The rain splattered against the rocks, its sound echoing through the cave. The crow, ever alert to its master's mood, knew trouble was brewing. Its owner, Landon, was growing impatient, his protective cover tossed aside as he sipped coffee with a bored expression.If the majestic lizard didn't act soon, the crow feared everything in the cave would be destroyed. It knew Landon's temper all too well. As expected, Landon grew bored of his coffee. He stood up and gazed at the glass lights the majestic lizard had carefully collected. Without a second thought, he touched one, and it shattered.Landon turned his attention to the deepest part of the cave. His handsome face remained indifferent while the black mist swirling around him kept others at bay. He looked almost god-like. "Release the souls," he commanded."Yes, my lord." Feeling relieved to have something to do, the crow was about to take off when three figures appeared through the rain. Recognizing one of them as Sam, the crow
The majestic lizard narrowed its eyes, growing more curious about who Aria was in her past life. But before it could ponder further, a wooden stick prodded against its back—Chaos was warning that it would be dead meat if it didn't open the cell quickly.The majestic lizard obeyed without hesitation and opened the cell despite knowing it was unnecessary—Landon could have bypassed it easily. Everything that was unfolding now was far from what the majestic lizard had imagined."What happened to your hand?" Aria asked, noticing blood on Landon's finger. She immediately grabbed his hand to examine it, then shot the lizard a sharp look.The majestic lizard instinctively backed away. It had nothing to do with Landon's injury, and it silently wondered how Aria could dare touch Landon's hand. Didn't she know Landon hated practitioners like her the most? Aria was doomed!Yet, to the lizard's astonishment, Landon, who could control people's fates and regarded humans as insignificant, actually
The majestic lizard grew nervous at Aria's remark and felt compelled to convince her. "I've already eaten most of the young demons in the northwest district. I needed their power to ascend into a dragon, so I ate them."Aria listened without much emotion before coldly responding, "If that's the case, I should kill you to protect our environment."The majestic lizard froze, stunned by her words. He wanted to appeal to Landon for help, but Landon didn't even spare him a glance.Aria, cool and composed, took Landon's hand and strode forward, her demeanor natural.Landon, still as graceful as ever, couldn't help but smile. His presence remained strong, and the lamps lit up in his wake as they passed. However, Aria's attention was focused on the trapped souls nearby. It was no wonder they couldn't leave—Draco was watching them, and a Soul Suppression Plaque was in place.Aria recognized that the plaque was the work of someone from her field. Her expression darkened as she yanked the
Cameron had initially treated Aria with disdain, believing in Lily's manipulative tales. It wasn't just Lily's deceit; Cameron's poor judgment played a role. However, after spending time with his grandfather and learning more, Cameron began to admire Aria. He realized how capable and admirable she was, especially after seeing her on the variety show where she saved the heroic spirits. Now, Cameron aspired to be as skilled as Aria.Lily wasn't frightening in and of herself, but Malcolm was wary of the trouble she might cause, fearing that she could damage Aria's fortunes. Lily had a knack for charming people and making them believe in her, which left Malcolm feeling unsettled. There was definitely something strange about her.No matter how often Malcolm thought Lily was gone for good, she somehow always reappeared. He couldn't understand how she managed to gain the respect of the Furler family to such a degree.This was also the first thing Aria noticed when she received Malcolm's
Draco was not just consumed by resentment—he also possessed two rare Protection Shields. One came from himself, a defense born out of his past experiences, and the other was granted by a spirit who had sacrificed all their remaining fortune to create it for him.Aria hadn't noticed the shield before due to the presence of the Soul Suppression Plaque, but now she paused, observing the faint golden glow that emanated from his resentment. "Were you a soldier before?" she asked.Draco's eyes burned with fury. "So what if I was? They never treated us like humans. They deserve to die! All of them who bullied my daughter should die!" His anger boiled over as the Soul Suppression Plaque gleamed, feeding off his intense resentment.When Aria saw that, she released Draco. Some Protection Shields wouldn't just appear because one was a soldier. The presence of the Protection Shield meant that Draco was not an ordinary soldier but one with great merit.Aria didn't want to get rid of Draco. Ho
The soul that Draco was gripping tightly didn't understand why Aria, who had previously stopped him, now allowed Draco to hurt others. Even Draco noticed this and turned to her. "Aren't you going to stop me? Didn't you say you would make me disappear if I didn't return?"Aria replied nonchalantly, "That was before. I treat those with merits differently. I can still make you disappear after you finish taking your revenge. But I'll tell you this—it's not worth it to waste your merits on a bunch of idiots."Draco's grip loosened slightly as he pondered her words, but the anger in his bloodshot eyes hadn't subsided. "They aren't innocent."Aria looked at him and replied, "I know they're not innocent. I'm just saying they're not the ones who bullied your daughter. You'll be making a huge mistake by killing them."The soul whom Draco was gripping quickly nodded. "She's right. Draco, we were wrong to spread false rumors online and do that to you. We're really sorry. Since we're all coll
"I'll eat them! We can talk this out. It's just eating a few people. I can do it! Once they return, I'll be waiting for them at their homes." The lizard was determined to prove its worth to Aria.The souls felt their feet going numb after hearing that, but Aria didn't spare them a glance. She turned to look at Draco instead. "When you wake up tomorrow, seek me out at Carver Group's. Does that sound good?"Draco thought for a moment before replying, "I believe in the Carver family."Then, he walked toward the Soul Lock Manifestation with half of his resentment gone.After he was gone, the other souls could finally move. None of them wanted to stay there, so they hurried forward and disappeared.Peace was finally back. The fog was also not as thick as before, and the skies in the city turned clear."It finally stopped raining." An elderly woman in the market sighed in relief, glad that the downpour had ceased. Continuous rain had made her joints ache, and she feared for the riverba
Aria asked the lizard, "Now that you haven't fulfilled his wish, what are you planning to do next?"The lizard appeared confused until Aria reminded it, "You made a pact. Breaking it will have consequences. Just look at your claws."As the lizard glanced down, it noticed the skin on its hand starting to crack. Its eyes widened in horror. "My skin is cracking! That old coot deceived me!"Nearby, Sam scoffed, thinking the lizard was overreacting. Once Aria deemed it useless, he would have a fine meal. There was no need for the lizard to treat its wound. A sprinkle of salt, and it would make for a delightful dish—Sam had become quite the connoisseur in food preparation.The lizard looked at Aria helplessly, "Miss, please help me!"Aria replied calmly, "It's simple. Become my spirit vassal and sign a pact with me. You've seen I'm a billionaire CEO in this world. I'm much more open than the person pulling your strings. He's probably not as wealthy as I am."The majestic lizard began t
Aliya squinted at the unmasked man beside Aria. Now that his face was fully visible, something about him sparked a flicker of recognition. She lowered her gaze, trying to recall where she'd seen him before.Then a sharp gasp cut through the air."He's from the York family… Janovin's York family! Wait—was he Mr. Crow? Were they working together the whole time?"Even though they were all wealthy people, they weren't in the same ranks. No one dared to mess with the York family at all.If the circumstances were different, the arrogant, wealthy people from earlier would've tried to exchange contacts with Landon. That way, they could've partnered up in the future. However, with what had happened that day, those people were in a daze.Meanwhile, Aria knew those people still had no idea what was going on. So, she just removed her disguise and showed them who she really was.Aliya was stunned by what Aria had done. When she saw who the latter truly was, her gaze was filled with jealousy.
The wealthy clients that were left behind at the auction had connections to powerful people, and Dave didn't think Aria was capable enough to deal with every one of them. Although Farshya was well-developed, it had always been a country that focused on connections.Power meant everything, and Dave wanted to see how Aria and her team would deal with his guests. If he remembered correctly, Aliya was the daughter of a great leader in the state. She wanted a womb from a young lady because she wanted to have children.Before the clients got what they wanted, Aria had offended a lot of big shots. Dave thought about it for a second and hoped Aria would suffer as much as he did.Dave was right about one thing. Aliya wasn't anxious at all when someone infiltrated the auction and took control of the event. She was only stunned for a moment at first. Once everything had settled down, she calmed down and even looked a little proud."I suggest you talk to your leader first before deciding to cu
Dave had escaped, but just barely.He'd saved his life, nothing more. The documents he needed to destroy were still intact. Everything had gone completely off script.Every exit had been sealed. If he hadn't killed a villager and disguised himself with a spell, he would've died at the auction. He didn't receive any news about the ambush and was caught entirely off guard.He wasn't in Janovin, and security was that tight there. With his connections, he could've found out what was going to happen in advance. However, that wasn't the case at all.Slipping into a grimy back alley, Dave cursed his luck. Most of his men had been rounded up in the village. He could only hope a few had managed to slip through. But with sirens wailing in the distance, he knew hope was thin."Who the hell was that?" he muttered, wiping dirt off his face with a shaking hand. Normally a stickler for cleanliness, Dave was too rattled to care. "And where's the real Eden?"His mind snapped into action. The scho
Landon's sudden appearance wasn't just a coincidence. With Aria's intelligence, she would figure something out soon—he knew that. He hadn't planned on revealing himself like this. But something that belonged to him was here, and the demonic energy in this place… Aria couldn't face it alone.She studied him from head to toe, her hand still in his. His grip was firm, protective."There's a lot of mist ahead," he said quietly. "We'll need to tread carefully."Aria tilted her head. "You speak like you know this place well.""I do," Landon replied with a calm honesty. "I was deathly ill once. My soul wandered into a place just like this. Homer pulled me back."His voice made it sound like a distant memory, and Aria gave a soft laugh, tightening her hold on his hand. "You really are full of surprises. I guess it's true—handsome men are the most dangerous."But Aria's thoughts were racing. Why had he come after her like this, knowing it would reveal parts of himself he'd tried to keep h
Landon was still handling the stragglers behind Aria when he paused, his gaze flicking upward. Cameras were mounted in every corner—too many eyes. Vanishing without a trace wasn't an option.He glanced in Aria's direction, then lowered his head. His lips moved in a whisper, but the sounds were incomprehensible—something rhythmic, otherworldly. It was less like a speech and more like a chant—an exorcism.Meanwhile, Dave descended into the underground, calm and unrushed. That place reeked of foul energy, dense and suffocating. His master had cast a spell over it—one designed to kill anyone who dared to enter, no matter their strength. Dave wasn't afraid. He had more pressing priorities—destroying documents, erasing traces, minimizing damage.His bodyguard stayed close, watching for anyone who might try to stop them.Aria, moving swiftly, reached the lower floor—only to halt. Mist curled along the ground, thickening with every step. The air turned icy. And the corridor behind her…
"Why would there be people outside?" asked Dave. He had been disguising himself as a doctor for years, and that was the first time he looked so anxious. After all, if someone did approach their building, the villagers would have informed them about it. However, they received no news this time.Dave wondered what was going on."Dr. Dave, what should we do now? I think we're surrounded!"He was still in his coat as he slightly clenched his fists. "Let's move out. Bring the girls in the basement with us.""T-They're not in the basement."When Dave heard that, he looked furious. "What do you mean they're not in the basement?""Someone took them away, and I'm guessing it was her fault!" The bodyguard pointed at Aria, who was standing on the highest point, showing off her skills. With swift, lethal kicks and a taser turned weapon, no one dared get close.Whoever touched Aria would die, and no one dared to approach her at all.As for Landon, he still had his mask on as he stood behind
Chaos erupted at the auction. For all their pride and arrogance, the wealthy clients' expressions had twisted into pure panic the moment something went wrong.So, their first reaction was to seek a staff member."The power's unstable!" Dave spoke into the microphone, trying to project calm. "Everyone, stay calm. There's scheduled maintenance in town—it's just affecting the electricity. Nothing's wrong."He genuinely believed that. It was what he'd been told.But Aria knew better. The blackout wasn't random. It was a signal. Sam had tracked down the source of the call. With the exits sealed off, Aria had everything she needed to act.A faint smirk curled on her lips. Without hesitation, she grabbed Landon and swiftly took Aliya hostage. Her movements were sharp, practiced, so fast that no one around her even had time to react.Then came the needles.Aria flicked her wrist, sending a series of acupuncture needles flying. The rich guests closest to her froze in place, locked in stu
Tony's accusation stirred a ripple through the room, and it didn't escape Dave's attention. With a subtle flick of his wrist, he signaled to someone nearby.Aria caught the movement. Her fingers tensed, ready to slip free of the rope she had already loosened. But before she could act, she heard a smooth, composed voice glide through the air."I need her to boost my luck," the man said coolly. "I've done my research. She's the ideal bride for someone like me."Dave stopped in his tracks, and it seemed like he was telling someone else to verify what Landon had said."Sir, it checks out," one of the staff murmured after a brief consultation. "Mr. Crow's fate is complicated. The master said only a spiritual match could extend his life. Otherwise, he won't make it past his next birthday."Dave let out a low chuckle, visibly relaxing. "Well then, Mr. Crow, it seems you've come to the right place. Please—carry on, everyone."Aria listened in stunned silence. Landon hadn't lied. His life
Aria couldn't tear her eyes away from Dave.He was still quietly speaking to the man on the screen, their exchange shrouded in secrecy. No one nearby could hear what they were saying—but Aria could guess. It had to be a deal of some sort, something about her. Everything about Dave's posture, the glint in his eyes, told her this wasn't just business. It was personal.She glanced up at the clock again, nerves coiling in her chest. Something was wrong. Sam was taking longer than usual. That wasn't like him.The auction was nearing its close. They couldn't miss the chance to strike. Sasha, glowing with excitement, clapped her hands and declared, "Six million! It looks like no one else is bidding—congratulations to our newest member, Mr. Tiger—""Ten million dollars."The voice sliced clean through the noise, calm, clear, and cold.Everyone turned toward it.A man stood at the edge of the crowd, dressed in a sleek tuxedo dusted with black feathers, his mask intricate and dark.T