The Way to Escape

"Where the hell are they?" The Marquis shouted upon learning that everyone had escaped right under his nose.

"You didn't mention to me that a ShadowBane was involved with the hotel manager's daughter," Caine said as he took a sip to calm his nerves.

The Marquis, understanding this, smiled stressfully. "I thought you'd handle it. Is it really that difficult to kill a ShadowBane?"

"It's complicated when he's the last in the line of succession. How many shadow banes do you think there are in the world? They're not just priests blessing houses; they're at the forefront of all the darkness that few are aware of in the world."

"If he didn't present himself as a ShadowBane, it means he doesn't represent his family. We could have negotiated, but it seems he doesn't want to go down that path, so you shouldn't worry."

"Everything will be resolved..." The Marquis thought over and over about everything that had happened, so upon remembering a particular detail, he understood everything that had transpired.

In fact, they knew beforehand that the Light Association was aware that they would intervene directly, but they didn't inform them with words but with actions.

"Interesting, now everything makes sense."

...

The gunfire, explosions, and chaos in the city made everyone somewhat nervous.

"There's not much to worry about; your wounds are not at all serious." Akira finished bandaging Anton's last wound, so she sat in a chair leaning against the wall.

Anton looked for something to wear in this place, and after finding a t-shirt, he put it on. "Now show me; I'll help you heal the wound."

"There's nothing to worry about."

"Can you show me some of your skin? I didn't think Miss Akira was so conservative; you've seen my whole body, so it would be fair for you to be equally open." Anton said as he looked at Akira, who looked at him for a few seconds before nodding.

The wounds on his body were currently healing, but the same couldn't be said for Akira, so by helping her take off her shirt on the upper part of her body, he could see the open wound that was bleeding.

Anton could see some tattoos on Akira's skin related to her history and the fact that she was a professional assassin, but without showing emotions, he first helped her clean the wound on her skin.

"It seems the bullet didn't damage you much; I thought your suit was resistant to that type of ammunition." Anton was gentle with his movements; he couldn't exactly remember the last time he was with a woman, so now his preferences were very open.

Akira wasn't nervous either; small things like these were nothing in her eyes with the training she had since she was young, and seeing Anton's attitude, she knew he wasn't acting foolishly either.

After finishing cleaning the wound, Anton gently ran his fingers over the cut, but this time using his divine energy, which gave Akira a cold sensation.

When the divine energy made contact with her skin, she felt more and more relieved, so her expression became calmer.

Once Anton finished this process, he knew he just needed to cover it, so he applied a bit of medicine and then wrapped the wound with a bandage.

"You'll be fine after a few hours." Anton stood up, walked to a wall where there were many wines, and after turning off the light, he let himself fall onto the couch.

Akira never thought Anton drank, but she didn't say anything; instead, she took the bottle from his hands and took a big sip.

"There were glasses, but it can also be drunk that way." Anton joked lightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

Akira looked at the tattoos on Anton's arms and asked, "What do those tattoos mean?"

"Oh, um, this is a gift that was naturally bestowed upon me, so through this tattoo, I can make a kind of call to the dark spirits hidden among people." Anton didn't wait for Akira to understand but answered as succinctly as possible.

Akira poured a drink for Anton, and she drank from the bottle directly. "Many beloved workers of my father died today—more family than anything else. The worst part is that he knew; he understood the danger of welcoming John to the hotel, and he didn't care at all."

"Your history with John must be impressive; I would do the same if someone came asking for help. Knowing that I would face the most powerful enemy of my life, I would still help. They're different concepts, but there's the same way of thinking; maybe it's more complicated than thinking about it that way."

It had been a long time since Anton drank, but it made him feel good knowing that he was at least with someone he trusted.

"It seems you've suffered a lot; is the work you do really that difficult?" Akira looked at Anton, who had fallen silent.

Anton smiled slightly and said, "If you attach importance to civilian deaths, then it affects you; there's something more cruel in my world than just being a simple killer. I have to kill people who didn't choose this life, but I also know that if I don't, more people will die."

Akira took Anton's hand. She thought she would die with her father, but he came to her rescue without knowing why. "Did you really take this commitment seriously?"

"To be honest, no, I never considered my father's opinion and yours as something that had to be done. You may not believe it, but I always considered your opinion the most important." Anton looked at Akira's delicate hand and felt very calm.

"Then why did you come to help me?"

"Because you're someone who has understood me all this time, and I fear you're the only one, so it would be painful to lose you."

At that moment, Akira set aside the bottle of alcohol and asked, "Do you want to kiss me?"

"Are you sure about that?" Anton looked at Akira, and at that moment, she approached slowly.

Without giving an answer, Akira took the first step and gave Anton a soft kiss, which he reciprocated very slowly.

In no time, that flame that had been hidden in their bodies ignited; they both began to release that desire that they hadn't stimulated in an eternity and let it out now.