Chapter 1618 Chapter 1437: Cleaning

1618 Chapter 1437: Cleaning

While Alex had begun enjoying another date with Silveria, meanwhile, in the real world.

Somewhere in the underworld of Drexia empire.

''Shadow Walk!"

As dark mist mist enveloped Sera, she effortlessly descended into the darkness below. Landing softly, the mist dissipated, leaving her in utter darkness.

Activating her mana, she invoked "Shadow Adaption."

When she reopened her eyes, the darkness receded, and her surroundings became clear.

Silent, deserted underground chambers greeted her.

Rusty iron bars and large canvas tents sporadically dotted the space, resembling cages for animals.

She lifted a tent flap nearby.

Inside lay loosely scattered shackles, emitting faint warmth, indicating recent occupancy.

Perhaps just a few hours ago, someone was here.

She checked another area cautiously.

As she lifted the tent flap, a pungent odor assailed my senses—corpses, decaying for quite some time.

The nauseating stench hit her hard, and she immediately shifted his focus elsewhere.

There was nothing more to see here.

This place is a prison for holding slaves.

They've probably been moved elsewhere for the auction.

As for the corpses, it seems they were left there, their value diminished in the eyes of their captors.

Perhaps it's been so long since she'd felt this way, but... these emotions, she thought she had grown numb to them.

"I still have a long way to go," Sera silently mumbled, intent on focusing on the task at hand.

Clang!

Just as she was about to move, the sudden sound of metal opening made her hastily conceal herself.

Creak...

A slender woman with long hair laboriously crawled out from the darkness, one foot restrained by heavy shackles.

Somehow, she managed to unlock the prison and escape.

"Oh... Oh..."

Even at first glance, it was evident she was in dire straits.

She couldn't even muster a voice, only whimpering in agony.

If she remained in this condition, she wouldn't last long.

"My... my child..."

Child?

The whimper was barely audible, but it was unmistakable.

A mother's desperate plea to reach out to her child.

Like a whispering ghost in a eerie space, it echoed.

-Thunk!

In an instant, along with a fierce sound, a beam of light seeped from one side of the space.

The woman, struggling to stand, as if she had found a path to salvation, moved towards it.

Certainly, the beings appearing within that beam of light wouldn't be the ones to save her.

"What... What's happening?"

"Get her!"

Without hesitation, a group of men emerged from the light, running madly to seize her.

"Argh!"

Those men mercilessly twisted her arm, which already had no strength left.

Tears of pain streamed from her eyes.

"How the hell did she escape?"

"Does it matter now? The boss is about to arrive!"

"After all, we're not going to put this woman up for sale as merchandise. Just dispose of her now!"

They threw her back into the cell and, without a word, grabbed the club tucked at their waist.

'Dispose of her huh!'

Anyone listening would think they were disposing of trash. Indeed, there was no shortage of derogatory words for people.

'Perhaps what I'm doing now is just disposing of those who can't be of use like you humans.' Sera thought.

Swish

A torrent of blood gushed from his severed wrist.

Before he could scream, a blunt force silenced his vocal cords.

Thunk!

His unbalanced body lurched forward.

"Zukerman Midas. One of the three major merchants in the empire."

A voice, unfamiliar to him, echoed from somewhere.

"Murder, extortion, monopolizing the empire's business districts, and even operating slave markets against imperial law..."

These were the atrocities Zukerman had committed.

Though he wanted to say something, all that came out was a feeble moan.

"Enough reason to die, right?"

Zukerman strained to lift his head, desperation written on his face.

But the enigmatic voice continued without pause.

"I'll give you one minute..."

"...?"

"Just one minute. Use it to reflect on your crimes and wrongdoings. After that minute, your pain will vanish completely..."

Zukerman understood the implications.

Wasn't this an ultimatum to kill him after the minute passed?

"But during that minute, you won't die no matter what happens. Of course, there may be pains worse than what you're feeling now..."

It was an incomprehensible situation.

With all hope extinguished, Zukerman barely managed to raise his head.

"...?"

A face filled with inscrutable calmness stared back at him. Even thought he couldn't see her face, he had definitely heard about that mask. Zero's mask, rumors have it once you see the owner of this mask you ran out of luck because nobody survive after seeing this mask. The reason people are aware of who owned this mask was simply because Zero would leave this behind sometimes as a signature.

'So, the rumor that she was back and doing some cleaning was true?' Zukerman shivered, he knew he was a goner.

'I should have stopped doing illegal trading.'

One minute passed quickly before Sera killed him but after thoroughly torturing him.

After finishing Sera glanced towards where the woman lay.

"Huuhhh..."

She seemed still alive, judging by her state.

With tearful eyes, she continued to stroke the box. Was the child she desperately called for inside it?

Approaching her, she whispered, "I'm sorry... Truly sorry..."

There was nothing she could do, the woman couldn't be saved anymore.

Her gentle voice and tear-filled eyes revealed her deep emotions.

She was aware her time was running out.

'Is it pitiful? Well. Honestly, I've been numb for a long time. When I first started this, I was enraged to the point where everything in the world seemed despicable.

The harsh laws of the world.'

As Sera grew accustomed to it, her eyes and lips drew into a straight line.

There were too many in this world who met a miserable death like the woman before her.

She had inadvertently caught her eye, just like the countless others who had passed through her hands. Sera was not a savior, a hero who could save everyone, she is just but an assassin, doing job to get paid, sometimes she would act on a whim to save some but that's all. She's an assassin not a savior.

"My child... My child..." the woman's desperate cry brought Sera out of her reverie.

Sera could not bring herself to announce to her, her child was dead something she learned from Zukerman.

Finally as if she knew it,

Thud...

Her face fell lifelessly to the ground.

She had breathed her last.

If Sera leave her body like that, no one would care for her body anyway.

Therefore she gently raised her hand over her head.

Hiss...

Black mist flowed from her hand, enveloping her body warmly before dissipating into thin air.

''May your soul rest in peace!"

At least she could do this. Blending in the shadows Sera vanished, before the final act there is more to do. Clean the filth to reduce the variables that could pop out during the final war.

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!

Nickaido