Awakening The Only SSS-Rank Class! Now Even Dragons Obey Me Chapter 731: Inside War

A thunderous crash reverberated across the assembled group.

Suddenly, an Awakened got flung ahead, his frame scraping harshly over the floor. A handful of bystanders quickly pulled away.

"H-Hey! What are you doing?!"

The pusher bowed his head low.

His form shook uncontrollably.

Then... he gradually lifted his gaze.

His eyes had become utterly black.

No trace of white remained. Pure void. It appeared utterly monstrous, like a beast trapped in human skin.

Moreover, his presence shifted abruptly to something foul, something decaying—a revolting odor no one could endure.

"His... his eyes..."

Before reactions could form, the man surged ahead at impossible velocity and smashed his fist into the face of the nearest person.

Blood sprayed wildly into the sky.

"Has he lost his mind?!"

"Fall back!"

Yet it proved too slow.

In a distant spot, another one... followed by yet more.

Their count swelled rapidly, assailing fellow Awakened relentlessly.

Forms began quivering... chins rose... eyes blackened in rapid succession.

"No... no... what is this?!"

In mere moments, the guild interior descended into pandemonium.

Cries pierced the air. Bodies collided. Powers unleashed wildly.

Amid this turmoil... Varnos’s gaze, fixed on the screens, sharpened intensely.

What had transpired?

What befell his guild’s Awakened?

What foul ploy had those Goblin Guild scum deployed now?

Watching his comrades slaughter one another ignited fury in his veins.

"All control squads!" his roar boomed across the zone.

"Seize the afflicted alive! No killing!"

At once, elite Awakened sprang into motion.

A few adeptly pinned down a frenzied figure, yet he thrashed like a feral beast, gnashing teeth and emitting guttural snarls from deep within.

"Stay clear!" Varnos bellowed on.

"No advances without command!"

Right then, the comms blared through every guild corner:

"All members! Level two alert activated! Flag any odd actions right away!"

Lana swept the scene with piercing vision.

"Father... this goes beyond a handful..."

As though validating her claim, a report flooded the comm talismans.

"Leader! Matching incidents from other zones! Additional victims... displaying identical symptoms!"

For an instant, tension gripped the air.

A situation once containable spiraled into catastrophe, escalating perilously each tick.

Fail to contain it promptly, and no outer clash would matter.

The guild faced self-destruction.

Uncovering the root became urgent beyond measure.

Varnos wasted no time.

"Fortify defenses and battle array fully. We hold under two hours max. Gear every squad for frontline clash ASAP."

"Y-Yes!"

"Shift these cases to questioning wing. Uncover the trigger, whatever it takes."

Next, his stare landed on Daniel and Lana.

"You two, follow me."

Without delay, they exited the secluded realm. Hands-on action demanded their presence.

Moments passed.

The questioning wing hung thick with chill dread.

A number of Awakened lay bound to slabs. Power bonds encircled limbs, still their frames convulsed freakishly.

One bashed his skull furiously against the surface.

"Arrr...!"

His ebony gaze bored into the roof.

Daniel advanced.

He stood mute for seconds, merely observing.

Then he lifted his palm, ending the man with one swift gesture.

Varnos and Lana creased brows, yet held tongues.

[Forgotten Eyes]

The ancient ability Daniel gained in the Pagoda of Death stirred, unveiling myriad memory threads from the deceased.

This power let him summon echoes of departed spirits, peruse their pasts, probe their essences briefly.

Numerous methods existed to probe these Awakened’s plight, and this one suited now.

Another factor played in.

The toxin barred most of his arsenal, leaving this among scant options he could muster, barely.

"That’s it..."

"What?" Lana zeroed in.

"Poison."

Hush fell.

"Certain?" Varnos pressed close.

"Yeah... but unusual. Far stronger variant. Yet linked to the toxin that struck us before."

Daniel extended his arm. Faint energy flickered at his fingertips as he neared a fresh victim.

The figure convulsed fiercer abruptly.

"Not mere poison..." Daniel murmured.

"Corruption too. Devouring their sanity."

"Infection source?" Lana demanded hotly.

An intel agent advanced.

"Preliminary scan complete. No enemy proximity for these cases."

"Transmission method?" Varnos’s glare iced over.

Quiet stretched seconds.

Then—

"Pattern emerges." Daniel’s eyes tightened over the logs.

"What?" Lana pressed swift.

"These folks..." Daniel indicated them.

"All encountered something past day."

"What?"

"A contact." he stated, pressing on,

"An insider... disseminates this blight."

"A... traitor?" Lana recoiled.

"Or unwitting vector," Daniel amended.

"Possibly oblivious, yet propagating it."

"Identity?" Lana balled her hand.

"Cross-referencing networks," an aide reported briskly.

That instant, a bound soul cackled abruptly.

But no ordinary mirth.

Layered tones erupted simultaneously.

"Heh..."

All heads snapped his way.

His void orbs fixed dead on Daniel.

"Too late..."

His frame bowed sharply.

"Withdraw!" Daniel yelled.

Yet dark power detonated from within.

Bonds snapped. Corpse slumped, unleashing a surge of matching force.

Multiple figures tumbled away. Thankfully, the elite here ensured mere bumps.

Daniel breathed out steadily.

"...Verified."

"Beyond poisoning." He eyed the group.

"Detonation trigger embedded."

"So every carrier..." Lana breathed,

"Risks bursting anytime."

Varnos drew tall. Resolve hardened his icy stare.

"Guild-wide lockdown now. Detain all suspects, no mercy."

"Halt all supplies, rations, heals, gear instantly."

"Assemble scan teams. Inspect every soul."

Dozens dashed off.

Varnos faced Daniel.

"Assist?"

"Yeah... I’ll track them," Daniel affirmed promptly.

Despite toxin’s drain, rooting vermin posed no true hurdle.

True peril lay in their quantity, entrenchment depth.

A mole orchestrated this, he knew, with graver threats looming.

Snaring that mole fast was vital, averting worse havoc.

He sighed inwardly. Now intuition’s alarms clicked.

Thus the looming doom... this conflict? And senses signaled mere prelude.

"Plus the mastermind." Shadows flecked his gaze.

"So... conflict rages inward too..." Lana inhaled deep.

"It ignited inside," Daniel uttered softly.