Chapter 164
Chapter 164
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Chaos
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Ghost's subordinates, while scouting around Grada Castle, caught a man snooping near their hideout and dragged him before Ghost, forcing him to his knees.
As Ghost approached to interrogate him, he spotted a pendant symbolizing the Alpha Family—a rippling wind—hanging around the man's neck.
"Why is an Alpha Family rat here? Don't tell me Keda Alpha has ties to the Julius Family..."
The man glared at Ghost with a face full of rage.
"Young Master will surely drive his sword into Artisan's heart."
"Damn it!"
Ghost mercilessly snapped the man's neck before turning to his subordinates.
"If Keda Alpha is still alive, there's a high chance he's contracted with the wind spirit."
"That seems to be the case. The guy was repeatedly scouting our hiding spot."
"So they've been hiding here."
A faint smile tugged at Ghost's lips at this unexpected windfall, then vanished.
One of his men had been out of contact for two days.
The odds were high that he'd fallen to them.
That meant a fierce battle must have taken place, and they'd used Patrium.
Even with power rivaling a Sword Master's, there were no traces anywhere.
That left two possibilities.
Either they'd cleaned up the traces perfectly.
Or they'd been taken out before launching a proper attack.
No matter how thoroughly they erased battle signs, they couldn't escape the eyes of the Dark Squad.
Yet finding no traces meant they'd encountered someone extraordinarily powerful.
Someone strong enough to neutralize near-Sword Master level foes without a hint of evidence.
'Who the hell...'
Ghost's face twisted.
They'd already wasted too much time around Grada Castle.
'I need to find and eliminate him quickly before Artisan makes a move.'
And now, spotting Alpha Family members here of all places.
The Julius Kingdom's forces emerging one by one were no joke.
A rash move could ruin everything.
"Change of plans."
Ghost looked at his subordinates and continued.
"Deal with the Alphas first. Their presence risks exposing our position. Lure them out and take them down."
His men bowed deeply and vanished.
Ghost gazed down at Grada Castle from the hill, thinking of Keda Alpha.
He and the Dark Squad had ambushed the Alpha Family, taking out key figures.
But they'd let Keda Alpha slip away.
In the Namshar Empire, the Alpha Family was a double-edged sword.
Outwardly, they were the empire's sharpest blade, but they were thorns in Artisan's side too.
The Alphas had secretly monitored the emperor, so Artisan framed them as 'devil worshippers' to wipe them out.
He'd even issued an extermination order for Keda Alpha, but they still hadn't finished the job.
Now that they'd found their location, it was time to eradicate them all.
But the delay nagged at him.
And if Keda Alpha was here, he'd likely realized the Dark Squad was on the move.
'I'd better infiltrate Grada Castle.'
If luck was on his side and he found Keda, he'd kill him on the spot.
Ghost looked up at the sky.
Clouds blanketed it today, hiding the sun entirely.
'Perfect for tonight.'
***
"One scout has gone silent."
Arthur's face hardened at Keda's report.
He'd assigned Keda's men for reconnaissance, but they hadn't located the enemy.
He'd assumed they'd fled after being spotted.
As Keda clenched his fist, Arthur asked,
"Are there places the spirits can't reach?"
"Places with barriers are off-limits. The Dark Squad also has a special technique to mask their presence, so spirits sometimes miss them."
"No barriers in the territory or suspicious spots?"
"Nothing at all."
"What about asking Parsia?"
"She only intervenes if the family's in dire crisis. The emperor's case was a rare exception."
"Hmm."
So these elites were a real pain.
Unlike his expectation of an immediate reaction, they'd been eerily quiet.
The Dark Squad!
It felt like facing a sniper.
The battlefield assassins moved on his plan, staying stock-still until the target entered the kill zone—and now they were doing the same.
He couldn't shake the ominous feeling in his head.
Arthur walked to the window and looked at the sky.
Dark clouds were gathering in the distance.
Rain seemed inevitable tonight.
One of the worst nights for a sniper.
But targets often moved most on such nights, demanding heightened vigilance.
Then a good idea struck.
'I'll make the first move.'
Soon after.
An emergency meeting of the leadership convened.
Drakan, Adran, Antar, and Keda gathered in Arthur's office.
Startled by the sudden summons, they glanced at Keda.
"Please wait a moment."
At Arthur's words, they averted their eyes from Keda.
Shortly after.
Helm and Skevin entered, followed by Mentu and Golrba, with Blizan last.
Everyone except those on missions was present.
The family heads stood to Arthur's left, the knight order captains to his right.
"You must have many questions about this sudden gathering."
Skevin asked with a stern expression.
"Have their positions been exposed?"
Arthur shook his head and informed them of the missing scout.
Faces hardened all around.
They knew spirit mages handled reconnaissance.
The spirits' watch had been pierced—shocking.
Arthur shared his thoughts.
"They're meticulous. Days after detection, and no movement? It screams perfectionism and zero tolerance for failure. What do you think?"
Helm bowed his head before speaking.
"I agree with Your Excellency. They'll move only after fully assessing our forces."
Golrba added,
"That means no mistakes on their end."
"The longer we drag this out, the worse for us. We should find and eliminate them first."
Mentu chimed in.
Once the captains spoke, Drakan addressed them.
"How do you plan to find foes the wind spirits can't detect?"
That was the core issue for the captains too.
Impossible to counter what you couldn't locate.
They looked frustrated, turning to Keda.
Keda explained the Dark Squad's special mana concealment technique.
As faces darkened,
Rumble-crash—!
Thunder boomed from the sky, unleashing a downpour.
"Damn! The sentries are gonna get hammered."
Mentu blurted it out unconsciously.
Golrba beside him frowned and shot him a look; he realized his blunder.
Mentu bowed deeply to Arthur.
"My apologies. It's a habit—pops out whenever it rains."
"No, you said it perfectly."
"Pardon?"
As Mentu looked puzzled, Helm caught on and ventured cautiously,
"You plan to bait them?"
Arthur grinned and shook his head.
"They're too sharp; provocation might make them hunker down more. Instead, I'll signal that tonight's their golden window to strike."
"......!"
"I'll outline the plan now—listen up and share your thoughts."
Arthur briefed them on an operation from his Earth days to catch terrorists.
They showed varied reactions—amazement, even recklessness.
But if they targeted Grada Castle, they'd bite for sure.
"Your roles are crucial."
Keda met Arthur's eyes and bowed deeply.
"We'll give it everything."
"And Blizan."
Blizan strode forward at his name, dropping to one knee.
He clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Your orders."
"Cover Jackal's absence."
"Not even a rat will get near Madam."
Blizan's eyes gleamed coldly as he replied firmly.
Arthur addressed the rest.
"Return to your posts and stand by."
Snap—.
They bowed crisply and filed out.
Drakan and Skevin lingered, eyeing Arthur.
Worry etched their faces; he knew what was coming.
Sure enough.
Skevin asked,
"Must you do it this way?"
Drakan followed, holding back no longer.
"Without Millerph, injury would be disastrous. Switch with me—I'll lure them."
"They know about me already; they won't budge."
"Then I'll go with you."
"No. They'll sense your presence and spot the trap instantly."
"Damn it! Why always take the dirty jobs? You have all these followers now."
Drakan vented his frustration, but Arthur just listened.
He rose from his throne and walked to the window.
Gazing at the pitch-black sky, he pictured the unseen Ghost.
Then flashed a meaningful smile.
"Perfect night for killing, right?"
***
"Captain."
Ghost's men stared at him with murderous eyes.
Pitch-black sky.
Rain poured like a hole in the heavens, visibility near zero.
Ideal for the Dark Squad.
Enemies, meanwhile, grew lax or demoralized.
Nights like this guaranteed success.
Yet Ghost pondered deeply.
'Heaven's will?'
But with Julius forces not fully scouted, was a forced attack wise?
Not until identifying who took out Boika and Joshua...
'Plenty more chances.'
Ghost resisted the weather's lure, staying calm.
His men, seeing him close his eyes in silence, looked disappointed.
As they too steeled themselves, staring skyward.
Swish—.
A sentry appeared and reported to Ghost.
"Captain, enemies have appeared where our man vanished."
"......!"
Ghost's eyes snapped open.
Beast-like glare, he demanded,
"How many?"
"About ten, one resembling Arthur Julius. We're closing in for confirmation."
"Hmm."
Ghost's mind raced.
Torrential rain, utter darkness—hard to scout.
Why show there?
The lost man's mark noted trailing a Julius figure down the cliff.
Maybe hiding something vital down there?
Today's obscurity made sense for secrecy.
The speculation rippled his calm.
'If it's really Arthur Julius...'
Murderous intent flickered in Ghost's eyes when another sentry arrived.
"Captain!"
Seeing the man's killing glare, Ghost stood.
"Is it him?"
"Arthur Julius appeared at the cliff barrier with knights, preparing to descend."
"Captain, our chance!"
"Even if not our main target, taking Arthur Julius helps us hugely later."
His men voiced bold support.
Irresistible opportunity.
Ghost strode out of the cave, decisive.
"It could be a trap to draw us out. First squad, block the pass—no reinforcements."
First squad bowed and departed.
"Second squad, encircle—no escapes."
Two-thirds of the remaining men left.
Now just Ghost and about ten elites.
Ghost swallowed Patrium; they followed suit instantly.
Killing intent poured from them.
Ghost, reining his in, said with icy eyes,
"Finish them in one go."