‎The Varas girl was a joke.

At least that was Conrad's current analysis of her.

‎" What sort of idiot creeps onto the battlefield without masking their killing intent?!"

‎Conrad had become aware of Nadia the moment she arrived, sensing her presence even in the heat of battle.

‎He immediately realized what she was trying to do, and if he could, then the dolt in front of him probably could as well.

‎He quickly deduced what was going on, turning his attention back to the masked man.

‎A slight grimace twisted his face.

‎" Well, things might get a little harder from here on out."

‎Of course, Conrad was well-versed in the revered Ghost technique Nadia was using.

‎The Ghost technique was famous because it allowed one, in a sense, to erase one' presence completely and seamlessly blend in with their surroundings.

‎Contrary to the simple explanation, the hallowed technique was anything but simple.

‎The reason for that was also quite simple.

‎When a normal person attacked, they did so with the intent to kill, and for most seasoned fighters, that intent was quite palpable.

‎ It was difficult attacking someone who wanted to kill you without wanting to kill them. Bordering on impossible.

‎For that reason, the person wielding the technique had to kill others without wanting to kill them, basically without releasing even a sliver of killing intent.

‎Which, frankly, even for a badass like Conrad, was quite the tall order.

‎The same reason was also why Drake Varas, the freaking Spectre, was an anomaly.

‎And that was why his feats were legendary in the Brotherhood, rivalling even the guardians of the Seven Shadows.

‎The man was a psychopath. Even Conrad doubted he'd come out of a fight with him unscathed.

‎Coating his fists in umbralis, Conrad parried the man's attacks, mixing in a few attacks of his own in the process.

‎His fists collided with the dark blade again and again in an endless cycle of punishment, but the dark blade stubbornly held, refusing to be broken.

‎"Who even made this thing?"

‎Shifting his weight slightly, Conrad avoided what would have been a fatal blow.

‎" This guy is pretty good," he thought, a belated smile appearing on his face.

‎" Too bad I may have to kill him."

‎In the space of a heartbeat, Conrad abruptly lunged forward.

‎His fist whipped through the air, delivering a devastating counter punch.

‎The masked man parried with his blade, grunting from the force of the blow.

‎An explosion of light and sound rocked the plaza, lifting dust and debris into the air.

‎A massive shockwave rippled outward from the force of the terrible impact, levelling the nearby buildings and shattering the glass panes of the still-standing shops.

‎The ground cracked beneath the two men, forming a deep crater beneath them.

‎Annonymous staggered back, absorbing the blow.

‎Skidding to a stop, the masked figure cocked his head to the side, staring at the maestro.

‎" That was quite impressive. "

‎A heartbeat later, a sliver of killing intent flared from the shadows.

‎Conrad almost cursed out loud.

‎" Bloody hell!"

‎Annonymous's hand blurred through the air, throwing a dark projectile at a seemingly empty spot in the rubble behind him.

‎In the same breath, Conrad darted forward, pushing against the ground with all his strength.

‎ Focusing all his umbralis into his feet, his figure became a dark blur.

‎Anonymous slashed at the empty air, but a split second later Conrad materialized, shielding the startled woman below from the blade's trajectory.

‎The dark blade effortlessly slid into his vulnerable fore arm.

‎A wave of pain ripped through his arm, his vision momentarily turning white from the shock.

‎Conrad bit back a curse, pulling on the umbralis coursing within his body.

‎He deftly augmented the entry point of the blade, effectively preventing the blade from slicing through the rest of his limb.

‎" This wretched bastard!"

‎He grunted, straining against Annonymous in a battle of raw strength. He almost screamed when he felt the blade scrape his bone, nicking it.

‎Conrad roared, forcing back the masked figure.

‎" If you're just going to get in the way, you might as well make yourself useful and leave," he growled.

‎Conrad grabbed Nadia, literally sweeping her off her feet in one fluid motion, then jumped out of the way.

‎A heartbeat later, Annonymous's blade flashed through the spot where he'd been standing.

‎Nadia was visibly flustered, her pale face turning a bright pink.

‎A moment later, Conrad lost his glasses to Anonymous's blade.

‎" Set me dow..."

‎Conrad promptly tossed her into the air. The blonde beauty yelped, then fluid spun in the air, landing on her feet.

‎" If I continue fighting with this guy like this, she'll only become more of a hindrance."

‎He licked his wound, wincing slightly.

‎" Not poisoned, that's good. Let's take things up a notch."

‎Conrad focused on his awakened ability.

‎In his mind, the image of a woman in a pristine white nightdress appeared, the hair dancing in the breeze of a ghostly wind.

‎" Mum."

‎The woman's melodic laugh cut through his subconscious, stirring a long-lost emotion within him.

‎Her deep brown eyes bore into his own, full of warmth and love.

‎In the next instant, a different image appeared.

‎The woman lay on the floor, a gaping hole in her torso.

‎Her glassy, lifeless eyes stared at him accusingly, devoid of warmth and love.

‎Conrad shuddered, letting out a frigid breath.

‎ The nightdress, once pristine, was now bloody, vivid splotches of dark blood marring the pure fabric.

‎The two images overlapped in his mind, giving birth to a deep rage that spilled up from the depths of his heart.

‎He glanced down at his hands, his tiny hands, that were covered in her innocent blood.

‎She had been innocent. Innocent.

‎" I'll never forgive them. Never!"

‎In the next moment, pure unbridled rage coursed through him.

His irises turned an eerie golden.

‎Inky darkness flowed into his sclera, turning them dark as night.

‎His perception of the world shifted.

‎Conrad could see everything, hear almost everything.

‎This was his world, his to do with as he pleased.

‎" Not yet. I'll play with him a bit longer. See if he has any other tricks up his sleeve."

‎Conrad took a step forward.

‎Anonymous shifted slightly, sensing the change in his presence.

‎"Something's different. This man, he's probably awakened. If that's the case, I may have to use that card."

‎A moment later, Conrad was upon him.

‎His fists blurred through the air, leaving after-images in their wake.

‎Thunderous shockwaves rippled through the air, from the fight, devastating the remaining infrastructure.

‎With every block, the ground cracked further and further.

‎****

‎Outside the dome, the ground trembled violently from the catastrophic vibrations of the different fights within the dark barrier.

‎Reporters from the different news agencies frantically broadcast the situation live.

‎News vans swarmed the outside of the dome, monitoring the situation's progression.

‎Camera shutters clicked nonstop, drones hovered above the dome, filming the massive dark expanse that shrouded the greater half of the city.

‎Back at the Thane estate, Damien stared at the screen in front of him with growing apprehension.

‎His fingers rhythmically drummed the table surface in front of him, in an irregular pattern.

‎" Is everything alright, sir?"

‎Damien glanced at the redhead standing at his side.

‎His grey eyes narrowed in obvious irritation.

‎" Of course," he replied smoothly, his voice oozing sarcasm.

‎"Everything is fine."

‎Rebecca let out a quiet sigh, turning her attention to the screen.

‎A dark-haired woman with radiant amber eyes intensely stared into the camera, a concerned look on her face.

‎"Jules Eternia, reporting to you live from Eden City's Eastern Borough, where a dark dome has appeared over the city. "

‎She turned to the dome, gesturing with her hand.

‎"From what we can see, the dome is quite solid, refusing to allow anything in or out, for that matter. So far, the police have tried repeatedly to enter the dome, but their attempts have been fruitless."

‎" Step away from the dome, ma'am," a gruff voice said.

‎ Jules turned with practiced surprise.

‎Her eyes widened in actual surprise when she noticed the man speaking.

‎" Jackpot!" she thought triumphantly. The reporter in her could smell a good story from a mile away.

‎ Jules immediately closed the distance between her and her victim.

‎"And joining us is the Chief of the Eden City police department, Mr Richard Atkinson. "

‎" At this point, I have no comment, ma'am. Good day. "

‎The middle-aged man promptly turned on his heel and strode away.

‎Just then, a visible tremor rocked the ground on the screen.

‎People staggered, swaying on their feet. Hysteric screams filled the air.

‎On screen, Jules Eternia turned back to Richard's retreating figure.

‎" No comment, sir?"

‎Damien almost felt sorry for the man.

‎His thoughts turned to Luke and Conrad.

‎"Come on. Wrap this up already."

‎Just then, his comlink blinked.

‎Taking a deep breath, he tapped it, and the holographic images of Cedric Ash and Marco Dark appeared.

‎" To what do I owe the pleasure?"

‎A sombre silence filled the room.

‎Damien suddenly felt uneasy looking at the two other members of the Council of Assassins.

‎After a while, Marco spoke.

‎"Given the gravity of the situation, perhaps we should involve one of the guardians of the Seven."

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