NOVEL NEXT Chapter 045 | Hammer of Judgment
A couple of hours later, the radiant sun gradually descended from the blue skies. Its golden brilliance touched the blurred lines of the horizon, marking the epilogue of the day. The silhouette of sunset gleamed behind the looming tower of concrete in the central district of New Janus.
Watching the beautiful scenery of twilight, Alastair watched the two letters signed of the four she had sent to the cardinal families. It was regrettable as the city would lose two of its four strongest forces. But New Janus was now her playground.
If no one accepted her rules on how to play the game, annihilation was the answer. She wasn't someone who would compromise. Those who dared to think so have their bodies one with nature as dust and ashes.
"Francine, have you called the two younglings?" Alastair asked her secretary, who stood beside her with poise and intellect. The gorgeous second-in-command adjusted her eyeglasses and responded. "They will arrive soon, Miss Alastair."
"Good, this will be their first actual mission as members of Block 7. The adversaries they will face wouldn't be ordinary humans who could only retreat in their presence. Most would be metahumans capable of hurting them." The white-haired lady muttered under her breath.
"Understood, Miss Alastair. I will brief them on the finer details after the order is given." Francine nodded in understanding, holding a couple of files between her ample bosom and pale arms.
As evening descended upon the New World, Damien and Hecate entered the office of the seventh Paragon. Most of it had been renovated somehow, probably through the peculiar brand of their boss. At any rate, they straightened their backs and awaited orders.
Perceiving them with her pearl-like eyes, Alastair's supple lips curved into a grin as she nonchalantly remarked to the two juniors. "You have been working hard cleaning the mess below. Unfortunately, trouble has come for our division."
"I believe you should be aware of the purpose of this order, Damien." She glanced at the black-suited young man and continued. "After all, it has been your couriers who delivered my letters to the four cardinal families."
Damien nodded in affirmation and stepped forward. "Two of my monsters were attacked after the letters were delivered. It seems that our summons have been violently rejected by two of the cardinal families."
"Yes, yes... Sadly, two of them have considered our mercy as weakness. What do you think we should do with these unruly ones, Damien?" Alastair shook her head and was saddened.
Though her sorrowful expression brought chills to the spine of the black-suited young man and the crimson-haired girl. It appeared as though a goddess was disappointed in having to punish rowdy mortals.
Taking a deep breath, Damien answered. "Since diplomacy does not budge them even after the extermination of the three gangs, we can only seize their assets for ourselves and maybe distribute them to those loyal."
"Oh, a guillotine and a carrot stick." Alastair chuckled, her soft giggle echoing through the office. A cold glint escaped her pearl-like irises as she smiled at her Aberrant. "I like you, Damien."
The seventh Paragon and her private Aberrant stared at each other, but were disrupted by a cough from the second-in-command, Francine. "Orders, Miss Alastair. Their mission..."
The conversation was derailing, so the secretary needed to ensure that the primary discussion would be expressed. Alastair maintained her smile and focused on what was important. "Apologies, I got a bit too excited."
"My letters have been rejected by two rowdy families. One of them belonged to the western district, while the other inhabited the southern part of New Janus. Each of you will handle a single syndicate."
"Are you up to the task, my cute vampire and smart Aberrant?" She tilted her head, strands of her silver hair shifting along her pale neck. She patiently waited for their answer, and it didn't take long.
It took two seconds.
"Ready for anything, Miss Alastair." Damien calmly responded with a subtle nod while Hecate followed, bobbing her head up and down. "The same as my senior, Master. We will handle those two criminal syndicates."
"Good, I will be giving each of you your respective targets." Alastair gave a smile of satisfaction and took a file lying on her wooden desk. "The Winston Family of the western district will be handled by Hecate."
"On the other hand, the Rotte Family of the southern district shall be exterminated by Damien." Each of them was given their files as the white-haired, beautiful lady continued. "Francine will be briefing you on the finer details."
Adjusting her golden-tinted eyeglasses and taking a step forward, Francine graciously briefed them on much-needed information regarding their targets. First was his junior, Hecate. While he came after.
"Hecate, the Winston Family is mostly composed of metahuman mercenaries hired by their incredible wealth acquired through the knowledge of western continental routes of North America."
"Without a doubt, they will be dangerous, as their strength cannot be ranked since most of their assets are temporarily acquired through money. Nonetheless, you must be careful of three individuals within that family."
"First would be the patriarch, followed by the heir of the family, and an infamous hired mercenary from the north. I suggest eliminating them one by one for utmost efficiency and safety."
"Unfortunately, information regarding their Brands is kept a secret. No one seemed to have seen it; perhaps those who saw had already left this world. Regardless, you must maintain cautiousness." Francine handed another file to the vibrant crimson-haired girl.
"I won't disappoint you, senior." Hecate accepted the file and felt a bit nervous. It was her first actual mission with a briefing and paperwork. Beforehand, she expected her job to be pointed in a direction by her Master, just as she had done before with the three gangs.
Unfortunately for the crimson-haired girl, Block 7 was an actual division of the SIGIL. Records needed to be kept, especially against forces whose backing could extend to the entirety of North America.
It was better to be ready than not, especially if those from Headquarters dared to inspect the seventh division under Alastair Glass.
Francine turned her attention towards the junior she had spent the most time with. As she handed a file to Damien, she began briefing him on his target, the Rotte Family of the southern district.
"The criminal syndicate of the Rotte Family is a complex web of connections between various criminal organizations operating in the southern frontier. They are not only wealthy, they could be the strongest of the four cardinal families of New Janus."
"The primary source of their power is the human trafficking ring they had established throughout the south. This granted them the backing of the Clan and their support. Rumors had it that the Rotte Family housed nobles within the premises of their mansion."
"Their forces should be a combined front of metahumans and vampires. Maybe nobles would also join the battle, so you need to be careful. Each of the nobles and true bloods contained abilities that might rival the Brands of humanity."
"They call it Bloodline Techniques, so confront them with caution. The matriarch of the Rotte Clan was also recorded to be a powerful metahuman."
"She should be eliminated first before the metahumans or the nobles. As long as she is terminated, the criminal syndicate would be a headless snake. Speed and surprise are your greatest strengths. Strike where it matters the most." Francine gave a nod to the black-suited young man.
"Thank you for the intelligence, Francine."
Damien lightly bowed and appreciated the extra information reported by his senior. In the New World, knowledge was vital for victory, especially against those whose Brands or Blood Techniques were unknown.
"As long as the two of you succeed and don't get hurt, it's enough for me." Francine gracefully smiled at her two juniors, who promptly left the office of the seventh Paragon. Later would be the inevitable prelude to the purge of the two pillars residing in New Janus.
Two cardinal families would be annihilated by then.
Silence permeated the office as the two powerhouses of Block 7 stood in muted daze. After a couple of seconds, the gorgeous secretary glanced at the white-haired lady. "Should we watch from a distance, Miss Alastair?"
"There's no need... As members of Block 7, they should be capable of handling their own. Whether they run away or fight until the end. We should trust the decisions of our juniors." Alastair shook her head and stared at the evening skies behind her. "This is the minimum we can give them."
"After all, didn't we rebel against an entire nation when we were younger?" She grinned at her second-in-command, who also graciously smiled. "Your standards are too high, but perhaps it was one of the reasons I followed you."
Alastair patted the shoulders of Francine and remarked. "I'm glad that you understand. Instead of attending petty city squabbles, how about we handle the Clan? I've heard that they are sending their true bloods to find my vampire."
---
Near the entrance gate of Winston's Family mansion was a crimson-haired girl attired in a black suit. Bloodlust radiated from her, forcing the guards outside to withdraw from the gate for reinforcements. After all, it felt as though an executioner's blade hovered above their necks.
Meanwhile...
Above the compound of the Rotte Family was a condensing cloud of black fog. Cracks of reality began to shatter the night skies, attracting the attention of those below. Piercing alarms rang throughout the compound, preparing everyone for the battle that would decide their fate.