At night, Ashan dashed through the city, leaping across rooftops, his dark costume fluttering behind him as it concealed his identity.
'Shit! How did I end up missing that incident? Today is the day that massacre happens.'
He clicked his tongue in frustration. 'I got careless after receiving new powers. I was spacing out. Good thing the system reminded me. If I'm late, a disaster on a massive scale will occur.'
—-----------------------------------------
New Mission..
Stop the devilish organization and rescue captured awakeners.
Location: Forest of the West
Reward:
MoveMastery (Special) – Every movement of your body will become training. Irregular bodily functions will be corrected. Greatly improves stamina, durability, endurance, and adaptability to combat movements and fighting styles.
—-----------------------------------------
He clenched his jaw mid-jump. 'Damn it… I can't use Kamui to teleport. I don't even know the exact coordinates.'
After several minutes, Ashan entered the Forest of the West, his footsteps barely making a sound as he landed on the soft earth.
'All I know is that it happens near a mountain,' he thought. 'There are three mountains in this forest. If I check them one by one… I might not make it in time.'
His eyes hardened. 'There's only one way.'
He formed a hand sign. Two shadow clones appeared beside him.
"I'll head to the mountain straight ahead," Ashan ordered calmly. "You two check the other two mountains. If anyone attacks, kill them instantly. Protect the hostages at all costs."
The clones nodded without hesitation and vanished into the darkness.
Ashan activated his Byakugan.
'My vision range is only about a kilometer…' he clicked his tongue. 'Pathetic. Without mastery, this is my current limit.'
Ashan accelerated toward the mountain. In minutes, he spotted a group gathered in a plain area.
Relief flashed through his eyes. 'How fortunate. Found you.'
He climbed a tall tree and surveyed the scene from above.
Twenty figures in robes and masks stood around a plain clearing. Their ranks were mediocre, C and B-rankers at best. Below them, dozens of captured awakeners knelt on the ground, wrists and ankles bound with mana-sealing chains. Some trembled. Some clenched their teeth in anger. Others stared blankly, already resigned.
Ashan's eyes narrowed when he noticed a massive black bowl at the center. Inside it were five shining yellow marbles.
'As expected. They are Mana-boosting pills.'
Rare items in this world. Even one could permanently raise an E-ranker to D-rank. But when soaked in an awakener's blood, the effect multiplied.
His expression turned cold. 'These bastards plan to kill them and feed their blood to those pills.'
He exhaled slowly.
'They can probably sense mana and presence. A frontal attack won't work.'
Ashan deactivated his Byakugan and switched to Obito's Mangekyou Sharingan. His body slipped into the Kamui dimension, becoming intangible as he approached the clearing unnoticed.
A robed man stepped forward, holding the bowl high.
"My fellow believers," he declared loudly, voice filled with twisted pride. "Today, we fulfill our purpose. Our merciful leader entrusted us with strengthening the army of salvation."
Some of the robed men clenched their fists in excitement. Others nodded fanatically.
"After months of patience," the man continued, "we have captured fifty awakeners. Their blood will empower these pills. At last, we will earn recognition."
Murmurs of anticipation rippled through the group.
"We move quickly. Before anyone interferes."
He pointed at the bowl. "Bring the sacrifices."
Several captured awakeners flinched. One sobbed quietly. A young man tried to struggle, only to be kicked to the ground.
Ashan's eyes burned.
'It seems that woman hasn't arrived yet. She's the one fated to save these people. Because of her delay, some were meant to die here.'
His lips curled into a grim smile. 'But I'm here now. As long as I stand on this ground, no innocent will be killed. This will be a great warning to your scum of a leader, whom I'll face in the future.'
Robed men dragged several prisoners forward. The speaker unsheathed his sword, raising it high.
A vortex suddenly twisted the air. The sword vanished.
Silence fell like a guillotine.
"What…?" the man froze, staring at his empty hand. "My sword… it disappeared?"
The robed men erupted into chaos, drawing weapons, scanning the forest.
"No mana fluctuation!" someone shouted.
"Is it an illusion?"
"Impossible! no spell was cast!"
The leader's breathing quickened. He turned toward the bowl.
"I'll secure the pills first.."
Another vortex appeared. The massive bowl twisted violently and vanished.
The man leaped back in terror. "The marbles! Our marbles are gone!"
Panic spread. Some stepped back instinctively. Others tightened their grip on their weapons.
"What the hell is that vortex? Who's doing this?"
Desperate, the leader grabbed a captive and pressed a knife to their throat.
"Show yourself!" he screamed. "Or I kill them!"
Suddenly, the air fell silent. A powerful killing intent enveloped the area. Several robed men dropped to one knee, gasping. Others felt their legs shake uncontrollably. The captives froze, hearts pounding.
'This killing intent…? No normal awakener could emit something like this. Is it a beast? Did a dungeon break out nearby?'
From the shadows, Ashan stepped forward.
The leader's eyes widened in horror.
'It's… a person. That pressure.. no, that killing intent.. it's coming from him alone.'
Cold sweat ran down his back. 'What kind of monster emits this just by standing there? High-ranker? No… someone even worse.'
'We're screwed!'
Ashan walked casually, each step increasing the suffocating pressure.
"Don't come any closer!" the leader shouted, voice cracking. "We'll kill them all!"
Ashan stopped.
Seeing this, the robed men hurriedly took more hostages, blades trembling.
The leader swallowed hard and forced a grin. 'He hesitated. He cares about them. Good. We can escape.'
"Did you take the pills?" he demanded.
Ashan crossed his arms, eyes cold and empty. "What if I did?" he said quietly. "What are you going to do about it?"
The man snarled. "Hand them over, or these people die."
Ashan stared at him. Then he laughed. A deep, echoing laugh that made everyone's blood run cold.
"You think you're in a position to threaten me?" he said. "Fine. I'll give you a chance too. Release them, and I'll let you run."
The man's face twisted with rage.
"You dare..!"
He infused mana into his knife and moved to stab the hostage.
His body suddenly froze.
"What…? Why can't I move?!"
Ashan raised his arms. The man mirrored him, releasing the hostage against his will.
'My body… it's copying him?'
Fear overtook his eyes as Ashan clenched his fist and dragged it across his own neck.
The man screamed. "Please.. don't..!!"
Slash!
His own hand sliced his throat open.
Ashan canceled his Shadow Possession Technique, letting the corpse fall.
The forest was silent.
The remaining robed men stared in horror. Some dropped their weapons. Others vomited. The captives stared at Ashan with a mix of terror, awe, and disbelief.
Ashan felt a faint heaviness in his chest.
Suddenly, he sensed another presence nearby.
Ashan smiled. 'So you finally arrived… Dear protagonist!'