Criminal Hunting

Hopping off a taxi they had prearranged, Echo and Arthur stepped foot into a dilapidated region.

The breeze of the upcoming dawn caressed their bodies, bringing forth a tranquility that transcended that of the Dufan.

The silver moonlight gave a sliver yet striking radiance to the bleak factory before them.

The taxi driver drove off, incessant beam etched on his face from the generous tip granted by Echo.

In harmony with his festive mood, Arthur grinned at the sight of the factory ahead of him.

"Is this the place, Dusk?"

In his question, Dusk appeared from his shadow, his figure lightly concealed by the shade of the night.

"Affirmative, young master. This is the place", Dusk responded.

The place was dull with moss adorning its walls, bearing witness to its lengthy passage of time. Arthur could discern that it had been abandoned for over 10 years now.

'About the same time as a first-dimensional storm.', Arthur pondered.

Its roof was ravaged with some walls torn off. Rubbles littered everywhere his eyes laid on.

With just one look, one would conclude the source of this wreckage.

'Monsters.'

Arthur deduced that monsters must have made their first appearance in this place over 10 years ago

Clearing his mind, Arthur concentrated on the matter at hand.

The criminals.

Before his regression, there was a notorious guild devoted to the destruction of mankind.

The fiend guild.

They were a faction led by actual demons, integrating into the society in human skin. They deceived people into their motive, pledging unfathomable powers in return.

Among these people, most were nefarious criminals who broke into their jails.

Pre-regression, they brought demise to mankind, massacring prospects awakened to satisfy their goals.

Hunting them was futile since their evil was deeply rooted. They continued to proliferate, corrupting even decent awakened.

It took five SSS-grade awakened to finally bring an end to their evil, killing the leader demons.

For this reason, almost all returnees must have had a grudge against this evil faction. Arthur, likewise, had been through the worst due to their constant oppression.

"This time, I won't let you grow. I will pluck you one by one until no one's left.", Arthur had already steeled his resolve to exterminate this guild.

'It just sits right with me as I can plunder their skills with no guilt.', Arthur pondered.

Looking at the factory ahead, Arthur was irked to commence his next skill experimentation - trying it out on awakened.

"How many criminals are inside?"

"15 criminals, 8 of which are awakened."

Arthur was pleased with the number of awakened. He could test his skill multiple times, with no fear of blunders.

"Their strength?"

"4 F-grade awakened, 3 E-grade, and lastly 1 C-grade.", Dusk stated.

Realizing their strengths, Arthur didn't fret for a second. After all, he had two A-grades awakened beside him.

"Mr. Echo guard me for any projectiles or sudden ambush. And you, Dusk...", taking a pause, Arthur pulled out the dagger from his inventory. The leather armor long cloaked his body.

Glancing ahead, he muttered.

"Hunt them.", Arthur commanded.

"Keep them barely breathing"

-----

Diving straight into the factory, Dusk drifted from shadow to shadow, his heart about to break out of his chest from overflowing excitement.

"Shadow leap", Dusk mumbled

It had been a while since he hunted someone.

He almost forgot the coldness of severing someone's head under the silver rays of the dusk. The triumph of reaping lives after another, ravenous for blood.

Indulged in his long-constrained desires, Dusk emerged from the shadow behind a man, swiftly severing his limbs right after.

Before he could even make a noise of abruptly losing his limbs, two more members belatedly noticed their missing limbs.

*swoosh

"Argghhh!"

Three men wailed in pain, alerting the drunk criminals around them. Horrified expressions littered their faces upon witnessing their members, limbless, with just a torso and a head left.

"T---this... Who could---"

Before the man could finish his words, he felt his view dropping to a lower level, and then at the next moment, his head hit the ground as he couldn't feel his limbs.

Apparently, he was severed of his limbs.

"You--- who are you---"

"Who's there, show yourself---"

"Argh, who dare---"

A similar thing happened to the surrounding criminals, with the awakened barely putting on a fight before their limbs flew into the air, drenching their torsos and ground alike with blood.

A puddle of red liquid dyed the ground with torsos and limbs scattered horrifyingly.

In just a few seconds, all 14 criminals suffered a tragic fate. Only the C-grade awakened whom Dusk deliberately saved for last, stood before him.

It was a man of tall stature, emitting a faint fiendish aura that sent stench to Dusk's heightened senses.

"You reeks, corrupt criminal.", Dusk flipped his dagger, swirling it around his finger, seemingly unconcerned of the man's strength.

Stamping his large sword to the ground and then lifting it to the air as if to make his signature move, the man's veins bulged out of madness.

A faint crimson hue flashed in his eyes as he screamed his skill's name.

"Great Slash---"

*swoosh

*thump

More limbs fell to the ground.

----

Minutes ago, when Dusk vanished into darkness, Echo voiced out his worries about Arthur's upcoming slaughtering.

He had observed the changes in Arthur since hours ago and he was glad about it. However, the notion of killing didn't sit right for him, primarily, he had witnessed most awakened plunged in killing obsession and he didn't want Arthur to be the same.

He feared that murder would be a norm for Arthur.

"Young master, I understand that they are criminals deserving of punishment, however, do you think this is the right thing to do?", Echo halted Arthur who was about to step forward, heading to the entrance of the factory.

Halting in his steps, Arthur glanced at the murky sky, the cold breeze swept through his indifferent face. His thoughts wandered to the events before his regression.

Unveiling his thoughts, he muttered.

"It is not about whether it is the right to do or not. From now on, I will act on things that I have to do, be it humane or disdainful to others.", turning his head to Echo, Arthur met his worried gaze.

"I will not let anyone die just because I upheld the righteous things."

'Not anymore.'

Echo found the words too deep for a boy who just turned an adult. It oozes with rich experiences which is rather unusual for Arthur.

'Where did he learn such a thing...', Echo was as dubious as he was glad to see Arthur maturing into an adult.

"Then as your personal butler, I will stand by your side be it on massacring or assisting someone. I will stand and trust your decision, young master.", Echo bowed his head toward Arthur, making his pledge that unbeknownst to him, would bring him to a future of total massacre.

----

Pushing open the door of the factory, Arthur and Echo were greeted with a gore scenery of severed bodies littered on the ground, bathing in a puddle of blood.

A metallic stench assaulted their noise as shrieks from the humans wafted through their ears.

Looking at them, Arthur could feel the very nauseating aura he was well familiar with.

"Fiend guild.", it was the reek of evil. Faint it might be, Arthur couldn't comprehend just how many people these humans murdered.

Fiend guild.

What made them notorious and fight against SSS-grade awakened on equal footing was their ability to get stronger with each human they killed.

For this reason, they had been conducting bombing attempts in populated areas, all to gain power and be promoted to higher status in their faction.

'Killing others for the sake of power...'

"Young master, I have kept them alive as you commanded.", Dusk appeared before Arthur, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Arthur then mercilessly slaughtered the unawakened and awakened alike upon conducting experiments on his skills. Now that he was certain that they already made contact with the fiend guild, Arthur felt no ounce of pity or guilt.

He stabbed his dagger, reaping lives after another until collectively, he killed a total of 15 humans.

'Once they make contact with the fiend guild, there is no turning back for them. It is just continual plunging into corruption.', Arthur pondered.

Tossing aside these thoughts, Arthur looked at the bright side of his hunting.

In his status window, 8 more skills were added.

He then called for his Status window.