As soon as my skill activated it was almost like everything in my vision was covered in red.
A world of crimson entered my vision.
The man who was once practically invisible became shrouded in a glow of red.
But interestingly enough his hands were covered in visible blood.
Whispers erupted inside of my head.
Screams, cries, begs.
Please—
Don't—
My baby—
A cacophony of horrid noises invaded my consciousness, my soul.
I could instinctively feel it. The weight of this man's sins.
15 adults, 3 children.
This man was a murderer.
The strain was no joke. My eye felt as if it was being ripped out of my skull.
I could also feel a rapid drain of essence from my Stygian Heart.
Once I recovered from the immediate side effects of the skill I leapt into action.
I had maybe two full seconds before the blade reached Melissa's neck. Time that would've been less than half a second without Judgement's Eye.
I screamed at Melissa, "DUCK!"
The blade swept through empty air where her throat had been a heartbeat earlier.
Only a small cut appeared on her cheek where the edge had grazed her as she fell. A thin line of red. Millimeters from death.
The assassin shimmered into full visibility as his camouflage failed, forced into the physical world by the violence of his missed strike.
My hand was already on my revolver. I drew and fired in one smooth motion.
BANG! BANG!
Immediately two shots rang out as I quickly pulled on the trigger.
The first shot went wide—I'd anticipated that. The assassin was already moving, his body blurring with Stage 5 speed even through Judgement's Eye's slow effect.
Still faster than me. Even slowed by 73%, he's operating at near-Stage 3 speeds.
The second shot caught him in the shoulder.
Blood sprayed. The assassin's hand flew up to the wound, and I got my first good look at the damage.
Standing about 6'0 tall, he was wearing a full outfit of black covering every inch of his body.
He was also donning a mask with two eye slits, which revealed emerald green eyes.
I could see through his eyes a flicker of rage and my body immediately tensed up.
Not deep. The bullet had clipped the edge of his shoulder, tearing through tactical fabric and skin but missing bone.
Damn. Not enough to stop him.
The assassin's emerald eyes locked onto mine.
Then he moved.
The dagger came at my neck so fast I barely had time to react.
KEEN EYE!
My enhanced perception kicked in, slowing my perception of his movement just enough.
Left foot plants, weight shifts forward, shoulder drops—thrust incoming, aimed at throat—
I brought my revolver up instinctively—not to shoot, but to block.
CLANG!
Blade met gun barrel.
The impact resonated through my entire arm. The revolver shattered like glass against the enchanted blade.
Metal fragments sprayed across the room.
The entire gun is destroyed!
The force of the block sent me stumbling backward. The assassin pressed his advantage immediately, closing the distance
From the corner of my eye I noticed Melissa summoning her crossbow in a spark of white sparkles.
SHOONG!
The bolt screamed past my head, so close I felt the wind of its passage.
The assassin twisted mid-stride, barely dodging. The bolt punched into the wall behind him.
CRRSHHH!
The entire wall cratered. Stone and plaster exploded outward. The bolt embedded itself a foot deep, cracks spider-webbing across the surface.
Where the hell do I get one of those?!
The bolt trembled. Then—impossibly—it yanked itself free from the wall and whipped back toward the assassin like it had a mind of its own.
Homing enchantment. Tier 3 at least.
The assassin flipped backward, his body moving with inhuman grace. The bolt embedded itself in another wall with another massive crater.
The assassin assessed the situation in a fraction of a second. His emerald eyes flicked between me and Melissa, calculating threats.
Then he made his decision.
Melissa was the bigger threat.
But I was already moving. Already calculating.
He's committed to the attack. Full speed, full power. That means—
Judgement's Eye!
The pain in my eye doubled. Tripled. I tasted copper as blood vessels burst in my sclera.
Using that split second of hesitation, Melissa activated another skill.
Three ethereal arrows zipped out of her crossbow seemingly following a random trajectory.
The first arrow curved left, then right, following the assassin's attempt to dodge.
The second arrow went high, arcing toward the ceiling before diving down.
The third went low, skimming the floor.
KSHH!
Blood erupted. The arrow had punched clean through his thigh, severing muscle. The enchantment flared, and I saw ice crystals spreading from the wound.
Yes! A critical injury!
The other two arrows weren't meant to hit. They're area control. Limiting his movement options. She's quite scary!
"Melissa, advance!" I shouted.
As we advanced on him. The man faded into nothingness again.
Shit that camouflage skill!
I activated Judgement's Eye again, desperately searching for the crimson glow.
I could feel it, my essence was critically low.
There!
The red silhouette was moving—fast despite his injured leg. Circling around Melissa's blind spot.
He's moving and fast! Melissa definitely can't see him!
The cogs in my head turned frantically.
Think. What do I have? What can I use?
Physical objects. Environment. Melissa's skills.
My eyes landed on the tea kettle.
Still on the table. Still full of hot water.
That'll work.
In the split second before the assassin fully committed to his invisible strike, I grabbed the kettle.
The hot metal burned my palm. I ignored it.
Using every ounce of strength I had, I hurled it at the red silhouette.
"Melissa! Fire at the kettle!"
Confusion flashed across her face for a fraction of a second.
Then resolve.
She understood.
I can see where he is. She can't. But she can see the kettle.
And her arrows home.
Melissa's crossbow glowed with Essence. A massive arrow materialized—easily twice the size of the previous ones, crackling with energy.
That's a big skill. Final move type.
I used the last dregs of my Essence—the absolute bottom of my reserves to activate Judgement's Eye one final time.
I felt a vessel in my eye pop, a warm crimson liquid running down my cheek.
The tea kettle hit him square in the chest.
Hot water exploded across his torso—not enough to seriously injure, but enough to break his concentration.
His camouflage flickered. Failed.
He became visible for half a second.
Just long enough.
Melissa's massive arrow slammed into his chest with the force of a battering ram.
The impact lifted him off his feet and hurled him backward. He crashed into the wall with a sickening thud, the arrow punched completely through his torso.
His body crumpled. Fell forward onto a table.
The table collapsed under the impact.
He hit the ground. Limp. Unmoving.
Blood pooled beneath him, spreading across the floor in a dark crimson lake.
Pain crashed over me like a wave. My eye felt like someone had driven a spike through it. My head pounded. My Stygian Core was completely empty—a hollow ache in my chest.
I fell to one knee, gasping.
Melissa and I breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Then she fired another arrow into the assassin's head.
THUNK.
Just to be sure.
Blood poured from each wound on his body, mixing with the water from the spilled kettle.
"Jeez," I managed between gasps. "It's a bit barbaric to desecrate a corpse."
Melissa shrugged nonchalantly. "Can never be too safe."
She gave me a nod of acknowledgment. "Not bad. For Stage 1."
I palmed my face with a tired look and nodded back.
I forced myself to stand, ignoring the protests from every muscle in my body. Walked over to the corpse.
Time to work.
I immediately reached out and pulled off the man's glove.
On the back of his hand: a large 'IV' tattoo, pierced through by a knife symbol.
"Assassin Path user," Melissa said. "Stage 4, based on the marking style. Professional kill, not street thug."
"He was quite annoying," I muttered. "Like a mosquito that could turn invisible."
The thought made me shudder.
I peeled off his mask.
The face beneath was younger than I'd expected. Maybe twenty-seven, thirty at most. Black hair, cut military-short. Scars riddled his face—old ones, healed cleanly. Professional marks, not random street violence.
He must've been in the field for a while seeing that these scars are healed.
My hyperfixation of analysis kicked in as I immediately rummaged for more clues.
"Detective, why do you look as if you were a child that got a new toy?" She asked, quizzically.
"Shhh. I'm working." I replied quickly.
She sighed in.. disappointment?
I didn't care though, there was a mountain of evidence in front of me!
Finding the man's wallet I saw a thick wad of cash.
Quickly rifling through it, I estimated about 100 Golden Argentums!
I turned sheepishly towards Melissa. "Uhh.. Y-you think anyone would arrest me if I took this."
She looked at me as if I was trash. "Do as you wish."
Laughing nervously I pocketed the cash.
I mean this is just the fine you pay for attempting to take my life!
And Melissa too, I guess.
Dead men don't need money anyway.
I continued analyzing the wallet's contents.
Two items immediately stood out:
A betting slip from an underground fighting ring. The location was listed as "The Slash - Sub-Level 3." Dated two days ago. High stakes—500 Silver Argentum bet on a Stage 6 match.
The outcome was marked: WIN.
He won 500 Silver two days ago. And now he's carrying 100 Gold. Someone paid him very well for this job.
Finally.. The last thing in the wallet.
A small photograph, edges worn from repeated handling. The image showed a woman and a young boy, maybe six years old. The woman was smiling, the boy laughing. The boy had the same black hair as the assassin.
"What is it?" Melissa asked, watching me work.
"Connections," I said. "This wasn't some random street thug hired off the corner. This was a professional with resources, contacts, and..." I looked at the photo again. "Something to lose."
"These scars," I traced one along his collarbone with my finger. "They're not random. See how they're perfectly symmetrical? Ritual scarification."
Melissa leaned closer, genuinely intrigued despite herself.
"This pattern—" Melissa indicated a series of marks forming a specific geometric design across his chest, visible through the torn tactical gear. "This is Shadow Covenant training. They mark their operatives during initiation."
I continued my examination, checking his hands.
"And here." I turned his left hand over, even with the glove removed. "Calluses in very specific locations. See these? Knife work, primarily. Years of it. But also..." I indicated burn marks on his fingertips, recent and still pink. "These are chemical burns. Fresh, within the last month."
"Meaning?"
"He's been handling alchemical compounds. Probably poisons or acids. " I checked under his nails. "And there's residue. Blackish-purple tint. That's Nightshade Extract—highly toxic, used to coat blades for paralytic effects. One cut and your target is immobilized in seconds."
Or so I'd read.
I gestured to his equipment. "Custom-made tactical gear. Look at the stitching—hand-sewn, reinforced at stress points. This isn't mass-produced. This was made specifically for him."
"Tier 3 active camouflage artifact. These run about 30 Gold Argentum on the black market. The blade—"
I picked up the dagger carefully, noting the enchantment runes. "Tier 2 sharpness and durability enhancement. Probably another 20 Gold. Add the tactical gear, the pouches of tools and poisons..."
I calculated quickly. "Total equipment value: 60 to 70 Gold Argentum."
"I'll of course be seizing this for evidence."
Free stuff, hell yea!
I activated the Premier Detective System's Evidence Window.
[SCAN: Assassin's Body]
[ANALYZE: Combat Patterns & Equipment]
[CONNECT: Previous Evidence]
The system processed everything—the scars, the equipment, the wallet contents, the combat techniques I'd witnessed.
Within seconds, a comprehensive report materialized: