Chapter 184
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 184
Let's think about this.
In the past, Ivan hired the Dual-Sword Assassin to kill Fransek. If I hadn't intervened, she would have succeeded, and the Empire would have plunged into war under the pretext of the Crown Prince's assassination.
Even as a foreigner, the Dual-Sword Assassin was skilled enough to infiltrate the heart of the Empire and target its Crown Prince. Her combat prowess was matched only by her exceptional infiltration skills.
Back then, I’d asked her how much she was paid. To target the Crown Prince of the Empire, it must have been an amount that defied the word "fortune."
"An amount of money that could change the lives of countless people."
That had been her answer. An assassin who commanded that kind of price was now targeting Anguis Regina.
Is there someone who wants Anguis Regina dead so badly they're willing to pay a king's ransom?
And Japa had somehow caught wind of the attack beforehand and contacted me.
Events were unfolding in a realm far beyond my understanding, and it was utterly fascinating. But to unravel any of it, I had to survive this—and keep Anguis Regina alive.
My objective was set.
Creak.
The door slid fully open, revealing the assassin. Her pitch-black combat suit shimmered.
Sizzle.
A faint current crackled across the suit as its camouflage function disengaged.
Dual swords.
Just like before, she wielded two swords of differing lengths. Seeing her was almost like meeting an old friend. Facing a past enemy made me feel like I had returned to my youth.
It was a relief I was wearing a mask. If she could see my expression, she might have recognized me, too.
I will defeat you here and prove it.
I am not some depressed patient haunted by the aftershocks of my past, but a warrior, as sharp as ever. You will be my proof.
Hummm!
I thrust the Hwagwang Yedo forward and waited.
I held a massive advantage in weaponry. The Dual-Sword Assassin was familiar with the Hwagwang Series. Instead of rushing in recklessly, she bounced lightly on her feet, warming up. Behind her helmet, her eyes were likely darting everywhere.
As an assassin, she wants to avoid a direct fight. But she can't reach Anguis Regina without getting past me.
I shifted into a subtle stance that blocked her path. It was a simple matter.
If you ignore me and go for Anguis Regina, you die instantly.
As if responding to my resolve, my focus flared, locking entirely onto the Dual-Sword Assassin. No matter what she did, I could react.
Come.
The assassin tilted her head, her posture conveying annoyance. She must have realized my subtle movements were cutting off all her potential routes.
"...Impressive. You aren't holding a Hwagwang just for show."
Her assessment complete, the assassin took her stance. She spun her dual swords, fluidly switching between a standard and reverse grip. It was a deliberate move meant to disrupt an opponent's combat calculations.
To an ordinary fighter, such flourishes would be meaningless. But to us, who fought as if predicting the future, they were everything.
This was the realm of superhumans.
In superhuman combat, countless minor, unorthodox tricks could decide life and death. Even before our blades crossed, we were already fighting—for the optimal position, the perfect angle, the superior stance. I loved this feeling.
I was facing a powerhouse who had honed her skills by betting her life time and time again. I was now challenging the tower she had built. I would either conquer it or fall from it.
Warriors and soldiers can only prove their worth through combat. The battlefield is the only place I can confirm what I am capable of, what level I have reached.
In our world, it doesn't matter how evil a person is or what they have done. If they are strong, they deserve respect. They have proven themselves.
In that regard, this assassin was incredibly strong, and she operated by her own ironclad rules. I had survived our last encounter thanks to those rules. She could have killed me for interfering, but she had backed off, stating that since the contract had failed, she wouldn't engage in unnecessary killing.
You'll pay the price for that mercy now.
How could she have ever imagined that the boy from back then would stand in her way again, here and now?
Vrrr!
As time passed, the Hwagwang Yedo hummed, its thermal amplification kicking in. A plasma heat-glow enveloped one edge of the blade, radiating a sadistic haze.
The assassin leaned forward, her body coiling to spring. Then, her feet left the ground.
Tap!
Finally, she moved.
The corners of my mouth curled into a smile as I prepared to face the powerhouse. She wouldn't be able to block my heated blade. I would melt her swords and slice right through them.
How will you deal with this temperamental magic sword?
I was filled with anticipation. Just how ingenious would her counter be?
Whish.
The assassin spread her arms wide. The pommels of her swords split open, and long wires snaked out.
Screeech!
Just as she seemed to be rushing forward, she dug her heels in, braking to a sudden halt. Slipping the loops at the ends of the wires over her wrists, she swung the dual swords as if to throw them.
"Ha..."
A short exclamation of admiration escaped me as I prepared to counter. She whipped and pulled the wires, manipulating the trajectory of the flying blades in bizarre, unpredictable arcs.
Screeeeech!
The accelerating blades and taut wires produced a strange, high-pitched whine. She intended to settle this at mid-range.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out. With the same hand holding a wire loop, the assassin had drawn a pistol and fired. It was an astonishingly clever tactic.
Clang!
I swatted the bullet out of the air with the Hwagwang Yedo.
The point of impact on the blade glowed even brighter—a beautiful but dangerous light. Once it reached its thermal storage limit, the Hwagwang Yedo would explode.
As expected, she's a veteran. She knows exactly how to respond in any situation.
The combination of wire-tethered swords and a pistol was so erratic that prediction was nearly impossible. I was in a tricky position. If I weren't protecting someone, I would have simply charged forward.
But I had to defend Anguis Regina. Rushing an assassin who was determined to fight from a distance would leave Anguis Regina vulnerable to a surprise attack.
No, wait. It's not that hard. I just need to cut the wires.
An unorthodox attack is only a problem because it's unfamiliar. At its core, it's just a cheap trick. If you remain calm and analyze it, it's often easier to deal with than a straightforward assault.
Screeech!
The wires, likely made of some high-polymer material, were incredibly tough. I had to admit, if I were using Crucis, I wouldn't have been able to sever them with impact alone.
Clang!
But the Hwagwang Yedo didn't need to. It simply melted through the wire. One of her swords, now free, flew wildly and embedded itself in the ceiling.
I felt the assassin falter. She hurriedly began reeling in her remaining sword.
The weapon matchup was bad for you, assassin.
Without the Hwagwang Yedo, her attack would have been a nightmare to handle. She must have known that, but perhaps she had no other choice. She was probably hoping I would panic and fall for her trick. But I think with Akies Victima. I excel in chaos and against erratic attacks.
Real combat is not a fair duel. You don't fight with identical gear. There's no point in complaining when your opponent brings superior weaponry. Like the world itself, battle is inherently unfair.
Sizzz!
The tip of my blade barely grazed the second wire. The heat alone was enough. It melted instantly, snapping under the centrifugal force.
Clang!
Her remaining sword flew out of her control and skidded across the floor.
A warrior who has lost their weapon is a pitiful sight. The assassin immediately raised her pistol, firing alternately at me and Anguis Regina. Even now, she chose the most troublesome tactic available.
I simply held my prosthetic hand in the line of fire, catching the bullets one by one. Mere pistol rounds couldn't damage this body.
She's squeezing out the best possible move in every single situation.
Her tactics weren't born from a special ability like Akies Victima, but from raw, brutal experience. They weren't the result of cold calculation, but of instinct and muscle memory. I couldn't even begin to imagine how many battles she had fought to reach this level.
You have more. Show me.
With her swords neutralized, I advanced, pressing the attack and cornering her.
Whir.
The assassin shifted her stance, preparing for hand-to-hand combat. A faint mechanical noise hummed from the joints of her suit. She had layered an exoskeleton over her armor to augment her movements. Powered exoskeletons provided enhancements similar to a prosthetic body, but their response time was slower, and they were bulkier for the same power output.
Did she wear something like that in the past?
A brief question flickered through my mind. The assassin I remembered had been lethally sharp and destructive. She was strong enough on her own, without relying on mechanical assistance.
Whoosh!
The assassin threw a roundhouse kick at my face.
I could have sliced her leg off then and there, but I stepped back instead. I remained cautious, wondering if this was another trick, another trump card.
But something was wrong.
Even with mechanical assistance, she's slower, clumsier than before. There's no mistaking it. Could it be...
A sudden wave of irritation surged through me.
Crack!
I swung my own leg, kicking the assassin. She raised her arms to block, but my strike sent her flying. Unable to disperse the impact, her bones must have shattered.
This wasn't a feint to lure me in. The assassin had truly grown weak. She had been sent sprawling by my simple strike.
All those desperate measures, those cheap tricks... were they just to hide her own weakness?
I felt like a fool for the anticipation that had made my heart race just moments before. I had intended to clash with her at my absolute limit, but my opponent couldn't even handle half my strength.
Damn it...
Despite her shattered bones, the assassin doggedly lunged at me. I swung the Hwagwang Yedo, severing both of her legs at the thigh.
Sizzle!
The horrific heat-glow incinerated flesh and bone. Not a single drop of blood spilled from the instantly cauterized stumps.
"Ugh..."
Even that resilient assassin couldn't suppress a faint groan. As she fell, she pushed off the ground with both arms, trying to create distance.
Bang! Bang!
Legless, she pulled out her pistol again and fired at me repeatedly. I swatted the bullets away with one arm, tilted my head to dodge, and walked toward her.
Slam!
I grabbed her face and slammed it into the wall. Her combat helmet shattered, revealing what lay beneath.
"Kh..."
The assassin's head lolled. Coarse, lifeless white hair spilled out from the cracked helmet.
Aging?
It wasn't just the white hair. Her face was deeply lined with the wrinkles of a seventy-year-old. It was impossible to believe this was the result of a mere twelve years passing. In my memory, the assassin's biological age had been thirty, forty at the absolute most.
Yet, it was undoubtedly her. Her features, the look in her eyes—they were exactly as I remembered. For some reason, she was undergoing rapid aging.
...Is that why she became so weak?
I grimaced beneath my mask. This was when a mask was most useful. No matter what expression I made, my enemy would never know.
It wasn't that the price for Anguis Regina's head was high. It was that this assassin has grown so weak she can no longer command a high price. The big jobs are just too difficult for her now.
She probably never imagined someone like me would be guarding Anguis Regina. At most, she must have expected a few Equesian mercenaries.
If she fails, she will probably...
I quickly shoved my hand into her mouth to stop her from committing suicide.
"You can't die just yet," I said, my voice as sneering as I could make it. "I have a lot of questions for you."
My fingers felt around her molars and found it: a suicide capsule.
Snap!
I twisted and ripped out the prosthetic tooth. Inside the translucent casing, a dangerously colored liquid sloshed.
Damn it.
Seeing her in such a pitiful state filled me with a complex mix of emotions. To think the powerhouse who once represented an insurmountable wall had been reduced to this.
I, too, finally understood just how terrifying the aging of a biological body was. The citizens of the Empire must have replaced their flesh with machinery to escape this very fear.
Thud!
I slammed the assassin's head against the wall one last time. Her eyes went vacant as she lost consciousness.
A bitter taste filled my mouth. A powerhouse who once ran wild in the heart of the Empire, reduced to this. For the first time, I felt a genuine fear of time and aging. To feel your proud skills fading like dying embers, your honed combat techniques rusting and creaking with every move.
If I were to end up like that, I would be no different from a worthless human. What else do I have besides my combat skills? What becomes of an ill-tempered man who only hurts others when he loses his capacity for violence? The thought was too horrific. I would rather die.
And so, in the end... I found myself pitying this elderly assassin.