Third Shadow

An hour later, several armed units departed from this manor. The captain was one of them, but compared to the true bigshots present, he was nothing special. Furthermore, his unit was annihilated so his status plummeted even lower. The ones present were the top three strongest units in the Engelsheft Family! They acted as the arms and legs of the main family, exerting tremendous control and authority over the branch families. Their captains were either Peak Gaseous Fog or Fundamental Realm Masters! The overall leader was a Half-Condensed Drop Arcanist! As for a true Condensed Drop Arcanist or a Perception Realm combatant, this Engelsheft Family would be really farfetched to hire one! They were that rare and powerful.

The men swept through the manor, killing every single member of Gunther's family. No one could resist! Since the matter of the Arcellius Family was too big for the captain to handle, he reported it directly to the patriarch. This was the result. The patriarch decisively decided to annihilate this branch family! He hoped to completely sever ties with this family, in hopes of deceiving Avin. If Avin's only lead was lost, who could he vent his anger on? But they did not bank on this hope. Currently, the upper echelons were arguing about what to do next. They would never retreat nor apologize. The arrogance of an Engelsheft Family was deeply ingrained in their bones! However, they were wary of Avin's retaliation. Thinking this, the patriarch gritted his teeth and decided!

A short time later, a man was roused from his bed. Three women were sleeping naked by his side. Their beauty was hard to imagine such that many preeminent lords would fawn over them. They were the dream girls of countless people. And to have the privilege to enjoy their first time, especially all three at once, the man had specifically forbidden anyone from interrupting him. Hence, his fury was bursting when his servant entered. He wanted to skin the old man alive.

"My lord, my apologies for interrupting you during your rest," the butler said.

"Out with it! What do you want?"

"Yes, of course. We received a message from the Rellion Engelsheft Family patriarch. He has news on the… Arcellius Family."

"Oh?" the man's interest was piqued. "Let me see."

After reading the message, his eyes shined with a devious light. A wide grin spread on his face. The main Engelsheft Family that Gunther hailed from was called the Rellion Family. The patriarch hid no facts and honestly explained the situation to this man. On the surface, he was the patriarch of a Hochlaegen Family, a lesser family when compared to an Engelsheft Family. Yet, the Rellion patriarch kept a sincere and respectful tone through his message.

That was because he knew that this man… was no simple character at all! A massive organization stood behind him, one that spanned both the Alzar Kingdom and the Zino Kingdom! Its tendrils had seeped far into every branch of life. Everyone heard of its name and trembled in fear! He was the Third Shadow of the Whispering Shadow! The Second Shadow was Lord Wenmord Lannisail, who was currently capturing Princess Elizabeth at around the same time. Right now, the Third Shadow had also made his appearance!

The Third Shadow scoffed at the thought of the Arcellius Family. So, what if their family was legendary? That was merely within the Zino Kingdom! What was the Zino Kingdom when compared to the bigger world? It was nothing worth mentioning in the Third Shadow's eyes. Even those Grand Nobility Households in Algard had to carefully tiptoe around him, much less the Protector of a long lost and dead Engelsheft Family. The Rellion Family might be afraid of them, but the Whispering Shadow… The man chuckled. He was not afraid at all! The Whispering Shadow was a true heavyweight of the underworld!

What attracted his attention was the business prospects. He was a true connoisseur in spotting opportunity. Otherwise, how would he rise to his position in one of the largest criminal organizations in the world? He fancied the idea of capturing these Arcellius members and selling them as slaves! One of the most profitable businesses in the Whispering Shadow was slavery. Many people had too much money to spend and too few ways to spend it. This led to some questionable hobbies, one of which included collecting rare… specimens from across the world. He dreamed of the potential profits alone. An Arcanist was already rare, but the legendary Arcellius Family to boot… It would be beyond his imagination!

The Rellion Family patriarch wants to use us to deal with their own affairs… The Third Shadow was no idiot. He could see this clearly, but he laughed it off. A matter that was so hard in their eyes was nothing in his! That was the difference in power! He had to thank the Rellion Family for gifting such a wonderful opportunity straight to his doorstep!

"Contact the Third Hand. I want them to make a hit on the Arcellius Family tonight. Capture them fast and leave no witnesses. Make sure not to underestimate them like the Rellion Family!" he ordered.

"As you wish," the butler bowed.

At a similar time, in the depths of the upper districts of Firecast was the Vensire Family household! This was another Engelsheft Family that had a deep history. It was regarded as a solid mid-tier family amongst the Engelsheft Families with their proudest accomplishment being that their young heir served as a Ten Dawn! Becoming a Ten Dawn was an extremely impressive accomplishment with few positions exceeding it in glamor or prestige. However, the Vensire Family had retreated recently, shrinking their sphere of influence by many times.

Why? Because this young heir was Ten Dawn Tengon Vensire, Nassandra's previous partner! Thanks to the severe backlash from using Torrential Blizzard in the last battle with the emperor, his magic was crippled. He could no longer serve as a Ten Dawn. Furthermore, his arm was mangled to a disturbing degree such that he had to amputate it. Due to this, the Vensire Family was like a tiger without claws. Although the Zino Kingdom applauded his selfless sacrifice, those were words and nothing substantial. Without true power, how could they hold their heads high? Therefore, the family radiated a constant aura of gloom and doom. Their future days would be filled with difficulties. Misfortune never came alone, but they never thought it would come so early…

Inside the mansion, Tengon was in his private study. It was late at night and most people went to sleep. Whenever someone passed by Tengon's study and saw the light, they sighed. They could not fault him as the circumstances forced him to act. That was his duty as a Ten Dawn! If they had to vent their anger, then it would be towards the empire. Tengon was trying his hardest, to learn new skills to master so that he could contribute to the family in any way. He was truly filial! And the family realized this, so their respect for him did not diminish at all. In fact, it increased! A man of great perseverance was respected everywhere. Tengon was still the role model of this family!

Tengon messaged his bridge and put his book down. He was reading about how to start a business. He was not a brute and had a good head on his shoulders. This setback showed him exactly how fragile their family's position was. Depending on him alone was too risky. Certainly, the Vensire Family was more than him, but over time, many family members became complacent and slacked off. He served for less than five years, but this became obvious. Hence, he looked into establishing a new permanent business to become the new backbone of the family. This way, the family could continue to prosper. But alas, how could it be easy?

He smiled bitterly and closed his eyes to rest. When he opened them again, he saw two masked figures standing in front of him! One controlled an ice-cold aura like the frigid winter air and wore a mask depicting a crying face and the twin setting suns. On the other hand, one controlled a warm aura like a bright summer day and wore a mask depicting a smiling face and the twin rising suns. These two managed to sneak in without a sound! Fear crept into Tengon's heart and he panicked. They were like those demonic ghosts from fairy tales! No amount of training could prepare him for this!

Tengon wanted to jump out of his seat, except… he could not. To his horror, he realized he was bound to his chair. His arms, legs, and chest were all tied tightly. Everything was done so smoothly and quietly that he slept through it all! His mind raced. He might not be a martial artist, but he had some training. Sure, he let his guard down in his own home, but to sneak up on him like this… Through all the layers of security in an Engelsheft Family as well! They must be monsters! Real monsters! He really wanted to cry. What did he do to deserve this?