Hitman with a Badass System

Cato stood before Michael, his small frame relaxed with confidence. He had no idea that the human before him was the Dark Lord in disguise. To Cato, the human was just another Inferior, one that he could easily kill with a single stab.

"An Inferior with some balls. "You think you're powerful? Ha! You're nothing compared to me," Cato spoke with his chin held high and a smirk on his face. He looked around at his minions with a dismissive glance before settling his gaze on Michael.

"Are you daft or something, human?" Cato scoffed, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Take a good look around you. You're outnumbered, outmatched, and out of luck. Any one of us could tear you to shreds without even breaking a sweat."

He pointed his fingers at his minions around Michael and Mutrad. "You really thought you could take on a group of seasoned warriors like us? You must be either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish. Which is it?"

Cato then turned his gaze to Mutrad, who knew the situation had gone out of his hands. Instead of amusing Cato with words, Michael just narrowed his eyes, focusing all his power on the arrogant fool in front of him. The Dark Lord had had enough of Cato's antics, and he was ready to put an end to them once and for all. Floating outside the energy shield, Cato sensed the Dark Lord's approach and snarled, baring his razor-sharp teeth. But before he could raise a finger, the Dark Lord unleashed his power without hesitation. From his eyes shot powerful black dark beams, each one slicing through the water with deadly accuracy. Cato recoiled as the beams struck it, his scales sizzling and smoking from the intense heat.

Since Michael wanted to prolong the battle for his own amusement, he didn't go all out in the battle. Thus, Cato survived the dark beams and shouted at his minions to strike them down.

"Break their shields and end them!" Cato's scream echoed through the water. Despite the number of bandits around them, Michael held his ground. His power was overwhelming, and he showed no mercy. Each time the Dark Lord fired, the laser beams penetrated the head of a bandit, ending their life. The water boiled and sizzled as the beams sliced through the water with deadly accuracy, leaving a trail of smoking corpses in their wake. The remaining bandits tried to dodge the beams but were too slow. As he continued to fire, the bandits fell one by one, their bodies jerking and convulsing as the beams struck their heads, leaving a bloody hole right between their eyes.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for killing a Core Strengthening stage earthen bandit. The reward is 200,000 Experience points and 4000 Badass points]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully being a badass. The reward is 7000 Badass points]

…

In a few blinks of an eye, Michael ended the lives of all ten bandits except Cato. Michael didn't even leave Mutrad's energy shield. All he did was stand his ground and fire dark beams. Considering the power gap between them, the bandits had no chance against Michael. As Michael slowly floated toward Cato with Mutrad, his eyes glowed in an ominous black. The water around them seemed to darken as the energy from his body rippled through the water. Cato's eyes widened in terror as he realized the full extent of the Dark Lord's power.

The bandits who had once surrounded them were now motionless, their bodies still floating in the water. Their swords and spears lay forgotten at their sides, their lifeless eyes staring blankly into the distance as blood reddened the dark water. Cato's mind raced as he watched Michael approach. He knew he had to act fast if he was to stand any chance against this dark force. He tried to swim away, but the Dark Lord was too fast. Once again, Michael fired his dark beams, which sliced through the water with unrelenting force, striking Cato's body and causing him to scream out in agony.

"Arghhhhh!"

Cato's body convulsed as the beams hit him again and again. The water around him churned with his thrashing as he tried to escape the Dark Lord's deadly attack. But it was no use. The Dark Lord's power was too great. Everything around Cato turned blurry. One moment he was at his peak, and the next, the human he thought of as a weak Inferior ended his whole gang's life in mere moments. His mind was still processing and trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Cato gasped for breath as he clutched his chest, the pain overwhelming him. He looked up at the Dark Lord with fear in his eyes. "Who...who are you?" he croaked. Looking at Cato's status, Mutrad could only sigh. He did warn Cato to leave them alone, yet the arrogant earthen chose to mess with them. Unfortunately for Cato, he chose the wrong prey to hunt today.

"I am the one who inspired you, Cato. Don't you know me?" Michael tilted his head as he regarded Cato with a cold smile.

Cato's body was wracked with pain from the Dark Lord's attack, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The human who stood before him only moments ago had transformed into the Dark Lord himself. His eyes glowed with eerie black energy, and Cato could feel the power emanating from him. For a moment, Cato was frozen in shock and disbelief. He had thought the Dark Lord to be just a mortal, someone who posed no threat to him or his underlings. But now, he realized the grave mistake he had made.

Cato struggled to move, to defend himself, but the pain was too much. He could only lay there and watch in horror as the Dark Lord loomed over him. The shock of the situation made it hard for him to think or react, and he felt helpless before the Dark Lord's power.

Cato coughed weakly, his strength rapidly fading. "Please...help me," he begged. "I don't want to die,"

"You had a choice, Cato. You could have walked away. But you chose to stand against us. And now, you are at death's doorstep,"

As the Dark Lord spoke, his voice echoing in the water, Cato could feel his grip on life slipping away. The shock of his mistake had turned to fear, and he knew there was no escaping the Dark Lord's wrath. Michael slowly put his hands through the golden shield and grabbed Cato by his neck. He pulled Cato's head inside the shield and looked him in the eyes.

The Dark Lord regarded Cato with a hint of amusement. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't end you right now?" he asked. "Only those who accept the risk of death can truly wield the power of a killer," said Michael.

Cato's face contorted with agony as he fought to keep his consciousness intact. "Anything, I'll do anything," he pleaded in desperation. Mutrad observed as the Dark Lord gazed at Cato for a moment, seemingly contemplating his next move. The look in his eyes was unnerving, and Mutrad could sense that the Dark Lord was planning something sinister.

Just as Mutrad had anticipated, the Dark Lord loosened his grip around Cato's neck. "Fine. Your life is spared, but you are indebted to me," he declared in a cold, menacing voice. "Remember this moment, for the day may come when I demand you repay me."

Cato let out a gasp of relief as the Dark Lord released him, floating freely in the water and gasping for breath. He knew he had narrowly escaped death, and the thought of owing the Dark Lord a debt filled him with dread.  After releasing Cato, Michael motioned Mutrad to continue their journey. Cato watched in silence as the Dark Lord disappeared into the shadows, his mind racing with the implications of what had just transpired. He knew his world was about to change, and he couldn't help but wonder what kind of debt he had just incurred. The mere thought of the Dark Lord's wrath filled him with dread, and he knew that he would spend the rest of his days looking over his shoulder, waiting for the moment when the Dark Lord would come to collect his due. As his breathing slowly became normal, he knew his life would never be the same again.

Eventually, after Cato and the dead bodies around him had completely vanished from their sight, Mutrad turned to the Dark Lord and asked,

"My Lord, are you sure you can trust him?"

The Dark Lord regarded Mutrad with his piercing eyes, and for a moment, Mutrad thought he saw a hint of amusement flicker in them. "We shall see," he replied cryptically.

"The future is always uncertain, but it never hurts to have a debt owed to you,"

Mutrad's face was a mask of understanding, knowing better than to pry further into the Dark Lord's plans. He had spent months studying the Dark Lord's every move, and he knew that the Dark Lord was not one to reveal his true intentions easily. As they moved through the clear dark waters towards the city of Serpent Hall, Mutrad couldn't shake off the sense of unease that had settled deep within him. The Dark Lord's sudden appearance had been unexpected, and his encounter with Cato had left Mutrad with a nagging feeling that their peaceful existence in the sea realm was about to be shattered.

He stole a quick glance at the Dark Lord, who floated effortlessly beside him, his black robes billowing in the current. The Dark Lord's piercing gaze was fixed on the distant water, and Mutrad couldn't help but wonder what other surprises the Dark Lord had in store for them. A shiver ran down Mutrad's spine as he relived the memories of the Dark Lord's wrath. The sight of Itholan's soldiers and the royal family of Thusia being mercilessly slaughtered and reduced to ruins by the Dark Lord was etched into his mind. It was a gruesome display of the Dark Lord's power and utter disregard for life that left Mutrad with a deep sense of unease.

He couldn't help but think about the safety of his own world. Mutrad had made the decision to serve the Dark Lord in the first place to protect his world from the same fate as Itholan. But as he glanced at the Dark Lord beside him, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something sinister was brewing. Mutrad knew the Dark Lord was capable of anything and was determined to do whatever it takes to prevent his world from becoming another Itholan.