Raid on Aeshma (2)

The heavy double doors of the manor crashed down with a single kick. The moment I stepped through the doorway, a barrage of arrows and magic bolts flew toward me.

I stood still as the attacks harmlessly dissipated against my cloak, their combined force vanishing instantly. The attackers, who were scattered around the room, gasped in shock as their efforts proved futile.

A group of attackers positioned on the stairway leading to the second floor caught my eye. A dark bolt of force formed above my right hand, and in the next moment, the entire stairway—and the people on it—were obliterated.

Eldritch Blast wasn't typically designed for area-of-effect damage; it was more of a sniping tool. However, when used correctly, it could bring about utter destruction. With that formation gone, I began blasting the surrounding rooms and locations where the enemies were hiding.

I hadn't allowed a single word to be muttered before my waves of force came crashing down on them. The pebbles that rolled across the blood-soaked floor marked the carnage that the Aeshma Familia now found themselves in.

A dozen dead adventurers and other Familia members lay in a massive bloodbath that filled the manor. Using my heat vision, I scanned for any survivors, though the bodies hadn't yet cooled. The sight confirmed who was alive and who wasn't.

I killed each of the survivors to fully eradicate the Aeshma Familia. However, the higher-ups were still nowhere to be found. They had most likely heard the commotion by now, but for some reason, they were still hiding.

The manor itself was dull, with nothing of real interest to see. I searched the rooms for any signs of Aeshma or Enoch, but there was no trace. The manor did contain some fancy items that could fetch a good price on the market, but I didn't bother taking any of them.

Even if I wanted to take something, I had no place to store it. So, my only option was to keep searching without taking anything. A minute later, I stumbled upon a room where what seemed like breeding experiments had been conducted.

The strong stench of semen filled the air. Disgusted, I began spamming force waves all around the room, destroying everything in sight. With the room obliterated, I closed the half-broken door and continued my search.

Some surviving members attempted to attack me then and there, but they all met their demise quickly. By now, I had nearly wiped out the entire Aeshma Familia—or so I guessed.

As I climbed to the second floor, a group of cloaked men suddenly stormed out from multiple rooms. One of them stood apart from the others—a taller figure with a fiery-looking sword in his right hand.

"A magic sword, huh? Why don't you hand that over before you break it? You can't harm me anyway, so why waste such a precious weapon?" My taunt seemed to anger the cloaked man, and he swung his sword at me.

A massive wave of flames rushed toward me, but my cloak blocked it effortlessly. The fiery wave surrounded me for half a minute before it finally dissipated. A cracking sound drew my attention elsewhere.

"DAMN IT!!" The man was too busy cursing his broken magic sword to notice that I was unscathed. The other cloaked men around him gasped in shock, but that was their last reaction as they perished the next moment my wave touched them.

With them dead, the man—who I assumed to be their leader—tried to run away, but his efforts were in vain as I slammed him against the wall. His large figure left a crack in the stone as he collapsed to the floor.

I approached him as he coughed up blood. Grabbing him by the collar, his hood fell back, revealing his face—a human man with yellow eyes and black hair, likely in his forties.

"Tell me who you guys are and where the higher-ups are. If you tell me everything, I'll let you live..." His once-brave facade shattered as he began begging for mercy, offering me any information I wanted.

"Please! Please spare me! I was just following the orders of Goddess Morana! She ordered me to form a deal with the Aeshma Familia involving smuggling illegal magic items and tools...."

Not satisfied with his answer, I pointed my arm at his face, making him beg even harder, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT!! God Aeshma, along with my boss and two other guys, went down to the underground basement to carry out whatever they planned. I'm sorry, but I honestly don't know what they're planning! Please, just spare me!!"

That underground basement could potentially be an entrance to Knossos—maybe, maybe not. But something important was hidden down there. The problem was, that even if I found the entrance to Knossos, I lacked the key to open it.

"The basement is just behind that door on the first floor," he pointed to a door I had left unchecked during my carnage spree. "You need a key to open it!" I returned my gaze to him for one last moment.

"Thanks." Relief washed over his face upon hearing that, but I rarely showed mercy to my enemies. Instead of letting him live, I smashed his head against the floor. Brain matter splattered across the wooden floor. With him gone, I was now ready to venture into the underground section.

I stormed down the stairway and tried to open the door as anyone would, but it was locked. However, that didn't stop me. With one forceful slam, the door flew off its hinges, hitting the stone ceiling.

Thanks to my night vision, I did not need a torch. I made my way downstairs slowly. The stone steps were slippery, and as I descended further, faint voices echoed from below.

The voices grew clearer as I approached another door. Pressing my ear against it, I could hear Enoch, along with Aeshma, the banker, and another man. They were discussing plans to create stronger adventurers by breeding higher-level individuals.

Their boring chit-chat didn't interest me, but what did catch my attention was how good the sound isolation was down here. They sounded calm, completely unaware of the carnage above.

Seizing the element of surprise, I used my abilities to push the door open, which successfully hit Enoch, who was standing at the front. The heavy door knocked him aside, leaving him to grunt in pain.

The men—and the god—stood with wide eyes, stunned at the sight of me. Aeshma, especially, had his gaze fixed on me. The cloaked god wore a golden mask over his face, and unlike his followers, he remained calm in my presence.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!!" Enoch yelled in primal rage as he charged at me, his once-fancy black clothes now filthy with dust, making him look even more ridiculous.

With a swift dodge, I avoided his attack and threw him aside. He hit the ground once more, but this time, more aggressively.

"Hi."