Chapter 201 Title At The End Of The

We quickly arrived at the presumed location and I tapped at the door with my magical energy coursing through my hands. I repeated the whole process of the building shaking and rumbling from the inside. With a quick scan, I let my magical energy run through the building to detect who and how many were inside.

'An ascendant' My brow rose in surprise. Although he looked weak, I should have known that sooner or later I would knock on the doors of an ascendant. Whichever way, he was currently heading towards the door with a dagger.

"Who is there?" A masculine voice came through the door.

Without responding, I immediately went straight to the question. "Someone said that you have information concerning the war that took place atop Miracle Mountain?".

"That basta--" Before he could complete his sentence, I quickly interrupted.

"You will receive one gold coin for providing any relevant information concerning the war".

Silence.

The locks on the door were unlocked, and the door swung open.

…..........…

"CAPTAIN! I THINK THAT THESE PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE SENT US ON A GOOSE CHASE!" Beric yelled. It seemed that he was now getting more comfortable with the sudden movements and ups and downs.

Yes, I would have said the same thing, considering that the direction he gave us was some distance away from his home. But since I was currently desperate, it was worth a try to at least give it a shot.

"WHAT IF WE ARRIVE THERE AND DON'T SEE ANYBODY, CAPTAIN? ARE WE GOING TO RETURN BACK TO THE SHIP ALONG WITH THE CART?" He asked worriedly.

But I couldn't blame him this time for his reaction. After all, the place we were going to is said to be the mad king's home, guarded by an unspecified number of assassins. Thankfully, I had the opportunity to face one of them, so I had an idea of what or who I was dealing with.

Seeing that Beric was still waiting for my response, I replied. "If we do get there and find out that we were lied to, then I will give up, and we will meet up with Annabelle so that we can get back to the ship!" I gritted my teeth intentionally because if I didn't find anything this time around, I really didn't think that I would be able to live this one out until the end of my extended ascendant lifespan.

Beric yelled once more. "YOU PROMISE, CAPTAIN!" I sighed at his persistence.

"OF COURSE, I PROMISE!" I said as I softly landed on a building close to the luxurious compound in front of it.

Beric jerked upwards, straightening his back as he stood up from the ground after I released him from my grasp.

As I surveyed the two two-story wooden structures within the wide compound and the several small houses that encircled them, all concealed behind sealed gates, my mind raced to formulate a strategy to infiltrate the heavily guarded fortress.

According to what that man had said, the mad King had ordered for some of Azulioth's citizens to be captured and held behind restraints, and if I am lucky, Nina might also be there--

Fuck it!

Deep breathe in, then breathe out!

Drawing in a deep breath, I exhaled slowly, allowing my mind to clear and my nerves to steady. If I truly wished to uncover Nina's whereabouts, I could not approach this task with such a frenzied state of mind.

After repeating the same instructions to myself for five seconds and taking ten more to calm my racing thoughts, I turned towards Beric and posed the question. "Are you ready?" He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down before nodding his head emphatically. "Yes, captain, I am ready".

A smile crept across my face as I turned back to face the compound, activating 'Temporary space storage' and watching as Bones materialized from the invisible vortex and landed gracefully on my shoulders. With a sense of decisiveness, I sent a thought to Bones. 'Stay and follow Beric. I'll be going in alone'.

Bones squeaked and jumped on Beric's shoulder. I swore that I could almost see his spirit jump out of his body. Regardless, I said to him "I will let you and Bones go in together so that you can survey the other side of the compound, while I survey the other half. With him by your side it should be easy".

Sighing in relief, Beric responded. "Aye, Captain".

I nodded and channelled my magical energy throughout my body, preparing for what I was about to do next.

The mission was a go.

"WHOOSH!" I leapt into the air and headed towards the first building.

Peeking out of the corner of my eye, I could see Bones doing the same, but surprisingly, his paws held onto Beric's collar as they ascended high into the air.

Ouch! I don't think Bones fully thought through the landing plan for the man in his grip.

As I landed on one of the balconies on the second floor, the wind whipped around my lower waist, adding to the exhilaration of the moment.

Being an assassin would have been the best path for this mission, yet despite the allure of the "Assassin path," I found myself drawn to the tantalizing proposition of merging my "terrain creation" with the "terrain transformation" of the "Ranger path," allowing me to see into the future.

My ears twitched in alarm as I heard footsteps approaching, signalling the need for me to find cover. With no suitable hiding place on the open balcony, I quickly took refuge in a corner, ready to launch my attack at a moment's notice.

My imagination's clock began to tick in my mind, marking the seconds with a sense of urgency.

Three seconds... Four seconds….. Five. One second…..

Suddenly, a figure dressed in a white assassin's garb emerged from the shadows, blending seamlessly with his surroundings.

Seven. Two seconds... Without hesitation, my body sprang into action, moving with the precision and focus of a well-trained warrior. In just two seconds, I appeared directly in front of him.

Seven. Four seconds…. His eyes widened in shock. But it was too late. With a quick and calculated strike, my right hand plunged into his chest and extracted his heart, like a dead battery.

Seven. Six seconds... I remembered that assassins had two lives, making them difficult but not impossible to kill.

Seven. Eight seconds... But it was too late. A momentary lapse in my reaction time gave him the upper hand, allowing him to jump backwards and create some distance between us.

However, the fight was far from over.

Eight seconds... I quickly closed the gap between us, propelled by a sonic boom and unleashing a spear of flames from my bloody right hand without a second thought.

Eight. One second... In a flash of movement, the spear of flames penetrated his body, all it took was a mere millisecond for me to claim my victory.

Eight. Two seconds... That was all it took for my body to dart past his, causing his flesh and blood to explode in a gory mess.

Eight. Four seconds... Landing back on my feet, I was unscathed by the gruesome scene, the force of the explosion having pushed the remnants of his body away from me.

Suddenly, a voice screamed out in alarm, "INTRUDER!" Nine whole seconds had passed before I noticed a figure emerge from the shadows, his panicked cries echoing through the empty space.

Despite my desire to remain subtle and unnoticed going horribly wrong, I couldn't help but wonder if Beric and Bones were managing to maintain a more low-key approach.

Just then...

"BOOOM!!" A loud explosion followed by a heavy gust of wind that shook the area rang behind me. My ears twitched. The sound came from Beric and Bones's position.

I sighed heavily. Of course, I should have been expecting less from them.

"SWIIISSH!"

One minute and two seconds had elapsed since the mission was a go, when a sudden movement caught the corner of my eye. Reacting with lightning-fast reflexes, my body twisted backwards, bending in the air into an almost inhuman position, just as a sword slashed through the space where my head had been a split second before.

"CRACK!!" "BAAAMM!!"

The sound of steel clashing against wood echoed through the air as my opponent's blade met the ground, only to be met with an explosive force of wind magic that sent him flying. I conjured a blanket of fire, watching with grim satisfaction as he crashed onto the dense wooden floor, writhing in agony until the flames consumed him completely.

"INTRUDER!"

Startled cries of "INTRUDER!" echoed through the air as my magical energy surged, sensing the stampede headed my way. Even with the threat looming, I would have dashed forward, had I not known that the true dangers lurked within the shadows that writhed like water.

Luckily, I knew!

Without hesitation, I directed my magical energy towards the ground and commanded the very earth beneath the building to come to life and shake its foundations.