A pulse of darkness erupted — Kira screamed, her body smoking, skin burning at the touch of the void.
although she lost her left hand
But before the attack could fully consume her—
Zack pulled his hand back, spitting blood violently onto the floor.
"Damn…" he coughed, stumbling. "I told myself… not to use that again."
Keal's eyes widened. "Zack?! What the hell did you just—"
"Void Touch," Zack wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Saint-level skill. Stupid thing eats your bones if you use it "
"A saint level what" said keal suprised
He looked pale but smirked. "Good thing I'm too stubborn to die."
Then, from the shadows, more enemies emerged. The rest of the 30+ assassins — mid and low Soldier ranks — surrounded them like vultures.
Zack stood straight, cracking his neck.
"Guess I gotta do it the old-fashioned way."
> [PHYSICAL MAGNUS: ENHANCEMENT SEQUENCE INITIATED]
> [CASTING: STRENGTH BOOST — LEVEL 1]
> [CASTING: SPEED BOOST — LEVEL 1]
> [CASTING: ENDURANCE BOOST — LEVEL 1]
Veins along his arms glowed faintly purple. Muscles tightened, legs braced, eyes sharp.
Zack grinned. "Let's dance."
He vanished — this time not with void, but raw speed.
Crack!
His fist met an assassin's face — skull shattered.
He ducked under a blade, rolled, kicked another into the air, then slammed him into the ground like a sack of potatoes.
"KEAL!" he shouted mid-fight. "You better not pass out on me now!"
Keal chuckled through the pain. "I'm fine… Just buying time."
Another enemy lunged toward Zack — he caught the sword with his hand, blood spilling, then headbutted the assassin so hard the man dropped cold.
"You call this buying time?! We're one barmaid away from dying in a brothel!"
They fought back-to-back now, bodies pressed to the limit.
Kira groaned in the rubble. Her eyes, wide with pain, watched Zack move like a blur — strength, speed, flow — like a trained monster.
"This… was not in the plan…"
Zack glanced at her. "Hey, you still breathing, ink girl? Not bad. You almost roasted my friend."
She snarled with half a hand.
Zack laughed and dashed back into the chaos.
He dashed forward again, a blur, launching a rapid series of punches — bones cracking, armor splintering. He caught an assassin mid-air and slammed him hard against the wall, blood splattering in waves.
Keal was a shadow in motion — graceful, precise, a dancer in death's court. His own shadow control rippled outward, tendrils flickering like black smoke to trip and bind their foes.
He flipped backward, landing behind a charging enemy, and twisted his body, sending a lethal kick to the assassin's ribs.
A sickening crack echoed, and the man crumpled.
"Come on!" Keal shouted to Zack, dodging a hail of daggers.
Zack responded with a laugh. "You're starting to sound like my mother."
But then a knife found its mark, grazing Zack's arm. He hissed, blood dripping, but his grin only widened.
"Pain's just weakness leaving the body."
The battle raged on, fury against precision, numbers against skill.
Slowly, the assassins' formation broke, their momentum dying like a flame suffocated by rain.
Out of the original fifty, only fifteen remained — bruised, desperate, glaring with hatred and fear.
Zack wiped sweat and blood from his brow, chest rising and falling rapidly.
Keal's shadow eyes flickered faintly, weaving in time with his movements — his unique skill pulsing beneath the surface.
They exchanged a brief glance — silent communication. No words were needed. They were a deadly duo.
Suddenly, an assassin lunged at Keal from behind, blade aiming for his neck.
In a heartbeat, Zack spun, catching the attacker's wrist and snapping it with brutal force.
"Not today," Zack snarled.
Keal nodded once, his expression fierce.
The courtyard lay soaked in crimson. The bodies of over thirty fallen assassins lay twisted and broken. Blood ran in rivulets along cracked stone, pooling at their feet. The smell of iron—and death—hung thick in the air.
Keal staggered, clutching a wound in his side. His breath rasped. Nearby, Kira loomed, blade raised—with that cold, predatory look in her ink‑glowing eyes. She smirked, as though savoring the kill.
Zack and Keal had fought desperately to thin the numbers. Now only fifteen assassins remained—exhausted, hesitant, bleeding. They circled, readying for a final strike.
Kira took a step forward. "This ends now," she hissed. Her blade arced above Keal's head—
Suddenly, the wind tore through the courtyard. A blade of shadow and light cut through the air. Sereh descended, her presence like an avalanche. In one sweeping motion, she cleaved through the front row of assassins—bones crushed, armor shattered, bodies collapsing like dominoes. The remaining foes faltered, the coordinated final assault broken.
Kira stopped mid-strike, chest heaving. She glared at Sereh. "You bitch." before she could finish a flowers has sharp has a blade rushed at Kira.
But before she could lash out again, the ink around her limbs convulsed—her body dissolving into living black mist. The blade halted inches from Keal's throat. In an instant, she vanished.
Zack, eyes blazing, lunged forward as if to pursue. But Sereh's arm caught him—strong, unyielding. He spun, yanking free. "I didn't need your help!"
Sereh's voice softened but carried steel. "I came to save you." She held herself still, pain flickering in her gaze.
"You bitch ever since you started dating my brother, Veltric," Zack spat blood. "Everything changed after that. You twisted him—and now you act like you're innocent."
Tears glimmered in Sereh's eyes. "It wasn't his fault. I only— I tried to protect you both. I know that u re worried about ur powers. Your powers... I will keep them secret."
He snorted. "Protect me? Keep my powers secret? After all this?"
keal stirred and thought that that was the first time he had seen zack so angry
With trembling hands, she drew a small scroll case from her robe. She opened it. A scroll glowed faintly, marked with runes of binding.
"This," she said, voice low, "is a contract of warding. If I betray this vow, I die by its terms."
She extended the scroll and a quill inscribed with sigils. Hands shaking, Zack took it. Ink met parchment. The runes flared, sealing a pact.
He folded the scroll and threw it aside. His voice was cold. "Don't think this makes us allies."
Sereh nodded, wounded pride in her eyes. "I understand."
They stood there, ragged, wounded, suspended between trust and betrayal.
High in a tower above the city, Prince Veltric looked through a magically formed telescope into the war‑scarred courtyard. His jaw clenched as he watched shadows move unnaturally around Zack.
The air hissed. He whispered, "What power is that?"
His eyes narrowed.