After the lights came back on, everyone noticed Duke Negan was missing and began to panic—everyone except Lukas, who already knew what was happening. Calmly, he began walking toward the place where the gas would be released.
Meanwhile, in a small room, a man was busy preparing something when suddenly the door opened. He turned around, only to see someone step inside and close the door behind him.
"Huh? Who are you?" the man asked.
"I'm just someone who's here to kill you," Lukas replied with a smile.
"Why are you so confident? I might be the one who kills you instead."
"We'll see."
Lukas stood still, waiting. The apprentice threw a right hook, but Lukas caught the punch and slammed his forehead into the man's face. The apprentice staggered but quickly recovered and lashed out with a kick toward Lukas' crotch. Lukas lost his grip, giving the apprentice a chance to create some distance. Without hesitation, the apprentice turned and sprinted toward the wall—after all, as a Sequence 9 Apprentice, he could phase through solid matter.
"Tch. A member of the Abraham family running away like a scaredy cat from a Sequence 9 Beyonder with no backing? The Abraham family has really fallen low," Lukas sneered.
The apprentice froze. Rage twisted his features as he turned back toward Lukas.
"How dare you insult the Abraham family!" he shouted, charging forward.
But Lukas calmly pulled out a revolver.
Bang! Bang!
Two shots rang out, both bullets slamming into the apprentice's legs. He collapsed to the floor with a scream. Lukas walked over slowly, pointing the revolver at his head.
"Please! Don't shoot! If you kill me, my master will come after you. He's a Sequence 5 Beyonder!"
Lukas chuckled.
"If he's a Sequence 5 in the Abraham family right now, that means he holds a pretty high rank. He likely has students stronger than you, and replacing you wouldn't be a problem. Your death here is nothing but a reasonable development."
With those words, he pulled the trigger. The apprentice's head burst open, blood and brain matter splattering everywhere.
Meanwhile, in the forest near the manor, Duke Negan was locked in battle with a Sequence 6 Baron of Corruption. Both men were wounded, but Negan was in better condition.
At one point, Duke Negan screamed, "Disorder is prohibited here!" Immediately after, he used "Exile". The Baron of Corruption was blasted fifty meters away. But before Negan could press his advantage, the Baron countered with Bribe Arrogance, flooding the duke with an overwhelming sense of superiority.
For a few seconds, Negan was under the effect. Then he snapped back, saying, "Bribery is prohibited in this area!"
The Baron staggered, his form already showing signs of losing control. Sensing his opponent's weakness, Duke Negan uttered a single word—
"Death."
The Baron coughed violently, blood spraying from his mouth, before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Back in the manor, Lukas patiently waited for the apprentice's Beyonder characteristic to surface. After a few minutes, it finally emerged—a yellow-and-black stone shaped like a key. He picked it up and tucked it away.
Thirty minutes later, he was riding back in a carriage, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Those nobles were so grateful that I saved them, but somehow I only managed to earn twenty thousand pounds. Some of them even offered their daughters. Still, that's better than how Mr. Fool will do. also I picked up an Apprentice characteristic, even if I don't have a use for it. Maybe Quilly will."
A short while later, Lukas arrived at his house. Entering, he went straight to the table and said,
"Hey, Quilly. I got the Beyonder characteristic of a Sequence 9 Apprentice. I don't need it—do you want it?"
Words appeared in the air:
"I can devour the Apprentice characteristic."
Lukas blinked in surprise. "You can? Huh. Well, I don't need it anyway, and I'm not short on money. Might as well."
The next second, a powerful suction force pulled the characteristic away, leaving nothing behind.
"Damn… I never knew you could devour characteristics," Lukas muttered, still a little stunned.
The words in the air shifted again:
"Well, now you know."
Exhausted from the day's events, Lukas soon fell into a deep sleep.
Guys, I'm here again, and I want to say a few things. First, while writing this chapter, I realized I'm pretty bad at writing fights. I mean, it is my first time, so I guess it makes sense, but I'll try to improve.
Also, like always, I want to say thanks to these people:
A1B1D, who sent 1 power stone — I hope you have a good day or night.
Overcatch0, who sent 3 power stones — I appreciate it!
DaoistQhhnTN, with another 3 power stones — have a wonderful day or night.
Denton_Vultaggio, with 1 power stone — thank you very much.
god_of_infinity, with 2 power stones — have a good day or night.
Salman_Mustafa_9592, with another 2 power stones — have a good day or night.
Ahmed_Abdi_9831, with another 3 power stones — have a nice day or night.
SSDDZeus_6783, with another 3 power stones — I deeply appreciate it.
Also, guys, I'd really like to know — do you know any good LoTM fanfics? I want to improve my writing and pacing, so I'd really appreciate it.
Have a nice day or night!