Chapter 69 — Illusory Mirror Art
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CREEEAK~
The already opened door produced an ear-piercing sound as a force was applied to it, causing it to open wide.
The sound attracted the attention of everyone behind the door as they, for a moment, disregarded what they were doing and focused their attention on the door—or rather, what was coming through the door.
"Isn't that the Vice Guild Leader of the Brownhounds guild?" a drunken man pointed at the silhouette that was coming through the door while whispering to his drunken friend. They were both seated round a table at the second floor, with bottles of beer scattered all over the table....
"Yes.. That's Malena.." the friend replied..
This scene wasn't just happening at their table but across different tables behind the door....
Lots of silhouettes, mostly men, were seated round tables while dining on food and wine...
There were also some female entertainers and waitresses that served the men with what they needed...
The room consisted of four floors, with all the floors being occupied... The only place where there was no table or chair was the ground floor, which was the first floor...
It was designed with black bricks and was elevated with just one step... Around the first floor were different silhouettes, some playing games while some leaned on the counter having conversations... Lining the walls of all these floors were flame torches which illuminated the whole area with a warm glow, contrasting against the harsh cold outside. The faint crackle of fire blended with murmurs and clinking cups.
The place was crowded with a lot of people, and these people were here for just one thing—and that's... entertainment..
So seeing the Vice Guild Leader of the Brownhounds guild dragging a body into the arena floor screamed nothing but the fact that they were about to be entertained..... So they paid utmost attention..
"I overheard a newcomer beat up the members of Brownhounds guild..."
"You overheard? My friend told me himself... The fight was a brutal one... The members of Brownhounds guild didn't stand a chance.."
"Your friend told you? I witnessed it myself... With just a wave of his hands... All the members of the Brownhounds guild were just collapsing.."
"Is the newcomer that powerful, or are the members of the Brownhounds guild just weak?" a man said—and then he felt the hair at the nape of his neck stand up as fear gripped him instantly... A cold sensation crept down his spine. He looked up to see a man staring at him from the third floor... He gulped hard as he recognized the man immediately..
"Mr. Brown.... The leader of the Brownhounds guild... He's here." He quickly held his lips to prevent himself from saying anything else..
"Isn't that the newcomer that's being dragged by Vice Guild Leader Malena?" a voice rang out from the third floor, and this drew the attention of everyone..
"It's him.. He's really the one.." Another person confirmed as Malena got to the center of the floor and dropped the body with a dull thud that echoed faintly across the hall. A thin trail of blood smeared across the stone behind her.
Then she took a deep breath and looked up to the third floor where Mr. Brown was seated... She bowed curtly with a face full of smile, and Mr. Brown nodded for her to proceed..
"I'm sure most of you might have heard the rumor of a newcomer beating up the members of the Brownhounds guild, and you all think the Brownhounds guild is a pushover.... Well.. This is him.. This is where his fate ended... He fell to a woman..."
"But not just a woman, but the Vice Guild Leader of the Brownhounds guild... I defeated him, and to redeem my guild, I'm going to sacrifice his blood to the arena..." Malena voiced out...
And then there was an uproar...
Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice!
Woo! Woo! Woo!
"Go, baby... Do it."
"Kill him..."
"I want his head..."
"I want that battle armor..."
"I want his body..."
"I want to see blood..."
Kill! Kill! Kill!
The whole arena was stormed with people that wanted to see the killing take place... Voices overlapped, crude, hungry, impatient... Cups slammed against tables, boots thudded against wood, and the flickering torchlight danced wildly across eager, feral faces.
"Mr. Brown... Seems you've a competent partner," said a man clad in a white robe, and the silhouette beside him gave him a sharp look....
Dressed in a stylish brownish-red fur coat and black pants, Mr. Brown analyzed this newcomer who was hiding his face behind a silver fan...
Grey snowy hair... and a clean, youthful face...
'Judas... No. 2 ranker in the Outer Ranking.' Mr. Brown finally realized who was seated beside him... A big shot...
Someone at the top of the Outer Ranking...
"Yes... Malena is a very competent companion... She's the reason why our guild could gather so many members..." Mr. Brown answered, his tone measured, though a thin layer of caution sat beneath it..
"Makes me wonder... She is just in the mid-stage Qi Condensation Realm... How did she beat up someone who could defeat hundreds of men without much struggle..." Judas asked curiously, the edge of his fan tilting slightly as if to peek through... while Mr. Brown hesitated..
This was a secret of their guild—one he didn't want to expose...
But refusing a big shot like Judas... someone at the Foundation Establishment Realm... was like digging his own grave.
"You don't have to worry... It's part of the recruitment process..." Judas added lightly, though the weight behind those words wasn't light at all... It pressed.
Mr. Brown's eyes widened slightly before he exhaled...
"Malena was just an ordinary girl who had a lucky encounter... In a dungeon, she was fortunate enough to stumble upon an ancient art which she cultivated... The art is known as the Illusory Mirror Art.."
"ILLUSORY MIRROR ART.." Judas exclaimed lowly, his expression hidden behind the fan that covered his face... yet the faint pause in his movement betrayed his interest.
"You know about it?" Mr. Brown asked, a hint of relief creeping into his voice..
"Yes... The Illusory Mirror Art is a Heaven-rank technique that gives the wielder immense power over the opponent... I'm afraid your Vice Guild Leader has a lot of potential..." Judas' interest in the lady rose instantly, quiet but sharp.
"Yes... I suspected as much... The technique is just too heavenly..." Mr. Brown continued, leaning slightly forward. "As the name implies, it traps the target in an illusion mirror which distorts the perception of the target... Every action the target takes will be a reflection of what he intended to do..."
The scene shifted—Socrates amidst the Brownhounds, his movements precise in his own mind... yet to the outside world, flawed, misaligned... erratic... Dodging where he should block, stepping forward where he meant to retreat... Each motion subtly betraying him.
To him, everything felt right.
To everyone else... it was wrong.
The scene broke, returning back to the two men as they stared down at Malena, who was now standing over Socrates, her daggers glinting under the firelight... their edges catching faint reflections like thin shards of ice.
"But that isn't enough for her to defeat this newcomer, is it?" Judas asked.
Mr. Brown shook his head slowly...
"Malena has cultivated the art to the stage where the illusion mirror can now be directly imposed on her target..."
"Explain," Judas said, his voice quieter now, more focused... as a female attendant approached and served them two bottles of exquisite wine.
Mr. Brown didn't hesitate. He grabbed one and took a long sip, the liquid burning down his throat before he continued...
"She has to make eye contact with her target..."
The scene shifted again—Malena seated on the snowy ground, her thighs drawn up slightly, tears streaming down her face... fragile... vulnerable...
Socrates crouched before her.
Their eyes met.
Black obsidian... and ocean blue...
And in that instant—something locked.
"Then, just like a mirror reflects..." Mr. Brown's voice overlapped the moment, "...whatever attack the target directs at her will be reflected back to the target..."
The scene flickered—Socrates driving a dagger forward...
And the wound opening... not on her...
But on him.
"Interesting..." Judas muttered.
Thud*
Mr. Brown dropped the empty cup of wine onto the table, the sound cutting cleanly through the surrounding noise as his gaze returned to the arena floor...
His eyes settled on Malena.
"Kill..."
The order was quiet... but absolute.
Malena turned, the dagger twirling lightly in her grip as a faint smile curved her lips...
She unleashed her energy.
White aura burst from her body, coiling around her arms, flowing into the daggers which hummed faintly as they drank in the power...
The air around her seemed to tighten... sharpen...
And without hesitation—
She stabbed downward, directly toward Socrates' neck.
Squelsh...
What followed was the sound of blade tearing into flesh...