"Make sure you sever his head from his body and rip his heart out. We don't want him coming back by some sort of miracle."
The woman's voice was cold and elegant, laced with cold venom. She wore a flowing white gown that seemed almost ethereal in the dimness, though its details were enshrouded by darkness.
The room was pitch black, save for the single candle flickering at the center of the long table. Its weak, dim glow cast long wavering shadows of a cool, golden light across the faces of the coconspirators.
Two men sat opposite each other, one with neatly combed dark-brown hair, the other with sharp features and short messy blonde hair. They both dressed in tailored black suits that reeked of wealth and desperation.
Three other women completed the circle. Their expressions were a mix of jealousy, fear and grim satisfaction. These five, plus the woman who had spoken earlier were once prominent figures in the streaming world.
They all once looked down on him, Erik. A nobody from a poor background who somehow climbed his way to the top, leaving them in the dust.
His rise was unstoppable as his ranking kept rising, shattering viewership records one after the other. Loyal fans flooded his stream with gifts and unwavering support. And soon he alone stood at the absolute peak as the undisputed Top Global Streamer In The World.
It didn't end there.
Every major entertainment company begged for partnerships. As they knew that any movie his face appeared in, would instantly skyrocket to the top trending charts or even if he so much as mentioed them.
Gaming giants, fashion brands, luxury car company manufacturers and even producers of obscure products lined up.
Anything Erik promoted would turn to gold. Even the most disregarded items people find no use to.
However his success bred pure, festering envy. Instead of working harder to close the gap, these former rivals chose the coward's path.
If Erik vanished, the throne would be theirs again. The rankings would reset and their former glory would return.
"Bring us his head and his heart," one of the other woman in blue commanded softly.
"Understood."
The reply came from a dark corner of the room, where a faint silhouette knelt in the shadows. With the whisper of the wind, the assassin disappeared instantly, vanishing without a trace.
•••
The large estate of the top global streamer, stretched wide behind the tall, reinforced walls that were lined with hidden cameras and motion sensors, monitoring the outside perimeter. A single iron gate stood firm at the entrance, being constantly monitored by a 24/7 surveillance team in a private control room.
Dim lights traced the pathways in the yard, leaving little room for shadows, and unseen guards quietly patrolled the grounds, making the entire place feel watched, controlled, and nearly impossible to breach.
In the largest room in the estate, the global sensation, Erik, lay sprawled across a massive bed, exhausted from endless streaming sessions and back-to-back collaborations.
The room was wrapped in darkness. Only the pale moonlight seeping through the windows cast a soft, silvery glow over everything.
Two bodyguards stood watch. Both tall and powerfully built, they radiated a dangerous aura. Their eyes warned that they wouldn't hesitate to put a d*mn bullet through the skull of anyone who threatened their charge.
"Hey" the bodyguard by the window whispered.
The other bodyguard glanced over. His eye practically saying "What".
"I want to go take a leak." The bodyguard replied.
"Alright. But make it quick"
The bodyguard just replied with a quiet "hmm" as he carefully walked out of the room, not making a single sound.
DOOM! DOOM! DOOM!
Thunder suddenly roared through the sky, resounding in every corner of the estate. A shadow flashed over the fence and darted through the yard like lightning.
"It seems like a storm is coming." the remaining guard muttered. Yet an uneasy feeling settled in his gut, whispering that this night would be a long one.
He shook his head, brushing off the thought then he glanced at the man on top of the bed.
"Mr Erik really stressed himself today. Even the thunder didn't wake him up." He murmured.
BAM!
A sharp pain suddenly exploded through the guard's skull. His vision blurred, then went black. He slumped to the ground, passing out cold.
Then a silhouette stepped out from the dark corner of the room. The assassin was dressed entirely in black, his face was hidden behind a ski mask. Only his cold, dull black eyes were visible in the moonlight.
The assassin calmly approached the side of the bed and drew a dagger from his waist. The blade gleamed with a deathly intent as the moonlight danced along its, shiny, smooth silver surface.
In one clean motion, he slit the throat of the beloved streamer.
Erik's body twitched violently as blood rushed out from the wound. But the assassin wasn't finished.
"If not for you being an undying cockroach, this would have already done the job." the assassin muttered under his breath.
He and other elite assassins had been ordered to kill Erik once before, but failed as this man always clung desperately to life and narrowly escaping death each time.
The assassin raised his blade again up and brought it down into Erik's chest, clean and precise. Every strike targeting vital points. Just when the assassin moved to completely sever Erik's head.
OOWWOOHOM!
A blinding light exploded like a volcanic eruption, completely wrapping the whole room in pure radiance for half a second before vanishing as if it never existed. The radiant light of blessing god.
It wasn't lightning from the storm outside. It wasn't any lamp, bulb or man-made device. The light felt... ethereal.
Even the trained and experienced assassin froze. This was extremely strange.
*Click*
The second bodyguard pushed the door and froze mid-step. Horror washed over his face. His partner lay unconscious on the floor. Erik was sprawled in a spreading pool of his own blood. And beside him was a bast*rd whose blade was hovering only a centimeter above Erik's already slit throat.
It was as if time had stopped.
"Son of a b*tch!!!"
The guard charged in, swatting the dagger away and tackling the assassin to the ground. The killer finally snapped back to reality, and the two men began wrestling fiercely across the floor.
Unbeknownst to the bodyguard, Erik was still breathing... barely. It was only a faint flickering spark that could go out at anytime.
Although Erik could not open his eyes, he could hear the violent struggle. If this were before he would have been desperately fighting for his life so his guards could rush him to the hospital.
However now, he felt tired. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. And if he manages to survive again, they will eventually send another one after him once more.
"Die you f*cker!!"
BOOM!
Erik suddenly heard the sharp crack of a pistol and thought inwardly. 'Damien, I told you not to be so hot-headed if he dies, you'll be sent to a life in imprisonment'
Now he was very close to death's door not until...
"I said go to h*ll!!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
'Is that a... Machine gun?' Erik sighed inwardly.
In his final moments, he could almost hear it, the endless flood of notifications, the chats, the millions of loyal fans spamming gifts and love even now, refusing to let their king fall quietly.
The hatred of his rivals. The love of his audience. All of it swirling like invisible currents...
Then an almost angelic, robotic female voice sounded in his head.
*Ding!*
[Analysing...]
[Conditions for binding with host met]
[Ding! Congratulations Host! You are now successfully bonded with the Supreme God Livestream System!]
[Soul transfer initiating...1%, 2%, 3%...30%...50%...70%...100%]
[Ding! Soul transfer successful Host!]
•••
In a mysterious place, a voice sounded like barely a whisper. "The great mortal born to entertain. With my blessings and gifts I've bestowed upon you, I know you will bring a new light in the world you'll find yourself in."