Chapter 104 Underground Hideout

Luna and Nami grew excited at Number One's words. He seemed quite determined to improve which was everything they could want. He didn't just ignore their worries and instead worked on fixing their issues.

"What's the plan then?" Luna questioned quietly but Number One only smiled while preparing to launch forward.

"There is no plan. We go in and cooperate without saying a single word. We should practice the understanding with just our bodies," Number One informed and finally dashed through the open plane using his Heavenly Clouds Steps. They had to be as silent as possible and his Soul Art fit perfectly.

Number One didn't even look behind him to see if the girls followed him or not. It was all about trust and training their awareness. Each of them was supposed to cover the other two without a need to react. It was the first time Number One ever tried to rely on someone else in battle but he wouldn't know how it was until he tried it.

The Sand Bandits seemed to have turned the whole mountain into their base as each flat surface had bunkers that allowed them to watch both the sky and the land underneath. They were on a special alert after the recent attack but Number One showed no hesitation.

"Ah! Enemi—" the Sand Bandit tried to cry out as soon as he spotted them from the gap in the bunker but his words were cut off by a flying Soul Sword. It pierced right through the man's forehead before Number One jumped inside through the small opening.

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Four Sand Bandits gazed at Number One in shock as he pulled out his sword and immediately fired Fireballs from their fists. They didn't expect Number One to run straight past them without care and sank his sword in the bandit's chest.

"Call for alar—" The other three immediately dashed to pull the string for alarm but Number One wasn't alone. His two beauties were already on the site and cut the three bandits without a single wasted move.

Number One was like a crude barbarian with his own Soul Sword while the girls performed beautiful Soul Arts that only added to their strength and speed.

Thud.

The bodies hit the ground at the same time and Number One crouched to take out the bandit's loot. Normally he wouldn't be interested but any amount of Soul Crystals improved his heavenly space. The girls had a similar idea and swiftly kept three pouches in their Storage Rings.

The main targets were obviously the Orange Soul Crystals that were taken by the Sand Bandits in the hideout so Number One didn't expect much from the rest. They swiftly left the bunker without saying a single word and rushed to the second. This time it was Luna who led the pack with an excited grin on her face.

'Even if this is training, stay near Luna and work together. I will always be fine if I'm hurt, you might not,' Number One advised in his mind and Nami acknowledged with a quick yes. Everyone had their own advantage in each field and they had to use all their strengths.

"Hahaha, are you serious? They were hiding in a protective barrier while you all extracted the Soul Crystals?"

A loud voice came from the inside of the bunker as Luna paused by the entrance.

"If only you saw their faces! They were so mad, hahaha! If only we had more time I would get even more crystals," the Sand Bandit called out in laughter. "I only managed to get— Ugh!"

A Soul Sword passed through the man's chest as he withdrew the bag from his Yellow Storage Ring and he coughed blood inside. He dropped to his knees and watched as Luna launched forward and cut the other four men before they could even react.

"Thanks for the loot. You saved us time," Number One commented as he took over the bag and the ring just before the bandit fell to the ground. He then gazed at Luna who was coming back with a smile.

"You are enjoying it too much," Number One pointed out in worry and reached out to wipe a drop of blood from her cheek. "It's your first time killing other people and you act like you have been doing it for years. Make sure it doesn't get to your head."

It was quite easy to lose compassion after killing a lot and Miss Black was a great example. She would cut through humans as if they were beasts and didn't even care. Number One gave this short moment for Luna to realize her actions.

"Huuu… I think I'm still full of energy from earlier…" Luna took a deep breath. "I have killed hundreds of beasts and fighting was so fun. I imagined those Bandits as if they were beasts so it felt easier to kill them."

"I know," Number One nodded while leaning over to kiss her. "That's why I remind you so you don't turn into a killing maniac. We are only killing them because they stole from us and they are bad people. In the future, only resort to killing if you have to protect yourself or you have no other choice to achieve your goals."

"Why do you treat me like a kid? I'm not stupid…" Luna pouted at his words but Number One only had a simple response.

"Because you are mine and I care about you," Number One replied and flicked her nose playfully. "Let's go."

Even though Luna was still excited as they killed one group after another but Number One noticed her improving attitude. Instead of killing because she enjoyed it, she killed because it was necessary and she wanted to impress him. It was no longer mindless butchering and they actually progressed as a group.

The whole scenario was moving too smoothly and they were eventually discovered. They didn't leave time to hide the bodies which made it quite obvious that they were being attacked. They only managed to clear the west side when they spotted two Sand Bandits flying from the east side of the mountain that was already filled with corpses.

"I guess it was still good for our first training," Number One commented as his wings burst out and he launched towards the culprits. If they couldn't be sneaky anymore, they could only face the hideout directly.

The two Sand Bandits didn't hesitate to run away and Number One let them lead them straight towards their base. They were not aware that the intruders had no idea where it was exactly and they led them straight toward death.

"Get inside and block the entrance!" the Sand Bandits cried out as they landed in front of a hidden opening only to be turned into hedgehogs. Numerous blades pierced into their backs and they scared the other bandits away.

They momentarily covered the entrance with a heavy stone plate which caused Number One to chuckle. He landed carefully and left the looting to the ladies as he withdrew a dark pill. "You should cover your nose and mouth with a cloth."

Number One had some thought earlier that morning on what kind of pills would be useful to him and he made sure to make various kinds. One of them was an Explosive Pill that acted exactly like it was named.

Bang!

The pill exploded on impact and the stone plate turned into a giant cloud of dust that covered them from head to toe. That didn't stop Number One who already covered his eyes with Soul Vision and rushed inside the opening with his sword cutting anything on his path.

"Intruders!" the Sand Bandits yelled every time to alarm the rest as if the explosion wasn't already obvious. One even tried to retreat with their Movement Arts but Number One caught him right as he reached the main cavern.

"Ughhh!" the bandit grunted as Number One gutted him from the back and he dropped down onto the man-made stairs. His body was slowly sliding down towards a massive underground bar with hundreds of bandits staring at him.

They all stopped drinking and eating as dust filled the cavern which made Number One dumbfounded. "Are you all actually delusional? Did you really start to celebrate with drinks and whores after robbing a Soul Academy? What did you think was going to happen? Did you think we will die to some Heaven Rank Soul Beast?"

Number One was actually speechless and his words caused a pin drop silence in a previously noisy bar. Only then did he see the bar was just one part of it and soon more people began going out from the living quarters built in the walls.

"Alright, you have a minute to take out all the Soul Crystals and Storage Rings you have or I'm going on a killing spree," Number One broke the silence with a confident tone. "I especially want all Orange Soul Crystals you stole from us and I will know if you are hiding anything. Don't make me wait."

The Sand Bandits looked at each other before they all began standing up from their tables and stopping their lovemaking that they were shameless enough to do it in public. Many of them formed Soul Weapons with clear intentions to fight it out.

"Hah, you want to take all of us with just you?" A dark-skinned, buff man questioned in laughter after pulling up his zipper. "Put your stick away before you stab yourself kid. You try to threaten us while being a White Talent?"

The man caused everyone to burst out laughing and his Green Soul Energy shaped into a gigantic double-handed ax that he carried with a single hand. "Get your ass back to your stinky Academy before we make you."