PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

Rundert’s face had an expression worse than tears, but Sofia didn’t care. After the day of awakening and those dark times that followed, Sofia was left alone with her two daughters, without family to turn to. If Sofía were to die, her daughters’ lives would be exceedingly miserable, and that thought kept coming back to feed the rage within Sofia.

Like an enraged lioness, ready to tear the meat off the animal in front of her, Sofia was giving Rundert a death glare. “No matter what I believe, this is official business Commander Rundert, the orders come from central, and there is nothing either of us can do to change it.”

Helplessness was an emotion Rundert was unfamiliar with; a man like him, who had enjoyed the privileges and pleasures of power, was not the kind of person who could take his current situation in stride.

The anger shown by Rundert was inferior to that offered by Sofia, the difference being that Rundert actually considered attacking Sofia. Rundert knew she was no match for him, but the last shred of sanity in Rundert’s mind prevented him from doing something so stupid.

Rundert’s fists were clenched so tight that he looked like he might start bleeding at any moment, which caused Sofia a mocking smile. “Don’t worry, commander, if, as you say, all this is nothing more than a misunderstanding, then you have nothing to fear.”

The mockery was as thick as quicksilver, but Rundert had to swallow his pride; this was no longer a matter of strength. With orders sent from central, his only option was to give unless he wanted to become a rogue.

Not in the mood to argue with Rundert for another second, Sofia left the room swaying her ample hips, something someone like Rundert would have appreciated under other circumstances.

Commander Rundert stood in his office without moving an inch like a statue, exuding a kind of eerie calm. Out of nowhere, with Rundert as the epicenter, an opaque energy field completely covered the room, amplifying gravity in multiple folds and destroying almost everything in the room.

.....

The desk, chairs, and every other piece of furniture were reduced to nothing more than tiny chips and rubble; even the wooden floor began to crack under pressure.

Rundert’s tantrum was not lost on those in the building, as the gravity amplification was so intense that it caused tremors that spread several tens of meters away.

When the shock wave reached Sofia’s place, which was a set of concrete stairs, a brown glow came out from Sofia’s feet, canceling the tremor. “I would have liked to see that imbecile’s face.”

When Sofia left the main building of the military barracks, a small caravan could already be seen arriving at the place. Six military vehicles were filled to the brim with personnel from the internal investigations department that was sent from Kars city.

The nearly fifty men and women each were the best of the best that the internal investigations department had to offer; not only were they versed in their trade, but their combat power was not inconsiderable. All the newly arrived personnel seemed to be armed to the teeth, but regardless of rank or position, they greeted Captain Sofia with great respect.

For those who knew Sofia more personally, seeing the motherly and stoic woman turned into a bloodthirsty lioness was a great surprise; however, their task had not changed.

Barely managing to keep her anger under control, Sofia began to pass orders at high speed, and in less than fifteen minutes, almost fifty people were already performing their tasks. Rundert could only watch with spite and malevolence as his entire military headquarters was turned upside down by those here to dig up all his sins.

While the chaos in the headquarters was taking place, Desmond, the person behind all this, did not have the opportunity to enjoy the misfortune that Rundert was going through since he was not in a very comfortable situation.

Dodging another bolt of ice, Desmond looked around his office, which had now become a complete mess, with frost and shattered things everywhere. Annoyed but also somewhat helpless, Desmond tried once more to calm the person in charge. “Can you calm down once and for all? I’ll have to have a new office building at this rate.”

Unknown if it was the lack of honesty in his apology or Silvia simply had no intention of forgiving him, another blade of ice flew out, trying to sever Desmond’s head.

Genuinely annoyed, Desmond discarded all patience and intentions to be soft towards Silvia. He could tolerate the impoliteness and biting tone with which Silvia spoke to him most of the time, but he wasn’t the kind of person who would stand by while someone tried to kill him.

As if he hit a pesky insect, Desmond waved his hand, releasing a wave of mana that swept away Silvia’s attack without any difficulty. “Enough is enough.”

Full of dominance, Desmond’s words only made Silvia even more furious, a person who couldn’t bear to be treated that way. An air full of coldness filled the room, and six spikes of ice formed almost instantly; Silvia had no intention of stopping.

What surprised Silvia, who knew that she couldn’t beat Desmond, was that he didn’t seem to have any intention of defending himself; she soon understood why. Seemingly out of nowhere, a hand came out, putting a blade to Silvia’s throat, who heard a female voice behind her.

“Master said enough is enough.”

Silvia’s entire body tensed at the killing intent of the person holding the blade. Silvia could now feel the heat signature of a third person in the room, though she remained unable to understand where the third person had come from.

For a moment, Silvia feared for her life, understanding that she had been carried away by anger without considering the kind of person she was facing. Without even moving a single finger, Desmond had covered his hands with the blood of dozens of people in just a couple of days.

Desmond ordered the deaths of people who had nothing to do with him just for the sake of his goals, he was incredibly ruthless when it came down to it, and she could have gone too far, risking being one more victim in the long list.

Desmond stood still, indifferent to the situation, as if he was neither upset nor happy, almost ignoring Silvia, who still had a blade to her throat. While his body didn’t move, Desmond’s mind was a different case, pros, and cons colliding with each other as he considered what to do with Silvia.

In the end, Desmond makes a decision. “You can let her go. If she dares to attack me again, go ahead and kill her sister.”

Silvia felt her blood run cold for the first time since she awakened her powers. She had provoked Desmond enough for him to resort to such a cruel and ruthless measure.

This time, Silvia could not find hesitation or swagger in Desmond’s blue eyes; the only thing there was a lack of mercy. Desmond’s words took immediate effect like a spell, first sending Revna back into his shadow and then forcing Silvia to behave.

Seeing the now still Silvia, Desmond turned around, walking back to the only unbroken chair in the room. Sitting down, Desmond looked back at Silvia and gestured with his hand. “Come here.”

Desmond motioned for Silvia to come closer, an order, not a request or suggestion, his voice full of command and mild aggression. Silvia hesitated for a second, but thinking of what Desmond could do to her sister, she finally relented.

Desmond didn’t want to have to kill Silvia; he actually appreciated and respected both Silvia’s straightforward personality and abilities. Still, he couldn’t afford to have such an unstable element at his side.

When Desmond decided to involve Silvia in his plans, there were many reasons, personal and professional. However, Desmond had also analyzed the pros and cons back then and all the possible outcomes.

The current situation was unbelievably within those cons, and the intended outcome was not pretty at all. Despite this, Desmond decided to make one last effort; Since soft measures didn’t work, Desmond would resort to stern measures.

The indifference and coldness grew increasingly intense in Desmond’s blue eyes, causing Silvia to start trembling with nervousness; she knew what Desmond was capable of, and her fear had already begun to take control of her.

Oddly enough, after the creation of Garden, Desmond had become quite adept at psychological training. At the same time, Desmond had a certain degree of understanding of Silvia’s personality, mainly knowing some of her weaknesses and her unique inclinations. So the plan in his mind was actually quite simple: Since Silvia doesn’t want to be obedient, Desmond just had to make her compliant.