(The bloody bastard's POV)
I stepped out from the shadow tunnel I created, the orb that contains the sealed beasts grasped firmly in my hands. Around me were stone cold greyish walls that looked similar to the fort that I had just came from, only that these were obviously more well-maintained.
The room itself was huge, big enough to contain an entire army. It was filled with obsidian columns reaching far up into the darkness of the ceiling dispersed at uniform intervals with torches hung on each of them.
Right now I was standing in the middle of it on a sort of raised platform, since this room was specifically designed to direct all forms of shadow travel here to protect ourselves from unwanted intruders.
I looked down at the orb, extending my senses to feel the energy radiating from it.
Kekeke~ The power being contained within this orb was so immense I thought it might not even be enough to hold the beasts within, but it seems this sealing orb lives up to its name of being able to trap any creature inside it and contain it there.
"So you're back," A deep voice rumbled from my left. "I assume you found something?"
I turned to see a man twice my height step out of one of the column's shadows, his hood thrown back to reveal his scarred, angular face.
He was a Cardinal of the Dark Sect like me, both of us being quite highly ranked and strong within the Dark sect itself. While I was the Dark Cardinal of Deception, he Was the Dark Cardinal of Pride.
"Kekeke~ More than that. Found two really nice sealed beasts while I was out. Potentially cataclysmic class even."
"Truly? We mustn't waste time then, you should bring that to the Initiation Chamber right away! With them, the plan is finally ready!"
Ah yes, the place where we brainwash captured monsters to do our bidding, a very convenient place if I do say so myself.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Kekeke~ That was my plan all along."
I stepped off the platform while tucking the orb under my arm, my compatriot following after me.
"So where did you get them? I doubt you can find two cataclysmic class monsters lying around by the roadside."
"Got them off a pair of foxes from our most hated church. It's only because I felt the pull from the sealing stone when I got near them that one time that I even knew they had something inside them, or else I wouldn't even have suspected."
"Oh? Wouldn't the meddler do something about it?"
I smirked, "Kekeke~ Some idiot at my place summoned a pack of Wendigos, those foxes will get devoured by them and leave no trace behind. No one will know."
"Wahahaha! Perfect! That will definitely give that stupid church a blow! Speaking of which, have you heard from the outpost that is trying to summon a Great One?"
"Hmph, nope and never cared. I don't think they can do it anyway so I wouldn't be expecting anything."
"Wahaha! You're right about that! Never knew why the Bishops let them go ahead with it. Oh! By the way, I heard the country of Dong will be making a move soon."
"Kekeke~ That means chaos and an easier time for us, perfect!"
"My thoughts exactly!"
We strode down the corridor, the torches on both sides of the wall lighting up automatically as we passed by.
"Se we gonna be heading to the final phase? How many are there within the orb now?"
I glanced at the orb, "Probably about three hundred or so. I don't remember the exact number."
"Wahahaha! That is impressive enough! With our army, we could even take over the whole continent by force if we want to!"
"Kekeke~ It is just a matter of time."
It was a short walk for us before we reached our destination, the room locked behind a set of thick stone doors.
I had just placed my hand on the surface of the door when a shrill whistle echoed throughout the corridor.
We froze.
That sound meant that someone foreign had just entered our base through our teleportation hall and something tells me that I would most definitely not be glad to see who it was.
As per protocol, we used a shadow tunnel to teleport ourselves to the hall where a large crowd had already gathered, a contrast to the previously empty hall when I had arrived.
And who else should the intruder be but the man, the myth, the legend, Master Lin himself.
"Now… I know who you guys are and you know who I am. I don't know what you are doing here and nor do I really care. If you are looking for a ransom, I can tell you I have the money. But I also have a particular set of skills, skills that I have acquired after long years of cultivation. Return to me my mofu mofu and that will be the end of it, I will not kill you today. Don't, and I will kill each and everyone of you in this place."
A particularly brave, dumb, but brave, acolyte stepped forward, "There's more than a thousand of us in here, Master Lin. Surely you don't think you can take all of us on?"
The strongest Practitioner in our Plane turned his head slowly towards the person that spoke.
"I will. Personally. Kill. Each. And every one. Of you." He repeated, emphasizing on each word that he spoke.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmUsually, this would be where I would step up and mock him for his arrogance, but the aura that he was giving off felt vastly different from that night I infiltrated into his room.
It felt more… Malicious? No… It was more suffocating.
That was when I realised…
For him to come here using the shadow tunnel, it means he is capable of using Dark Quarks as well, the element that is supposed to be avoided and despised by every other Practitioner not of our Sect.
This… This is not good. We have severely underestimated Master Lin.
As slowly as possible, I moved the orb underneath my cloak, hiding it from view.
Someone else stepped forward, "Here's a counter proposal Master Lin, you join us and we won't kill you. And maybe you can get that er… Mofu? That mofu whatever thing from us if you behave well enough."
Master Lin merely returned his head to stare straight ahead, "Last warning from me before people start dying here."
"The only one who will die is you!" The brave but oh so foolish one brought his hand up to summon an arc of dark lightning.
Before he could even throw it at his target, Master Lin had already stretched out his hand towards the acolyte and pulled.
That Dark Sect member's throat was ripped out, the man needing another second longer to register what had happened before he collapsed on his knees, clutching at his throat and drowning in his own blood.
Master Lin waved his hand again and the acolyte's face caved in like something had punched it in, breaking possibly everything in his body before flinging him away.
He crashed into the column at lightning speed, his entire body a mangled mess with almost every bone sticking out of his body. Needless to say, he's already quite dead.
Master Lin sighed, "I guess death it is then."
"Kill him!"