023 - Raid complete

Ze left the stage and entered the backstage.

Many boxes were neatly arranged, holding the items for the auction. He strolled through, examining the present items. As he reached the metal cages, he saw people inside with clouded eyes and red-glowing thorn marks on their chests, indicating an activated spell. The auction employees had activated spells to kill them. If they were to die, all the items in the auction house would perish as well.

"They really are scums," he murmured.

Ze waved his hand, and the spell burned away. The darkness in the backstage extended its grasp, engulfing the present items. They would be stored for now. Agonizing screams echoed from the backstage as the hounds fulfilled their job of inflicting painful deaths. Unfazed by the cries, Ze looked toward the shadow.

"Where is he?"

At his question, the shadow wavered, showing him the way.

...

In the office room of the auction house, many people stood, clad in light armour with sheathed swords, guarding a single person. The man who ran the auction house sat at his desk, clutching his head in desperation. He had been one of the first to attempt escape, but he couldn't. The guards who ventured into the shadows were swallowed by the abyss.

"What the hell is happening?" he asked, bewildered.

He couldn't comprehend what he had witnessed when the flesh hounds tore into the bidders. The once successful auction had been overturned in an instant.

"Who was that man in the wolf mask?" he wondered.

He didn't know the identity of the man. Even the powerhouses of the empire wouldn't dare to mess with them, yet this man killed without a care. The auction house owner looked at his hand, where a gold ring with a big gem was glowing. It was the ring connected to the spell on the slaves.

"Yes, if he is here for the slaves, he can't kill me," he thought, trying to calm his mind.

A knock came from the door, causing the guards to grip their swords. The boss hid behind the desk, while the spell covering the room broke with the twist of the doorknob.

"I am coming in," a cheery muffled voice sounded from the other side.

The door slowly opened with an eerie creak, and the guards drew their swords. A head wearing a wolf mask popped through the open door. The cold blue eyes of the wolf scanned everyone in the room. The knights couldn't wait for the man to enter and jumped into action.

*Boom*

With a boom, the door flew towards a knight. A dark figure blurred within the tiny room.

*Boom* *Boom* *Boom* *Boom* *Boom* *Boom*

Many shockwaves reverberated through the room, causing the boss of the auction house to hide behind the desk, feeling the death approaching. Each boom shook the room, but the crashing sounds ceased within ten seconds. The boss sensed the silence and cautiously peeked his head out, only to have a large hand grip his head, lifting him.

The boss saw the man in the wolf mask, gazing at him with cold blue eyes. He felt nothing but fear as he stared into those eyes. Desperately, he searched for his guards, but what he witnessed shook him to the core. It was nothing short of a horror scene—his guards torn to pieces.

"W-What d-do you wa-want?" he asked, trying to figure out an escape plan.

The man merely tilted his head.

"I-if you let me li-live, I-I can offer you more money than the person who hired you. I can provide you with many women until you grow bored. You will live a life of luxury until your last breath," the boss offered everything he had.

The man lowered his head.

"Only one thing," the man replied.

"What do you want?" the boss inquired, relieved that his offer seemed accepted.

[Link: Connect]

Ze activated his ability without giving the boss an answer. He linked with the boss, causing him to go limp. Ze delved into the boss's memories, discovering the people he was connected with—the individuals who ran the auctions, those who sold and bought, and his other businesses.

Then through the link, he connected with the people who were in his memory, forming a link. Then he surfed their memories, finding people related to them, and then forming a connection with them. With a repeated process of the same method, he linked with many people across the world. His link was like a spiderweb that connected them all.

Ze surfaced back up; he was repulsed by the darkness that covered humans, even though he had seen it many times.

"Piece of shit," he muttered.

He strengthened his grip on the boss's head, bursting it.

Ze pulled out a cloth and cleaned his hand of blood, then exited the horrifying crime scene. He entered the corridor that was covered in darkness and looked toward the being that housed it.

"Go get them," he commanded.

With his words, the shadows moved, brightening the corridor.

He kept his hand to his face; the mask deformed into strings and took form again. The reformed mask now only covered his lower face, still resembling a wolf's.

Ze sank into the shadows.

...

Ze stood in the air, towering high as he reached space and looked down. The darkened land of the night lay beneath his feet, with constellations of stars above his head.

He looked down and saw many swords of light floating in the sky, hovering above their targets. They covered not only the continent but the whole Earth.

Yes, that many scums of the Earth were targeted. They numbered in the millions, and tonight would be a cleanup.

He was waiting for the signal from his shadows, his cold blue eyes scanning the Earth. Many people across the world had noticed it.

"What is this?"

"It's an attack."

"Is it the work of God?"

People wondered across the world, some fearing, some worshiping, and some observing with curiosity. But it was not only the people of the Earth who noticed; even higher beings took notice.

"WHO IS IT?" a thunderous voice reverberated.

Heaven and Earth shook at the voice, and mana howled in frenzy. The voice brought change to the atmosphere itself.

Ze ignored the voice and looked to the Earth.

"IMPUDENT MORTAL, HOW DARE YOU NOT ANSWER ME?" the thunderous voice shouted.

The mana in the air twisted and howled in agony at the voice. The air shook, the weather changed, the waves surged, and a pressure too strong for a mortal to handle bore down on Earth.

But Ze brushed it off as if it was nothing.

He turned to the voice, looking through space itself, meeting the eyes of the being that stood across the space.

He spoke aloud, "Do you want to die?" he asked in annoyance.

His voice traveled across space and entered the being's ears.

"HOW dare an insect threaten a god!" the voice shouted.

His voice again brought change to the Earth. Volcanoes erupted, tsunamis hit coastal areas, storms tore through cities, and monsters ran wild. His voice alone brought destruction to the Earth. At the same time, dark clouds gathered above Ze.

Thunders spread from the clouds, and a single lightning bolt fell on Ze.

*Bam*

Ze moved his hand, catching the lightning. The blue lightning sparked around Ze as his golden-burning hand held it. The blue lightning slowly turned gold, transforming into a spear.

Ze nonchalantly threw the spear at the being who had annoyed him. The lightning cut through space and reached the being.

Ze then turned to look at the Earth. Many cities were engulfed in flames, but people quickly took measures. With mages controlling weather, it was an easy task.

But Ze got his confirmation from the shadows. The swords of light fell to the ground, accelerating with gravity. Without mercy, they obliterated their targets and the surrounding areas.

He saw many mushroom clouds rise. Seeing that his work was done, his black wings moved, bringing him to the Elven Kingdom.

Ze arrived at the Elven Kingdom. The spirits were working to control the changing weather as the storm raged in the forest.

Not minding that, he landed near the castle. People were gathered, but they were not panicked. For elves with high magical capacity, controlling a storm was a simple task.

...

Ze walked to the castle, with many spells lit behind him. Through the spell, many people appeared. They all looked dazed and glanced around, everyone was in a tattered state, half-naked and bound by chains.

"Take care of them," he voiced to the knight before entering the castle. Without waiting for a reply, he proceeded towards the king's office. It didn't take long for him to arrive, and he opened the door without a care. Fran looked at him with a piercing gaze.

"Okay, I apologize for letting it get to this point," he said, understanding what Fran meant by that gaze. He should have been more subtle when taking action.

"But I completed the raid," Ze said with a cheerful smile, resembling a child. Fran felt an ominous aura from that smile and wondered what Ze did to make him smile like an idiot. However, he kept his thoughts to himself.

"So, you saved everyone in the auction house?" Fran asked to confirm. Ze shook his head, causing Fran to raise a brow.

"I got everything," Ze said, sounding like a child who received his favourite candy. He had obtained everything in the auction house.

"Oh," Ze exclaimed as he remembered, "I found you a suitable bride," Ze snapped his fingers as he said that, and the shadows moved, revealing a figure.

An orcish woman emerged from the shadows, her eyes clear but filled with confusion about her surroundings. She looked at the boy and the man in the room, wanting to retaliate and escape, but her instincts warned her of danger.

"Don't you think she suits you better?" Ze questioned Fran. Fran looked at the fierce-looking orc lady, who was well-dressed but seemed to be acting shy, which was unsettling.

"Nope," Fran replied with a stoic face. The orcish lady lowered her head in response.

"You are harsh," Ze commented, keeping his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, even though she was nearly twice his size. Ze then sent the orcish lady out and sat down.

"I brought everyone, so you take care of them," Ze said. He took a cookie, and his coat moved and fused with his shadow, revealing a girl sitting next to him. He handed the cookie in his hand to her.

"And she is mine," Ze said as he leaned to show her to Fran. Fran noticed the child with blue hair and eyes, and his eyes widened as he saw the mana gathering around her.

"W-Where did you...?" Fran asked in shock. He himself was blessed by the spirits, but it was incomparable to the power emanating from the little girl sitting there. The spirits were already gathering near her.

"She is mine, so take care of her," Ze said before moving to another chair and falling asleep. He didn't care about anything else; it was Fran's job to take care of things, so Ze wouldn't worry. He fell asleep after a long day of work..

*****