Chapter 13: The Bracelet

[Third Person's Point of View]

Implementing his plan with the help of the newly bought artefacts was relatively easy for Augustus.

Trey, the key to his plan, was already in his grasp. Fortunately, he hadn't yet resorted to using extreme methods during the interrogation, so Trey's injuries were relatively minor and could be healed or concealed with magic and light-healing potions.

Augustus was grateful that Trey had a few of those portions, otherwise trying to explain his injuries during the meeting would have been too risky.

Using his expertise in utilising the Killing Lines, he skillfully knocked Trey unconscious with a gentle hit to the back of his head, rendering him docile. He was now prepared to utilize the powerful artefact.

The silver bracelet on his left wrist emitted a bright glow, and Augustus could sense invisible threads extending from it towards his target's body. These threads slowly pierced through the skin, connecting directly with his spiritual body.

The connection was successful.

Thirty minutes later, he pushed the boundaries to see how much control he could have over Trey and realized why the bracelet was known for being powerful yet difficult to master.

The bracelet's ability to preserve the memories of its targets was a major advantage, but what they failed to mention was that a small part of the target's consciousness also remained with those memories.

That didn't mean Trey could break out of his control.

For instance: If Trey didn't maintain his memory, and someone at the meeting asked for a confidential code or personal details, Trey would be unable to provide any information that Augustus himself isn't already aware of.

With this artefact, Augustus no longer needed to fret about anticipating every detail beforehand. If someone were to inquire about sensitive information, all Augustus had to do was give the command, 'Tell them the secret code' or 'Share the information,' and Trey would respond with the knowledge already stored in his own mind.

Ironically, the problem lay in that part.

In order to avoid disclosing the fact that he was being controlled, it was crucial for Augustus to monitor Trey's speech and prevent any accidental slip-ups.

Augustus noted that he had to exercise caution in that part.

The rest was easy.

Augustus gathered the bodies of all the guards he had taken down on his path towards infiltrating the building and stashed them in a room within Trey's apartment. He left Nikolas' body, Trey's trusted associate who had been leisurely lounging in the living room, right where he fell after Augustus slit his throat.

White Ring of Faceless, he recalled, allowed its users to store up to 4 different appearances to choose from.

Augustus placed the white ring on his left hand's middle finger, which automatically adjusted to fit him perfectly.

With Nikolas's lifeless body in his sights, he directed the ring towards it and pressed down on the symbol etched into its surface, as he commanded "Transform."

Dull violet light spread from the ring, as Augustus felt his body grow, his facial structure and muscles began to shift.

The brightness disappeared, and instead of the 6'1 man with vivid amethyst eyes, stood a 6'3 man with a ruggedly toned body and bulging muscles in every inch of his frame.

Augustus gazed into his own reflection, noticing the dullness of his back eyes, as he couldn't help but be amazed once again at the intricacies of the magical world.

*****

Finnley's voice boomed through the room, silencing the bickering among his subordinates. "That's enough!" he demanded, slamming his hand on the table for emphasis. "No more pointless arguments. I expect better ideas this time, or there will be consequences."

The threat hammered on every occupant of the room, as they quietened at the implications.

"I couldn't help but notice that beautiful bracelet you're wearing, boss," Trey, who had been quiet throughout the meeting, suddenly spoke up with a sharp glint in his eye and a curious smile on his face.

Finnley looked at Trey in confusion, then checked his right hand to see indeed, the black-coloured bracelet with an amethyst stone on top, which the full sleeve of his coat had covered till now slid down on his wrist to become visible to all.

Trey's inquisitive nature was not a problem for him. Despite Trey's reputation for being quirky and unconventional, he had a natural talent for organizing and leading.

He lifted his right arm for everyone to see, asking "Do you like this one?" with a grin on his face. "I acquired it from the last horde of Hell-beasts we defeated 4 months ago."

"Oh great, now even the hell-beast hoards have started giving out magic items. Should I bother attending the next one, boss?" Trey scoffed, his raised eyebrow and smirking lips betraying his skepticism.

Laughter filled the room, instantly lightening up the tense atmosphere from earlier.

"Haha! That's yet to happen. I grabbed this bracelet from a couple battling the Hell-beasts."

Finnley could see the persistent curiosity in Trey's determined stare, and he knew that his subordinate wouldn't focus unless he revealed the entire story. Letting out a weary breath, Finnley decided to continue.

"There was this husband and wife duo of hunters in the city. Emma was her name I think? They had been active in the city for many years, and even during the last intense attack by the hell-beasts, they were able to hold their own. Unfortunately, a few hunters lost their lives in the fight, but our core team, made up of all the official Middle-Class devils in the city, including myself and Mauricio here," he gestured to his companion, "managed to successfully defend the area. Even the boss was a typical Hell-beast Boar type, so the hoard was handled successfully, but by some miraculous stroke of luck, the hunter couple took down a mutated Boar type Hell-beast."

The entire room erupted in gasps as everyone comprehended the magnitude of what had just occurred. Mutated Boar Hell-beasts, while only slightly more powerful than regular boar-type Hell-beasts, were highly sought after for their valuable meat and body parts, which could fetch millions of Lilium on the market.

Consuming its flesh would greatly boost a person's demonic power, making it one of the most coveted Hell-beasts in the market. Demand for them was sky-high, but their rarity meant that there was almost no supply available.

"Do you recall the Balam Trading Company that set up shop ten years ago in the south district? Their hired hunters were there during the incident. They tried to buy the beast's carcass from the couple for 800,000 Liliums but were refused. Later on, they approached me and offered me the same amount to eliminate the couple and give them the carcass of the mutated boar."

The Balam Trading Company. Of course, they remembered. Owned directly by the main house of Clan Balam, ranked Earl of the 72 Demon Pillars, a close trading partner of the Belials.

" I don't understand, boss. Why would they need to hire a middle-class devil like you to take out two low-class devils?" Trey furrowed his brow, clearly struggling to understand the reasoning behind this odd request.

Finnley let out a condescending laugh. "Oh, that?" He scoffed, "It wasn't common knowledge, but the couple was actually middle-class in strength. Both of them."

He added, "They refused to join the servitude of the Belial house, which means they never received the necessary recommendation to take the Middle-Class Devil Advancement Test. What a shame. If they had taken the test, their death would have been examined more thoroughly, and we would be in deep trouble."

"Fortunately, they were worn out from fighting the Hell-beasts, and that's when we blindsided them. Otherwise, there would have been no way for us to defeat them without attracting attention to our scuffle."

He ran his finger over the smooth surface of the amethyst stone on the bracelet as he spoke. "I also managed to take the bracelet from that bitch. She was hot, shame I didn't get the chance to enjoy her..."

Finnley's voice trailed off as he drifted into a daydream, but the sound of a loud bang on the table quickly brought him back to reality. Mauricio cleared his throat and reminded them, "We are getting off track, lets focu---"

Shlick

He never had a chance to finish his sentence. The sudden sound of metal tearing through flesh silenced him, causing everyone in the room to gasp and turn their gaze towards the source.

A sharp piece of metal stuck out from Finnley's chest, and his mouth was stained with slowly dripping blood.

Nikolas, who had been standing behind Trey, was now positioned behind Finnley. He held a gleaming silver blade in his hand, which was impaled into Finnley's back. The swiftness and suddenness of the attack left everyone in the room stunned and unable to react until it was already too late.

*****

Red.

That's all he saw.

All red.

Plans? They could go to hell.

The bracelet was a gift from the original Augustus to his mother, Emma. Both of them had striking amethyst eyes. As a token of their love, Augustus and his father, Alexander gifted the magical artefact to Emma on her 100th birthday, a reminder of their family bond.

Die.

Yes, all of them needed to die.

Stating with Finnley. He needed to go first.

But Augustus didn't bring his blade. He couldn't conceal it under his clothes.

[Store] opened on his interface, and he quickly purchased the first sword that caught his eye. He only glanced briefly at its description before making the purchase.

In a blur of motion, he closed the gap between them and materialized the sword just as he reached Finnley's back. With one swift thrust, the blade pierced through his heart and emerged from the other side of his chest.

Blood dripped from Finnley's mouth as he struggled to turn his head towards 'Nikolas'. His eyes were a mix of confusion, agony, pain, and utter disbelief.

Augustus twisted the blade, and pulled it out, as a fountain of blood sprayed from the gaping hole in Finnley's chest, as he fell down, dead.

"DIE!", an enraged yell bellowed from his left, as a massive fireball came hurling at him.

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Author-san here.

You determined lads completed the Powerstone goal. Truly hats-off.

I am not giving any Powerstone goal, but VOTE if you liked the chapter

The next chapter is on Monday.

Butttt

If you guys leave 15+ reviews/ratings down in the review section of the story, I'll post the next chapter earlier on Monday. (I usually update late-evening)

Tho I would love a 5 Star, just be honest about your thoughts.

And the story will finally pick up pace from here, so strap in your seatbelts.

Hmm

Okay bye.