Monday, July 26, 1740
09:00
15th Floor.
12 hours before Garnet's battle with the female hitman.
Inside a VIP room.
A female servant was pouring tea for two men. The warm stream of tea flowed into white porcelain cups, releasing a faint steam carrying the aroma of lemon and honey.
After both cups were filled, she then placed the teapot on the tray, then left, leaving the two men with the tea from the capital of Diyu.
"This tea comes from the capital of Diyu, one of the nine capitals of the Jahanam Empire that is famous for its various specialties," explained an old man with white hair and a muscular build. He inhaled the aroma of the Diyu tea and drank it in one gulp.
"Ahh... Truly refreshing."
That man was Colossus Newton.
"Uncle, you are truly a true culinary connoisseur," said a handsome young man beside him, with golden hair tied downward. He was Claudius Jahanam.
"As you know, this lemon honey tea is one of White Raven's favorite teas."
Claudius lowered his head, staring at the tea carefully.
"Is it really that delicious?"
He took a small sip.
"Oh, this is good."
"Hahaha," Colossus laughed proudly.
"I told you, didn't I."
Claudius only smiled, then placed his cup on the table.
"How many are there?"
Colossus' eyes became sharp, he stopped laughing.
"The rough estimate is 500 hitmen. But, only 4 people are worth being wary of."
"Who are they?" asked Claudius.
"At 2 o'clock, Winter Ghost. Witch Killer, Lugh. One of the 100 most influential assassins in history, Gray. White suit, Hector. They are all at least at 4-star or above." Colossus gave the names.
Claudius leaned his back, he looked out the window, the blue sky decorated with skyscrapers.
"Hah... It seems this visit is very dangerous."
He said it in a complaining tone. But, a person's eyes cannot lie, a bright glimmer adorned his red eyes, that was determination.
Colossus smiled, with a mocking tone he asked, "So, will you stop?"
Claudius smiled.
"Sheol killed his own children without hesitation. Arturius Jahanam killed his own father for the sake of peace. Even 7-star Sigma sacrificed so many people for his ambition."
"Great figures never have hesitation to pursue their ambitions, how could a small figure like me hesitate."
Thud! Thud!
The sound of impacts was heard from outside.
"How many?" Claudius asked swiftly.
Colossus closed his eyes for a moment. "10... No, 11 people."
They got up from their seats and walked slowly toward the door.
The sound of fighting had stopped, Colossus opened the door and peeked outside, behind him Claudius followed.
Both of them were stunned.
A black-haired man stood upright in the middle of the corridor, carrying 4 large bags, two on his back and two in his hands. He was Lyxander.
Claudius and Colossus were shocked seeing the corpses of hitmen scattered around. Lyxander's hands were clean without stains, but his shoes were drenched in blood.
"He defeated 10 2-star hitmen using only his legs! Moreover, he is only a 1-star."
Colossus could determine a person's identity rank, now that fact made him surprised.
—
15 minutes earlier.
08:45
In the hotel lobby, Lyxander was playing cards with Zirkon, Garnet, and Simon.
"DAMN!"
"I'm sure you guys cheated. How could I lose three times in a row."
Lyxander frowned, accusing them while pointing at them.
"Accept your defeat, friend, and go place our bags in the rooms." Simon mocked.
Lyxander could do nothing. He growled, but still took the four bags.
And, that is how the story goes why he is now on the 15th floor.
After losing the bet, Lyxander went to carry Simon's, Garnet's, and Zirkon's bags to their respective rooms.
By accident, he met ten hitmen in the corridor of Claudius' room. Those hitmen seemed quite unlucky because instead of meeting an ordinary crow, they met Lyxander.
Quickly, a kick landed on four of the hitmen and knocked them down. Lyxander deliberately targeted vital points on the neck to kill them instantly.
Like a snake, Lyxander's kick landed once again. The hitman's vision became blurry, his breathing became chaotic, and his heart stopped beating.
Finally, the remaining hitmen realized and began aiming their guns.
However, Lyxander's foot struck the gun and changed the direction of the shot.
Thud! Thud!
Two others fell, now three remained.
One of the hitmen released his gun and switched to a knife, he stabbed forward passing through the corpses of his fallen comrades.
In an instant, his vision spun in the air, and Lyxander's kick struck the back of his neck, disrupting the nerve pathway there and killing him.
"Bring out your powers."
With arrogance, Lyxander challenged the remaining two hitmen.
Immediately, both prepared to use their identity powers. But it was too late, Lyxander had already finished killing both of them.
When he finished killing the hitmen, Colossus and Claudius came out of the room, and watched his brief massacre.
—
"So, that's more or less what happened," said Lyxander casually.
Beside him, Claudius helped carry the bags while listening.
"I don't know whether you are the unlucky one to meet them, or they are the unlucky ones to meet you?"
"Clearly, they are the unlucky ones." Lyxander puffed his chest, then lowered it.
He looked at Claudius and asked, "By the way, Prince... Eh, is it not a problem if you help me carry things like this?"
"Haha, no problem. After all, I was the one who offered, besides that you can call me Claudius."
'Bastard. That's what I mean, why did you even offer.'
Rejecting the kindness of a noble is far worse than accepting it.
Lyxander knew this fact and felt very annoyed, letting a noble carry bags is an act of disrespect, and on the other hand rejecting a noble's kindness is also an act of disrespect.
"Haha, I would not dare. By the way, Prince, where did Lord Colossus go?"
After offering to help Lyxander, Colossus went and left Claudius and Lyxander just like that.
"No idea, uncle always disappears just like that."
"What great responsibility... Ah! I mean Lord Colossus must have gone to do something important, his responsibility is truly great. Hahaha."
Lyxander slipped, his sarcastic habit now became a double-edged sword.
Claudius only smiled slightly. "No need to be afraid, it's not a big problem. Then Lyxander, I will go straight to the point. How were you able to kill those hitmen?"
Claudius showed his true intention. He clearly knew the social fact about accepting help from a noble, yet he deliberately used it for this moment.
If a 1-star killing a 2-star is something impressive, then a 1-star killing ten 2-stars is something that does not make sense. How could someone do that?
"Actually, killing humans is much easier than hunting Entities. The reason is simple, because human vital points are fixed and do not change."
"Then if I want to kill someone, which part should I target?" asked Claudius.
Lyxander pointed at his neck, and answered calmly.
"The neck, the neck has many nerves so it is easy to kill someone by targeting it. But that part is the most protected so my suggestion is just target the groin."
While Lyxander was explaining, a hunched old man with a cane in his hand appeared from the corridor. He had no hair and looked familiar.
Lyxander's eyes widened, that old man was the hitman he met on the train.
One of the 100 most influential assassins in history—Gray.
—
1st Floor.
CCTV Room.
Colossus entered the CCTV room, everything looked normal, there was no suspicious activity.
However, he drew his sword and asked firmly.
"How can hitmen reach the 15th floor?"
"Sorry sir, but it seems the CCTV network has been infiltrated, we will try to fix it immediately," said one of the security.
Colossus remained silent, then left the CCTV room.
One of the security turned his head until it rotated 180 degrees.
Their bodies looked stiff like a puppet.
There were invisible threads wrapped around their bodies.