CHAPTER 257: CHAPTER 257

The Rogues who were with her stifled a laugh, their shoulders shaking, but when Jane glared at them, they immediately went silent, straightening up like scolded kids. Jane smirked at me, her eyes narrowing as she unleashed her bloodlust, a heavy, oppressive aura that surrounded me, trying to crush my spirit. But I wasn’t suffocated one bit—I also released my bloodlust, pushing back with my own, the air between us crackling with tension. We were just standing there, having our silent showdown, the Rogues watching like spectators, when I smirked back at her. "What? Are you just gonna stand there? You pussy."

Her smirk cracked, her face twisting in irritation as she activated her Gift, her weapons seeming to have grown larger since the last time I met her—swords elongating, edges glowing with dark energy. "Oh, Remillia, Remillia. Do you know how much I craved to personally cut your body piece by piece—"

I cut her off, waving my hand dismissively. "Blah, blah, blah. Enough talking and just fight me already, you blabbermouth."

"You asked for it!" She said as she dashed towards me, her enlarged weapons whistling through the air, the Rogues behind her grinning like they were about to watch a show.

While I waited for her, standing my ground without flinching, I pulled out a special orb from my pocket, its smooth surface humming with magic as I activated it to contact someone, the connection sparking instantly.

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Link Orb

A messenger call that transcends space, time, and dimensions, allowing you to contact only the specific person who possesses the other orb.

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"Boss," I said sweetly, my voice all honey and mischief over the link, like I was calling for backup in a game.

"Remillia?" Kairos greeted me, sounding unsure at first, like he couldn’t believe it was really me. But hearing me say "Boss," he knew right away that I wanted something from him.

"They’re bullying me again," I said, keeping it short and coded.

In that instant, he knew exactly what I was referring to. The call ended with a soft click, the orb’s glow fading as I slipped it back into my pocket, timing it perfectly.

Ezekiel wanted to run to save me, his eyes wide with worry, but with the Rogues surrounding him, he could only shout my name, his voice breaking through the chaos. "Remillia!"

Before the tip of Jane’s sword could touch me, someone called her, and she skidded to a halt, yanking out an orb identical to mine, her face twisting in annoyance. "What now?! I’m in the middle of something!" she yelled into it, her bloodlust still pulsing but interrupted.

"Jane Melvin! You stupid bitch!" the caller yelled, the voice exploding through the orb like thunder, instantly making the Rogues, Ezekiel, and her stunned, their jaws dropping in disbelief.

"W-What? What did I do again?" she said, lowering her voice, clearly not wanting to embarrass herself in front of the other Rogues, her tough facade cracking like cheap glass.

"What did I told you huh?!" the caller said, the voice booming through the orb, laced with fury that made even the air feel heavier.

"But we already finished our talk with Langston...?" she said, her tone pleading, trying to defend herself.

"Do you think I give a shit about Langston right now!? That person contacted me just now. If something goes wrong because of you, I will kill you myself!" the caller raged on.

Jane wanted to refute, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, but the caller cut her off.

"I’m not kidding, I will really kill you! I’ll personally tear your limbs apart and feed it to that person’s pet! You personally saw what kind of monster he’s keeping right?!" the caller continued, the threat vivid and terrifying.

The call ended just like that, the orb going silent with a final beep.

Jane stared dumbfounded at the Link Orb, her hands trembling slightly, then looked at me, her eyes wide and confused. "Uhm... Miss Remillia? Can you please explain what’s going on...?"

I don’t know but having a rise in power actually felt good, that intoxicating rush of control making my smirk widen as I stood there, the Rogues’ eyes on me like I was some untouchable force. "So one of my clients really, really, favors me and it just happens they know about you so I asked them for a favor. Who knew one of my clients would have such a tight relationship with you?" I said, my voice dripping with mock innocence, enjoying the upper hand.

She was stunned, her face paling as the realization hit. It’s obvious she wanted to say, ’I’m being humiliated because of favoritism?’ but considering Kairos’ personality, it was quite a good excuse—his temper was legendary, and crossing him meant real, limb-tearing danger.

"If I were you, I would be begging and kneeling to spare my life," I said, leaning in with a taunting grin, the Rogues watching in stunned silence, the Kaleidoscope Effect still warping the edges of reality around us.

Jane swallowed hard, her weapons retracting as she glanced at her orb, then back at me, her earlier bloodlust fizzling out.

She quickly knelt down, about to smash her forehead to the ground in that over-the-top display of submission, when I stopped her with a raised hand, my smirk fading into something more serious. "I was just joking," I said, glancing at Ezekiel, who was still catching his breath amid the chaos. "Let him off and I’ll let you off just this once."

"Y-Yes of course Miss! Right away!" she quickly said, her voice high-pitched and eager as she spun to the Rogues. "Haven’t you heard what Miss said? Let him off now!" The Rogues exchanged uneasy looks but obeyed, backing away from Ezekiel, their weapons sheathing as they melted into the warped surroundings. She turned back to me and smiled, that forced grin still plastered on her face. "Is there anything you like to add more Miss?"

"You can go on your way now," I said, grabbing Ezekiel’s arm—who was now by my side, looking bewildered—and started walking away.

"Umm... What just happened?" he said, his voice a mix of confusion and exhaustion as he rubbed his shoulder.

I didn’t answer right away and looked back only to see Jane and her crew following us at a respectful distance, like loyal attendants trailing a queen. I asked them to leave, but it seems she decided to follow me anyway.

I just shrugged, playing it cool. "Who knows?"

Ezekiel shot me a sideways glance at my vague reply, his brow furrowing like he was trying to piece together a puzzle with missing pieces.

I sighed, rubbing my temple as I tried to spin a believable story. "It’s like I said earlier, I have clients who happen to know her."

"Clients?" he said, then looked back and stared at the Rogues trailing us, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

It really wasn’t easy to come up with a good explanation. After all, I didn’t want to look like someone who was related to Rogues. "Yes, I’m a mercenary and I sell my clients a valuable piece of information. That client just happened to be extremely influential around people like them," I said, referring to Jane and her crew.

"You’re client is a Rogue?" he said, his voice laced with disbelief.

"It’s all about money. That’s why they’re here too," I said, gesturing vaguely at the Rogues, who kept their distance but followed like obedient puppies.

He didn’t seem to believe me one hundred percent, but he didn’t ask further questions, probably sensing I wasn’t in the mood to elaborate. "Mercenary... Mercenary..." he muttered, then suddenly his eyes shot open wide. "What if you join our guild? The pay’s high and—"

I cut him off with a polite but firm shake of my head. "Thanks Zeke, but I’m not planning to join any guilds."

"O-Oh..." he said, his face falling for a second before brightening up again. "That’s okay. If you ever change your mind, just contact me."

I nodded, appreciating his persistence even if it was misplaced, then suddenly remembered something important. "If the space distorts while we’re walking, just head over to that building and go inside."

"Why do you know—"

Jane cut him off, who was suddenly beside me and subtly pushed Ezekiel away as she joined in our conversation. "You don’t have to worry about that Miss!"

I turned around as she flinched at my gaze, her eyes darting away nervously, then took out a palm-sized mirror from her pocket. "We have a GPS Mirror."

GPS Mirror? The author should have at least given it a fancy name. Anyways, this device must be what they used to find Ezekiel, some tracking tool that let them zero in on targets in this warped space.

"Give it here then," I said as I extended my hand out towards the black mirror, my tone leaving no room for argument.

Jane scratched her neck but didn’t express any refusal. Instead, she pleaded. "Um, about this matter...."

"Don’t worry, I’ll drop this matter," I said, waving off her concern with a casual flick of my wrist. She wasn’t the real enemy anyway—just a pawn in the bigger game, and with Kairos’s leash on her, she was more useful as an ally than a target.

"Y-Yes thank you Miss!" she said, her relief palpable as she held my hand and gave me the GPS Mirror.

Jane then walked back happily as Ezekiel glared at her, his eyes narrowing like she was the most annoying thing in the world. "That woman really acts like a man..." he mumbled under his breath, loud enough for me to hear.

I chuckled at him, breaking the tension as we talked, the conversation flowing easily despite the weirdness of our entourage.