As the late evening moon shone its rays across the streets of Way To Hell, leaves drifted across the front of the Baek Estate like lost souls.

Deep within the jagged iron gate with a human skull used as the entry point sign, clicking reflections scattered across the trees at the east side of the estate as the moon’s rays stretched across the pool.

The drifting waves of the palm-shaped pool calmed when a shadow stretched from its edge and reached the center, where a five-foot black shark was making amends with the water.

Bone-crackling sounds echoed as Jade stretched his arms behind his back like an angel that had long forgotten its wings.

"It’s been years since I cracked a skull with my bare hands," he said, staring at his own reflection that looked as if it wanted to run away from him. "Guess it’s time I try it on someone who actually needs to taste it."

He lifted his eyes to the dark skies then smiled before closing his eyes. When he moved his bare feet forward onto the water, the surface parted aside as if he wasn’t a person it wanted to embrace.

Jade sank deep into the twelve-foot pool but didn’t show any sign of struggling even when all the bubbles from his mouth and nose slowed.

The moment Jade’s feet touched the base of the pool and he sat in a lotus posture, the shark charged toward him, ever ready to taste its meal after a month of an empty stomach.

Just as the shark reached him and was about to take its first bite, a bubble from Jade’s nose swirled through the water and forced the shark’s mouth closed.

Jade’s eyes remained closed even when the shark dashed back and tried its second and third attempts, which all ended in failure.

He remained in the lotus posture until his eyes opened at the last second of his one-minute meditation.

The sharp moon rays and the fins of the shark were all clear as he hurled himself toward it while the shark was opening and closing its mouth.

Just as Jade looked straight into the shark’s eyes, it shifted its gaze from him and calmed, as if placed under a spell in that split-second gaze.

"I know you’re hungry," he said, brushing his right fingers on the skin of the shark while staring at three men standing at the edge of the pool, keeping watch of his clothes. "Your meal will be served in a few seconds from now."

He tapped on the shark’s head twice, then released it from his grip before exiting the pool.

"Sir, here is your towel, the..."

Jade hurled both the B-ranked soldier and the towel into the pool, making him finish his statement with muffled screams as the shark dragged him to the bottom of the pool.

Gyeong and the other three soldiers standing five meters away from Jade began stepping back as Jade moved toward their direction.

"Where are you going?" Jade said with a smile, then pointed straight at Gyeong. "Don’t run; your time is not yet up."

Gyeong swallowed as he shifted his gaze to the pieces of the bloodied cloth floating upward one after another, while slowly clenching his fist. ’I should have killed you earlier, brother.’

"Gyeong," Jade called out as he stopped and shifted his gaze back to the bloodied pool. "What are the new updates on Leon?"

"Lord Hayes said the council has already finalized the deployment order, Young Master," Gyeong said while lowering his shoulders and forcing his head not to look in the same direction Jade’s gaze was fixed.

"And what about Agatha?" Jade said, shifting his gaze to the two soldiers who had moved from the pool and were already standing at the front of the red mansion. ’Enjoy the little time you have.’

Gyeong moved a step forward, then forced a smile on his face. "Leon Storm is being sent to Tartarus within the next seventy-two hours."

Jade shifted his gaze from Gyeong and walked to the bent metal bench for his towel before turning back to Gyeong. "And Darian? What are the plans he set aside to awaken the Abyssal Maw Lord?"

"Everything is going smoothly on his side," Gyeong said as he pulled a smart device from his pocket and moved a step forward. "Darian and the workers used deep-crust pressure to compress the mountain. They believe they can force it to awaken without needing it to finish its hibernation process."

"Good, then tell him to speed up the process," Jade said as he walked and stopped at Gyeong’s right side, then placed a hand on his shoulder. "It’s been long since I played in a real game."

"Okay, sir," Gyeong said, while sweat trailed thin lines from his forehead to his chin whenever Jade’s gaze shifted from his and landed on the bloodied pool.

He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply when Jade loosened his grip on his shoulder, then walked away from his side. ’Do I need to tell him about Demon’s parents’ recent request?’

"Is there another thing I haven’t asked?" Jade questioned the moment he moved five meters away from the pool.

His gaze sharpened when he turned and saw Gyeong glancing at the bloodied pool with a sad look on his face. "Gyeong, or do you want to join him?"

"No, no, no, Young Master," Gyeong said while shaking his head rapidly. "I was just wondering about what to say to his wife and kids."

’Interesting,’ Jade said in his head, then smiled. "Brief me on the wife and wipe the entire family out. I mean every person that bears his bloodline."

"But..."

"But what?" Jade said while his eyes sharpened. "If you want me to do it too, fine."

Gyeong dashed forward and crouched down beneath Jade. "I will do it. I will do it."

Jade shifted his gaze to the Scorpius constellation in the sky, then smiled. "I need it to be done before the first light touches the sky."