"So get rid of the thoughts of ever owning one... You never will."

He didn’t forget to add, and White shrugged his shoulders.

It was a fancy ring, but... what did he have to carry anyway?

"At least I don’t have to worry about carrying your bags."

He said with a grin that made Leo pause.

"Tsk, lucky bastard."

"Do you still have the map, Leo?"

The grey-haired man asked as Leo regained focus, tapping on his wrist, and a panel bloomed to life before him.

"Yes, Grey. In fact, we’re just a couple of hours’ run away from the base’s location."

He added.

"Then, we move."

Grey said, and in the next moment, he hovered off his feet before becoming a blur of white that disappeared into the distance.

He moved like lightning, his speed generating a violent shockwave barrier that obliterated the stones in his path, yet even that couldn’t stop the spiraling black holes.

In the end, he was forced to move around them; his speed was fast enough to escape their pulling force.

With Grey’s actions, a clear path with fewer meteors was created, allowing the others to follow.

All of them flew through the air, except for the lady with the sword, who was also flying with them, but only because she was standing on the sheathed sword, using it like a hoverboard to move herself forward.

They moved at incredible speed, and as White watched Grey weave through black hole after black hole in the distance, unleashing massive shockwaves with every movement to tear apart the rocks and carve a path for those behind him, a question rose in his mind.

’Is he doing this unconsciously, or...’

He had not figured out an answer when Grey suddenly came to a stop.

The others naturally stopped behind him, and White quickly saw the reason.

They had surpassed the chaotic zone behind them, and before them appeared a void of pure blackness, at the end of which stood a tower-like building whose tip pointed high into the sky, seemingly one with the darkness around it.

It appeared as though one only needed to continue through the void to reach the tower, but White knew better.

In three random areas of the void, there were almost imperceptible ripples.

He closed his eyes and easily saw the flaming auras.

"You’re not fooling anyone with that half-assed Space Camouflage you’ve got on."

Grey called loudly into the void, staring in three different directions one at a time.

When he finished the third, a voice rang out.

"Pretty sure you’re the only one who isn’t fooled by it, Old Grey."

The voice replied as three people appeared from the empty void.

There were three men: one lanky and tall, one bulky and of average height, and the last chubby with a very short height.

Standing together made them all look comical, and White chuckled in amusement.

In the silence of the void, the sound was impossible to miss, and three pairs of eyes whipped toward him with fury.

"And what is it you find funny... horned human?"

The short one asked as White waved casually.

"Don’t mind me. Just continue with your introductions."

"So, the Ludwig Organization, an organization that should be nothing more than a pharmaceutical company, is now employing Dark Mercenaries to guard the gate of one of their simple drug research facilities?"

It was Leo who spoke this time.

"I know you. You must be the one they call Leo. The weakest in the Destroscension Squad."

The lanky man said, pointing at Leo, whose brows creased in annoyance and confusion.

"Yes."

The chubby and short man said. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Ludwig did ask for us Dark Mercenaries to guard their gate since it was so obvious that there were no other mercenaries who would choose to go against the ’Oh, So Mighty’ Humanity Ascension Organization."

"It’s a Powerhouse, actually."

One of the twins said.

"Humanity Ascension Powerhouse."

"That’s a bullshit name you all gave yourselves."

"I’m not in the mood for a chat, Su Brothers."

Old Grey called out as his uniform began to flap around him, power slowly oozing out.

White could instantly sense his cultivation stage.

’Late Cosmic Rank!’

"You’re in the way of our mission... Get out!"

Old Grey said fiercely, and the rest of the group immediately exploded with their auras.

’Leo is at the Early Cosmic Rank, the twins are at the Middle Cosmic Rank... same for the woman.’

White thought quietly.

"Hehehe!"

Wicked crackling laughter broke out from all three of their adversaries as their eyes locked onto them, and White noticed something.

’They’re not afraid.’

Even facing a Late Cosmic Rank, three Middle Cosmic Ranks, and one Early Cosmic Rank, the three men showed no fear whatsoever.

"As expected, Old Grey. Fierce and quick to the point as ever."

The lanky man called out.

"But that attribute you’re defined by is also what will make sure you end up dead here today!"

He added, and then,

VRRROOOOOOOM!

Space creaked before shattering apart like glass as a wave of aura burst into the air, brimming with power.

The sheer amount of it sent a shockwave through the group, their eyes widening in shock, and even White’s brow creased before he grinned.

"No wonder..."

Those three... they were all at the Late Cosmic Rank Stage.

The sight of it made even Old Grey pause, but then his eyes narrowed, a halo of white flashing within their depths before he scoffed.

"By how wild and uncontrolled your auras are, it’s clear you all just broke through to the Late Cosmic Rank Stage."

"And seeing as you sit obediently like dogs taking commands from the Ludwig Company, they must have given you their cursed drugs to force the growth of your cultivations."

"Growing with an unorthodox method. Tsk, not like I expected much from a group of Dark Mercenaries..."

Old Grey spat as all three men scoffed.

"Orthodox or unorthodox... We’ll see which one matters when you’re drowning in your own blood."

They replied, and in the next moment,

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!