Proofread by Thomas F

  Vera Boltas

  "My apologies for making you all wait," I said as I took control over my emotions.

  My expressions eased, and a smile appeared on my face.

  I activated Sense Presence to check whether anyone else was hiding. I felt other presences, but they were moving away from the city hall instead of coming inside.

  They have chosen the pce well; this pce is spacious. It is a good pce to leave their dead bodies.

  "Well, I will forgive you. If you drop that wicked dagger and surrender," replied the Mage.

  "I cannot do that. You see, we are enemies; if I surrender, then I will be a traitor," I declined with a smile appearing on my face and excitement.

  I tried to keep it in control, because when it goes out of control. It becomes hard to control myself.

  "Then you leave us with no choice but to use force," she stated.

  I moved before she finished speaking the st word. My job is to kill her, and I will try. I shouldn't actually, I should run away, before the other Lv. 40s came.

  Especially that Elderblood General; he is in the city.

  As I moved, I felt the skill, an area-wide w enforcement skill. A powerful one, seeing how hard it is pressing on me.

  It is why I hate high-level city guards; they have the skills to counter mine.

  As he activated the skill, he moved toward me. At the same time, I saw a metal-headed Earth Lance coming toward me.

  A Grade IV spell; I do not fear those, but this one is a variant. It has the punch of a barrage of normal ones and is very dangerous. If I had just been fighting her, I wouldn't have been worried, but I am not.

  The second woman had also moved.

  She is coming toward me, while sshing her sword in the air, sending the arc of lightning toward me.

  The Earth Lance appeared in front of me, and I dodged it by moving my neck. As I had finished dodging that, a lightning arc appeared in front of me, and I simply stepped aside.

  These attacks might be fast to others, but they are not to me.

  I have fought, Great Mages, while these two are only High Mages, powerful as they may be. Though that doesn't mean they are not dangerous.

  Especially with the man who appeared in front of me.

  "You are the most handsome guard I have ever seen," I complimented. He is as beautiful as the two women in the room.

  He didn't seem to appreciate my compliment as his expression remained unchanged.

  He attacked, and I moved to dodge it. I am an assassin, not a warrior. I do not have to engage with him; I have a target to kill and very little time to do it.

  So, I moved toward her, but he appeared in front of her, with the speed that surprised me.

  His information did say that he specializes in fast combat. He is fast and agile, and in that area, his skills are helping him fight a criminal in his jurisdiction.

  His attack came, and I dodged it, but he followed, while hundreds of metal needles came at me, and the spell bde attacked on the other side.

  I dodged the man's attack and swung my bde against the hundreds of needles.

  Releasing the grey wave out of my dagger, which effortlessly turned the needles into dust, before defending against the sword of spell bde.

  The moment we cshed, she took rapid steps back, while the man came at me again, and so was another spell from the mage.

  Tens of metal-tipped spikes came out of the ground, and I moved through them while dodging the sharp Stone Disks.

  I knew it wouldn't be easy, but seeing the constant attacks and the way they are doing it made me realise I had underestimated them.

  I dodged and defended the attacks, but they are coming from all sides, and I finally got hit.

  The bde of the handsome man had cut along my waist. The cut is so shallow that not even a drop of blood had come out, but it showed me the risks they possess.

  These three are working very well together and have taken control of the space.

  Usually, assassins love such tight spaces like this, while mages like rge spaces, but here, they have owned the space, making things difficult for me.

  'It seemed like I had to stop holding back!' I thought, and the next moment, my aura came out.

  At the same time, I harnessed the power from my artifact. The dark grey energy covered it, while my physical abilities increased and my senses sharpened.

  As I brought out my aura, the three activated their auras as well, and that surprised me!

  I am not surprised that they have an aura. All three of them have awakened in the st battle, where they nearly wiped out our horde.

  The thing that surprised me is their control. It is better than I had thought.

  Their Presence Skills and Area skills pressed down on me. I activated my own, powering it with my own aura.

  My control is better than theirs, with my experience. I have started learning the aura method, but I have yet to understand it. Still, there are three of them with sufficient aura control, while I am only one.

  So, I sought the aid of the artifact and tried to create the fractal, but once more I failed.

  I looked at them, and they looked at me.

  The spell bde is at my left and a handsome guard at my right, while my target is behind them at a distance with her staff shining.

  "It's time to say goodbye to the world," I said with a grin and activated Target Locked and Assassins Flow, before moving toward her.

  These are the skills that will help me kill the target fast.

  They let me see obstacles coming toward me and show me the best way to reach them, while enhancing my strength and senses and increasing the chances of success.

  Immediately, she unched the spell, while the two moved at me once more.

  A circle of metallic knives appeared above me and came at a breakneck speed, and they are sharp; they wouldn't have any problem cutting through my skin like butter.

  The knives are not common thrown spells, but one she is actively controlling.

  Feeling their power, I am surprised that she could use the spell of this calibre. Most High Mages could not; it is Great Mages that use such spells.

  The knives came, attacking me from all sides. Seeing that, I activated Fsh Hands.

  My dagger cshed against the knives, releasing the destructive energy at each csh, destroying one knife after another, creating a blush-grey cloud of dust around me.

  It looked beautiful, but danger came through it.

  The man and woman; they attack, and they're faster and more powerful than before.

  Once more, I dodge the bde of the man and csh with the woman, using the power of the artifact. That sent her back with blood coming out of her orifices.

  'That should have brought her to her knees,' I thought in surprise, and pushed those thoughts and moved toward the mage.

  She is the target, and despite knowing that, she didn't move from her spot. Instead, she threw another spell at me.

  I had just taken two steps when the man appeared in front of me once more and attacked. I dodged his attack before swinging my dagger at him.

  A ripping sound rang out, and a rge, deep cut appeared across his stomach.

  A frown appeared on my face, seeing that.

  The wound should have been bigger. This guard's stomach should have been split open with his guts spilling out, and the energies of the artifact tearing through him.

  My dagger isn't poisonous or has abilities like Ever Bleed, which assassins love so much.

  No, instead it is destructive. Finishing the enemies thoroughly and messily instead of quickly and cleanly, for which most assassins are known.

  I moved once more, but once again, he appeared in front of me as if there wasn't a giant wound on his stomach.

  I dodged his attack and moved for another, but this time, he brought back his sword and defended.

  It forced him to take a step back, but he again moved to stop me, and this time, the spell's bde joined as well, along with a barrage of spells from the mage.

  'What the fuck is happening?' I asked as I saw that these three were containing me.

  I have a higher level of aura control and even the artifact, but despite that, I am failing to move toward the target. I have fought battles with such people before and have killed them, but here I could not.

  A second passed, and another, and they kept throwing themselves at me, despite injuries spreading across their bodies.

  'Hell,' I cursed and leaped back.

  It is strange, and what is even stranger is that not a single person came from outside to aid them.

  I have read about the number of powerhouses the city has and their positions. By now, at least a few of Lv. 30's should have come here.

  There are also two Generals in the city and a Great Witch; there are no signs of any of them either.

  My trusted Dangersense remained silent, and it made me feel worse. I know very well that Dangersense isn't perfect; it could be avoided and tricked.

  I turned somber and turned to the mage.

  "A very few people have survived after meeting me," I said to her and moved toward the window. Yes, I am escaping; I might love the challenge, but I do not have a death wish.

  I felt this would be my fated end if I stayed here any longer.

  I moved and expected them to follow me and unched a barrage of spells, but saw them watching, without moving; they didn't even cast a spell.

  It didn't make me relieved. Instead, made the sinking feeling worse.

  I reached the window and jumped out of it.

  The moment I did, I felt the weight of presences; a lot of them. The guards surrounding the city hall from all directions, along with the powerhouses, including mages and archers, but like the three, not a single one of them moved.

  They just watched me.

  I reached the guards within seconds and felt all the hair on my body stand up. It's not a danger, but a warning. As if telling me, I shouldn't do anything.

  I jumped over them and began to run through the city, avoiding the roofs and high pces.

  So, I wouldn't get targeted by spells and arrows, but not a single spell or arrow came at me, nor did people come to stop me.

  I could sense their presence all around, but nobody moved toward me.

  'What the fuck is happening?' I asked myself, but the questions revealed no answer to this strangeness aside from one. I should get out of the city as soon as possible.

  I moved fast and even pulled the power from my artifact to move even faster, reaching the wall.

  It was then that I felt powerful eyes on me and turned.

  At the top of the gate of the city, there are two people: the Elderblood General and a general. They too just looked and didn't move.

  "Surrender, Miss Botas. It will be a much less painful experience," said the elderblood. "Make me," I challenged, pushing myself even faster.

  I thought he would rise to my challenge, but he only shook his head and remained where he was, which confused me even further.

  I could guess why others didn't move: they weren't a match for me, but these two are.

  Especially the Elderblood.

  I begin to run up the wall. Reaching the top within seconds, and even then, there was no attack. I stopped for a moment and looked, but I could not see the single soul moving toward me, nor any attack.

  Seeing that, I jumped and nded on the ground a few seconds ter, and I started running across the wastend.

  I was expecting an attack or something, but still nothing happened.

  'Has Liorian done something?' I asked myself. Maybe he made some deal with Silver.

  This is the only expnation I could think of for them letting me leave without resistance, but why did the Elderblood then ask me to surrender?

  I was thinking that, when suddenly the rge dome of darkness enveloped me. I didn't sense it; it suddenly appeared surrounding me.

  It kind of scared me.

  I was moving to attack it to get out when I saw the form in the darkness, and a moment ter. An armored man appeared in the darkness.

  A Knight, cd in green-scaled armor.

  I looked at him, and all the hair on my body stood up, and my Dangersense bred like never before.

  I recognised him. He is a knight who has just appeared around Greltheaven; our intelligence surmised that he might be a prop created to deter us.

  He is definitely not.

  "It seemed like you were the only Lv. 40 that came," he said, and disappointment dripped in his voice.

  It made me angry. I looked at the man, and he was wearing enchanted armor. It is of impeccable craftsmanship, but still just enchanted armor.

  His sheathed sword is the same. He doesn't have an artifact, I could see.

  A moment passed, and he turned to me. "Surrender, there is no escape for you," he said, and I grinned. "I will not," I replied and moved toward him with everything I have.

  He is powerful, but I have killed a powerful one before.

  I pushed my skills, my aura, and even the artifact for the power as I moved toward him, when suddenly, yellowish energy covered my dagger.

  After a long time, I finally succeeded. I had learned the aura method.

  Seeing that, hope couldn't help but rise in my heart, but the next moment. The dread filled it when I saw the knight in front of me.

  He was over ten meters away from me, but now he is in front of me. My eyes were on him, but I didn't sense him move at all.

  One moment he was there, and now he is in front of me.

  "Congratutions, you have entered the league, a few could," he said, and I was about to give him the honor of being first to be attacked, when I felt something hitting my head hard.

  It hit me with such force that it made me lose consciousness.

  I tried to fight back, but the blow was too powerful. It was like a stone against a ke; it could skip over it for a few moments, but it would eventually get swallowed by it.

  An.

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