To avoid unnecessary trouble, Ren didn't go to the inn. Instead, he went outside the city, brought out the carriage, and carefully placed the girl inside.
She was sleeping peacefully, even letting out soft snores. This was the first good sleep she had had in a long time.
At first, Ren had planned, just like in the original story, to take control of the Eight Fingers and, through them, dominate the kingdom's underworld.
But now it seemed the Eight Fingers were already beyond saving, and even if Keno killed them, it wouldn't be satisfying.
There was no need to risk Keno's anger over such a small organization, and his ability wasn't weak either. Building his own force would be effortless.
Meanwhile, Keno broke into the entertainment establishment. Though separated by the door, pitiful sounds still leaked out. Some were so weak they couldn't even cry for help.
The air was thick with blood, heather, stench, and urine. The mix was unbearable. Keno couldn't understand how these nobles could enjoy themselves in such a place.
Using magic, she destroyed a door. Inside were two naked people. The man was on top; the one below was no longer recognizable as a woman.
"Who are you? Where are the guards? They didn't stop you from coming in!" the noble shouted.
But when he saw Keno's beautiful face, so different from the bruised woman beneath him, a lecherous expression spread across his face.
"New merchandise? I'll have some fun with you," the noble said, climbing off the bed, his body filthy.
"Crystal Stab." Seeing that the noble had moved away from the woman on the bed, Keno didn't hesitate. She ended his life with magic. She didn't enjoy torturing people; it only annoyed her.
The woman on the bed might have heard something, but she couldn't move her fingers. Her tendons had been cut to prevent resistance, and she had been repeatedly humiliated. It was a miracle she was still alive.
"Left alone, she would die soon," was Keno's first thought. But she didn't want to create unnecessary trouble for Ren.
Soon, cries came from other rooms. Keno decided to leave the woman on the bed for now and began sweeping through the place.
She used the same method as with the first noble: lure them down with her appearance, then strike with overwhelming force.
The method was simple but effective. Keno slaughtered nearly all the nobles in the building. This quickly drew the attention of the Eight Fingers. From the ground emerged an Mechanical Spider.
"The Eight Fingers' base? Take me there," Keno said, crouching down to look at the mechanical creature.
Very soon, the Mechanical Spider left first, and Keno followed behind him.
"You killed so many nobles. We can't just ignore that, Magic Caster." A group of men blocked Keno's path. Unlike the gatekeepers from earlier, these ones had some skill—but not much.
Keno didn't bother questioning them. Her familiars already knew where their hideout was, so she immediately began chanting magic.
One of the sharp-eyed men noticed it instantly. This was Third‑Tier magic. And judging from how casually she cast it, she might even be a Fourth‑Tier Magic Caster. The group instantly panicked.
"You killed so many nobles. The kingdom will definitely issue a warrant for you. We can help you cover it up!" the man shouted anxiously.
But Keno's hands didn't stop. In this narrow corridor, the men had nowhere to run. They could only charge forward desperately. As expected, they were turned into pincushions. A kingdom warrant? Being wanted by such a rotten kingdom meant nothing to her.
At an Eight Fingers stronghold, a dark and gloomy room—
"What happened? That place was wiped out?"
"A Magic Caster did it."
"Does she not know this is Eight Fingers territory? She still dared to provoke us?"
"She killed quite a lot of nobles too."
The noisy room fell silent. Nobles were dead—this wasn't a small matter.
If the incident leaked, the nobles would surely try to sever all ties with them to avoid suspicion. They would even help the kingdom hunt down Eight Fingers.
After all, the citizens had been toyed with like livestock. The king wouldn't just let that slide. Most of the power still belonged to the royal family, and the nobles didn't dare act too recklessly.
In other words, their expansion within the kingdom might come to a sudden halt. They had spent years preparing and invested enormous amounts of money to reach their current position.
"That damn Magic Caster… I won't let her go," growled the strongest fighter among Eight Fingers.
"This was bound to happen sooner or later. The problem is what to do next. Do we abandon the kingdom?"
"We hide for a while. When the storm passes, we continue. Since the nobles have already tasted our drugs and pleasures, they'll definitely come back for more."
The group quickly decided their next steps. As long as the kingdom still existed, they wouldn't fall.
Humans would always pay for their own desires. The blessing of the Demon God of Pleasure was truly powerful—that was the truth they believed in.
Next, they would teach the Magic Caster a lesson she wouldn't forget. They would make her pay dearly.
But soon, the door was shattered open. It was the Mechanical Spider, and behind him stood a red‑eyed girl. Her gaze was filled with killing intent. These scum in front of her had to die.
"So you're the Magic Caster? Didn't expect you to be just a young girl," said the strongest fighter of Eight Fingers, stepping forward.
"Don't judge by appearance, you thick-headed fool. That one isn't human," another man said sharply.
"Hmph, I know." The man began casting a series of enhancement spells on himself. He had already reached the hero tier among humans, but compared to Keno, there was still a huge gap.
Keno patiently waited for him to finish. She wanted him to go from hope to despair before dying. Only then would he receive the punishment he deserved.
"Mechanical Spider, don't let anyone here escape." Keno commanded, then immediately cast a flying spell.
At the same time, countless crystals appeared in the air, launching an attack at the man.
The moment he came into contact with them, the man sensed something was wrong. These were all third-tier crystals.
He had just finished his enhancements and only reached the hero tier among humans, and now he felt the urge to run.
"Hey, Claude, what are you waiting for? Finish him off quickly!" the other members of the Eight Fingers shouted frantically.
"Stop…!" Claude hadn't even finished speaking when a reinforced crystal pierced through his thigh.
By this time, trying to run was already too late. His injured leg prevented him from dodging the next attack, and soon he was impaled like a porcupine.
At that moment, the others realized something. Claude was a hero-tier human with immense strength, yet he hadn't landed a single move against this girl.
"Wait, what do you want? Money? Power? We can give you anything," one man quickly realized the situation.
As for why they weren't using women as leverage, they didn't mention it, because they clearly understood the reason for Keno's anger.
"What do I want? Your lives. Can you give them to me?" Keno said coldly, as crystals appeared around her, ready to strike at any moment.
At this point, someone couldn't bear it and tried to escape, only to have their leg cut off by the Mechanical Spider.
Their attempt to flee was completely destroyed—like a venture that had barely started and ended in disaster.
**********
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