Chapter 34: Casper
[Who are you?] Zera's voice trembled with surprise inside the memory library.
"Shut up," Raven said coldly, eyes locked on Scott.
"Oh? Did I knock your head too hard? What's with the sudden attitude?" Scott chuckled, tightening his grip on Raven's hair. "Looks like you need another beating."
Raven blinked slowly.
Then, without warning, he extended his hand toward Scott.
Before anyone could react, an invisible force gripped Scott's neck. He choked, his eyes bulging as the pressure increased.
"Young master!" The blonde-haired guard shouted and charged forward, fist aimed at Raven with full force.
But Raven moved faster—faster than the eye could follow.
Tsk.
In a blink, he released Scott and vanished from his spot, reappearing two meters away. His arm rose sharply.
Too fast.
Even the guards couldn't track his movements.
Then, a low, eerie voice echoed from his lips.
"Devour."
But—nothing happened.
Raven's expression darkened. He clicked his tongue.
"What the f*ck did you do to this body, you damned spirit?"
[...]
...Who are you? Zera asked again, more cautiously this time.
She could tell it was Raven's consciousness. And yet, something else… something darker… moved within him.
'It's not another soul,' she realized in alarm. 'It feels like… a fractured personality. But why do I feel dread?'
Outside the memory space, Raven's lips curled into a sinister smile.
"Hehe. The one you loathe most."
Zera's heart skipped a beat.
[...Casper? Didn't my owner's spell—Erase Existence—eradicate you? How are you still alive? How have you become a part of Raven's core consciousness?]
But Casper ignored her.
He raised a hand—and the Frozen Ender spear shimmered into existence, summoned from Raven's inventory. Gripping it with both hands, he spun it slightly to gauge the weight.
The blonde-haired guard and the middle-aged man immediately stepped between him and Scott, weapons drawn.
Casper sighed, irritated. "Every time I wake up, this brat's dancing on death's edge."
He quickly assessed Raven's body.
"...Tch. No mana at all."
Still, he funneled his spirit power into the spear and slashed.
A massive surge of ice-elemental energy burst forth. It twisted into the shape of a crescent moon, bright and glowing with deadly frost. It soared toward the trio—expanding, humming, freezing the very air around it.
The guards had no time to scream.
The crescent passed through them like a silent scythe. Their torsos separated cleanly, blood misting the air. Three corpses collapsed in a spray of red.
And then—agony.
Casper stumbled, clutching his skull. Blood spewed from his mouth. The spear clattered to the floor.
"F*ck! Not again—"
He collapsed.
But before his body could hit the ground, a blur of motion came from the staircase.
A young woman, eyes filled with tears, caught him in her arms.
"I—I'm sorry I'm late, Raven," she whispered, voice trembling. His pulse fluttered weakly under her fingers.
Her grip tightened.
"I should have been stronger. I should've ended these vipers before they got to you…"
Her sorrow gave way to fury. A deep, soul-crushing hatred flared in her eyes—and something deep inside her snapped.
A shackle unseen, now broken.
Millers' Mansion — Lombard Street
A few minutes earlier…
A thunderous bang shattered the morning calm. The massive gates of the Millers' Mansion flew open with violent force. The sound echoed through the courtyard, sharp and foreboding.
Through the broken gates strode a young woman in her twenties. Her stride was confident. Commanding. The black uniform and sword at her waist left no doubt—law enforcement.
Behind her followed a middle-aged woman with silver-streaked hair. Her eyes swept the surroundings like a seasoned predator.
The mansion's staff froze. Whispers bloomed.
"Police? Didn't we already pay this month?" a tall, muscular man stepped forward, face twisted in confusion.
Athena's eyes turned icy. "So the rot lies within the southern district station itself. No wonder every inspection turned up nothing."
She unsheathed her blade.
"Try not to kill them, Aunt. But you can cripple whoever resists."
The moment her voice faded, Athena vanished from view.
She reappeared behind the man in an instant—steel flashing.
A scream pierced the courtyard as blood sprayed from the man's arms—now severed at the elbows.
The thugs panicked.
Weapons clanged out of scabbards. Shouts rang across the yard.
But it was too late.
Athena and Shirley were already moving—silent blurs of violence and precision.
Even the three Official-Rank Walkers among the guards couldn't hold them back.
Two minutes.
That's all it took.
Two minutes to flatten the outer resistance.
Bodies littered the lawn—moaning, unconscious, or bleeding out.
The pair didn't stop.
They stormed into the mansion, boots thudding on polished marble, blades already red.
Inside, the main hall swelled with defenders—more than twenty, all rallied in haste.
Some wore polished armor and gauntlets, their presence commanding. These were soldiers.
Others gripped crude weapons—farm tools, kitchen knives, battered swords. Fear creased their brows.
Servants ran screaming, their footsteps slipping on bloody marble as they tried to flee.
Athena surveyed the scene.
"...Why do I feel like we're the villains?" she muttered dryly.
Shirley stepped forward, blade raised. "Seven Official-Rank Walkers. More than I expected from this snake's nest."
"They're one of the three richest families in this city," Athena replied grimly. "If not for political interference, I'd have exposed their dealings long ago. I always suspected they had ties with the Vipers…"
Her gaze hardened.
"But I never imagined this mansion was the Vipers' main base."
Still, her focus wasn't on arrests.
It was on saving her brother.
"I'll end this quickly."
She stepped forward—but paused.
A sudden chill surged from the left wing of the mansion.
Shirley sensed it too.
"Go. I'll hold this side," she said, drawing her sword fully. "That cold isn't normal."
Athena nodded once and dashed down the left corridor, evading two attacks with minimal effort before vanishing into the shadows.
Back in the main hall, Shirley advanced.
Her sword shimmered with invisible aura—Sword Will—as she moved like a dancer in a storm.
The guards could do nothing.
Apprentices fell first, then the Official-Rank Walkers. Swords clashed, screams filled the air, and blood pooled across the floor.
In less than five minutes, it was over.
Only one man remained standing—or rather, kneeling.
Jaxx Miller, head of the household, stared at the destruction around him.
His guards: dead.
His servants: broken.
His confidence: gone.
"W-Why... why are you doing this?" he stammered, voice cracking under the weight of fear.
Shirley's expression didn't change.
Cold. Silent.
Elite-Rank. That was the only thought that echoed in Jaxx's terrified mind.
'When did we offend such a monster?'
His thoughts turned frantic.
'Where's that police girl? She was just as dangerous as this one…'
But there was still hope.
'Kaiser and Ramon will return soon… Elite-Rank Walkers of the Vipers Syndicate. If I can just stall—'
Then it happened.
A pulse of invisible force rippled through the mansion.
Crack.
The chandelier flickered. Then, one by one, every lamp died.
Darkness claimed the corners.
Only the flickering glow of the chandelier remained—casting long, ominous shadows across the bloodstained floor.
Even Shirley's eyes narrowed.
Then, from the darkness of the left corridor, a figure stepped forward.
A young woman—her eyes glistening with tears—emerged, cradling a boy in her arms.
She stepped into the light.
And the entire mansion held its breath.