The rain clouds hung low in the air, the fine drizzle turning the entire world a muted grey, as if the lingering echo of some long-dead ghost drifted overhead.

Siren sat perfectly still inside a roadside café, before him, a slice of black forest cake and a cup of rich coffee. Yet, he showed no inclination to taste the fare, merely gazing out the floor-to-ceiling window at the deserted street, watching the mist, whipped by a sudden gust of wind, chase a discarded newspaper from one end of the avenue to the other.

Directly opposite was the rear entrance to the Gu Corporation Headquarters. Several guards in raincoats stood near the underground parking exit, their gazes sharp, scanning their surroundings.

Two beams of light sliced through the thin veil of rain fog, emerging from the parking structure. The guards snapped to attention, offering a salute as three black sedans slowly rolled out.

The three cars crawled out of the garage, turned a corner, and reached the street.

From both ends of the avenue, heavily customized, pitch-black SUVs swarmed forward. These vehicles, larger in every dimension than standard Jeeps, boasted reinforced front bumpers specially modified to withstand head-on collisions with heavy tanks. Two SUVs, one on the left and one on the right, charged like maddened bulls into the first sedan, instantly crumpling it into a sheet of thin metal.

Siren allowed a cruel smile to touch his lips; only he knew the monstrous nature of these vehicles.

The metal of their chassis was derived from the third scroll of the Dust Daoist’s teachings—the heaviest, sturdiest alloy known. The engines were miniature versions of those used in rapid-assault frigates, possessing enough power to tow a thousand-ton vessel. These were the new generation of specialized vehicles Siren had commissioned custom-built by Hardwar Defense, each unit possessing the combat capability of twenty standard Federal heavy tanks.

The two remaining black sedans braked hard, then quickly reversed, attempting to flee back into the Gu Corporation parking lot. The few Gu Corp guards stationed at the exit were already shouting and sprinting towards the scene, drawing weapons concealed beneath their raincoats and opening fire on the dozen SUVs.

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat. A volley of armor-piercing rounds slammed into one SUV. Large sparks erupted from the hull, but every bullet ricocheted away. Not even a scratch marred the vehicle’s surface.

A low mechanical whirring sounded. The armor plate covering the roof of each of the two lead SUVs, measuring two feet square, slid back silently. Two small-caliber high-energy cannons rapidly elevated. With two muffled whoomph sounds, twin streams of high-energy particles, thick as a man’s arm, churned up vortices of plasma a meter wide, slamming into the shouting guards. Two craters, each over three meters deep, sealed the road behind the two black sedans. The rearmost sedan, having only retreated a few meters, was now hopelessly trapped in the blast pit.

Two more cannon blasts followed, turning the second sedan into shrapnel, the craters expanding several meters further upon impact.

The sole remaining black sedan wisely shut down its engine. A middle-aged man, impeccably dressed with an air of innate nobility, emerged with his hands raised. He roared with fury, “I am Marquess Borth, Councilor of the Federal Upper Council’s Bureau of Aristocratic Affairs! Who are you people?” This site's address has been changed to: Kai Jie Xin, please log in to read!

“I am a descendant of the Order of the Sanctuary Knights.”

Siren, still seated in the café, smiled. He looked up at the towering Gu Corporation Headquarters opposite and spoke softly, “Chief, where are you now? Are you still alive? If you are dead, then watch this. I’ve made a point of eliminating this dog right at the Gu Corporation’s front gate.”

A door on an SUV opened without a sound. Three lean men, clad in white robes bearing the emblem of a half-breastplate over their left chests, rushed out. They strode up to Marquess Borth and forcefully pinned him onto the wet pavement. One man barked, “Marquess Borth, you have ten seconds to repent! For the betrayal of your ancestors, for the betrayal of your entire line, for your shameless, vile acts, and for the very spirit of chivalry you once defiled—repent!”

Borth struggled in panic. His beautiful secretary and the two bodyguards from the front seat burst out of the car. The bodyguards gripped their pistols and yelled, “Scum, you—!”

A flash of cold light. The heads of the secretary and the two bodyguards flew into the air, fresh blood instantly staining the pavement.

The few scattered patrons in the café finally registered what was happening. They shrieked in terror and quickly huddled beneath their tables, clutching their heads.

Borth screamed, beside himself with fright, “What betrayal? What spirit of chivalry? I—I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

The man sneered and drew a short sword of pure silver from his waist, its hilt shaped like a cross. He announced loudly, “This is the retribution of the White Sanctuary Order.”

Borth froze, then shrieked in near hysteria, “Nonsense! The White Sanctuary Order? They are all dead! No! Impossible! They were wiped out after the War of '93!”

Siren sipped his coffee with a slight smile. He stated calmly, “No, not entirely. My great-grandfather was fortunate enough to survive the secret Great Purge. Though he was young then, he clearly remembered you—you shameless nobles who sold out your loyal knights.”

Taking a comfortable draught of coffee, Siren smiled again. “Revenge from the nobility knows no time limit, does it? The dishonor you inflicted upon the Tongulass family, I shall wash away with… the blood of the dog. You established the White Sanctuary Order. You were their honor, and then you destroyed it with your own hands, seizing everything it held. You must pay the price, you despicable nobles, you parasitic filth—you must pay!”

A cold gleam flashed. The pure silver short sword plunged deep into Marquess Borth’s heart. Borth’s body convulsed violently, then slowly stiffened, growing cold in the rain mist.

The three young men glanced at Siren, seated in the café, bowed deeply and respectfully, and then rushed back into the SUVs.

Large contingents of Gu Corporation security forces poured out of the opposite building. Their weapons ranged from standard assault rifles to shoulder-fired anti-ship missiles. But before they could close the distance, the SUVs roared to life and sped towards the avenue exit. High-energy cannons rose from the tops of the vehicles, unleashing a dense torrent of light beams that swept across the security detail. Columns of plasma energy scythed through the area. Numerous bodies were vaporized into dust within the pale blue shockwaves.

In a mere twenty seconds of engagement, the dozen SUVs sped out of the street unscathed and vanished around the corner. The Gu Corporation security forces suffered catastrophic losses; at least two hundred guards were blasted into powder, and over a hundred more lay crippled, limbs mangled, writhing and groaning on the ground.

“Chief, I assume you don’t object to me handling the Gu Corporation for you?” Siren shrugged helplessly and slowly drained the last of his coffee.

Tossing a bill onto the table, Siren strolled out of the café. He watched the endless waves of guards pouring from the building and chuckled strangely. Gu Juechen, you are lucky. Your men are the first to taste the brand new abilities I gained after my Second Fusion.

“Chief, you’ve been missing for over a year. Aredia and I successfully formed our Golden Core, and we completed the Second Fusion. It was truly marvelous! The mystery of Christo’s Second Fusion lies here: as long as one possesses sufficient internal energy to resist the invasive force of the Christo Crystal Sphere, one can attempt a third, even a fourth fusion!”

New power. Immense might! Chief, if you happened to die, you can only witness my capabilities from hell.

Siren chuckled, “Given your character, you’ll certainly end up in hell after you die!” This site's address has been changed to: Kai Chu Xin, please log in to read!

Walking slowly into the very center of the street, Siren suddenly threw his head back and bellowed toward the sky, “Gu Juechen, this is a greeting from the Siren!”

The shout, though high, was clearly audible to everyone inside the Gu Corporation Headquarters building.

Siren shrieked towards the heavens, and visible sound waves erupted wildly from his throat, as a beautiful phantom slowly materialized behind him. Incomparable music swept across all of Manhattan. Accompanying this marvelous sound, the hundreds of Gu Corporation guards opposite him suddenly burst into crimson mist. The Gu Corporation headquarters building shuddered slightly, then spontaneously dissolved into the finest particles. Countless employees working inside screamed as they plummeted from the suddenly vanished structure.

In just ten seconds of music, the Gu Corporation was a scene of devastation.

Siren, the cause of it all, had long since melted into the hazy rain mist.

The day after Marquess Borth’s assassination, three highly respected Archdukes of the Federal Traditional Aristocracy were found dead in their lovers’ baths. The next day, seventeen Knights holding the title of Marquess were found stripped completely naked and dead in a remote alley in Paris. The day after that, in downtown London, two Dukes, seven Marquesses, and thirty-five Earls were shot dead in broad daylight outside the headquarters of the Traditional Aristocracy, the assassins even employing military-grade high-energy artillery to suppress the security forces inside the building.

The series of shocking murders reverberated throughout the Federation. As Upper Council members, their faces pale, demanded an investigation into the murderer, core members of the Federal Military’s most radical organization, the Darkwood Knights, began meeting untimely ends.

These radical young officers, backed by members of the Upper Council, lost thirteen Major Generals, over seventy Colonels, and more than four hundred field-grade officers in less than a week. The elite power of the Darkwood Knights was virtually eradicated; every victim bore the same mark as the assassinated nobles: a pure silver short sword bearing the insignia of the White Sanctuary Order.

The Federal Upper Council immediately moved to list the White Sanctuary Order as a crime-against-humanity terrorist organization.

Yet, no one knew the identity of the White Sanctuary Order's leader, nor its precise organizational structure.

Perhaps some did know—for instance, the Bearded Commander and Viper. They knew that the supposed White Sanctuary Order was, in fact, the current Federal Special Operations Bureau, comprising hundreds of thousands of empowered individuals and millions of reserve personnel training in Federal aptitude schools, all members or prospective members of the Order.

But who would inform the noble lords of the Upper Council of such things?

While Siren was enjoying his thorough act of familial vengeance against his ancient enemies, both the Bearded Commander and Viper simultaneously received calls on their communicators.

“Thirteenth Star System. Prince Hesokin of Roman has entered the battle. Armies commanded by Prajñā and Mahā are suffering massive casualties.”

Siren paused, then nodded with a faint smile.

“I understand. I will proceed immediately to reinforce the Thirteenth Star System War Zone.”