29 – Egon.(1)
The dark night sky became bright for a moment with such intensity.
“It’s hot.”
Lian grimaced and stood up. She wasn’t severely injured thanks to protecting herself with magic, but she couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable.
The smell of burning protein wafted from all directions.
It was the very smell that I detested on the battlefield.
Bang! Clang!
On the road that had turned into a pile of ashes, two superhumans continued their battle.
One was a chloride ability user, and the other was an assassin.
Despite their fatal injuries, the flames spewing from the man’s arms remained threatening. However, the woman, wielding two daggers in her hands, pushed him relentlessly without batting an eye.
“…Wh-what is happening?”
Lian raised his index finger and placed it in front of Diana’s mouth. Instantly, silence fell. I had felt it before, but he was more perceptive than most adults.
These were individuals whose values had become twisted to the point where they staged a massacre in the middle of a bustling street.
Considering that everyone around had turned into a handful of ashes and disappeared, it wouldn’t have been strange if they were attacked and silenced right away.
Lian whispered into Diana’s ear.
“Don’t make a sound and quietly get up.”
“…Okay.”
Diana took a deep breath and grabbed Lian’s hand.
She had no idea what was happening right now. She heard an explosion, Lian pulled her close, and they leaped down below a building. That was all Diana could remember.
‘Ah.’
As she held Lian’s hand and stood up, she finally noticed the surroundings.
People turned into piles of ashes. The horrific smell she had never encountered before wafted from all directions.
If it weren’t for the experience of facing corpses, she would have probably emptied everything inside her body.
Diana swallowed her dry saliva and looked at Lian. Even amidst the burning surroundings, there was no trace of hesitation in his eyes.
How can he remain calm in a situation like this? Come to think of it, he was the same when we first met. Even while his body was bleeding profusely, he didn’t seem scared and continued the conversation as if nothing were wrong.
“Diona. Can we escape?”
“…What?”
“I’m asking if we can escape.”
Lian said that while pointing somewhere with his chin. A dark and damp alley. But, perhaps because of that, it hadn’t been swallowed by the flames yet.
“You, what about you?”
“The battle will end soon. Whether one side wins or not, they won’t let us, witnesses, live unharmed.”
As Lian replied, he turned his gaze towards the intense battlefield.
In the figure of the swaying chloride ability user, the initial momentum was no longer visible. No matter how powerful an ability user was, continuing the fight with prayers halfway severed was impossible.
Not only that.
Swoosh-.
The gaze that began to be felt at some point. The assassin had recognized them.
It was impossible to fight while protecting Diona. Lian’s attempt to send Diona away first was also because of that.
Of course, if Diona refused, things would become complicated-.
“I understand.”
“…”
What Lian was worried about did not happen.
As felt before, despite being a child, her intuition was unnaturally quick.
Even while her pupils trembled violently with fear, she quickly judged how to act without becoming a burden.
Diona, who had been taking a deep breath for a moment, spoke with a trembling voice.
“…Don’t get hurt.”
As Lian nodded, Diana wasted no time and ran in the direction where the fire had not yet spread.
Crack!
Lian, watching Diana disappear into the darkness, let out a soft sigh and turned his head.
“…Krrrk.”
A bloodbender collapsing, spilling foam. An assassin, wiping the blood off his dagger, stared at Lian with a cold gaze.
Lian put on the gauntlet that Hwang had handed him, with a smirk.
Clang!
“I hope he just passes by without noticing.”
“….”
No response came. Lian didn’t expect a response in the first place.
He just needed a little time to put on the gauntlet.
In the next moment, the assassin struck the ground in an instant. The distance between them narrowed so fast that it was hard to believe it had been tens of meters apart.
Swish!
The blade split the air, aiming for Lian’s opening. Lian twisted the blade with his right hand and swiftly kicked towards the assassin’s abdomen.
But the assassin wielded a dual sword. The nimble dagger skillfully deflected Lian’s attack.
Thud!
As the first attack was blocked, the assassin quickly retreated. The new model disappeared from sight in an instant. Only the sound of breaking air from all directions proved that the assassin was still present in this space.
Lian didn’t just stand still and watch.
Tsu tsu tsu tsu tick…!
He spread his senses to the maximum, detecting the assassin’s movements and parrying all the attacks aimed at his vital points.
“……!!”
The face of the assassin stiffened slightly. Though I thought they were just an ordinary little kid, each attack carries a weight.
Kagagagak!
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But that’s not all. The speed of their counterattacks was getting faster and faster.
Evidence that they were adapting to the attacks in real time.
If you’re not used to fighting assassins, this would be an impossible feat.
The sound of daggers and gauntlets colliding in midair reverberated harshly in all directions.
Kwaaang!
Powerful magic entwined and clashed repeatedly. The assassin, who had stepped back a few paces, opened their mouth.
“…Where are you from?”
“Why? Regretting pretending not to recognize me?”
The assassin’s face froze as they read the mockery in Lianne’s eyes.
“…You seem to have no idea even after spending some time together.”
Shhhhh!
As the assassin spoke, a powerful magic wrapped around Lianne’s hands, which held a pair of swords.
The symbol of the Fourth Order, the Twin Blades.
The assassin chuckled and said,
“Things will be different from before.”
“Well…”
As Lianne’s eyebrows twitched, she clapped her hands together.
“I can do that much too.”
Quaaang!
At the moment Lian finished speaking, a shockwave erupted from his fist and engulfed the assassin.
An incredibly powerful force, unimaginable for a boy with a head smaller than an adult’s.
The spreading flames slowly extinguished, and black ashes scattered into the sky.
…Thud!
The woman was pushed back to the end of the road. It seemed she deflected the attack by crossing her arms.
The assassin couldn’t help but feel bewildered as he looked at Lian.
-Swoosh!
A distinct crack engraved on the dagger.
It was something that couldn’t happen unless there was an overwhelming difference in magical power.
“That kid…can do that much?”
Perhaps he wasn’t a kid from the beginning. I’ve heard stories about masters wandering around the continent disguised as young children.
This is a mistake.
I tried to quickly assassinate the chlorine ability user and leave, but because of this brat’s resistance, things have gotten complicated. Even if the government of Tulas is corrupt, if this many citizens have died, they will have no choice but to deploy the special forces.
The reason I tried to kill Lian and silence him was also because of this. If there were no witnesses, no one would know who committed the massacre.
But if the opponent is this strong, the story might change.
“….”
Gum An, who was staring at me sharply even in the darkness.
It was impossible to face a martial artist as well-trained as him head-on, without a surprise attack.
The moment she tried to put her determination into action,
“Are you trying to escape?”
“….”
Behind her,
The assassin’s body trembled. She tried to turn her head, but her body wouldn’t move. She swallowed dry saliva and lowered her gaze. Her shadow was binding her entire body like chains.
Is it the little brat’s doing? No. Lian was still standing in front of her.
“Dagger, sword… You are the seventh.”
“W-who are you! Let me go right now…!!”
“You’re noisy.”
In the next moment, the shadow that had bound her opened its mouth wide and swallowed her whole.
Crunch!
“….!!!”
Thud!
The lower half of her body, now without an owner, fell to the ground, spilling blood.
A horrifying sight. However, the actual person involved in the incident closed their eyes with an incredibly calm expression.
A face that seemed to savor something.
The man, who had been standing in place for a while, raised his eyelids.
“I expected it, but… You weren’t the person I was looking for.”
“….”
Lian looked at the man who appeared out of thin air, swallowing dry saliva.
Snake tattoo engraved vividly on both arms.
A few days ago, having heard from Harang about the influential figures of the large gang, I could immediately recognize them.
The right-hand man of the Black Society’s leader.
Egon.
A high-ranking expert comparable to Harang had revealed himself in front of Rian.
“…Strong.”
Comparing him to the assassin just encountered a moment ago was almost an apology.
Even though he might not have revealed all his strength, the pressure could be felt. Every hair standing on end, tension running high.
Rian swallowed the urge to vomit, thinking.
‘Sending Diona was a good call.’
The moment that monster and his gaze met, everything in his body would have poured out, dying.