Rise of the White Devil

As one would expect from the underground world, it was filled with numerous people of different races walking around the dark streets.

Stalls and shop buildings lined the streets, selling items that were hard to come by legally.

The black market was a place where the laws of the surface held no meaning.

There was no law here to protect buyers and sellers; anything could happen if one wished.

But to prevent chaos and bloodbaths, some unspoken rules were in place that everyone abided by.

One:

The strong are always above the weak.

Just like in the world of adventurers, the strong had more advantages and were favored over the weak.

Two:

Be civil.

Do not cause a bloodbath unless you have a good reason.

And lastly:

Do not oppose The Council of Nightfall unless you wish to die.

These three unspoken rules were the only things you had to follow when visiting the black market.

The Council of Nightfall held full control over the underworld, with each of its highest members ruling their own territory.

The black market of the capital in the human domain was ruled by Nyx.

Nyx and the Voidwalkers had been around for hundreds of years, hidden in countless places.

Underworld or not, it was the best way for them to place their men in strategic positions, ensuring they had power and information.

The only reason the black market was so civil and upheld the three unspoken rules was thanks to The Council of Nightfall.

The currency system of the black market was the same as on the surface, using golden credits, but everything here was priced much higher.

No one in the underworld was kind.

Selfish, cunning, dangerous, and strong—these were the most common types one would find in the black market, a place where almost everyone's hands were dirty.

*****

As Lucas walked the streets of the underworld in his disguise, his gaze swept everywhere.

He could see people, some not bothering to hide their faces, while others did.

Stalls, buildings, and shops sold illegal stuff, information, or offered assassination services.

Whatever you thought to do, it was possible here.

Even though he wore an intimidating disguise that earned him curious glances, that was all.

After all, most mistook him for an assassin due to his attire and the Blade of Chaos at his waist.

He wasn't the only one dressed like that, nor was Lucas currently releasing his Dragon's Aura to intimidate those around him—not yet, at least.

Speaking of the Blade of Chaos, he could feel it trembling with bloodlust.

For some reason, his katana seemed eager to be used here.

'Calm down,'

Lucas ordered silently through his soul link with the blade, gripping its hilt firmly.

Whenever Lucas visited shady places during his adventuring days, the lust for blood became apparent on the Blade of Chaos.

This time was no different, but it calmed down a little upon hearing its master's command.

Lucas kept walking, knowing where he had to go—towards where he would meet with Nyx.

Well, not the exact location, but he knew what the place was called:

The Night Stalkers.

In the eye of the public and mainly the underworld, it was a mercenary guild with highly skilled members boasting impressive contract completion rates.

But deep down, at its core, it was actually one of the bases of the Voidwalkers.

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Nyx used the Silent Stalkers as a cover to rule his part of the underworld while maintaining secrecy about his true identity.

Only people of higher status in the underworld knew that the mercenary guild was actually a cover for the ruler of this part of the underworld.

Though no one knew that The Night Stalkers were also The Voidwalkers.

'What the hell kind of name is that?' Lucas thought, finding the name of the mercenary guild rather odd.

Shaking his head, he kept roaming around, taking in everything on display.

He hadn't brought Luna and left her at the hotel room, as it would be safer for her there than here.

He didn't know what he could encounter here, after all.

For example was what he was currently seeing at the side of one of the roads...

He stopped walking as he furrowed his brows for a second, then relaxed them again as he gazed at the open carriage on the side of the road, unloading what most here would call products...

The products were inside an iron cage, getting released only to be bound by iron shackles on their ankles and wrists.

'Slaves...'

Lucas thought, gazing at the slaves, each wearing only a thin, single piece of white cloth meant to cover their entire body, walking barefoot on the ground.

Most had lost the light in their eyes, accepting their fate, but there were some who still had defiance in their eyes, unwilling to become mere toys for the rich.

"Move it!"

"Ahh!"

One of the men who was escorting the slaves wherever they went said, whipping the young girl's back with his whip, tearing her clothing and marking her back with blood.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The young girl merely sobbed in silence, hastening her small footsteps to ensure she did not incur further punishment.

She looked no older than twelve years old, yet here she was, no longer seen as human.

"Oh, are those the new goods for today's auction?"

"Ah yes, the slave establishment sold their best to the auction. These must be the best of this month."

"Fufu, they seem promising~"

"I can't wait for today."

He heard the passersby talk to each other without care as they stopped as well, gazing at the slaves.

Hearing them, Lucas managed to somehow hold back his anger at killing everyone here at hearing their remarks.

He understood they were slaves and knew this was how the dark side of life was, but that didn't mean he liked it.

Even though he had seen some similarities in his previous life with slaves, he had never been fond of it.

One should be able to stand up for themselves and fight back.

He wasn't stupid enough to act out here; he knew it was useless if he tried to help these slaves.

It wouldn't matter in the end.

How they became a slave, he didn't know, and he knew there was a chance for them to just get caught again and be brought back to the slave establishment.

The only thing that made it hard for him to keep it together, though, was the fact that out of the slaves being escorted in shame underneath everyone's gaze, quite a few were mere children...

Perhaps it had to do with his own childhood, but he never liked the thought of children getting hurt.

Of course, even though he would try to help a child if he could, it didn't mean he would be stupid about it.

If it meant he had to kill the child for the sake of his family, he would without hesitation.

'Forget it... maybe one day,' he thought as he started to walk again, ignoring the slaves who kept walking inside a building with their heads down.