On a certain private island off the European Continent.
Qin Feng stood atop a high cliff on the island's western side. The sea breeze swept salty moisture into his face and sent the hem of his hoodie flapping.
He narrowed his eyes at the sprawling manor nestled in the valley, with its white walls and red roofs. Neatly trimmed lawns stretched from the main building to the edge of the beach.
The pool shimmered in the afternoon sunlight, and several white yachts lay quietly moored beside the dock.
"Sumari really knows how to enjoy himself."
Qin Feng clicked his tongue twice, genuine envy coloring his voice.
A criminal exiled by the Angel Civilization, yet he still gets to live somewhere like this and fool around with different women every day.
What on earth was He Xi thinking back then? How is this exile any different from a vacation?
Tara stood half a step beside him, his golden, slit-pupiled eyes following Qin Feng's gaze toward the manor.
His gaze pierced the distance of several hundred meters, pinpointing the black-clad bodyguards scattered throughout the manor.
There were twenty-three in total, equipped with standard-issue pistols. Three carried compact submachine guns, while another two had sniper rifles set up on the watchtowers.
"My king, would you like me to dispose of all these nuisances?"
Tara's voice was low and calm.
Qin Feng considered it, the corners of his mouth slowly curling upward.
"Sure. Let the Shadow-Eater Corps get some exercise."
He paused, a trace of casual coldness entering his voice.
"Our warriors need a proper meal, too."
"Understood."
Tara acknowledged the order, turned slightly, and called into the dense shadows beneath his feet, "General Mingta, come forth!"
As his words fell, the shadows beneath his feet churned violently as though they had come alive.
A mass of ink-black darkness rose from the ground, finally coalescing into a stocky, muscular figure.
The figure stood just over two meters tall but was as broad as a wall, his body covered in heavy, dark armor. A pair of dark gold eyes showed beneath his helmet, their steadiness carrying a fierce, menacing air.
Mingta dropped to one knee, his armor clanking dully.
"Mingta of the Shadow-Eater Corps pays his respects to my king!"
Qin Feng waved a hand, signaling for him to rise.
"Mingta, take your men inside and clean things up. Don't let those people sully the king's eyes."
Mingta answered in a deep voice, "Your general obeys!"
He straightened, his dark gold pupils suddenly lighting up.
"Soldiers of the Shadow-Eater Corps, heed my summons!"
The moment he finished speaking, hundreds of short, wiry figures emerged from the darkness one after another.
Each had long, slender, agile limbs, with only a row of closely packed sharp teeth exposed along the lower jaw.
The Shadow-Eater Corps soldiers swiftly formed ranks on the lawn, silent and orderly, like a black tide.
"Follow me!"
Mingta swept his hand forward, and hundreds of dark figures shot down the cliff like arrows loosed from their bows, surging toward the manor gates.
The guards at the manor entrance were smoking and chatting. One bearded man had just ground his cigarette butt against the sole of his boot when he caught sight of the rolling black torrent coming down the hillside out of the corner of his eye.
"Halt!"
He whipped the pistol from his waist and shouted at Mingta, who was leading the charge, "This is private property! Who are you? Why are you here?"
Mingta turned a deaf ear and continued forward with steady steps.
His thudding footsteps sounded like muffled war drums, each beat hammering at the guards' nerves.
"Stop! Don't come any closer! One more step and we'll shoot!"
Mingta kept walking.
Beads of sweat broke out on the bearded man's forehead, his finger trembling slightly on the trigger.
When Mingta came within ten meters of the gate, he finally cracked.
"Open fire! Hurry, open fire!"
Ratatatat!!!
Flames spat from the muzzles, and a hail of bullets poured into Mingta.
Gun smoke filled the air as spent casings clattered across the ground.
But when the smoke cleared, the bearded man's pupils contracted sharply.
Mingta stood where he was. The bullets struck him as though hitting water, sinking into the surface of his armor and sending out rings of ripples before disappearing.
"A monster! He's a monster!"
The bearded man dropped his pistol, turned, and ran into the manor.
The others panicked as well, all fleeing backward.
Mingta swept his broad hand forward. "Feast!"
The Shadow-Eater Corps soldiers behind him swarmed inside.
Rather than killing anyone directly, they pounced on the guards' shadows and bit into them.
In an instant, the guards whose shadows had been bitten collapsed to the ground as though their souls had been drained away.
The manor's guards were soon completely eliminated.
Meanwhile, an intensely erotic scene was unfolding in a luxurious suite on the second floor of the manor's main building.
Sumari was bare-chested, his well-developed muscles gleaming with sweat beneath the warm lighting.
The blonde beneath him was flushed and panting from his exertions, while seven or eight equally disheveled brunette beauties lounged on the leather sofa nearby.
The air in the room mingled perfume, sweat, and a certain decadent scent.
The commotion outside drifted faintly into the room.
Sumari was right in the middle of enjoying himself. The noise irritated him, and his brow furrowed more and more tightly.
He slapped the blonde's backside and impatiently rolled off her to sit up.
"What's going on outside? Don't they know I'm busy with important business?"
Cursing, he climbed out of bed and casually grabbed a silk robe to drape over himself.
"Looks like this batch of guards needs replacing."
Muttering, he headed toward the door. He had just placed his hand on the handle and had yet to pull it open.
Bang!!!
A tremendous force kicked the entire solid wooden door off its hinges from outside. It whistled past Sumari's cheek and smashed against the opposite wall, breaking into several pieces.
Sumari's pupils contracted. His body instinctively sprang back two steps, adopting a defensive stance.
Then he got a clear look at the person standing in the doorway.
It was a stocky, powerfully built general clad in heavy armor, his dark gold eyes fixed coldly on him.
Behind the general, densely packed Shadow-Eater Corps soldiers poked their heads from every shadow in the corridor, saliva dripping between their sharp teeth as they let out low hisses.
"Who are you?"
Sumari's voice lowered, his languid, debauched air vanishing completely.
He swiftly assessed the general before him.
The energy fluctuations contained within his opponent's body were at least on par with those of a third-generation Super Soldier, perhaps even higher.
Someone of this caliber should not have existed on Blue Star.
They're not here with good intentions.
Sumari kept his expression neutral and loosely curled his right hand. A silvery-white dagger appeared in his grasp.
"It seems you're the one the king came here to find."
Mingta looked at the dark silver dagger in Sumari's hand, a flicker of interest passing through his dark gold eyes.
Ever since landing on this island, he had encountered nothing but ordinary people.
A single charge from the Shadow-Eater Corps soldiers had cleared out every last guard, leaving him without so much as a chance to act.
Finally, a halfway decent opponent. Just the thing to stretch my muscles.
Before you continue