Chapter 366 — When Assassins Receive an Invitation They'd Rather Never Read
Night had fallen over the city.
Not a normal night.
A heavy night.
A night where even the stray dogs had decided that… honestly… staying hidden was an excellent idea.
In his room, Brakk sat at the table.
The Malfrin parchment lay before him.
He stared at it as if it were a bomb.
— …well, he said.
— Let's go.
He cut his finger slightly, let a drop of blood fall onto the black seal…
Nothing happened.
Silence.
— …great, he muttered.
— I just summoned a magical invoice.
Then suddenly—
The seal absorbed the blood.
The parchment began to tremble.
The room's light dropped sharply.
And a voice echoed behind him.
— We don't like being called after midnight.
Brakk didn't move.
— …yes, he replied calmly.
— But you like money at any hour.
Silence.
Then a second voice:
— Depends on the amount.
Brakk sighed.
— Always so charming.
He turned slowly.
Three silhouettes were there.
No door had moved.
No rune had reacted.
They had simply… appeared.
The first wore a cracked white mask.
The second stood with arms crossed, leaning against the wall as if he'd lived there for ten years.
The third, sitting on Brakk's table, spun a knife between her fingers.
— Well, she said.
— You woke us up.
— So I hope this is either very profitable…
— Or very funny.
Brakk smiled.
— Both.
She stopped spinning the knife.
— Continue.
---
### Zahkariel's fractured dimension
Zahkariel watched.
Always.
He observed the scene like someone binge‑watching a series.
— Ah… the Malfrin…
He let out a quiet laugh.
— Those ones are interesting.
An ancient pact burned slowly behind him.
— They're not assassins…
— They're organized disasters.
He narrowed his eyes.
— Let's see how far you'll go, Brakk…
---
### Back with Brakk
— The target? asked the cracked mask.
Brakk laced his fingers together.
— A jinn.
Silence.
The knife stopped spinning.
The man against the wall lifted his head.
— …repeat.
— A millennia‑old pact jinn, said Brakk.
Silence.
Then the girl burst out laughing.
— HAHAHAHAHA
— Oh no, I love it.
— I LOVE it.
She clapped her hands.
— Did you hear that?
— The guy wants us to go after a jinn.
— Why not a concept while we're at it?
— Should we stab gravity too?
The man at the wall sighed.
— Did you lose a bet, man?
Brakk shook his head.
— No.
— I lost my patience.
He placed his hands on the table.
— I'm not asking you to kill him.
— I want him weakened.
The room grew slightly more serious.
— Pacts? asked the cracked mask.
— Yes.
— Anchoring?
— Yes.
— Domain?
— Yes.
The girl whistled.
— …so we're talking about a full jinn.
Brakk nodded.
— I want him to lose his edge.
— Just enough for me to play my game.
The man at the wall crossed his arms.
— And why would we accept?
Brakk smiled.
— Because if I fall…
— This jinn will look for other pacts.
Silence.
— Some of which might be… yours.
No one spoke.
Then the girl gently set down the knife.
— …okay.
— Now you're starting to get interesting.
---
### Zahkariel's dimension
Zahkariel laughed.
— Oh Brakk…
— You're really playing.
His gaze darkened.
— But you forget one detail…
Around him, fragments of pacts swirled.
— I don't need to be strong to be dangerous.
---
### Back with Brakk
— Price, said the cracked mask.
Brakk pulled out a small chest.
He opened it.
A strange glow spilled out.
The three assassins froze.
— …okay, murmured the girl.
— Now this is serious.
The man at the wall straightened.
— Where did you steal that?
— I don't steal, replied Brakk.
— I acquire strategically.
She chuckled.
— So you steal well.
Brakk shrugged.
— It's a relic of the original pact.
— It can disrupt contractual bonds.
Silence.
— …you really want to play against a jinn, whispered the cracked mask.
Brakk smiled.
— I'm not playing against him.
His gaze turned cold.
— I'm playing to win.
---
### Narrator
And so…
Brakk had just hired the most dangerous guild in the world…
to weaken a jinn who was watching everything…
with a relic capable of fracturing pacts…
Meanwhile…
At the hunters' guild…
Ethan sat before a mountain of food.
— …you think I'm overdoing it? he asked.
Lya looked at him.
— Ethan.
— Yes?
— You're eating out of a salad bowl.
— …it's a big bowl.
— It's a container for ten people.
Ethan shrugged.
— I need energy.
Kael sighed.
— Why do I feel like a global conspiracy is brewing…
— And you're just preparing to eat more?
Ethan thought.
— You never know.
— If the world ends…
— I don't want to die hungry.
Chapter 367— When Assassins Start to Appreciate Your Level of Vice
Brakk's room was still bathed in low light.
The three Malfrin members stared at the open chest.
No one spoke.
Not for lack of things to say.
Rather because each was calculating how many deaths, broken pacts, and magical catastrophes this mission implied.
The girl slowly spun her knife.
Then she smiled.
— What you're proposing is very interesting, little one.
She tilted her head slightly.
— You're planning something.
— Our role will just be to weaken him for you.
She shrugged.
— Either way… as long as we get our reward…
— We couldn't care less what you're plotting.
Brakk smiled calmly.
— That's why I like you.
— You're professionals.
— No, she replied.
— We're greedy.
— The nuance matters.
The man at the wall nodded.
— Very important.
The cracked mask finally spoke.
His voice was deep, calm.
— To measure yourself against a jinn…
— You've got guts.
Brakk slowly placed his hand on his face.
— I know…
He ran his fingers back through his hair.
His smile appeared.
A despicable smile.
The kind of smile that made people say: *"ah… he's the problem."*
— They've always told me I had that little something extra.
The girl sighed.
— Yeah.
— Definitely not humility.
The one leaning against the wall straightened slightly.
— The level of malice in you…
— Honestly… I can only applaud.
He clapped slowly.
— I'm sure the guild master would love to see you.
Brakk raised a brow.
— Me?
He tilted his head.
— Why not.
— Because you're exactly the kind of guy he collects, the assassin replied.
— Smart… ambitious…
— And morally catastrophic.
The girl added:
— We've got a whole wall for that.
— A wall? asked Brakk.
— Yes, she said.
— We call it "future problems."
---
### Zahkariel's dimension
Zahkariel was still watching.
Lying in the void, a burned pact spinning between his fingers.
— Oh…
He smiled slowly.
— Now it's getting fun.
His gaze settled on Brakk.
— You don't even try to hide your ambition.
He chuckled.
— You'd make an excellent jinn, human.
---
### Back with Brakk
— Alright, said the cracked mask.
— Let's be clear.
He pointed a finger at Brakk.
— Weakening a jinn… what exactly does that mean to you?
Brakk closed the chest.
— Three things.
He raised one finger.
— I want his pacts to become unstable.
Second finger.
— I want his domain to lose coherence.
Third finger.
— And I want him forced to react.
Silence.
— …you want to push him out of his dominant position, murmured the girl.
— Exactly.
— You want to put him in a situation of error, added the man at the wall.
— Yes.
— And then?
Brakk smiled.
— Then… I'll handle it.
They all stared at him.
— You know what? said the girl.
— I don't even want to know.
---
### A faint sound
A shiver ran through the room.
A tiny vibration.
Brakk was the only one who felt it.
A voice resonated softly in his mind.
The invisible jinn.
— Don't tell them everything.
— They like surprises… but not when they come from their clients.
Brakk showed no outward reaction.
— And remember, the voice continued.
— A jinn doesn't fight with strength.
— He fights with rules.
Brakk nodded ever so slightly.
— So? asked the girl.
— When do we start?
— Not yet, Brakk replied.
— First… you'll meet someone.
Silence.
— Who? asked the cracked mask.
Brakk placed a hand on the table.
— Someone who knows jinn pacts better than anyone.
The man at the wall narrowed his eyes.
— A scholar?
Brakk smiled.
— Worse.
— A priest?
— Worse.
— …a magical accountant?
Brakk exhaled through his nose.
— A former pact‑bearer.
Silence.
The girl grimaced.
— Oooh no.
— Surviving pact‑bearers are all weird.
— Yes, Brakk confirmed.
— But this one is useful.
---
### Zahkariel's dimension
Zahkariel stopped smiling.
— …well now.
His gaze grew colder.
— A former pact‑bearer?
Around him, several pacts cracked slightly.
— You're really asking for trouble…
---
### Narrator
And so…
Brakk had hired a guild of assassins.
Was preparing a meeting with a survivor of pacts.
And was receiving advice from an invisible jinn helping him… without being there.
Meanwhile…
At the hunters' guild…
Ethan stared at an empty tray.
— …who finished my dessert?
Everyone looked at him.
— Ethan, said Lya.
— You ate it.
— …ah.
He thought.
— Well.
— False alarm.
— Case closed.
Kael sighed.
— I can feel we're about to get dragged into something huge again.
Ethan shrugged.
— As long as we eat first.
Chapter 368— The Man Who Survived a Pact (and Regrets It Every Day)
Night had fallen.
Brakk walked down a narrow alley, accompanied by the three Malfrin members.
The place smelled of dampness, residual magic… and bad decisions.
— Remind me why this guy lives in such a hole, murmured the girl.
— Because he's alive, Brakk replied.
— Former pact‑bearers tend to choose hidden survival over spectacular death.
— Understandable, said the man at the wall.
— I avoid spectacular deaths too.
— You work in an assassins' guild, she reminded him.
— Yes, but for other people.
They arrived before a blackened wooden door.
No handle.
No visible lock.
Just a carved symbol.
A broken circle surrounded by burned lines.
The cracked mask whispered:
— Broken pact…
— Yes, said Brakk.
— And he survived.
Silence.
— …okay, I'm starting to see why you want to talk to him, the girl muttered.
Brakk knocked three times.
Nothing.
Then a hoarse voice came from behind the door:
— If you're debt collectors, I'm dead.
— If you're assassins, I'm already dead.
— If you're a jinn… go to hell.
Brakk smiled.
— None of the three.
— I came to talk business.
Silence.
Then:
— …that's even worse. Come in.
The door opened on its own.
---
### Inside
The room looked like a scholar's workshop… one that had abandoned all notion of order.
Books everywhere.
Erased magic circles.
Broken pact chains hanging on the walls.
And at the center…
A thin, unshaven man in worn robes.
He looked up.
— …ah.
He fixed his eyes on Brakk.
— You.
— Me.
— You've got the face of someone about to cause me problems.
— Probably.
— And them? he asked, glancing at the Malfrin.
— They're here to make sure my problems become someone else's.
— Logical.
The man sighed and sat down.
— Fine.
— Tell me.
— Which jinn ruined your life?
Brakk answered calmly:
— Zahkariel.
Total silence.
Even the Malfrin stopped moving.
The man froze.
Then burst out laughing.
— HAHAHAHA — oh, you're serious.
He leaned forward.
— No, but… really?
— Yes.
— Zahkariel of fractured pacts?
— Yes.
— The millennia‑old manipulator?
— Yes.
— The one who collects souls like others collect stamps?
— Yes.
The man stood.
— Perfect.
He grabbed a bottle.
— Anyone want a drink before dying?
---
### A few minutes later
Everyone was seated.
The former pact‑bearer studied Brakk.
— Alright.
— You've got two options.
He raised one finger.
— Either you run.
Second finger.
— Or you do something so dangerous even I want to hear it.
Brakk smiled.
— I want to weaken him.
The man slowly set down his bottle.
— …okay.
— Now we're talking.
---
### Zahkariel's fractured dimension
Zahkariel stopped smiling.
Around him, several fragments of pacts began to vibrate.
— You're really going that far…
His gaze hardened.
— You're looking for someone who knows how to hurt me.
His voice dropped lower.
— Interesting.
---
### Back with the pact‑bearer
— A jinn, the man explained, never fights directly.
He traced a circle on the table with his finger.
— He fights with his rules.
He pointed at Brakk.
— If you want to weaken him, you must strike:
— His pacts.
— His anchors.
— Or his magical credibility.
The girl blinked.
— His credibility?
— Yes, he replied.
— A jinn exists because his pacts are recognized.
He tapped the table.
— If his pacts become unstable…
— He becomes vulnerable.
The Malfrin exchanged a look.
— …this is starting to get interesting, murmured the cracked mask.
Brakk asked calmly:
— How do we do it?
The man stared at him.
For a long time.
Then he smiled.
— We don't.
Silence.
— We do worse.
---
### Narrator
In a forgotten alley…
A former pact‑bearer explained how to break a jinn.
In a fractured dimension…
Zahkariel began to realize his host was truly playing a dangerous game.
And at the guild…
Ethan trained alone in the empty hall.
Bam.
A punch split the air.
Another.
The floor trembled slightly.
Shadow peeked through the door.
— You know you don't have to destroy the air with your fists?
— Yes, Ethan replied calmly.
— It looked at me funny.
Shadow sighed.
— …that was air.
Ethan shrugged.
— You never know.
Shadow walked away.
— This guild is going to kill me before the enemies do…
Chapter 369 — Snakes Don't Like Spies
**Secret base of the Malfrin**
The room was drowned in controlled gloom.
A round table.
Four silhouettes around it.
The old pact‑bearer was already sweating.
Brakk sat calmly, one hand on his face.
— "Well…" he sighed.
— "You promised us a miracle plan. We're listening."
The pact‑bearer straightened his coat.
— "Very well… listen carefully."
He placed a parchment on the table.
— "Zahkariel is not simply a powerful jinn.
— He is the end of commitments.
— His strength does not come from magic… but from the pacts he breaks."
Mister Mind, the cracked mask, tilted his head.
— "Go on."
The pact‑bearer nodded.
— "Every broken pact feeds his existence.
— Every promise annulled strengthens his presence.
— But…"
He raised a finger.
— "If he is forced to maintain a pact, he weakens."
Silence.
Haya raised an eyebrow.
— "…wait.
— You mean we have to trap him in a contract?"
— "Exactly."
The pact‑bearer leaned forward.
— "We create a magical pact that cannot be broken without immediate consequence.
— A pact that demands he protect something.
— Or someone."
Bloodweaver, leaning against the wall, spoke for the first time:
— "And while he is bound to uphold that pact…
— his nature contradicts itself."
The pact‑bearer smiled.
— "Yes.
— He becomes unstable.
— His power drops.
— And then… you can hurt him."
Brakk slowly sat up.
— "…ok.
— I'll admit, that's not stupid."
Haya crossed her arms.
— "And how do we make him sign it?
— You gonna send him a form?"
The pact‑bearer coughed.
— "There is an ancient ritual…
— called the Absolute Engagement.
— If we trap Zahkariel in a circle of pact and a human host accepts the contract…"
Brakk raised a finger.
— "Stop."
Silence.
— "So you're suggesting we trap a millennial jinn…
— with a magical contract…
— hoping he accepts?"
The pact‑bearer hesitated.
— "…yes?"
Brakk covered his face with his hand.
— "Magnificent.
— Stupid… dangerous… improbable…"
He lifted his head with a grin.
— "I love it."
Haya burst out laughing.
— "Yeah, that's exactly the kind of idea that ends in disaster."
Bloodweaver nodded.
— "So it suits us perfectly."
The pact‑bearer exhaled, relieved.
— "You see! We can work together—"
Mister Mind suddenly laughed.
— "Hahahaha…"
Everyone turned to him.
— "…we don't need you."
Silence.
The pact‑bearer blinked.
— "Wait… I'm not looking for trouble…
— I just wanted to help…"
Haya smiled softly.
— "Rule number one, old man."
She spun a blade between her fingers.
— "Never trust assassins."
Brakk muttered:
— "That's exactly what I said… even I have to be careful…"
The pact‑bearer stepped back.
— "Wait… you're not—"
Mister Mind approached slowly.
— "You trusted the wrong people."
Bloodweaver left the wall.
His aura grew crushing.
The pact‑bearer paled.
— "Oh no… they really want to get rid of me…"
Brakk sighed.
— "What a bunch of psychopaths…"
---
**Flash fight**
The pact‑bearer panicked and summoned several pact creatures.
Twisted silhouettes emerged.
Mister Mind watched calmly.
— "Haya."
She raised a finger.
— "Two seconds only.
— Otherwise the hunters will sense the anomaly."
She snapped her fingers.
The world froze.
Silence became absolute.
Then—
BOOM.
She vanished.
A black trail ripped through the room.
Heads torn.
Bodies severed.
Creatures destroyed.
She reappeared, exhaling.
— "There.
— Quick cleanup."
Brakk stared at her.
— "…remind me never to piss you off."
---
**The interrogation**
Mister Mind stepped toward the pact‑bearer.
The old man trembled.
— "You must be wondering how to escape…"
He touched the fissure of his mask.
— "Maybe if you bow… we'll let you live…"
The pact‑bearer nodded frantically.
— "Yes! Yes! Exactly!"
Mister Mind tilted his head.
— "You don't wonder why I chose to eliminate you?"
— "I don't know!"
Mister Mind placed his hand on his forehead.
— "Oh… you want to deny?"
His eyes gleamed behind the mask.
— "Speak."
The pact‑bearer's mind cracked.
— "IT'S ZAHKARIEL WHO SENT ME!"
Silence.
Brakk's eyes widened.
— "…ah."
The pact‑bearer continued against his will:
— "He wanted to test if you had a plan against him!
— He wanted to know if Brakk was preparing something!
— He had to give you a real method… to earn your trust!"
Brakk froze.
— "…that jinn almost had me."
Bloodweaver shrugged.
— "See.
— You can never be too careful."
Brakk ran a hand through his hair.
— "How could I fall for it so easily…"
---
**Zahkariel's dimension**
Zahkariel watched.
A slow smile.
— "Brakk…" he murmured.
— "You're learning."
His eyes gleamed.
— "But not fast enough."