An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

In the wee hours of the morning, a group of individuals dressed in black encircled the inn. With light

movements, they moved without a sound.

Resembling a pack of wolves hunting for prey, they were cautious, stealthy, and filled with the intent to

kill.

Currently, there were two guards stationed at the main entrance of the inn. However, they failed to

notice anything unusual due to the darkness.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze wafted through, carrying a faint mist with a unique fragrance.

Moments later, the two guards felt dizzy. Before they knew it, their vision went dark, and they collapsed

onto the ground.

After dealing with the two vigilant guards, the elite fighters from the Embersteel Order and Harmony

Sect, dressed in all black, swiftly surrounded the inn.

To avoid alerting anyone, they continued the use of drugs to clear their path instead of launching a

direct assault, spraying the sedative mist through door and window slits of every room.

The sedatives were Harmony Sects' secret concoction. While scarce, they were extremely potent.

Even divine-level martial artists would be incapacitated once exposed to it.

"Chester, how is it going?" After administering the sedatives, the two factions met in the corridor to

exchange information.

"The small fry have all been knocked out. Now, we just need to deal with that grandmaster," Chester

whispered.

"I've gathered information. Dustin's room is located on the far eastern side of the second floor. I'll

administer Tranqurin shortly while you seize the opportunity to inflict significant damage.

"We should be done after that!" Bertha whispered back.

"Understood." Chester nodded.

Bertha fell silent and made a gesture, leading a few highly skilled individuals with her upstairs. They

moved stealthily.

Chester and his group followed closely behind, leaving most of their martial artists downstairs to handle

any unexpected situations.

Only semi-grandmasters were allowed to head up with them.

Both Chester and Bertha were grandmasters, and they were further backed by six semi-grandmasters.

Together, their combined forces would prove more than enough to deal even with Damien, the number

one martial artist in the Southwest.

The group held their breath as they ascended the stairs quietly to the second floor, halting outside the

room at the far east.

After exchanging a nod with Chester, Bertha carefully pulled out a bamboo tube from her pocket and

inserted it under the door crack, giving a gentle blow.

A semi-transparent mist billowed out from the bamboo tube, entering the room and spreading rapidly.

The bamboo tube contained Tranquirin, which Bertha had manipulated into a colorless and odorless

mist. It was especially hard to detect at night.

After releasing Tranqurin, the group took out the masks they had prepared beforehand and covered

their faces. At the same time, it would prevent them from inhaling the substance.

They waited at the door for three minutes until the effects fully kicked in when Bertha suddenly

signaled, "Break in!"

Without hesitation, Chester forcefully kicked the door open, leading his skilled fighters as they charged

into the room.

However, halfway through, the unexpected sight inside left him stunned. The room was empty!

"What's going on? Where is he?" Chester widened his eyes and turned back to Bertha, who had

entered after him.

Bertha was equally puzzled, scanning the area with a bewildered expression, but there was no trace of

Dustin anywhere.

"Bertha, did we get the wrong room?" Chester asked with a frown.

"Impossible!" Bertha denied it immediately.

"I sent Sophia to check earlier. Dustin is staying in this room."

Bertha had always been careful. How would she make such a rookie mistake?

"Why is there no one here if he's staying in this room? He can't be answering nature's call at this time,

can he?" Chester snapped.

He cursed inwardly. They had been on edge the entire time, only to find the room empty. They had

even wasted half a bottle of Tranqurin.

"Hey, are you looking for me?" An icy voice rang out from behind them.

The group was startled and turned to look, only to find a newcomer by the door. That person was none

other than their target—Dustin!

"How did you end up behind us?" Bertha was shocked and puzzled. Dustin's elusive nature left her

inexplicably uneasy.

"I was in the next room and heard a noise, so I came out to check," Dustin responded indifferently.

Chester's expression darkened at his words, and he gave Bertha a questioning glance.

He grumbled silently, "Didn't you say you were sure you got the right room? Well, fuck, it turns out he

was in the room next door! How incompetent!"

Dutin's response made Bertha doubt herself. Did she really make a mistake?

What they didn't know was that Dustin had already changed rooms early on to be on the safe side, and

it appeared like he had been in luck.

"What are you still standing there for? Attack!" Bertha commanded sternly. Despite her misjudgment,

she had to press forward at this point.

"Attack!" Two semi-grandmasters nearest to the door unsheathed their swords without hesitation and

lunged at Dustin with ferocious slashes.

With the sudden attack at such a close range, even a grandmaster would find it challenging to react

without prior preparation.

Two blades struck Dustin's shoulders solidly. However, Dustin stood motionless, unaffected. Instead,

the two blades were shattered on impact.

"What?" Staring at their broken blades, the two men were dumbfounded.

Their precious blades were forged through countless refinements and were supposed to cut through

everything like butter.

Yet, when they slashed at Dustin, they didn't even manage to cut through his skin. Just how strong was

his energy armor?

"Ignorant fools!" Dustin sneered before raising his hand and slapping them.

Two thunderous claps echoed, and the two men were sent flying more than 30 feet away. They

crashed right through the walls and windows before falling heavily outside the inn.

Their bones had shattered, and blood spewed from their noses and mouths as they lay there on the

brink of death.