It was safe to say that Seth had some experience with taking souls at this point. He knew the difference between the soul itself resisting, because it still had a strong bond with the body, and a foreign energy stopping him. It actually felt like someone else already held claim to the soul.

  Not like when it was tainted by holy power, but more like the soul contracts that demons used. Still, it was only similar in feeling, not the same. It clearly lacked the demonic signature, but before he could investigate further and maybe pry away the soul, there was the cry of a woman.

  “Don't touch him!” followed by the voice of a man.

  “Get away from him!” a male voice exclaimed, and a man, swinging a blade, appeared before Seth. He had not moved there; the blacksmith would have seen that he had materialized there. The blacksmith took a step back and blocked the attack with Graffias, his left vambrace.

  While Seth felt a little impact, the man suffered a deep cut across his own left lower arm, turning his white sleeve red with blood. As the man was distracted by the cut, Seth took the time to assess the situation.

  A group of people was quickly descending from the burning building. There were five men and one woman in similar robes to Zuo Zuo, but only ranging from level 110 to 120. Beside them were clearly players, wearing items from dungeons.

  The 12 players ranged from level 80 to 90. The 18th person among them, the center of the group and clearly the one who just cried out, was a blonde lady of ethereal beauty. Quite literally an otherworldly brilliance. She wore a yellow silk dress.

  Seth was reminded of the glow people from the fog world, as this woman exhibited a similar radiance, but she didn't give off the same foreign, kind of off-putting feeling as they did. Using quickly told him that she was indeed not human.

  
  Status: Agitated

  Age:-

  Race: Lianenn...>

  Her status read almost like that of a player. However, he had never heard of a race of people or species of monsters called Lianenn. He had a hunch she was the reason he couldn't take Zuo Zuo's soul.

  “You said there was nothing to worry about!” she barked at the cultivator holding her in his arms.

  “Senior Brother is the greatest! Where did these monsters come from!?” the man holding her exclaimed, completely distraught himself, at the sight of the fight.

  “These guys are pretty relaxed, considering we are here to wipe them out,” the blacksmith mentioned to Fin, ignoring the man standing over the fairy's victim, pointing a sharpened piece of metal at him.

  “That is our line!” one of the players on their side said confidently.

  “You guys must be the Guild Council? And you guys must be the scum backing them. Since everyone is here, I will give you a chance to talk. First one to explain why you are creating chaos in this City, gets to live,” the bard made them an offer, and to make sure they knew he was serious-

  A line of pale blue light cut through the space in front of the blacksmith. The man who had come to his senior brother's aide tried to block, but the stick of metal he used as a blade was cut, just like himself, and the Great Sog, covered in pale blue fire, continued down to stab the man on the ground, finally ending his suffering.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Seth barely felt any resistance, cutting through the crude blade made of and covered with sword energy, nor the lv.110 cultivator who had thrown himself in the path of his attack. The upgraded silver sword easily ended the lives of both men before him, absorbing their souls.

  If he couldn't claim them, there was no point in pulling his punches here.

  “Whoa-haha, that was cold! I love it,” Fin gave him a thumbs up. While his wife supported him, the faces of the 18 people at the foot of the building fell, watching one of their own getting bisected in a single strike.

  Should I just take out the players on their side? Mina, who was hidden in the shadows, asked through their marital bond. She wasn't confident in taking down all the cultivators, but since the players barely reached level 90, there was no problem in capturing them alive.

  Wait a while longer. I doubt those guys know anything of importance. Let's see what the cultivators will do now the blacksmith asked her to wait for a little longer. According to his knowledge of the continent, there were two ways for them to react after he struck fear in their hearts.

  They would either attack or-

  “It's her! Her and her people. They are the ones who decided to-” One of the cultivators was quickly taking distance from the group, pointing at Lilee. Under pressure, they would either fight for their own pride or the weakest link would do anything to save his life.

  However, before he could say anymore, Lilee lifted her hand. The man started wheezing and coughing, grabbing his throat. He stumbled and fell, shaken by sudden spasms, still holding his throat, almost like he was desperately strangulating himself.

  The cultivators watched the whole show with as much shock and despair as the 12 players who had relied on their backing and followed their lead. All of them watched the man's struggle slowly wane as he began to age rapidly, finally dying with the appearance of a mummy.

  Even Seth and Fin were moderately shocked by the sudden display of power. Although he had been silenced, he had said more than enough. It was the mysterious beauty that seemed to be behind the chaotic policies that made the people of New Hope suffer.

  “Nobody speaks,” Lilee commanded. She knew how to give her words power, just like Seth. he was now convinced that she was the one who had possession of Zuo Zuo's souls and probably those of the others. Now, they only had the choice of death by following or going against her.

  “Hmm, let me guess: You are part of an 'unseelie' court? Are you the beings abducting children and exchanging them for changelings?” the blacksmith simply voiced his suspicion. Force-choking someone to death and extracting what looked like his life essence seemed quite bad to him.

  Especially since her level had shot up by 2 after killing the cultivator. Hearing his words, her face made a sharp turn to look at him, her cold blue eyes fixating on him. For a moment, he felt her intense hostility resting on him, but her expression suddenly mellowed, and she gave him the warmest smile in the world.

  “Why do we have to fight? Say, why don't you also come with me?” she said with a sweet, seductive voice. It was a voice that promised earthly pleasures beyond imagination. However, all Seth could think of was that she had probably done it to all cultivators present, including the three dead on the ground.

  That meant she had already been railed by all these guys and the one woman in the group. Were they taking turns, or was it just one big orgy every time? The blacksmith had no intention to judge them, but that definitely wasn't for him.

  He might have started questioning the preferences of the people of the continent, if there wasn't this one incessant notification appearing over and over while she spoke to him.

  

  

  The thought that it might have become his thing, if it wasn't for his helmet, had his skin crawling.

  “He's a married man, bitch,” someone answered for him, as a black blade tore through the pearly white skin and yellow silk, piercing Lilee's torso from behind. The fountain of bright red blood made her yellow silk dress look like the flames in the building above.

  The black shadow blade violently pulled back out, almost dividing the woman from the chest down to the legs. Mina seemed properly pissed. While everyone was shocked by their woman getting pierced by someone new, the shadows also incapacitated the players of the Guild Council.

  Did you kill her? Seth finally asked.

  No. She should be able to answer questions for a couple more minutes..