[5 minutes before Klaus retreated]

Klaus had just evaded a dagger throw from Rose and retaliated with a sweeping slash, only for her to nimbly jump back, completely evading the attack. However, she was pushed further back by the aftershock.

Klaus had to applaud her flexibility.

He planned to attack again since he saw an opening in her defence. However, he abandoned that idea when Icon whispered into his head.

[Master, we have another incoming. They are using a cloaking device to shield their spaceship; however, I counted 12 peak Real Immortals. Also, their spaceship has a Class-A energy gun.]

'Oh, looks like I have to wrap things up here.' Klaus intensified his attacks, ensuring every blow was accompanied by a deadly aftershock.

The new arrivals clearly made this even more difficult, so he knew he had to hasten things. He may be using more energy than he would have wanted, but until he saw Planet Baski in sight, he would never breathe a sigh of relief.

The bounty isn't only to collect the map; they came after him, too. So he is fighting for his life while also doing a side quest.

He had killed True Immortals with immortal rings, but he hadn't killed one with a double immortal ring or triple. This told Klaus he was still lacking compared to how he wanted to be.

Yes, he planned on killing more Immortals to unlock the first of the nine seals on Bloodwork. However, he didn't want to do it at the expense of draining his own core.

Ending one battle before entering another seemed like the most logical choice he could possibly make.

Three minutes later, Icon spoke again, making Klaus frown while also feeling happy at the same time.

[Master, the 12 new arrivals, from what I can find, seem to be from the Ten Banner Mercenary Group. They are ruthless and very lustful, which is both a good thing and a bad thing for us.]

'Enlighten me, Icon.'

[They are ruthless in the sense that they wouldn't mind exploding their core to get what they want. They are known for doing that. So that behaviour is dangerous for us.

However, their lust would also compel them to become stupid, which, in my opinion, is something we can use to get them all in one fell swoop.

You would, of course, have to put a strain on a few minds to handle that. But having 450 brains has its perks, and one of them would be put to the test soon.]

'I see where you are going, Icon. However, what makes you think I can put an Immortal under my mind control in under a minute?

Even if I have the strongest mental strength compared to all immortals gathered here, they are still immortals. Mind-controlling them is not something simple.

So I'd rather end this battle soon to focus on them.'

[I don't suppose the master understood what I meant. It's just a single immortal, the master would be mind controlling, the master needs to put three Immortals under his command and make sure the 12 mercenaries fall for his scheme.]

Klaus blinked a few times, nearly allowing Rose to stab him a few times. However, he recovered quickly, but he just couldn't believe the audacity of Icon's words.

He may have 450 minds, but he was still a mortal. Breaking the mind of an Immortal is extremely difficult already. How much more would three be?

'This is not the best time to joke, Icon.'

[It is not a joke, Master, and I believe you can easily do it. I even have a sure way to get it done. All you have to do is first kill their leader; that will shake their resolve.

In that moment of vulnerability, you merely have to transfer a part of the pain you felt when you were cultivating the first form of the Heaven Defying Body to them.

We have locked them away in a couple of minds after all. Open one and transfer the pain to them. That will break their mind and give you the opening you need to plant the mind control rune.

You then have to turn around and leave.

I've calculated a 56% chance that the Ten Banner Mercenary Group would go after the ladies instead of following you.]

'I like the odds, but that will depend on one thing... which of them would be easy to break.' Klaus and Icon went back and forth for a few seconds before a solid plan was made.

Two minutes later, Klaus had killed Rose, and from the shock they felt, three more fell, leaving only three Blood Shadows.

Their clothes are tattered, revealing more skin than they should have. Perhaps it was done intentionally or perhaps by accident.

However, the 12 mercenaries sure saw something they fancied, and as such, when Klaus retreated, they let him go.

In their mind, they tracked him here. Meaning they can find him again.

So they simply watched him leave, and only then did they show themselves.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the uptight Blood Shadows who look down on men," one of them, a rather burly man wielding an axe, said, walking toward the three ladies.

His teammates followed him with lustful gazes.

"Boss, looks like our luck is magic this time. If we put slave collars around their neck, they would become our playthings for good."

"You said it, Ben. I have always wanted to taste the forbidden soup that the Blood Shadows had been hiding under their skirt. Now seems like the best time and chance for me."

"Same here. Since we can't get our hands on that Immortal Lord bitch, her minions would do."

Visibly, the three ladies shuddered. However, hidden from sight, a smirk formed on the corners of their lips.

Unbeknownst to the 12 mercenaries, who were unaware of the danger looming ahead, they surrounded the three ladies.

"Let us go, you bastards." One of them tried to resist, but she was quickly restrained by four strong men, each happy to have a damsel to have some fun with.

It would be a 4 vs. 1 affair, and they seemed to like that odd dynamic.

Suddenly, the three ladies stopped resisting and burst out laughing instead. Mistaking mental breakdown for it, the 12 mercenaries felt their egos swelling.

But they soon realised things were much more dangerous than that. That was made clear the next second.

"What I hate the most in this life are lustful men who just cannot keep their desires hidden," one of the ladies said.

"And do you know what the Renegade Hunter said they do to such lustful men?" the second asked.

"I know...Fireworks."

And that was when the 12 mercenaries saw they had landed in a perfectly crafted trap set by the renegade hunter. However, it was too late for them to take any action.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

Three Real Immortal cores exploded, and in an instant, all 12 Peak Real Immortals from the Ten Banner Mercenary Group were consumed by the flame.

Watching from several hundred thousand miles away, another warrior—a True Immortal—who was after Klaus and Ophelia saw and heard everything, sending chills down his spine.

"Nope, I am not dying today." Watching the explosion swallow the 12 mercenaries, he had a change of heart. After everything had settled, he turned his spaceship around and left.

He is not going against someone like Klaus.

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