36 chapter 36 -( processing 2)

The dark figures shut up. The lead assassin stepped back in fright. Asher stretched out his arms.

"Your target is walking right into your own base. Why are you staring at me? Wasn't it your pride not to miss the chance to kill me?

[…how did you get here?]

Their location was hidden. In addition, it shouldn't have been possible to find it this quickly because it was connected to the wisps of spatial essence created by their god's power. Asher made a mocking look.

"Is it weird that I can find it through a warp permitted only by your so-called god?"

Asher rubbed his fingertips and mumbled lightly.

"If you know the name of your God, it's a power of transport that opens up to anyone."

[…no, it can't be. Everyone who knows of our god is dead.]

"Clearly there's one. And that one happens to be speaking to you, standing right in front of you at that."

Asher talked leisurely and tooks some steps forward stroking his fingers against the dust on the wall.

"What a nuisance. You weren't supposed to be able to set up base in the Halvark estate, so why don't you tell me how you did it? No, I already know how. You probably just convinced the brat, dodging the laws like you did in the past and then called that the lease."

The dark figures flinched when Asher's words continued.

"But that's just laws. Those never meant anything to you. You don't have to build a nice building or shrine like any other god to make a branch out here, you just put one of your 'holy instruments' in and you're done. But that doesn't mean I can just kick you all out of here in a second."

(T/N : I'm gonna go out on a limb and think that these bodies of theirs are just incarnations and not physically manifested bodies. Explaining how they were somehow at the estate. It seems they're only there through a connection through a holy instrument or artifact.)

The dark figures in the room were astonished by Asher's murmur that sounded like he was sick and tired of their methods. As… As if he already knew how their powers operated. But there was nobody who could have known them.

No, there was. But he had died… died a long time ago.

[…Who are you?]

"I don't think that's important."

Asher tapped the floor with his shoes and laughed. One of the dark figures, who seemed to be the ringleader of the others shook as he noticed what Asher was about to do and then shouted.

[Hurry up and stop him!]

"It's too late."

Asher stomped his foot. The muscles in Asher's body exploded with power and smacked the floor. At the same time, the floor collapsed. The walls started to tremble, shake and then, fall as the room itself shook like it had been hit by a giant hammer. The dark figures had their shadows begin to fade one by one.

(T/N : So.. I'm gonna guess I was correct. Tsk- this author really made me do some work here.)

"See you later, then."

[Hey!]

Quaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The room collapsed. Asher lifted himself up, clearing away the pieces of wood. He lifted his foot from the debris and looked at what was under it. A broken ring was shattered beneath it.

"Is a ring the 'holy' object this time?"

Asher put it in his pocket. He was sure they would use it again if he didn't take it.

'You're still alive.'

Fifty years ago. The voice heard from one of the shadows was the same voice he had heard over 50 years ago. It was an understatement to say this bothered Asher.

"Cough! Cough!"

On the other side, a wooden board broke and a man lifted himself up from the debris. The room that had been there, disappeared like it was all a lie. There was nothing except the tree bark and branches left.

"Our base…."

"And.. now you're all alone."

"!!"

The man looked at Asher in a hurry and freaked out. Asher kicked the assassin's body to wake him up from his reverie. The man clenched his teeth and opened his eyes wide.

"Why… Why!"

"The branch has collapsed, so you can't move. You've been deprived of this land now."

Crunch.

Asher pressed down on the man's head stuck in the ground with his foot.

"Let's talk about it. Who asked you to do this? I can already guess, but I'll base it off the conviction that should come out of your voice if you want to die painlessly."

"…kll! I'll kill you- you bastard!"

The man gritted his teeth and shouted. Asher clicked his tongue.

"These days.. Tsk tsk. Seems you young people take life for granted."

"Torture is no use on me! You're better off just killing me now!"

"Do you really think so?"

The assassin had already been trained for torture. He was determined to not open his mouth. At the words, Asher muttered with an ambiguous face.

"The men who said that in the past, they were always the quickest ones to open mouths."

"Ugh!"

The man swallowed his breath for a moment. Asher pulled out fingernail from the man's fingers. The man twisted his body in pain.

"Urkk Ag..AHHH…!"

The man twisted his body in pain. Asher had also been familiar with the Motorala assassins' ways of torture. For the most part, Asher knew they most succumbed once their fingernails were torn out and their bones broken one by one.

That's exactly what he planned on doing. Asher gave strength to his hands.

"Ah! Ahhhh!"

One by one, the lead assassin's nails were pulled out. The man struggled and screamed in pain.

"It's not easy to overcome pain even if you're trained to do so."

Asher mumbled and grabbed the pinky nail of the other hand. The man flinched at the sudden change of hands. He looked up at Asher with tears in his eyes.

"Don't give me that look of self-pity. I'm sick and tired of seeing that face when you expect mercy from someone you tried to kill."

The screams didn't end.