Beyond the Bloodline-Chapter 248: No. 3, The Gambler III

Ember Vault Outskirts

Unnamed Rogue Planet

Astraxis Nebula

December 5th

Year 2018

This Rogue Planet was a desolate, cold world, blanketed in thick clouds that shrouded what lay beneath its atmosphere from prying eyes.

The barren landscape stretched out before him, as Richard moved steadily across the uneven terrain, heading toward a small, nondescript structure tucked away between jagged rocky outcrops.

As he approached, he noticed two guards blocking the entrance. They watched him in silence, their eyes cold and discerning, the faintest trace of suspicion glinting within.

Richard didn’t hesitate or slow his pace. Instead, he casually lifted a small emblem—a token he’d picked up during his time at the casino.

The moment the guards saw the emblem, one of them shifted slightly, his gaze narrowing. Then, with a voice as rough as gravel, he spoke up, breaking the silence.

"What is the answer to the void?"

"Only silence survives it."

Richard replied, offering their practised phrase with a cool smile. At his response, the guards exchanged looks and then stepped aside, gesturing him inside.

He passed through the doorway, his eyes scanning the entirety of the structure in a single sweeping glance.

Inside, he came across a dimly lit chamber, shadows clinging to every corner. A half-circle of figures awaited him, their faces masked, eyes glowing in the low light as they assessed him with a dangerous edge.

Acting like he hadn’t noticed them long before he saw them, he tilted his head, glancing around with faint amusement.

"Oh, seems like you’ve all been expecting me."

The tension in the room spiked, a crackling surge of law energy igniting the air as the figures sprang forward, their movements synchronized like predators closing in on prey.

Blades sliced through the space where he had been only moments before, his form blurring as he slipped out of reach, weaving through the attacks with ease.

Right after sidestepping a downward slash, letting the blade slice through the polished floor with a sharp crack, he twisted his body to let a spear wreathed in lightning skim past his side.

A third figure hurled a spell, sending a jagged arc of golden fire that splintered the air, but Richard ducked under it effortlessly, the flames hissing inches above his head as he rolled to his feet in one fluid motion.

A dual-wielding swordsman came at him next, the edges of their blades tracing whirling arcs through the space around him. Richard stepped back once, twice, and then leaned impossibly far to the side, letting both strikes pass harmlessly by as though they were part of a choreographed dance.

He seemed untouchable, narrowly evading every attack until a spell shot from the hands of a caster on the perimeter streaked towards him and grazed his shoulder.

The energy fizzled out on contact, leaving not so much as a blemish on his clothes.

Seeing this, Richard sighed softly, absently scratching the back of his head as though bored by the display.

Shrugging, he spoke.

"Well, no need for the disguise anymore."

He then reached up, pulling off his glasses and tossing them into the subspace portal that appeared beside him.

Removed along with the pair of eyewear, was the recognition inhibition spell, allowing their brains to completely register his face.

Seeing him, several figures in the room had their eyes widen in recognition, their shock evident behind their masks.

One or two even took a trembling step back, but before any of them could utter a word, Richard silently released a small pulse of magic power.

However, what was small for Richard, was a colossal wave for this lot.

The golden magic power surged forward, shattering space under its potent weight. The chamber walls cracked, fissures racing along the floor as the energy radiated outwards.

The ground quaked violently and soon, the planet’s crust was splintering as an eruption of energy tore through the surface, fracturing the entire world.

The figures within the chamber barely had time to scream before they were engulfed, the entire structure crumbling as the planet detonated in a colossal explosion.

Floating amidst the flaming scattered remnants of the shattered planet was Richard. In his left hand, he held the neck of the so-called leader of this group, his grip tight, unyielding.

The leader’s face was twisted in horror, muscles trembling, but Richard’s calm gaze betrayed not a hint of pity.

"Now, this is normally the part where I’m supposed to start interrogating you..."

Richard mused, his voice barely a murmur in the silence of space. Hearing him, the leader’s mouth opened to protest, but Richard didn’t give him a chance.

He lifted his right hand, fingers splayed, and plunged them straight into the leader’s head. His fingers sank not into flesh, but into the very fabric of the leader’s soul, piercing its defences like a blade through silk.

|Soul Search. |

With that command, the energies of the laws of life and death pulsed, flooding from his body and into the core of the leader’s soul.

Layers of mental barriers, enchantments, and hidden locks within the soul disintegrated under his command, each one falling apart as Richard ruthlessly tore his way through them.

Fragmented memories, secrets, and knowledge flowed through him, rushing in a torrent of information. He extracted every scrap, every trace of the organization’s secrets, bypassing decades of deception, and all histories concealed within their ranks.

At last, he found what he sought—the truth of their operations, the next link in the chain.

As the last sliver of information surfaced, the soul began to crack.

It was subtle at first, a tiny fissure spreading across the core. Then, with a soft, final shudder, the leader’s soul shattered, scattering into fragments.

Richard noticed an internal spell, something designed to destroy the leader if anyone ever tried to force information from him.

"Wow, that’s rather harsh."

It was powerful, but Richard’s own power held it at bay long enough to complete his search, letting the energy dissipate only after he was finished.

He let the lifeless body drift in the void, a small sigh escaping his lips.

"Turns out you were only a leader of a subsection."

Richard’s gaze drifted beyond the body, clicking his tongue as he stared at the lights of distant stars.

’If only the Extinction Legion was the only problem threatening this universe...’

A sense of weariness settled over him, and he sighed once more, a heavier one this time.

"Why do I even have to deal with all these fools?"

It didn’t take a second for him to answer his own question, his eyes flashing with remembrance.

"Ah, right. I’m one of the guys who lives in this universe."

Shaking his head, he waved his hand and the remnants of the planet and everything left of the scene dissolved into dust.

The traces of energy, memory, and time were wiped clean, erased from existence itself. The past, present, and future of that planet unravelled, as if it had never been.

Yawning, Richard cast a final glance into the empty space, then let out a soft chuckle.

"Now then, I wonder where the next casino is."

And with a smile of anticipation, he disappeared, already picturing the hum of another casino floor waiting for him somewhere in the universe.