The Jackals' stronghold was hidden deep within the rusty iron corridors beneath the territory. A damp wind carrying the scent of blood and mildew rushed to meet him. When Morris burst through the iron door engraved with dark runes, a black-robed figure was sitting behind a stone table, wiping a poison-tipped dagger.
After a brief exchange, Morris grabbed the front of the black-robed figure's robe, his knuckles turning white. His mind was filled with Lovene's gentle face, and fear wrapped around his heart like a venomous serpent.
“What did you say? Once the commission is executed, there is no way to stop it?!”
The black-robed figure remained motionless, his voice as flat as a sheet of ice:
“My apologies, but those are our rules. The assassins dispatched have already gone out of contact, and we cannot call them off. You should have been well aware of this when you placed the commission.”
“But I don't want to kill her anymore!”
Morris roared, “I want to cancel the commission, immediately!”
“My apologies.”
The black-robed figure tilted his head slightly, his tone still completely devoid of emotion.
“Once the assassination fails and the assassins return, the commission will automatically terminate. You may wait patiently.”
“Wait patiently? What if the assassination succeeds?! She is innocent! I was wrong about her!”
The black-robed figure raised a hand and lightly tapped Morris's arm. The force was light, yet it carried an irresistible coldness:
“Then that has nothing to do with us. This is the commission you placed. Everyone must take responsibility for their own choices.”
“You...!”
Morris trembled with rage, but he knew that arguing any further was utterly pointless.
He violently shook off the other man and spun around to charge toward the corridor exit. There was no time to waste. He had to rush back and protect Lovene with his life.
...
Meanwhile, Lovene and Mia, who had just left the dungeon, were preparing to return to the parish of the Church of the Morning Light to avoid the assassination. Suddenly, the air grew tense, and a murderous aura pierced their skin like icy needles.
Two dark figures leaped down from the adjacent street, their black robes rustling in the wind. Disregarding whether there were civilians nearby, they instantly erupted with all their mana. The majestic, overwhelming pressure of Rank Five mana burst forth!
The crowd screamed and scattered in panic as the glass windows of nearby buildings shattered one after another. Their murderous intent locked onto Lovene, leaving absolutely no path of survival.
“Your Highness, stand back!”
Mia drew her sword in an instant, the silver-white blade clearing its scabbard with a sharp sonic boom.
The assassins did not waste any words. Brandishing their daggers, they charged straight ahead, aiming to eliminate Mia first before dealing with Lovene.
Mia, however, tapped her toe against the ground, her body darting forward like an arrow off a bowstring as she crossed her sword to block!
Clang!
The deafening screech of clashing metal rang painfully in their ears. Mia's arms went numb, and she was forced back three steps, her soles scraping two deep grooves into the ground.
The assassins fared no better. One of them stumbled back even further, nearly falling over, clearly having suffered a major setback in the clash of mana. However, they had the advantage of numbers; as soon as one retreated, the other stepped up to take his place.
The two of them coordinated seamlessly, one using brute force and the other agile grace, pinning Mia down completely.
Mia's sword shadows wove an airtight defensive web. The continuous clashing of blades and daggers echoed through the air, sending sparks flying in all directions.
Though she held her ground while fighting two opponents at once, she had no room to spare to protect Lovene. Seeing Lovene standing isolated and helpless nearby, her heart tightened, and she cried out:
“Your Highness! Run to the church cathedral! Don't look back! I'll hold them off!”
At this moment, within the entire territory, only the cathedral of the Church of the Morning Light was the safest place.
Lovene's face paled slightly. Not daring to hesitate, she lifted her skirt, turned around, and bolted toward the church.
Only after she had run far from the battlefield did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
What she did not expect, however, was that the Jackals were renowned precisely for their high assassination success rate. Just as she let her guard down, a short, dark shadow flickered around the corner of the street.
Clad entirely in black robes, the shadow had concealed his Rank Three mana to the absolute limit, resembling a lifeless stone. Only his eyes remained locked onto the fleeing Saintess, and the narrow-bladed dagger in his palm was coated with a deep blue, lethal poison.
The moment Lovene drew near the church cathedral, the dark shadow suddenly pounced!
Moving like a viper striking from its nest, his dagger let out a piercing screech as it tore through the air, thrusting straight toward the vital spot on Lovene's back!
Before Lovene could even let out a cry of alarm, the cold blade instantly pierced her long gown and sank into her soft flesh, the deadly poison rapidly spreading from the wound.
“Ugh...!”
With a weak groan, Lovene's body collapsed limply to the ground. The golden Holy Light dispersed from her fingertips, and her clear eyes lost their luster forever as blood dyed the cobblestone path beneath her red.
Her heart had been pierced clean through by the dagger.
Seeing that his strike had succeeded, the assassin immediately fled the scene. The two assassins fighting Mia received the news and, after a few feigned attacks, vanished from before her eyes.
Filled with a sense of dread, Mia rushed toward the church. Along the way, she found Lovene lying in a pool of blood.
“Your Highness!”
Screaming in terror, she gathered Lovene into her arms. Her hand trembled as she brought it to Lovene's nose, desperately trying to feel for her breath, but it was already too late.
Before long, Morris also rushed to the scene.
Upon seeing the lifeless Lovene, his heart felt as though it had been violently crushed by a giant hand.
He stumbled and fell to his knees, his hands propping himself up against the ground as remorse and agony flooded over him like a tidal wave:
“It was me... I was the one who killed you... I deserve to die! I truly deserve to die!”
Never could he have imagined that when he had been single-mindedly bent on killing the Church's Saintess, he had failed no matter what he did. Yet now, just as he had begun to understand and feel grateful to her, she had died because of his actions.
For the first time, he truly realized how fragile life could be.
As he knelt on the ground, the intense pain caused his heart to stop for a brief moment. Mia cradled Lovene's cold body, her head lowered and her eyes bloodshot.
She was deep in thought.
Seeing more and more onlookers gathering around, Morris forced himself to stand. Looking at Lovene's corpse, he said hoarsely:
“Mia, we should first...”
Before he could finish his sentence, he watched in sheer shock as Mia stood up and held her blood-stained sword against her neck. Then, the blade swept across her throat, spraying hot blood that dyed him crimson.
Amid his stupor, heaven and earth inverted. Time flowed backward. The fallen figures stood back up, the fleeing footsteps retraced their path, and the drawn blades retracted into their scabbards...
Ultimately, time froze precisely at the second before Mia, fighting against two, had urged Lovene to flee.
Mia's pupils shrank. The agonizing pain of death still lingered at her throat, and her mind was filled with the image of Lovene lying in a pool of blood.
This time, she no longer held back, a scorching flame igniting in her eyes.
As the assassin on the left slashed down with his scimitar, Mia neither dodged nor avoided it, taking the heavy blow head-on with her left shoulder!
With a sharp crack, the agonizing pain of fracturing ribs swept through her body. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, but using the momentum of the impact, she swung her sword in a backhand strike. Her Rank Five mana erupted, slashing fiercely across the assassin's chest!
“Ugh!”
The assassin shrieked as he was sent flying backward, crashing into the street and sustaining severe injuries. The other assassin was shocked. He thrust his dagger straight toward Mia's heart, but Mia spun to avoid it, slamming the flat of her blade hard against his wrist, sending his dagger flying from his grip.
Seizing the opportunity, she kicked the assassin squarely in the abdomen, sending him flying several meters away.
“Your Highness, quick, come with me!”
This time, she was determined to flee together with Lovene!
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