The ballroom of the Duke Negan's residence.
Disguised as Baron Gramir, Qilangos stood leisurely behind the railing of the second-floor gallery, holding a glass of blood-red Ormir wine, admiring the men and women on the dance floor, and the elegantly dressed ladies and wives.
But his eyes held no desire whatsoever, as calm as a frozen lake. He only occasionally glanced out of the corner of his eye at the enormous crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, or at Duke Negan a few steps away, whose gaze was fixed on the beautiful figures.
The duke wore a crisp, dark blue admiral's uniform, with red sashes on his shoulders connecting his medals of honor. He liked to dress like this for formal occasions, to commemorate his illustrious military career of the previous decades.
However, his waist was already bloated, his body was full of fat, and his sharp, shrewd gray-blue eyes were now only cloudy and filled with desire. But because he took good care of himself, the wrinkles around his eyes, mouth and forehead were shallow, and his black hair was still thick.
This is Pallas Negan, the current Duke Negan, a major supporter of the Conservative Party, the brother of Prime Minister Agusid, and one of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the Kingdom of Loen.
At the same time, he was also Qilangos's target for secretly infiltrating Backlund!
Assassinating such an important figure is exhilarating... Qilangos withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes briefly.
He was willing to accept the commission not only because the price offered was attractive enough, but also because he himself loved adventure and enjoyed taking on challenging tasks.
If I succeed in the assassination, my fame will spread throughout the Northern Continent, surpassing even the " Four Kings." Moreover, I will obtain a playing card—one of the decks created by Emperor Roselle that contains divine secrets! Qilangos suppressed his excitement and glanced down at his left hand.
The " Creeping Hunger " had become transparent; to the naked eye and by touch, no outsider could possibly detect that " Baron Gramir " was still wearing gloves.
"This is truly an amazing item... If it weren't for it, I, at only Sequence 6, would never have been able to become one of the pirate generals..." As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Qilangos suddenly felt a pang of regret.
During his many years as a pirate, he met and came into contact with many Beyonder, including members of the " Aurora Order " who liked to venture to the ends of the Sonia Sea.
Therefore, he knew that " Creeping Hunger " was far from being as good as that of a true " Shepherd."
First, the state switching is too slow, requiring at least one second, while a true " Shepherd " can change instantly. Second, the driven soul can only use one to three abilities from its previous life, and the number and types are entirely determined by luck and fixed after the first " Grazing." A true " Shepherd," on the other hand, can selectively choose three abilities without rolling dice like at a gambling table. Finally, " Creeping Hunger " can only " Grazing " five souls at a time, while a true " Shepherd " can have up to seven.
Of course, both have the same limitation: only one soul can be driven at a time, and only the extraordinary abilities corresponding to that soul and the extraordinary abilities of the soul itself can be used. If you want to replace an original soul with a new soul, the process will be irreversible, and there will be no chance to go back.
After seven or eight years of adjustments, Qilangos finally settled on five souls whose abilities complemented each other, making their master quite terrifying.
It was precisely because of those years of constant adjustments and attempts that the story of " Admiral Hurricane " becoming omnipotent and capable of anything spread among the pirates.
Amidst the lively dance music, Qilangos mentally rehearsed his next move, and at the end, with a hint of regret, he sighed inwardly:
"It's a pity I haven't found that ' Traveler ' these past few days, otherwise I wouldn't have anything to worry about tonight."
If they could capture the woman who resembled the " Traveler," Qilangos would undoubtedly feed one of the five souls he was " Grazing " to the " Creeping Hunger " without hesitation.
For him, the capabilities of this Sequence Pathway are extremely useful!
Qilangos glanced at the enormous crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and decided not to wait any longer.
The soul he currently controls only has one ability: to change his appearance and physique. It is not capable of fighting against other Beyonder, but because this supernatural ability is very useful in many things, Qilangos has never been willing to replace it.
On the positive side, regardless of which soul he is controlling, Qilangos can simultaneously utilize his extraordinary abilities as a " Wind-blessed ".
Finally, he pretended to be chasing after the graceful figure of a noblewoman, letting his gaze sweep over Duke Negan and the men surrounding him.
Duke Negan is a devout follower of the Lord of Storms and a key figure in the Church of Storms's influence on the kingdom's situation. He is certainly protected by Beyonder from the Church of Storms. Although the Negan Family is not an ancient family with thousands of years of history, it ranks among the top in the kingdom in terms of both wealth and power. They would certainly be secretly seeking the formula for the Sequence Potion and seeking the allegiance of Beyonder... Qilangos's thoughts raced. He eliminated the gentlemen who belonged to the nobility and officials and focused on a man who was always by Duke Negan's side.
The man, dressed in a black tuxedo, with brown hair and Blue Eyes, had almost no expression and remained vigilantly on guard about his surroundings.
Qilangos nodded almost imperceptibly and pressed his right hand forward with a very small motion.
Ugh!
A sudden gust of wind swept across the dance floor, extinguishing the candles on the crystal chandelier.
Just as light and darkness intertwined, and just as everyone's attention was drawn, several thin Wind Blade, concealed by the gale, struck the metal chain hanging the crystal chandelier, hitting the same spot.
Squeak!
Amidst a teeth-grinding shattering sound, the enormous crystal chandelier plummeted straight into the dance floor, crashing to the ground with a deafening clang. Screams erupted from the floor, and many guests were injured by flying shards, letting out terrified screams.
Taking advantage of the darkness and chaos in the hall, Qilangos's left glove writhed and shifted, condensing a golden surface.
His expression turned stern, his gaze piercing through the darkness as he fixed his eyes on the man beside Duke Negan.
Suddenly, two beams of light, like lightning, flashed in Qilangos's eyes.
The Beyonder responsible for protecting Duke Negan let out a scream, clutched his head, and collapsed to the ground, rolling and struggling.
In a flash, Qilangos's figure pierced through the darkness, rushing towards Duke Negan.
However, the target reflected in his dark, deep eyes showed no sign of panic, only confidence.
Duke Negan's tall, obese body stood still, looking down at the approaching Assassin.
He raised his right hand and pushed it forward, speaking in a low voice in Ancient Hermes:
" Imprisonment!"
Without a sound, Qilangos suddenly stopped, as if he were surrounded by transparent walls or flowing with extremely viscous liquid.
This made him feel like an insect trapped in amber, or Prisoner in a jail.
The leader of the conservative nobles, the hereditary duke, Pallas Negan, was actually an Beyonder, a remarkably powerful Beyonder!
Duke Negan spoke again in a low voice, gesturing with his right hand:
"Whip!"
Snap! Snap!
Qilangos seemed to have been struck by an invisible whip, which tore his clothes, tore his flesh open, and exposed his bones.
Immediately afterwards, Duke Negan leaned forward, clenched his right fist, and declared with a stern, Judgement tone:
"Die!"
Snap! He swung his arm, his whole body leaving afterimages, and crashed into Qilangos, his fist striking the target's head with unavoidable force.
Snap! Qilangos's head shattered, but everything around him shattered with it. Duke Negan remained standing in the same spot, as if it had all been a dream.
At some point, the pirate general had switched abilities and entered a " Nightmare " state.
Unlike a normal " Nightmare," this one can still move after dragging people into the Dream Divination!
Qilangos's figure silently appeared behind Duke Negan, his dark, cold eyes locking onto him.
His right fist, enveloped in a rapidly spinning gust of wind, pierced towards the target's back like a sharp blade.
Ugh!
Amidst the raging wind, Qilangos ' right fist pierced through Duke Negan's body and heart. However, Duke Negan's figure rapidly faded into transparency, like a summoned spirit.
The almost invisible shadow spread out, Duke Negan appeared before the double doors on the other side of the corridor, a scrutinizing smile on his face.
Another Beyonder... Were they prepared in advance? Were they lying in ambush against me?
How could that be!
A thought flashed through Qilangos's mind. Although he was unwilling to accept this reality, he still calmly responded.
The glove on his left hand wriggled, revealing fine, dark gold scales, and his pupils paled and then turned vertical.
Immediately afterwards, an invisible wave swept outwards, and gentlemen and ladies alike were gripped by an uncontrollable fear. They fled their hiding places and ran aimlessly in all directions, creating an extremely chaotic scene.
This made those Beyonder hesitant to act rashly, fearing they might harm their relatives and friends.
Seizing the opportunity, Qilangos, surrounded by a hurricane, ran at high speed, smashing through a lounge door and a bay window.
With a crash, he lunged out of the house, and with the help of the wind, he flew a considerable distance, eventually leaving Duke Negan's mansion.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, Qilangos immediately ran towards the woods opposite, a municipal park he had already scouted out the surrounding terrain.
Once he shakes off the pursuers, he can change his appearance and blend into the population of over five million in Backlund.
This is also what gives him the confidence to take on highly difficult tasks!
After a while, a strong wind blew towards Duke Negan's mansion. Cardinal of the Church of Church of Storms, Archbishop of Backlund Diocese, " Songster of God " Ace Snake, "with" several " Mandated Punishers ", arrived directly by flying.
He didn't have time to notify the other Beyonder.
Alger was one of the people who arrived with Archbishop Ace, but he was in a very bad mood because he saw the broken windows and his colleagues who had just chased after him out of the house.
This indicates that " Admiral Hurricane " Qilangos escaped.