The guild branch leader's breath was unsteady. He took deep breaths. His body ached. Blood bled from his wounds on to the floor.
His regeneration had slowed.
Feng Ye's breathed heavily.
He tightened his grip on the blade.
A crimson glow pulsed from the blade as though it were absorbing the blood.
Across the room, the cloaked man remained still and continued to watch the fight unfold.
The branch leader gritted his teeth. A scowl replaced the grin he had. Feng Ye's blade was a counter to his ability. His recovery was slowed down significantly by any wounds inflicted by that sword. His fighting style revolved around his core regeneration capabilities.
"Tch… you are becoming an inconvenience."
Feng Ye remained silent.
He took deep breaths to force the blade's influence under control. The blade's suggestive whispers to kill only grew stronger.
Anne, still near the entrance, tightened her grip. She urges the branch leader.
"This fight is over. You can't win."
The guild branch leader glances at Anne and snorts.
"I wouldn't say that."
His gaze landed on the cloaked man in the corner.
"You!" He ordered. With one hand, he motioned for the mercenary. "Get in here."
The cloaked man remained unmoved. His posture was relaxed. His hands remained in his pockets with no intention to interfere.
"I don't think so."
The branch leader showed a confused expression. "What do you mean?!"
"You're losing," the observer said calmly.
"This outcome was inevitable."
The guild branch leader's expression filled with anger. "What are you saying!?" He roared.
Feng Ye narrowed his eyes.
Something felt off. This wasn't just a mercenary refusing to fight. The way he spoke, the way he stood. There was something more to the story.
Anne felt this too. It was strange. Her eyes glanced at each of them.
The branch leader clenched his fists. "You're under contract. You don't get to refuse."
The cloaked man smiled beneath his hood. "I was never under contract."
A brief moment of silence filled with tension occurred.
"I trusted you," the branch leader muttered, almost to himself.
"I put you above my own men. I trusted you more than anyone in this rotten branch."
"Then that was your first mistake," the cloaked man replied without emotion.
The words hit hard. It struck like a hammer. The guild branch leader was beyond shocked. His eyes widened. A mixture of different expressions alternated. Pain, betrayal, hate, desperation, and shock rotated on his face.
His mind raced through all the past months, the whispered deals, the secrecy, the operations he had entrusted to this man.
"You…" he whispered.
For the first time, uncertainty entered his voice.
The observer tilted his head. "Yes, your mistake was trusting in the wrong man…"
His voice was cold. "Keep your friends close but your enemies closer."
The cloaked man then reached into his cloak.
He flashed a token that was hidden underneath the cloak. It was a golden guild emblem.
It wasn't just any emblem, it contained the guild's symbol - but most importantly, it had an extra symbol.
The Eye.
Anne inhaled sharply. "A watcher… from headquarters."
Feng Ye understood immediately.
The guild branch leader was an Otherworlder. The guild headquarters must have suspected it.
This mercenary… this cloaked man..was a double agent. He was never the branch leader's subordinate or purely a sword for hire.
He had been sent to monitor him. An observer for the guild.
The guild branch leader struggled to process the truth. He had been fooled. He was merely a clown. Headquarters had been keeping tabs on him from the beginning.
They were two steps ahead.
All this time, he had thought he was in control. He thought this cloaked man was his hidden card in his hand. This was a mercenary who would do anything for money, one of his most trusted right-hand men.
Unfortunately, this wasn't just a mercenary.
This was the headquarters' watchdog. A double agent waiting for the right moment.
The guild branch leader clenched his fists till they were white.
"How long?" His voice was low and shaky due to his immense anger. "How long have you been watching me, watchdog?"
The cloaked man shrugged again before replying with a calm nonchalant voice:
"Long enough."
His expression twisted into something ugly.
"You've known since the beginning."
The cloaked man nodded. "Of course."
"I should have known," the branch leader muttered with a slight hint of regret in his tone.
"Headquarters would never let an Otherworlder roam unchecked."
Anne sucked in a sharp breath. It's confirmed.
Feng Ye, however, remained silent. He had already suspected it.
Now, he had proof. But what mattered now was what would be the branch leader's next move.
The guild branch leader slammed a fist on the ground. He wasn't supposed to be exposed at this time. He had moved carefully, killed the right people, eliminated those that stood in his way, and played the political long term game.
Yet, they still found him.
He stared at the cloaked figure with hatred.
This man he had thought was his ally. A trusted killer.
However, he was nothing more than the guild's watchdog. A puppet from headquarters.
The guild branch leader's fury erupted. His voice was hoarse.
"You don't understand. Headquarters doesn't deserve loyalty. Those cowards left the branches to rot and stole the achievements of adventurers while reaping the rewards. They are the true parasites.."
The observer sighed. "Typical."
This struck a nerve with the branch leader.
"Is that so…" The guild branch leader took a deep breath. He calmed down.
"It doesn't matter." His voice was calm. It was too calm for someone who had just been betrayed.
The arrogance returned. His expression was very different than before. It was firm and resolute. He had made a decision.
"You think this changes anything?" He took off the brass knuckles and dropped them on the ground.
His pupils became cloudy. He turned towards the cloaked man. "Do you think I wasn't prepared for this?"
His hand moved. He reached inside his cloak and pulled out a ceremonial dagger.
The blade was very dark. Its surface had odd symbols etched into it.
Feng Ye tightened his grip on the blade.
Anne, sensing the shift, muttered a quiet incantation, casting additional support spells over Feng Ye. A faint glow shimmered around him.
Across the room, the observer's expression changed. His previously relaxed posture was now tight and ready for action at any moment's notice.
"He's activating something," the observer muttered.
The guild branch leader grinned. "Took you long enough to notice."
"I never thought I'd have to use this final card today…"
Without hesitation, he grabbed the dagger.
And, he sliced off his own left arm.
THUD.
The severed limb hit the ground. Blood poured from the stump, but the guild branch leader didn't even flinch.
His remaining hand moved.
He dipped his fingers into the pooling blood and drew a circle around the severed arm. The dagger hummed with energy.
Then, it began to drink.
The blood flowed unnaturally upward. It was absorbed into the blade like ink being absorbed into parchment.
"Hahahahahahahaha," the branch leader laughed manically.
"You think you've won?" the guild branch leader's grin widened.
His eyes were filled with desperation and craziness.
"If I go down…I'm taking every last one of you with me."
The circle of blood shone a bloody red glow. The blood seemed to crawl outwards forming a larger circle. The dagger in his hand shuddered as if awakening.
Then, he laughed.
"Let's see how long you last against something... you can't kill."
He threw his head back and continued to laugh. His laugh was broken, it sounded more like wails.
The air thickened. A cold breeze swept through the office despite there being no windows for any breeze to come by.
Something was wrong.
A cold, crawling sensation could be felt by everyone present in the room.