Chapter 137: Rhemon!

Chapter 137: Rhemon

Acrid Nation – Ocean Roar City – Reek Manor... 10 a.m.

A tall man with a neatly trimmed beard, calm yet commanding poise, and a hint of a wry smile strode up to a massive iron door. He raised his fist and knocked twice, his movements unhurried, exuding the confidence of one who knew he would be answered.

Silence greeted him. Undeterred, he knocked twice again. This time, a flurry of panicked voices erupted from behind the door, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps and frantic whispers.

"The boss is here..."

"Shit… we're dead..."

"Idiot, open the damn door!"

"Oh... oh no..."

A metallic clink echoed, and the door creaked open. The figure who greeted him, pale and trembling, stepped back to allow him entry.

"Lord Rhemon, we… we weren't expecting you. We were just preparing the new recruits for the procedure. Uh… 80% of the last batch didn't make it. They failed to… manifest any powers and died in the process," the man stammered, his voice barely concealing the terror that colored his every word.

Rhemon's face remained impassive. He glanced around the dimly lit room, his eyes like shards of ice as he absorbed the surroundings without a flicker of interest. Then, as if he were merely seating himself for a leisurely conversation, he dragged a chair forward and sat down, the calm in his demeanor almost more chilling than rage.

"And Tessa?" Rhemon's voice, soft but laden with an undeniable weight, sliced through the tense silence. The question hung in the air, leaving the room's occupants visibly uneasy. Eyes darted, each person reluctant to speak, terrified of becoming the next scapegoat.

Finally, one brave soul managed to stammer out a response. "My Lord… in the past three months, she's… she's eliminated over 200 agents and has disrupted many of our operations in Grinwall. Especially in Riverdale and Rhemonic cities. She and… that fire guy, they…"

The man's voice faltered as Rhemon raised a hand, or rather, a palm up. A look of sudden agony contorted his face. The others stepped back, watching in horrified fascination as his skin began to crystallize, frost creeping from his core outward. In moments, his body was encased in ice. With a faint crack, his form shattered, collapsing into jagged shards across the cold stone floor.

Rhemon's smile never wavered. He surveyed the room, as calm and collected as ever, his expression barely shifting as he spoke once more.

"When you report on Tessa," he began, his voice smooth yet with an edge sharp enough to slice through steel, "I expect news of successes, not failures. I cannot act against her directly yet… I require something more to fully eradicate the daughter of Solaris. Until then..."

He rose from his chair, his presence filling the room like an icy storm. Slowly, he paced, his gaze searing into each and every one of them.

"Send as many agents as possible into Grinwall. Hound her, torment her… until she's so enraged that she hunts me down herself. Only then will her vulnerabilities be laid bare," he ordered, his voice unwavering, chillingly precise.

He paused by the door, glancing back with a glint in his eye that was both enticing and terrifying. "If you accomplish this well… each of you will receive an ability. A gift from me." His smile grew, almost indulgent.

With that, Rhemon turned and strode away, leaving behind a room filled with silent, shaken subordinates, their fates hanging precariously in the balance.

Rhemon strolled down the dimly lit corridor of Reek Estate, whistling a low, eerie tune. His face contorted with strange, fleeting expressions—first a smirk, then a scowl, then a brief, inscrutable look before settling back into a frown. The silence of the corridor amplified the echo of his steps as he approached the grand entryway of the sprawling, shadowed manor.

Without warning, a woman emerged from behind one of the ornate stone pillars, slipping out with the stealth and menace of a specter. Her movements were smooth, almost unsettlingly graceful, her eyes gleaming with a sly, seductive intensity. Ashley Duve—a name whispered through Rhemon's fast growing domain, like a dark legend. She glided toward Rhemon, a faint smirk playing at her lips, but her sudden arrival seemed to have no effect on him. He remained indifferent to her sudden appearance.

"Not even a flinch…" she muttered, pouting as she stomped her heel on the cold marble floor. "You never get startled, Rhemon. It's no fun."

Rhemon's face remained impassive, though he leaned closer, brushing past her to deliver a playful slap on her butt, his voice low and mocking. "So, Ashley—has the General finally come through with the technology for Project Deadly 30?" he spoke as they walked side by side.

Ashley crossed her arms, her pout lingering as she weighed her response. "Tomorrow," she replied curtly, her tone edged with defiance. She hadn't returned to General Trist after their last encounter; he was a mere mouse in her eyes, easy to handle when the time came. She had all the time in the world—or so she believed.

Rhemon's expression darkened slightly, impatience flickering in his eyes. "Hurry with it. I need to test the electricity infusion on enhanced subjects. The regular human vessels barely last a minute before their bodies give out… fragile vessels." His voice trailed off with a hint of disdain.

Ashley moved closer, her fingers tracing a line up his chest. Her voice turned sultry, a tempting edge slipping into her tone. "You've become so cold, so… focused. Always the mission, always the experiments. Where's the man who knew how to enjoy himself?" She leaned in, her breath warm against his ear. "The guest house is empty… let's escape to our own little corner of the manor. Just for a while, let's fuck like never before… I've missed you."

But Rhemon caught her hand, peeling it away from his chest with a dismissive glance. "The project, Ashley," he said, his voice steely. "No more delays."

Without another word, he turned and walked away, his figure vanishing into the shadows, leaving her standing alone. She clenched her jaw, frustration simmering beneath her composed facade. "You were far more appealing when you were lying on the bed– unconscious, back then you were so cute, but now... You are just an asshole," she muttered, seething as she stormed off, her heels echoing through the silence of the vast, empty corridor.