Black Dragon

A murloc with a greatsword was chasing a blood-soaked man, hacking at him like a madman.

A monster with a huge head and a mass of tentacles fought several rogues, swinging the handful of curved blades in its grasp.

A skeletal blood mage wielded a dagger, casting clouds of blood mist over a large group of fleeing rogues.

He also saw a giant bug flying through the air, a Naga with four arms, a Goblin flinging weapons around, a gnome waving a baton, slimes, carnivorous plants, and even a completely transparent ghost puppy happily scampering about...

Most of the creatures, however, were monsters he had never heard of or seen before, and couldn't even name. They all looked terrifying, yet possessed astonishing strength, making his blood run cold.

At that moment, the Alterac Ruins were as noisy as a zoo. Only the animals weren't in cages for people to gawk at; they were devouring the bloodstained criminals in a frenzy.

Aiden wanted to call for the guards, but before he could shout, a clear voice came from behind him, making "Lord Perenolde," a man who killed without batting an eye, shudder all over.

"If I were you, I wouldn't shout. You'll only die faster."

Startled, he turned around. A young man who looked far too young to be there had appeared behind him out of nowhere. He seemed to be seventeen or eighteen, with youthful innocence still lingering on his handsome face, along with an air of uprightness.

Yet paired with his composed expression, those honest features seemed strangely at odds. At first glance, he looked like both a nobleman and a rogue, impossible to read.

The boy held a flintlock in his hand, its muzzle trained squarely on Aiden's forehead, as if ready to fire the deadly shot at any moment.

An ordinary bullet wouldn't worry him, given his strength as a low-ranking rogue. But the faint magical energy on the flintlock and its gleaming mithril sheen warned him that it was no ordinary weapon. The bullets it fired weren't ordinary, either. A hit to a vital spot would leave him dead or crippled.

"Who are you? How did you get in?" Aiden's question was utterly unoriginal, exactly the sort of line a villain at a sudden disadvantage would think to use to stall for time.

The young man was none other than Liam Greymane, who had just arranged for Coral to "start a fire" while he came over to "kill someone."

Unfortunately, Liam knew all too well that villains died from talking too much. He didn't consider himself a villain, but he still had no desire to waste words on his opponent.

Bang! A bullet trailed a wave of scorching air as it flew toward Aiden's brow. If it hit, the wicked Syndicate leader would be left half-dead at best.

But the scene he imagined, with blood and brain matter flying everywhere, never came. Just as Liam pulled the trigger, Aiden's legs suddenly gave way, and he crumpled to the ground as if he had fallen asleep. The deadly bullet just grazed over his head and buried itself deep in the castle's blue-gray stone wall.

"Little one, you're killing my dog right in front of me. Shouldn't you ask the owner's permission first?"

A woman's voice rang out, soft and alluring, with a slight huskiness and a lazy sensuality.

Liam didn't need to guess who the voice belonged to. He also knew he had misjudged her, taking her for a pure and harmless plaything. Now it was clear that this woman was terrifyingly powerful. Even an ordinary high-ranking mage couldn't have hypnotized someone like Aiden so easily.

She had to have at least reached the threshold of the hero rank!

But Liam sparred every day with Jorach Ravenholdt, an epic hero. Even if his opponent were a legend or a demigod, she wouldn't shake his resolve in the slightest.

"Sorry, ma'am. Can I kill him now?" Liam asked casually. His tone was warm and his manner gentle, yet he didn't even look at the woman.

Just as the woman let out a sigh of relief, before she could say another word, the flintlock in Liam's hand flashed out of sight. When it reappeared, it had already been reloaded in his storage space, and he fired a second shot at Aiden on the ground. This time, he aimed not at his forehead, but at the vital spot over his heart.

Bang!

The flintlock fired as intended, but the bullet struck a barrier woven from flames. It was stopped in its tracks, slowly melting into molten iron that dripped to the ground.

It was a good gun, but the bullets were mere iron. This unexpected shot had missed too. After one more failed attempt, Liam knew that killing Aiden Perenolde today would be difficult. He could only turn around with a wry smile and look at the red-clad woman still seated on the large bed behind him.

"Oh? You're an interesting boy. If you hadn't ruined all that fool's hard work and thwarted my father's plans, I might have taken you home to play with. But now... you'll have to die."

As she spoke, the woman prepared to attack, extending her slender hand. Powerful fire magic gathered around it, and the intense magical fluctuations made it seem as though they could tear space apart.

But when she saw Liam turn to face her for the first time since entering the room, the woman's pretty brows drew together slightly. She looked at the boy who had turned around. Liam had inherited his father's handsome features, which held a hint of heroism and gave him a unique charm.

The woman's eyes lit up at the sight. Her raised hand lowered slightly, and she narrowed her eyes, smiling as she looked Liam over, as if trying to see right through him at a glance.

"Isn't it a bit rude to say that in front of your lover?" Liam teased, his tone roguish and suggestive. He sounded lecherous, but his face remained perfectly righteous. The stark contrast was comical.

"Him? He's a worthless good-for-nothing. A simple illusion would make trash like him embarrass himself. Why should I bother? What's this? Asking such an embarrassing question—are you interested in me? Want to try me out for yourself?"

The woman was no stranger to such games and paid no heed to Liam's teasing. Instead, she turned the tables, casting him a tempting look as if she were ready to undress at any moment.

Her allure even made Liam falter for an instant, almost hypnotizing him just like the poor fool on the ground!

But unexpectedly, Liam had been playing along with the woman one moment, then turned on her the next. He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue, and what he said made her turn pale with shock.

"Enough with the nonsense! Katrana Prestor! Or should I call you by your real name, Onyxia?"

As shock rippled through her, killing intent rose involuntarily across the woman's seductive face. She could no longer maintain her bewitching expression.

With one simple sentence, Liam had exposed her identity and pushed the two of them much closer to a fight to the death!