"Kael…" Evelyn said, hatred burning in her eyes, "I've had sleepless nights dreaming of killing you…"
As her words spread, thick with fury, she raised her fair, slender hand. Her sword appeared in her grasp.
Lightning flickered around her, restless and alive, accentuating her beauty and making her seem like a goddess of lightning.
"So what if you've recovered your origin ability?" Kael glanced at her, his expression settling back into its usual calm.
He stretched out his hand. The spear embedded in the nearby wall trembled, then shot back with blinding speed.
The next moment, it appeared in his grasp.
Logan watched the two in silence. He had no place in this battle.
Yet something about the mission gnawed at him.
Things couldn't be as simple as they looked.
Previously, the mission he received had been one where Evelyn died. His task had been to change her fate.
'Could this one be similar?' Logan's thoughts spiraled.
If it was, then this wasn't just about Kael.
Logan swept his gaze across the area, eyes narrowing.
Kael came alone. But alone, he shouldn't be able to push Evelyn to death.
The unease that had lingered since morning sharpened, pressing deeper into his chest.
Clang!
The collision of steel rang out, snapping his thoughts apart.
He turned. At some point, Evelyn had already clashed with Kael.
Lightning lashed around them, striking the surroundings and tearing through everything in its path.
Driven by rage, Evelyn unleashed devastating strikes, burning through her origin energy at an alarming rate.
Bang!
Her sword cut low, aiming for Kael's crotch, exploiting any weakness she could find.
"You shameless old woman!" Kael gritted his teeth, barely dodging as he tried to pull distance from her relentless assault.
Evelyn didn't let him breathe.
No matter the means, despicable or honorable, she had to kill Kael.
'How did her strength increase this much in just a few days?' Kael's thoughts churned as he struggled to keep up with Evelyn's attacks raining down like a storm.
A blade from the left. A lightning bolt from the right.
Without years of battle experience, he would have already fallen.
"Lightning domain!" a strained voice echoed softly.
In the next instant, lightning flickered in and out of existence like a living storm, encircling Kael.
"Yo—you. How did you master a domain?" Kael's expression finally shifted, a crack in his composure.
Then, biting his tongue, he shouted into the air.
"Leader, please help your subordinate out on this small matter."
The moment his voice cut through the air, Evelyn faltered for a fraction of a second. Then her attacks resumed, faster than before.
She wasn't stopping. Not until Kael was dead. No matter who came.
On the other hand…
Logan's pupils shrank, horror creeping across his face.
'So this was it…' Dread coiled in his chest.
"Evelyn!" His voice cut through the battlefield, sharp enough to slice through her focus.
She turned, just for a moment.
He saw it. The fury in her eyes. The hatred burning in her gaze as it landed on him.
He had never seen that expression on her before.
It felt like being submerged in ice.
'Evelyn… my Evelyn… what has happened to you?' A dull ache spread through Logan's chest.
"We need to leave. Now!" He forced the words out, pushing everything else aside.
Evelyn's gaze lingered on him for a brief moment before shifting away, dismissing him entirely.
"Go on without me." Her voice drifted over, distant.
Her longsword gleamed as she swung again.
The air rippled. The space in front of her collapsed, fractures spreading outward.
Lightning latched onto those cracks. A streak of bright red sword light tore forward, crashing into Kael.
Kael was sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth.
At the same time, Evelyn's face paled instantly.
It was obvious. That technique had drained her heavily.
"Evelyn!" Logan called again, sharper this time. "We have to leave now!"
Swoosh!
A streak of white shot toward Logan and exploded just in front of his feet, dust kicking up around him.
"The next one will be on your head," Evelyn said, her anger undiminished.
Logan froze for a fraction of a second, caught off guard.
Thoughts collided in his mind.
They had to leave before the leader—
A soft sigh drifted from above.
Logan looked up.
A hand was descending from the sky.
It felt unreal. Like a god casually reaching down to pluck mortals from the earth.
"This…" Logan stared at the familiar hand, shock tightening his chest.
He looked at Evelyn.
She stood frozen, staring upward as if nothing else in the world existed.
"Leader!" Kael spoke through a mouth full of blood, relief overtaking the madness in his eyes.
With the leader of his assassin organization intervening, everything was settled.
It was why he had come alone.
He had heard the leader was wandering the city. With that knowledge, he rushed here, certain this was the safest chance to kill Evelyn.
As the massive palm descended, cracks began to form across Evelyn's delicate skin, like a porcelain doll splintering apart.
'Think, Logan. What can you do… think!' his mind roared.
Then his eyes lit up.
'My sword… it's SSS-rank. It might withstand some of the pressure.'
He moved instantly.
Calling his sword forth, he hurled it toward her.
"Evelyn!"
The blade cut through the air.
The massive palm paused mid-descent, as if recognizing the weapon.
That single moment was enough.
Evelyn moved.
She caught the SSS-rank sword and unleashed the same high-grade technique again.
Red lightning erupted around the blade.
This time, space didn't just fracture.
It collapsed.
The distortion spread outward in an instant as her crimson sword light streaked forward like a comet, slamming into the descending palm.
Ding!
The collision rang out, a sharp note as a massive crack split through space itself.
The sheer force of her attack was undeniable.
But when it met the palm—
Clang!
A dull sound echoed, as though the strike had landed on something soft, something immovable.
The hand was pushed back slightly.
Nothing more.
No real damage.
Evelyn's face drained of color, shock and fear breaking through her fury.
Logan had expected this.
"We need to leave now, Evelyn!" His voice cut through everything again.
Evelyn hesitated, casting one last glance at Kael. The killing intent in her eyes hadn't faded.
She still wanted him dead.
"Evelyn. Now."
Her fist clenched. Her teeth ground together.
Then she turned.
In the next instant, she rushed toward Logan.
They ran.
Fast.
Logan knew the truth. That technique had stalled the leader, but only briefly. The distance still worked in their favor.
For now.
His heart hammered violently against his ribs as they fled.
He hoped.
No.
He prayed.
That this would be enough.
'But… will things really be this easy?' The thought surfaced, heavy and unrelenting.