Born In Ashes: The Enigma

Azrael carefully sensed Claudia's emotions and frowned.

He had just shown her the recording and hadn't even gone out to meet her, making her plan of killing him upon his arrival fail.

As a result, her emotions were completely out of control.

The most intense emotion he could feel from her was anxiety, followed by anger, fear, and hatred.

'Her emotions are completely out of control, but she is still not displaying the chaotic emotions of wanting to destroy everything and kill everyone that a vessel of corruption should have,' Azrael thought inwardly.

While walking as if he were heading in the same direction as Claudia, he followed behind her.

He observed her emotions for several minutes while keeping his distance, and once he felt it was enough, he stopped by a nearby shop and bought some fruits.

Claudia continued walking and soon disappeared from his sight.

Azrael didn't follow her. Instead, while munching on the apple he had just bought, he turned and began walking in the opposite direction.

'She is not the one…' He thought.

He had clearly felt that Claudia's emotions were in complete disarray and if she had truly been a vessel of corruption, hiding her true feelings beneath a façade, he would have sensed it by now.

'It seems she is just an ambitious woman who wants to control all of New Moon City, which is why she is doing all these things.'

Azrael sighed inwardly, a hint of disappointment in his thoughts. If she had been the vessel of corruption, the task would have been straightforward and he would simply have to plan how to kill her instead of thinking about testing the other tower masters.

'Well, let's test the second Tower Master,' Azrael thought to himself, then began walking in a specific direction through New Moon City.

About half an hour later, he stopped approximately two kilometers away from a grand mansion.

Two guards stood outside the gate, each of them Level 5.

This mansion belonged to the Knight Tower Master— Alex.

Unlike Claudia, who stayed in the Black Tower due to her constant need to use her lab, Alex lived in his own mansion.

Taking out a pebble sized scouting ball, Azrael sent it toward the mansion.

The scouting ball easily bypassed the two Level 5 guards without alerting them.

Unlike the Black Magic Tower— whose layout he was familiar with thanks to watching Claudia's recordings— Azrael knew nothing about the structure of Alex's mansion or where to locate him.

As a result, he had to let the scouting ball roam freely, flying from one room to another.

It took him nearly three hours before he finally found Alex in an underground training area, practicing his swordsmanship.

Through the scouting ball's lens, Azrael watched as each of Alex's sword swings split the air apart, the resulting sword energy destroying everything in its path, leaving a trail of deep sword marks on the hard ground of the training room.

Suddenly, Alex halted his practice and turned sharply toward the scouting ball's location, his gaze razor sharp.

As a knight, Alex's senses were even sharper than Claudia's, and he immediately detected that something was spying on him.

Azrael wasn't surprised when he saw Alex found out about the scouting ball.

And like a seasoned manipulator, he calmly pressed a button on the scouting ball's controller.

The moment he pressed it, the ball glowed faintly, and a holographic screen appeared within the training area, playing a recording for Alex.

Unlike the one he had shown Claudia, this recording was only ten seconds long.

In it, Alex saw Claudia engaged in an intimate act with someone, though the other person's face and body weren't clearly visible.

However, one thing Alex was absolutely certain of— the person in the recording wasn't him.

In an instant, the color drained from Alex's face, replaced by disbelief.

"This…" He muttered, his face pale as the recording looped again.

His aura flared uncontrollably, filling the training room and making its walls tremble slightly.

"Bastard! Who are you? Show yourself to me!" He roared like a wounded beast, his bloodshot eyes burning with fury.

As soon as he shouted, the recording changed. A clown dressed in black appeared on the holographic screen.

"If you want to know the truth about what your lover is planning behind your back, come to this location at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

Since Azrael had spent nearly three hours finding Alex, he scheduled the meeting for the following morning. It was already night, and if he were to confront Alex now, he wouldn't be able to use the same emotional reading strategy he had used with Claudia.

"Who are you?" Alex asked coldly, his eyes blazing with rage. "Who was that with Claudia? I swear, if you lie to me, I will tear you apart."

Because the screen was only playing a recorded message, the clown didn't respond directly. Instead, it spoke again.

"If you want, you can go confront Claudia right now. But I suggest you meet with me first before doing anything. If you speak to her before hearing me out, I can assure you— you will regret it for the rest of your life."

As soon as the clown finished speaking, the scouting ball shook and then exploded, leaving behind a cloud of black smoke.

Alex stared at the floating smoke, his eyes narrowed and thoughts turbulent.

The scene from the recording replayed in his mind, and he instinctively wanted to rush over and speak to Claudia.

However, the clown's last words lingered in his mind and after a moment of hesitation, he paused and took a deep breath.

"I hope whoever you are can give me a satisfactory explanation for this recording tomorrow. Otherwise, I swear…"

His eyes gleamed with terrifying killing intent as he stood frozen in the training room for nearly five full minutes.

After five minutes, his emotions calmed down a bit and he turned around, leaving the training room as he was no longer in the mood of practicing his swordsmanship anymore.