“[Reptilian] M-m-monster!” The captain of the Temple Guards squealed with utter terror settled on his face, as he was forced to watch how one of his subordinates turned into a floating globe of viscous goo and seeped into the robed merchant’s body. 

He was utterly shocked and horrified as well deeply confused about what had just happened. What did he do…  How did he do what he just did…

But most importantly.

“[Reptilian] J-just w-what are you?! What kind of creature… Some sort of demon?!” The captain cried out, watching with utter horror as the robed and hooded man slowly, casually made his way over the second unconscious guard across the other end of the room.

The same terrifying aura swirled around him as it consciously tried protecting its master. The pressure never eased and kept both the Draconic Skink captain and his last remaining senior guard plastered on the cold hard inn’s floor. No matter how hard they tried, how hard they tried to squirm their way around, they could not move their bodies even a single inch.

The only compromise they were seemingly given was that they could move their heads ever-so-slightly. Not much, just enough to raise their gaze and watch with a gradually growing despair as this horrific reaper has begun to cull yet another one of their own.

As the Captain watched for the second time that the robed merchant’s right arm shot forward like a bolt from a crossbow and penetrated deep within the flesh of his subordinate, his confusion only grew, never calmed. 

Why didn’t the rest of his team come in already? How could they not realize that something was going on? This pressure, this power… even if they had no talent at all, they HAD to realize that the situation has gone to hell and beyond… Yet, none of them ever showed up.

“[Reptilian] I know what you are thinking…” Suddenly the cold, deep voice rang throughout the hall. Just as the second body turned to a floating ball of liquid and was subsequently absorbed by the strange creature, the merchant’s cold, cruel voice filled the room. 

The voice sneered. Even with the unnatural cover of his hood, from his tone, it was clear that the merchant sneered at the Temple Guard Captain. As if he could read his thoughts, he continued.

“[Reptilian] Let me guess… You are wondering why nobody is charging in? You have brought an entire battalion of soldiers, surrounded the building, gave the command for everyone to stand by and be on alert… yet, help just doesn’t come… Heh… How strange indeed…” 

A deep cackle rang throughout the now eerie room.

“[Reptilian] I am sure there are millions of theories revolving around inside that small, fragile head of yours… Thinking that they may have already been dealt with. Killed, murdered in cold blood, and that you have been set up.” 

The strange figure sneered again, making the Captain shudder at the thought of what was going on. Could this man read the minds of others? He was scared, terrified at the thought.

The figure cackled again before resuming. At the same time, he slowly began to approach the two. The little baggage, hanging from his neck, little Tolliah was softly humming, as if nothing that had transpired so far has phased her. She hummed some song happily to herself as she kept her arms locked tight over his Beloved Papa’s neck.

With his left arm, the hooded merchant, Aiden softly caressed the little girl’s back whilst he slowly, calmly approached the two remaining figures lying on the floor.

Taking only a few more extra seconds to cross the meager distance, Aiden stood over the lying figure, taking a few extra moments -which was most likely incredibly tense for the Captain and the silent guard-, before he slowly crouched down. A pair of glimmering, ominous golden-yellowish orbs looked from deeper in the darkness.

“[Reptilian] You do not need to worry. I am not like you, miserable filth. I do not prey on the weak, and contrary to how you may think I do not enjoy causing suffering.” 

A sigh escaped from the dark confines, followed by a breath of warm air.

“[Reptilian] I honestly hate that once again, we have come to this. I try my best, yet your corrupted, tainted filth is just adamant in turning into fodder.

“[Reptilian] I am gonna be honest with you here, Mr. Captain.” He continued. “Before you and overflowing contempt ruined it all, I have planned to have this all resolved peacefully. I truly did.”

Aiden sighed again, slowly raising his right arm. As the sleeves of his tunic rolled back, it revealed a thick, golden scaled, ebony-clawed arm. Loud, bony cracks rang out as he moved his fingers and clicked his joints.

“[Reptilian] Even though I haven’t expected that the man would actually do something so spineless as to contact you guys… Sigh… I guess it is my fault for trusting that bast-” He stopped himself from saying what he originally wanted to, and with a faked light cough he continued. 

“[Reptilian] *Khm!* that unsightly man… In any case, he is no longer with us. He has paid the price for his actions.” 

Aiden said, taking a short pause in his speech before he continued. 

“[Reptilian] Still, I guess this whole situation is also my fault as well… *Sigh* …For still being a child, after everything… For naively thinking that we could resolve this conflict without needless bloodshed.” 

He sighed once again, shaking his head. 

However, suddenly the tone shifted. 

The looming scythe that was his right hand suddenly struck down with blurring speed, carving, plunging deep into the Captain’s body. His scaled skin provided no protection, no resistance at all. 

“Urgh…” The Temple Guard Captain grunted with pain, as he felt the searing burn, the electric jolt as his synapses, his nerves were suddenly torn apart, severed. His mind was rapidly descending into chaos.

“[Reptilian] Though this may complicate matters a bit… So I do hope you will provide me ample information as compensation for my troubles, okay?”

—

The last remaining guard’s stoic expression finally cracked when he watched his Captain suffering the exact same fate as those two hotheaded youngsters before him. He watched with utter horror as the clawed reaper struck down, ripping apart scales, skin, flesh, and gore without a single twitch in his eyes.

The guard didn’t know what to even think at this point, no matter how hard he tried to recall the records, the oldest, mostly guarded scrolls from the central High Temple’s hidden library, he could not recall any creature or myth with anything similar.

From the short glimpse, he managed to steal when the hooded merchant showed his hand, however, his eyes went wide with the shock.

—

>>>Check out my latest novel: The Strongest Demon Lord in the Modern World<<

It’s an urban modern-day styled story, with a reverse transmigrated (‘Banished’) immortal entity from the fantastical world of Nova!

Planned Tags and Genre:  # CULTIVATION  # R18  # BETRAYAL  # TRANSMIGRATION  # URBAN  # ACTION  # ANTIHERO  # OVERPOWERED (romance maybe at some later point)

—

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Links:

https://discord.link/Shaele

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