Timeless AssassinC371: A Close Call
Chapter 371: A Close Call
(Twin Fang Planet, Outer Housing Ring, Leo's Apartment, Early Morning, Fredrick's POV)
*Click*
Fredrick shut the door quietly behind him, casting a brief glance over his shoulder to ensure no eyes lingered on the corridor, before slipping on a pair of thin black gloves and walking deeper into the apartment with silent, measured steps.
Leo Skyshard had gone out for his usual morning jog, as he always did at precisely 6:30, giving Fredrick a clean ninety-minute window to scour the space without disturbance.
He began with the obvious, lifting the pillows, running a gloved hand under the mattress, and pressing lightly across the seams as he searched for hidden compartments or fabric bulges, brushing across every corner of the bed frame with the thoroughness of someone who had done this a thousand times before.
Then came the frame itself, as he crouched low and felt beneath the wood, dragging his fingers across its underside, listening for hollow knocks or the feel of embedded seals, but again found nothing out of place.
Moving toward the closet, he opened it slowly and began his inspection with the same methodical care, sliding his fingers through the folds of Leo's robes, feeling along the lining and tugging gently on the fabric's edge, before picking up a small spherical keychain that sat alone on the upper shelf.
He turned it in his palm, noting its weight and surface texture, then attempted to press it from all sides, waiting for it to spring open or a hidden mechanism to reveal itself, yet the object remained inert, showing no sign of deforming at all, as it just seemed to be a regular keychain with no mana signature, as far as he could tell.
He placed it back exactly where it had been, aligning the chain and letting it rest as naturally as possible, before shifting his attention to the daggers hanging in the closet.
He wrapped a hand around the hilts, lifted each blade gently, and tapped them against his knuckles, feeling for hidden compartments or mana-sealed channels, but everything about them appeared standard and unmodified.
His sweep moved next to the bathroom next, where he opened the shower cap, leaned in close, and tapped each tile one by one, applying light pressure as he verified that they were solid, unmoving, and free of illusion magic.
The drain cover was lifted, the inner lining examined, and still, there was no indication of anything hidden or out of the ordinary.
By the time he stepped back into the main room, his brow had furrowed slightly, as he took in the near-barren room once again, noting the lack of any large object that could account for the television-sized package Leo had received the day before.
There was nothing visible in the apartment that could match the dimensions of the delivery, nothing tucked behind furniture or stored against a wall, and that only left one possibility—Leo had either disposed of the package entirely, or more likely, he had stored it inside his storage ring.
And while there was nothing inherently suspicious about keeping a valuable item in one's personal storage, it did raise a flag.
Because if Leo had received something so large that he carried on himself at all times, then the Guild needed to inspect that storage ring before granting him access to the Vault.
"I can't give the boy a clean chit, but he's not a threat as far as I can discern. He's odd, but then again, all kids his age are odd–" Fredrick mused, as he moved out of Leo's apartment with the same caution that he came in with, and locked the door using the makeshift master key he had made, leaving no trace that he was ever there.
———–
Meanwhile, Leo, who was oblivious to him being under surveillance, came back feeling accomplished after a productive morning walk, where he spotted two trails of pink and one trail of blue in the air.
He had stored the frame and letters in his storage ring versus his apartment, only because he was paranoid about leaving such stuff in the open, where anyone could discover it, but he did not take the ball with him, as it was undetectable and harmless.
Thankfully, his paranoid caution played to his advantage, as despite having his apartment ransacked, he was not flagged as a threat, allowing him to enjoy a few more days of freedom, despite being under intense scrutiny.
*Unlock*
As he stepped back into his apartment, he remained oblivious to the search operation that had been carried out here just moments ago, as Fredrick had done a great job of covering his tracks.
"Time to workout, then shower—" he mused, as he removed his robes and dropped to the floor to start hitting pushups, while Fredrick typed his report for Antonio.
————-
*PING*
A message from Fredrick blinked to life on the embedded data slate built into Antonio's desk, as he leaned forward and read it with slow, deliberate patience.
[ > I thoroughly searched the apartment and found no illegal enchantments, artifacts, or evidence of cultist contact.
All visible belongings appear mundane—robes, weapons, personal hygiene items, and a spherical keychain object with no mana signature or mechanical triggers.
The boy lives alone, keeps his space sparse, and arranges it with the caution of someone expecting to be watched.
One thing to note: I found no large object in the apartment that matches the dimensions of the delivery he received yesterday.
Given the clean layout and absence of any storage furniture capable of housing such an item, it is likely the boy placed it into his personal storage ring.
If possible, I recommend a full ring inspection prior to granting vault access.
—Fredrick ]
Antonio sat back, rubbing the edge of his chin with two fingers as his thoughts circled back to the first time Leo had arrived at the headquarters.
He had already asked the boy to empty his ring once—right here in this very office—and Leo had complied without resistance.
Everything he'd taken out that day was personally scanned by him, so repeating the same request now would seem… excessive. Possibly even insulting.
"No, not yet," Antonio muttered under his breath. "The last thing I want is to spook him or tip him off."
He drummed his fingers once across the slate's glass surface before switching off the display, his mind already moving ahead to the solution.
The Vault had its own protocols. A full-body scan. Mana signature sweep. Inventory check, these were all standard measures for high-level clearance.
If Leo planned to enter the Vault, he would have to empty his ring again anyway, this time under guild supervision, and as part of procedure, so asking him to do it at random was probably unnecessary.
*Sigh*
Antonio exhaled slowly, letting the tension ease from his frame.
"The boy seems clean enough…. I'll ask for his inspection process to be even more rigid than usual, but other than that, I think I can let him enter."
He stood and walked toward the wide window, eyes scanning the guild's core towers once more as the early morning light painted them silver-blue.
"I won't stop him," he said softly, "but I won't give him a single chance to fool us either."
Because if Leo Skyshard really was after something dangerous…
Antonio would make sure the Guild saw through his schemes before he succeeded.
Contact - ToS
Timeless AssassinC372: The Long Awaited Video Call
Chapter 372: The Long Awaited Video Call
(Twin Fang Planet, Outer Housing Ring, Leo's Apartment, Two Days Later)
*Thud*
*Thud*
*Thud*
Leo's back arched upward before collapsing to the floor again, his breath steady and rhythm controlled as he completed yet another set of sit-ups.
Sweat beaded down his temple, pooling against the hollow of his collarbone, but his movements did not slow.
Despite having trained continuously for the past two hours, the explosiveness of his movements had not diminished in the slightest, a clear testament to how drastically his body had improved during his time in the Time-Stilled World, where the ambient mana was far denser than usual and had accelerated his physical development, especially considering that his previous limit before fatigue began to set in had barely reached forty-five minutes.
*Bzzzz*
*Bzzzzzz*
A sudden vibration from beside him made him lose count of his repetitions, as his neck stiffened and he paused the sit-ups.
The vibration came from his personal communication crystal, which he had set up beside him before starting to train, as today was the day when Mu Fan had promised him a video call with his family, to show him that the demands he had put forward had indeed been met by the Cult.
'I hope it's that call–' He prayed, as he reached for the communication crystal and channeled his mana through, to establish the connection.
*Gurgle*
His stomach rolled in anticipation when the call finally connected, as he could hardly hide the smile on his face, however, the face that he saw on the other side was not the same one that he had been expecting.
He expected to see one of his family members, but instead, he came across the visage of an unfamiliar uniformed man whose jaw was square, whose bearing was military, and whose tone left no room for negotiation.
"Your voice and video are both muted on this end, so you throwing signs or shouting at the top of your lungs will be for naught. What I am showing you is for viewing only," the man declared flatly, before rotating the orb he held in his hand, as the view shifted from his face to that of a large, gated property nestled between green hills and fortified walls.
"This property is built in the heart of the capital city of Vorthas," the soldier continued as his boots clicked sharply against stone, "once the estate of Dragon Derrick two hundred and fifty years ago. It now belongs to the Skyshard family, as per your request."
Leo leaned closer instinctively, his eyes locked to the scene unfolding before him, as he took in the view of his new house.
It was vintage style, with a lot of greenery and sculptures, and on first impression looked large enough.
'Not bad—' He thought internally, as his lips parted slightly but without sound.
*Step*
*Step*
He watched the soldier march with a military cadence, as one after another a couple security gates opened for him, allowing him to march unimpeded into the estate grounds.
*Salute*
*Salute*
Other soldiers along the path snapped to attention, saluting as the man passed. However, he didn't return the gesture. He simply walked, step after unwavering step, until he ascended a short staircase and stepped onto the porch of the mansion.
There, on the old wooden swing under the shaded overhang, sat a woman sharpening a blade with quiet, measured strokes, her movements fluid and unbothered, her eyes lifting momentarily to glance at the orb before returning to the steel in her hands.
That was Alia. His brother's girlfriend.
Leo's breath hitched in his throat. A soft smile broke across his lips as a genuine and uncontrollable warmth spread through his chest.
There were strands of silver now threaded through her once impeccable black hair, faint signs that the last two years had been probably cruel to her, yet her posture remained firm, her spirit unbowed, as she looked healthy and sturdy more or less.
The soldier paused to show her for a few seconds, before continuing on his tour.
He walked through the broad corridor of the mansion, entering the living room where Leo saw them both—his mother Elena and his father Jacob.
Elena looked gaunt. Her arms thinner than he remembered, the outline of her bones more visible beneath the worn robe she wore. She was holding Jacob's hand tightly, her knuckles pale from the grip, as if afraid that letting go might cause him to vanish.
Jacob sat quietly beside her, his right eye concealed beneath a thick gauze bandage stained faintly red and yellow, the signs of an unhealed wound obvious even from the camera's limited angle.
Leo's eyes softened as he saw them.
He felt the urge to rush up to his mother and hug her on the spot, but he knew he couldn't.
While he also felt a weird flicker of worry for his father's eye wound, as he wondered if he'd lost the eye or was it just scratched?
'I guess I'll find that out when I meet them soon enough…. They're alive, and that's enough for now—' He thought, as the feed shifted again, with the soldier now walking towards the mansion's kitchen.
*Sizzle*
Leo could hear a loud sizzling noise as soon as the soldier entered the kitchen, as inside stood a large man with gray hair in a stained apron, who seemed to be frying something on an open burner while arguing with a tiny creature perched on his shoulder.
Leo blinked, then burst into a quiet chuckle, unable to help the involuntary grin that stretched across his face.
"I'm telling you, Grandpa, the oil is not hot enough! The fish loses flavor the longer you heat it—" Dumpy complained in his tiny voice.
"And I'm telling you to shut up! I've been cooking fish before you were ever born, brat!" Ben fired back without looking at him, flipping the sizzling meat with a scowl.
Leo's laughter died only when Dumpy's tiny amphibian head tilted toward the soldier, his eyes sharpening with menace.
"I have tolerated your presence long enough, mongrel. Be gone from my sight now or prepare to fight."
The soldier didn't respond to the threat verbally, he only scoffed before turning as he made his way out of the kitchen and towards the passage that opened to the stairs leading upwards.
*Step*
*Step*
He climbed upstairs, before reaching another large corridor and turning left, as he approached a closed room and knocked softly before entering.
*Knock*
*Knock*
He pushed the door slowly, revealing a woman with brown hair seated at a cluttered desk, a flame spirit hovering beside her as she used a screwdriver-like tool to adjust the inside of some complex engine.
She turned with a blank look, confused.
"Want something?" She asked, as the soldier simply shook his head and left, leaving the brown haired girl to return to her work before the door clicked shut.
*GASP*
Leo felt his breath stolen when he caught the glimpse of his love, Amanda, as although the moment the camera showed her was brief, it was enough for him to know that she was okay, and that she looked as beautiful as ever.
An uncontrollable warmth spread inside his chest when he saw her, as he began grinning like a complete fool…. With his heart beating out of his chest.
'I'll be seeing you real soon. Babe–' he thought, as the soldier walked to the last and final door.
This one was different from the others, as outside this door stood a herd of medics, nurses and healers, with the entire space seemingly buzzing with tension.
"Excuse me," The soldier said as he pushed through the crowd and stepped into the dimly lit room, where there was a single bed and lots of machinery surrounding it.
Leo's pupils contracted.
On the bed lay Luke. Gaunt. Hollow-eyed. Barely breathing.
His ribs protruded sharply beneath skin that was tight and sickly, blotched with dark patches and festering wounds that never closed.
Scars ran across his neck, down his arms, curling like vines of pain etched into flesh.
Leo rose to his feet, not even aware he had done so. His fists clenched, and for a moment, the crystal trembled in his grasp, flickering with unstable energy as the overwhelming rage within him bled into his aura.
The soldier just stayed in the room for barely enough time to show Leo that Luke was alive, before walking back out.
"The agreement from our side has hence been completed. You may see them in person once your mission is done." the soldier said, his voice sounding as flat as ever, as he emotionlessly cut the call, the crystal ball in Leo's hands turning black as soon as the connection was cut.
"What…. Happened… To… My… Brother?" Leo spoke slowly, the murderous intent burning inside his chest turning into a volcano ready to erupt, as a powerful blood red aura enveloped him, unlike anything that had ever clung to him before.
At this moment, Leo finally understood why the Cult had decided to mute the call.
For this was one conversation that they probably did not wish to hold with him right now….
Contact - ToS
Timeless AssassinC373: Warning
Chapter 373: Warning
(Twin Fang Planet, Outer Housing Ring, Leo's Apartment)
The crimson hue that engulfed the room pulsed like a storm barely held in check, wild and chaotic as it licked against the apartment walls as if yearning to devour something… anything.
Leo stood amidst it, his fists clenched so tight that faint trickles of blood had begun to seep from where his nails dug into flesh, his breathing uneven and sharp, as if each breath he took was fighting a war of its own.
[Monarch's Indifference] trembled within him, the skill that had, until now, acted as an unshakeable wall between his emotions and actions, struggling to suppress the maelstrom that surged within his chest.
For the first time in months, its calming whispers faltered completely, unable to anchor him at all, as the image of Luke's scarred and hollow frame refused to leave his mind.
'What happened to my brother?' He wondered, as a million memories rushed forth like an unstoppable flood—Luke carrying him on his back through rain-soaked streets, shielding him from bullies in the alleys, rubbing his hair roughly while pretending to be stern but always laughing a second later.
That brother, who once stood as an unbreakable shield in Leo's eyes, now looked like a corpse that had forgotten to stop breathing.
"Who did this… who?" Leo whispered, voice low and dangerous, as if speaking louder might shatter something within him.
The blood-red aura around him flared once again, rising in sharp peaks like wildfire reacting to gasoline, as for a single heartbeat, he genuinely considered burning down the entire Cult with his bare hands.
His mind leapt to conclusions, venomous and rapid. Could it be them? Could this entire performance—the silent video call, the muted connection, the carefully curated presentation—have been a ploy to hide their own crimes? Were they the ones who had torn Luke down to that state, only now showing him as a grotesque form of leverage?
Images flooded his mind. Mu Fan lying in a pool of her own blood. Cult operatives screaming as their throats were opened with surgical precision. A trail of corpses left in his wake like he used to do in the VR game Terra Nova Online, back when justice had no face….. just a black and white striped mask.
But then, his breath hitched and his rational side caught up.
He didn't know anything yet.
There was no confirmation. No context.
The injuries could have been from before. They could have come from someone else entirely. For all he knew, the Cult might even be trying to keep Luke alive—maybe they were stabilizing him, healing him slowly, trying to prepare him for the return Leo had demanded.
Maybe… maybe it was not as bad as it looked.
Maybe by the time he returned to Vorthas, Luke would be awake again. Laughing. Eating with them. Fully healed, with all that pain wiped clean from his body, like a bad memory they'd soon forget.
He couldn't afford to spiral. Not now.
'No. I can't be hasty to reach conclusions right now. I'll be with them soon enough, and I'll know the truth then.
Until that moment, I need to stay sharp. I need to finish this mission, so that when I do return home, there will be no more chains, no more conditions, no more waiting. Just me and them… finally free.' He thought, as his heartbeat slowed, his grip loosened, and the air around him calmed.
The crimson aura, once wild and threatening, slowly receded, melting into the silence of the apartment as if it had never been there at all.
And with it, the boy who had nearly lost control found himself again. Steadier. Colder. Focused.
The fire still burned within him, but now it burned with purpose—clear, sharpened, and unwavering—as he found himself more driven than ever before to complete the heist and reach Planet Vorthas with every ounce of speed he could muster, for nothing else in the universe seemed to matter as much as that did now.
—————–
(Elsewhere, Mu Clan Controlled Planet, Secure Communication Room)
Mu Fan sat still, her hands trembling slightly as she held the communication crystal close to her lips, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"How could you allow this to happen?" she asked, her throat tightening around every syllable, her brows furrowed in horror.
"Luke is a Dragon Candidate himself… and you just pushed him to the edge of death?"
A moment passed before the crystal flickered, revealing the indistinct silhouette of the Twelfth Elder seated within a dim, stone-walled chamber, his posture relaxed, but his eyes devoid of sympathy.
His voice emerged cold and detached, as if the boy's condition was nothing more than collateral.
"I don't directly oversee the training cell responsible for his regimen," he replied flatly, his tone tinged with indifference. "But results speak for themselves. Just a few days ago, Luke achieved a breakthrough into the Grandmaster realm. The training worked."
Mu Fan's grip tightened on the crystal, her eyes wide with anguish as she struggled to remain composed.
"He's barely alive," she muttered, her voice thick with accusation.
"Yes. He exhausted himself completely in the process," the elder continued without pause, as if reading from a report. "Fourteen months of being on the run, hunted across star systems… the toll was bound to surface. His breakthrough came at the cost of severe internal damage. His mana circuits are in shambles, yes, but it's nothing permanent. The healers are already tending to him. Once his circuits are mended and his body stabilized, he'll recover."
Mu Fan looked away from the crystal for a moment, a hand covering her mouth, before slowly shaking her head as her voice returned, quiet but urgent.
"You don't understand the damage you're doing," she said.
"I know Leo…. I know the attachment he has to his family, and if Leo sees him like that… if he sees his brother in that state with no clear explanation…There will be hell to pay.
He will begin to see the Cult as his enemy and there will be nothing that we could do to convince him otherwise." she warned, as this time, the elder paused, his fingers steepling in thought before a faint smile crept into his voice.
"Yes. That's precisely why, when Luke wakes up… the only memories he will have will be of being pursued and tortured by the righteous faction. Not us," he clarified, his voice calm and disturbingly methodical.
"So when Leo finally meets his brother again, his fury will fall where it should, which is upon our enemies."
"Don't worry," the Twelfth Elder added, his voice fading as the crystal dimmed, "I've thought this through, I wasn't born yesterday and I know how to keep my Dragon Candidates alive and in check."
*Click*
The call ended, and the light of the room grew cold once more, as Mu Fan remained seated in silence, the crystal still clutched in her hand like a dying ember of hope.
Her thoughts raced, but her face remained unreadable, save for the faint tremble in her jaw and the way her nails dug into her palm.
She had seen the Cult's ruthlessness before, had even accepted its necessity in dark times.
But this…
This felt different.
If they were willing to rewrite a boy's memories just to weaponize his pain… then how were they any different or less evil than the righteous faction they hated?
A slow chill settled in her chest, deeper than fear—colder than dread—as for the first time, Mu Fan began to wonder if the very Cult she'd sworn to protect might one day become the enemy she'd have to face.
Contact - ToS
Timeless AssassinC374: Contingency Measures
Chapter 374: Contingency Measures
(Twin Fang Planet, Outer Housing Ring, One Day Before the Heist)
The wind outside howled softly through the cracks in the glass windows, but Leo sat unmoved on the edge of his bed, shirtless and cross-legged, his eyes fixed not on the world around him but on the shifting canvas of thought that unfurled within his mind.
It had been a long day of planning, and tomorrow promised to be longer still.
He had absolutely no idea about the exact internal security procedures that the Black Serpents Guild had in place to access the vault, and it was a situation that left him feeling uneasy.
There seemed to be no concrete information on what security measures one had to go through to access the vault, as apart from the guildmaster and vice guildmaster, the vault was almost never accessed by anyone else.
So instead, he had to fill the gaps in his knowledge with the next best substitute he could find, which was researching the security measures of other top-tier bank vaults across the universe, and understanding what protocol was typically followed when one tried to access them.
A brief trip to the Black Serpents' internal library had yielded a collection of obscure tomes and first-hand records about past heists on secure vaults scattered across the galaxy.
And while the names and locations differed, the procedure before one could access the vault was always more or less the same.
A full body pat-down and advanced scan was standard protocol.
Almost no serious organization skipped this step, as they had to ensure that nothing foreign made its way in or out.
'This is the most obvious part, yet the idiots at the Cult who assigned me this mission forgot about it,' Leo silently cursed, as he recalled how the Cult had expected him to slide into the vault holding a giant 4 foot frame without a proper plan, as if doing so was as easy as killing a mosquito by hand.
However, thankfully, a competent blacksmith had given him a way out.
The second protocol was that storage items, including rings, pouches, or dimensional scrolls, were never permitted inside.
The risk was too great. Items could be smuggled out. Or worse, detonated from within. Which meant that there was a very high likelihood his storage ring would be confiscated before he entered, only to be returned once he exited the vault with a single item in hand.
'This much was common sense, but I guess I can't make any plans that make use of my storage ring,' Leo concluded, as he waved this second protocol off as a minor inconvenience.
The third protocol, however, made things slightly trickier.
Some institutions employed arcane detection spells that could sense hidden runes or sigils inscribed directly onto one's skin or beneath one's robes, to ensure that no individual carried hidden enchantments or tools.
In such cases, the entrant was often ordered to strip, to prove they bore no such enhancements.
However, having no such suspicious markings or tattoos on his body, Leo was not particularly worried about this step either.
As it was rather the fourth and fifth protocols that truly concerned him.
As according to the books he read, entrants to secure vaults were often asked to take a vomit potion before entering, as they were required to spill their guts out before being granted entry.
This step was implemented to ensure that no one carried a hidden object within their throat, chest cavity, or stomach.
Which meant that his initial plan to swallow the keychain ball shortly before heading to the vault and then vomiting it back out was no longer viable.
Which also meant that his only backup plan now was to swallow the keychain twelve hours prior to the heist and then push it out from the other end.
'I hate it,' Leo thought, as it was simply a demeaning and undignified thing to do, however, it remained the safest option available.
Still, while the fourth protocol was a solvable inconvenience, the fifth was a problem that could only be left up to fate.
For if the Serpents stationed an observer inside the vault, whether it be a guard, a high-ranking officer, or even a surveillance camera, it would be enough to nullify the entire mission.
Because even if he successfully extracted the key, and even if he managed to stay calm under observation, there would be no opportunity for him to set up the dimensional portal as instructed by Master Argo if there were eyes watching him the entire time.
Hence, if such a watcher was indeed present, Leo knew better than to risk his life by attempting to execute the plan anyway, as he decided that retreat would be the only logical course of action in that case.
For now, life still mattered more than pride, as he understood that a dead self could not protect his family.
However, while security protocol five was very difficult to work around, it was also very rarely implemented.
Most organizations did not allow their guards to witness what lay beyond the vault gates—not because they trusted the visitor, but because they trusted no one.
Guards were expendable. Secrets were not. And so the chance of being watched inside was minimal, though not entirely impossible.
And that information gave him some comfort.
————-
After thinking about what could go wrong with the heist, Leo's mind shifted next to planning his escape route.
Contrary to popular dramatics, he didn't intend to disappear the moment he claimed his reward.
That would only raise alarms.
Instead, he planned to linger, to mingle, to act like a proud student who had simply collected his rightful prize.
Then, a few hours later, he planned to pretend to make an excited return trip to Planet Rodova—an act he'd rehearsed in his mind a dozen times already.
Once aboard the private transport ship, likely carrying him alone, he would strike by taking out the pilot quickly, before reprogramming the ship's flight path to divert toward a predetermined dead zone in deep orbit.
As once he arrived there, a Cult transport vessel would already be waiting to collect him, as per their already arranged agreement.
From there, the course was simple.
To Vorthas, directly, to meet his family once more.
However, if anything went wrong—if suspicion fell on him prematurely, or if he failed to take the reward without drawing attention—he would abandon the flight and stay grounded on Twin Fang, playing the role of an innocent guild member.
He did not mind staying on Twin Fang for an extra week or two, but he wanted his exit to be quick and clean.
For he did not wish to be caught in an inter-galactic speed chase.
"I guess tomorrow is going to be another stressful day," Leo mused to himself, as until now, he had not even thought about what prize he would claim from within the Black Serpents Vault.
He had been so busy planning the heist, that his mind had not even paused to think about the legal reward he could walk out with.
As right now, the completion of the mission seemed to be the only reward he cared about.
Note- Fredrick did follow Leo to the library, however, he did not follow Leo to the exact section within the library that he went to read, as moving into such close proximity would have revealed his presence to Leo and alerted him about a tail.
Contact - ToS
Timeless AssassinC375: Security Check
Chapter 375: Security Check
(Twin Fang Planet, Black Serpents Guild Headquarters, Vice Guildmaster's Office, Morning of the Heist)
*Ring* *Ring*
*Ring* *Ring*
The in-built data slate inside Antonio's desk rang, as Antonio received a call over the guilds inter-comm system.
"Vice Guildmaster," came the crisp voice from the security wing, as the guard who made the call sounded unhurried and composed.
"The boy has arrived at the gate. We are awaiting clearance." He informed, as Antonio, seated behind his broad desk, reached forward slowly, clasping his fingers as he leaned in towards the data slate.
"Allow him in," Antonio said, his voice measured and authoritative, as if he had come to this conclusion after a lot of thought.
"Ensure that all protocols are followed," he added, his tone deeper now.
"Every guideline I sent you. I want it all followed to the T. You understand?" He emphasized, as there was a brief pause on the other end, followed by a sharp "Understood." as the call disconnected.
Antonio had tried his best to find a way to deny Leo entry into the Vault over the last 14 days, however, in the end, he found nothing against Leo that could disqualify him from entering.
Hence, when the 14th day was finally up, he finally gave Leo permission to enter.
—-----------
(Minutes later, On the streets of the inner ring, Leo's POV)
Leo walked silently between two Black Serpent operatives, their uniforms matte-black with only a violet insignia marking their affiliation to the Guild.
This was the first time that he had seen a guild member wear such colored insignia, as he assumed they were part of some special wing that he wasn't aware of.
They didn't speak. They didn't glance his way. They simply guided him from the missions hall towards the guild headquarters with eerie silence.
Despite trying several times, Leo failed to discern their strength level, which seemed to be obscured by some aura hiding artefact on their body, which was a shame, since it made him unsure about whether or not he could take them on in a fight.
Then, as they arrived at the headquarters building, the trio quickly moved past the standard checkpoints without so much as a nod from the regular guards, as they made their way towards the private elevators lobby.
This was the same lobby that Leo had entered when he was escorted to meet the vice guildmaster, however, this time, instead of the second elevator that led to the vice guildmasters office, they seemed to wait for the third one, which was the furthest to the right.
"Wait–" one of the two operatives said, as he stepped forward and withdrew a thin, blade-like token from a hidden sheath in his belt, before inserting it into a vertical slit just beside the third elevator.
*Buzz*
A brief flicker of white light rippled across the door's surface as it recognised the token and parted with a glide, allowing the trio to step in.
*Elevator Music*
Elevator music started playing as soon as the trio stepped into the elevator and the doors closed shut, as Leo patiently waited for the motion to start.
However, to his surprise, it never did.
Minutes passed by, and he felt no motion, no lurch, no jerk.... Nothing to indicate that the elevator was moving at all, which genuinely perplexed him?
It was a descent without descent.
A journey without motion.
As he couldn't be sure whether they were teleporting, falling, or simply being reassembled elsewhere.
And yet, the longer he stood there, the more his ears began to thrum, as a subtle shift in pressure made the bones in his jaw tighten and his temples ache ever so slightly, signaling that they were, in fact, going down, and quite possibly too much down.
Then, after what seemed like 10-12 minutes within the elevator, the doors suddenly slid open without a sound, and what greeted them was a corridor cast in soft, unnatural white light, that stretched forward with no markings, no decorations, and no sound.
Called 'Basement Level V', this floor had no signboards or grand entrances.
Because those who came here already knew where they were going.
—-----------
(Basement Level V, Black Serpents Vault, Pre-Security Chambers)
What followed was a series of redundant yet precise checks— first, the two operatives flanking Leo underwent their own scans, providing biometric data and retinal verification as the system accepted them without protest.
Then, and only then, did the inner gates unlock with a slow hiss, revealing the chamber Leo had known would come but still found himself quietly dreading.
The inspection room.
It was colder here. Not by temperature alone, but by design, for he felt no warmth in the stone and found no charm in the layout.
What he found were just clean walls, a single long counter filled with magical detection instruments, and one woman standing with her arms crossed behind her back.
She was tall, taller than Leo by a few inches, with an athletic build wrapped in a form-fitting black uniform with a violet serpent's guild insignia pressed into the chest, just like the guards flanking him.
Her face bore no hint of makeup, her copper-brown skin smooth and severe, while her eyes looked sharp like twin daggers that missed nothing.
She approached him without preamble.
"Spread your arms," she ordered, her voice firm and toneless, as she pulled on thin inspection gloves and stepped forward.
Leo obeyed without a word, spreading his arms wide as she began the full-body pat-down with clinical precision. Her fingers moved along the contour of his chest and sides, pressing into the muscles of his abdomen and hips as she circled behind him.
She moved with a strange detachment, neither shy nor aggressive, but with a focus born of procedure, not curiosity.
Yet Leo couldn't help but feel the tension coil in his shoulders as her fingers brushed over his spine, pressing into the hollow between his shoulder blades, then sliding down the back of his thighs and calves.
Her hand briefly lingered near the small of his back.
"No concealed sheath or scabbard," she murmured more to herself than anyone else.
She stepped around to his front once more, picked up a mana detection wand from the desk, and brought it to his sternum.
"Hold still," she instructed, as the device calibrated with a slow hum, aligning with the natural pulse of his mana.
A few seconds passed.
"No foreign mana detected, no unusual pulse spikes," she muttered again, before placing the device down and glancing at the guards.
"Turn around and face the wall."
The two men obeyed instantly.
"Strip completely," she said to Leo, her eyes never blinking.
He hesitated only a second, then pulled his shirt over his head and stepped out of his pants.
The Underwear did not go initially, but after intense pressure by the woman's unbroken gaze, he eventually took it off too.
She stepped closer, eyes scanning his skin with a soldier's discipline, as her fingers trailed along his arms, inspecting the folds at his elbows and wrists, then his torso, before tapping near the ribs and sternum as if listening for false panels.
Finally, she knelt before him, running her hand along his inner thighs, lifting gently, before cupping beneath the fold where thigh met hip.
Her hands moved with no hesitation, palms brushing his rear, fingers pressing in without shame as she checked between the cheeks, her gaze locked onto his the entire time with the cold detachment of someone who had done this hundreds of times before.
Leo forced his face to remain neutral, but his mind, trained though it was, could not help but wince inwardly.
'This has got to be one of the most degrading moments of my life,' he thought, as her hand briefly lifted to his chin, turning his face to the left and then to the right, as if confirming that even his ears bore no sigils.
As, at last, she stepped back, removed her gloves, and gave a short nod.
"Clear," she said simply, as she tossed Leo a new set of robes, and asked him to change into them.
These robes looked like a patient's medical gown, that was 50% transparent under light, and had no folds to hide anything tiny or large, as the guild seemed to be very thorough in how they allowed a visitor to enter the vault.
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Timeless AssassinC376: Entering The Vault
Chapter 376: Entering The Vault
(Basement Level V, Post-Inspection Chamber, Seconds Later)
Leo stepped through the sliding door of the inspection chamber, now wearing the semi-transparent cotton gown that clung uncomfortably to his skin, as the cold air of the next room prickled across his chest and thighs.
The two violet-marked operatives followed close behind, their steps silent as ever, as they ushered him forward into a narrow sterile passage that curved slightly to the left.
At the end of this corridor was a steel-lined alcove housing a single metal stool, atop which rested a sealed crystal vial filled with an iridescent green liquid that shimmered faintly under the dim overhead lights.
"Drink it," one of the operatives instructed, his tone clipped but not unkind.
Leo stepped forward, lifted the vial, uncorked it, and without ceremony, tipped it into his mouth.
The taste was foul.... thick, acrid, and vaguely metallic, like rotting copper mixed with seaweed, as within seconds of swallowing, his body reacted violently.
His stomach lurched as bile surged up his throat, and he staggered to his knees beside the metal stool just in time to vomit onto the grated floor.
*Hurk—*
The first heave brought out a stream of clear liquid, followed by a second that dragged up thicker globs of translucent stomach acid, all of which hissed faintly as they hit the enchanted drain before slipping in glob after glob.
*Hurk—*
A third heave yielded nothing but a sharp pain in his ribs, as Leo coughed hoarsely and wiped his lips with the back of his wrist, his body trembling from the convulsion.
Yet when it passed, he stood back up, breathing heavily but steadier, his face pale but his eyes sharp.
'Oh thank the lord I did not go with the vomit plan, or I would have been exposed right here,' he thought, feeling oddly satisfied by his decision to swallow the keychain 12 hours prior, as his backup plan, as undignified as it had been, had succeeded.
The two operatives observed his vomit closely, but once they found nothing of note, they glanced at each other, before motioning him forward once more.
They passed through a final security archway, its curved rune-etched frame pulsing a soft white as it scanned Leo's body one last time.
When no alarm sounded, the final door unveiled itself, splitting down the middle with an airy hiss.
Beyond which lay the true passageway to the vault.
—--------
*Step*
*Step*
Walking down the narrow 100 feet corridor leading towards the vault door, Leo felt an odd pressure pressing down on him.
This passageway had no guards, however, it felt like it had a decoy wall.
As he felt a constant uneasiness that something lethal would spring out of the wall, the moment someone who wasn't supposed to be here tried to be here.
However, it was an instinct he was never able to verify, for very soon, he reached the vault door.
The vault door was massive at about 40 feet tall and twenty five feet wide, and seemed to be made from a metal that Leo did not quite understand.
Its surface glowed faintly with golden sigils that constantly rearranged themselves like living scripture.
Its perimeter bore no keyhole, no panel, no code to open the vault, and only had a smooth metallic ring and three thin indentations that seemed to serve no obvious mechanical purpose at first glance.
"Wait–" One of the operatives said, as he pulled out the same blade-like token he had used earlier, though this time, he unsheathed a second one from his companion and slotted both simultaneously into the indentations flanking the main seal.
A soft *click* echoed.
Then the two of them pressed their palms onto a glyph panel that shimmered into view above the vault's surface.
A low mechanical groan echoed through the walls, followed by a deeper, more primal sound—a guttural *HISSSSS*— as the pressure within the chamber shifted, sucking the air slightly inward before stabilizing.
The vault had de-pressurized, and its end suddenly popped out of the surrounding wall, as it automatically opened to about 15 degrees, just wide enough for a man to enter.
Once the vault opened, the two guards immediately stepped back in unison and turned their backs to the vault door, as they did not dare even peek at what was inside.
"You have thirty minutes to make a choice once you're inside," said the one to his left.
"The air within will only last for thirty minutes," said the one to his right.
"After that, this gate will seal shut," the left continued.
"And you will be trapped inside with no way to breathe, no way to escape, and no one to save you," finished the right.
"So make your decision within the time limit, and return before your breath runs out," the left concluded while still facing away.
Leo gave a short nod.
"I understand," he said, his voice level.
Then, without hesitation, he stepped through the opening gate, crossing the threshold into the vault.
The air inside was cool, impossibly still, and smelled faintly of copper and ancient parchment.
*Thud*
The vault door slid shut behind him with an almost tender finality, and a glowing green panel with the word 'Open' appeared on the back end of the door, as a countdown for 30:00 minutes began.
Leo assumed that tapping that 'Open' sign would allow him to exit, as he clapped his hands and thanked the gods for having this place to himself, as at least, he had no physical guard present to keep watch over him.
'No observers, if there are no cameras either, I will be gucci to carry on with the heist plan' he noted instantly, scanning the interior of the vault as his gaze swept across the floor, walls, and ceiling.
The space was vast, far more expansive than he had expected, like a hollowed-out dome carved into the underbelly of the Earth itself.
Tall shelves lined the outer edges, stacked high with relics, weapons, and metallic ingots sealed behind reinforced mana-glass.
Rows of illuminated pedestals filled the center of the room, each bearing a different artifact, suspended in gentle stasis fields.
Scrolls that glowed with runic chains.
Swords that shimmered with folded elemental layers.
Jewels that pulsed like sleeping hearts.
It was, without a doubt, the greatest display of magical abundance he had ever laid eyes upon.
And yet, Leo ignored all of it.
Because his eyes were not here to admire.
His hands were not here to take.
His mission was not to claim a prize but to complete the heist set-up he was here for, so he squinted and stepped forward cautiously as he scanned the walls for anything unusual such as cameras, floating mana eyes or sound detection runes, but no matter how deeply he peered, the room gave nothing away.
There seemed to be no mana artefacts embedded into the walls, no whisper of surveillance, no trace of a presence that could betray his next move.
But just to double check, he used [Absolute Vision] to perform a deep scan as well, and while the mana artefacts in the room glowed with insane mana energy, the actual walls came back as nothing but reinforced metal walls, with no hidden devices in them.
It was as if the black serpents, in their arrogance, that no-one could ever make it this far, did not bother to include that security feature.
And so, Leo exhaled slowly, rolled his shoulders, and got to work, for the timer on the wall was already down to 28:20.
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Timeless AssassinC377: Relief and Suspicion
Chapter 377: Relief and Suspicion
(Basement Level V, Inside the Vault, Timer: 28:19)
"Got to start working... Step 1, retrieve the damn keychain," Leo muttered to himself, as his face flustered red just at the thought of what he was supposed to do next.
He glanced around again, eyes narrowing, as he once again made sure that there were no recording devices watching him....
As although he had already confirmed that he was in the clear with [Absolute Vision], the idea of doing the deed openly, still made his skin crawl.
'I know no one's watching. But still this—'
He couldn't bring himself to do it in plain sight.
This had always been the worst part of the plan for him, as he had secretly hoped that there would be a guard keeping watch so that he never had to complete this part, however, fate seemed to have other plans.
It seemed like today, fate itself wanted him to perform the humiliating act of pulling a swallowed object out from the one place that no self-respecting person ever wanted to reach into.
And to top it all off, he had to do it alone, in a room filled with priceless artefacts and reinforced mana-glass pedestals, that were each worth at least a few hundred million MP.
'I'll die from embarrassment if Chaosbringer or anyone from The Uprising ever finds out that the mighty 'boss' once took a dump in a treasure vault,' he thought grimly, as just the thought made him shiver involuntarily.
'I know I probably don't need to, but it's still probably best to go ahead with the contingency I planned, for the sake of my own self respect....' Leo thought, as he dashed towards the nearest object, while simultaneously using [Mirror World] as he summoned a perfect clone that instantly mimicked his posture and expression.
Then in that same split second, he activated [Vanish], shrouding his real body in invisibility as he crouched low, and went the other way from where the clone was heading, hiding himself behind one of the artefact pedestals, as he squatted in dumping position.
On one hand, the clone took over, walking with a natural gait, hands behind its back, as it inspected the stasis fields and the magical items on display with calm interest.
And on the other, the real Leo pulled his robe aside, crouched lower, and braced himself mentally.
'Alright. Let's just do this. Easy. Quick. Clean.'
He pressed both hands against the cold metal floor, took a deep breath, and began to apply pressure—slow, deliberate, and increasingly awkward.
His jaw clenched. His legs trembled slightly, while the gown clung unhelpfully to his thighs.
'God, this is the most humiliating thing I've ever done.' He thought, as seconds passed, but nothing happened.
He pushed again.
Still nothing.
And then—
*Plop*
A soft metallic sound hit the ground beside him, and Leo almost sighed in relief before he even looked down.
There it was. The small, black keychain, covered in a thin layer of mucus, but thankfully, only mucus.
'Praise be to the gods of digestion,' he thought, as he picked it up with two fingers, carefully avoiding direct contact, and immediately activated [Dark Flame] to burn and cleanse the object.
*Woosh*
He was careful to not damage it, only activating the flame for a split second before stopping, as he ensured that the enchantment on the small keychain remained intact.
'Yep, Never doing this again,' Leo concluded, as he did not even feel proud of what he achieved, as he instead preferred to scrub this memory out of his mind forever.
Then, without wasting another second, he straightened his spine, took another deep breath, and began scanning the vault for the best place to set up a Dimensional Portal, as after looking around, he saw a few empty object pedestals in a corner, which were probably capable of suspending an object in upright stasis, but were currently out of commission, because they had no treasure to hold.
'That seems perfect!' He concluded, as disguising the frame like a treasure felt like the best course of action to take.
Twenty-seven minutes left.
He noticed on the clock, as he hurriedly made his way towards one of the empty pedestals, and began activating the keychain in his hand, so that he could pull out the mana frame from inside it, as instructed by Master Argo.
—-----------
Meanwhile, back at the upper levels of the Guild Headquarters, Antonio leaned back into his leather chair with his legs propped lazily over the polished long desk, as in one hand he held a half-filled porcelain cup, and in another, a small gold-framed artefact, which looked like a mirror no wider than a palm, but with glowing runes etched along its sides.
The glass shimmered faintly with green and gold as it pulsed in sync with his mana, showing a perfect bird's-eye view of the vault chamber below.
He swirled the tea in his cup, watching Leo's movements with mild interest.
"Hm... he's scanning the ceiling first thing, is he?" Antonio mused aloud, as his fingers tapped the rim of the cup twice.
"Can't say I'm surprised. Assassins love to map the kill zone first."
He gave a low chuckle and sipped from the cup, his eyes never leaving the reflection.
"Looking for a camera? It was never in the walls, kid," he whispered, amused.
The mirror in his hand was a (Semi-Divine) artefact that could show him the birds eye view of any place he had personally visited in the past 6 months, regardless of how far away it was.
And since Antonio had been to the vault in the past 6 months, he could see every action Leo performed in there clear as day.
He watched as Leo after searching the space for cameras, burst into a blur of motion, rushing towards the left most artefact in the room, as he paused only when he reached it, before beginning to lean over it, as he read the description plate attached below.
On one hand, it looked fine, nothing too suspicious, but on another, something about his sudden motion felt... off.
For the briefest moment before he began to run, barely a split-second, his form seemed to flicker unnaturally, like a ripple of water beneath moonlight.
To Antonio's trained transcendent eyes, it looked like a split.
But with the mirror in his hand showing only 120 frames per second, he couldn't be sure of what he saw, like he would have, if he were watching this unfold live before his actual eyes.
"The hell?"
Antonio's smile faded slightly as he leaned in, narrowed his eyes, and tapped the side of the mirror twice.
The feed remained perfectly stable.
No glitches.
No more random splitting.
And yet, what he had just seen was unmistakable.
"Hm... Am I being too paranoid?" he muttered, his voice lower now, eyes sharp.
"Or did the kid just try something funny?"
He sat still for a long moment, weighing the variables in his head.
Then he sighed and stood up slowly, placing the mirror gently back into its velvet-lined case.
"Better to be safe than sorry," he said, walking around his desk as his longcoat brushed the sides of his boots.
The elevator ride to reach the vault would take a long time, because first, he had to go down to the lobby, then a switch to Elevator 3, and from there, a full descent to Basement Level V took a minimum of twelve minutes to complete, meaning Leo could very well be out of the Vault by the time he reached, but Antonio decided to go anyways.
As the Guild's vice guildmaster , he had to confirm that everything was okay with his own eyes, for if Leo was really trying something funny, then he had to be punished before he succeeded in harming the institution.
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Timeless AssassinC378: Panic
Chapter 378: Panic
(Basement Level V, Inside the Vault, Timer: 27:03)
Leo crouched beside the empty pedestal, the cold mana-glass humming faintly beneath his palm as he took one final deep breath and clasped the black keychain tighter in his hand.
'I hope activating you doesn't suck me dry...' Leo hoped, as he pushed mana into the keychain slowly at first, then faster, until the orb began to tremble against his skin, vibrating like a trapped hummingbird caught between glass and thunder.
*Zzzzzzhk... ZzzzZH*
*CRACK*
The sphere let out a sharp pulse of energy and imploded inward, collapsing into itself like a dying star, before stabilizing into a tiny, swirling vortex the size of a clenched fist, as it took its final form as a short life dimensional portal, that pulsated faintly with violet and black colors.
'That's my window!' Leo thought, as he did not hesitate even slightly once the portal formed.
He thrust his right hand straight into the swirling hole, reaching beyond its warped space, as a strange gel-like sensation covered the part of his skin that was pushing through the portal.
It felt ticklish and unfamiliar, but he ignored how it felt, and focused on reaching the other side instead, as his fingertips soon grazed the edge of metal.
'Thank-God, it seems like I have indeed drawn the other end of the portal correctly,' Leo thought in relief, as he clenched the edge of the metal frame and yanked on it as hard as he could.
*WHOOSH*
The frame slid through the portal like a sword through silk, its larger body compressing unnaturally to pass through the tiny hole, as it came out the other side and refound its original shape.
Tied to it, was a power core attached by a strong wire, and thankfully, Leo had pulled on it with enough momentum to also pull the power core alongside the frame, as both objects shot out in a single motion, just before the portal shrunk to a pinpoint and vanished.
There was no residue left behind, no trace that the portal was ever there, as Leo was only left with the frame, the power core and the attaching wire in his hands.
'All good so far–' Leo assessed, as he quickly bent over and activated the stasis mechanism of the pedestal just in front of him, as the dull pedestal glowed with a faint white light, and the anti-gravity rune on its surface activated.
With both hands, Leo raised the frame and gently placed it inside the field, as once within the anti-gravity field, the frame floated weightless yet perfectly level, held in suspension by the enchantments of the stand, seemingly far better than any nut or bolt could ever hope to hold it, as Leo looked satisfied with how it hung.
"Now the real work..." Leo murmured ever so softly, as he disconnected the attached wire from the power core and crouched beside the levitating frame, his eyes narrowing as he brought the power core close to the integration socket on the rear.
'Right here. Slot-7 into Column-A. Pin-2 slides between rings 5 and 6... then twist the wire clockwise until the glyph pulses.'
His fingers worked fast but careful, threading minuscule joints with quiet precision as the soft ticking from the vault timer echoed behind him, each second like a drop of water falling onto the iron drum of his nerves.
—------
(Meanwhile, at the Guild Headquarters ground Floor Lobby)
*Ding*
Antonio stepped out of his private elevator, adjusting the collar of his coat as the marble-tiled elevator lobby greeted him with its usual grandeur.
Without breaking stride, he raised his right arm and tapped lightly on a button hidden beneath the cuff of his sleeve, as he retrieved a weird looking pin and slid it across elevator 3, to open it.
*Open*
Its door slid open with no sound.
Antonio stepped inside and crossed his arms, his expression unreadable, as he pressed the only button inside, which led to basement level V.
---
(Vault Chamber, Timer: 18:44)
Leo aligned the final pin into the power core and waited, sweat beginning to bead at his temples.
*Click*
A soft blue pulse ran across the frame, the signal that integration had succeeded.
However, just integrating the power core was not enough, he had to start the stabilization procedure next, as he began pressing the stabilization nodes one after another, just like he had memorized from Argo's instruction letter.
---
(Elevator Shaft, Mid-Descent)
Antonio stared blankly ahead as the elevator hummed downward through layers of reinforced mana-concrete.
The descent was long, twelve minutes to Basement Level V, not counting the minute-long corridor trek to the vault.
His thoughts cycled back to the flicker he'd seen in the viewing mirror, as he made his own assumptions on what it could be?
'Body splitting into two could be the result of a cloning technique, or it could be the result of him moving so fast, that the mirror could not catch his movement and instead showed him at two places at once for that brief split second'
He theorized, as he tightened his jaw, his fingers curling at his sides.
'This elevator ride is taking too long....'
---
(Vault Chamber | Timer: 14:52)
Leo's hands moved in a blur, pressing the correct activation sequence buttons, so that when the portal was remotely activated, it wouldn't shift or destabilize with use.
'Now for the final trigger,' he thought, as he very carefully pressed against the core's central rune.
*Bzzzzt—click*
A low hum spread outward. The portal wasn't active yet, but the frame was now fully online, stabilized and ready for remote activation for the Cult, with enough power for a 22 minute heist window.
'Item Description : A high grade instant teleportation device'
Leo typed for the pedestal's description, as he disguised the frame as just another treasure in the room.
----
(Meanwhile, basement Level V)
Antonio's boots echoed against the polished steel flooring as he stepped out of the hidden elevator.
The two violet-marked operatives standing guard didn't move, but one nodded at him as he passed.
His pace was calm. But his mind burned with certainty.
He reached the reinforced hallway fairly quickly, undergoing no security checks like Leo, as he quickly reached the vault door, before placing his palm on the glyph panel, as the vault door depressurized.
---
(Vault Chamber | Timer: 12:58)
Leo, still invisible, stood a few steps away from his clone, when suddenly hiss of de-pressurization began from the other side of the vault, causing his heart to jump into his throat.
'The fuck?' He cursed, panic gripping every muscle in his body, before rationality returned.
*DASH*
He dashed with all his speed, hoping that he had enough time to replace the clone before someone had a chance to scan the room, as for those few split seconds, he felt as if he was once again running away from the priest and the silver armoured knight of the time-stilled world, as time seemed to stretch endlessly for him for those handful of moments.
'Who could it be? And why are they here unannounced?' He wondered, as with his eyes trained towards the vault's entrance, he used [StormFlash Traverse] in a high stakes gamble to replace the clone before someone entered.
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Timeless AssassinC379: A close call
Chapter 379: A close call
(Just outside the vault door, Antonio's POV)
The gate hadn't even fully opened when Antonio stepped forward, crossing the threshold with the measured calm of a man trained to trust his instincts more than his eyes, as his transcendent gaze scanned the vault chamber in a slow arc, analyzing every flicker of movement, every shift in temperature, every trace of mana that lingered unnaturally in the air.
"Huh? Vice Guildmaster?" Leo asked, feigning surprise, his voice casual as he turned to face the older man with a half-smile, as though nothing in the world was remotely out of place.
Antonio didn't respond immediately.
His eyes swept the perimeter first, checking corners, checking shadows, checking for breath or heartbeat or heat signatures..... basically anything that would suggest the presence of a second body or clone, but he found nothing suspicious on the surface, which only made him more alert than before.
"Found something you fancy? You don't have much more time left to choose," He asked Leo, as he looked straight into his eyes.
There was a faint sheen of sweat on Leo's brow, that was subtle but not invisible, indicating to Antonio that he was anxious.
There was also a slight flutter in his chest that exposed his steady breaths as nothing more than a forced act, which made it seem like he was trying too hard to appear calm.
"You look worried," Antonio said at last, his voice smooth, unhurried and deceptively friendly as he walked the room's perimeter with his hands clasped behind his back, eyes lazily drifting from one artifact to another. "Everything alright?"
"I'm fine," Leo replied instantly, his tone just as smooth, though slightly brighter, as if he was trying to overcorrect. "I was just worried the oxygen might run out before the timer did, but... you coming in here probably gives me a few extra minutes."
He replied, as he smiled kindly, probably, too kindly, which only deepened Antonio's suspicion.
*Tap*
*Tap*
Antonio's boots clicked against the mana-polished floor as he walked over to the corner near the pedestal, where Leo had crouched earlier to retrieve the keychain.
There, he came to a pause, tilted his head, and inhaled slowly through his nose, his expression unreadable.
"Fart here, Skyshard?" Antonio asked with a straight face, as Leo's face went blank at the question, as he chose not to respond.
Antonio held his gaze for a second longer, then let it pass, moving on with the same quiet gait, though now his path gradually curved toward the far end of the chamber, where the frame floated silently on its new pedestal.
Leo's breath hitched just slightly, his gaze following Antonio's every step.
'Fucker suspects something to be wrong...' he realized at this moment, as he silently began charting a viable [StormFlash Traverse] route in his head, from his current position to the vault door in a straight line, as he began preparing for the worst-case scenario.
The older man said nothing. Just continued walking with calm and deliberate footsteps, pausing only to inspect another piece of treasure here, another glowing relic there, as he walked the full perimeter of the vault, his pupils always watching Leo from the corner of his eye.
Seconds passed, and as Antonio inched closer and closer to the frame, Leo's heart began to thud louder, however, his fake smile stayed intact.
'Please be dumb. Please be dumb. Just walk past it...' He prayed with desperation, and to his silent relief, Antonio did exactly that.
Without even pausing near the pedestal, he continued walking as if the frame were just another artifact among many unimportant, unnoticed items, that were simply unworthy of his attention, as slowly, he looped around the chamber and returned to where Leo stood.
"You've still got time," Antonio said, his voice low as he walked past. "Take a couple extra minutes since I interrupted, but make sure to get back out in time, I'll reset the timer to fifteen."
He said before stepping through the door just as it began to seal again behind his back, the hiss of pressurization returning to full force as the internal timer flicked back to 15:00.
'Fuck that was close!' Leo thought, as he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
*Haaah...*
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, finally letting his muscles relax just a little, as the familiar rush of adrenaline slowly began to taper off inside his chest.
The mission was done and not even the Vice Guildmaster suspected something to be off, as his decision to install the frame atop the pedestal had worked off brilliantly.
'This means I'm clear.... If Antonio didn't catch me, I'm probably gonna make it out alive!' Leo realized, as only now, with every obligation and threat out of his way, did he finally turn to inspect the actual vault's contents, knowing that, at least for the next few minutes, he could afford to act normal.
—-------------
(Meanwhile, just outside the vault, Antonio)
Antonio frowned deeply after exiting the vault's door, as he did not turn to acknowledge the saluting guards that stood at his flanks.
'Am I suspicious of that boy for no reason at all?' Antonio wondered, as he tried to think whether or not he found anything objectionable within the vault... But he did not!
Still, something about Leo's expression, calm on the surface, yet faintly rehearsed, continued to gnaw at the back of his mind like a splinter he couldn't dig out.
"Make sure he walks out with just one item," he said without turning to look at the guards, voice flat. "Check him extra hard, mouth, throat and everything."
Then, without another word, he walked away, his thoughts cycling in loops that even he couldn't quite untangle, as he wondered if he was simply becoming too paranoid as he grew older?
For in hindsight, the entire trip to the vault had been a pointless detour, consisting of twelve wasted minutes, and nothing to show for it but a gut feeling he couldn't shake.
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Show menu Novel BinNovel Timeless Assassin Chapter 380: What The Fuss Was All AboutTimeless AssassinChapter 380: What The Fuss Was All AboutChapter 380: What The Fuss Was All About
(Vault Chamber, Timer: 14:59)
With Antonio gone, Leo stood alone in the treasure room, as he finally allowed his eyes to roam the chamber he had just risked everything to infiltrate.
There were treasures everywhere.
Artifacts of every shape and size, some glowing, others dull and ancient, but two items stood out immediately to him, as in the entire room, while every other treasure was accessible and open to him, there were only two treasures that were sealed behind several layers of reinforced mana glass, that he couldn't touch or open.
And for that reason, he walked toward them first.
His boots echoed softly against the pristine floor, until he came to a halt before the first sealed item.
[Blood of the Evil Cult Dragon, Noah]
A vial, no larger than his pinky, floated gently in the center of a reinforced containment field, its liquid still bright red with subtle swirls of gold that refused to settle, as though alive.
The blood didn't look like any mortal essence—its texture more akin to smoke held in liquid form.
'I wonder why this is sealed?' Leo thought, as the protective aura emanating from the glass made his skin crawl, even without touching it.
As far as his knowledge about collecting blood of the deceased went, it was either useful for cloning an individual.
Or it was useful to inherit their bloodline powers, however, he wasn't sure of the exact procedure for either, so he moved to the second locked case.
[Scroll Belonging to the Timeless Assassin, Retrieved from Evil Cult Dragon Noah]
This sealed case was different from the one surrounding the vial, as instead of just a couple layers of protective glass surrounding it, Leo counted at least seven for this one.
The scroll itself hung unflurred and open, suspended midair and held in a constant state of revelation by anti-gravity magic.
Leo stepped closer, eyes narrowing as he tilted his head and began reading the contents of the scroll line by line, each character instantly clear to him despite the ancient dialect.
[Temporal Shift]
That was the name of the technique, written in gold at the very top.
It was a movement skill that defied the limits of possibility.
The scroll spoke of velocity bordering half the speed of light, of folding space between movements, of stepping faster than sight, perception, or even cause-and-effect.
It was, by every measure, the most complex and overwhelming maneuver he had ever seen.
But then came the limitations.
It required Divine Essence, a type of energy beyond his current reach.
No mana channel could handle such speeds. No mortal bones could withstand the friction. No ordinary perception could guide it.
'Only a Monarch or higher tier warrior can ever hope to use this technique and survive to tell the tale,' Leo realized, as he continued reading anyway, every muscle in his body subconsciously absorbing the postures, the flow diagrams, the spine-anchored breathing technique, and the high-speed compression stances etched into the scroll.
It took him five minutes.
Five silent, undisturbed minutes to study every last inch of the scroll with razor focus, as if engraving the knowledge into his bones.
And then he saw the final line.
> Only those related to the Timeless Assassin by blood can perform this technique.
Leo blinked, then stared a second longer, that line echoing louder than the ticking timer behind him.
'So that's why it's locked away and not in the personal arsenal of Dupravel Nuna—' He realized, as even Monarch Dupravel, for all his power, couldn't use it.
It wasn't just a matter of strength or cultivation, but rather blood and legacy.
"So this is what all the fuss was about…" Leo whispered, not as a boast but in solemn recognition, as he backed away slowly and turned to the rest of the vault.
[09:50]
The timer flashed in the distance, the numbers now demanding urgency.
Leo inhaled slowly and marched toward the next row of objects, determined to scan as much as he could, knowing he had just minutes left to pick something that could help him with the next phase of his journey.
He read quickly.
[Soul Lantern of the Void Hermit]
A sealed lantern that could reveal the aura trails of any dead-being within a ten-mile radius. It worked once per day and burned all the mana in the user's body each time it activated.
[Gauntlet of the Spellbreaker Monk]
A rust-colored glove etched with breaking runes. It allowed the wearer to nullify one magical construct per hour, whether it was barriers, enchantments, even illusions, by crushing them with bare hands.
[Beast Contract Ink ]
A vial of silver-black ink capable of forging an eternal contract with any one beast of your choosing. Only usable once. Cannot be undone. Fuses the soul of beast and master forever.
[Mirror of the Seventh Lie]
A hand-sized mirror that reveals the greatest lie a person has ever spoken about themselves.
[Silent Reaper's Cloak]
A plain gray cloak made of something lighter than air. Grants complete silence while moving, muffles footstep and heartbeat sounds, and allows the user to pass through minor barriers undetected.
Leo's eyes flicked from one item to the next, each one rare, strange, and deadly in its own way.
And yet, as the seconds ticked by, he could feel how none of these initial items he scanned were even remotely the right fit for him, as he began frantically moving to look for the perfect item.
"Come on, there has to be something worth taking from all these treasures that's worth billions of MP, and probably a one in the universe item—" Leo muttered under his breath, desperation mounting with every heartbeat.
He knew that this choice wasn't just about value alone.
It was about finding an item that aligned with his fighting style, with his instincts, with everything that made him uniquely dangerous.
Or an item that would help him navigate the chaos of joining the Cult, and improve his odds of survival dramatically.
Mass release chapter 5/6.
Special shoutout to patron AceKing137 for his 5000 coin donation.