Chapter 80: Emergency

The three mercenaries realized they had no advantage. There were seven of them. In terms of strength, they might have had a slight edge, but it didn’t seem to be much. So they had to take the initiative. They were in the hallway, and several other mercenaries were staying behind.

Once they got out, they could get backup and get through this quickly.

However, to reach the strongest ones, they still had to go downstairs...

Martin made his spear gleam as he appeared in front of one of them. He didn’t speak or make a sound; he let his strikes do the talking.

His first strike was a horizontal sweep that swept toward one of his opponents, catching him off guard and hitting him in the hip. The attack was so powerful that the guy would surely have hip problems for the rest of his life.

The werewolf slammed into the wall to one side, causing the small hotel to shake. However, to Martin’s surprise, the bastard managed to get back up.

He wiggled his hip a little and popped it back into place as if nothing had happened. Then he lunged at Martin with a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes.

Dazed, Martin took a moment to move, which left him vulnerable to a direct blow to the chest.

However, he was still Martin, and he was far more powerful than his opponent. He planted his feet on the ground and rolled through the blow until he came to a stop. He dodged the attack coming at him from the front and then took a step back to avoid another one. Then he thrust his spear forward, striking his target firmly in the shoulder.

The attack sent the werewolf reeling, but he managed to withstand it thanks to the strength of his bones. However, he had several broken bones, which caused him to wince in pain.

Martin vanished from where he had been standing and seized the moment to strike the werewolf precisely in the chest, aiming for his heart. His attack was accurate, but he didn’t unleash his full power. He sent the werewolf flying and slammed him into the stairs leading to the first floor, where he knocked down part of the wall, but he didn’t kill him.

Although it gave Martin, Kevin, and Finn enough time to regroup and launch even fiercer attacks.

Even though it was 3 against 7, the difference in strength was evident.

Especially when it came to Finn.

His dagger glowed with a crimson red hue that didn’t come from outside, but was its own glow.

He vanished and reappeared behind his opponents, who seemed to just want to test how strong they were... As far as Finn was concerned, that was a huge mistake.

"If you think I’m the type to test my opponents’ strength, I think you’ve got the wrong person." A chuckle escaped his lips, and he made several quick slashes in a matter of seconds. He didn’t give his targets even the slightest chance to defend themselves.

Their heads rolled across the floor.

"Tsk, looks like I’ll have to step it up too." Martin laughed as he realized this guy was going all out. In a single move, he killed two, and Martin was still toying with the first one.

On the other hand, Kevin hadn’t summoned a conventional weapon. He had summoned a scepter.

He used the scepter to create an earthquake that was felt throughout the building and that also shook anyone other than his teammates who tried to move.

Those attacking him stumbled forward, and then the scepter he had used to cast a strange spell transformed into a spear sharpened at the back, which pierced the necks of his attackers.

All three performed excellently, and when Martin’s dragon glowed, there was no one left in the room except for them.

The commotion drew several of their companions out of their rooms, and they joined them on their way downstairs.

Once downstairs, they caught sight of Khan surrounded by some dangerous-looking people, while more than 13 lay dead around him.

"Is there some damn invasion of strange beasts going on?" Khan was furious because he didn’t know the status of all his companions.

He couldn’t afford to spend any more time here!

But there were too many of them. Even though he was strong, those guys had unique abilities and were also exceptionally powerful. Some of them were Rank C and D, though fortunately none were Rank B.

As he was surrounded, he noticed several figures approaching him. He thought more were coming, which made him even more frustrated. But when he focused a little harder, he realized they were many of his comrades.

Thanks to the arrival of so many allied forces, Khan was able to finish off his enemies.

"These guys came out of nowhere; they dress like locals, but they’re clearly not... What the heck is going on? And why aren’t they all here?"

"No, Mr. Khan. Actually, I think they are locals," Kevin explained. "Something happened..." He decided to explain it in detail to all his friends.

Meanwhile, someone went to check the other rooms, since there wasn’t a single member of the hotel staff to be found there either.

After they finished explaining, Khan fell deep in thought.

Various plans flashed through his mind.

"This isn’t something we can handle on our own..." he said. "This church is powerful. It has A-Rank members, and no one knows how strong the Pope or the Prophet are..."

Khan was planning to ask for outside help, but at that moment they realized that none of their cell phones were working...

Seconds later, the one who had gone to check if his companions were in the room returned with a pale face.

"Mr. Khan, gentlemen... No, there’s no one in there. The windows are open, and it looks like they’ve been kidnapped..."

"What? Everyone?"

"E-everyone, sir..."

Khan frowned. Just then, he noticed someone running from building to building, trying to hide. He was wounded and dirty... it was one of his comrades.

A Rank F.

When he arrived, overcome with fear, he sought refuge with Khan. "S-Sir Khan, t-they were all kidnapped by the city’s forces. T-they look like cursed beasts that know only the taste of blood. I-I’m afraid that... I’m afraid that..."

"Relax. It’s okay, I’m here." Khan quickly crouched down and sprayed a potion all over his body. "Don’t worry, nothing will happen to you. We’ve cleared this area of those bastards. Calm down and tell me everything. Take a deep breath..."

The man did exactly as he was told. He took a deep breath and calmed his heart when he noticed so many of his comrades.

"I-I managed to escape, maybe because they didn’t think I’d have the ability to hide—since I’m low-ranking... But the rest... the rest were kidnapped and taken to the Main Temple. They were taken to that place. They were saying... they were saying that they would be the perfect food for the goddess. That they... that they wanted to feed their goddess... That they were going to cut them up and, and... and that it would give them power..."

"T-that’s what I heard..."

His explanation was so detailed and filled with fear that there was no room for doubt. With what he’d just learned from Martin and the others, combined with this, he realized that this religion was more than just strange. Perhaps, all this time, it had actually been a cursed cult.

Khan patted the little Rank F boy on the head and smiled at him. "You did a great job. Go get some rest. You stay here and watch over him."

Khan made a few adjustments and then left the area. The streets were now deserted. They found only one person—the one who had gotten lost while chasing his companion—and he, too, had been killed.

They moved forward in a set formation, with Khan leading the way, but trying to stay hidden. Even though they were a powerful group, they were no match for a Rank A. And the problem is that this city has several of them.

That’s why they moved slowly, but advanced with determination.

Soon they reached the famous intersection... They took the nearest route to the great temple.

However, as soon as they took it, they made a mistake.

They stepped on a trap.

Suddenly, several rusty iron stakes coated with deadly poison flew at them from all sides.

Khan managed to fend off several, and the others were successfully fended off by his companions.

"Well done..." He stopped mid-sentence and frowned. "A deadly trap," he whispered as he saw the silhouettes that had risen up around them.

They were metal silhouettes, but they were arranged in a strange formation, and above them stood several people, one of whom stood out...

"Cardinal Marcellus." Khan recognized him immediately.

That strange formation had unleashed some strange threads invisible to the eye, which at that very moment were brushing against Khan’s skin. When he spoke, his neck moved, and that slight movement caused him to brush against one of those threads, and blood spurted from his neck.

He wasn’t the only one affected.

None of them could move because they had noticed it—albeit the hard way. Some had deep wounds that burned fiercely.

"Hehe, it looks like I’ll finally get to meet the mysterious Mr. Khan—the one they say could have been as great as the geniuses if only he’d woken up sooner."

Khan clenched his fists. "I’m not proud to meet you this way, Cardinal Marcellus. I thought our first encounter would be more... political."

"Hahaha." Cardinal Marcellus burst out laughing. "There are situations that call for extraordinary measures, don’t you agree?"

"Like the resurgence of some ancient mad god... No, I don’t think that’s it, is it?" Khan laughed and lightly touched the silver threads surrounding him. "You’re performing that Cursed Ritual... the Ritual to Become Beasts."