Somewhere Unknown
The Holy Sanctuary
Gold adorned every surface. The ceiling, the floor, the walls—all gold.
Soft, tranquil music floated through the air.
Sanctity it was, so soothing, so pleasing.
This place, the beginning and the ending of everything in this world. None dared have any thoughts questioning the holiness and the majesty of this place.
As it is called by the masses, The Holy Sanctuary.
The poor revered it, the rich feared it. But both respected it.
It could give riches, it could take it. It could give power, it could make you powerless.
It could give one life, it could take one's life.
The ultimate balance it followed.
A man dressed in white robes, a symbol of his saintly authority, walked with deliberate, measured steps. His presence was calm, his smile gentle. He approached a woman seated behind a golden desk.
"Meet the saint.", the lady stood up from her seat and bowed before the man.
"A new ordeal?", he motioned her to sit down and asked her.
"Lucian Thorn, issued by Viktor Volkov.", she swiftly went through the file which was currently in her hand.
"Has been a while. Lasts for seven days, correct?"
"Yes, saint."
"The Raven, huh," the saint said, appearing intrigued by the name of the person, "Current Status?".
"32 military trained men killed in 15 minutes.", she replied, her fingers tracing through the lines of the document.
"The Raven, has set flight once again.", the smile on his face deepened.
"The Balance is eternal.", the man kept the right hand on his heart, his voice reverent.
"The Balance is eternal.", she echoed with matching intensity.
Silicon Valley - California Under Lucian's Apartment Complex
"Too boring.", Lucian muttered.
"I guess it's time to meet him."
Who was he? An ally or a foe? That, was entirely a mystery.
Lucian walked a few steps. Then stopped.
"Should I drive a car? It's such a hassle to walk."
Lucian as always had a carefree attitude.
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He is one of those people who once get into something tend to enjoy it to the fullest and why shouldn't he?
He is the Raven. A hunter who thrived on the thrill of the chase.
Lucian picked up his phone and dialed a number.
Ring Ring
The line connects.
"How can we help you, sir?"
"Porsche 911 Turbo S at my location within 5 minutes. Should be bulletproof but it goes without it too. Preferably, armored.", Lucian ordered.
"Mr. Thorn, just wait for your delivery, the money will automatically be deducted from your sacred vault after the car reaches you safely."
Tick
Call disconnects.
"Alright, rats, I'll give you all 5 minutes then I'll have to leave."
Lucian shouted, and figures emerged from the shadows.
"One. Two. Woah, woah, woah, so many. Killing you all in 5 minutes is a bit of a challenge. But Lucian Thorn here likes challenges."
One of the figures, the leader of the shadows, spoke out.
"Mr. Thorn, we don't have any enmity with you. We, the swordsmen of Omi no Den (Demon's Hall) are here to fulfill the ordeal."
"Minna koko ni iru nara, minna shinu beki da." (If you all are here, you all should die.), Lucian said with a cold voice.
"Shinpai suru na, katana shika tsukawanai kara." (And don't worry, I'll be only using my katana.)
Lucian pulled out the katana from the scabbard.
Shriiikk
The body of the katana glinted under the dim light.
"Shinu kakugo wa dekite iru ka." (Are you prepared to die?)
"Son'na koto wa dekinai. Omae ga shinu.", (You can't do that. You will die) the leader of the shadows rushed into Lucian and swung his katana towards him with full force.
"Dieee."
Shrung Tingggg
Lucian easily blocked the blow with his katana.
"I would have played with you a little bit longer but, I am running late."
Lucian ducked sideways, pulled back his katana, and thrusted it into the abdomen of the man.
Tiiiiiii
"I don't like people cursing me to die in my face.", Lucian spoke these threatening words in the ears of the man.
And then he pulled his sword from his abdomen.
Tunnnggg Thud
"Small fries left."
The massacre was about to start.
One of the shadows ran towards Lucian.
Slice Thud
"Second down. Why don't you all come together?"
The provocation worked. They all sprinted towards Lucian without any fear of death. They were the shadows of Demon's Hall who were about to return to the embrace of the shadows by the sharp claws of the Raven.
Ting Slice Shriiiik Chuuuunggg Triiiiiii
There were a variety of noises. The screams of the men, the sound of splattering blood, the ripping apart of bodies, the clattering of swords.
"Forty One"
Shliiing
"Forty Two"
Slice Thud
With this, every single one of the shadows was dead.
Another slaughter. One-sided slaughter.
What can the enemy do?
He can just despair, lament over the fact that his opponent is Lucian Thorn.
"All over? Too weak."
Lucian checks the time on his phone.
"Its about time for her to arrive."
First, let's talk about the current scene.
Blood, blood everywhere.
Corpses, broken corpses, sliced corpses, scattered everywhere.
But in contrast to all this, Lucian, still in his iconic black suit and white shirt, was unscathed.
Not even a drop of blood could be seen on his attire.
As if he was not the one who just caused this bloody massacre.
A lone man standing among the circle of corpses looked like a bystander to the bloody mess he created.
Roar Roar Vroom
"The ride has arrived."
A white-colored Porsche 911 stopped just beside the scene.
"Oh no, I forgot to tell them about the color, my mistake."
The car door opened, and a man stepped out of the car.
"Mr. Thorn, Porsche 911 Turbo S as per your specifications has been delivered to you..", the man stopped in the middle of the sentence, took a brief glance at the situation, and then resumed.
"Please sign here."
It could be inferred the man was used to such types of bloody scenes. Anyone involved with the sacred vault is obviously not an ordinary person.
"Blood won't leave stains on her, right?"
"No sir, rest assured."
Lucian took over the tablet handed to him by the man and signed his name on it.
"Pleasure doing business, sir."
The man smiled gently at Lucian and then left immediately.
Ting
Lucian checked his notifications. He knew what it was for.
10 Sacred Coins Deducted
"So expensive. Viktor, you're going to pay me back a thousand times over."