Realmshift: Triad Ascendancy.

The Gaze.

[GREY]

A few hours had passed since I interrogated those slave traders. I had already found five of their main hideouts, along with a few smaller ones. None of them were a real challenge to deal with.

Now I was standing in the fifth location. This one had been a little harder to find, hidden well between buildings and buried in a basement. Still, that wasn't the real problem.

The real problem was the sixth location — the main one. At least, that's what I thought it was. The other places only had weak fighters and a few people with dark red mana cores. That told me one thing: they were being protected. Someone stronger was backing them — someone who made sure the real base stayed hidden.

From what I gathered, Wohler wasn't the one running things directly. He was behind it all, yes, but someone else was doing the dirty work. A man strong enough to lead this entire network of gangs. A man who kidnapped women and children for profit.

My jaw tightened. Just thinking about it made my blood boil. People were suffering here — and probably in other cities too. And yet the so-called "Vermouth" refused to step in. I'd have words with her soon enough.

I turned to the last man still conscious, who was cowering behind a table. I grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up.

"You don't know who you're dealing with!" he stammered, eyes wide with fear.

I looked at him calmly. "Where is your main location?"

The man hesitated, then gave me a forced grin trying to hide his fear.

"I'll tell you... but just know this — if you g-go there, you won't come back. He'll make sure of it. He'll make sure you regret messing with us."

I threw him back to the floor. "Who is he?"

He looked up at me with a bloodied smile.

"His name is Malrik. He's our leader, He won't let you get away with this."

After a few seconds of "interrogation," he finally gave me the final location.

So I killed him.

"This would've been easier if Arkane were here... Guess I'll just stick with torture." I muttered to myself as I jumped across rooftops, heading for the last hideout.

A church. Out of all places, they were using a church.

It made sense in a sick way. No one would think to look there — a holy place, trusted by the public, where people came for healing and guidance. 

It didn't take long to find the right one. Compared to the others in the area, this church was too perfect. The stone walls were smooth and well-maintained, with soft traces of mana etched between the bricks like they'd been carved by hand. The stained glass windows shimmered faintly, the mana-enhanced light magic woven into the images of saints and spirits glowing even in the shade. A bell tower stood above it all, silent, but the crystal hanging under the bell pulsed faintly — some kind of surveillance ward.

There were priests at the entrance, greeting passersby and keeping up the illusion. But something about them felt off.

Too practiced.

I walked straight up to one of them. He smiled politely, hands folded like a real servant of the gods.

"Welcome, traveler. Are you seeking guidance today?"

I grabbed him by the collar.

"I'm seeking answers."

The other priests froze. The one in my grip struggled, but I tightened my hold.