The city had grown restless. Whispers of the Serpent Syndicate spread faster than fire through dry grass. Merchants locked doors early, nobles checked their guards twice, and Lucius's allies watched every shadow with trembling anticipation. The Syndicate had grown bolder, striking not just at pawns but at key players in the Devil's network.
Ravenna Veyra's eyes shone with excitement. "They dare touch those under the Devil's protection?" she hissed. Her fingers danced over the hilts of her blades. "They will learn that madness is loyalty and loyalty is blood."
Darius watched her, silent but approving. "Keep your focus," he said. "This is not a hunt. It is a war. Precision is survival."
Enzo followed Darius, sweat on his brow. He carried two short knives and a small pistol, feeling the weight of responsibility pressing down. Tonight, the shadows would teach him lessons no training could.
Cain Mortalis leaned against the wall of the estate, axe in hand. His silent presence alone was enough to warn any intruder that death was waiting, patient and inevitable.
Victor Draemont reviewed the latest financial reports, tracing the Syndicate's hidden funds. "They try to resist through wealth," he muttered. "We will cut every vein, drain them until they suffocate under their own ambition."
Adrian Crowe adjusted his spectacles, reading legal documents from various city courts. "Every law they think shields them bends under my hand," he said. "Their contracts, their shell companies, even their false identities will crumble. The Syndicate cannot hide from the law itself."
Selene checked every entry point in the estate, her chains softly rattling. "No poison, no trap, no blade will reach the council tonight," she said quietly. Her eyes scanned the dark corners with uncanny precision.
The Syndicate struck first at a series of merchant warehouses along the river. Ravenna appeared before their weapons could leave their hands. Blades flashed, screams echoed, and bodies collapsed in silence, each one marked with her cruel signature.
Darius guided Enzo through side alleys, intercepting Syndicate operatives attempting to flee. Their strikes were surgical, efficient, leaving no witnesses to tell tales.
Cain dispatched two of the Syndicate's top lieutenants silently, his axe moving like a shadow itself. No cries left their mouths. Only the stillness of death remained.
Victor froze the Syndicate's accounts that funded the night's attacks. Weapons, bribes, and even salaries vanished in an instant. Without money, their strikes faltered.
Adrian worked tirelessly in the courts, invalidating contracts and stripping legal protections from Syndicate operatives. Even those who thought themselves untouchable found doors closed at every turn.
Selene discovered a poisoned vial hidden beneath the docks, meant for Victor's accountants. She removed it with steady hands, alerting Ravenna to the Syndicate's persistent audacity.
Ravenna left another warning at the scene: a crimson symbol carved into a warehouse wall. "The Devil watches," it read, "and he does not forgive."
Enzo intercepted a group of operatives carrying weapons meant for another attack. Under Darius's guidance, he moved like a shadow, striking with lethal precision.
Cain eliminated a group hiding in the industrial district, leaving their bodies displayed in ways that forced fear into anyone who dared challenge Lucius.
Victor traced financial links to multiple safehouses. Every shipment of poison, every weapon, every payment froze instantly under his manipulation.
Adrian ensured that even the smallest legal maneuver by the Syndicate would collapse under scrutiny. Judges and lawyers unknowingly obeyed his will, unable to protect the conspirators.
Ravenna stalked a Syndicate scout through narrow alleys, leaving him alive long enough to scream warnings to his comrades before finishing him with ruthless precision.
Selene intercepted another trap aimed at Enzo, removing deadly poison darts from hidden walls. "Every strike is mapped," she said. "No one can move without our knowledge."
Enzo's hands shook as he realized how high the stakes had grown. This was not training. This was war. A single mistake could cost his life and the lives of those he had learned to protect.
Lucius observed all of it from the shadows atop a nearby building. Crimson eyes glittered in the night. Every movement of his council, every strike, every intercepted assassin played out exactly as he had envisioned.
The Syndicate tried again, this time attacking a noble allied with Lucius. Ravenna eliminated the assassins with terrifying efficiency, leaving symbols of their failure at the scene.
Cain struck silently against the remaining attackers, ensuring none escaped to regroup. The night air was heavy with the scent of iron and smoke.
Victor cut off the last of the Syndicate's funding sources for the night. The network of poison, weapons, and bribes collapsed under his watchful eye.
Adrian monitored the city courts, ensuring that Syndicate members seeking protection would find only rejection and ruin.
Selene reported every trap, ambush, and threat neutralized. "Nothing reaches the council," she said firmly.
As the night ended, Lucius's crimson eyes caught movement near the docks. A figure escaped from the wreckage, a top assassin of the Syndicate, but in his hurried flight, he dropped a small leather pouch. Inside was a map, a clue to the hidden leader of the Serpent Syndicate.
Lucius's lips curved into a cruel, knowing smile. "So the serpent has a head," he whispered. "And soon, we will crush it."
Ravenna's eyes glowed with madness and anticipation. "Master, let me tear it from its hiding place. I will show them what loyalty looks like in blood."
The city slept uneasily under the watchful eyes of the Devil and his council. Every alley, every street, every whisper of conspiracy now trembled under the weight of shadows, venom, and vengeance.
And in the darkness, the Serpent's hidden leader felt the first sting of fear, unaware that the Devil already knew where to strike next.