Shadowhaven did not give them time to breathe.
One moment, the alley was empty.
The next—steel rained from every direction. Poisoned darts hissed through the fog like invisible death. Daggers spun out of darkness, reflecting violet lanternlight before vanishing into sleeves and ribs and walls. Assassins dropped from rooftops without warning, landing silently behind them like ghosts given form.
Taren barely twisted in time. A blade scraped past his shoulder.
"…They don't stop coming!"
Kael answered by driving his fist through a masked attacker's chestplate, sending him crashing into a wall.
"Good," Kael growled. "I was getting bored."
Lio moved between strikes like flowing water, precise and controlled, his blade deflecting darts mid-air with sharp metallic clicks.
"Stay in formation," he said calmly. "Stay close."
But Shadowhaven didn't allow formation.
From the alleys, more arrived.
From rooftops, more descended.
From beneath the fog itself, silhouettes emerged, as if the island itself was producing them.
Taren's breathing grew heavier. "How many of them ARE there?!"
No answer came. Only blades.
They ran.
From narrow alleyways to broken plazas, through collapsed halls and fog-choked corridors. Every path led to another ambush. Every turn led to more eyes watching.
Kael's knuckles were already bloodied. Lio's cloak was torn in several places. Taren's spear was stained dark from intercepted poison strikes.
Still—
They fought.
Each engagement turned into survival. Each corridor became a battlefield. Kael broke through groups like a storm, sending assassins flying with crushing blows. Lio dismantled coordinated attacks with surgical precision, striking joints, nerves, and gaps in armor. Taren held the line whenever they were surrounded, spear sweeping wide arcs that forced space where none existed.
Yet—
They were being pushed. Not defeated. Surrounded, driven. Until finally—
The center plaza.
They stopped.
Stone tiles cracked beneath old bloodstains and forgotten executions. The fog here was thinner, but not kinder. Lanterns flickered weakly overhead like dying stars.
The three stood back-to-back. Breathing heavier now.
And then, silence broke. Footsteps echoed from every direction. Alleys filled. Roofs filled. Even the edges of the plaza—filled.
Assassins.
Hundreds. No… more. Still more arriving behind them, like the island refused to empty itself.
Taren's voice dropped. "…This is insane…"
Kael exhaled through his nose, cracking his knuckles. Lio's eyes narrowed slightly. "…We're being herded."
The assassins moved at once. A single unified rush. Steel surged forward like a tidal wave.
"Nowhere to run!" one voice shouted.
"Kill the intruders!"
The air itself sharpened. Blades closed in from every direction. Time slowed.
Taren saw it first—the point of impact from every angle. Kael tensing to break forward. Lio shifting for defense.
No gap.
No escape.
And then—
"Aether Art: Piercing Collapse."
BOOOOM—!!!
The plaza exploded outward as the ground collapsed beneath a falling force of pure Aether.
A crater formed instantly at the center, shockwaves tearing through stone and air alike. Assassins were thrown backward like leaves in a storm, their formation shattered in a single instant.
Silence followed the blast. Dust and fog swirled violently. At the center of the crater—
A figure stood. Golden light fading from his body like dying embers.
Renn Valehart.
His presence alone crushed the remaining tension in the air.
His gaze was cold.
Not calm. Not relieved. But angry. He didn't look at the assassins first. He looked at them.
At Kael. At Taren. At Lio.
"…You three…" A pause. His voice dropped lower. "…left without me."
Kael didn't answer immediately. Taren looked away slightly. Even Lio stayed silent.
Renn's expression darkened further.
Then, he turned slowly toward the assassins rising back to their feet. Golden Aether began to gather faintly around his hand.
"…And you."
His voice sharpened. "You will pay the price…" He pointed his dagger to the assassins, "…for touching my comrades."
The plaza became a slaughter the moment the assassins committed.
Fog thickened, swallowing lanternlight as figures poured in from every direction—rooftops, alleys, broken arches hidden within Shadowhaven's mist. Steel flashed once, then vanished into motion.
Kael was the first to move. "Too many coming in!" He surged forward, fist colliding with the ground.
BOOM—!
A shockwave tore through the stone, throwing the front wave of assassins off their feet. Kael followed through immediately, breaking into them with brutal force, each strike sending bodies crashing into walls and pillars.
Taren held the left flank, spear spinning in controlled arcs. "Stay back!" he shouted, forcing attackers to hesitate as he pushed them away from the group. Poison darts skimmed past his shoulder—he twisted just in time.
Lio moved without wasted motion. One step, one strike. Blades deflected, pressure points struck, enemies collapsing silently before they could even react. But the numbers didn't stop.
More came.
And more.
"…They're endless," Taren muttered.
Kael clicked his tongue. "I was getting annoyed."
Lio's eyes narrowed slightly. "…They're trying to overwhelm us."
Then, the air changed.
Renn stepped forward. No warning. No hesitation. Golden Aether began to gather around him, calm but heavy—like pressure before a storm.
He exhaled once and vanished.
CRACK—!
He reappeared in the center of the crowd. The ground fractured beneath him.
"Aether Art: Twin Eclipse."
BOOOOM—!
A burst of golden light erupted outward in a cross-shaped shockwave. The front wave of assassins was launched backward instantly, bodies slamming into stone and collapsing into the fog. The impact cleared a wide space around him in seconds.
Silence followed the blast.
Renn stood at the center, expression unchanged. Cold and focused.
Kael paused mid-fight. "…He just wiped half of them in one move."
Taren stared. "…He's totally insane…"
Lio didn't answer. He was already watching the remaining assassins hesitate at the edge of the plaza.
Renn lowered his hand slightly.
"…Who's next?"
The fog at the far end of the plaza shifted. Not violently, not suddenly. But deliberately—like something stepping through a curtain.
Two figures emerged.
The assassins at the edge of the plaza instinctively stepped back, forming a wide, respectful gap.
First came a massive silhouette.
Heavy footsteps cracked the stone with each step. A towering man walked forward, chains loosely hanging from his arms, dragging across the ground with a metallic groan. His grin was visible even through the fog—wide, unbothered, almost entertained.
"Oi…" he muttered, rolling his shoulders. "You four killed most of our men, this is really personal to us. Right, Lyra?" His eyes locked onto Renn.
"Garrick Dreadmaw."
One of the highest-ranked executioners of the Veiled Daggers. Behind him, the second figure followed with far lighter steps.
A little girl.
Slim, relaxed posture, as if the battlefield didn't concern her at all. Thin blades rested between her fingers, spinning lazily like ornaments. Her eyes scanned the destruction with quiet amusement.
"…Huh," she murmured. "They weren't exaggerating." A faint smile formed.
"Lyra Vex."
The youngest elite assassin within the Veiled Daggers. A child feared even by grown killers.
The atmosphere changed instantly. Even the assassins at the edges stopped moving.
Kael narrowed his eyes. "…Those two are different."
Taren swallowed. "Yeah… I can feel it."
Lio's hand shifted slightly toward his blade. "…High-tier assassins..."
Renn didn't move. But his gaze sharpened.
Garrick cracked his neck, still smiling. "So," he said casually, voice carrying through the plaza, "which one of you will stood responsible for all of this?"
Lyra tilted her head slightly, eyes landing on Renn. "Oh?" she murmured softly. "That one." Her smile widened just a little.
"…Interesting."
Renn stepped forward, tightly gripped his daggers.
Garrick Dreadmaw tilted his neck slightly, grin returning as he cracked it once. "…Bossy kid," he muttered, amused.
Lyra Vex's blades slowed between her fingers. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "…I like your confidence," she said softly,".... but let's see how long it lasts."