Chapter 614: Reapers Of The Night

Joy and Carmela stood there, completely speechless.

Cassius had just dropped a storm of revelations.

Words so immense and cryptic that their minds could barely keep up.

It was as if he’d handed them entire volumes of forbidden scripture—books filled with the secrets of creation, of life, of divinity itself—only for those books to be written in a language neither of them could decipher.

And the only man who could translate them stood before them with a teasing smile, refusing to utter another word.

The frustration was unbearable.

Joy’s fingers twitched—she had the overwhelming urge to grab him by the collar and shake the answers out of him.

Carmela bares her fangs out of sheer irritation.

He had answered so much...yet explained absolutely nothing.

They’d come here for clarity. Instead, they’d been handed chaos wrapped in charm.

All the while, Cassius merely watched their reactions with a quiet amusement, as though he already knew what they were thinking.

Finally, both women let out tired sighs, exchanging a look that said the same thing—there was no point in pressing him further.

They both knew him well enough to realize that once he decided not to talk, no amount of threats or persuasion would change his mind.

And besides, considering what he’d already revealed, they knew this conversation had touched something sacred—something buried deep within him.

So, with heavy hearts and tangled thoughts, they decided to let it go...for now.

But Joy still had one question left.

She looked up at him, her tone soft but edged with exhaustion.

"With the way you talk and the things you seem to know...it’s clear you understand far more than we ever could. You speak of balance, of worlds, of gods."

Her brows furrowed.

"So tell me, Cassius—do you know why the Goddess is after you? Why she’s drawn to you? Why she keeps pushing me toward you?"

Cassius chuckled lowly, the sound echoing off the stone walls.

"Ah, that." He smirked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Well...I might have an answer for that."

Both Joy and Carmela straightened instantly.

He shrugged casually. "I have a small inkling, just a theory about why she’s so fixated on me. Why she can’t leave me alone."

Their eyes widened. "You...do?"

Cassius nodded.

"But don’t get too excited. It’s not because I’m some great evil being she needs to purge, or some mortal threat she’s sworn to destroy."

He smiled faintly, though his tone grew quieter.

"It’s for an entirely different reason, one that you probably won’t believe even if I told you. It’s not something you can see or grasp."

"It’s honestly...beyond your scale of perception."

He gave a dismissive wave of his hand.

"So, it’s not worth losing sleep over. You’ll just hurt your head trying to make sense of it."

Joy frowned, her expression tightening.

Beyond her scale of perception?

What did that even mean?

The way he said it made it sound as though he stood above the goddess herself—as though he knew truths about the cosmos that even deities could not comprehend.

And that thought—that terrifying implication—made something inside her twist.

She hated how small it made her feel.

How helpless.

It was as if everything around her—her mission, her goddess, her faith—were all just pieces on a game board that Cassius could see in its entirety while she could only move one square at a time.

Her breath came out shakier than she liked.

Carmela noticed, her sharp eyes softening slightly.

"Are you alright?" She asked quietly.

Joy nodded stiffly, though her jaw was tight.

"I’m fine." She muttered. "Just...processing."

She let out a humorless laugh.

"I thought I was confused before, but now? Now I don’t even know what to feel. I can’t tell if I should be angry, scared, or...impressed."

Carmela gave a small, sympathetic smile. "You’re not alone. I feel the same way. It’s been a long time since someone’s words made me this uneasy."

Before the mood could darken further, Cassius suddenly stepped forward with a bright grin, clapping his hands together.

"Well, well, well—looks like someone needs to vent."

"What?" Joy looked up at him.

"You, Joy..." He chuckled, wagging a finger at Joy. "You look like you’re about to explode. All that frustration, confusion, divine betrayal..."

"...it’s eating you up inside, isn’t it?"

"But lucky for you..." Cassius said lightly, pulling a folded paper from his pocket and waving it in front of her. "...I have just the thing to fix that."

Joy raised an eyebrow. "...And what’s that supposed to be?"

Cassius handed her the paper with a smirk.

"This, my dear, is a confession. Every single name, hideout, and network I’ve extracted from these fine gentlemen hanging here. All the filth they worked with, all the monsters they served, all neatly written down. And tonight—"

His smile widened, his eyes glinting red under the firelight

"—we’re going to pay them a visit."

Joy and Carmela exchanged looks, their expressions turning serious.

Cassius continued smoothly.

"Normally, I prefer to work alone. You know, my little hobby and all that. But tonight, I’m feeling generous. So I’ll make an exception. You two can come along."

He tilted his head, smiling playfully.

"We’ll make it a team exercise. You get to blow off some steam, and I get to clean up the world a little faster....Win-win, don’t you think?"

Carmela stared at him, stunned. "You...want us to join you?"

"Why not?" He asked with innocence. "You both hate sinners. You both crave justice. Besides..." He added with a wink. "...I promise it’ll be fun."

Carmela, despite herself, felt her blood stir at his words.

"Are you absolutely sure..." She asked carefully. "...that everyone on that list deserves to die?"

Cassius looked mildly offended.

"Carmela, please. Do I look like the kind of man who’d go around killing innocents?"

"Every name here belongs to someone who’s bled others dry. Slavers, murderers, smugglers, cult leaders—the kind of people who make the world rot from the inside out."

Joy’s eyes narrowed. "And you’re certain of that?"

"Absolutely." Cassius’s grin sharpened. "Every single one of them is guilty beyond redemption. So tell me..."

He turned toward both of them, his voice dropping to a low, tempting drawl

"...are you in?"

The room went silent.

Then, slowly, both women stepped forward.

Joy’s tone was dry but resolute.

"I don’t even know what to think of you anymore, Cassius. Half the time, I want to strangle you. The other half, I think the world might actually need you. But right now..." She said, her eyes glinting coldly. "...I just need something to hit."

Carmela’s fangs glimmered as she smiled.

"Same here. I’ve been cooped up far too long. I need the taste of blood again—the thrill of the hunt."

Cassius chuckled, his expression lighting up.

"Wonderful. That’s what I like to hear."

Then his grin turned sharp.

"But fair warning—I’m not going to drag you along. You’ll have to keep up."

Before either of them could respond, his body blurred.

A sharp gust of wind whipped past them—and Cassius was gone.

Joy blinked, stunned. "Did he just—"

"—leave us behind?" Carmela finished, her lips curling into a smirk. "Not a chance."

They shared one look—a mutual, dangerous understanding—before both of them vanished into the darkness as well.

And so, through the moonlit forest, three figures raced like specters of death—Cassius in the lead, his cloak whipping behind him, followed by Joy and Carmela, their auras blazing like twin comets.

A new alliance—dangerous, unholy, and beautiful had just been born.

One Vampire who lived for vengeance.

One Saintess who found beauty in blood.

And a Noble who called execution his hobby.

Together, they descended upon the sinners of the world—the night’s newest reapers.