Chapter Eleven: The Dance of Butterflies and Skeletons

The inky darkness of the sky resembled a canvas drenched in black ink; the once calm and peaceful clouds now seemed to twist into grotesque shapes. The myriad stars had vanished without a trace, and the once-bright moon had taken on a strange, blood-red hue.

Sensing this peculiar, almost supernatural shift in the weather, Xue Tianai—perched atop an armed helicopter—let a devilish smile curl his lips. “Nice weather, isn’t it? Feels like the perfect night for a killing.”

“Hey, Boss, isn’t there an old Huaxia saying, ‘Heaven lends a hand’ or something? Even the heavens want you to finish off that little Skeleton tonight,” Wes chimed in, his excitement barely contained. Beneath his handsome exterior, his bloodthirsty instincts were beginning to stir with wild intensity.

“Hmph, kill as you wish, but leave the Skeleton’s boss to me. I have my eye on his shoulder bones,” Shi Palace Yanyue said, licking her petite lips, her eyes glinting with anticipation. Besides her fondness for teasing Tianai, she harbored the peculiar hobby of extracting assassins’ shoulder bones and arranging them into butterfly shapes.

“Hey, hey, are you really planning to take out his bones again? If you do that, won’t everyone know it was us, Butterfly, who took down the Skeleton?” Wes sounded genuinely concerned.

“I agree,” Owl nodded. “Why don’t you break your rule this time, or perhaps take a different bone?”

“No way, no way! For the Skeleton’s little leader to die by my hand is an honor for him! I must take his shoulder bone!” Yanyue pouted at their objections, her childish temper flaring.

“Tianai, will you let me do it?” Her bright eyes blinked at Xue Tianai, pleading.

Meeting those eyes, Tianai’s resolve softened. After a moment’s thought, he replied, “Alright, do as you wish. Let the bones be arranged into a butterfly by the corpse, as always. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing for people to know Butterfly was here.”

“Oh yes! Tianai, I love you so much!” Yanyue cheered, her twin ponytails bouncing. Still unsatisfied, she hopped over to Tianai, threw her arms around his neck, and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“But, Boss, is this really wise?” Ignoring the girl’s glee, Owl voiced his worries.

“Yeah, Boss, if we show our hand, won’t it put the Lady in danger? Some might already suspect Butterfly is protecting her,” Wes argued, perplexed. Wasn’t Butterfly supposed to remain hidden if they wanted to keep Qin Mengxue safe?

“You both have a point,” Tianai admitted. “But I think it’s time Butterfly made an appearance. I’m interested in the employer behind that bounty.”

His expression remained unchanged, but his gaze was steely with thought. “If we only kill in secret, there will just be another Skeleton—number two, number three—taking on the contract. But if we deal with this openly, it might serve as a deterrent. Perhaps the employer will withdraw the bounty, making my fiancée a little safer.”

He paused, then continued, “Besides, I’ll be returning to Huaxia soon. Even if Butterfly steps back, I can protect her myself. Some may even think Skeleton’s demise was due to a clash with Butterfly, nothing more.”

“True, true, Boss, you make sense. We’re almost there now. Tch, these brats have picked quite the spot,” Wes remarked.

“Oh?” Tianai glanced out the window. The four Butterfly helicopters had reached an open area nestled among mountains. Though the darkness obscured the details, the rolling outlines of peaks and a tranquil lake were faintly visible. Amidst the mountains and water, a small outpost with just a few lights flickering could be seen.

“Not bad—mountains, water, and forest. As the Huaxia say, the feng shui is excellent. Good feng shui—for a burial ground.”

“Owl, open the public channel.”

“Yes!”

“Brothers, we’re about to reach the Black Skeleton’s base. They may be unknown, but don’t underestimate them! However many go in, that many must come out!” Tianai’s voice was grave.

“Yes, Boss! We’ll complete the mission!” came the reply.

“Good. We’ll split into five teams. Each helicopter pilot is a team; stay behind to hide the aircraft.”

“Yes!” replied the pilots with equal solemnity.

“All other members, divide by helicopter into four groups. Ready your Butterfly glider suits—we’re making a parachute assault! Prepare to move!”

With that, Tianai donned the mask of the Radiant Butterfly, pulled on his glider suit, and nodded to Wes and Yanyue.

“What can we do? Boss’s word is law. Even if we have to go to hell, I’ll do it! Just remember my bonus afterward,” Wes said, slipping on his suit and shrugging nonchalantly.

“Haha, don’t worry, you’ll be well rewarded. Isn’t that right, Yanyue? I’m sure you have your own ideas for rewarding Wes,” Tianai replied with a sinister chuckle, then flung open the cabin door and leaped out.

Wes was still puzzling over “well rewarded” when he heard Yanyue’s name. She was already at the door, making a mocking gesture of a fat woman, then followed Tianai out with a mischievous grin.

Finally realizing the joke, Wes cried, “Boss, wait for me! I don’t want a reward, don’t send a fat woman after me!” and jumped after them.

One after another, dark figures slipped from the helicopters into the night, each as black as the sky itself. Under the blood-red moon, they danced like butterflies on the wind, the sudden cold gusts adding to the eerie, seductive strangeness of the scene. The massacre was about to begin.

Within the little Skeleton outpost, nearly everyone dozed. Only two sentries lingered at the gate, chatting to stave off boredom.

“I heard the boss is heading to Huaxia tomorrow for some women—lucky bastard! I saw her photo, what a gorgeous Oriental beauty,” one mused, eyes dreamy with envy.

“No surprise—the boss always gets the best, even abroad,” his companion agreed with a lecherous grin.

“Damn, just thinking about it has got me hard! When I’m off shift tomorrow, I’ll head to town and find myself a woman.”

“Take me with you,” his friend replied with a snicker. But before he could finish, his grin froze and morphed into terror.

Where his companion had stood was now a headless corpse, a fountain of blood spurting from the severed neck.

Hearing something at his feet, the sentry looked down to see his comrade’s head roll to a stop against his boot, still bearing a lewd expression.

Terror flooded him, his limbs shaking, and fear trickled down his legs. As he opened his mouth to scream, a shadow appeared before him—tall, black-clad, wearing a luxurious butterfly mask, and wielding a golden, razor-sharp butterfly blade still wet with fresh blood.

A demon, a reaper risen from hell itself. The terrified lackey could think of no other words. He collapsed, trembling, unable even to call for help, instead whispering, “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me, don’t kill me.”

“Tianai, just finish him. Such a coward makes me sick,” the petite, twin-tailed Yanyue appeared behind the masked man, looking the picture of innocence yet deadly in her black catsuit.

But the trembling lackey paid no heed to the adorable girl; he fell to his knees, banging his head on the ground. “Spare me, spare me!”

Tianai remained calm. He raised his butterfly blade and pressed it to the man’s throat. His voice was chilling. “Answer my questions or I’ll send you after your friend.”

“Yes, yes! I’ll tell you everything!” the man stammered, terror-stricken.

“Did you recently take a C-rank bounty from Huaxia?”

“Yes, yes, the boss accepted it—it had nothing to do with me! I didn’t even participate, it was all the boss!”

“Where is your boss? When does he plan to leave?”

“He’s in the leader’s quarters, leaving tomorrow!” The lackey had abandoned all loyalty, desperate only to survive.

“Good.” Tianai nodded, withdrawing his blade.

Relieved, the lackey barely had time to breathe before a flash of steel—a steel playing card—whistled through the air and embedded itself in his throat.

Clutching his neck in disbelief, he collapsed, dying with a question on his lips: “You weren’t—?”

“That’s right. Boss said not to kill you, but I didn’t make any promises.” A tall, elegant figure emerged from the shadows, masked in black and idly flipping a deck of cards, his tone mocking.

“Hey, Boss, you two are too fast! You never wait for me!” Wes complained.

“Don’t you think you’re a bit redundant now? Tianai and I work best together. Go amuse yourself somewhere else,” Yanyue retorted, shaking her head with mock seriousness.

“Aw, I’m just the third wheel. Boss, you won’t even defend me?”

“On the contrary, since you joined us, the place feels much brighter. Wes, you’re a natural light source!” Tianai teased.

“Come on! You’re both bullying me! I protest—I should have joined another team,” Wes grumbled.

The Butterfly teams had all infiltrated the mountain outpost by now. While Skeleton’s strength was unimpressive, their numbers were considerable—they had always relied on overwhelming force.

But Butterfly, though numerous, was comprised only of the elite, each member a master in their own right, all selected by Tianai’s strict standards.

The night was quiet. The weary found rest, lovers found solace in each other’s embrace. But tonight, happiness and peace did not belong to the Skeletons.

The Butterfly assassins moved like shadows—no, like reapers from the underworld. Silently, they entered the Skeletons’ quarters and quietly sent them to eternal sleep. Butterfly was merciful, by assassin standards: the Skeletons died painlessly, their last moments peaceful.

A few Skeleton members awoke and even fought back, but what chance did they stand against Butterfly?

Tonight, Butterfly danced above the Skeletons, twirling through the icy night, composing a requiem of execution for their foes.

The Skeleton base now ran with rivers of blood, though the leader, Parini, remained oblivious. He was busy in his quarters, engaged in the most primal of pursuits.

“F***, b****, does it feel good?” Parini leered down at the woman beneath him, hips never slowing.

She was beyond speech, moaning wildly and clutching her own body.

Their passion grew ever more frenzied, reaching its climax—when suddenly, the door was kicked open.

Enraged at the interruption, Parini shot a glare at the door, but his anger was instantly replaced by a fierce desire.

Standing there was Shi Palace Yanyue, watching the entangled pair with mocking amusement.

“Well, aren’t you a little beauty. Is it your turn to keep me company tonight?” Parini’s leering gaze burned with lust. He tossed aside his previous partner, thinking his men had outdone themselves in finding such an exquisite Eastern girl.

“Impressive. The Black Skeleton’s boss finds time for pleasure even before leaving. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have interrupted,” came a languid voice from the doorway, and a tall figure appeared at Yanyue’s side.

Yanyue hooked her arm through the newcomer’s and made a face at Parini.

Recognition dawned on Parini’s face, his lust replaced by terror as he pointed at the ornate Radiant Butterfly mask. “You—you’re Illusion Butterfly?”

“Congratulations, you guessed right. But there’s no prize,” Yanyue replied, her smile as sweet as a blossom.