Aria's confidence grew as she ventured deeper into the woods. Everywhere within the manifestation, personal burdens were woven into the fabric of reality, distorting the environment and affecting all who entered. These abnormalities could only be controlled by heroic spirits.A popular saying on the internet warned that anyone wary of encountering ghosts should visit Martyr Cemetery—where evil spirits dared not venture.Heroic spirits had protected civilians during wartime, and they continued their watch even in death. Their power was such that, with a weapon in hand, enemies became nonexistent.Aria eyed the abnormalities, then glanced at Simon. "Can you handle this?"Simon replied flatly, "It doesn't affect me, but you might be vulnerable. Humans have their seven deadly sins. I'm sure you have a weakness. If your dark side surfaces, nobody will leave this manifestation alive."Aria raised her phone, snapping a picture of the terrain and enemy troops. She grinned. "You know, befo
Once Aria made a decision, there was no turning back. As the beast of fortune, Simon could avoid many misfortunes, making it safest for him to return with the photos of the enemy's base. However, Simon's mind lingered on Aria. They were both from Southbury, and she was the only person besides David, who had never demanded anything from him after saving his life. Simon had always believed he was nothing more than a mere human, not some fabled beast of fortune.He had been taught that every citizen held a duty to their country in times of crisis. So, he decided to form a pact. When a beast of fortune offers protection to their chosen, it sends shockwaves across the land and even underground, resonating with all.Aria, the protectee, looked up in stunned silence.This pact was different—its power wasn't merely personal. It carried the weight of a nation's rise. By initiating the pact, Simon would cast blessings throughout Farshya. In doing so, he would alleviate his burdens, while Ar
The man wearing a robe lowered his arm. He had a sinister look on his face. "Stop the fight. Wait until the beast of fortune leaves before continuing."The Krowonian soldier felt a surge of irritation at the endless stream of superstitious nonsense Morlock Grimalkin was spewing. "We're at war. I'm sure the Farshyans know that the battlefield is everchanging. We can't afford to delay any opportunities.""I understand that. However, the fortune is now on their side. A reckless attack could lead us astray in ways we cannot predict."Morlock turned, revealing a deep scar etched across his brow. His face, sharp and unkind, carried the harshness of his words. High cheekbones jutted like blades, and his piercing eyes glimmered with malice.It was said a person's features could reveal their nature, and Morlock embodied that belief. Yet, Darius favored such individuals. He saw them not as men of principle but as tools, driven by personal gain—tools he could wield to his advantage."What sh
It was one thing if this was the Beast of Fortune's own intention—but what if someone else was manipulating it? Morlock's gaze darkened. He had to find the culprit. The Beast of Fortune should belong to him!Just as Morlock was about to leave, Darius stopped him, "Mr. Grimalkin, some of my cowardly soldiers claimed they keep hearing cries from fortune-tellers. Do you have a way to deal with it?"Morlock sneered. "They're still making a commotion even after death. Take this talisman. My fellow peers sure never knew what was good for them."Darius immediately gestured for his subordinates to take the talisman. Darius was quite cautious around Morlock. He never forgot why Morlock's peers had their guard down. It was all because of Morlock's betrayal. These thoughts never left his mind.Morlock came to Darius during the night. He was exactly what Darius thought Farshyan fortune tellers would look like—eerie and unpleasant.However, Morlock's proposal was too tempting. He said he cou
There was no way the Cerulean Dragon would change its master without Landon's permission. He was not like Chaos, who would obey anyone who fed him. The Cerulean Dragon was the smartest among the Four Perils. It was proud, and thus, it was difficult for him to yield to any human. Although the Cerulean Dragon might have swapped owners willingly, it had to endure a thunderstrike from the heavens as a punishment. However, there was no thunderstrike or punishments of any sort. It seemed like the heavens were celebrating—the Divine Clouds shimmered brilliantly.The crow circled above, observing the extraordinary scene. After all, it wasn't every day that such joyous celebrations occurred in both the Heavens and the Netherrealm.The crow decided it was better than Landon being hot-headed and hosting a grand wedding. Compared to that, gifting a beast of fortune and invoking divine fortune seemed perfectly reasonable.In the depths of the Netherrealm, the air stirred with the crow's fl
There were no surveillance cameras in this era, so Aria didn't have to worry about being discovered. At the heart of the camp, the patrolling guards were far more alert.Snipers were usually stationed at high points, lying in wait, so Aria needed to identify every blind spot carefully.This required careful observation, but Aria had a solid grasp of the soldiers' routines. Those with a keen understanding of military operations knew that patrolling schedules, though predictable, adhered to a strict schedule. By cracking their routine, Aria spotted her opportunity to infiltrate the team during the handover.Aria moved discreetly as the soldiers exchanged their covert signals, pulling the last soldier out of the line without drawing attention.The darkening sky made it easy for her to take action. She quickly changed into his uniform and blended into the squad without anyone noticing.She even left behind a Krowonian traditional outfit beside the young soldier. Aria didn't leav
The soldier was clearly a traitor who had studied abroad. He followed Viktor closely, speaking respectfully in accented Krowonian and fanning him as he talked.Although Aria couldn't see his face, his voice sounded familiar. She felt certain she had heard it somewhere before.As Aria lagged behind, her slow pace drew attention."You, there! What are you doing?" the squad leader barked. Instantly, all eyes turned to Aria—including those of the traitor.Aria was fluent in Krowonian, but disguising her voice was a challenge. Lowering it to a gruff tone, she replied, "Yes, sir! There seems to be a fire over there."Everyone immediately looked in the direction she pointed. Viktor's expression darkened. "Damn it! Our food supplies!"The dining area and food storage were ablaze. No one understood how the fire had started, and panic erupted among the soldiers.In his frustration, Viktor kicked the traitor—Eddy Caldwell—to the ground. Yet Eddy scrambled to his feet, unfazed, and offered
However, Viktor failed to find anything. His expression darkened as he whipped the person over and over again."Some Farshyan bastards must have sneaked inside!"Viktor turned abruptly, pointing the whip at Eddy. "You! Didn't you say the Farshyans' weaponry is limited and outdated? How the hell did they set fire from outside?"Eddy was at a loss. Desperately trying to piece together an explanation, he ventured, "Maybe... one of them studied abroad in Krowo and became familiar with our weaponry?""Studied abroad…" Viktor suddenly looked up. "Apart from our soldiers, are there any outsiders in our camp?"The deputy officer immediately replied, "There are some dancers and musicians here to entertain the troop.""Investigate them immediately!" Viktor ordered, his teeth clenched as his gaze fell on the scorched remains of their food supplies.At first, Viktor hadn't been too worried. He had dismissed the Farshyans as incompetent fools, incapable of such sabotage. After all, the Krowo
Aliya had never heard of the Special Missions Unit until today. But after seeing Pedro's panicked reaction, it didn't take long for her to realize that this was a group with more authority than even her father.Still, some people lived so long in privilege that they convinced themselves they were untouchable. Logic no longer applied to them.Aria was done entertaining Aliya's ignorance. With a flick of her wrist, she signaled someone to silence her. Then, she turned to Aliya with icy disdain."Don't worry," Aria said. "I'll take you with me when I pay your father a visit. Then we can ask him together what his name truly means in this state."Her voice was calm but sharp."You seem to have forgotten that his power—any power—comes from the people. And now, you're using that power to treat their lives like currency. To buy yourself a life of superiority."She stepped closer. "Organ trafficking is illegal here. That's the crime we've confirmed so far. But don't worry. We'll find the
When Pedro heard that it was the Special Missions Unit, his forehead was covered in sweat immediately. Even his mind had gone blank. At that moment, all he could think about was how doomed they were!Others might not have heard of the unit before. However, as a state official, there was no way Pedro wouldn't know them. In fact, the Special Missions Unit was something they had no control over.Technically, the Special Missions Unit had way more clearance than they did. After all, they were in charge of big cases. Sometimes, they would even work with the special troops.The Special Missions Unit belonged to the country, and they were extremely mysterious. Even people with high clearance wouldn't know who they were in real life.Pedro only managed to find his voice after a long time. As he wiped the sweat off his forehead, he chuckled awkwardly."Oh, this is all a misunderstanding. May I know who I am speaking to? I never expected the Special Missions Unit to be carrying out a missio
Aliya had never met Aria before, but this was the first time she'd seen a young woman more poised—and far more arrogant—than herself. That only fueled her rage. And the fact that Aria was stunningly beautiful didn't help either.Scoffing, she snapped, "Do you dare let us make our calls? Let's see if you still look so smug after that."The other wealthy attendees stiffened. None of them moved. With Aria in the room, they had the sinking feeling that calling in favors wouldn't end well.Aria merely tilted her head and smiled. "Of course," she said, then turned to her team. "Please hand this lady her phone. Let her make her call."The members of the Special Missions Unit didn't question her. They knew Aria well enough to understand what she was doing—she wanted the bigger fish. The call would be recorded, and with any luck, it would lead them straight to someone higher up the chain.Aliya was momentarily thrown off by Aria's easy agreement. But she quickly chalked it up to ignorance.
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