Reincarnated in the Astral World

As Esmond's eyes lose their last gleam of life, Arthur shifts his attention to the staircase. He can hear noises and voices from the floor above.

"Sooner or later, they'll start suspecting something's amiss. I need to take down as many as I can, and fast," he whispers so Nyx and his mother can hear.

"Can I give you a bit of help?" Aria's voice rings out just behind Arthur's ear, catching him off guard, as always.

"Are you doing this on purpose?"

"Doing what?"

"You know…"

"Fufufu~"

"..."

"So, about the help?"

"What kind of help are we talking about?"

Responding to Arthur's question, Aria whispers in the ancient tongue, "Lumina pallent, umbrae valescunt."

*Snap*

At the sound of Aria's fingers snapping, all the lights around begin to dim; they don't go out completely, just slowly lose their brightness as the shadows seem to grow stronger.

Arthur is impressed once again, and his lips curl into a wicked smile. "This is fantastic! I can feel the atmosphere turning colder and more somber... it's as if this place has become a sinister den."

"And you are the big, bad wolf, darling~" Aria's voice sounds melodious and brimming with excitement. "The mages might notice my spell any moment now, so you'd better target them first."

'I can point out the mages for you; I recognize their ponds,' Nyx immediately says in Arthur's mind.

"It's so good to have you two with me," he responds lovingly, and then the cold gleam returns to his eyes as he glances at the laundry room door.

"She's just a girl washing dirty sheets; she's not going anywhere," Aria's voice resonates again.

"Alright," Arthur doesn't hesitate and quickly ascends the stairs to the second floor.

In that part of the house, there are a few Elite Warriors, whom Arthur dispatches with ease even when they come in pairs. He encounters several Apprentice and Initiate Mages, but it's only when he reaches the third floor that he finds an Advanced Mage, the third Mage Rank.

This is an old man with a long beard, kneeling in his bedroom, meditating within a translucent reddish barrier.

'A fire barrier?' Arthur thinks of using his Intent to kill the mage, but since such enemies don't have resilient bodies, he decides to save his Intent for the Warriors.

Then, he swiftly grabs a red-tipped bolt from his belt and activates the bracelet on his wrist, transforming it into a small wrist-mounted crossbow.

*Whoosh*

The dart flies with precision and speed, easily piercing through the fire barrier and striking the mage in the forehead; his eyes widen at the moment of the impact, but he dies before he can notice Arthur.

"Nice shot, darling~!" Aria whispers in Arthur's ear again. "You are nailing it."

"It's all because of your help, Mom," he smiles.

"Oh? You don't need to be humble with Mommy, baby~" Aria giggles. "But since I made you, I guess you are right, hehehee~"

Arthur leaves the room of the slain mage and sets off in pursuit of the remaining mages, targeting some Initiates while Nyx locates another Advanced Mage on the fifth and final floor, trying to heal Emilio alongside other medics.

After leaving a trail of bodies and blood on the third floor, Arthur proceeds to the fourth. This is where the Viscount's children's bedrooms are located, along with a greater number of guards—about twenty Elite Warriors and some servants.

Arthur eliminates a few guards near the staircase and the elevator, but then he reaches the main corridor and hears multiple voices.

'Shit! Are they all together?' he asks Nyx, though it's clear there are several guards ahead.

'Twelve in total, all in the first and second grade of the Elite Rank,' Nyx reports promptly. 'I recognize the aura of Edgar and the Viscount's daughter; those are their bedrooms.'

'Edgar…' Arthur feels a surge of bloodlust remembering that man. 'He orchestrated this shit with Elias and the Viscount; I need to give him some special treatment.'

'Don't forget, he had his filthy eyes on Eve already,' Nyx remarks, fueling Arthur's dark impulses.

'What a mistake…' Arthur grips his daggers, pondering how to advance through the guard-filled corridor. But before he can come up with a plan, the sound of Aria's fingers snapping again fills the air.

"Let's make it darker," she whispers like a teasing demoness.

Following her will, the lights in the corridor dim even further, casting the environment into deep darkness.

"What the hell?"

"The lights? Are they broken?"

"Damn mages, can't even make decent lights anymore?"

"Somebody go get the old man; he'll fix it."

"Alright, I'll go..."

"I'll come with you. I need to head down for some snacks."

"Let's go,"

As the guards move in the dark, conversing among themselves, an unknown voice emerges among them—the cold, sinister voice of a demon.

"Watch your step,"

"What?"

"Who are you?"

"Roy, is that you?"

"Who's Roy?"

"HUH?!"

*Crush*

"Jaxon? Jaxon, what happened?!"

"Jaxon? Who's Jaxon?"

"WHO'S THERE?!"

"Oh, is this Jaxon?"

*Thud*

One of the guards feels something colliding with him; he instinctively grabs it but immediately regrets it as it is warm, heavy, and he feels a viscous liquid dripping from it.

"JAXON?!?!" What he's holding in his hand is the head of his friend.

"WH-"

*Whoosh* *Cruuush*

"What the he-"

*Crush* *Crush* *Crush*

In the cloaked shadows and growing confusion, Arthur begins his grim work. With each guard distracted and disoriented, he moves like a specter of vengeance, dispatching his foes with swift precision. As fear and chaos envelop the guards, Arthur, ever the predator in the dark, capitalizes on their fear, striking swiftly and silently, leaving a trail of uncertainty and terror in his wake.

Guard after guard falls in rapid succession to Arthur's blades. He sees as much as his enemies in the dark, but his other senses are sharper, and with each one he kills, another one panics, becoming easy prey for an experienced hunter.

The twelve warriors are reduced to one. The last guard tries to flee, but he is so fearful of turning his back on the demon in the dark that he walks backward, his sword pointed forward, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

"Who's there??"

"Don't come any closer, you demon!"

"I'll really kill you!!!"

"Hum... hum... hum..." Arthur's voice sounds again, sending chills through the guard's soul.

"No, no! Please... don't!"

The man starts to beg as he slowly steps backward. Seeing nothing in the dark corridor, he thinks of something and quickly pulls a lighter from his pocket.

*Click* *Click* *Click*

He tries to ignite the lighter, but the flame itself seems afraid of the darkness.

"Shit!"

"Shit!"

"Shit!"

"It has to work, please, goddess!"

"Please!"

"Just…"

*Click!*

He finally gets a small flame to appear, revealing a tall silhouette ahead.

"Y-Y-You d-demon…"

But at the same time, he senses a presence emerging behind him and the whisper of a breath extinguishes that flame along with a female voice.

"BOO!"

"AHHHHH!-"