Chapter 148: Big Fish and Mice

In the pitch-black night sky, an Apache attack helicopter raced at full speed toward the Swiss Alps.

Inside the cabin, the roar of the rotors was deafening.

Olivia casually tossed the ten-billion-dollar briefcase—now splattered with Sawyer's brain matter and blood—at her feet. She wiped her hands with a clean tactical towel, a flicker of confusion crossing her strikingly cold features.

"Boss."

Through the internal comms, Olivia looked at Leo, who sat across from her with his eyes closed, resting. "Sawyer deserved to die, sure, but now that we've killed him, doesn't that mean the trail's gone cold? Why didn't we wait a little longer? If he'd gotten desperate enough, he might've led us to more of The Evernight Order's higher-ups."

Leo slowly opened his deep-set eyes. He pulled a cigar from his trench coat pocket and lit it with the faint moonlight streaming through the cabin window.

"There was nothing left to wait for."

Leo exhaled a thick plume of smoke, his voice coming through the comms cold and absolute. "The fact that Sawyer chose to flee in the dead of night like a beaten dog, taking what was left of his family's fortune with him, proves he's already been completely abandoned by his masters."

"An abandoned pawn has nothing left to squeeze out, even if you back him into a corner."

Olivia nodded thoughtfully, though a hint of hesitation remained. "But the Rothschild family's been operating in Europe for centuries. Are you saying they couldn't even touch the fringes of The Evernight Order's inner circle?"

"Status isn't measured by money."

Leo reached into his coat and pulled out the dark gold key—the one engraved with a one-eyed crow and a thorned crown—that he'd taken from Mourner's corpse. He toyed with it absently between his fingers.

"Back at the airstrip, the first thing I did was scan Sawyer's belongings. He didn't have this key on him."

A mocking sneer curled Leo's lips. "The head of the Rothschild family, and in The Evernight Order's hierarchy, he didn't even rank above a Nightfall hit squad leader. What does that tell you?"

Olivia's eyes lit up with sudden understanding. "It means in The Evernight Order's eyes, Sawyer was nothing but a low-level cash cow on the outer ring. He was never part of the real core."

"Exactly."

Leo tucked the dark gold key back into his coat, a predatory gleam flickering in his dark eyes. "Now compare that to Louis Valois—the one hiding in Paris, pulling all the strings. He can bypass Sawyer entirely and command Nightfall directly. He even has the Gray Cloaks bowing to him."

"That fox hiding in France is the real big fish The Evernight Order has out in the open."

"But before we head to Paris to catch that fish..."

Leo turned his head, gazing through the helicopter's window at the Alps below—vast mountain ranges stretching like slumbering beasts beneath the night sky. A volcanic fury erupted in his eyes.

"First, we clean out these annoying rats in the mountains."

Meanwhile.

Deep within the Swiss Alps.

Inside a medieval fortress that blended almost seamlessly with the frozen, snow-covered peaks, the atmosphere was so oppressive it felt like ice crystals could form in the air.

This was the headquarters of Europe's oldest assassination organization—the Gray Cloaks.

In the council chamber at the fortress's deepest point, the roaring fireplace couldn't dispel the suffocating dread and chill hanging in the air.

"Bang!"

A pure silver goblet shattered violently on the stone floor.

"Wayne! You absolute imbecile!"

An elderly Gray Cloaks elder with snow-white hair and age spots covering his face pointed at Wayne's nose, screaming himself hoarse. "Elton is dead! Two Round Table Knights are dead! Even Kyle—our greatest asset—was sent to his death because of you, you fool!"

"You haven't just destroyed centuries of the Gray Cloaks' accumulated strength—you've provoked a devil we can't kill! You're a traitor to the entire organization!"

The other high-ranking elders slammed their hands on the table and joined the verbal assault, looking ready to skin Wayne alive on the spot.

Faced with their accusations, Wayne—who'd been so arrogant earlier—now sat slumped in his chair like a drowned rat, his face deathly pale, trembling violently.

"What was I supposed to do?! You think I wanted this?!"

Wayne finally snapped, screaming back hysterically. "That Leo isn't human! He's a monster! A complete psychopath! Even Kyle—a killing machine—was beaten to death with his bare hands! What could I have done?!"

"Enough of this panic! Have some dignity!"

Just as the council chamber descended into chaos, the old man seated at the head of the long table struck his ebony staff heavily against the stone floor.

This was Eugene Bailey, the supreme leader of the Gray Cloaks.

"No matter how arrogant this Leo is, he's still just one man!"

A flash of contempt crossed Eugene's cloudy eyes as he surveyed the room coldly. "Where are we? We're in the deepest part of the Alps! This is the Gray Cloaks' absolute fortress, built over centuries!"

"We have 24/7 radar surveillance on the perimeter, heavy machine gun emplacements and anti-aircraft missiles inside. Does he really think he's some invincible god? Even if you gave him ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare show up here!"

Eugene's words steadied the frayed nerves of several elders.

But Wayne's eyes remained filled with desperate terror.

"No... you don't understand him... that madman doesn't follow any rules..."

Wayne's lips trembled. "He snapped the neck of a Rothschild heir without hesitation. What wouldn't he dare—"

Wayne's words weren't even finished when—

BOOM!

A terrifying explosion—loud enough to flip the entire mountain—suddenly erupted from the fortress's outer perimeter!

Immediately after, continuous explosions and piercing screams surged toward them from all directions like a tidal wave!

The entire council chamber shook violently, dust raining down from the ceiling.

"What's happening?" Several elders cried out in alarm.

"It's him... it has to be him!"

Wayne slid straight off his chair onto the floor, scrambling under the table on all fours, shrieking in terror. "The devil's here! We're all going to die! All of us!"

"Impossible!"

Eugene shot to his feet, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief. "Why didn't our air defense radar sound any alarms? How could he reach our gates without detection?"

CRASH!

The oak door of the council chamber burst open.

A blood-soaked Gray Cloaks guard commander stumbled inside, wailing in despair. "Sir! We can't hold them! It's over!"

"Our defensive positions were instantly destroyed by an Apache attack helicopter! Some women in black tactical gear—they're like demons! Our guards are being slaughtered! They... they've already broken into the courtyard!"

"What?!"

The elders present looked as though they'd been struck by lightning, their faces turning ashen.

Just as everyone sank into despair, Eugene suddenly drew his sidearm and let out a beast-like roar!

"Everyone on your feet! No retreat!"

Eugene's eyes burned red as he glared at the trembling elders, snarling through gritted teeth. "No matter how strong Leo is, he's still flesh and blood! We may have lost two Round Table Knights, but we still have nine of our strongest knights here at headquarters!"

"Plus the three hundred death-sworn warriors in this fortress, and us old bones! Even if we have to bury him under bodies, we'll get it done!"

Eugene's words acted like a shot of adrenaline, instantly reigniting the savage instincts buried deep in these desperate men.

"That's right! We fight him!"

"Defend the Gray Cloaks' honor! In this fortress, he dies!"

The elders drew their weapons, eyes blazing, roaring in unified fury.

However.

Just as they'd barely regained their courage and prepared for a final stand—

BOOM!!!

The council chamber's heavy door seemed to take a direct hit from a heavy bomb.

The reinforced door exploded into splinters, sending two elders—who'd just been shouting about fighting to the death—flying backward, coughing blood!

Through the swirling wood fragments and icy wind.

"So, who was it that just said something about defending honor?"

A cold, indifferent voice—like something dragged up from hell itself—thundered in everyone's ears.

The smoke cleared.

Leo stood there in his custom black trench coat, billowing dramatically behind him. A lit cigar hung from his lips. He stepped over the debris and blood-soaked floor.

Like an unstoppable Reaper, he strode slowly into the council chamber that symbolized the Gray Cloaks' highest seat of power.