Hiroshi, the level 28 epic-level warrior suddenly felt a strange disturbance, and his expression changed instantly.
He tried to turn around, but before he could—
His shadow quivered slightly, and a figure emerged from it, striking him on the side of the face with such force that the sound of bone cracking echoed through the surroundings and Hiroshi was hurled through the air, his mind going completely blank.
While he was still midair, before he could even recover—
Bang! Bang! Bang! ———
A sudden rain of ice bullets showered down upon him. Each sharp shard of ice tore into his flesh, biting deep and freezing his body from within.
"Arghhh!!!" Hiroshi screamed in agony, but under Azrael’s precise control, the wind swallowed the sound, carrying it no farther than a few feet and making it impossible for anyone else to hear his cries.
The pain of the ice bullets had not even begun to fade when two golden arrows hissed through the air and struck both of Hiroshi’s legs, piercing deep.
The moment the arrow struck him, Elyara’s heat attribute flared came into effect and— ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
"Arghhh!!!" A tortured scream ripped from Hiroshi’s throat as every fiber of his legs— flesh, blood, veins, and bones felt as though they were being roasted inside a furnace.
Hiroshi’s body finally smashed into the ground with a thunderous crash and before he could even comprehend what was happening, Azrael appeared beside him in a blur and swung the Fallen Star.
A sharp light flashed and with a clean, merciless slash, both of Hiroshi’s arms were severed.
The unrelenting pain overwhelmed Hiroshi’s senses. His mind went blank, and he lost consciousness the moment his arms were cut off.
From the instant Azrael first struck to the moment Hiroshi fainted, no more than three seconds had passed, proof of Azrael and the others flawless teamwork.
Ming and Ron were so stunned by the sudden, violent turn of events that even after Hiroshi collapsed, they stood frozen in place, their minds struggling to process what had just occurred.
Once he confirmed that the epic-level warrior was unconscious, Azrael moved with lightning speed. Appearing behind Ming and Ron, he struck the backs of their heads in quick succession, knocking them out as well.
Luo Bingqing and Elyara quickly joined him, and together they carried the three unconscious captives away.
As Azrael walked, he paused briefly before continuing after Elyara and Luo Bingqing.
"We need to be careful while moving from now on. The security forces have just released scouting devices to survey the area," He warned them in a low voice.
Both Luo Bingqing and Elyara’s expressions grew serious at his words.
"Where should we go?" Elyara asked.
"Let’s move far away from the security forces for now. We’ll decide our next move after we’ve gotten information from these three," Azrael replied.
The trio traveled about ten kilometers from the collapsed gate of the castle before stopping behind the ruins of a fallen wall. There, they dropped the three unconscious captives onto the ground.
"Wake him up," Azrael said.
Luo Bingqing uncorked a bottle of icy water and splashed it onto Hiroshi’s face.
"Ughh..." Hiroshi stirred with a painful groan and when he tried to move, terror seized him as he realized his arms and legs were completely useless.
The memories of the brutal assault he faced before fainting returned in a rush, and horror twisted his features.
He quickly scanned his surroundings and spotted Azrael and the others standing before him.
Earlier, everything had happened so fast that he hadn’t even seen who attacked him. But now, as his eyes settled on Luo Bingqing and the others—none of whom belonged to the Transcendent Organization, his heart turned cold as he immediately realized something serious must have happened outside.
"Wh–who are you people? And how did you get in?" He asked in a trembling voice.
Azrael looked at him with an icy stare and stepped forward.
A sharp, echoing crack rang out as Azrael’s palm struck Hiroshi’s face, sending several of his teeth flying.
"We are the ones asking the questions, not you," Azrael said in a voice like cold steel and grabbed Hiroshi by the hair, yanking his head back. "What’s your name?"
"Hi–Hiroshi," The man answered in a trembling voice.
"Are you a member of the Transcendent Organization?"
Hiroshi hesitated, his gaze darting away from Azrael’s piercing eyes.
Seeing this Azrael said nothing and a blade of condensed wind formed along his hand, sharp and gleaming. He brought it dangerously close to Hiroshi’s left eye and spoke in an icy tone.
"If you don’t answer my question in three seconds, I will dig out your eyes."
Feeling the razor-sharp edge so close to his eye, Hiroshi shuddered violently and quickly nodded.
"I am... I am a member of the Transcendent Organization."
"When did you join them?"
"Three... three years ago."
"Were you an epic-level warrior at that time, or did you advance later?"
"I was at Level 24. I advanced to epic level last year."
Azrael’s eyes narrowed at the answer and he asked in a deep voice.
"How many others in the Transcendent Organization have, like you, advanced to epic level in the last few years?"
"That..." A conflicted look crossed Hiroshi’s face, and he remained silent.
Azrael’s eyes grew even colder and without a word, he slashed downward with the wind blade.
"Arghhh!" Hiroshi shrieked in pain as his entire body convulsed. A deep gash opened beside his left eye, missing the eyeball by barely a centimeter.
"There will not be a second warning," Azrael said in a voice devoid of emotion. "Hide the truth from me again, and I will show you what real hell feels like."
He tightened his grip on Hiroshi’s hair, forcing him to look into his frigid eyes. "Tell me. How many people are there?"
Elyara and Luo Bingqing remained silent, neither surprised nor disturbed by Azrael’s methods.
Since childhood, both had endured harsh training and though not as ruthless as Azrael, neither of them were naive enough to show mercy to an enemy.
Hiroshi stared into Azrael’s cold gaze and after a tense moment, he finally broke.
"Thirteen..." He whispered hoarsely. "There are thirteen people like me who have advanced to epic-level warrior in the past few years."