silver in the moonlight.
Seeing this, the guard's eyes narrowed and his expression changed.
"You... Frost Assassin? Then who are the four behind you?" he asked cautiously.
Although he was a Rank S Hunter, he had no wish to make trouble with the Frost Assassin, who was famous for having killed several Hunters of his caliber.
"Them?" The Frost Assassin tilted his head. "Members of my group."
"I see... wait, what?" The guard was startled.
His reaction was natural. The Frost Assassin was known as a lone wolf who always moved alone! He had even turned down lucrative offers from several Orders!
But the shock lasted only a moment. It made sense for the Frost Assassin to form his own group rather than join another.
"I assume none of those four are Guild members, right? To become members of your group, they must officially join the Shadow Order."
"Can you take care of that?"
"Take care of it? Certainly, but..."
The assassin examined the four figures behind the Frost Assassin.
Some appeared weak, but there was one who was clearly equivalent to a Rank S Hunter...
"Do you want them to remain anonymous? That requires a considerable amount of credits."
"No problem."
The Frost Assassin took out a phone and showed his account, which held billions of credits.
Seeing the absurd figure, the corner of the assassin's lip twitched.
In the Shadow Order, members could choose whether or not to remain anonymous. If not anonymous, they had to disclose their real identity, Talent, techniques, and so on. Those who were anonymous could hide all such information.
The advantage of anonymity was obvious, but the drawback was the distrust of other members. And becoming anonymous was extremely expensive.
But for the wealthy Frost Assassin, paying hundreds of millions of credits was a trivial matter.
"What is your group's name?"
"Group name, huh..." Lux thought for a moment. "...Zero Order."
***
Wearing his exclusive cloak, Lux stepped into the main building of the Shadow Order.
The atmosphere around him was utterly silent.
Although many assassins passed back and forth, not one made a sound. Their footsteps were almost inaudible, and no one spoke.
That was natural. As hired killers, they focused on the mission of killing targets for their clients. Entertainment or idle chatter was considered a waste of time, though not every assassin thought that way.
Besides that…
'Intense killing intent...'
His expression remained calm.
Although his achievements as the Frost Assassin were respected, there were still many who wanted to kill him.
Especially since he had received special attention from the Guild Leader of the Shadow Order, the jealousy toward him had multiplied.
Being pestered by annoying small-time enemies made Lux reluctant to linger in this place.
The four people following behind him also wore serious expressions.
Suddenly—
𝙒𝙊𝙊𝙎𝙃–!!
A dagger shot out from the shadows, aimed at Lux's neck!
"?!!"
The sudden attack startled the assassins who witnessed it. Before anyone could react—
𝙆𝙍𝙄𝙉𝙂! 𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃! 𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙈!
A flash of blue blade knocked the dagger down. Blue fire erupted, blowing it to pieces!
The attacking assassin took a step back, shocked, but his neck suddenly felt cold as a katana grazed his skin.
Since when?!
He intended to activate his Talent, but a cold, threatening tone stopped him.
"Stop making suspicious movements, or your head will be separated from your body."
The assassin swallowed, staring in amazement at his assailant.
A young girl?
Although she wore a cloak that concealed her identity, her body was clearly very petite. Yet her agility was almost invisible to the eye!
𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘱! 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘱!
"Impressive. As expected of the Frost Assassin. Even the members of your group are remarkable."
All eyes turned to the man, who smiled amiably yet dangerously.
He wore a cloak bearing two skull emblems.
One of the five Rank SS Hunters of the Shadow Order… The Leader of the Second Order.
Even Lux didn't want to deal with him.
"Tell me, what do you want?"
"No need to be so cold. I only wanted to see how strong your members are, and they truly didn't disappoint. Especially..."
He glanced at one of the members behind Lux, who radiated the aura of a Rank S Hunter.
A greedy smile formed on his face.
"I'm sure that's a woman. Could you hand her over to me?"
Lux's expression didn't change, but the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception began to glow.
Lux might hate trouble, but that didn't mean he was afraid of facing it...
The woman who had become the target stared coldly, killing intent radiating from her body.
The other members did the same. The assassins around them began preparing for battle.
The power of a Rank SS Hunter was indeed terrifying, but in Lux's eyes, it meant nothing.
Just as the tension grew, magic circles suddenly appeared beneath their feet, beginning to envelop each of their bodies.
"Ah, what a pity." The Leader of the Second Order sounded regretful. "But that's fine. Another time."
Lux didn't respond.
"See you in the meeting room, Frost Assassin. No... Lux Frost." The Leader of the Second Order smiled, his gaze full of unhidden killing intent.
'How troublesome.'
The scenery around them began to change.
The vast hall with hundreds of assassins became a cramped room with only a few select individuals.
Several luxurious seats were already occupied by important figures of the Shadow Order, while others were occupied by strangers.
'That emblem... The Sun Order and Moon Order Guilds.'
Two Top Guilds were present together with the Shadow Order... This was no ordinary meeting.
While Lux quietly observed, several people paid attention to the skull-masked boy.
Especially... a certain gaze from one woman.
"Fufu, all the Leaders have finally arrived. Let's begin."
A woman with alluring curves in a purple dress that showed off her thighs. Glossy black hair and a pair of mysterious white eyes.
She was the Guild Leader of the Shadow Order, one of the few Rank SSS Hunters in the world… Queenie.
"No need for pleasantries. Get straight to the point."
A hot-tempered man crossed his legs arrogantly. The temperature around him rose, making several people sweat.
He was the Guild Leader of the Sun Order, a Rank SSS Hunter—Taiyo.
"Very well, as you wish." Queenie chuckled and pressed something.
A hologram appeared before them, displaying a scene that made everyone frown.
"This is... an island?"
Yes, an island with a unique shape resembling an octopus.
"Cthulhu Island. That's its official name. A peaceful fishing island, until a dungeon break occurred there a few hours ago."
The screen switched to another scene.
A scene showing a purple dimensional rift vomiting out gigantic monsters one after another.
The Giants—mindless creatures obsessed with destruction. Their numbers reached tens of thousands!
As if that weren't enough, there were four 50-meter Giants, each with its own weapon! All four were equivalent to Rank S+ Hunters!
And even more shocking...
"Rank SSS..." someone murmured.
The largest Giant—four times bigger than the other four. With armor and a colossal sword in its hands...
Its power was equivalent to a Rank SSS Hunter!
"You bitch. What do you mean by showing us this Dungeon Break?" Taiyo asked roughly.
"Calm down, it's not over yet." Queenie smiled mysteriously and changed the display.
An even more astonishing scene was revealed.
A blue dimensional rift opened and octopus-like creatures burst out.
A second dungeon break! Two dungeon breaks at once in a single location!
This fact changed the expression of everyone present.
𝘽𝘼𝙉𝙂!
Taiyo slammed the table in front of him. "DAMN IT! I understand what you want!"
"Fufufu, there's no need to get so excited." Queenie smiled softly, but her eyes glinted with greed.
To most people, a dungeon break was a disaster.
But two dungeon breaks at once, for elite Hunters, was a sign of hidden treasure!
The appearance of two simultaneous dungeon breaks meant there was a legendary item hidden on Cthulhu Island!
Judging by the level of the threat, there was no doubt the item was extremely powerful!
Even Lux, who had initially been uninterested, began to pay attention.
"We were the first to notice the situation on Cthulhu Island. We'd better move quickly before others get ahead of us," said Queenie.
"What are we waiting for! We have to move right away!" Taiyo urged.
"Calm down. We need to be careful." The Guild Leader of the Moon Order, a Rank SSS Hunter named Kira, raised his face with a lazy gaze.
"From the scenes just now, there are two Rank SSS Magical Beasts and dozens of Rank S or higher. The combination of three Top Guilds sounds strong, but we still lack combat strength."
Battles between a Rank SSS Hunter and a Rank SSS Magical Beast often ended with the Hunter's death.
To face a Rank SSS Magical Beast, one Rank SSS Hunter plus five Rank S or higher Hunters as support were required.
And not every Rank SSS Hunter was skilled in close combat, which made it extremely risky.
Unfortunately... none of the three Guilds present was willing to make such a great sacrifice.
"Speaking of combat strength, I'm sure you have something, don't you? Frost Assassin?"
All eyes turned to Lux.
Lux remained calm, his expression unreadable.
He knew what those gazes meant, but pretended not to understand. He tilted his head and asked in a flat voice:
"My apologies, Guild Leader of the Sun Order. I don't understand what you mean."
"Hoh..." Taiyo's expression darkened and the temperature around him rose drastically.
"Frost Assassin... do you think we're all fools? We know you're hiding that Pure Spirit. Before something unpleasant happens, you'd better bring that Spirit out."
Lux glanced at him in silence.
Clearly, what they meant was Takamiya Mayuri. Takamiya Mayuri's power was undeniable.
With the damage inflicted on Blue Sea City and the boundless sea that had been vaporized, they could estimate Takamiya Mayuri's power—equivalent to Rank SSS!
If a being that strong helped, the chances of completing the Raid on Cthulhu Island would be very high!
Unfortunately... Takamiya Mayuri was one of Lux's aces.
Why should he release his strongest Template for their benefit?
It was better to save her for generating Achievement Points at the right moment.
Lux chose to stay silent, declining subtly.
But he warned his Templates to stay alert in case anything unwanted happened.
"How dare you..."
The hologram before them began to malfunction. The electronic equipment let out smoke.
Taiyo radiated such high heat that the table in front of him melted.
Fortunately, Queenie acted immediately.
"Fufu... stop causing trouble, Taiyo. As for the Rank SSS Magical Beast problem, leave it to the Shadow Order."
Taiyo glanced at the smiling Queenie, then at Lux, who remained calm. He snorted in annoyance and returned to his seat.
Queenie chuckled. "Good, back to the original topic. As for the Rank SSS Magical Beasts, we'll handle one of them. As for the other one... I think the Moon Order can take responsibility, right?"
Feeling Queenie's gaze, Kira frowned but didn't refuse. "Leave it to my Guild."
"Good. And lastly, I hope the Sun Order is willing to block the other Guilds that are starting to notice the situation on Cthulhu Island."
"I don't mind, but I have one question." Taiyo stared sharply at Queenie. "The item on Cthulhu Island, who has the right to claim it?"
"A good question. As usual..." Queenie smiled coldly. "Whoever finds it first is its owner."
With that statement, everyone fell silent.
Greed and ambition began to burn within each of them. Some even started scheming betrayals in their minds...
***
Walking together with his Template members, Lux thought about the meeting.
Although he seemed indifferent, he was weighing the best scenario for generating Achievement Points.
And most importantly...
'I wonder... will a Son of Destiny be involved in this?'
The invasion of Cthulhu Island was a major event. Add to that the existence of a legendary item, and the chance of another Son of Destiny appearing was fairly high.
But his thoughts were interrupted when—
"Fufu... it's been a while, my dear Lux~"
"?!!"
The Templates around Lux were startled as Queenie suddenly appeared before them, undetected!
As they were about to attack, Lux gave a mental signal to stay calm.
"Guild Leader. Do you need something from me?"
"What a silly question. Of course I wanted to see you~ You know... I've missed you so much~ Haah~"
Warm, fragrant breath brushed against Lux's mask. Even smelling that intoxicating scent, Lux was not affected in the slightest.
Several female Templates frowned in displeasure.
Sensing the hidden sharp gazes, Queenie raised an eyebrow with interest.
"Oh? Are those four members of your group? Not bad. I can feel that their strength is quite impressive. But..."
𝙒𝙊𝙊𝙎𝙃!
"?!!!"
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙈!!
All four were blown backward.
They tried to resist with all their strength, but not one of them could withstand Queenie's pressure!
"...To face me, that isn't enough."
Queenie looked at the four with disdain, then slowly approached Lux, but—
𝘽𝙇𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝙍𝙍𝙍𝙍𝙍...!!!
An explosion of blue fire struck, slamming into Queenie's body!
The attack didn't injure Queenie in the slightest. Instead, the woman blinked in surprise.
"You... can still move?" Queenie was certain she had pressed down on their vital points to paralyze their movement.
The young man who now revealed himself didn't answer. The burns on his face and hands were clearly visible beneath his black coat.
Though blood dripped from his lips, his expression remained cold. His dark blue eyes glinted with danger.
"You underestimate us too much. The only thing that can stop us is... death."
'Us?'
Before Queenie could grasp that sentence, three different sword flashes shot toward her!
𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃!
The missed slash split the place where Queenie had been standing in two!
The attacker frowned in annoyance. "Disappointing, I wasn't fast enough—"
A shadow fist shot out, about to strike the small cloaked girl. Though small, that punch was lethal to most Hunters!
The girl might be extremely agile, but in terms of bodily durability, she was the most vulnerable!
𝘽𝘼𝙉𝙂!
The punch created a supersonic explosion, but strangely, it didn't harm the cloaked girl.
A transparent green shield protected her, absorbing all the damage even though it shattered a moment later.
'A shield that can withstand a Rank SSS attack? You find interesting people, Lux.'
Interest began to grow in Queenie. But she had no time to think as a water slash shot toward her!
"<<𝐌𝐢𝐳𝐮 𝐧𝐨 𝐊𝐨𝐤𝐲𝐮, 𝐈𝐜𝐡𝐢 𝐧𝐨 𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐚: 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐨 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐢>>"
*Water?
Queenie glimpsed the illusion of a water slash before launching a counterattack, thousands of shadow stakes rained down toward the attacker!
In an instant, the single powerful slash was destroyed and the attack shifted to the cloaked young man.
Facing the terrifying shadow stakes, he didn't panic.
Instead, he took a deep breath and murmured:
"<<𝐌𝐢𝐳𝐮 𝐧𝐨 𝐊𝐨𝐤𝐲𝐮, 𝐉𝐮𝐮 𝐈𝐜𝐡𝐢 𝐧𝐨 𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐚... 𝐍𝐚𝐠𝐢>>"
For the first time, Queenie realized that swordsmanship was not something to be underestimated.
Faintly, the sound of dripping water could be heard.
The young man simply stood still, yet none of the shadow stakes attacking him could touch him.
Countless sword flashes cut, parried, and destroyed every attack!
But an attack from a Rank SSS Hunter was still deadly.
In the end, even with extraordinary sword technique, the young man couldn't avoid dozens of fatal wounds.
Before his body gave out, the green shield protected him again.
Seeing this, Queenie began to feel irritated, then her skin felt scorched as the temperature suddenly rose drastically.
She looked around.
Blue fire in the shape of a spiderweb spread in every direction. The young man with burn scars was pouring out all his strength!
"<<𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫>>!"
With high precision, strands of blue fire tore apart everything they touched at unimaginable temperatures!
Several buildings behind Queenie vanished into blue ash when licked by the flames!
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈𝙈𝙈𝙈...!!!
"Impressive. Even a Rank S+ Hunter couldn't survive without injury. But to me..." The voice moved beside the young man's ear. "...that can't scratch me at all."
𝘽𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙂𝙂𝙂...!!!
A shadow attack capable of killing a Rank S Hunter as easily as stepping on an ant shook the entire building, but once again the green shield protected its target!
"Such an annoying protector—" Queenie was becoming irritated.
But hundreds of green shields suddenly surrounded her.
"Oh?" The woman was startled.
At a speed surpassing sound, a slash of a blue blade aimed for Queenie's heart!
𝙒𝙊𝙎𝙎𝙎𝙃𝙃𝙃...!!!
"So this is you?" Queenie blocked the slash of the glowing blue blade from the cloaked woman.
Though covered by her cloak, her clear, cold blue gaze stared sharply at Queenie!
Disliking that gaze, Queenie intended to finish this woman off!
But just as the fight was about to escalate—
"Enough."
𝙋𝙍𝘼𝙉𝙂!
All the shadows and green shields shattered as Lux swung a shard of glass at an unexpected speed.
Standing calmly, the boy gave a warning look to the cloaked woman.
The woman understood immediately and withdrew.
As for Queenie, she elegantly dusted off her shoulder.
"They're quite interesting. I think they'll be very helpful in this raid. As always, your choice is perfect."
Lux didn't respond.
Queenie chuckled. "Well then, I must go. By the way, I hope that if we all fall into danger, you'll extend a hand."
After saying that, Queenie's body slowly sank into the shadows as if the darkness itself were swallowing her.
Black fingers coiled around her figure until nothing remained, leaving behind an oppressive silence.
Lux simply stared blankly at the place where Queenie had vanished. He was neither surprised nor did he ask anything.
There was an unspoken understanding between them that needed no words.
The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception—a Talent Queenie knew lay behind Lux's eyes.
An ability that even the system couldn't classify beyond the symbol "???".
"...Are you all all right?" Lux asked in a low voice tinged with caution.
His gray eyes swept the surroundings, catching the lines of death that were invisible to everyone else.
"Nothing threatening," answered the woman in the emerald-green cloak, though a small wound was visible on her pale cheek.
Her green protective magic had succeeded in blocking most of the attacks, leaving only minor wounds that could be ignored.
Lux nodded briefly. Suddenly, his keen senses caught waves of killing intent seeping from the shadows.
Not one, not two, but dozens. Surrounding them from every direction like hungry wolves waiting for prey.
'This is going to be a very long day,' he thought.
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗢𝗯𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝟭𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀!]
The system chimed in his head, but Lux had no time to think about it. His eyes glinted dangerously as he prepared to face the coming storm.
***
"MOVE FASTER, YOU TRASH!"
The shout echoed through the cave corridor, followed by the sound of a kick and a stifled groan.
"Y-yes... sorry..." the young man whispered, coughing softly as he tried to rise from the rocky ground.
The Rank A Hunter named Vash clicked his tongue in disgust.
His golden eyes looked down on Lugh, who was staggering as he lifted a supply crate.
Blood trickled from the corner of the brown-haired young man's lips, but he didn't dare wipe it away, afraid he would be kicked again if his hands let go of the load.
Lugh, with his dull emerald-green eyes, could only lower his head. His tattered cloak was covered with dirt stains and specks of blood, whether his own or that of the monsters their team had faced earlier.
As a Rank E Hunter, he was nothing more than a slave on this expedition.
"Appraisal"—his Rank E Talent was considered useless in battle. The ability to assess and analyze objects or living beings did have potential, but it required resources and intensive training to develop.
Resources he had never had.
"Damn it, why are we, Rank A Hunters, ordered to stand guard in this disgusting place?" Vash complained, kicking a rock so that it bounced off the cave wall.
His companion, a woman with a scar running across her face, snorted.
"Stop complaining. If you want to protest, take it up with the Leader of the First Order. You know better than anyone that defying his orders is the same as seeking death."
"BASTARD!" Vash slammed his fist into the cave wall until cracks appeared, echoing ominously along the corridor.
Lugh walked a few steps behind them, keeping a safe distance.
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he recalled the purpose of this raid: to conquer a monster nest with several Rank S Magical Beasts, and there were even rumors of a Rank SSS monster in the depths of the cave.
In the Shadow Order Guild, Rank E Hunters seemed to be nothing but sacrifices. Meat to be thrown to monsters in critical moments. A bitter reality he had been forced to swallow since joining.
That was when, amid his troubled thoughts, Lugh's emerald eyes caught a strange glint between the cracks of a large rock: a small box with ancient carvings, glowing faintly in the darkness.
"What is that...?" he whispered under his breath, his heart pounding, whether from fear or anticipation.
Unknown to anyone, his Rank E Talent, "Appraisal," flickered to life, and information began to flow into his mind.
… Information that would change his fate forever.