You don't even know who's running the show for our Savoie Mob? And you're coming to me with this question? You must be clueless about the real deal. Our Boss is the Commanding Officer of the secret organization called the Iron and Blood Cross Order, and we're just a small part of the whole setup, Lumian thought, sliding his right hand into his pocket.
He quickly considered three possibilities.
First, Gardner Martin used the Savoie Mob for his secret missions, like smuggling some bizarre stuff through "Rat" Christo. Having been detected by someone or some faction, they now wanted to dig into the mob and expose the mastermind behind it.
Second, some members of the Savoie Mob must have offended the wrong people, and now the consequences were knocking at their door.
Third, after the Poison Spur Mob got wiped out, the Savoie Mob expanded rapidly, attracting attention from certain factions.
Lumian quickly dismissed the first two options. Whether it was some secret getting leaked or someone causing offense, he wasn't going to be the one facing questions about the identity of the Savoie Mob's Boss!
Usually, whoever did something secretive would get a visit from the investigators. Similarly, if someone offended another, they'd be targeted, or the leader shielding them. Lumian had never truly been involved in the Savoie Mob's clandestine affairs, nor had he recently defended any subordinates.
The person standing across from him was directly probing about the identity of the Savoie Mob's Boss. It wasn't about which individual belonged to the mob or some specific incident in the past.
Based on this, Lumian strongly suspected that some faction or individual had taken an interest in the Savoie Mob and planned to incorporate them.
Of course, he couldn't dismiss the possibility that a rival mob had teamed up with a powerful being to seek help in taking down the Savoie Mob's Boss.
Yet, in either case, they seemed to have a shallow understanding of the Savoie Mob. They didn't even know the superficial identity of Gardner Martin. All they knew was the most famous member of the mob in recent times. They had just asked about him and paid him a "visit."
In other words, they are treating the Savoie Mob as a regional mob with only a few Beyonders. Sending real powerhouses to deal with such a mob is clearly impractical, and they probably can't afford to hire them either. Even a Mid-Sequence Beyonder is highly esteemed; it doesn't go beyond Sequence 6. Lumian made this rough judgment in just a couple of seconds.
Seeing Lumian remaining silent and not reaching for his weapon, the tall man with bushy hair, dark eyes, and a brownish-yellow wide-brimmed hat let out a cold snort. His expression and eyes revealed a clear sense of danger.
Almost simultaneously, Lumian felt the darkness around him grow heavier, swallowing up the faint glow of distant street lamps and the crimson moonlight from the sky.
The darkness condensed like frost, slowly but firmly seeping into Lumian's skin, flesh, and bones, causing an uncontrollable fear to well up within him.
Is that all? Lumian, who had been through major situations before, scoffed inwardly.
Gazing at the muscular man with gray hair, donning a linen shirt and a brown jacket, Lumian feigned a twinge of fear and blurted out, "It's Gardner Martin! Gardner Martin, a member of the Savoie Chamber of Commerce!"
The man nodded, pleased, and pressed on, "Where does he usually reside?"
"Lion" Ciel, the ruthless, crazed, and powerful mob leader, is no different from other mobsters!
They only know how to bully the weak and rely on their mob's backing to take on rival mobs. When facing genuinely formidable foes and simple dark-type spells, their timidity and cowardice become evident!
Lumian swallowed hard and managed to say, "He lives at 11 Rue des Fontaines."
At that moment, Lumian shook himself out of his daze.
"Let me tell you, our boss is a member of a secret organization. His strength is even more terrifying than you can imagine!"
A member of a secret organization? The broad-shouldered man was momentarily taken aback before breaking into a smile.
This was truly an unexpected windfall!
"Lion" Ciel is even more timid than I thought. He even spilled such vital information!
The man lifted his chin and sneered with a deep voice, "Well, did I mention that I, too, am part of a secret organization? A very ancient one."
With those words, the surrounding darkness seemed to tighten its grip.
Really? I can't quite tell… Lumian pondered the idea of luring this man and the faction behind him to confront the Boss. He wanted to see what would happen when the two secret organizations clashed, hoping to expose more of the Iron and Blood Cross Order's secrets.
After a brief silence, Lumian couldn't bear the weight of the darkness any longer. His right hand and arm, tucked into his pocket, trembled slightly.
"I don't know, I don't know. The Boss didn't tell us the exact name!"
The man scrutinized Lumian for a few seconds and concluded that he shouldn't know the details of the secret organization.
For a regional mob like theirs, the Boss is at most a member of some secret society.
The man couldn't help but smirk sinisterly.
"Then take me to 11 Rue des Fontaines."
As soon as he spoke, he lunged at Lumian, moving with such speed that he left afterimages.
Almost simultaneously, his nails shot out, long and sharp, flickering with a metallic light that exuded a dark sheen.
Yet, Lumian showed no fear, offered no resistance, and didn't panic. He also moved to evade the attack, all while extending his right hand from the depths of his pocket.
In his hand, he held a blazing white fireball the size of a fist, sending it hurtling toward his assailant like a gift.
Fireball… Blazing white… The man with short gray hair on his face and the back of his hands found himself too close to turn around due to his speed. As these thoughts raced through his mind, he collided with the condensed, blazing-white fireball.
Boom!
Amidst the muffled explosion, the man's abdomen burst into a bloody mess, emitting a distinct charred smell.
After the other party inquired about the Savoie Mob's boss, Lumian discreetly tucked his right hand into his pocket. However, it wasn't to draw a weapon or guard against attacks. Instead, he used his clothes as cover to steadily conjure crimson flames in his palm. Layer by layer, he compressed them to their utmost, turning the flames into a blazing white. The explosive power was on par with a Giant Fireball, but even more concentrated, capable of burning through skin.
If the enemy's speed hadn't exceeded Lumian's expectations, he would have had a high chance of witnessing the enemy's neck exploding upon impact.
Amidst the rumbling, the man was sent flying, and Lumian was affected by the aftershocks, stumbling backward and tumbling a few times.
Both of them got up simultaneously. Lumian's shirt and vest bore burn marks, and many parts of his skin were damaged.
He saw an irregular, gaping wound on the man's abdomen, with blood-stained intestines flowing out and being stuffed back into place. The surface was marked with fractures and charred spots.
Despite the severe injury, the man didn't lose mobility. As he pressed his abdomen to prevent his intestines and other internal organs from spilling out, he let out a low growl of pain, anger, and violence.
Accompanied by the growl, short gray fur sprouted from his body, transforming him into a towering wolf.
His severed intestines began to writhe, attempting to reconnect. His charred skin slowly healed, and he forcefully closed the huge crack in his abdomen with his palm. Flesh and blood intertwined, bit by bit.
What potent vitality… Lumian sighed from the bottom of his heart at the sight.
He realized that given enough time, the other party would likely recover!
The other party's behavior and state reminded Lumian of a few passages recorded in Aurore's grimoires:
"Werewolf, a Sequence 7 of the Prisoner pathway, a category under Mutants. During the full moon or when they nearly lose control of their emotions, they will be controlled by their bloodthirsty and murderous desires, involuntarily transforming into a true werewolf.
"They possess terrifying strength, agility, and speed, and their self-recovery abilities are outstanding. Their claws and teeth are sturdy and sharp, and they are venomous. They are equivalent to Beyonder weapons of the same Sequence, capable of destroying thinner steel plates.
"They also know a few dark-type spells, capable of turning ordinary humans into puppet monsters with short lives.
"Werewolves often appear in the Southern Continent. They are often associated with various terrorist activities in the Northern Continent…"
I actually encountered a Werewolf Beyonder… Lumian didn't give the other party time to recover from his injuries. Crimson Fire Ravens materialized behind him, spiraling towards their target.
The Werewolf didn't sit idle either. Clutching his stomach to suppress the wound, he approached Lumian with extraordinary speed.
Most of the Fire Ravens' initial lock-on missed, but a few made minor changes in direction and landed on the target one after another, causing continuous rumbling.
The Werewolf suffered several more wounds, leaving him charred and blood-red.
Relying on his potent recovery abilities, he swiftly closed the distance between him and Lumian, disregarding his injuries. He intended to engage in close combat with the Pyromaniac, who excelled in spells, and tear him to pieces with his sharp and venomous claws.
At some point, the darkness around Lumian further encroached on him, causing him to feel an eerie chill on this summer night and slightly affecting him.
In an instant, crimson flames erupted from his body, enveloping him in scorching warmth.
The very next second, Lumian turned around and fled, dodging the Werewolf's claws.
This made the Werewolf, whose mind was filled with bloodthirsty and murderous desires, feel his adversary's fear. He believed that his target had already gone all out and lacked experience in such battles.
He chased after him and caught up to Lumian in a few swift strides.
