Aria and Aengus’s battle had ended, leaving dozens of lifeless corpses scattered across the ground, most of which were felled by Aria’s hand.
Aria panted slightly, while Aengus remained calm.
He glanced at the approaching group with indifference.
Aria also noticed their presence, but after assessing their strength, she didn’t sense any threat. Still, she remained cautious, knowing that greed could drive people to do the unthinkable.
Finding their presence bothersome, Aengus began storing the remaining corpses in his space bracelet, planning to use them later to further enhance Aria’s strength—only if she could handle it.
There were nine people in the group—five males and four females, all between 20 and 30 years old.
As Aengus began storing the valuable corpses, a few of the group’s eyes gleamed with greed.
They exchanged knowing glances, hatching a sinister plan. Meanwhile, the rest of the group shifted uneasily, aware of their companions’ intentions. A couple, Ryann and Tina, eyed the situation cautiously, looking for a chance to escape, but were stopped by a man with a wicked grin.
“Where are you going, Ryann and Tina? We need your Mindless Slave Skill to take them down,” the man, Byron, whispered darkly. “It’s not hard, is it? We’ve done this before.”
Ryann’s face paled as he refused, “No, Byron. Forget this one. That guy is bad news—I can feel it. Get a grip on reality.”
Byron’s expression twisted with frustration and greed. “Are you blind? That couple definitely has incredible treasures in their storage devices. They must be loaded!”
His tone turned menacing as he pulled out his sword, holding it dangerously close to Tina’s neck. “Now, do it, or watch Tina die.”
“B-but…” Ryann stammered, his face filled with dread.
“No buts… Do it, Ryann. Now!” Byron barked, pressing the Sword against Tina’s skin.
Suddenly, a calm voice broke the tension. “What’s the matter?”
Aria appeared before them, swift and commanding, her presence making everyone freeze.
“Whatever you’re planning, get it out of your head right now and leave,” Aria warned, her voice cold and firm. “Otherwise… you’ll all be dead.”
“Shut up!” Byron’s face contorted with anger, refusing to listen her advice. “Do it now, Ryann!” he shouted, pressing his sword harder against Tina’s neck. He was too blinded by greed to see the danger.
“Y-Yes…” Ryann stammered, driven by desperation. He activated his Slave Skill, directing it at Aria.
But the moment Ryann’s skill was about to reach her, it was met with Aengus’s cold, void-like eyes. A powerful invisible force shattered the skill like glass, making it utterly ineffective.
“Cough!” Ryann spat out blood, collapsing to his knees as the skill violently backfired on him.
Byron and the others watched in horror as their plan fell apart. The smug grins on their faces vanished, replaced by sheer terror.
Realizing the gravity of their mistake, they resorted to a desperate last-ditch effort.
“Shiiing!”
The sound of weapons being drawn and charged with skills echoed through the clearing. Their eyes burned with a mad determination as they charged at Aengus with everything they had, knowing that if he lived, they were as good as dead.
It had become a desperate gamble—do or die.
“Snap!”
Aengus extended his right hand and snapped his fingers, unleashing a wave of destructive Chaos energy.
“Splash!”
In an instant, five of the attackers-male and female alike-were torn apart, reduced to unrecognizable mincemeat in a gruesome display.
“Ahhh!”
“Blurgh!”
The remaining four screamed in terror, some vomiting at the horrifying sight of their comrades’ demise. Panic and dread consumed them as they stood frozen, powerless to fight or flee.
Aengus glanced over at Aria to see her reaction.
She stood unflinching, her face hardened by the battles and losses they’d endured together. Though she hadn’t become heartless, she knew well the harsh reality-better to be ruthless than to show mercy to those who would kill them without hesitation.
The lessons of survival had shaped her, and now, she didn’t flinch in the face of necessary cruelty.
Aengus was relieved to see Aria like this, but deep inside, he knew it was his responsibility to restore the liveliness she once had.
His gaze shifted to Tina, Ryann, and the two other females. Fear paralyzed them as they stood rooted to the spot. Their eyes met Aengus’s, his expression cold and unreadable, as if judging the level of their sins.
Tina and Ryann could feel the weight of his scrutiny, sensing that he was deciding their fates—whether to grant them mercy or deal out the punishment they perhaps deserved.
“P-Please, don’t kill us! We were threatened,” Tina screamed desperately, hiding behind Ryann.
“You have a slave skill, right?” Aengus asked Ryann, who was on the ground.
“Yes,” Ryann replied honestly.
“So Tell me, how many times were you actually threatened to use it?” Aengus asked, his tone mixed with sarcasm.
Aria stood beside him calmly, not intending to interfere, trusting his judgment.
“No, I haven’t used it for bad purposes. It was only recently that they discovered my skills without us knowing and forced us into their team. We are truly innocent,” Ryann said, glancing between Aria and Aengus.
“You still haven’t answered my question. How many people have you assisted in killing or robbing?” Aengus asked, shifting his gaze toward the other two females.
“And what about them? Have they killed the innocent as well?”
Aengus didn’t want to kill needlessly. He remembered something about Negative Karma participants being punished before entering Mythraldor. He didn’t know the specific. But, it was better to be prepared.
Besides, he knew that negative Karma could bring bad consequences in the future.
Tina and Ryann hesitated before finally speaking the truth.
“We’ve only helped twice, and as for them, these two women have killed and robbed as well.”
“No, no, it’s completely false… We haven’t! They’re lying!” the two women protested, their voices desperate.
Aengus carefully observed their body language using his All-Seeing Eyes and confirmed that Ryann was telling the truth. With a swift motion, he killed the two women, leaving Tina and Ryann speechless, unsure today if they would survive or not.
