CRASH! BAM! SHATTER!
The sounds of expensive ceramics and precious gemstones being smashed to pieces echoed throughout the luxurious suite. Lu Xie roared like a wounded wild beast, his face distorted in fury, his eyes bloodshot as if ready to tear apart everything around him.
— "YOU USELESS BASTARDS! CAN'T EVEN MAINTAIN ORDER IN A SINGLE PLACE! HOW MUCH OF MY MERCHANDISE JUST ESCAPED?!!!!"
He turned to his voluptuous assistant trembling beside him, barking loudly:
— "Calculate the total losses for me! Ya Luo!"
Ya Luo (夜罗) hurriedly clutched her personal tablet, her fingers trembling as she swiped quickly across the touch screen:
— "Y-Yes... right away!"
BEEP... BEEP... BEEP…
After a few seconds of cross-referencing data with the underground network, Ya Luo swallowed hard, speaking in fear:
— "Sir... property damage and the loss of all slaves are estimated at up to 800 million Sophion coins! If we factor in structural damages to the complex, VIP client compensation, and lost prestige... it reaches up to... 950 million!"
SHATTER!
Lu Xie swung his arm, sending a glass wine goblet flying onto the floor, shattering into pieces. He pointed directly at the row of elites standing before him, roaring at the top of his lungs:
— "DID YOU HEAR THAT, YOU FOOLS?! I'M DOWN NEARLY 1 BILLION! ONE BILLION SOPHION COINS, YOU USELESS WASTES!"
The Four Extremes of Order—consisting of Siren Sinclair, Arthur Pendleton, Damon, and Akai Kiriko—stood bowed in a horizontal line before him. Siren lightly raised her eyes, speaking in a coy, soothing tone:
— "Please calm your anger, sir... It's not like I wanted us to suffer so much loss..."
— "Haha, Young Master Lu Xie, no need to blame them!"
An easygoing voice echoed from a corner of the room. Shen Hansen stepped out from the shadows, removing his leather gloves, his narrow eyes flashing with the calculation of a veteran merchant.
Lu Xie gritted his teeth, glaring at Shen Hansen:
— "What's the price? Today I will make the bastard who grabbed my face and smashed it into the ground pay in flesh and blood!"
Shen Hansen curled his lips, smiling meaningfully:
— "I am a businessman too. I need money to feed myself, don't I?"
Lu Xie growled:
— "Who doesn't know you're a business prodigy since you were 16! Climbing to the top position in AX all by yourself. I need a price, whatever it takes!"
Shen Hansen leisurely leaned back against the wall, lowering his voice:
— "In the world of assassins and hunters, the most essential thing remains money. Normally, I only deal directly with your father. But I'll make an exception today and deal with his son. 1 billion Sophion coins! How does that sound?"
Lu Xie didn't hesitate for even a single second, his face twisting into a bloodthirsty grin:
— "Name any price, I'll pay it!"
Ya Luo standing beside him understood her master's intent immediately. She hurriedly produced a shiny black matrix card radiating authority, respectfully placing it on the table.
Lu Xie pushed the card toward Hansen:
— "There's 1.2 billion in here! The remaining 200 million is for you to grab some coffee!"
Shen Hansen took the black card, swiped it across a sensor, and slipped it neatly into his inner pocket:
— "Young Master Lu Xie certainly knows how to make people view him differently!"
Lu Xie burst out laughing in satisfaction, rubbing his hands together:
— "Hahaha! I have nothing if not mountains of cash! But how do you plan to handle this?"
Qin Wuhuang, standing in the corner of the room, suddenly knit his brows and stepped forward to object:
— "Young Master! If the Boss finds out you spent such a massive sum, it will be a huge issue! 1.2 billion is enough to buy out an entire small planet!"
Lu Xie snapped around instantly, glaring viciously:
— "Shut your mouth! How I spend my money is none of your business!"
He waved his hand as if shooing away pests:
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— "It's all because of you useless four! Get the hell out of my sight!"
Wuhuang bowed his head, his eyes darkening, yet maintaining decorum:
— "Yes, understood... Apologies for interrupting, Young Master."
With that, Wuhuang along with the Four Extremes of Order silently turned and left the room. Shen Hansen watched them go, shaking his head slightly:
— "You really didn't need to be so harsh with them."
— "Screw those wastes!" Lu Xie grunted. — "Now speak up, I want to know how you're going to do this."
Shen Hansen approached the doorway, curling his lips:
— "Naturally, I have my own ways. And it will be quite spectacular!"
Lu Xie gritted his teeth:
— "Then do it quickly! The guy who grabbed my face must pay the most brutal price!"
— "I'll be taking my leave. If there's news, I will inform you."
Shen Hansen turned and walked away. The moment he stepped out of the luxurious soundproof door, his merchant's smile instantly vanished, replaced by utter contempt. Wuhuang was already standing waiting in the outer hallway.
Shen Hansen curled his lips, spat on the floor, and uttered an icy sentence:
— "Arrogant dog..."
Inside the VIP room, the atmosphere was suffocating and depraved. Lu Xie sat on a sheepskin-upholstered chair, his chest heaving with unquenched anger.
Ya Luo stepped closer, her soft hands resting on his shoulders, speaking in an obedient, coy tone:
— "You look quite furious, boss... How about I help release some of that stress for you?"
SLAP!
Lu Xie turned and delivered a stinging slap straight to Ya Luo's buttocks, making her flinch and let out an aroused whimper.
— "Serve me well! I'm in a terrible mood today!"
Ya Luo dropped to her knees, her eyes bedroom-glazed, her voice devolving into corrupt submission:
— "Then let me be a good dog serving master today..."
She pulled Lu Xie's chair back, kneeling proficiently right between his legs out of habit, her hands gently unzipping his trousers. Ya Luo's gaze dazed over as she took in the sight before her:
— "Look at that... So big today! Look at those veins popping out, looks like it wants to be stirred up!"
Lu Xie leaned down, grabbing her hair and pulling her head back, curling his lips mockingly:
— "Doing this... aren't you worried about feeling guilty toward your fiancé?"
Ya Luo panted, her eyes overflowing with depravity:
— "I've served you so many times already, why would I care about that guy anymore! I just want to be stuffed deep... I just want to serve master!"
— "Then hurry up and suck it, you bitch!"
GULP... GULP... MM…
Lu Xie pushed Ya Luo's head down without hesitation, making her greedily take him in while choking for air, continuous coughing and wet, raw sounds echoing through the room.
— "Suck it deep, bitch! Hahaha! Today I'll teach you what it means to be addicted every single day. Poor fiancé of yours, his wife is kneeling serving as my dog!"
SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!
Lu Xie leaned down, pulling Ya Luo's hair backward, tilting her lust-drenched face all the way up. He looked down at the woman kneeling at his feet with a twisted, sadistic, and contemptuous glare, curling his lips to utter a chilling line:
— "The beauties of the world are all ordinary to me... Only other men's wives excite me!"
With that, he let out a brutal roar, pushing deep into the woman's wild, corrupted whimpers…
The room sank into the sounds of brutal skin-on-skin friction, heavy gasps, and the frenzied moans of corruption…
BEEP... BEEP... BEEP…
At the same time, inside Xie Xingchen's private underground laboratory, the atmosphere was a stark contrast—quiet, thick with the smell of medical chemicals, and filled with modern medical air.
Everyone in Zero Horizon was focusing on recovering from their wounds after the brutal battle. Roxy was lying inside a bio-recovery pod, her beastman physique enabling her wounds from Arthur's light beams to seal at incredible speed. In the corner of the room, Stolas lay fast asleep on a therapy bed.
Loona removed her medical headset, checked the vitals display, and turned around to
announce:
— "Everyone's condition is stable. Survival indicators show no dangerous issues!"
Kamishiro Seijuro leaned against an analytical machine, his eyes deep in thought as he looked toward Stolas. He remained extremely curious about the ancient owl-shaped power that had erupted earlier.
Shin wrapped fresh bandages around his hands, asking:
— "So, have the other slaves escaped safely?"
Roxy spoke from inside the recovery pod, her voice faint yet filled with relief:
— "Don't worry... They were safely escorted by the Mikami siblings into the underground beastman and hybrid communities! Very safe!"
Ren grimaced, rubbing his shoulder:
— "Those Central District guards were seriously annoying!"
Rei nodded in agreement:
— "Thick as a disturbed beehive!"
Kwon Tae-Joon folded his arms, pondering:
— "And that Arthur guy... Is his power purely light energy based?"
Kento shook his head, his expression serious:
— "Hard to say. His speed outburst capability was quite exceptional, not merely shooting beams."
Seijuro unsheathed his blade slightly by a centimeter, then clicked it back shut (CLACK):
— "Neither our group nor their side fought for real back then. Everything was just probing each other out."
Shin looked around at his teammates, his eyes becoming sharper and more cautious than ever:
— "Everyone, from now on we have to be extremely careful. Causing such a massive commotion, the Central District will definitely take far more ruthless action after this!"
Xie Xingchen pushed up his glasses, staring at the flashing red warning screen:
— "Indeed... From this moment on, our Zero Horizon squad will likely become a prime target!"
While the group was immersed in tense contemplation, a soft rustling sound suddenly came from the medical bed.
RUSTLE... CLACK…
Stolas slowly stirred and sat up, his messy black hair hanging over his forehead. He raised a hand to rub his misty eyes, only to startle upon realizing dozens of eyes in the room were focused straight on him.
Stolas tilted his head, asking in a nonchalant tone:
— "Is... there something weird on my face that's making everyone stare so intensely?"
Shin immediately stepped closer by a few paces, his curiosity unhidden:
— "Wait! Hold on! Who on earth are you to appear at that underground auction? Why were you treated as such a special trump card by that Lu Xie guy?"
Stolas stroked his messy hair, his gaze deepening:
— "I am Stolas. Originally, I was summoned to this world by a demonic cult that worshiped me... I come from Hell."
The entire laboratory abruptly fell dead silent. Stolas continued with a sigh:
— "But before I could do anything in this realm, forces of the Church raided the place. They possessed Heaven-aligned power like Holy Swords and 'Scripture Suppression' abilities. I was defeated, locked away, and sealed in chains until now. Currently... I have only recovered about half of my original strength."
Loona knit her brows tightly, ruffling her hair in confusion:
— "What Hell? And what Heaven?! That sounds way too complicated!"
Seijuro pondered, his finger lightly rubbing the sword sheath, producing a quiet CLACK:
— "So you... are truly a Demon?"
— "Correct." Stolas nodded without hesitation. — "I belong to the royalty of Hell—Prince Stolas. In the past, I directly commanded 26 demon legions."
OHHH!
The Mikami siblings (Ren and Rei) gasped in unison, their eyes wide as they stared at the real-life demon prince before them.
Roxy leaned against the side of the treatment pod, speaking timidly:
— "And my ancestors... hold Hellhound blood."
Stolas turned to look at Roxy, his crimson eyes flashing a streak of demonic light:
— "I sensed the pure Hellhound aura within you the moment we were in the main hall."
Kento leaned against the wall, crossing his arms with a smirk:
— "So what should we call you in the end?
Demon or Human?"
— "Just call me by my name... Stolas."
Xingchen pushed up his glasses, a scientist's calculation flashing in his eyes:
— "Are there... other Demons like you existing in this world?"
Stolas blinked lightly, replying:
— "Of course. Among them, I know for certain that Dantalion and Andromalius exist. I've only sensed those two; the others remain unknown."
Ren stepped closer to the bed out of curiosity, pressing further:
— "If you're a Prince-rank Demon... then how old are you?"
Stolas replied nonchalantly:
— "Well... several thousand years."
PFFT!
Rei widened his eyes, swearing out loud:
— "Holy crap! Over 1,000 years old?!"
Shin crossed his arms, nodding, then asked further:
— "But why was your energy outburst earlier so strange?"
Stolas explained calmly:
— "The power of Demons differs from humans in that... even though we share Sophion as a foundational energy source, we Demons possess distinct sorcerous traits unique to our race."
Shin remained silent in thought for a few seconds. Then suddenly, he walked straight up to Stolas, breaking into a bright, generous smile, and thrust his hand straight forward!
— "Great to meet you, Stolas! I'm Yanagisawa Shin. I think you're pretty interesting... Join our Zero Horizon squad, Stolas!"
Everyone around instantly froze, their eyes turning toward Shin in absolute bewilderment and shock.
Loona yelled:
— "Oh my god, Brother Shin! He's a Prince of Hell, you can't just casually recruit him like that?!"
Kwon Tae-Joon shook his head, half laughing, half crying:
— "Our Shin made another impulsive and quick decision today!"
Xingchen let out a helpless sigh:
— "Brother Shin really is... always like this!"
CLICK!
Kento pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and puffed out a cloud of grey smoke (Puuuff...).
Stolas stared at Shin's outstretched hand for a long moment. Then, a mysterious smile appeared on the lips of the Prince of Hell. He slowly raised his slender hand.
SZZZ…
A faint stream of dark, sinister mist wavered around Stolas's fingers, enveloping Shin's hand as the two touched.
Kento took a drag of cigarette smoke, chuckling softly:
— "Well... looking at this scene, it's like two guys signing a demonic pact to join an organization!"
Stolas gripped Shin's hand tightly, his eyes glowing with a steadfast, mystical red light:
— "Very well... I agree to join you guys!"
(To be continued)