Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: The Path of the Assassin. My Path.
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"Fragment!"
As Evelin crossed her arms and shouted, sharp crescent-shaped bursts of energy paired up and shot toward my chest. I swiftly sidestepped to evade them, but the crescents curved back at her gesture, targeting my back this time.
I had no choice but to swing Yojjo left and right, knocking them away one after another.
Thud. Thud.
The crescents scattered harmlessly. But before I could catch my breath, I spun around to block Evelin's follow-up direct assault.
Clang. Clang.
Evelin's movements were incredibly fast—erratic, bizarre, and utterly formless. Her instinctive swordplay lacked any conventional style or pattern, yet it was pure assassin offense, brimming with the desperate will to throw herself at her foe and kill without fail.
Yet despite such reckless abandon, she showed no glaring defensive flaws. Whenever I spotted an opening for a counterattack, magic always intercepted me.
"Here I come!"
"One Slash!"
The moment I swung Yojjo, a straight line of pale energy thrust toward me. Another magic attack. I twisted my torso just in time to dodge, feeling a chill whoosh past. But it wasn't over.
Evelin shouted "Reaping Slash!" again, and two massive scythe-like energies crossed in an X-shape, bearing down on me. I leaped into the air to barely evade, but before my feet hit the ground, her thrusting strike and Zelsa's magic put me in repeated dire straits, forcing me back step by step.
Boom! Bang! Bang!
Explosions erupted everywhere. Pillars struck by Zelsa's magic shattered like dry cornstalks, and granite walls crumbled like bundles of straw.
I grimaced.
"Hey. Try not to wreck the place too much. Sunlight's coming in. That stuff gives me breakouts."
"That's not your concern!"
Evelin closed in rapidly, swinging Zelsa to push me back.
Yojjo and Zelsa clashed in midair, tracing menacing arcs. Amid the scattering shards of aura, Evelin danced with her blade, pressing her assault relentlessly.
She had the edge in pure hand speed too, wielding her twin daggers. Yojjo was longer, but her overwhelming pace and relentless magic left me defenseless.
I seized chances to strike back when I could, but they meant nothing. Zelsa's spells always blocked my path.
"Piercing Sever!"
Zelsa's follow-up magic made Yojjo vibrate so hard my wrist ached. Surprised, Evelin and I both leaped back simultaneously.
"What the hell is that sword? Zelsa's Piercing Sever shouldn't have failed."
I rubbed my numb wrist and caught my breath.
"So, what?"
"'Piercing Sever' is a spell that cuts through Aura Blades to slice the enemy's sword. But..."
Cuts through Aura Blades to shatter the foe's weapon? What kind of overpowered magic was this? If Yojjo weren't my sword, I'd be fighting barehanded after one hit.
"No need to be weirded out. Yojjo's always been pretty tough."
"Hmph..."
Evelin narrowed her eyes and circled me warily, suspicious of some hidden magic in Yojjo.
But when no spells emerged from me after a while, she dropped her guard and launched a full assault.
Clang, clash, clang.
Our Aura Blades shattered into fragments, scattering everywhere. Her movements flowed like a raging torrent, unleashing a storm of strikes. I barely parried Zelsa's incoming blade tips and edges with Yojjo, enduring and enduring.
The moment I spotted an opening for a counter—
"Piercing Cascade!"
Spherical energy poured from Zelsa, piercing my Aura Blade and slamming into my gut.
With a bang, I flew back, tumbling roughly across the corridor floor. If Evelin's attack followed, it'd be game over, so I flipped in midair to regain my footing.
"Ugh, damn magic."
Evelin squinted. She seemed surprised I'd gotten up unscathed after the cascade.
"What are you?"
I frowned at my tattered shirt. Without the Freyker vest underneath, that hit would've ended it.
I spat blood-flecked saliva and waved her off.
"No big deal. I'm pretty sturdy myself."
Evelin furrowed her brows.
"You're... weird."
"Yeah. Everyone says that."
I scowled deeply.
Zelsa. What an incredible sword. It hadn't unleashed destruction on the scale of the Seven Divine Artifacts' spells yet, but for close-quarters combat, it surpassed them.
Especially the piercing magics—downright chilling. Striking the enemy and their weapon directly through Aura Blades? I'd never even heard of such a thing in all my lives.
But that wasn't all. As my momentum surged, Evelin unleashed a new spell.
"Curse of the Revenants!"
She swung both Zelsas in eerie arcs, and pale smoke rose, spawning countless skeletal revenants with hollow eyes and scraps of flesh clinging to their bones.
Groooan. Groooan.
The grotesque figures circled me with bared fangs, then charged en masse.
"Shit!"
Startled, I retreated frantically. But like vengeful spirits fresh from hell, they pursued relentlessly, detonating in front of me.
Boom! Bang! Bang!
When the blasts ended, I was in rags. My torn pant legs fluttered in the breeze, charred and ragged; my shirt was gone, leaving only the Freyker vest to shield my torso.
My joints throbbed. My ears rang, muffling sounds, and lingering smoke blurred my vision.
That's when Evelin burst through the haze, thrusting Zelsa at my waist.
Clang! Zelsa and Yojjo crossed.
Evelin eyed me appraisingly.
"You're holding up well."
"Yeah. Endurance is my thing."
"But this ends now. One Slash Barrage!"
She leaped back, crossing Zelsas in an X. Pale energy coalesced into spheres, then erupted into countless slashing lines hurtling toward me.
No room to dodge—the barrage filled every space, grazing me and carving gashes everywhere.
I blocked the final line with Yojjo and clutched my bleeding forearm, glaring at Evelin.
"Not quite."
Her eyes widened.
"How'd you dodge? There was no gap!"
"Eh, grazed a few at angles, blocked some. Managed somehow."
"What?"
"Back in my old world, I took hits like this all the time. Got used to it."
Evelin glanced at my wounds.
"Used to it or not, you're not exactly fine."
"Nah, I'm healing. Getting back to my normal state, thanks to you."
"Huh?"
She tilted her head, baffled. But instead of explaining, I fired back with a question.
"Anyway. One thing: why'd you abandon the assassin's path? You were an assassin, right?"
Evelin looked incredulous.
"What are you talking about? I'm the world's greatest assassin—always have been. Or rather, I was reborn as the perfect one once I got Zelsa."
"The perfect assassin...?"
"Yeah. You've fought me—you know. I lack the fatal flaw all other assassins have."
"Ah, the weak defense?"
"Exactly."
"Heh. That's why you've abandoned the assassin's path. A snake with legs ain't a snake anymore. Assassins discard themselves to take their target's life. But you're too focused on your own safety now. You're basically just a regular swordsman."
Honestly, Evelin and Zelsa made a powerful combo—flawless and lethal.
But nothing was truly flawless. She'd claimed Zelsa overcame her defensive weakness, perfecting her as an assassin. In truth, she'd just abandoned the assassin's spirit.
If I'd been her, I'd have used Zelsa's magic not for defense, but to ensure the kill. That's the assassin's way.
And I'd been making the same mistake.
Living in peace, I'd forgotten—but my fights were always dogfights. Bite back when bitten. Yet today, even with the Freyker vest, I was dodging spells like a wimp. Against a powerhouse like Evelin with Zelsa, no less.
In short, I'd forgotten my escape style: infinite charges toward survival.
In the age of ruin, I'd plunged into hordes of demons to carve paths. When chased, I'd dive into sewers or waste without hesitation. Life lay ahead, so I feared nothing and pressed on.
But not today. I'd evaded pain, forsaken my survival instincts out of fear of death. My unscarred body before today proved it.
Past-life me had craved life, not fled death and pain. Hesitate from fear, and death claims you—that was the world.
Humans are sneaky, though. A bit of peace, and even I fight cautiously. Guess we're adaptive creatures.
Evelin scoffed.
"What do you know about assassins?"
I channeled mana into Yojjo, wrapping it in an Aura Blade. Barely over 10cm before, it now expanded ever so slightly.
I grinned wolfishly.
"Nothing, obviously. I'm just a fake assassin. But not as fake as you."
"What?"
"If you don't get it, I'll show you. The assassin's path is part of mine. Here I go!"
I charged. "Piercing Cascade" flew at me. I deliberately grazed it, letting the blast hurl me toward the prayer room wall. Amid choking pain, I kicked off and launched straight at Evelin.
Yojjo and Zelsa clashed repeatedly. She nicked my side with her left Zelsa, but I seized her wrist with my right, twisting it.
Our blades rang out, locked. In this ultra-close range, my raw strength bent her arm. She spun with the torque, kicking at my face.
Whoosh.
I took it on the forehead. Forced to retreat, she reversed and tried an armbar on my right. Risky, but with my left hand gripping her, she had no choice.
I pressed close, disrupting her balance, then slammed her down with a one-armed shoulder throw.
"Guh!"
She hit without a proper breakfall and flipped back desperately. But I closed in, grabbed one leg, and flung her the other way.
As she scrambled up, she crossed Zelsas to block my overhead Yojjo but faltered and collapsed. I didn't miss, kneeing her exposed gut hard.
She slid across the corridor, firing "Fragments" at my pursuing form.
Bang, thud.
One fragment clipped my left chest, twisting my torso. I threw myself forward, stabbing down at Evelin with Yojjo.
Luckily, she parried with her right Zelsa—but my left hand grabbed her collar, dragging her into a brawl.
We rolled tangled, blades at each other's throats. But I dominated in strength and reach. Sensing encroaching death, she bellowed a spell.
"Blast Wave!"
A deafening boom hurled us apart. "Blast Wave"—not lethal, but perfect for separation.
I sprang up, scanning for Evelin. But she was gone—no sight, no mana, no presence.