Night.
A white blur raced through the abandoned streets of Orario. Adventurers in its path felt only a slight shiver as it blew past them. Even a nearby sleeping cat leapt up and puffed its tail at nothing, moments after the blur had already left it behind.
Platinum armour gleamed, especially under moonlight. The blur continued without pause, weaving through relentless twists and turns, carving a complex path toward a particularly lively district of Orario.
The Red Light District.
Air tore around Bell as he vaulted over people, walls, and even houses. It did not take long for him to reach Ishtar Familia.
Mid-stride, he looked around at the amazons nearby, who were ushering various adventurers toward certain rooms.
If Goddess Astraea knew I was here... that too at night. He dared not think further in that direction.
Instead, Bell forcefully composed himself, ignoring his surroundings and reaching the Ishtar Familia's main hall in moments.
It was empty. He did not let it bother him; empty was better.
His steps were firm as he approached the main seat, which resembled a throne, probably used by Ishtar herself.
He turned his back to it and was about to settle in when a thought flashed through his mind.
What if that degenerate Ishtar had a royal rumble on this very throne in the past?
Bell froze mid-movement.
Eww.
He got back up and took two steps away from the throne, harboring zero trust in Ishtar's decency.
Only a moment had passed when the main hall doors were pushed open once again. Ishtar walked in, her arrogant expression morphing into that of a docile dog instantly, though he could still see the venom beneath her facade of compliance.
"Sir... I have followed your orders to the letter. We can go right now for our appointment with Evilus." Her expression turned smug, her gaze fixed on him, akin to an animal seeking a treat after a job well done.
Bell ignored her expectation. A reward? Her being alive right now was the greatest reward she could ask for.
He walked forward, his hood already in place. As he moved to overtake her, his voice rang out.
"Get me a black robe and a clown mask. I can't very well greet the members of our Evilus while wearing armour and looking battle-ready, right?" His words carried no malice, but then why?
Why did Ishtar feel her godly instincts scream louder than her throat did while being pounded?
She complied nonetheless... burying her unease beneath false bravado.
Ten minutes later...
Bell, covered from head to toe in a black robe, his face hidden beneath a clown mask, followed behind Ishtar toward a vault within Belit Babili, the Ishtar Familia's base.
"So... Where are we meeting the people from Evilus?" His question broke the silence between them, nearly making Ishtar flinch.
"An artificial dungeon which exists beneath Orario, unknown to the guild and the top Familias of Orario alike. We, alongside Evilus, have been using it for operations unsuitable for public scrutiny." She spoke while unlocking the vault with a key. Its hinges groaned as its heavy door was pushed open.
Unknown to the guild? Yeah, sure. This Ishtar really hasn't done her homework.
Daedalus was a member of the Ouranos Familia. Ouranos not knowing about Knossos? Highly unlikely.
Bell followed her in and watched as she pressed a specific section of the wall. Clicks of a lever turning echoed around them as a wall to their left opened inward, revealing a dark path leading downward.
He watched her fumble around for a match, biting her nails in between attempts, then heard her mutter under her breath about forgetting it.
Even his face twitched in exasperation.
How can someone be so useless?
Snap.
Bell snapped his fingers. Embers of black intertwined with orange ignited, transforming into a dual-natured sphere of flame that hovered above them, illuminating the path ahead.
Ishtar snapped out of her stupor, her gaze involuntarily moving up to lock onto that ball of dualistic flames.
She did not even look at it properly before ducking her head, her face slowly twisting with fear.
Ishtar didn't dare to dawdle or look back. She walked ahead without stopping, desperate to put distance between herself and that fire ball behind her, even if it was futile.
They reached an open area soon. A group of twelve people stood there in a V formation. At their very forefront was...
A person with long white hair and stubble. He wore white clothes, a vest with slots for tools, arm guards, and boots.
Barca Pendrix.
Ishtar walked toward him. Bell was a step behind.
"Ishtar... Why have you called us for a meeting? You know that we've been busy nowadays and I don't have time for you." Barca spoke, treating Ishtar like air. He glanced once at Bell and dismissed him entirely.
Meanwhile... Ishtar didn't reply; instead, she quietly walked back and stood behind Bell.
Members of Evilus exchanged glances in response. Finally, one of them couldn't bear the silence and spoke while looking straight at Bell.
"Who are you? Why is Ishtar standing behind you?"
"...Me? Jie Jie Jie. I am a member of the Hall of Souls. A sub-faction under Evilus." Ishtar felt her pupils constrict at his reply. Barca's eyebrow went up, eyeing him up and down. The members of Evilus behind Barca shared a look.
"What the hell are you talking about? Hall of Souls? Under Evilus?" One of them asked, thinking he was joking.
"Ishtar... have you finally gone senile? Bringing a joker in front of us while calling it an important thing?" Another spoke, looking at Ishtar the way one looks at a dumb bimbo.
"And you... how dare you impersonate Evilus!?" Another pointed an accusing finger at Bell, spittle flying from his mouth.
"You—"
Bell's voice echoed from where he stood, but he was already gone.
BOOM!
"HERETICS!"
A fist connected with an executive's jaw. The crack of shattering teeth rang out before that man's brain even registered his punch.
That executive was sent hurling backward, knocked cold by a strike faster than sound.
Before his body could hit the ground, Bell pivoted. An elbow folded a second executive like pretzel.
A third got the S&M treatment, bound by ropes woven from flames.
A fourth, driven by fear at the sudden screams of his comrades, dropped to his knees, desperately chanting, "Hall of Souls! Hall of Souls!"
By the time Barca blinked, every person surrounding him had been effortlessly dismantled.
"So... What about you?" Bell asked.
Barca went rigid. He slowly sank to his knees, raising his hands in universal surrender.
Ishtar watched, her mouth dry. She knew these Evilus fools wouldn't be a match for him, but seeing them decimated in the span of a breath was chilling nonetheless.
If only I could have his help against Freya...
When she focused on Bell again, he stood directly behind the kneeling Barca.
"Say... Barca. You should know what the other factions in Evilus have been up to recently, right?"
Bell waited, almost hoping for a denial.
Why?
Because a yawning abyss had just torn open beneath Barca's knees. The descendant of Daedalus now knelt at its very precipice. One slight push, and he would meet an entity he wouldn't wish upon his worst enemies.
Barca looked down at the unending darkness and swallowed hard.
"I'll tell you everything." He rasped, trembling imperceptibly. Not out of fear for his own life, but the terrifying thought of never completing his ancestor's work.
"Everything you say?" Bell's voice remained terrifyingly calm.
"Yes..."
...
..
.
***
[300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
[8 chapters ahead on P@tr3on = [email protected]/Not_Aaryan]
...
[Authors Thoughts]
Bell - "You Heretics dare impersonate Evilus in front of me! How audacious!"
I've got you all with another chapter. Now it's going to be serious from here on out. One thing after another till the volumes end.