Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Silent Massacre
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Drawing the Black Dragon Sword, I waited for the attackers to approach.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!
The moment the cavalry, their hooves shaking the very earth, drew near, I unleashed the Demonic Wheel Kill.
Shhhk!
When it was incomplete, a damp, cloying black energy could be seen flowing along the blade.
But now, there wasn't even a hint of such movement.
A technique that could not be perceived by any sense, as if its very existence had vanished.
That was the true nature of the Demonic Wheel Kill.
Pfft! Pft!
The formless aura shot from the sword's tip decapitated every single attacker charging on horseback.
Even as their heads were severed clean off, the only sound was the gushing of blood.
It was, in a word, a silent massacre.
'If there are no witnesses, it's an assassination.'
After dealing with the ten attackers, I left the trade route.
All the while, Raul spurred his horse on frantically, oblivious to the fact that his assailants had been annihilated.
* * *
The escort party was plagued by constant attacks.
The enemy had no choice but to grow more persistent.
This was because once Raul crossed into the Veldam States Union, pursuing him would become difficult.
Sure enough, they launched their attack at the Vendrow River, the border between the Empire and the Veldam States Union.
'I was wondering if I even needed to intervene, but it seems I have no choice.'
The checkpoint was just a stone's throw away, and security was bound to be tight near the border.
But the enemy's move defied all expectations.
They had deployed several hundred troops at once.
Realistically, this was an absurd number.
'There's no way this could happen unless the Empire allowed it. Just how much did they bribe them?'
How they had managed to sway the border guard wasn't important.
Right now, securing the client was the priority.
The attackers moved quickly.
An unidentified group was already crossing the battlefield, approaching stealthily.
Seeing them, I couldn't help but frown.
"They're the same kind, aren't they?"
An assassin can't help but recognize his own kind.
Every single one of their movements reeked of death.
As expected, the escort party remained completely unaware, even as the assassins drew near.
It seemed they were using a unique concealment technique.
'First, I need to get closer.'
From this distance, I couldn't stop the killing.
My Revolving Blade Daggers probably wouldn't be enough.
Shhhk! Shhhk!
Still, I threw three throwing knives to keep them in check.
Clang!
As expected, the assassins noticed the incoming projectiles and immediately took a defensive stance.
Their reaction was much faster than a knight's, but they were still flustered by the Revolving Blade Daggers' curving trajectory.
Ting! Thud!
One of them, unable to react properly, took a throwing knife to the neck.
However, the wound didn't seem severe.
He had twisted his body at the last second to minimize the damage.
'They're skilled. Who are they?'
To be able to block an unfamiliar technique with sheer physical ability meant they belonged to a fairly competent organization.
A single misstep could lead to mission failure.
I activated the Form-Shifting Invisibility Technique and moved swiftly toward the battlefield.
While the others couldn't sense me at all, the assassins were different.
They seemed to have vaguely detected the presence of someone unseen.
The assassins hastily revealed themselves and unleashed a flurry of attacks on Raul.
"Gasp!"
"Wh-where did they come from!"
The startled captain of the guard swung his sword and shield, but the assault was too fast and sharp.
Swish! Thud!
"Kugh!"
Surrounded by two assassins, the captain, Rustin, had no time to worry about Raul.
To his shock, the transparent aura imbued in their daggers had pierced his shield in a single blow.
"N-no!"
The captain shouted as he saw an assassin lunging for Raul.
It looked as if the Third Prince would be cut to pieces at any moment.
But the assassin would not achieve his goal.
'Ah, the hero makes his entrance!'
Because at the very last second, I appeared and protected Raul.
Shwwwaaaa...
The assassins instinctively sensed the presence from the Form-Shifting Invisibility Technique.
But detecting the Demonic Wheel Kill was another matter entirely—it was nearly impossible.
Besides, the Black Dragon Sword had already taken the assassin's head.
The very one who had gotten so close to Raul.
Slice!
"Gurgle!"
As head and body separated, the now-aimless dagger only scratched at the empty air.
The Third Prince's swordsmanship was not so poor that he couldn't block even such a blind attack.
Clang!
After parrying the dagger, Raul stared intently at my masked face.
His gaze was a mixture of surprise, relief, and more.
He seemed certain that I, having revealed myself, was his secret escort.
It appeared he had been aware of my existence since the last attack.
'This could get very annoying.'
Being discovered by the client didn't matter.
The goal was to protect him, not to hide my identity.
Still, if he knew of my existence, the client's behavior was likely to change.
'He might become bolder. Though he doesn't seem that foolish.'
I glanced back at Rustin and the two assassins.
The fight was completely one-sided.
With two assassins against him, it was only natural for a knight of similar skill to be pushed back.
I decided to help Rustin first.
He seemed to be the most competent of the guards, so it was probably better to keep him alive if possible.
Shhk.
"Huh!"
As I vanished before his eyes as if erased, Raul could only stare dumbfounded.
It was his first time seeing a concealment technique in person.
I smirked at the Third Prince's reaction and approached the two assassins.
Perhaps because they were in the middle of a fight, they didn't seem to sense my presence as they had before.
'Good job drawing their attention, mister knight.'
Slice! Shlick!
As I closed in and swung my sword, a gruesome sound echoed, and the assassins' movements ceased.
Soon after, their heads tumbled to the ground as blood spurted from their necks like fountains.
"Huh?"
Clank!
Rustin, who had been cornered, dropped his shield with a bewildered expression.
It was only natural for him to be dumbfounded.
He could never have imagined that such high-level assassins would be slaughtered in a single blow.
And without any warning, at that.
"Huh..."
The moment Rustin turned his head, I was already wiping out a dozen more attackers.
Even so, enemies still swarmed near the bridge.
I figured I might as well annihilate them all while I was at it.
Including the informants watching the situation from afar.
If they couldn't even bring a single line of information back to their main camp, tracking us would become much more difficult.
'Is it finally time to use this in a real battle?'
I focused my mind and drew upon the Wheel Energy Arts.
Something translucent shot out from the tip of the Black Dragon Sword at high speed.
Fwoosh—!
The orb, leaving a faint trail, flew into the rear of the attackers' formation and promptly vanished.
Then, a blinding flash of light spread out.
Psssssh.
Contrary to the faint noise, the visual effect of the Heaven-Severing Exploding Wheel was nothing short of explosive.
Thousands of transparent aura fragments indiscriminately pierced through men and horses alike.
The sight of people dying in droves without a sound was utterly shocking.
It could easily be called a silent massacre.
In an instant, a hundred attackers were turned into honeycombs.
The lethal range of the Heaven-Severing Exploding Wheel perfectly separated the escort party from the enemy.
With one exquisite move, only the enemy forces fell in droves.
'My first time using it in a real fight, and it worked perfectly. Hah! My talent is truly something else.'
Praising myself internally, I took advantage of everyone's distraction and quickly left the battlefield.
The rest were at a level the escort party could handle on their own.
Those guys have to earn their keep, after all.
* * *
After entering the Veldam States Union, Raul and his party were able to continue their journey much more comfortably.
Indeed, as soon as they crossed the border, the attacks decreased dramatically.
Assassins still appeared from time to time, but none were as skilled as before.
They were limited to setting deadly traps, like poisoning water sources along the route.
Naturally, I eliminated such pathetic attempts in advance.
However, that didn't mean there were no dangers at all.
Whenever they entered a city or town, an assassin would invariably appear.
But no matter how large the surrounding crowds, no mishaps ever occurred.
Shhhk! Thwack!
"Gurgle!"
"Hmm. Another assassin."
It was no longer surprising to see a passerby lose their life to a thrown dagger.
A search of the corpse's belongings would invariably reveal a poisoned weapon of some kind.
Rustin seemed to have grown accustomed to this, as he would immediately call the guards to handle the body.
"At this point, I'm quite curious as to who it is."
"I was just about to find out."
"How? It's been impossible to get a read on them, hasn't it?"
"We'll have them reveal themselves. It would be best to camp nearby for the night."
The Third Prince gave a faint smile and looked back at the captain.
The escort party immediately found a flat clearing and set up camp.
Meanwhile, Raul was heading deep into the forest.
Rustin's eyes wavered, but the Third Prince waved his hand, signaling that it was fine.
With such a powerful secret escort, how dangerous could it be to stray a little from the campsite?
The captain paced nearby, waiting with an anxious expression.
Meanwhile, the Third Prince, having entered the forest, leaned against a tree stump and poured a drink into a cup.
"Since fate has brought us together like this, let's have a drink. We're almost there, aren't we?"