The underground VIP garage of the luxury hotel was bathed in the flickering, cold hum of fluorescent lights. The air hung heavy with the scent of damp oil and the chilling stillness of a tomb.
Ding—
The metallic doors of the private elevator slid open. Caspian stepped out, one hand tucked casually into his trouser pocket, his gait radiating an unhurried, predatory grace.
Just moments ago in the penthouse suite, he had ruthlessly utilized that woman as a [Vessel]—a biological lightning rod—to forcefully cycle the [Flesh Path]. The boiling [Destruction Toxin] ignited by the aphrodisiac had been perfectly purged and neutralized. Not only that, but the reverse-refinement of that dark energy had temporarily pushed his current Stage 1 (Fragmented Mortal) physical body to a terrifying peak of absolute invincibility.
Right now, though his aura was entirely restrained, the languid lethality of an apex predator freshly bathed in blood and lust made him look infinitely more dangerous.
Screech—BANG!
The moment Caspian cleared the elevator lobby, three armored black SUVs lurched from the shadows like phantoms, their tires screaming against the concrete as they boxed him in against a massive support pillar.
The heavy doors were violently kicked open.
Twelve hulking figures, radiating the thick, nauseating stench of blood, spilled out. Each held enchanted combat blades or heavy-caliber firearms. The Aetheric fluctuations rolling off every single one of them had reached the absolute peak of Tier 3 (Awakened)! These were veteran, blood-licking mercenaries from the underground black market. In the mortal realm, this was a slaughtering machine capable of making ordinary syndicates tremble in terror.
Behind this wall of meat and steel stepped a young man whose eyes were bloodshot and maddened.
Tyler Thorne.
The young heir, fresh from experiencing the ultimate cuckolding and the most agonizing humiliation of his life, had invoked the Thorne family's emergency black-gold clearance to summon these outlaws.
"Break his limbs! Rip out his tendons!" Tyler shrieked hysterically, his features contorted into a grotesque mask of jealousy and bottomless hate. "I want to chain him up like a dog! I want him to watch while I kill that bitch myself!"
Facing this murderous, overwhelming array, Caspian's face remained a mask of flawless, glacial stone.
"It seems that after cleaning the trash can, I still have to sweep the cockroaches off the floor," Caspian murmured evenly, exhaling a sigh of mild annoyance.
"Die!"
The scarred leader of the mercenaries roared. A violent gale of Tier 3 wind-element Aether swirled around his military-grade blade as he lunged, blurring into a phantom aimed directly for Caspian's throat. At that speed and power, even an Awakened of the same tier would have been forced to retreat.
Caspian didn't dodge.
He didn't even need to manifest his [Oblivion Lightning] or tap into his high-dimensional laws. To deal with these low-level insects who hadn't even brushed the edges of true cosmic law, his newly refined, invincible mortal physique—tempered by the [Flesh Path]—was more than enough to crush them.
In the millisecond before the blade touched his throat, Caspian moved.
It was too fast. It was a display of pure, physical dimensional-suppression that completely shattered the mortal Aetheric system!
CRACK!
A sickening, scalp-numbing sound of splintering bone echoed through the hollow garage. Before anyone could even process what had happened, Caspian's long, pale hand was already clamped around the scarred leader's throat. The two-hundred-pound, muscle-bound Tier 3 killer was lifted off his feet like a helpless chick. His cervical spine shattered instantly under Caspian's grip like rotting wood, his head slumping at a grotesque, lifeless angle.
"What?!"
The remaining mercenaries were paralyzed with horror, but the primal instincts of outlaws drove them to launch a simultaneous, desperate assault.
It was a completely one-sided slaughter.
Caspian strolled through the dense flurry of Aetheric strikes as if taking a leisurely walk in his own garden. He raised a hand, pivoted, and punched with terrifying, effortless grace. There were no flashy Aetheric lights—only the absolute zenith of physical destructive power and the nauseating symphony of collapsing ribcages.
In exactly ten seconds.
Twelve elite Tier 3 Awakened were reduced to a heap of twisted, broken husks on the concrete. Thick, crimson blood pooled into dark streams, flowing toward the garage drains.
Standing in the center of the mountain of corpses, Caspian slowly pulled a pristine white silk handkerchief from his pocket, methodically dabbing a single stray drop of blood from his knuckle. His bespoke black suit remained immaculate, without a single crease.
Clatter.
The taser Tyler had been clutching hit the floor. He was shaking so violently his knees gave out, and he collapsed into the puddle of blood with a heavy thud.
A monster... this man doesn't cultivate Aether at all... he's an ancient demon wearing human skin!
Caspian tossed the bloodied handkerchief aside and walked toward Tyler. He raised a custom Italian leather shoe and ruthlessly pinned the heir's chest to the floor.
Simultaneously, an undetectable, microscopic trace of [Gravity Subjugation] poured from the tip of his shoe.
"Gah—!"
Tyler violently coughed up a spray of blood as several ribs groaned and shattered. It didn't feel like a foot was resting on his chest; it felt like an immovable mountain range had just crushed him, nailing him to the ground like a dying dog and forcefully stripping him of his right to breathe.
"Don't... don't kill me... please..." Tyler broke down completely, his face a pathetic mess of tears and snot.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Suddenly, the highly incongruous, rhythmic click of high heels echoed from the shadows of the elevator lobby.
Tyler struggled to turn his eyeballs. When he saw the figure approaching, a flicker of hope—like a drowning man catching a piece of driftwood—ignited in his eyes.
It was Victoria.
She was draped in an oversized male bathrobe she had clearly snatched from the hotel suite, barely covering her snow-white body that had just been thoroughly utilized as a container. Yet, on her long, slender legs, the terrifying, dark-purple [Marks of Ruin] were still vividly visible. Her hair was messy, her face unnaturally flushed, and her entire being exuded the heavy, sickeningly sweet scent of a female completely conquered by, and pathologically addicted to, an apex male.
"Victoria... save me... call the family..." Tyler reached out a desperate, bloody hand.
Victoria didn't even spare her fiancé a single glance. She walked straight to Caspian, shooting the bleeding Tyler an expression of pure, unadulterated disgust.
Then, Victoria raised her foot—still clad in a red-soled heel—and ruthlessly, mercilessly stomped down on Tyler's reaching hand! She even twisted her heel to grind his fingers against the concrete!
"AAAAHHH! YOU BITCH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Tyler let out a piercing shriek of agony. The excruciating physical pain combined with the ultimate mental collapse drove him completely insane.
"Shut up, you worthless trash who isn't even fit to be fuel," Victoria spat venomously.
When she turned her head to look at Caspian, the disgust on her face instantly dissolved into a sickeningly fanatic, pathetic devotion. Having tasted the absolute power of high-dimensional laws, she was now entirely aware of her role as a [Vessel]. All she wanted was to remain by this god's side.
"Mr. Vane, killing garbage like this will only stain your noble soles," Victoria panted, clutching her robe tightly as she pressed her trembling, aching body against Caspian's arm. "You extracted my memories through the Exchange, didn't you? That underground hub is a vital link in the Temple's outer perimeter. It's covered in triple-layered biological barriers and soul-recognition systems. If you force your way in, the Archbishop will instantly relocate the core 'sacrifice'."
Victoria looked up, tossing out her absolute last chip of value. "I have the mark of a high-tier Temple associate in my blood. I can guide you smoothly through every barrier without alerting the snake. And my price is simple..."
She swallowed hard, her voice shaking with desperate, bottomless hunger. "Let me be your most obedient dog. Whenever those violent energies build up inside you again... I am always ready to open my legs and be your container."
Hearing his fiancée use the most degrading words imaginable to beg to be another man's lightning rod right in front of him, Tyler's eyes rolled back. His heart couldn't take the shock, and he fainted dead away into the blood puddle.
Caspian looked down at the woman. She possessed the perfect self-awareness of a [Vessel] tool. And he did indeed need a "physical key" to silently stab into the Temple's heart.
"Lead the way."
A cruel, mocking smirk played on Caspian's lips. He reached out and gently patted Victoria's flushed cheek, exactly as one would reward an obedient hound.
Minutes later.
An incredibly low-profile, armored black Maybach pulled out of the blood-soaked underground garage, merging smoothly into the freezing rain of the Sancta Lodo night.
Caspian sat in the spacious backseat. Victoria was curled at his feet like a docile cat, not even daring to sit on the leather upholstery beside him.
Caspian tapped his earpiece, initiating the remote communication of the [Soul Path].
"Elena."
"I'm here, Master," the genius hacker's voice filtered through the earpiece. As a [Spirit-Rhyme] class, her tone was exceedingly respectful, laced with a morbid, spiritual attachment. "I have commandeered all surveillance systems along your route. The path to the 'Blood Sacrifice Hub' in the industrial zone is completely scrubbed."
"Good."
Caspian closed his eyes. He felt the serene tranquility in his body after the venting of the [Flesh Path], supported flawlessly by the data and spiritual tether of the [Soul Path]. And deep within the core of these dual tracks lay his fractured Godhead's ravenous, all-consuming hunger for the [Apex-Tier] law.
The true hunt had only just begun.