The atmosphere around the mansion drastically changed after the terrifying terrorist attack. The night was now filled with red and blue lights from flashing police cars moving swiftly. Several white vans with red cross logos were parked in the courtyard, their doors open to accommodate the guests. Sirens created a loud noise, accompanying the hurried steps of medical personnel rushing to and fro. They carried stretchers, evacuating injured guests.
Cries and moans echoed as the shaken victims grappled with the horrific incident they had just experienced. Some police officers roamed around the ambulances, searching for witnesses who could provide information.
Based on accounts from some guests, the mansion's security personnel managed to overpower the terrorists, rescuing the hostages before the police arrived. None of the guests were harmed in the incident; instead, casualties came from the terrorists and some of the mansion's guards.
Amidst the chaos, Klaus traversed through the crowd, scanning left and right, searching for his family. Near an ambulance, he noticed a police officer taking statements from a married couple, an Asian man and a golden-haired woman. The woman caught sight of him accidentally, and her eyes welled up with tears.
"Klaus!" Anna exclaimed, waving her hand.
The attention of the police and Steve turned to the eldest son. Before Klaus could react, Anna ran toward him.
"Thank goodness you're safe," Anna said tearfully, gently touching his cheek.
"It's okay, Mom. I'm fine," Klaus reassured her.
Anna fell silent after that, embracing Klaus with tears streaming down her face, while he comfortingly patted her back, trying to soothe her. Steve walked over to them, relief apparent on his face, but his eyes were teary. He stared at Klaus for a long moment before breaking down, sobbing.
Witnessing how deeply concerned his parents were for him, Klaus felt a twinge of regret for leaving them amidst the chaos. He never expected them to be this shaken, especially his father. For the first time in his life, he saw Steve shedding tears.
Klaus gently pushed his mother. "Where are the others, Mom?"
Anna wiped the tears from her cheeks, attempting to smile. "They are all safe."
His mother informed him about the whereabouts of the rest family. The head of LR Enterprise, Robert Lee, was in good condition. Liliana and Noah had taken him home in a helicopter during the dance session. They managed to escape the incident. Meanwhile, William was evacuated with the other guests. Edward had left the mansion during the attack to secure his father's safety, but he returned to assist the mansion's guards in confronting the terrorists.
"What about Joanna? Is she alright?" Klaus asked with concern.
"Your sister is fine," Steve chimed in. "She's currently with your friends."
A sigh of relief escaped Klaus as he got news about his little sister.
When Klaus hunted down the S-Class terrorists lurking around the mansion area, he accidentally met Edward. He asked him to head to the ballroom, and coincidentally, at that moment, he saw Lana overpowering Luis and his henchmen. He was confident he could rely on Edward, and he was not wrong.
Given Edward's reputation, there was no way he would fail to save them.
"Sorry, Mom. I want to check on Joanna's condition," Klaus said.
Anna held him back. "If you feel unwell, go to the medical personnel immediately!"
Klaus nodded before leaving his parents behind.
After searching through one ambulance to another, Klaus found Joanna huddled together with her friends, looking bruised and battered. Edward was there as well.
As he drew close to them, Justin quickly stood up from the patient compartment. Joanna turned to him, and the others followed suit.
"Klaus!" Joanna hugged him tightly.
They embraced each other for a moment. At the same time, Klaus noticed the somber expressions of his men. Justin, who was usually annoying, didn't say a word.
"Are you okay?" Klaus asked with concern, inspecting his sister's body.
Joanna nodded.
Klaus then smiled at Edward. "Thank you for taking care of my little sister."
Edward nodded. "It's no problem. We are family. We should help each other. But..."
Suddenly, Edward's words trailed off. Squinting his eyes, Klaus realized that something was amiss.
"What happened?" Klaus asked.
Edward sighed. "You better ask your guild master."
Raising an eyebrow, Klaus turned to Justin. "Tell me, what happened?"
"It's..." Justin was also faltering, as if something was blocking his throat.
As Klaus looked at the rest of his subordinates, they all had sorrowful expressions. Olivia appeared puffy-eyed, Michael turned his face away when Klaus glanced at him, and Akio had a piercing gaze, as if harboring anger at Klaus.
"Do I have something on my face, Akio?" Klaus asked, puzzled.
Akio seemed to grow even more furious. He suddenly attempted to strike Klaus in the face, but Klaus restrained him.
"Akio, what are you doing!" Olivia exclaimed.
Michael quickly separated the two. "Stop it, Akio!"
Klaus felt irritated but managed to maintain his composure. On the other hand, Akio was the opposite.I think you should take a look at
"You're the strongest among us! You should have stayed with us! Why did you gone when we needed you the most!" Akio was truly angry, pointing at Klaus's face.nov????????????????????\????/o/????
Edward raised an eyebrow as he learned that Klaus had been concealing his true power. He thought his cousin was an F-Class. He wanted to know the reason, but the current situation didn't allow him to ask Klaus, so he decided to stay silent.
"Calm down, Akio. Unlike what you think, I needed to secure the guests and deal with some terrorists," Klaus replied.
"Bullshit!" Akio retorted. "You should prioritize the safety of your subordinates over them!"
"Enough, Akio! Stop it! It won't change the situation!" Justin pushed Akio away from Klaus.
"Calm down. It's not Klaus's fault," Michael said, trying to defuse the situation.
Akio swung his arm, freeing himself from Michael's grasp, and stormed off. At the same time, Jonna burst into tears, being comforted by Olivia.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Klaus furrowed his brow. Among all the subordinates working for him at Rays of Hope, Akio was usually the most level-headed. He remained composed in various situations. If he was this furious, something significant must have happened during the terrorist attack.
"Tell me. What really happened, Justin?" Klaus asked firmly.
The guild master took a deep breath. "You better see it for yourself."
Justin led Klaus to look inside another ambulance's patient compartment. A body wrapped in a body bag lay on a stretcher. Justin told him to open it.
As Klaus unzipped the bag, his eyes widened.
It was a red-haired woman in a black dress. There was a large hole in her chest, and there was no sign of a heart inside. Just a few hours ago, he had invited her to dance, and now she lay lifeless.
Yes, the body was Sylvia's.
...
Glistening yellow lights emanated from millions of lamps, creating a magnificent and beautiful view of New York City at night.
In a dark hotel room, a woman stood near a large window, gazing at the city's beauty. Behind her allure, a dark aura enveloped her, as if hiding undisclosed secrets buried deep in her mind.
She held a glass of red wine in her hand, displaying an inscrutable evil expression. Her eyes stared into the distance, yet her mind seemed elsewhere. Her dark hair flowed loosely, blending with the ambiance of the room.
In the silence, something slithered in the shadows.
"Did you manage to kill him?" the woman said.
She became aware of the hidden figure. Shortly after, a mysterious masked man emerged from the shadows. He wore a black cloak that blended with the darkness of the room.
"Unfortunately, we bring bad news," the masked man spoke, his voice sounding peculiar and distorted.
"Don't tell me you failed to kill a 19-year-old boy."
"Unfortunately, yes."
Creak!
Throwing the glass to the floor, the woman seethed as she heard the unwanted news.
The masked man bowed his head. "I apologize if we disappointed you, Lady Liliana. But it seems your target hired an awakener stronger than us. Out of the 10 S-Class I sent, only 2 returned alive. And one of them is in a pitiful state."
"Silence!" Liliana retorted. "I hired the best assassin organization on Earth and spent 50 million dollars, and this is what I get? I can't tell if I should laugh or cry right now!"
The masked man bowed his head. "I represent the Shadow Brotherhood and apologize for our lack of service. We will eliminate that boy as you requested."
"You must!"
The mysterious man submerged into the darkness and vanished. Meanwhile, Liliana continued to gaze at the cityscape with a terrifying expression on her face.
Liliana was the mastermind behind the terrorist attack.
Ever since the name Rays of Hope soared and Mors Industries captured public attention, Liliana's hatred for her nephew became uncontrollable. Her father gradually favored Klaus and ignored his other grandchildren. Despite Noah being one of the awakeners who conquered an orange dungeon, Robert showed no interest in him.
Moreover, Noah's decision to align with Klaus and sever ties with Morning Star shattered all the carefully laid plans. Her son lost his most powerful ally, and his position as the rightful heir was now threatened.
Currently, their grandfather had high hopes for two of his grandsons, Edward Lee and Klaus Lee.
That's why Liliana hired the Shadow Brotherhood's service. She wasn't sure if she could beat Edward, so she set her sights on Klaus.
However, her expectations didn't align with reality.
"Klaus, Edward. I won't let you become the heirs. I won't. Only my son should have it!"
That night, Liliana didn't sleep as she devised her next plan.
