Mercenary Harem in Murim Novel

Qi seeped out from their bodies, slowly gathering around the destroyed altar.

"NO NO NO NO NO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" The Cult Leader, whose face melted slowly, screamed in agony and despair. "What have you done?! THE RITUAL HASN'T FINISHED YET!"

Leo couldn't understand why the man was so desperate to complete the ritual. However, he began to doubt whether his decision to destroy the altar was the correct one.

He could feel the Qi around the area was getting absorbed into the spiral created by destroying the altar at a fast rate. If this continued, he was afraid that his Qi would also get sucked.

"L-Leader, help!" Astrid's panicked voice rang in his ears, and he immediately turned his attention to her.

Astrid was kneeling on the ground, her hands and legs bound by a strange rope made of flesh and muscle. The maggot tried to crawl into her eyes, the only possible way in to enter her body as the others were blocked by the bodysuit.

Right now, she desperately tried to keep them away with her sword and Qi, but it was getting harder and harder. Anya rushed forward and immediately helped her, killing the maggot and slicing the rope.

"Thank you, Anya."

Astrid breathed a sigh of relief and stood, her face pale and her eyes unfocused.

But she couldn't relax yet.

Feeling something had gone wrong, Leo decided to kick the Cult Leader and ran toward the two girls.

"We're running."

He only said that before grabbing their waists and ran at full speed. He was as fast as a lightning, instantly exiting the cave in just a second. He tried his best to keep the girls safe and ignore the sensation of his Qi being absorbed.

'Shit, just as expected.'

As they exited the cave, Leo didn't stop. He kept running until they reached the top of the valley. Only then he stopped and put the girls down gently.

"Uegghh..." Astrid immediately threw up, her body shaking uncontrollably. The bodysuit retracted at the perfect time so she didn't soil it.

As for Anya, she held her head, feeling a bit nauseous.

"That was like a roller coaster... Fun but making me dizzy." She commented and shook her head, her eyes unfocused.

Meanwhile, Leo didn't care about their reactions. His eyes were focused on the cave's entrance that turned into something ominous. The ground melted as if it was a liquid, and a foul smell permeated the air.

'Just like what happened with the Venom Sect ruin. A dark energy was released, and it will affect the surrounding.'

Miasma might be the perfect word to describe it.

'This never happened in the novel. Was destroying the altar a mistake?'

Leo didn't know, but this looked bad. The liquid moved as if it was alive, gathering around a large amount of Qi he felt at the center.

It was not long before the liquefied ground reached the bottom of the hill, and they could see the figure of the Cult Leader floating inside. His skin melted and his flesh was gone, but his eyes were still glowing with a green light. He seemed to fuse with the Qi, and his body turned into something monstrous.

"YOU! HOW DARE YOU! YOU WILL REGRET THIS! I WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING AND SACRIFICE THEM! LONG LIVE SUPREME EVIL!"

"Wow, what is that?" Anya put her hand above her eyes as she looked down, her expression a mix of surprise and amazement. "Are we going to fight against a monster now? Leader, that look like a bio-mutated weapon from our world. It's disgusting."

"Yeah, but this one is stronger." Leo sighed and patted her shoulder, his face calm and composed. "But don't worry, we'll get rid of him soon."

He was not worried about the monster's strength, only the fact that it was able to absorb Qi and got bigger from it.

At first, he was not sure about what he did. But, after seeing the incomplete product of the ritual, he sighed in relief.

'At least it becomes a mindless creature, unlike the Cult Leader that appears in the novel. The latter becomes dangerous because he can control his ability and gather more power, using the souls of innocent people to summon more disgusting monsters. In the novel, he was able to create a sludge monster and almost destroyed Sichuan.'

Leo knew he had to stop him from reaching his goal.

"I think we should destroy this once and for all."

No matter how he saw it, Supreme Evil followers were all crazy bastards who didn't care about anyone but themselves. Their only goal was to revive the Supreme Evil and destroy the world.

Leo was not going to let them achieve that.

"H-How are we going to fight that?"

Recovered from her nausea, Astrid approached the two standing on the edge of the cliff and asked. Worry and fear filled her heart, and she knew that she couldn't defeat the monster.

"Don't worry, Peng Peng. We'll take care of it. You just have to trust Leader." Anya reassured her, patting her back.

"Okay." Astrid nodded, her body stiff and her mind a bit dazed.

She didn't know what was happening. Everything felt like a dream, and she couldn't believe her eyes.

Still, when Leo patted her shoulder, she was surprised and somehow calmed down immediately.

"Stay behind me and watch my back. Remember, this is not a game. This is real, and you can get hurt or even die. Don't hesitate and use your full strength when needed. But now... It's my turn to fight. You have worked hard already, and I am proud of you."

His voice was filled with pride and confidence. He didn't sound like a leader, but someone who cared about his team and valued their strengths.

"Okay." She nodded her head, her heart warmed and her body no longer trembling. "I won't disappoint you."

"That's good. Now, be a good girl and step back."

Leo smiled and nodded his head. He took out a capsule from his pocket. This capsule contained his strongest weapon, the railgun.

When he took it out, a large weapon appeared in front of him, and he gripped its handle. The weapon was heavy, but he could handle it with ease.

He didn't have the time to think about it, so he ignored his curiosity and focused on the task at hand.

"Full power." He muttered and turned the knob, activating the weapon.

Electricity crackled, and a red light emanated from the weapon. Its barrel glowed, and the core inside began to charge up.

Normally, this weapon was already strong enough to create a hole in the mountain. The strength of this weapon was at least a 100 Megaton. Read exclusive chapters at empire

However, Leo had no intention to hold back. His enemy was too dangerous for him to do that. Stars or realm didn't matter in the face of this monster created from a vicious ritual.

"Load the Qi. Maximum output."

His Qi surged and he amplified the weapon's output, enhancing it with his element. Lightning and electricity were similar in nature. It complemented each other and increased its destructive power.

And so, the railgun's core glowed with a blue and yellow light.

That light, combined with the Qi he poured into it, caught the monstrous Cult Leader's attention. Its transformation was completed. His size alone was taller than a mountain. The figure reminded Leo of a mud doll but much more dangerous.

"IT'z Y'o;u!"

Its voice was coarse and cracked, but they could hear what it said.

"I wi;l DestrOY yOU, m'y enEmy!"

Leo didn't waste any more time and pointed his weapon toward the monster. The barrel tip glowed brightly, and he pulled the trigger.

The laser was so powerful that it created a crater on the ground as he shot it. A bright, hot light blinded them, and a deafening sound rang in their ears.

Zap!

The railgun's shot landed directly on the monster's chest. Its body exploded and a wave of energy blew past them. Leo controlled his weapon to direct a second shot toward the place where he felt Qi gathering.

Zap!

A hole was created in the center of its abdomen after a brief light appeared, and the Qi was scattered, unable to gather.

While the monster was not dead yet, its regeneration was slower, and its strength was weakened. It fell to the ground, creating a tremor. A low growl could be heard from its mouth, and the remaining maggot and flesh crawled out, disappearing into thin air.

However, Leo didn't lower his railgun yet. He used his smart lenses to scan the area, and he could see the Qi was still there, waiting for the monster to recover.

Without hesitation, he aimed the railgun at the center and pulled the trigger again.

Zap!

The third shot landed perfectly, and the Qi disappeared, scattering into thin air.

Leo then repeated the same process with a lower output, and he was able to completely destroy the remaining Qi, ensuring that the monster and the Cult Leader was really dead.

The Death Valley's topography was changed, and the liquid was drained into the underground, leaving only a dry and empty ground.

"Phew."

Sighing, Leo stored his railgun back into the capsule and turned toward the two girls, who were sitting on the ground. Anya clapped her hands and took off her sunglasses, her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"That was cool, Leader! You're like a super weapon."

She had no fear and no hesitation. She didn't even think that her life was on the line and that she could have died if the monster wasn't weak against the lightning. Her trust against her Leader was unshakable, and she didn't doubt his strength.

"Well, you've seen me fight a few times. Of course, I can handle it."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Leo didn't have time to be modest, and he didn't care about what others thought of him. He had to reassure his newest member, Astrid, that he could take care of the situation and that she didn't have to worry.

"Need some help?"

"Thank you, Leader."

Astrid stood up, her face pale and her body cold. But she managed to smile and nod her head, her fists clenched and her heart calm.

"You're so strong. I'm glad you're our leader."

"I told you that you can trust me." He reached out to her head and ruffled her hair.

A habit he did when he complimented Anya. Maybe because Anya was here, he unconsciously did it with her.

But, Astrid didn't seem to mind. Her face blushed slightly, and she looked down, her body no longer trembling.

Seeing this, Leo smiled slightly and looked at the sky, his heart filled with pride and satisfaction.

They had finished another mission. With this, the followers within the Murim Alliance would feel unrest. They would either push their plan or went to hide. Either way, they had to be careful.

"Let's go back. There's nothing here."

The three of them turned around and headed back.

As for the Cult Leader's corpse, it remained in the cave, forgotten and alone.