Chapter 104: Evangeline.

Nothing in the world truly matters...

Evangeline had come up with this phrase a long time ago...

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***

Night time...

"In and out of the shadows, never to be revealed, never to be seen... That is the life fated for those born into the family. "

The once huge and imposing figure of a man now lay dying in his bed as he spoke in a raspy voice.

"What is our purpose, Father? Why do we wield blades in a world with no criminals? Why do we train to take lives in a world filled with peace?" A young girl with a head full of white hair and gem-like eyes asked the dying man as he slowly but surely crossed over to the pearly gates.

"Eva, this world is not as it seems. Behind every curtain is a door to rooms filled with endless mystery, things one might even be inclined to call nightmares. But do not be scared even if you are alone." Her father said to her even as his eyes glazed over.

"But why?! Why do we have to stay hidden? Can't we just stop being killers? I'm sure everyone will-"

"Eva..." The dying man called out, breaking the young Evangeline from her words and teary eyes.

"Father?"

"The shadows were created to protect us from what is to come because it is coming... I need you to promise... me... you will... survive..."

Silence...

The soul of the father had departed, and all that was left was a little girl in a heavily ornamented room. The sounds of silent sobs were nearly deafening the room for a while before they completely stopped.

An unearthly chill passed through the room as the windows slammed open all of a sudden. However, the little girl didn't even seem fazed, as although there were tears in her eyes, a new cold look had also appeared.

"Family head..."

Sitting on the window sill was a woman of unearthly beauty illuminated by the moonlight. Her hair was whiter than freshly fallen snow, and her eyes, just like Evangeline's, were as sanguine as blood...

"Eva, your father is dead, which means you are the last of the Birich branch of the family still living." Despite her unimaginable beauty, the words that came from her mouth were colder than ice.

Despite her words, the young Evangeline stood without being fazed, "Yes, family head. I will do everything in my power to serve the family as the last survivor of the Birich branch."

A slight smile parted the vibrant red lips of the woman, "Good..."

With that, the beautiful, yet ruthless woman, also known as the Red Slaughter, the head of the underworld Bryne family, by people of the underworld disappeared, leaving the young girl in the cold dark room with the corpse of her father.

"In and out of the shadows, never to be revealed, never to be seen... That is the life fated for those born into the family."

Evangeline repeated the words of her father, burning them into her mind, and solidifying her resolve...

Going back to the bed, she lifted the cold hands of her father and lay her's on them. Picking an apple knife sitting on a nightstand beside the bed, she took a deep sigh before plunging.

SLICK!

The sound of metal tearing into flesh could be heard as Evangeline stabbed the knife straight through her tiny hands into her father's. Despite these traumatizing actions, she remained unfazed by the pain due to several years of assassin conditioning as a child...

"Bound by blood, I swear to keep this oath made by daughter to father. I will survive..."

Drawing the knife out of their wounds, Evangeline proceeded to stand up from the chair she sat on beside the bed and walk towards the window of a room that had no doors. Gazing at the moon and its magnificent glory, she couldn't help but think of what her life would be like had she not been born into the underworld, doomed to be obscure from the rest of society.

Doomed to live and die by the sword...

'Will there ever be a meaning to all this?' She asked the heavens.

Unbeknownst to her, the heavens always have a response...

***

Evangeline looked down on Cain without even a single change in expression.

ROAR!!!

Ruby let out a roar of rage as she pounced at Evangeline. Her claws glowed a sinister red as she swiped down with full force.

Dodging the bear's eviscerating attack with a slight tilt of her body, Evangeline was within Ruby's personal space in the blink of an eye.

PA! PA! BOOM!

Two straight kicks to the head, followed by an axe kick that sent the poor bear's head straight into the ground were delivered by Evangeline

"You... you..." Jenny, who was standing a little bit away from the scene had her eyes widened in shock.

"Relax. They aren't dead... yet." Evangeline said as she began walking over to Cain's body.

"Don't move!" Jenny yelled at Evangeline. In less than a second, her sniper rifle had materialized in her hands, and she pointed it straight at her as her eyes took on a deep shade of purple.

"Do you want to join them?" Evangeline said slowly, the killing intent on her body rising with every word.

'This crazy-'

Suddenly, Cain, who was supposed to be unconscious, stood up from the ground abruptly...

His eyes were calm, as though all that had happened just a few seconds ago were a hazy dream.

"Cain..." Jenny looked at him, intensely baffled.

"Let's go. It isn't safe here..." Cain said. With incredible strength, he picked the unconscious Ruby from the ground.

"Seems like I knocked some sense into your head," Evangeline said ruthlessly.

"Blood Regeneration."

Streams of blood elemental mana poured into the wound on his head, forming intricate magical scalpels that operated on the wound on his head. A few seconds later, the injury in his head was completely gone, with only a thin faint scar left.

With Ruby on his shoulder, he turned around and dashed away...

"Ha... I'm so confused." Jenny held onto her head in confusion, wondering deeply about the events that had just taken place.

"Let's go. If my guess is correct, those devils should have noticed us by now. If we wait any longer, we will be spotted." Evangeline said before slinking back into the shadows.

'Why do things have to be like this?' Jenny could only lament as she also activated her stealth skill just in time.

The second her invincibility skill was activated, the gigantic figure of a {Hulking Behemoth} revealed itself.

The creature took a look at the ground, only for it to spot the pool of blood that had leaked out of Cain's head when he had fallen to the ground unconscious.

Walking up to it, it placed the tip of its gigantic bladed forelimb into the pool of blood. Raising it and placing the drop of blood into its mouth, the monster could taste the sweet savor of human blood.

A monstrous grin made its way to its face, "They were here..."

***

"Lord J'orntz, the humans you spoke of were there. However, by the moment I arrived, they had already fled." The {Hulking Behemoth} said to the {Phantasma} that still stood beside the {Appendage}.

"I know. I could sense it..." Bloodlust could be seen on the Soul Devil's face as it waved at the spawn devils.

"It's time to attack. They might have a formidable force now, as we aren't at full power, but we have superior numbers as well as Mother and Devonte. There is now at for us to lose."

With glowing green eyes that could burn through the soul of anything living, the Soul Devil made its command.

"We have eaten our fill from this forest. It is high time we completed our task and progressed toward Mother's goal... Assemble all the lower spawn devils. We shall attack those humans and prepare them for Mother to feast upon."

"It shall be done, Lord J'orntz."

***

Racing through the forest, Cain's mind replayed what had happened numerous times, but he still wasn't able to completely grasp what had happened...

'If I hadn't moved my head in that split second, I would be dead.' Cain realized that what had him clinging on to dear life at the moment wasn't his skills, but his overwhelming speed. Should his agility and perception stats be lower than they were, he would be a molting corpse already.

'What did she do?'

Cain wasn't able to register what Evangeline had done. All he knew was she moved so fast, his eyes and mind were not able to follow as quickly as he would have liked, which nearly led to him losing his life.

'It was so unexpected, but I was able to understand one thing. That wasn't a skill or spell." Cain could feel his heart rate speed up as he made his conclusion...

"That was a martial technique whose effects are multiplied more than ten times over!"

After the thousand-year war and the breakdown of the old civilization, the ruins of the old world had been excavated, and various relics of the past had been discovered.

Alongside these relics were important scientific and technological information, as well as the less important, and less known pieces of random information.

These bits and pieces of information ranged from all sorts of etiquette practiced by different cultures in the old age to various recipes for cooking dishes that were regarded as the national treasures of the countries they belonged to.

Among these pieces of less-known information, was a particular set of knowledge that were exceptionally useful to the denizens of the underworld...

At that time, the underworld was still a budding dream yet to be realized by its progenitors. These pieces of information were known as martial techniques...

Although the army and world governments had managed to gather many of these martial techniques, the majority of them still fell into the hands of the primogenitors of the underworld...

From these martial techniques, the various families and clans of the underworld that existed were able to create the world they so desired...

A world that shouldn't exist...

A world filled with evil that was bound by a strict set of rules that said evil could not break under any circumstances...

Cain was able to tell it was a martial technique because he had seen one being executed before, a long time ago...

However, the only difference, was the one he had seen was nowhere as powerful as this one, even though this one lacked the grace, finesse, and effect the former possessed.

'To think she is also one of them... it seems this world is starting t get even more interesting.'

Although he had just been put down by her, he wasn't bothered at all...

This wasn't because he was confident in his power. That was far from it...

'I was nearly killed because of my negligence. It will never happen again...'

He was confident, but in something completely different...

'That martial technique... I will learn it!'