Intergalactic conquest with an AI-Chapter 343: Blood Clan world. {8}

Without another word, Rex stood up, his new acquisition following behind him in silence.

Navigating through the dark alleys beyond the auction house, Rex walked at a steady pace, his senses ever sharp. The woman trailed behind him, her shackles ensuring she wouldn't stray far.

But she said nothing... no protests, no questions. Just a quiet observation.

Finally, after several minutes of weaving through the labyrinthine pathways, Rex came to a halt. His head tilted slightly, as if addressing the empty air.

"Alright, I think this is far enough." His voice was calm, but his next words carried a weight of finality. "I'll be waiting for you at the old harbor warehouse. You'd better come alone. And don't even think about using your cloaking device; it's just annoying since you're completely visible to me."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, as if in response, a faint distortion flickered in the air behind him, a ripple in space, barely noticeable.

Without another word, Rex extended his hand, and a shimmering space rift opened before him. He stepped through, leading the silent woman alongside him.

The rift closed behind them, leaving only the empty alleyway… and the unseen watcher still lingering in the shadows.

"Thanks, as always, Little Red," Rex said with a casual nod as he stepped further into the dimly lit warehouse. The air inside was still, filled with the scent of rusted metal and old dust.

His voice, however, carried a different weight, less playful and more calculating. "Also, be ready. We've got an unwanted visitor arriving soon." He paused for a beat, then glanced over his shoulder at the woman trailing him silently.

"No... wait, before anything else.... do you have a name?"

He turned to face her directly, his gaze searching hers. The Tier 6 Blood Clan female, once a proud warrior of her kind, now stood there bound by the sigil of servitude. Her posture was obedient, unmoving, but her expression was empty... lifeless. Eyes like dried crimson wells, devoid of spark or resistance.

No response. Not a word. Not a blink.

Rex let out a heavy sigh and sat down on a nearby crate, resting his elbows on his knees. "Alright then, so be it," he muttered, his tone softening slightly. "Just stand next to me while we wait for our little guest to make his grand entrance."

He leaned back slightly, gazing up at the flickering ceiling lights. His mind was already working ahead, thoughts racing through possibilities, until suddenly something clicked. His lips curled into a sly, knowing smirk.

"Wait a second… I just got an idea."

As if the universe heard his thoughts, a space rift tore itself open a few meters away, shimmering like glass rippling in water.

A figure stepped out, a man dressed in a sleek, black cloak, his face hidden beneath a shadowed hood. He radiated calm danger, the kind only the truly capable carried with ease.

Rex didn't wait. The moment the man's boots touched the ground, he raised a finger, directing it at the cloaked figure.

"Go."

Without hesitation, the Blood Clan female lunged forward, her movements fluid and predatory. She struck without using any stellar energy, relying solely on her raw physical prowess. Each blow was fast and precise, meant to kill.

But the man didn't counter.

He moved like smoke in the wind, dodging, weaving, and parrying every strike with practiced ease. His cloak fluttered as he sidestepped her blows, not once striking back, not even summoning energy in response. His demeanor remained cold, detached, almost as if he knew her.

Rex watched with sharp eyes and his arms crossed while his expression was unreadable.

And when he saw what he needed to see, he spoke again. "That's enough. Return."

The female warrior halted immediately, retreating with the same mechanical silence as before. But this time… something was different.

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Rex tilted his head. Her eyes, which were still dulled and vacant, now glistened. Tears had formed, silently tracing down her cheeks.

"Hah… so I was right after all…" Rex muttered while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Then he paused. "And why the hell am I suddenly talking like Ys? Tch. I really need to spend less time around her..." He shook his head, brushing the thought away.

His attention shifted back to the cloaked man. "Now then, I think it's time you dropped the whole mysterious stranger act. Take a seat, any seat... crate, floor, whatever works for your aesthetic and let's have a civilized conversation."

His voice lowered, his tone losing its edge and becoming something colder, more dangerous. "Unless, of course, you want to turn this into a clash between Tier 6 powerhouses and let every single Blood Clan warrior in a three-kilometer radius know we're here."

He didn't move a muscle, but his senses were on full alert, tracking the man's every breath, every subtle twitch of his hands or shift of weight.

Rex knew he wasn't fast enough to match this man if things went south… but he didn't need to be since Zynaria was.

Hidden in the folds of surrounding space, invisible even to most Tier 6s, she was watching too. And if the man so much as twitched in the wrong direction, she'd intercept.

And Rex would be gone before anyone could blink.

The man stood motionless for a few tense seconds, the silence between them growing heavier with each breath. Then, without a word, he lifted his hand.

A nearby wooden crate floated toward him, enveloped in a soft telekinetic glow. He lowered himself onto it, his movements calm but deliberate.

"Well then," the man finally said, his voice low, roughened by frustration. "Normally, I'd start with introductions, but I'm already irritated as it is. So let's just cut to the chase."

He met Rex's gaze or tried to, though the cloak's hood still obscured Rex's face.

"Even if you're following me, stalking me across the city, I'm not giving you the girl. She's useful to me right now. That's all you need to know."

Rex's tone had turned glacial, colder than the stale air of the underground warehouse. For the first time, the weight of his temper bled through his words.

His composure frayed at the edges, the stress of recent days boiling just beneath the surface. He had no time for games, not with the twins still missing, not with this constant hunt dragging on.

The cloaked man was silent at first, head bowed slightly. But then he spoke, his voice trembling not with fear but with the pain of someone who had lost far too much.

"If... if you knew I was following you because of her... why invite me here?" His voice cracked. "You could've disappeared at any moment. One jump through a space rift and you'd be gone forever. I wouldn't have had a chance to find her again."

The man wasn't wrong. One snap of the fingers and Rex could've vanished without a trace, leaving him behind. But Rex had his reasons. And he said them plainly.

"Because I know the Blood Clan is looking for you."

The moment the words left his mouth, the man was on his feet, body tensing as he instinctively fell into a defensive stance.

"Whoa, calm down," Rex raised one hand, the other still tucked lazily in his cloak. "Let me finish." His voice stayed level, but there was a current of steel beneath it.

"If they're after you, then you're not one of them anymore. And that makes you useful to me."

He leaned back slightly, a flicker of amusement curling on his lips. "Besides… I'm curious. Tell me your story. Who knows? Once she's no longer useful to me, I might just hand her over."

Rex pulled a small bag of chips from his storage space, tore it open with one hand, and crunched down a handful while watching the other man closely.

The silence stretched, and then, finally, the man exhaled a long, worn-out sigh and pulled back his hood.

As expected, he was young. A Blood Clan male, unmistakable with his sharp beauty, crimson eyes, and elongated fangs. But there was something else there too... grief, guilt, and fury buried deep behind his expression.

"That girl…" he began, voice low. "She's my betrothed. We were promised to each other since we were young. But then one of the Elders—" He paused, hands clenching into fists. "—he saw her and decided she should belong to him."

Rex's eyes narrowed slightly.

"He ordered his men to seal her consciousness and take her to his chambers. But something must've gone wrong with the drug. She woke up, if only for a moment and in that moment of clarity… she struck him."

The words hung in the air like a stormcloud.

The man's jaw tightened. His voice faltered as the next part neared.

"I… I don't know what exactly happened next. But from the scars she bears and the emptiness in her eyes now… I can imagine it. She tried to run. But the Elder's guards, Tier 5s and Tier 6s, were everywhere...."

"They overwhelmed her. And the next thing I knew, she'd been stripped of her status, declared rogue, and sold off like livestock."

His gaze flicked to the woman standing silently beside Rex, her hands folded in front of her, the glow of the slave sigil faintly pulsing on her collar. Her dead eyes were fixed on the wall, unmoving, but a single tear was sliding down her cheek again.

Rex let out a soft breath through his nose, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah… I got the picture. No need for the grim details." He didn't need to hear the rest. He could already tell it had taken every ounce of strength for the young man to say even that much.

"Well then…" Rex stood up and stretched slightly, reaching into his cloak once more. "How about a deal?"