Chapter 126: Meeting Jane Again
When Draco opened his eyes, he found himself in a different location—a forest. It was a familiar forest, one where he had once hunted Volkoids. However, he had no idea how far he was from Mercenary City.
Picking a direction, Draco started walking. After a few minutes, he heard the sound of weapons clashing, which made him quicken his pace toward the noise.
When he arrived at the scene, he saw someone surrounded by numerous black-clad figures. As he examined the lone fighter's face, he realized it was someone familiar...
This was Jane—the young girl who had once tried to assassinate him but also shared ramen with him. He was baffled by how such a young girl could possess such an intense aura.
But now, she was in trouble. Deep wounds covered her body as she struggled to fend off numerous assailants. When Draco turned his gaze toward her attackers, he noticed their black robes and familiar crests—they belonged to the Night Clan.
Did something happen? Draco was puzzled. Why would the Night Family be chasing one of their own? Or was it because she failed to assassinate me? Either way, she once showed mercy by not killing me. I should repay that favor.
"Oh, sorry to interrupt your lovely fight," Draco said with a chuckle.
The combatants froze and turned their attention to him.
When Jane saw Draco, her eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly masked her reaction.
"Excuse me, do you know the way to Mercenary City?" Draco asked, his teeth gleaming as he smiled.
The black-robed men exchanged glances before one reluctantly gave him directions. Draco nodded and cupped his fists in thanks, then turned and began walking away.
SWOOSH!
A sharp object sliced through the air, aimed directly at Draco's head.
Jane's eyes widened in panic, and she tried to warn him, but it was too late—or so it seemed.
The black-robed men smirked, assuming their attack had succeeded. However, their confidence shattered when they saw Draco standing unharmed, holding the weapon between his fingers.
It was a needle.
When did he even move his hand? Everyone, including Jane, was stunned.
"What are you guys doing?" Draco asked, feigning ignorance with an innocent expression.
"Stop pretending! You dare to kill our young master and expect us to let you walk away?" one of the robed men snarled as they began circling him.
Draco touched his face and realized he wasn't wearing a mask. They recognized him.
"I was planning to kill you all anyway," Draco said with a smile, his sharp canine teeth glinting in the light.
The black-robed men sneered. "Let's see who eliminates who," one of them retorted confidently.
Their confidence stemmed from their collective strength, which far exceeded that of the guards who had once protected Casper. They believed Draco couldn't possibly handle them all.
But they had miscalculated.
Draco's strength had grown tenfold since their last encounter.
Draco took a single step forward, releasing his killing intent.
The air grew heavy as an overwhelming pressure descended upon everyone present. Jane and the black-robed men shivered, their bodies frozen in terror. It felt as if they were locked in the grim reaper's deadly embrace.
Behind Draco, his killing intent materialized, taking on an almost tangible form. It made them wonder—how many lives had Draco taken to amass such a terrifying presence?
Before, his aura had been restrained, like a sealed jar. Now, the lid was off, and a mere fraction—just one-quarter—of his massacre intent spilled out.
Even so, it was enough to paralyze them with fear.
Draco, however, remained cautious. He wasn't the type to reveal his full strength unnecessarily. Jane's allegiance was still uncertain—was she a friend or an enemy? Until he knew for sure, it was better to tread carefully.
The black-robed men's expressions turned grim at the sight of Draco's overwhelming aura, but they assumed it was just a facade. Half of them stepped forward and attacked.
No one saw how Draco moved. Suddenly, heads flew into the air, blood spraying from necks. Everyone's expressions shifted to terror.
Draco remained standing exactly where he had been, as if he hadn't moved at all. This left the onlookers in shock. Jane, too, was stunned. She began to wonder if Draco had been this strong when she had attempted to assassinate him. Recalling that time, she remembered how calm his expression had been.
She shuddered. It seemed heaven had truly saved her life back then.
Even though Draco wasn't as powerful then as he was now, neither was she. While Draco might not have been able to defeat her outright, if he had used the Ranger Form, she would have been dead meat. That was likely why Draco had refrained from fighting and let her leave.
Fighting in Calonia would have caused a commotion, and they might have been arrested—something Draco wanted to avoid.
The remaining black-robed men fled in terror. They had underestimated their opponent. Even though they weren't the core members of the Night Family, their strength wasn't to be taken lightly.
But now, six of them had been killed without even seeing how Draco had moved. This realization sent chills down their spines, driving them to retreat in fear.
"Give me a few moments. I'll be back," Draco said to Jane with a smile.
With a single step, he vanished. Every few seconds, the sound of screams echoed through the forest, sending shivers down anyone's spine.
Less than a minute later, Draco returned. One of the attackers had managed to escape using a teleportation rune. Draco could have killed him before he teleported but deliberately allowed him to leave.
He wanted someone to deliver the news to the Night Clan. As a main clan, they wouldn't take this lightly and would likely send more to deal with him. This was exactly what Draco wanted—to make them regret ever making an enemy of him.
And the scariest part? He hadn't even used a quarter of his strength.
When Draco returned to Jane, she eyed him warily.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to harm you. If I wanted to, do you think you could stop me?" he said with a chuckle.
Jane relaxed slightly at his words and began tending to her wounds, taking some pills to aid her recovery.
"The Dark God," Xylara's voice suddenly echoed in Draco's mind, startling him. "It seems we might have a lead on the Shadow Demon. Ask her if she has a twin."
"What happened? The Shadow Demon?" Draco asked, surprised.
"Just ask her," Xylara replied impatiently.
Draco turned to Jane and asked the question. Her body stiffened, and a flash of killing intent appeared in her eyes. Her reaction was all the answer Draco needed.
"Don't worry. I'm not here to harm either of you," Draco said in an attempt to calm her down.
"What's the connection between the Dark God and the Shadow Demon?" Draco asked Xylara.
"They are twin sisters from different mothers. Despite their differences, they share a strong familial bond," Xylara explained.
"Wow," Draco said, surprised. But then something clicked. "Wait… wait… the Shadow Demon is a female?"
"Yes," Xylara replied.
"But you said the Shadow Demon was a male!" Draco exclaimed.
"When did I say that? That was your misconception," Xylara teased, giggling.
Draco sighed. It seemed he had jumped to conclusions.
"You're heading to Mercenary City?" Jane's voice broke his thoughts.
"Yes," Draco replied with a nod.
"I'm going there too. If you don't mind, let's travel together," Jane suggested.
"I don't mind," Draco said with a chuckle.
With that, they left the area, Jane leading the way to Mercenary City.