Chapter 660: New Home
The sky was beginning to turn orange as Strax entered the winding forest trail. His boots crunched over damp leaves and rotting branches, and the smell of earth mixed with ash still seemed to haunt him from the city.
Despite the slow pace, his mind burned. Each step brought back Agnes’s face, the weight of the name “Rakan,” and the delicious promise of chaos it represented. He smiled to himself, like a wolf who had just scented fresh blood.
And then, between the twisted trunks, the mansion appeared.
It was an old building, of dark stone and sturdy wood, swallowed by moss and time. Tall columns supported a broken porch, and dusty glass windows reflected the twilight. But something was different now. The place, which had once seemed like a forgotten corpse, was breathing again. Makeshift torches illuminated the entrance, damp cloths dried in the wind, and the distant sound of female voices echoed like the laughter of ghosts bringing life to the tomb.
Strax raised an eyebrow.
“Well…” he murmured, his smile widening. “It seems I found maidens turning into quarries.”
As he pushed open the rusted iron gates, the scene unfolded. The courtyard was clean, mossy stones torn away, and piles of branches piled in a corner. The musty smell had been replaced by woodsmoke mixed with soap.
And there they were.
Samira, with her elegant posture, molded circles of fire in her hands, evaporating puddles of water left by the conjured jet. Kryssia, her face cold and impassive, raised stalagmites of ice, which melted under Samira’s heat and turned into controlled rain, washing entire walls.
Beatrice and Monica dragged heavy furniture with brute force, Beatrice grumbling about dust, while Monica sang absently, as if it were a trivial task.
Kali broke down some walls and cleared away debris. Xyn, agile as a shadow, hopped back and forth cleaning high windows, while Xenovia supervised, arms crossed, demanding perfection.
Scarlet, lying lazily on a makeshift sofa in the garden, watched everything with a glass of wine in her hand, laughing at the others’ complaints.
And Tiamat, along with Ouroboros, seemed more bored than anyone else, using their draconic presence to intimidate rats and bats that dared to return.
Strax stood in the doorway, hands in his pockets, watching with a golden glint in his eyes.
“Well, well…” his voice echoed, thick with sarcasm. “I’ll go away for a few hours, and when I come back, you’ll turn a mausoleum into a palace.”
They all turned. Some smiled, others snorted, but the focus was unavoidable.
“What happened to you?” Kryssia asked, wiping her forehead with her sleeve as her cold eyes assessed Strax. “You look awfully pleased for someone who just went for a walk.”
Strax ignored the direct question and raised a finger, gesturing toward the impeccably clean courtyard.
“Before you talk about me… what happened here?” The sly smile widened. “Because, honestly, I didn’t expect to see a team of sorceresses and assassins acting as housekeepers.”
Samira sighed, flicking her wrist to dispel the dancing flames.
“Kryssia had the idea,” she replied. “Using ice and fire, we created enough pressure to clean the place like a river.”
Kryssia, impassive, simply added:
“A jet of water. Quick, efficient.”
Beatrice snorted, pushing a chair aside.
“It wasn’t so efficient when I had to carry that heavy furniture.”
Monica laughed excitedly.
“Oh, but it was fun! Now we have clean rooms and beds that don’t stink of corpses.”
Xenovia, arms crossed, gave a stern look.
“And we have enough space to train. This mansion will do better than any dilapidated tavern.”
Scarlet stretched on the sofa, swaying her wine glass.
“I told you it would be a good hideout, didn’t I? It’s run-down in style, but it has potential.”
Ouroboros, coiled like a colossal black serpent, opened his golden eyes and murmured in a deep voice:
“More habitable… but it still smells of old blood.”
Tiamat laughed, her sharp teeth gleaming.
“Better this way. Keeps the weak at bay.”
Strax just laughed. A low laugh, almost proud.
“You exceeded my expectations.” “They turned a tomb into a fortress.”
He walked to the center of the courtyard, his golden eyes analyzing every detail. Then he stopped. The smile he’d carried since the city widened again.
“And since you’ve given me a worthy home… it’s only fair that I repay you with news.”
Silence fell. Everyone, in one way or another, turned to him. Samira raised an inquisitive eyebrow, Scarlet swirled her wineglass as if savoring the anticipation, and Kryssia narrowed her eyes attentively.
Strax raised his hands theatrically.
“I met someone… interesting.”
Beatrice grumbled:
“Interesting, how? Like ‘another mess we’re going to have to clean up’?”
Strax laughed.
“Oh, better than that. A woman named Agnes Lykos.”
The name didn’t immediately resonate, until Scarlet frowned.
“I’ve heard that name,” she murmured. “An ancient warrior clan, I think they’re over a thousand years old, something like that, feral warriors.”
Strax nodded slowly.
“Exactly. She seemed strong, though not as strong as we are. And, as it happens… she was none other than the wife of a ‘Monarch.'”
Scarlet laughed.
“Ah, that just makes it better. So that little emperor really followed through with his plan, creating his ‘Superior Warriors’ and calling them Monarchs.”
He stepped forward, his golden eyes flashing.
“His name is Rakan, the Beast Monarch, and he’s strong. Very strong. So strong that the Celestial Emperor gave him a title—well, at least that’s what they told me. Not that I really care.”
Now, the silence grew heavy.
“The Celestial Emperor…” Samira murmured, her voice lower. “Well, I believe we’re at pretty high levels of power, but we need to see how strong these guys are, right?”
Strax laughed, and the laughter echoed like muffled thunder. “Yes. I insulted his subordinates and said I would kill them all and their monarch, so we’ll wait. Pride will get the better of him and bring him to our door. As soon as he arrives, we’ll test our strength.”
Samira smiled, “I’ll go first!”