Chapter 234: Finding The Main Culprit.

At Kael’s command, Varek moved immediately.

He raised one hand, and the shadow beneath his feet began to stir. The darkness rippled like liquid before something small pushed its way out of it. A strange creature emerged, possessing a tiny body with a comically oversized head that made its proportions look almost ridiculous.

Kael recognized it immediately.

It was another member of Varek’s Shadow Legion.

The moment the creature fully emerged, Varek seemed to issue it a command, and the strange construct immediately moved toward the subdued thugs.

It stopped beside them and began performing an unfamiliar ability, its movements calm and deliberate. Kael could sense mana fluctuating around it, but he couldn’t determine exactly what the shadow construct was doing.

Still, he didn’t pay much attention to it. His gaze had already shifted toward Ezra.

The healing potion he had given her earlier was already taking effect. The wounds that had looked so severe were slowly beginning to close, and her condition had stabilized considerably. Even so, a single potion wasn’t enough to completely restore her. She still needed proper medical attention.

Kael frowned slightly as he considered what to do next.

Before he could decide, Varek moved again.

Shadow swirled around his feet, rising from the ground before condensing into another creature. This one was completely unfamiliar to Kael.

It was a slug.

A palm-sized creature with a soft, strange body that slowly wriggled against the ground.

"This is one of the newer additions to the Shadow Legion, Master," Varek explained. "It is called the Death Slug. It possesses virtually no combat ability, but it has the ability to heal injuries. I believe it may prove useful for the girl."

Kael nodded.

He didn’t need any further explanation.

The moment the Death Slug appeared, Kael activated his Eye of Judgment.

Information immediately surfaced before his eyes.

The creature’s ability was surprisingly simple, yet incredibly useful. The Death Slug could absorb negative energy generated by pain, injuries, death, and similar sources. It would then convert that energy into life force, which could be used to restore physical injuries.

Kael nodded again.

The Quasi-Transcendent had proven himself incredibly useful yet again.

Kael couldn’t help wondering just how many different types of Shadow Legion creatures Varek possessed. Even after his power had regressed to this extent, the man still possessed an absurdly diverse collection of abilities and summons.

Just how terrifying must Varek have been at his peak?

The thought alone made Kael slightly uneasy.

He was fortunate that someone like Varek had become his subordinate rather than his enemy. If they had stood on opposite sides, Kael couldn’t even imagine the kind of nightmare he would have had to face.

"Go ahead."

At Kael’s permission, Varek gave the Death Slug its command.

The strange creature immediately began crawling toward Ezra. It climbed onto her body, slowly making its way upward until it reached her forehead. Once there, it attached itself to her skin and began its work.

A faint fluctuation of energy spread through Ezra’s body.

Her breathing gradually became steadier.

Kael watched for a few seconds before his attention was drawn elsewhere.

The hive mind had finished its task.

Varek turned toward him.

"Master, the location has been confirmed."

Kael nodded, his expression immediately becoming colder.

"Good."

Varek then transferred control of the hive mind to Kael.

The connection was instantaneous.

The moment control changed hands, Kael could sense the hive mind clearly. More importantly, he could now receive the information it had gathered and follow the trail directly to the person responsible for controlling the thugs.

There was no longer any reason to remain here.

Kael prepared to leave, but before he could move, Varek spoke again.

"Master, what should we do with them?"

He pointed toward the three men.

The thugs were unconscious now, their bodies completely limp after the hive mind had finished with them.

Kael glanced at them.

His expression remained cold.

"Kill them."

There was no hesitation in his voice.

They had been controlled, but that didn’t erase the fact that they had already been criminals before tonight. Judging from their appearance and behavior, Kael had little doubt that they had committed plenty of atrocities long before someone had taken control of them.

The world would be better with fewer people like them in it.

With his orders given, Kael departed.

The hive mind immediately transmitted the location into his consciousness, giving him a clear direction to follow.

A while later, Kael was moving rapidly across the city.

Buildings blurred past him as he traveled at incredible speed, his figure disappearing and reappearing across the streets before eventually slowing down.

He had arrived.

Kael came to a stop before a large building illuminated by bright neon lights.

It was some kind of club.

The entrance was bustling with activity. People continuously entered and left through the doors, while several drunk individuals could be seen stumbling along the sidewalk, laughing loudly or struggling to keep themselves upright.

Kael paid little attention to them.

His gaze instead settled on the enormous logo above the entrance.

VIPER CLUB.

His brows furrowed.

He recognized that name.

The Viper Club was owned by the Dark Viper Guild.

Kael’s expression immediately darkened.

His previous encounter with the guild’s Vice Captain flashed through his mind. It hadn’t exactly been a pleasant meeting.

Could this be revenge?

Had the Dark Viper Guild targeted Ezra simply because they couldn’t directly deal with him?

Kael narrowed his eyes.

But he quickly pushed the thought aside.

He couldn’t jump to conclusions.

The fact that the club belonged to the Dark Viper Guild didn’t mean everyone inside was a member of the guild. More importantly, he had yet to confirm that the people responsible for attacking Ezra were connected to them at all.

The only thing he knew for certain was that the person controlling the thugs was somewhere inside.

That was enough.

Kael stepped forward, his cold gaze fixed on the entrance.

He would simply go inside and find out who was responsible.

If his suspicions proved correct, then the Dark Viper Guild would have to answer for what they had done.

And if they weren’t responsible?

He would find the real culprit.

Either way, someone was going to give him an explanation.