Chapter 22 Watching A Show

By this time, a strict order for my assassination had likely been issued in all branches of the guild, as I had openly declared war by approaching and killing a branch leader.

Fortunately, Ruby had already recovered from her injuries, and I had been shielding her from further stress by keeping her mind insensible. However, this may no longer be the case.

Since she believed that I would come to her rescue, had enough faith in me to gamble her life on plans. Thus, when I suddenly vanish when she is awake, she will likely take matters into her hands.

"<Ethereal Replication>", I invoked the Ethereal Replication, and a duplicate of myself materialized before me. Although it shared my personality, its intelligence was limited and it lacked the capacity for independent thought. It was immune to pain and would follow my commands without question.

"Listen up everyone", I announced as hundreds of shadowy figures emerged from the shadows surrounding me. "The assignment to take me out may seem like a matter of pride to them, but I want you to change that perception. Wipe out every branch of their guild. Leave no one alive. You have fifteen minutes." I spoke in a low, commanding tone.

"Make sure to leave a message indicating my readiness for their arrival," I stated.

All the figures faded away, leaving only my clone behind to carry out my commands.

"You'll hold up in my apartment, play it cool and confident, and get apprehended after you've served your payback, don't get caught easily, retaliate as much as you can, I've limited your powers".

I said as I gave his shoulder a firm squeeze before teleporting him to my penthouse. "Now, it's time for me to take a front-row seat and enjoy the show," I added, disappearing with a smirk.

--------[POV: Ruby Leplay]

Lying motionless on the hospital bed, I became aware of my existence, each beep from the monitor reminded me of my fragile state. Needles piercing my skin and a mask obstructing my vision, I knew I was in a hospital room. I realised I had somehow survived.

'I was right', I thought.

But as I tried to move, the reality of my paralysis hit me. I was trapped, unable to feel anything below my waist. I realised something peculiar. I could sense my life force, and it had doubled. Two hundred years' worth of life was instilled inside of me.

'Could someone from his circle possess the knowledge to transfer life force into a human being? as I had no friends, not even the reserved owner of the fast food joint'

But I pushed aside my doubts and focused on harnessing my newfound life force. Channelling it towards healing my eyes and regaining control of my body, I braced myself for the pain that was to come.

For what felt like an eternity, I endured the agony. And then, finally, a wave of relief washed over me as I felt every inch of my body come back to life. Rejuvenated, I cautiously opened my eyes, allowing them to adjust to the light of the room.

The sterile aroma of antiseptic filled the room as I reclined on the hospital bed, surrounded by the beeps of medical machines and walls of pure white. My gaze was fixed upon the ceiling as I struggled to process what was happening and pondered the passage of time. A soft shuffling sound caught my attention, and I turned to see a nurse entering the room.

Our eyes met, and I noticed a look of shock spreading across her face, causing her to drop the tray she was holding. Glass vials and syringes scattered across the floor as she prepared to cry out, only to be silenced by several sets of hands that encircled her.

I looked into her eyes as she was staring at me with a horrified expression, pleading with me to spare her life.

"You'll stay quiet about this right?", I asked.

She nodded with all the strength she had as she was struggling with the hands wrapped around her.

"But, what if you tell someone that I am awake?", I asked her tilting my head, she was a normal person, and would do anything for money without thinking about the consequences.

She tried to deny it by shaking her head indicating that she won't leak this information but I don't believe her, I would rather put my trust in a dead person than someone who would be swayed by a little wealth.

A hand pierced her from the back grasping her heart and crushing it. I stood up from the bed, stretched my body and approached her. Squatting down to meet her eyes, a huge smirk appeared on my face as runes crawled upon her skin turning her into my puppet.

Releasing her from my clutches, I stated, "Brief me about the events that occurred during the time I was unconscious".

"You were brought into the infirmary two days ago, the only people who visited you in that amount of time were Kael Hashirae, ranked one amongst first years and Karl Fischer, the academy administrator. Karl visited you for only two to three minutes whereas Kael stayed alongside you for the whole first day and left the flower bouquet kept by the side of your bed.

I don't know about the events occurring during the time of your meeting as I was asked to leave so that they could have some privacy", she said pointing at the bouquet of red roses kept beside my bed.

'That's cute', I thought.

"You can go now, and remember to act as you always do, just don't inform anyone about me being awake, am still in a coma", I said as she stood up, and runes disappeared from her body as she left.

I reached for the bouquet of blazing red roses he had left by my side while I underwent treatment. Bringing the blooms close to my nose, I inhaled deeply, relishing the fragrant aroma that wafted from their petals, a scent so powerful it echoed in my senses.

As I was admiring the roses I heard a quiet bustling sound from behind me and turned around only to see a letter with complicated letters and numbers written on it.

'An SS-ranked assassination order, only two of them have been issued in the history of the guild', I picked up the letter and deciphered it.

'Name, Kael Hashirae, Auror Rank- unknown, occupation- Student at Cypress, time limit- 24 hours, location- Sears Tower, Chicago'

As I perused the contents of the letter, a searing pain took hold of my chest, making it difficult for me to grasp the reality of the situation.

'This cannot be happening', I thought.

The issuance of only two SS-ranked orders has been recorded to date and both have been successfully executed without fail, no matter the cost. Henceforward, all members of the organisation - from new recruits to senior officials and executives - will be tasked with pursuing his life relentlessly.

With a knot in my stomach, I realised that the hit on him wasn't just from any ordinary assassins, but from the top echelon of the guild. My mind raced as I gazed upon the vast network of ten thousand assassins, with three thousand high-ranking members and fifty executives, all hunting for his life.

"This can't stand," I murmured to myself, quickly moving to the wardrobe. I rummaged through my clothing, retrieving a small storage ring.

With a flick of my wrist, I transformed into a figure draped in darkness, donning a black long coat with a hood, a black T-shirt, jeans, and shoes. I retrieved a suitcase, assembled an AK-5 and attached a scope. I reloaded the weapon and disappeared into the shadows.

--------[POV end]

"Excellent performance," I murmured, my gaze fixed on the unfolding events. I was sitting on the bench in Ruby's room right in front of her. She remained blissfully ignorant of my presence, never once sensing my observation.

"All right Ruby, let's see just how much you care about me," I said as I vanished, fully aware of her next destination.

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[A/N: I proposed to my crush yesterday, but now I am unable to look at her profile]