Seeing the horde of armed thugs ahead, Alex walks up beside Benezia, who is already striding toward them with confidence.
She will kill them all. She might act all smart, but she has a surprisingly short fuse. If people piss her off, she's cold and ruthless.
"Benezia!" Alex says. "You might be smarter than all of us, but I still want you to communicate what you're planning to do. What do you want to do?"
"I'm volunteering to clean up the filth that's assaulting our senses," Benezia replies calmly.
Soulmate, why not let Benezia get rid of the trash?
No, this is not how I operate. This is, in fact, a great opportunity, so watch and learn, silly spider.
"What are those idiots talking about?" one of the thugs mutters.
"Who cares? Beat 'em up and take everything they've got!"
"Damn, that chick in blue looks weird. Look at her skin!"
"I still want her, look at her tits!!"
"No, you had the last one. This one's mine! I will enjoy that one."
"Are these guys for real? They notice the blue skin tone, but don't realize what that means. They might be dumber than I thought..." Alex mutters, slightly annoyed.
"I am merely disposing of trash," Benezia chuckles. "Surely you're not objecting to it? Not after those comments?"
As Alex prepares to respond, he suddenly feels [Uzin's Rage] stir within him.
His arm begins to tremble, and a violent urge to kill the men in front of him surges through his body.
No! My SPR is exactly half of my STR and AGI. I'm still in control! I need to calm down!
Alex steps forward, moving past Benezia, and approaches the group. His gaze locks onto the one wearing gold chains, rings, and an expensive-looking coat.
"Let me handle this," he says to Benezia, briefly looking back, before staring at his target.
"You're the boss, right?" Alex asks, his eyes fixed on the man in the center.
"Heh. Someone of your stature doesn't need to know," the man replies, arrogant and smug. "You'll either hand over everything you've got... or you'll die. Make your decision. Now!"
"I'll make you an offer too—and then you'll get to decide," Alex says, drawing his [Executioner's Blade R2].
"I'll show you exactly one move," he says, calmly. "After that, you can either continue to fight me, or get on your knees and apologize—and maybe we'll do some business. I give you a single chance, you'd better not waste it."
"What is this idiot saying?"
"Is he serious?"
"Hahahaha!"
The leader scoffs. "You've made your choice! Don't say I didn't give you a chanc—"
Before he can finish, Alex releases his full Aura, channeling all of it into his blade using Ko. In one swift movement, he strikes, unleashing a devastating Flying Fira Sword.
The Aura-infused flame slash carves through a third of the thugs—eight men in total—killing them instantly in a single, overwhelming attack, leaving behind cut apart, burned bodies, instantly filling the air with a sickening stench.
You have dealt 211 damage to Thug
You have killed Thug
...
You have dealt 161 damage to Thug
You have killed Thug
"D—D—Devil Fruit user!"
"Spare us, please!"
"He's a monster!"
"I've stated my terms," Alex says, glaring directly at the trembling leader.
The man drops to his knees, shaking uncontrollably. His remaining men follow suit without hesitation.
"See? That's much simpler," Alex says coolly. "A lot of your people died for nothing—but hey, maybe that's a good thing for you."
"Benezia," Alex says, glancing at her. "Show them we mean business."
Benezia wordlessly produces a few thick bundles of cash before tucking them back into her robe.
"We have a lot of money," Alex continues. "I want to hire you guys. Do a good job, and you'll be rich."
The leader, realizing he's stumbled into a golden opportunity, instantly shifts his tone.
"Of course," he says in an obviously fake voice. "What can we do for you?"
Alex pulls out the target list and waves it lightly in front of his nose.
"I want you to take a look at something. Can we talk somewhere?"
"Of course! Our headquarters is just a minute away," the man says quickly. "Let me lead the way."
A few minutes later, the group and most of the thugs arrive at a sketchy-looking, partly collapsed building. They enter a room with a large table, and Alex immediately places the list down in front of him.
"I need help finding the people on this list." Alex declares.
"Let me see," the leader says, leaning over the list. "We're good at finding people. We've got more contacts than you might think!"
He flips through the names, nodding to himself a few times.
"I can tell you where the weapons shop in question is," he says. "It's in the business district. I also know about the gang selling drugs—they're operating out of the slums on the eastern side of the city."
"Heh, you're lucky it's not your crew we're looking for," Alex jokes.
"No... we focus on stealing and robbing people," the leader admits, visibly uncomfortable. "Even we wouldn't deal in drugs. Those people are the worst of the worst. If you want to take them out, you'll have to be willing to kill them all. Half their gang is addicted themselves, and they have lost most of their reason. They actually focus on criminal organisations and gangs—they have a terrible reputation. Every single one of us avoids them; they have nothing to lose, after all, so it will never end well if you come in contact with them."
"An honest living. How commendable," Benezia says in an icy, deadpan tone.
The gang members instantly tense up, trembling as Benezia stares them down with visible contempt.
Princess Jewel loves watching them squirm in front of Benezia. This is entertainment fit for a Queen!
Are you a Princess or a Queen? Choose one.
Both!
Figures....
"What about the others?" Tereza asks, her voice uncomfortable. She's clearly not in her element here.
"Some of our men have seen a few suspicious individuals. I'll ask around. We'll take some notes and get to work. Should be able to find a few more within the week."
"Three days," Alex says firmly. "That's all you've got. For now, we'll wait for the sun to go down. Then you'll lead me to the weapons store."
"Excuse me, sir," the leader replies. "The owner has a mansion in a well-secured area. It might be better to get it done before closing time. We need to hurry."
One of the other thugs adds, "The weapons merchant might vanish. He's got ties in every organization. I don't know who you work for—but he's slippery. If your organisation wants him, he will learn it sooner than you might think. It's best to do it right now."
That would explain the System's behaviour. Otherwise, it would be way too easy to catch him, so we need to hurry. The same might be true for the gang. There is also the risk that other players snatch our targets.
"We should split up," Alex decides. "The gang's still operating inside the city, so you can probably move freely, Benezia. Take Tereza with you. Jewel and I will handle the weapons shop owner."
"I'll do it," Tereza says confidently. "Take care of yourself. And Jewel—I expect you to do your job and stop clowning around!"
Princess Jewel does not 'clown around' like a Peasant!
"As for you!" Alex says, staring at the leader. "Find me the other people on the list! Now!"
He briefly activates Ren, staring at him menacingly
"Y—yes... o—of course," the leader stutters, his face pale again. "I'll send a few of my men with you. They will guide you to your targets, but we can't fight all your battles for you."
"No need," Alex declares. "We're taking care of our own mess."
The group leaves the shoddy headquarters and heads outside.
Alex, with Jewel perched on his head, splits off from Benezia and Tereza.
Before walking away, Benezia steps closer and gives Alex a quiet smile, saying nothing. She looks at him—clearly amused—then turns and walks off with Tereza, who also gives him a lingering look, though hers is more confused than anything else.
I never understand Wome—Asari.
Asari do not have genders, Soulmate! She is not a true Princess, like Jewel.
Frankly speaking, she's much more of a queen than her... but I'd better not tell her. Not like that's anything to brag about. I'd actually prefer a simple maid... no need for royalty.
Escorted by two skilled-looking thugs, Alex makes his way out of the rundown district and into a more ordinary one. The streets here are livelier—crowded with people, some of them looking desperate and malnourished.
Looks like times are hard—it's another sign for the upcoming civil war.
One of the men turns to Alex. "We'll be taking a detour. We want to avoid the main road if we can, and only cross it once we're directly at the target."
"Sure," Alex replies. "You're experienced, so I'll trust your judgment. Just make sure to get me there before closing, or I'll get very angry... and you don't want to see me that way, I promise you."
"Y-Yes... of course," the thug stammers, suddenly looking quite nervous.
As soon as he finishes speaking, Alex notices him speeding up—now almost jogging ahead.
Funny guy. I like him.
Exactly as promised, they cross the crowded main road, weaving through the sea of people before slipping into a quieter side street on the other side.
From there, it only takes two minutes before they arrive at their destination: a large store with a massive spear and saber painted across the sign hanging above its entrance.
Looks like we made it... It's time for business, or more accurately, it's time to end a business... forever.
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