Cryptomining Supervillain

Chapter 211 211: 211THE MURDER IN THE MANSION

211THE MURDER IN THE MANSION

[the Veyran Residence]

The Veyran family of Silver City was hosting a grand ball at their ancestral residence. Every major family, every power broker in the city was there.

Chandeliers blazed like miniature suns, glasses sparkled with aged wine, and tables overflowed with fine cheeses and exotic delicacies. Laughter and negotiation mingled like perfume in the air.

Rey Nuralith held a crystal glass in one hand and a wedge of pale cheese in the other. His father, Macan Nuralith, stood beside him, his expression tight and measured.

"Be careful tonight, Rey," Macan warned quietly. "The Veyrans aren't exactly on friendly terms with us these days."

Rey, the illegitimate son who had become the Nuralith heir after Carl's death, flashed a cold grin. "Don't worry, Father. I'll make them pay for what they did to Carl."

Macan's gaze hardened. "Revenge will come in time. But not here. This is their house…remember that."

"Yes, Father," Rey murmured, but his mind was already elsewhere.

Macan left for the VIP room, where Rione Veyran and the heads of the other great families were gathering to discuss city politics and trade interests.

Rey stayed behind, swirling his drink idly, until something caught his eye across the courtyard—a familiar silhouette. His hand froze mid-motion.

No… it can't be.

"You!" he shouted, slamming the glass down and rising to his feet. "Stop right there!"

The woman turned, her face half-hidden beneath the dim garden lights…but the resemblance was unmistakable.

She was Eryn Veyran.

Guards turned their heads as Rey bolted after her. "Come with me!" he barked. They stormed through the side corridors, startling the staff, until they reached the moonlit fountain in the inner court.

Eryn stood there waiting, her reflection dancing in the water.

"You're supposed to be dead," Rey hissed, his voice trembling between fury and disbelief. "How dare you show your face here?"

Eryn's lips curled into a smile."Then come catch me if you dare."

She turned and sprinted toward the inner court.

"Get her!" Rey barked, and his guards surged after her.

Moments later, they spilled into the courtyard.

"Where did the bitch go?" Rey screamed as his men fanned out.

"Arghhh!"

A guard's scream ripped through the air—then another. Steel clattered to the ground. One by one, the guards fell, cut down by an assailant they couldn't see.

"Who's there?" Rey roared. "Come out and fight!"

Hidden within the shadows, Eryn murmured into her comms, "It's time for me to act."

"All cameras in the court are on you," Kail replied calmly.

"Good. I'll be right behind you—just in case," Damen added.

He remained invisible, his work already done. He'd already killed the guards paving the way for Eryn's confrontation with Raey Nuralith.

"Where are you?" Rey screamed again.

He staggered toward the fountain at the center of the courtyard.

The air shifted.

An unnatural pulse rippled outward as bone-white blades erupted from Eryn's hands. She stepped out from behind the fountain, her silhouette framed by moonlight.

"I have you at last."

"What… what are you?" Rey gasped, terror flooding his eyes.

"This," she whispered, advancing, "is payback for what your family did to me."

Her strike was swift.

The blades punched clean through Rey's chest. He collapsed, his eyes wide in shock. Blood spilled into the fountain, the clear water turning crimson as his body lay still.

Eryn turned to leave—

Then she heard a giggle.

"Do you really think it's that easy to kill me, bitch?"

Rey Nuralith laughed as he straightened, bloodied but very much alive.

The blade hadn't killed him outright. Powerful force-field artifacts shimmered faintly around his body, absorbing the fatal blow.

"How did you—" Eryn murmured, shock flashing across her face. Her blades should have killed almost anyone but he was still alive.

The fountain exploded.

Water surged upward, twisting and compressing into an enormous hand that lunged for her.

"Die, you bitch!" Rey screamed.

"Bio-hydromancy."

The water construct slammed into Eryn, coils snapping around her neck, tightening, crushing the air from her lungs.

"What is this—?" Eryn gasped as the pressure increased.

"Do something, Big Brother!" Kail shouted over the comms. "Eryn's being suffocated!"

Damen stepped forward, already preparing to strike when…

"No," Eryn choked out. "I… can deal with him."

Damen hesitated… then stood down.

The air shifted.

A heavy stench flooded the courtyard.

Blood rose.

The spilled blood of the fallen guards lifted from the ground, vaporizing into a swirling crimson mist. The air thickened as the dead were drained completely, their lifeblood torn free and drawn into the air.

Rey's laughter died.

"What the hell…?" he whispered.

The crimson mist condensed, hardening into a long, razor-sharp spear.

It fired.

The blood-spear tore straight through Rey Nuralith's body, blasting an enormous hole through his torso. His scream was cut short as the force annihilated him from within.

The water construct shattered instantly.

Eryn dropped to the ground, gasping as air rushed back into her lungs.

"What was that?" Kail asked, stunned.

Eryn opened her mouth to answer—but no words came. She didn't understand it herself.

"Think about it later," Damen said firmly. "We leave. Now."

Footsteps thundered toward the inner court as people rushed in, drawn by the chaos.

A scream rang out over the courtyard.

"Rey Nuralith is dead!"

And just like that, the ball descended into madness.

-----

Soon, the inner court swarmed with people investigating Rey's death.

"I will find this Eryn Veyran," Macan Nuralith roared, his hand trembling as he brushed the pale face of his son. "Even if I have to tear down this entire mansion!"

"Calm yourself, Macan," Rione Veyran said tightly. "We don't yet know what truly happened."

"Isn't it obvious?" Macan snapped. "There were witnesses everywhere. Eryn Veyran killed my son!"

"That's impossible," Swaye Veyran cut in. "Eryn couldn't have been here. We handed her over to you—remember?"

"You expect us to believe that?" Frembois Nuralith shouted. "You took her back. We know it!"

Rione's expression hardened. "That's not true. Search the mansion if you must. We have nothing to hide."

The words sent a ripple through the hall, shocking even his own guards. Never in history had the Veyran patriarch allowed outsiders to scour his estate—but this time, he had no choice.

The heir of the Nuralith family lay dead under his roof.

Moments later, a cry echoed down the corridor.

"We found her!"

A glimpse of a woman fleeing into the mansion sparked instant chaos.

Macan surged toward the voice, fury blazing in his eyes. He charged down the corridor toward the maidservants' quarters.

"I'll get you, bitch!" he roared, slamming the door open—

Only to find a young maid frozen inside, clutching a broom.