Soon after Plague died, the barrier he had set up (which I later found out was actually Sky Magic) also faded away to nothingness. Mei Gui and I got out of the poisonous gas as soon as we could, since even though we had already defeated our opponent, staying inside toxic gas wasn't very comfortable.

To be honest...this fight was quite difficult. If it wasn't for Plague underestimating me and letting his guard down, I never would've won. Mei Gui played a big factor in it too, and I am eternally grateful for that. All in all...Plague made Xuan Yang seem like a toddler. While Xuan Yang was not talented at all and only possessed 5 elemental affinities, he could, and would, only use 1 - Poison. This made him extremely weak for a Golden Monarch, making my fight against him a whole lot easier. Xuan Yang has always been known for his devious scheming, not his magical prowess, since improving his magical strength would require hard training...something a lazy person like him would never do. He probably considered 1 element enough.

On the other hand, Plague has both a cunning intelligence and a whopping 8 different elements - Poison, Sound, Void, Shadow, Summoning, Demon, Sky, and Psychic. I found out this information from Plague's dead body, after dragging it out of the gas. Inside his cloak's pocket was an ID card similar to my Guild Card, except it was branded with the unmistakable dragon-like logo of the Midnight Syndicate. Written on it were various information such as rank, elemental affinities, and alias.

Of course, being a secret and dark organization, nothing 'real' was written on the card - name, age, things like that. Even fellow syndicate members probably didn't know one another's real information, since most of the time Midnight Syndicate members function as normal members of society in the daytime, while they convert to becoming dark and ruthless members of the syndicate at night. I assume this system was implemented for this reason - real faces aren't shown and anyone can buy a cheap costume, so these cards work as identification between fellow syndicate members.

According to the card, Plague was an 'Elite'...I had no way of telling how high this rank was, since I didn't know about the Midnight Syndicate's member ranking system in the least. However...just from the name alone, it was clear Plague wasn't just any normal member, but quite high on the hierarchy...this was good news to me as well, since if even a Golden Monarch is just a 'normal member' in the Midnight Syndicate...well, let's just say there is no hope for this world.

As an aside, back when I fought Ghosteye, I didn't find a card or anything, so I assume he must've demolished it right before he died. That must be standard procedure, to avoid leaking any clues about the Midnight Syndicate. The weaker syndicate members we found in the various lairs in Shenzhen also didn't have cards on them...I didn't check myself, but their bodies were all removed by the Yu family's guards later, after we left. If they found anything suspicious, they would've reported back to their patriarch right away, who in turn would've told me. I received no such news, so it's safe to assume those syndicate members had destroyed their cards before dying as well.

Putting all that aside, the original reason why I pulled Plague's body out of the gas was because I wanted to see if I can find any clues regarding that 'plan' he was talking about during our fight - the one to eradicate the city of Shenzhen. I said I didn't care about this city - which was true - but if I could prevent a disaster from happening, I would. I just won't risk my life for it like some goody-two-shoes hero in a manga.

However, in the end, I wasn't able to find anything on his body (apart from the card). I leaned against a tree, sat down, and sighed as I waited for the rain to subdue.

"Master...this rain doesn't look like it's going to end anytime soon,

" Mei Gui said from beside me. She was leaning on my shoulder instead of the tree, and I didn't mind.

"Yeah...well, it's not like we're actually trapped here by the rain,

" I replied with a shrug.

"Worst comes to worst, we'll fly home in this storm.

"

Mei Gui nodded in agreement, then pointed at the area on the training field where we had fought Plague moments ago.

"Master...look, the gas has dispersed.

"

"Oh yeah, you're right. The rain probably helped, but I guess the gas emitted from those vials of poison Plague threw on the ground earlier doesn't last forever, huh?

"

"Yes...it would be troublesome if the gas stayed there forever.

"

I stared up at the starry sky, and exhaled deeply.

"Come to think of it...I still haven't killed the old bastards. Earlier, when I brought this up, Plague had said 'there's no need', or something along those lines...I wonder what he meant by that.

"

Mei Gui rested her chin on her hand.

"Could it be...he killed them himself?

"

I narrowed my eyes in thought.

"Hm...that's certainly a possibility. The Midnight Syndicate isn't the type to help someone out of kindness...so why was Plague here to protect Xuan Yang...though his protection was quite useless, to say to the least.

"

"Perhaps Plague and Xuan Yang formed some kind of deal or even trade-off that involved the deaths of the previous patriarch and elders some how...?

" Mei Gui suggested.

"Deal...right. During the fight, Plague said something about him forming a deal with Xuan Yang...

"

"So once we killed Xuan Yang...

" Mei Gui began, hinting at something.

"...No one would be there to hold up the other end of the agreement,

" I finished.

"And so, Plague took it upon himself to murder them, in order to fulfill his goal somehow.

"

Man...if they died at the hands of a Midnight Syndicate member, I don't even want to think about how gruesome the scene was. Knowing Plague, who very closely resembled some mad doctor...well, those old bastards dying by his hand is probably far worse than being killed by me. At least I won't run crazy experiments on them before putting them out of their misery...god, just imagining it makes me sick. Oh well...the past is the past. This whole revenge matter...it's over...or at least, this chapter of it, is.

But the Midnight Syndicate...I'll never forget - while it was the Xuan family's motive, the people who actually carried out the act of assassinating my parents was you - the Midnight Syndicate. And that, is something I will never forgive. I will hunt you down to the depths of hell, until every last one of you is erased, and gone for good. Not for justice or cleansing the world of evil or anything cliche like that, but merely for my own gain and revenge. Selfish? Yeah. But if you have a problem with that, then object with your fists.

Prepare yourself, Midnight Syndicate. I'm coming.

"...

" Mei Gui fell silent.

I looked at her in concern.

"What is it, Mei Gui?

"

"No, it's just...using your own father's life in a deal in order to benefit yourself...how cruel.

"

I chuckled.

"Yeah, it's cruel. But this is Xuan Yang we're talking about here. The same guy who came up with an elaborate plan to murder his own blood-related brother, all so he could become the only male heir in the family, and thus the next patriarch.

"

"...Despicable,

" Mei Gui muttered.

"Agreed,

" I said with a sigh.

"But Mei Gui...this world isn't fair, I'm sure you've noticed by now. Good people don't always get good repayment. Bad people don't always get their just retribution, either. The planet we live in is a cruel and harsh place, but for now, there's nothing we can do about it. The best we can do...is live on, and just...survive.

"

"Mm...

" Mei Gui nodded, and snuggled closer to me. I patted her crimson hair gently, until suddenly a wave of pain rushed over my body, and I collapsed onto the ground, clutching my chest in pain.

"Master?!

" Mei Gui quickly supported me, and laid my head down in her lap.

"Are you okay, Master?!

"

"Ngh...

" I groaned, my body shaking and my heart feeling as if it was about to burst.

Unable to do anything, Mei Gui could only watch me in concern.

"M-Master, is it Plague's poison?! I'm certain I already sucked it all out, but...

"

I shook my head weakly, signaling that it wasn't the poison. Seeing my reaction, Mei Gui's expression looked relieved for a second, but quickly tensed up once more. My whole body felt hot, and my Dantian area felt as if someone had lit a fire in it. I clutched at both my chest and my stomach, sprawling in agony.

Then, suddenly, a sharp pain greater than any before pierced through my entire body, and I screamed in torment. However, as quickly as the pain came, it left just as fast. I collapsed to the ground, worn out and breathing heavily.

Hm...? My body...doesn't hurt anymore? Actually, it feels...I don't know how to describe it, but I definitely feel 'stronger' than before...

I stood up and tried to move around, and realized that I wasn't tired at all anymore, but instead fully awake and energetic despite it being midnight.

"What the hell...

" I muttered, then looked at Mei Gui. I noticed she was looking at me with awe in her eyes, and I tilted my head in confusion.

"What is it, Mei Gui?

"

"Master...to think you are able to advance to this stage so quickly...

" Mei Gui murmured to herself. Then, she took a deep breath, and began explaining what happened to me.

"Master, congratulations. You have broken the third seal placed on the power of Chaos within you, and have reached the Origin Chaos stage.

"